When Edward woke up he found himself in pitch-blackness. He instinctively reached out a tentative arm to search for his brother. The nightmares he faced nearly every night had become commonplace by now, and they so closely resembled his days in captivity that, whenever he awoke, he needed confirmation that he was safe and not back in that awful place. His nightmares were often so horrific, so realistic, that he would wake up time and time again to be met with nothing but darkness. He was never completely sure whether he was awake or asleep, and it had gotten to the point where he had begun to dread them both simply because he couldn't tell them apart.

The worse part had to be the darkness. To Edward, his five senses were extremely important, and without his sight, he felt unnervingly vulnerable. It reminded him of his time as Envy's prisoner. He would always remain still and wait for his eyes to adjust, all the while fearing he might find himself back in that place once he regained his vision, back in that dark underground room that always smelled of sewage and something rotting.

Just like he did every night, often several times a night, Edward used his 5 senses to confirm his safety.

Smell... the air smelled clean and somewhat like fabric softener.

Sound... he was shrouded in silence. The only sound that could be heard was the faint howling of the wind outside the window facing his back, although most of the sound was kept out.

Touch... soft sheets beneath him. He continued to reach out an arm in search of his brother, but as time ticked by, his heart gradually began to race in alarm.

Everything else about his situation seemed right, but the most important thing was missing. He couldn't find his brother. There was no one there.

He was alone.

The faint outline of the edge of the bed and the door just beyond it began to come into focus. His eyes were beginning to adjust to the dark, as per usual. He was still in Mustang's house; he could confirm that now without a doubt.

Then why wasn't Al with him?

The warmth of the sheets he was wrapped in seemed to dissipate all of a sudden. He jumped at the sound of a tapping at the window, but turned to see it was only a tree branch swaying in the wind. The weather outside seemed to be getting worse.

Edward hesitantly sat up in the guest bed, swinging his legs over the side and to the ground. The carpet felt prickly and unwelcome under his flesh foot. He took careful steps until he reached the door. He opened it carefully and heard it creak on its hinges. He felt so helpless and small.

First, he ducked his head into the bathroom. He found it empty. He peered into the Colonel's room. Mustang was there, thankfully, exactly where he should be, but Al was still nowhere to be found. Finally, he decided to check the spare room Winry had slept in the night before she left on that train. It was empty as well, no surprise there. However, something about the empty room unnerved Ed.

The window was wide open.

The wind violently thrashed the curtains two and fro and emitted a high pitched whine that sounded like an alarm in the former state alchemist's ears.

It had been a long time since Ed had attempted to run, but you could never tell by the way he flew down the stairs in an instant, checking every corner of the house in hopes that he would find his brother hiding somewhere. Maybe he'd jump out and say, "Ha! Fooled you. I've been right here the whole time." Edward would be angry at first, but his relief would would quickly overcome all other emotions. Unfortunately, however, that isn't how things played out. Edward couldn't find Al anywhere in the house, and he had a sneaking suspicion as to where he had gone.

The boy felt a sharp pang in his heart.

He loved Winry. He might even admit that he loved the Colonel. They were both very special people in his life, same as Granny Pinako, Hawkeye, Havoc, and the other members of Mustang's team. They had all been there for him and they all cared about him.

But no one compared to Alphonse.

His brother meant more to him than anyone else in the world, and just the thought of him experiencing all the things Ed had gone through... the pain was almost too much to bare. He felt what minuscule strength he had leave him as his body crashed to the floor. He clutched his gray shirt in the grip of his automail arm and began breathing in small gasps. He felt like he was having a panic attack. The room around him became fuzzy and out of focus. The sound of his own breath became muffled as if he had cotton stuffed in his ears.

He shook his head to try and clear it and focused on slowing his breathing. He couldn't help Al if he fell apart right now.

Edward looked down at his flesh leg to see a few of his scars peaking out from the sweatpants he had slept in. Ever since he was discharged from the hospital, he made sure to wear long-sleeved shirts and full-length pants whenever possible. He just hated looking at his body. Every single scar held a memory.

Instead of pulling down his pant leg to cover them like he normally would, Edward gently used his flesh hand to trace the outline of one of his scars. It was rather small, just stretching around the width of his ankle, but it was very deep. He could recall the day he got it just like all the others within the hazy memories he had tried so hard to push out of his brain. Envy waltzed into the dark underground room one day holding a piece of tangled up barbed wire. He remembered Envy saying that he had "found something interesting" floating in the sewage not far from the tunnels he and the other homunculi inhabited...

XxXxXxXxX

Envy began untangling the wire, revealing it to be around a meter in length. It was dripping wet and covered in rust and some sort of green fungus. Who knows how long it had been lying in that disease-ridden cesspool. Edward felt an intense sense of apprehension begin to grow in the depths of his stomach, but at the same time, he knew that he was powerless to object to Envy's whims, whatever they may be.

Suddenly and without warning or explanation, Envy had grabbed Edward by his single leg and yanked him up. Ed's shoulders and head stayed pressed uncomfortably against the filthy, grainy floor, his tangled mess of hair going every which way and preventing him from seeing what Envy was doing. He had to figure out what was happening without the use of his vision, just like so many times before.

Edward felt the sharp barbs pierce his skin as Envy began to wrap the wire securely around his ankle. He wanted to yank his leg away, but he had not the strength nor the courage to do so. Besides, that would only cause the wire to tear even worse at his flesh. A few long moments passed in silence as drops of foul smelling water trailed down his leg, when Ed suddenly heard a clanking sound like metal against concrete. When nothing else happened, Ed tried to use his foggy mind to decipher what had made the sound, his brain still muddled by the red water currently spreading slowly throughout his body. Before he had time to do much thinking, Envy suddenly yanked him completely off the ground and held him by nothing but the barbed wire. Edward screamed in agony as he felt the cold, metallic cord tighten around his ankle as his weight dragged him down, the sharp barbs forcing themselves even deeper into his flesh.

Envy ignored his cries, as he so often did, and attached the end of the barbed wire he was still holding to a rusty piece of metal sticking out of the wall. Ed clenched his jaw so tight with the pain he was worried his teeth might just shatter.

The homunculus took a few steps back to admire his work, giggling as he watched the boy's poor, naked body squirm and writhe in agony. Ed clasped his single hand over his mouth as tears began to well up in his eyes. He looked down through the long, swaying mass of his hair below him to see that the chain around his flesh arm had been disconnected from the wall to allow him to be lifted higher off the ground. That must have been the sound he had heard before. It was difficult for the young alchemist to tell how high up he was, but he was high enough so that his tangled, golden hair didn't touch the ground.

Beads of sweat mixed with blood and dirty sewer water dripped down the boy's bare skin, gracing over countless scars and open wounds that either hadn't had time to heal yet or had recently been reopened. Envy had a bad habit of digging his fingers into Edward's sensitive scar tissue to keep any of his wounds from healing properly. Blood rushed to his head and tears and loose strands of hair masked his vision. The intense discomfort in his ankle had melted into a constant searing pain and had begun to spread like wildfire up the length of his leg, but now he felt that pain fading away as the appendage became numb, and his mind began to feel fuzzy. He was losing consciousness. He breathed a sigh of relief and waited for the darkness to take him away from his suffering, even if just for a short while. The pounding of the blood in his ears and the muffled sound of Envy's laughter surrounded his mind as he slipped away from the waking world, welcoming the void with open arms.

XxXxXxXxX

Back then, sleep had been an escape, and the waking world had been a nightmare. Edward had begun to think that things had been reversed now, as Envy's presence haunted his every dream, but now he felt more like both were wrong. His entire existence had become a living nightmare; the waking world and his subconscious.

Edward wasn't entirely sure how much time had passed, but he had finally managed to bring himself back under control. Carefully, he lifted his body off of the ground, wincing as he felt the aching in his stumps. The weather outside must be getting pretty bad, he thought to himself. He climbed back up the stairs gingerly, now feeling the effects of so much physical activity on his still weak, worn down body. Not only were his stumps aching due to the weather, the rest of his body was beginning to feel sore as well. Once he reached the top of the stairs, Ed once again found himself at the entrance to the guest room, faced with the open window. He took a few hesitant steps into the room, feeling like a mouse entering a lion's den. He made it to the open window and leaned his head out of the opening. Broken tree branches, footprints, a bent fence post; there was an obvious trail to follow, but this just made Edward more nervous. Envy was smart. He wouldn't leave a trail if he didn't want to be followed.

Edward took a deep breath and stepped away from the window once again to consider his options. He listed off in his head what he knew about the situation: One, Envy had taken Al. Two, Envy left a trail for Ed to follow. Three, this was a trap.

The boy turned briefly toward the door that lead back into the hallway. He could just barely see Mustang's room from where he was standing. He thought about waking him up, which would seem to anyone as the obvious choice of action, but Edward didn't budge. If Edward woke the colonel up, he would tell Ed to stay put and he would go after Al himself, just like any responsible parent would.

Parent...

Mustang was of no use to Envy. Envy would kill him.

Edward had made up his mind. As terrified as the blond was of Envy, there was a single thing that he feared more than recapture, and that was the people he cared for most falling into that horrible creature's clutches.

Edward returned to his own room and began quickly scribbling down a message on the pad of paper he had been using to communicate as the storm continued to rage violently just outside. As he wrote the final sentence, Ed felt a deep pang in his heart. Now finished, he left the pad with the note on the nightstand beside the bed, hoping Mustang would find it in the morning.

After slipping on a pair of shoes, the young alchemist returned to the guest room and carefully and noiselessly climbed out through the window. The moment his feet came to rest on the grass just below the window, he felt the harsh wind push against him, almost as if it were insisting that he turn back, but it was too late for that now. He took a few uneasy steps forward, slowly at first, but gradually gaining speed as he strengthened his resolve. Before long, he had disappeared into the woods just beyond the sleeping suburban neighborhood, the shadows cast by the tightly knit trees seeming even more menacing in the darkness of the night.

XxXxXxXxX

Envy scraped one sharp fingernail across the young boy's tender flesh as he squirmed uncomfortably beneath his touch, small globules of blood forming around the cut. The blond jerked historically two and fro against the tree he had been tied to, his screams muffled by the gag in his mouth. As he continued to struggle, the rough surface of the rope rubbed against his exposed flesh, leaving behind irritated red marks on his wrists. Before tying Alphonse's wrists together behind the somewhat thin trunk of the tree, Envy had removed his clothes. The dull blue T-shirt and grey shorts he had worn to bed now lay in a pile a few feet away, along with his underwear and socks, and he felt horribly vulnerable. Unfortunately, however, exposure was the least of the boy's worries. He had felt confused at first when he woke up to find himself naked and tied to a tree, but that confusion quickly turned to terror as he saw, standing above him with a less than pleased expression on his face, the person who single handedly managed to break his brother and ruin both their lives. Envy.

Al had never once considered the possibility of him suffering the same fate as his brother. He had been so entirely focused on Edward's recovery and working on getting things back to the way they used to be. Sure, it had crossed his mind once or twice that Edward's kidnapper might come back for him some day, in fact, it had seemed more than likely, but Alphonse had been confident that, with the help of the colonel, Ed would be safe. He never thought he would have to worry about his own safety as well.

Al shivered as the icy wind blew harshly through the trees, feeling like daggers biting into his bare skin. He could hear the foliage shift and birds take flight as their perches were disturbed. He wished he could fly away like that too.

He was cold, frightened, and the small cuts Envy had begun inflicting on him, seemingly out of boredom, had begun to sting painfully. He had no idea what lay in store for him, and as much as he wanted someone to come save him, he couldn't help but hope that his brother would stay as far away as possible.

XxXxXxXxX

Envy felt extremely irritated.

He remembered thinking to himself, why not? I'll take the brat's brother, and he'll be sure to come after him. Might as well make this interesting, right? And in the end, I'll have them both! It's like killing two birds with one stone!

Envy swiftly kicked a small stone laying on the forest floor and watched smash into the tree in front of him, just above his kidnapee's head. The frightened boy released a muffled yelp in surprised and cowered lower to the ground. Normally this would amuse Envy, but no matter how hard he tried to enjoy tormenting the little shit, he just kept wishing he was Ed.

It was no good. The two might look alike, but it just wasn't the same. Not even close. It wasn't good enough. He wanted Edward. Nothing less would satisfy him.

Oh how he missed the way his nails had sliced so easily through the boy's flesh and the wonderful serenade of his screams. Envy had just loved discovering what interesting new sounds he could get the boy to make, and each new form of torture seemed to bring forth new and exciting responses. He also missed the sweet scent of the boy's blood and how beautifully his skin glistened when covered in it. Especially how it stained his hair... Such a gorgeous mixture of dirty gold and deep red. And the utter terror and fear in his eyes... Knowing that he, and he alone, caused that terror... it was the best feeling in the world. And the scars... each one was special; each one a fond memory that Envy held dear.

Each one indisputable proof that his possession belonged to him.

XxXxXxXxX

Al's toes and fingers were so cold, he could no longer feel them. The wind continued to grow stronger and stronger, and although the forest partially shielded the boy from the full force of the icy breeze, he still felt intense shivers rack his body. At least the cold was something he could focus his mind on; something besides his situation. He latched onto whatever distraction he could find.

Animals scurried about here and there, making distinct sounds all around him. A rabbit appeared from the underbrush and made eye contact with the two intruders for a moment, before quickly darting away. Wise decision, thought Al.

A dear dashed by out of the corner of his eye, it's brown pelt blending in nicely with the trees it weaved in and out of as it ran. Envy aimed another stone at the innocent animal, but he missed. He made an agitated grunt in response.

Still more birds overhead. They all seemed to be going somewhere in a hurry. Somewhere far from here.

Something with unusual golden fur off in the distance. It seemed to be approaching the two of them, but he was sure it would run off when it got a sense of the situation. They say animals can sense certain things about a person, or creature, if one was referring to Envy, and that was a theory Al believed in wholeheartedly.

A few squirrels scurrying about overhead, jumping from tree to tree. Al followed their path with his eyes, watching one of them knock a small acorn to the ground which landed just a few feet from him. He thought about stretching out and nudging it with his bare foot, but looking back up at his captor, he feared Envy might attack him if he made even the slightest movement. The homunculus now had his arms crossed and was staring off into the distance just beyond the tree Alphonse was bound to. Watching the scenery for another unsuspecting forest animal to direct his anger toward, perhaps. His face was scrunched up in an angry grimace and he was tapping his fingers rapidly against his arm.

Al remained motionless and looked off in the opposite direction, the only direction he could look: straight ahead. That animal with the golden fur had gotten much closer. Al was surprised; he was sure it should have turned tail and ran by now. He squinted, attempting to make out the shape of the animal.

Al's eyes widened. It wasn't an animal at all. In an instant the boy's heart was filled with a mixture of excitement and relief, but those feelings quickly turned to an overwhelming sense of dread.

Envy noticed Al's expression and raised his eyebrow in confusion before turning around to see what had caused him to become so animated all of a sudden. The homunculus's face instantly lit up the moment he saw him, completely forgetting about Alphonse all together.

Envy had caught sight of his prize, and his trap had worked perfectly; hook, line, and sinker. His brother had just sealed his fate.

Envy hunched over and grabbed fistfuls of his long hair in both hands, snickers racking his body. "Finally," he whispered through clenched teeth.

Edward paused a few meters away from Envy and stood up straight. There was determination in his eyes, but Al could see that he was shaking. Beads of sweat dripped down his face as he took another nervous step forward.

His eyes glimmered as he turned to the right, gesturing for Envy to follow him deeper into the forest. He looked like he was on the verge of tears.

Envy responded quickly, jumping up in excitement to follow his victim.

"Ed, no..." Al mumbled weakly around the gag.

Ed took one final look at his brother with eyes filled with so much sorrow and regret, Al could almost hear the words his brother was unable to speak. "I'm sorry."

Something about this situation felt eerily familiar. That's right, they had been in this position before. It was over a year ago now, but it felt like an entire lifetime had gone by since that time. The day he and Ed had been captured by those scientists. The day Ed escaped alone, promising to come back for his precious little brother. The beginning of the end.

Of course Ed had come for him then, just like he had today. But sometimes, Al wished Ed had just left him there, just like he had wished he wouldn't show up this time, but he still couldn't repudiate the hope that always lingered in the back of his mind: the hope that his big brother would always be there to save him from danger and hardship, even when he needed far more saving than Al did. Al was only human after all. A needy, selfish human being.

Now, after all this time, it was happening again, and Al felt powerless to stop it. He felt like everything up to this point had been meaningless.

Had it been meaningless?

...

No.

It wasn't meaningless. None of it was. Because in that moment when Alphonse's eyes met his brother's, none of that seemed to matter. He could feel the strong connection between them; the bond that had convinced Ed to face the single thing he was most afraid of in the world; the bond that Al had latched onto and depended upon his whole life; the bond that he could now feel more strongly than he ever had before; just as it was about to break.

As Edward turned away, Al knew things would be different this time. This was the last time his brother would save his life. And this time, Al would never get the chance to return the favor.

Al tried to pull at his restraints, but he felt so weak and helpless. His eyes began to tear up, the shaking from the cold worsening as his body was wracked with sobs. He wanted to say something; anything! He wanted to scream something before his brother was out of his sight, but alas, he had lost his voice.

Ha. How ironic.

Before Al knew it, the whirling blur of Edward and Envy's retreating forms, distorted by his own tears, began to fade away, and the darkness swallowed them both.

XxXxXxXxX

Edward ran as fast as his legs could carry him, never daring to turn around. No, he did not regret his decision. He would not look back.

He could hear the sound of Envy's footsteps thumping just behind him, gradually inching closer as they ducked under tree branches and skirted past undergrowth. Edward's body ached all over from the sudden strain he had been putting himself under: the frantic searching for his brother, the long trek out into the woods, and now this. He was certain that the peak speed he had managed to reach was less than impressive, and Envy should have been able to catch up to him easily, but he hadn't. He had turned this into a game. He was just toying with him. At first, Ed felt some semblance of relief, but it was short lived. The homunculus was only prolonging the inevitable, and Ed knew that. He just didn't want to think about it.

So, he focused on putting one foot in front of the other. A task that proved to be a bit more challenging than it should have been.

Right... left... right...

...Right? Had it been? Was this all a big mistake?

Ed dashed to the side, just short of running full force into a thorn bush. No, left... He had made the right turn. The right choice. He had done what he had to in order to protect the most important person in his life. Now, all he had to do was face the consequences. He couldn't look back.

Left... right... left... The snapping of a tree branch, the scurrying of small creatures clearing the path.

Right... left... right... The sound of Envy's laughter slowly catching up; a low rumble in the back of his throat.

Left... right... The pitter patter of water against the leaves and the squish of damp soil beneath his feet as it began to rain. Dark, ominous clouds hovering overhead. The storm was worsening.

Left...

He had left him. He had left Al all alone. Would he be alright all by himself?

Focus, Elric! Ed screamed at himself, begging his mind to stop thinking. It was too late now, anyway. No time for regrets.

Edward felt something sharp scrape his lower back, tearing his clothing and sending sharp needles of pain up his spine. Against his better judgement, the former alchemist glanced behind him to see Envy lashing out at him with his sharp nails, his pace matching Edward's just inches behind him.

Seeing the threat was worse than just hearing his footsteps. Ed's mind went blank and he started to panic. He would soon be back in the clutches of the one person he feared most in the world, and how soon that would be all depended on how long the homunculus felt like dragging it out. As the full weight of his situation finally hit him, Edward was filled with a feeling of absolute terror. The boy was certain that nothing could top the level of unmitigated horror he felt in that one moment. Or, at least, that's what he thought until he tripped.

With his eyes and mind focused behind him, Edward didn't see the root of a nearby tree arching out of the ground in his path. His foot caught on it, pulling off his right shoe and causing him to crash face first to the ground, sliding against the muddy forest floor. He turned himself over quickly, staring up fearfully at the imposing figure standing at his feet. Envy laughed hysterically and kicked Edward in the side with one strong leg. With a sharp intake of breath, Ed grasped his ribcage, whimpering as Envy took a few steps closer.

"What's the matter, brat?" Envy jeered. "You're not putting up much of a fight!"

Edward attempted to crawl away from the creature of his most haunting nightmares, desperately reaching out with his automail arm and digging into the soft earth, his flesh arm still clutching his aching side. The mud felt cool and slick under his exposed skin.

Ed shrieked when he felt his head yanked back, a fistful of his long hair held firmly in Envy's grasp. Tears streamed down the boy's face, blurring his vision, and violent shakes racked his slender frame. Every horrible memory from the time of his imprisonment suddenly came back to him. The whip, the hose, the barbed wire, and every other unspeakable torture device Ed had been forced to become familiar with. It all came rushing back so suddenly as Envy yanked harder on his hair, digging his claws into the boy with his other hand and leaving deep lacerations from his neck down to his lower back and tearing his shirt to shreds.

He couldn't take it. It was too much.

He had to get away.

Edward wrenched his body from back and forth, desperately struggling to pull away. He didn't care how, he just needed to escape. He couldn't stand to spend another second trapped in that monster's clutches.

He reached out for something to grab onto; anything at all that he could use to pull away. That's when he noticed that there was a tree with low hanging branches just a few feet from where he was huddled on the ground. Edward stretched his arm out as far as he could until he finally managed to grasp one of the branches in his metal hand. He yanked himself away from Envy with all his strength, ignoring the pain of large clumps of hair being torn out of his head, until he was finally able to wrench himself away from the creature's grasp, leaving a significant amount of tangled, muddy hair behind him.

Searing pain spread through his scalp like wildfire, but he didn't pay it any mind. The moment Ed broke free, he started running again. He just had to keep running. He couldn't stop. He couldn't let Envy catch him again.

At first, Envy just watched him run with a sadistic smile on his face, waiting for the right moment to continue his pursuit. He hadn't had this much fun in ages.

Edward noticed this from the lack of lumbering footsteps right behind him, but he didn't turn around. Not this time. He couldn't take that risk again.

For a brief moment, Ed recalled the note he had left Mustang, and wondered if perhaps the colonel would be able to find him. Maybe everything would be okay. Maybe Mustang would find him before it was too late and save him from this monster. Then they'd go untie Al and head home together. Just like a family.

Ed let a weak smile cross his face at the thought, but even as the idea crossed his mind, he knew he was only kidding himself. There was absolutely no way things would work out that nicely. Nothing in his life ever had. If Edward had learned anything over his short sixteen years of life, it was that the world was full of nothing but disappointment and rotten luck, and around every turn there was someone out to get you. Sometimes it even seemed as if the whole world was against you.

Aside from Al of course. And Mustang. That's right... he had left without waking the colonel for a reason. To protect him. Just as he had protected Al. In a world full of deviants, those few worth protecting were worth giving up absolutely everything Edward had to give, which admittedly wasn't much, but he had done all he could. He tried not to think of his own fate and instead focused on the fate of those precious people. Al. Mustang.

Winry...

Ed felt a pang in his chest. He had been avoiding that name in his head for a while now. He already had too much on his mind, too much sorrow filling his heart.

He wondered briefly what her reaction would be if she knew what he was doing. She wouldn't approve, he knew that much. She would probably yell at him at first, and then start crying and ask him why he always had to take all of the burden onto his own shoulders; why he never let anyone help him.

He never did have a good answer for that question. It was just instinct. If there was any way for him to bare all the pain felt by those he cared about, he would gladly take full responsibility. Even though gradually over time it had become too much for him to take, he still had the compulsion to protect them, even if it meant his own demise. But maybe he was just being selfish, not wanting to feel the remorse of watching a close friend or family member go through hardship. If he kept the focus on himself, he didn't have to think about that, because he was the one hurting.

He had paid for that frame of mind more times than he could count.

Edward felt the ground begin to slope downward as he neared a river. He could hear the roaring of the tides as the water gushed past, its course made more chaotic by the storm. As the boy approached the wide expanse of rushing water, the trees began to thin, causing Edward to be pelted much more heavily by the rain than when he had been sheltered under the cover of the foliage.

The former state alchemist looked to the right and to the left as he ran, but the river seemed to go for miles, and it was far too wide to jump over, even if Edward had been in top physical condition. As the water drew nearer, the boy heard the disheartening sound of footsteps approaching once again. Envy had sprung back into action. Edward's heart raced and he began to panic.

It's okay, it's fine. if I can't go forward, I'll just turn left or right. But which way...?

To the left lay thick underbrush, much of which appeared to be thorn bushes. Those would be difficult to run through. If they slowed him down enough, Envy would...

To the right waited jagged, tightly knit rocks, into which the river expanded slightly. He couldn't see how far the obstacle stretched, but in order to get around it, he would have to turn back. But if he turned back, Envy would...

Suddenly, as if his situation wasn't dire enough, Edward's automail leg started acting up. It felt stiff and was moving less and less as time went on. Something was wrong. Edward now felt himself slowing down little by little until all he could do was drag the useless metal appendage as he hobbled frantically forward.

It must have been the mud, Edward thought in alarm. Too much must have gotten into the gears of his leg and clogged up the internal mechanisms.

No!

The terrified boy was now at the edge of the water, and turning back he could see that Envy was mere seconds from catching up to him.

No no no no no this can't be happening no this can't be no no no

Edward's heart was beating so fast he feared it might just explode out of his chest.

This is the end I'm doomed I'm done for no no no it's all over now

Looking back at the water, watching the harsh current crash against the sharp rocks poking out of the tide, Ed had a sudden thought.

The only direction to go is...

Envy couldn't capture him again if he was dead.

Without a second though, Edward plunged himself into the rushing water. The boy's face scrunched up in pain as the icy water stung the deep cuts along his back. The waves thrashed him around violently, causing him to gasp and breathe in a large gulp of water. He sputtered and coughed as his head was brought below the surface and back up again with the motion of the waves, the heavy rain and harsh wind continuing to add to the river's might.

The sound of the waves crashing against him filled his ears, but Ed could have sworn he heard a large splash just behind him.

Edward struggled to turn his body toward the noise, but once he had managed it, he felt his heart sink. Envy was swimming right for him, his eyes ablaze with something Edward couldn't identify.

Ed tried desperately to swim away, but his metal arm had now begun to stiffen up as well as his leg, and he was having a hard time just staying afloat. What was worse, the current of the water was pushing him back toward the vicious predator that was now closing in on its prey. The poor boy felt like a helpless child struggling against his own fate, all the while fighting a losing battle. It was such a familiar feeling.

Edward wasn't surprised when he felt a hand grasp his ankle tightly, sharp nails digging into tender flesh. He knew now that it was impossible for him to get away. All he had was a sense of fear and hopelessness, along with a sick, queasy feeling in the pit of his stomach. It was all over. This was the end.

Envy took hold of the boy's fragile body and turned him over so harshly Edward feared he might break in two. Ed looked up at his captor with wide, teary eyes and let out a quiet whimper as his whole body began to tremble in the monster's unrelenting grip. Envy drank in the boy's delectable reaction and let out a frenzied fit of laughter as he slowly moved his arms up Edward's body until he had enclosed both hands tightly around the sickly boy's small neck. Edward gasped for breath, fumbling with his flesh arm and frantically clawing at Envy's hands, but it was no use. He could feel the strength slowly draining from him as circulation slowed and his body became starved for oxygen. The boy had also been losing blood for some time now due to the effect of the rushing water on his countless opened wounds. The moment Edward had made the decision to enter the water, he had already given up. It was only a matter of time now, and he was losing consciousness quickly. He wanted to scream, but he no longer had the energy. He was fading fast.

As he watched the life drain from the boy's eyes, a smile spread across the homunculus's features, so wide it almost seemed it would split his face clean in half. His eyes bulged, and his whole body began to convulse in fits of hysterical laughter.

"Don't ya get it, you stupid brat?!" he snarled. "You think you can just drown your demons? Well I've got some bad news for ya shrimp, I'm still here! And you're mine, you hear me? Mine! You can't die unless I say so! And guess what, Fullmetal dipshit?" Envy lowered his face, leaning in until Edward could feel quick puffs of hot breath against his nose. "I've decided it's time to pull the plug."

Edward's eyes continued to well up with tears as Envy tightened his grip on the boy's neck. The edges of his vision were becoming dark and fuzzy.

"If I can't have you, no one can!" the monster wailed. Edward thought he heard his voice crack, but all the noises around him had become low and echoey, so he couldn't be sure.

"And if anyone's going to be the one to kill you, it's going to be me!" Envy quavered, continuing to spout proclamations, although Edward could no longer hear him.

Ed could make out flashes of lightning behind Envy and feel the low rumble of thunder travel through his body as his vision went totally black. He could have sworn he saw tears streaming down Envy's face as his lips continued to move in a heated shouting match with himself, but Edward was already too far gone to register this in his brain before he finally, and gratefully, let the darkness take him.

XxXxXxXxX

The atmosphere of Colonel Mustang's living room was that of a tense silence. Mustang sat on the couch, staring at a stack of paperwork as per usual, but there was nothing usual about today. No, none of the documents sitting on his coffee table mattered right now, and he hadn't touched a single on of them.

Sitting on the couch across from Roy was Alphonse. The boy was looking down at his hands and quietly sobbing to himself. The sound of Al's crying and the insufferably loud ticking of the clock were the only things to be heard in the otherwise quiet house.

Laying on top of the untouched paperwork on the living room table was a note left by Edward. It was written hastily with sloppy handwriting, but was just legible enough to read, and Roy had probably read it about fifty times by now.

A good portion of the letter explained where Ed had gone and why. The remainder of the letter held critical information about the homunculi and their leader, as well as their connection to the military. How Ed had gotten ahold of this information, Roy may never know, but it certainly did answer a lot of questions. On any other day the colonel would have been overjoyed to receive such a lead, but in his current state, joy was almost an entirely foreign concept to him.

Once again, Roy gazed down mournfully at the final sentences inscribed on the piece of lined paper.

That's everything I know. I'm sorry for all of this, but I just want you to know… you were like the father I never had.

Goodbye.

-Ed

Mustang felt the tears welling up in his eyes, dangerously close to spilling over once more.

He hadn't found the letter at first. That morning, when the colonel awoke, the first thing he did was check on Ed. Or instead, the empty room where Ed should have been. When he discovered the open window and the obvious trail leading away from it into the woods, he immediately left the house with no plan, still in his pajamas, and began following the trail. The minutes he spent following that trail were some of the longest in his life and seemed to stretch out to the length of hours.

He had felt his heart swell with hope when he finally saw what appeared to be blonde hair in the distance, only to discover it belonged to just a single Elric. Alphonse.

Through wild hysterics, Al had attempted to explain what had happened, and after Mustang had untied him, they immediately went off in the direction Al said he saw Ed run.

They searched through that forest for hours calling out Ed's name, only to find his body around evening submerged in a nearby river. It had taken them all day to find him due to the fact that the river had washed his body downstream, where he eventually got caught in the rocks that became closer and more abundant the farther along you went. After not finding any sign of him in the forest, they noticed signs of a struggle leading toward the river, and decided to search along it. Eventually, they noticed the river becoming darker the farther they traveled, and the bloody, contaminated water led them straight to Ed.

It had been a big shock. Both he and Al had expected not to find him at all. They had both figured that Envy would take Ed away again, but maybe that would have been a fate even worse than death.

As for Envy, they had no idea what had become of him. By the time they arrived on the scene, he was already long gone, but that was fine. The colonel's heart was so full of sorrow that he had no room left for anger or desire for revenge, and he had a feeling Alphonse felt the same. They would both be perfectly content never coming into contact with that monster again.

They had fished Edward's body out of the water, still hoping to find some signs of life, but it was too late. He was gone. His pale skin was cold and clammy, his eyes open and glazed over. There were dark bruise marks all around his neck and deep flesh wounds covering his back, which explained why there had been so much blood in the water. Those cuts had allowed his body to drain almost entirely of the red liquid.

It had been a hard reality to face. Even now, Roy hadn't completely accepted it. He wasn't sure he ever would.

Edward was dead.

The boy he had so often thought of as a son was dead.

Mustang just kept wondering if there had been anything he could have done to change the outcome of this whole messed up situation. He just kept wondering if he could have saved Ed.

Of course, he knew he had to stop blaming himself. It was too late now. What was done was done. Now, Mustang planned to use the information Ed had left him to prevent anyone else from sharing a similar fate. He would not let Edward's death be in vain. He still felt nervous about revealing any of this to his crew, but he had a feeling he would have to explain things to them eventually. He now knew that he couldn't do all this on his own; he needed some backup, both physically and emotionally. Besides, not all was lost. He still had one kid to protect, and there was no way he'd be making the same mistake with Alphonse. He was determined to protect him. He was sure it was what Ed would have wanted.

But, those were all plans for the future. For now, all either of them could do was morn, and Roy had a feeling it would be awhile before the two of them of them could take a step forward in either of their lives.

Finally, Al broke the silence.

"If only I hadn't left him alone that night-"

"It's not your fault," Roy interrupted, his voice empathetic. Al looked up at him in surprise. "Envy was resourceful and clever. He would have done anything to get his hands on Edward, and I'm not so sure anything we could have done on our own would have been enough to stop him. But either way, there's no use blaming yourself. What's done is done."

Al looked down again and began picking at one of the bandages on his arm anxiously. He had gotten a lot of nasty cuts the previous night.

"I know you're right, but I can't help it…" the boy wept, his voice wavering. "I can't help but blame myself… My brother's dead," he sniffed, his voice cracking on the final word, "And yet I'm still here, perfectly fine. It's not fair."

Mustang roze from his seat and sat down next to Alphonse, pulling the sobbing young boy into a gentle embrace and rocking him back and forth consolingly. "I know just how you feel," he whispered softly. "It's the guilt of the one left behind."