This story is for those of us who believe that there can be an FMA fanfiction that does not have:

1 Yaoi, 2 Elricest, 3 Two sisters, 4 A sexual relationship between Ed and Winry (sorry, would never have happened), 5 An Ed/Roy pairing (they'd kill each other if Riza didn't kill Ed first) 6 A crossover, 7 Ed and Al's characters being in a completely different world that have nothing to do with alchemy, 8 An Ed homunculus.

NOTE: THIS HAS MAJOR SPOILERS. YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED TWICE. IF YOU IGNORED THE FIRST ONE, PLEASE HEED THIS ONE IF YOU HAVEN'T SEEN THE END OF THE SERIES AND DON'T WANT TO RUIN THE SURPRISE!!!!!!!!!!

This story takes place in the ending of Episode 50 and the beginning of Episode 51. Yeah, you know what I'm talking about. That part where we all screamed, said no, cried, and then screamed again because there wasn't a freaking preview at the end of the episode. Just contains Edward's thoughts as he meets his terrible demise (I mean really he was just 16. It was brutal, especially for a 16 year old.). And I don't care if anybody thinks he died instantly, it's anime, he has a metal arm and a metal leg, his brother is a soul attached to armor, and his half-brother is a shape-shifting transsexual. Don't tell me I don't make sense.

Chapter 1: Fatal Invasion

The arm passes through his flesh, breaks through the sternum, and pierces his heart. The heart, a young muscle only used for 16 years, explodes inside his ribcage. The arm, ever merciless, does not notice the literally shattered heart and continues to drive into his body. It tears through muscle, tissue, skin, and then finally exits out the other side. Blood explodes from his back, drenching the ground, creating a dark wet puddle of red.

So much blood, so much pain...

His golden eyes widen as an indescribable explosion of pain rips through his young body. He cannot even scream. His lungs are quickly filling with blood, drowning him. He gasps as the pain increases. The strange sensation in his chest, the presence of a foreign object impaling him, feels like hell itself.

So much blood, so much pain...

He realizes oddly that he can no longer feel his right toes. Numbness begins to swallow him, racing up from his one organic leg trying to reach his head. Blood begins to pool in his mouth. The pain in his chest is slowly fading, for the numbness has finally reached there. The bitter coppery taste of blood overwhelms his taste buds, and in disgust he coughs.

So much blood, so numb...

A shower of blood escapes his mouth, joining the already large puddle of blood on the ground beneath him. His body no longer feels numb, but rather cold. The invading arm, which he can barely feel any more, begins to toss him to the ground. As he turns, he sees a horrible sight.

So much blood, so cold...

Lying on a glowing blue circle on the ground but a few yards away from him is an exquisitely wrought suit of armor. It seems still, almost lifeless. But he knows there is a soul within. And that soul is staring at him. He can sense the sheer horror the soul feels staring at him, the utter grief and the terrible pain. Suddenly, he begins to feel again. But this time, he only feels anguish for his brother's soul.

"Al," he gasps, as his limp, dying body spills onto the floor. He can almost feel the invader slide out of his chest.

He can feel his body dying, one vital organ after another shutting down, his heart can no longer able to send new blood, or renew old blood. He can feel it seeping out of his body, soaking his back and shoulders. He wonders if this is what it really means to die. Is death just the sensation of feeling one's body slowly shut down? Or is there more? His lungs have finally given up. He can no longer gasp for breath. He is almost gone. He stares up at the high ceiling, wondering what will happen next.

"Ed?" a girl quietly murmurs.

So much blood, so numb...

"Edward!"

Just as his vision bleeds into black, a thousand thoughts and memories burst into his mind. But throughout it all, he hears one voice screaming the same thing over and over.

"We're all we've got, brother! We're all we've got!"

"I'm sorry," he whispers. "But you don't have me anymore."

The memories dissipate and the scream slowly dies down to a whisper. His soul threatens to tear into two as he listens to his brother's words, full of sorrow and fear.

"I don't want this," his brother begs.

"I don't want it either," he whispers back. "But I can't go back. "I'm sorry, Al. I'm sorry."

The whispers fade away, and all turns to blackness.

"Goodbye, Alphonse," he whispers. "I'll always love you."

The gate is before him now. There is no turning back. He stands before the black gate, and wonders what his hell will be like.

So much pain, so much sorrow...

The doors are about to open...