Those with Sparks in Their Eyes: A FMA(B) FanFic

Chapter Thirty One: Goodbye

Numb. That's all I felt. Like I couldn't move. I can't tell if my heart was broken; I couldn't feel it. For a few seconds, time stood still.

The wave of whatever it was I felt, and honestly I couldn't say for sure what it was, filled up. It rushes through my veins, telling me to wake up. I didn't want to. Part of me wishes I would stay frozen like this, so I wouldn't have to deal with the fact Greed was gone. But reality comes quickly, whether I'm ready or not.

I'm not sure how, but I found my way down from the roof. I think I slid down a drainpipe or something. From moving slowly to going that quick, I wasn't sure my system could take it. I pushed past all the soldiers and on to the battlefield, were Ed was about to punch Father's face in. The Homunculus' eyes were blank, but his body looked like crumbling...carbon? Did Greed have something to do with that?

When Ed is about to make contact (with his right arm!?), I draw my arrow and pull back the string of my bow. I feel a bead of sweat rolling down my forehead as I line the string up with my nose. My matted hair getting in my face as I release the string, and my first arrow goes right through Father's stomach.

That one was for Amestris.

Ed looks back, wondering where the projectile had come from. I lower myself to the ground, sitting of my haunches to get ready to fire. Ed jumps out of the way, allowing me to fire another arrow, this one ploughing through Father's chest.

That one was for Matthew

I draw the third, my last, and fire. I watch it turn and whip through the air. It burrows right between the bastard's eyes.

That one....that one was for Greed.

Father stares at the three puncture wounds I made in him.

"You...you used up my stone." He muttered.

Black tentacles started to emerge from his wounds, grasping his body and pulling it tightly into itself.

"What is this?!" He cried.

I recognize them as the tendrils of Truth. Which means that this is over. We won. I watch Father topple over as his legs were pulled from under him.

"What's wrong! All I wanted was this worlds knowledge! Why! Why?"

He wailed as the arms bound him tighter, making him shrink into himself. It didn't take long for him to implode, and with a flash, be gone to nothing.

***

We were all knelt over Al's body. The only problem was, Al wasn't there. It was explained to me that Al sacrificed himself to bring Ed's arm back from the Portal. The person taking it the hardest was Ed, and May, whom Al had entrusted with the transmutation because of her alkahestry.

"I'm sorry!" May cried, "I'm so sorry! Alphonse!"

"It's not your fault, May. It was Al's decision." Ed says.

"Ed!" Ling comes running towards us with Lan Fan. He holds out a small bottle filled with red liquid "I have the toll for him. It's a philosophers stone. Use it to get Al back."

"I can't!" Ed drives his fist into the ground, "As much as I want to, I can't. I promised him I'd never use one!"

Ed's eyes are wide, trying to work through the pain. Hohenheim, supported by Izumi, approached Edward.

"Ed." Hohenheim called "Use my life for the toll. I think I have just enough left in me-"

"No way!" Ed yelled, "I'm not going to use anyone's life to make up for our mistakes! Why should I use you!?"