Categories > Anime/Manga > Full Metal Alchemist > The Form of a Man, the Form of a Stone
Chapter 3
Al's POV
“So you are the daughter of those doctors.” Scar turned his head away from her back towards brother but remained looking at her from the corner of his eye. “You have the right to shoot me.” Tears streamed down her face and I felt my heart break a little for the girl I had grown up with. “However…the moment that bullet releases from your gun…you will be my enemy!”
“Scar!” I screamed. No way was he going to hurt Winry!
“Bastard! If you lay a hand on Winry! I’ll kill-
“Kill me!? Sure!” Scar was screaming back at brother now with passion darkening his face. “No one can stop the circle of hatred until both sides are destroyed!” He loomed over brother ominously but still made no move to attack. “But don’t forget, the first one to pull the trigger on the civil war was from Amestris! It was your people!”
“No…don’t shoot…” Brother pleaded with Winry, “I beg you don’t..!”
SWITCH
“If you won’t shoot, then leave this battlefield.” I turned all my attention back to Edward. “You are in my way!” With that I slammed my right hand onto the ground forcing Edward to leap through the air to dodge the jagged pieces that came out of the ground and towards him. In an amazing feat of acrobatics Edward flipped over me, gripping my arm as leverage and landing behind me. It had been a long time since somebody had touched me and it sent a spike of sensation running through me that I didn’t wish to identify.
The doctors’ daughter still had her gun trained on me and I could hear Ed shouting at her not to shoot. Suddenly he was there in between me and her and my right hand was mere inches away from his face. I stopped my movement. He was sprawled on his knees in front of her protectively gripping her hand with the gun and pointing it away from me. The other was stretched out to the side in an attempt to protect her as much as he could. He was right there, but I couldn’t kill him.
I moved my hand closer so it barely grazed the hair sticking up on his head. Only a little farther and I would be gripping his head and killing him. Only a little farther. I couldn’t do it. Before I had a chance to move any more the armored brother brought his knees up and delivered a sharp kick to my arm. That kind of stung a little. I turned so I was facing all three of them and dodged as the armor used alchemy to send spikes shooting out of the wall.
SWITCH
I watched as my brother followed Scar before turning my attention back to Winry. “Winry, let go of the gun!”
“I couldn’t shoot…” She dropped the gun and I took her hand with mine to make her look at me.
“I beg you…” Officers arrived at the scene so I was cut off short. “I have to go. Al needs me.” She nodded, still kneeling on the ground. “Officer, I will leave her to you now.”
I raced towards the explosions that I knew were Scar and Al fighting. I saw Scar reaching towards Al with his right arm and I leaped, hoping I wasn’t too late. Scar saw my and managed to bring up his own leg and block my flying kick but was momentarily thrown off balance.
“Let’s do this!” I said to Al, ready to fight with my brother at my side.
A fourth voice made all of us stop. “I have found you!” Gluttony dropped behind Scar in a crouched position. “I found you Ishbalan!” The thing licked it’s mouth disgustingly, revealing the tattoo on it’s tongue.
“A Homunculus!” Al cried.
It jumped at Scar but he easily dodged and put his hand on it’s back and using alchemy to destroy it from within. Blood gushed from it’s mouth but it was barely even fazed, it even smirked as it threw him up against the wall.
A familiar figure jumped from one of the buildings with his sword clenched between his teeth. “Ling!” In his hand was one of his bombs and he shoved it into Gluttony’s mouth. “Get down!” I threw my hand in front of my face just as the upper half of Gluttony exploded, sending blood and bits of flesh everywhere.
“Eww…” I wrinkled my nose slightly as the lower part of a jaw landed next to me.
“Metal wire!” Ling called to me.
“Right!” I grabbed part of the metal fence near me and transformed it into a long piece of metal wire, wrapping it around Gluttony while Ling tied it up.
“The problem is that he regenerates too fast.” Ling said in aggravation. “When his flesh grows back it will press hard against it.” He wiped his mouth. “I kept my side of the agreement, here’s the Homunculus.”
SWITCH
I looked at the disgusting thing in confusion. What happened? Homunculus? Just then a felt icy hot pain grip my leg. Shit! I looked down and saw I had been shot clean through my thigh. I groaned in pain and gripped it as a car slid in next to the group. There was a woman that I recognized as the aid of the Flame Alchemist driving it with a gun pointed at me. Of course the military couldn't help but use guns instead of their own two hands. They're afraid of doing any real work, making themselves believe that they're not the one killing people, but the guns are.
“Get on! We’re escaping!” They threw the thing into the back of the car and jumped into it. They raced away just as Mei ran up to me.
“Soldiers!” She yelled and we raced into the nearest alleyway away from prying eyes. I collapsed against the wall and slid down, pushing on it to try and stop the bleeding.
“We can’t go through here boss! There are soldiers there as well.” Yoki said. “And you probably shouldn’t move either…”
“Yeah…” I hated to admit my weakness, but there was nothing I could do with an injured leg.
“The bullet went clean through your leg.” Mei said knowingly and touched it lightly. “If you don’t stop the bleeding…” She trailed off.
“What are you planning to do?” I asked flatly.
“Heal your wound with Rentan-jutsu.” The air crackled as she healed the wound. I stared down at it in amazement as I realized it was healed.
“Wow!” Yoki said appreciatively to the little girl.
“It’s not really all that powerful.” Mei said humbly, “Just like the way energy flows through the circle of life, a human had the flow of energy coursing through their body. So places without this flow cannot be cured. For example you can’t re-grow a lost limb.”
“Oh? You can’t?” Yoki said. I vaguely listened to them speak as I tested the rest of my body for aches and bruises.
“The tattoo on Scar-san seems to be a combination of rentan-jutsu and this country’s alchemy.”
I lifted my arm to study it as the girl’s face rang through my mind. Do I also have eyes like that? Will hatred bring hatred no matter where I go?
“Huh? What did you say?” Yoki asked me. I guess I was talking out loud.
“Nothing.”
LINE
Please read and review! I put a lot of time into this and I would like it if the readers extended the same courtesy to me. I can’t improve my writing if I don’t get any critique, good or bad, please tell me!
Al's POV
“So you are the daughter of those doctors.” Scar turned his head away from her back towards brother but remained looking at her from the corner of his eye. “You have the right to shoot me.” Tears streamed down her face and I felt my heart break a little for the girl I had grown up with. “However…the moment that bullet releases from your gun…you will be my enemy!”
“Scar!” I screamed. No way was he going to hurt Winry!
“Bastard! If you lay a hand on Winry! I’ll kill-
“Kill me!? Sure!” Scar was screaming back at brother now with passion darkening his face. “No one can stop the circle of hatred until both sides are destroyed!” He loomed over brother ominously but still made no move to attack. “But don’t forget, the first one to pull the trigger on the civil war was from Amestris! It was your people!”
“No…don’t shoot…” Brother pleaded with Winry, “I beg you don’t..!”
SWITCH
“If you won’t shoot, then leave this battlefield.” I turned all my attention back to Edward. “You are in my way!” With that I slammed my right hand onto the ground forcing Edward to leap through the air to dodge the jagged pieces that came out of the ground and towards him. In an amazing feat of acrobatics Edward flipped over me, gripping my arm as leverage and landing behind me. It had been a long time since somebody had touched me and it sent a spike of sensation running through me that I didn’t wish to identify.
The doctors’ daughter still had her gun trained on me and I could hear Ed shouting at her not to shoot. Suddenly he was there in between me and her and my right hand was mere inches away from his face. I stopped my movement. He was sprawled on his knees in front of her protectively gripping her hand with the gun and pointing it away from me. The other was stretched out to the side in an attempt to protect her as much as he could. He was right there, but I couldn’t kill him.
I moved my hand closer so it barely grazed the hair sticking up on his head. Only a little farther and I would be gripping his head and killing him. Only a little farther. I couldn’t do it. Before I had a chance to move any more the armored brother brought his knees up and delivered a sharp kick to my arm. That kind of stung a little. I turned so I was facing all three of them and dodged as the armor used alchemy to send spikes shooting out of the wall.
SWITCH
I watched as my brother followed Scar before turning my attention back to Winry. “Winry, let go of the gun!”
“I couldn’t shoot…” She dropped the gun and I took her hand with mine to make her look at me.
“I beg you…” Officers arrived at the scene so I was cut off short. “I have to go. Al needs me.” She nodded, still kneeling on the ground. “Officer, I will leave her to you now.”
I raced towards the explosions that I knew were Scar and Al fighting. I saw Scar reaching towards Al with his right arm and I leaped, hoping I wasn’t too late. Scar saw my and managed to bring up his own leg and block my flying kick but was momentarily thrown off balance.
“Let’s do this!” I said to Al, ready to fight with my brother at my side.
A fourth voice made all of us stop. “I have found you!” Gluttony dropped behind Scar in a crouched position. “I found you Ishbalan!” The thing licked it’s mouth disgustingly, revealing the tattoo on it’s tongue.
“A Homunculus!” Al cried.
It jumped at Scar but he easily dodged and put his hand on it’s back and using alchemy to destroy it from within. Blood gushed from it’s mouth but it was barely even fazed, it even smirked as it threw him up against the wall.
A familiar figure jumped from one of the buildings with his sword clenched between his teeth. “Ling!” In his hand was one of his bombs and he shoved it into Gluttony’s mouth. “Get down!” I threw my hand in front of my face just as the upper half of Gluttony exploded, sending blood and bits of flesh everywhere.
“Eww…” I wrinkled my nose slightly as the lower part of a jaw landed next to me.
“Metal wire!” Ling called to me.
“Right!” I grabbed part of the metal fence near me and transformed it into a long piece of metal wire, wrapping it around Gluttony while Ling tied it up.
“The problem is that he regenerates too fast.” Ling said in aggravation. “When his flesh grows back it will press hard against it.” He wiped his mouth. “I kept my side of the agreement, here’s the Homunculus.”
SWITCH
I looked at the disgusting thing in confusion. What happened? Homunculus? Just then a felt icy hot pain grip my leg. Shit! I looked down and saw I had been shot clean through my thigh. I groaned in pain and gripped it as a car slid in next to the group. There was a woman that I recognized as the aid of the Flame Alchemist driving it with a gun pointed at me. Of course the military couldn't help but use guns instead of their own two hands. They're afraid of doing any real work, making themselves believe that they're not the one killing people, but the guns are.
“Get on! We’re escaping!” They threw the thing into the back of the car and jumped into it. They raced away just as Mei ran up to me.
“Soldiers!” She yelled and we raced into the nearest alleyway away from prying eyes. I collapsed against the wall and slid down, pushing on it to try and stop the bleeding.
“We can’t go through here boss! There are soldiers there as well.” Yoki said. “And you probably shouldn’t move either…”
“Yeah…” I hated to admit my weakness, but there was nothing I could do with an injured leg.
“The bullet went clean through your leg.” Mei said knowingly and touched it lightly. “If you don’t stop the bleeding…” She trailed off.
“What are you planning to do?” I asked flatly.
“Heal your wound with Rentan-jutsu.” The air crackled as she healed the wound. I stared down at it in amazement as I realized it was healed.
“Wow!” Yoki said appreciatively to the little girl.
“It’s not really all that powerful.” Mei said humbly, “Just like the way energy flows through the circle of life, a human had the flow of energy coursing through their body. So places without this flow cannot be cured. For example you can’t re-grow a lost limb.”
“Oh? You can’t?” Yoki said. I vaguely listened to them speak as I tested the rest of my body for aches and bruises.
“The tattoo on Scar-san seems to be a combination of rentan-jutsu and this country’s alchemy.”
I lifted my arm to study it as the girl’s face rang through my mind. Do I also have eyes like that? Will hatred bring hatred no matter where I go?
“Huh? What did you say?” Yoki asked me. I guess I was talking out loud.
“Nothing.”
LINE
Please read and review! I put a lot of time into this and I would like it if the readers extended the same courtesy to me. I can’t improve my writing if I don’t get any critique, good or bad, please tell me!
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