Travelers

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Let's mosey.--Cloud, Final Fantasy VII
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Or, at least, it sounded ‘all mighty’ to Edward—as it was his automail leg, smashing into the ground. He felt the ricochet rock through the rest of him, opening his eyes just as the Circle sparked and died around them. Winry was still holding onto him and she opened her eyes and looked into his.

“We’re still alive.”

He could feel her trembling. “Yeah…” He reached over with a tired smile to touch her face—

--but where interrupted by a horrid hacking noise, a gurgling. It sounded like someone was throwing up. Edward rolled over.

“Alfons!”

He was pushing himself up at first and then collapsed, choking. Thick blood was stark and wet against green grass and it kept coming, mixed with stomach acid from his wrecked body.

“Alfons! Alfons!” There was a little piece left. He tried to push himself up, damning his ruined leg. But then his brother was scrambling, snatching the remainder of the Stone, running over to the other young man, kneeling next to him. “Russel! Get up! Hurry!”

He was lying on his back, close to Winry and seemed to be pulling his senses back together. He blinked, sitting up, took in the situation and stumbled up, hurrying over. “What do we do?!”

“Human transmutation!”

“We can’t do that!”

“He’ll die if we don’t!”

“I don’t know how—“

“You don’t need to, we have a piece of the Stone left! Just help me!”

“What do you need my help—“

“I only did it with the Stone to return Ed’s limbs but Ed did it himself, without the Stone, to trade places with me! I don’t know what will happen! You’re a strong alchemist and know more about the human body than I do! Quit arguing with me!”

Alfons took a breath…it rattled, throwing up, spitting more blood. He tried to groan and all that came out was a grotesque, gurgling choke.

“Turn him over!” Ed yelled at them. “Turn him over so he doesn’t choke on it!”

Alphonse did so without question, flipping him over. He laid the Stone on Alfons’ back, clapped his hands and slammed them into the dirt. Russel looked around at the blue Circle that blasted around them. He took it in, knelt to draw it—

“You don’t need to do that! Just clap your hands! You don’t need to draw Circles anymore!”

Russel stared at him.

“Just do it!”

Russel shook himself, clapped his hands together and rammed them down.

The light blinded them, dust swirled up around them and an unseen wind threw up their clothes and hair. The Stone disappeared.

When they stopped, both breathing hard, Al turned Alfons back over. The blue-eyed young man had his eyes closed. His skin was cold. Blood was slimed on his face.

“Alfons! Alfons! Get up!” Edward was trying to, Winry supporting him on his left side.

His brother turned and gave him a stricken look. Russel stared down at the young man before him.

Edward took in that look. “No…no…Alfons!”

Noa was somewhere to the right, heaving herself up, throwing herself towards the body. “Wait! I may be able to see!” She knelt by him, touching her forehead against his. Her eyes were closed for only a moment…and then opened. She stared down at him. She started to tremble and looked at Edward.

He limped over, Winry going down on her knees with him. “Can’t you see anything?!”

Noa was shaking, her eyes tearing up. “No…” She looked down.

Edward’s eyes went wide. He stared down at his friend.

That was fun, Al.

Alfons…meet my brother…

Alfons, I know these elements but these equations here…

Maybe they’ll even get into space with the stuff you guys have come up with, Alfons.

I’m sorry. I’ve started this all wrong. I thought you were someone else.

I won’t be treated like someone who’s already dead!

He looked at the limp body. He clenched his fists. “I wanted to save him…”

Winry shifted, supporting him, murmuring softly, “We know, Ed…”

“So you’ve finally returned. I’m impressed. Less then a day and you found him and—oh, it seems you have added to your group. Though that one looks rather dead.”

Edward whipped his gaze over, “Who the hell’re you?!”

Isaac Crane stepped towards them, leaving the door open to let light stream into the yard. Fletcher followed behind him, grim. His face was ashen gray and he looked exhausted. “You must be Edward Elric.”

Russel jumped up. “Fletcher! Are you all right?!”

His brother nodded.

Edward narrowed his eyes. “I take it you’re Isaac Crane.”

His eyebrows raised. “Ah, so they’ve told you everything already.”

“Yes, we did!” Winry snapped.

“Well, that really doesn’t matter. The Stone, if you pleased. You kept your part of the bargain and returned…and with two others.” His gaze shifted over to Ranen. She was on her knees about ten feet from Alfons, an arm curled under the other, looking at him. “That was not part of the bargain, Ranen.”

She looked at him, hardening her gaze. “Neither was holding Fletcher as a hostage.”

Crane smiled, it wasn’t pleasant. “That aside. The Stone, if you please. I have—“

“She doesn’t have it!”

Ranen flicked her gaze to Edward. “He already knows that I do. No doubt his spirits told him I was trying to prove my good intentions.”

Crane’s smile was even less pleasant. “No doubt.” He laughed. “Did they believe such a foolish thing? No doubt you didn’t let them have it, or tricked your way into getting it back if they took it. Give me the Stone. They ought to feel stupid for getting fooled twice.”

Edward looked at Al, who looked at Russel, who shrugged. Edward looked back down at Alfons.

“Let Fletcher go first.”

He laughed again. “You think I would? Not until I have the Stone. I’m not so stupid.”

“Fletcher is nothing compared to the Stone. And there’s, let’s see, Fletcher, Russel, Edward and Alphonse—four good alchemists at your hands. Do you think I’d escape if I ran?”

“Your sand is very fast.”

“I would have to draw a Circle first. Look,” and here she narrowed her eyes at him, “I know a limit when I see it. You’ve got the upper hand and we all know it. You can even come stand right next to me, draw a Circle on my forehead and kill me—but release the kid first.”

“You don’t have to draw a Circle. You have your tattoos and from what I just saw, Russel Trigham no longer has to use a Circle for some reason either. He can simply clap his hands now, just like the Elric brothers. How do I know you don’t have this same power?”

She didn’t miss a beat, just accepted that, of course, he would already know that and said, “It wouldn’t matter if I did because of the tattoos.”

“What is that power?”

“How the hell should I know?”

Isaac Crane smiled again. “Well then, I suppose you have a point.” He raised a hand, not even looking at Fletcher. The Circle seemed to dissipate from his forehead and he slumped to the ground. Russel scrambled over to him, holding him up.

“Now. The Stone, please.” He walked up to her, smiling.

Alphonse started to get up.

“Stay where you are, Al. S’all right.” She smiled pleasantly at Crane and stuck her hand in her pocket, digging around. Suddenly, she looked quite confused, padding around in her other pocket. Then it seemed as if she’d suddenly remembered something. She snapped her fingers. “Oh! Didn’t I tell you? The Stone deteriorates as you use it.”

Crane stopped cold. “If you think I’m that stupid—“ He grabbed her by her coat front, yanked her up and drug the coat off. He shook it out. Then he spied her other arm. “Are you trying to hide it behind your back. Idiot.” He immediately grabbed her arm and yanked it into sight, noting how she jerked and drawing a Circle on her forehead with the other. He blinked. Her hand was gone.

“The Stone ate my hand when I used it to get us back.”

Crane turned slightly and looked at the others. “Is this true? That the Stone deteriorates as it’s used?”

“Heh, yeah,” Russel said, grinning. “It is.”

He jerked his gaze back, squeezing her shredded wrist. “You little bitch!” He dragged her around into view, knelt on the ground and Fletcher suddenly jerked. His hands flew to the sides of his head. He started screaming.

“What are you doing?!” Russel roared.

“Stoppit!” Edward shouted. He got on his knees, trying to breath properly. Trying not to look at Alfons. He was trying to refocus.

“You think I’d just let him go completely? Equivalent Trade,” he growled at them. “He’s dead.”

Alphonse slammed his hands into the ground, yanking out a spear. He started to run.

Fletcher curled in on himself, eyes glazing over, voice hoarse.

Russel jumped up.

Edward took a breath, ramming his hands to the ground and froze. Blue light sparked before him, warmth raced up his arms and then his senses crammed in—he could marvel later—his brother was about to become a murderer. “Alphonse, no!”

“Let him go—!” Alphonse kept running but suddenly Russel was there, jerking back on his collar, grabbing the weapon. He took a step back, winding back to throw.

Noa cast around frantically. Winry helped Edward up as he pulled a similar weapon from the ground, suddenly dropped it and started towards Fletcher instead. I can’t help them…

Ranen whirled around, just as Crane started to clamp control over her mind, a blazing bite of pain and rammed her hand onto his chest. Sand whipped up between them, blasted herself away—

Alfons lay cold and still on the ground.

Russel threw the weapon.

It was three-tiered, like a trident. It cut through the air just as Ranen blasted herself away. It slammed its edges into Isaac Crane’s face. One in each eye and one through the middle of his forehead. Crane flew back with the impact, crashing into the ground, the spear sticking straight into the air. Then it tipped over. Russel raced over to the body. Blood spilled all over Crane’s face, his eyes—gouged out—oozed down with it, gray blobs with flicks of green. More gray and pinkish slime and matter slipped all over the ground. When the spear had tipped, it had ripped his face open. Bone protruded like white sticks and teeth popped from their places to land on his chest. His tongue, severed, slicked back into what remained of his throat.

A Circle suddenly appeared around the two of them. There was moaning and shrieks and crying. The air went cold, icy cold, as little flickers of white misted around them and just as suddenly—it stopped.

The yellow Circle died and everything went quiet.

Russel stared down at the body. He hadn’t taken the spear from Alphonse because he hadn’t wanted the kid to kill. He would probably learn that soon enough, that is, if he hadn’t already. He’d wanted to kill Crane for hurting Fletcher. But Russel Trigham had never killed before. He stared down at Crane’s mutilated face.

“Russel,” Alphonse murmured, coming up to him carefully. “Are you all right?”

Russel didn’t answer, staring at all the blood and bits of brain and gray oozing eyeballs. He suddenly felt nauseous.

“Russel!” This came from Edward. He could already tell. He could see it in Russel’s eyes but didn’t point it out. “Russel, come over here. Are you all right?”

Russel suddenly came back to himself. He swallowed and cleared his throat. “Yeah, I’m fine.” He turned away, faulting for just a split second and saw Winry holding up Fletcher. He took in a breath and ran over. Fletcher’s eyes rolled. “Fletcher! Fletcher, wake up!”

He breathed hard, shaking, but lifted a heavy hand and placed it on Russel’s arm. His older brother held him in a sitting position.

“What happened?” Winry asked him.

He looked at her.

“I mean, with that Circle. What happened?”

Russel shook his head, noting that the temperature was normal again.

“It was his soul,” Alphonse murmured.

Everyone looked at him, except for Ranen, who was tying a rag around her wrist but she was listening carefully.

Alphonse looked around at them. “It was his soul and the souls he had under his command. The ones he controlled against their will. The ones from the Stone. They were set free…”

Edward looked up at him. “How do you know….”

Alphonse looked down. “My soul was trapped in armor for four years…and while we were working here we discovered that it’s…detachable.”

“Detachable?!”

“I can put little pieces of it into inanimate objects and control them.”

Edward stared at him.

“We have a lot to catch up on.”

“But just because you can detach your own soul, how does that let you sense others?” Winry asked, standing to help Edward to his feet again.

Alphonse shook his head. “I don’t know. That’s just…what it felt like…”

Edward stood with Winry’s help, a very faint smile, apologetic, on his lips and then he nodded. He looked around at all of them and then at Alfons Heidrich.

“Noa…could you—I mean, you can see into people’s minds…could you check on Fletcher and make sure he’s okay?”

She nodded and went to him. Russel laid him down, Fletcher slowly getting his breath back, and she knelt next to him.

Ranen looked at Alfons sidelong, tying off the rag with her teeth.

Winry touched Edward’s arm. “He wanted to come, Ed…”

Ed looked down, swallowing to clamp down and control himself. “He wasn’t suppose to die…we were going to try and save him…but the Gate stole from him anyway…we might have had a few months…just a little more time…”

“It’s not your fault,” Alphonse told him said. He stepped in front of his brother, putting a hand on his arm. “It wasn’t…your friend…he knew the risks…,” he looked down. “If it’s anyone’s fault, it’s mine…I didn’t move fast enough…”

“No,” Ed said immediately. “No.” He shook his head. “Don’t say things like that. If the Stone couldn’t save him…then time doesn’t matter…”

Behind them, Russel blinked. “What? What do you mean you can’t see anything?”

Noa’s eyes were wide, shaking her head, staring down at Fletcher as he started to collect himself. “I can’t see.”

Fletcher blinked and pushed himself up. “See what?”

Russel looked at her, confused. “But I thought you said you could look in even if people weren’t asleep.”

“It helps if they are…but I can see anyway. Edward can tell you.” Her eyes followed Fletcher, bewildered. “Are you psychic?”

Fletcher shook his head, looking more confused. “My alchemy is centered more around nature.”

Noa looked up and wasn’t sure what to say.

Russel looked at his brother. “He seems to be all right…” He glanced up. “Maybe we should test it…”

Edward, Winry and Alphonse had all turned around. Ranen watched from a distance.

Edward’s eyes narrowed a little, thinking. Her power….

“Do it to me,” Al said, looking serious, stepping forward. Edward shot a glance at him but didn’t move. Noa looked at him. He nodded. The gypsy stood up and went to the boy. She reached out and touched him.

She gasped. “I can’t see…or feel…nothing…” She looked at them. “What happened? My…”

“The Gate,” Edward whispered. Everyone paused. “The Gate took your power away.”

“But we had the Stone! It shouldn’t have taken her hand, or killed…him, or taken her power!”

Edward looked down. “The Stone wasn’t enough, I guess…it took those things in exchange…so the Stone would get us here.” He paused, trying to think through that. “That doesn’t…”

“It doesn’t really make sense…,” Alphonse finished. “Why would…“

In the dead quiet, everyone heard a tiny gasp. They all turned to look. Ranen was holding her wrist, sitting on her knees, but she was staring…

…staring at Alfons, who was pushing himself into a sitting position and then putting a hand to his chest.


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Tank--Yeah, I left out the bits about the Nazi party and the Thule society because I wasn't confident enough in my skill as a writer to put all those characters in at one time. Haha. And you're right--I did do that. I spaced that one. Haha! Thank you for pointing it out. I'll go back and fix it! =D As far as informing Noa about the people of Ishbal, I saw no reason for it at the moment. They wanted to get through the Gate first, that was priority and prepare Alfons and her what they were in for (even if it didn't really help much). If it is decided that I put that there, it will be after they've been there a few days, giving Noa time to adjust before to simply being in an entirely new world, let alone the people in it, just like Edward had to. Thank you for pointing it out though. ^_^

Sands--Flattery will get you no where. But you are actually quite close. You really do study the little things. That is actually quite flattering. Ha...thank you. And yes! I've been waiting to put that bit about Nissan in there for a while and I had to do some research first. I thought it was funny, anyway. And I'll start work on To the Skies again once this is finished. I'm sorry. ^_^;;; Doing two projects at once bogs me down. Once this is finished then my attention will go back to Cid's story.

Wild seven--you keep coming back for more! Thank you! And Vegan Star, thank you too! I really appreciate the reviews. They're always helpful and encouraging no matter what they say. Thank you!