Forever Dead

The second part in my FMA fanfiction trilogy

I was in the hospital for three months resting from my wounds that I had suffered from the clash with Tameka.  I felt so much guilt lying in that bed for months.  I felt responsible for Rose’s death.  I also thought about how Tameka could have survived our fight, and I could not come up with any rational explanation on how she could have survived.  I stabbed her straight through the chest, she should have been dead, but then again, so should I.  One day in my restless guilt I was visited by my superiors the Elric Brothers.

The brothers walked in my room, both looking quite eager to find out any information I might have on Tameka.  The brothers were quite famous after defeating Dante and her homunculus.  Edward was taller then I thought. I heard he was very short when I first joined the military.  His brother, Alphonse was quiet, but he looked very focused and concerned about a great deal of things.  The brothers sat in the chairs next to my bed. 

Edward Elric quickly bombarded me with questions.  “Did she say anything about a stone or anything like that? We need to know, so go on tell us what she said”.

“She said nothing about a stone. She just started to attack me after I took Carmella’s life. I have no clue what kind of stone you are talking about.  I will type up a report for you as soon as I get out of the hospital”.

Edward looked at me puzzled and said, “The stone we are talking about is the Philosopher Stone. Tameka had been doing research on it before she went rogue and we believe that she has the stone in her possession”.

Edward’s Brother Alphonse stood up and said, “You see my brother and I once used the stone to make ourselves human again.  I used to be nothing more than an empty suit of armor with a soul attached to it, now I am flesh and blood again.  Edward and I searched for years trying to get the stone, and we have seen how its power can twist a person’s mind and make them go mad with power”.

I was shocked to hear that Tameka might have the most powerful thing to posses in alchemy.  The brothers soon left after the conversation ended. I had heard about what had happened to the brothers before they became famous.  I knew what I had to do after talking to the Elrics.  I had to find Tameka on my own, and stop her before she did anything with the stone. 

I got out of the hospital and headed to Risenbull to get my auto mail checked out by Winry.  I made it to the shop just before dusk; I saw Winry closing up when I stopped her.  I asked if she could fix up my auto mail and with a welcoming grin she said yes.

We stepped into her shop.  She closed the door behind me and told me to sit in a chair that was in the middle of the room.  The room itself was a complete mess, tools were scattered all across the floor and on tables.  She walked over to me with her tools.  She sat down next to me and started to get to work.  She kept looking at me with a kind of bliss in her eyes that I had never seen before.

While Winry was working she asked, “How did your auto mail get this beat up? I mean goodness the things are nearly nothing at all”.

“I was in a fight with a demonic woman that killed one of my friends.  I thought I had killed her, but it turned out that she survived.  My job now is to hunt her down and finish her off and to destroy the Philosophers’ Stone that she has in her possession”.

“Wow! Sounds like you had a very interesting past few months haven’t you.  I haven’t seen even you in about 2 years. It is crazy that you can last as long as you do without me checking out your auto mail every few months”.

“Yeah I know, I have been working hard the past few years.  I have joined the military, almost got myself killed, you know, fun stuff.  While in the hospital, I was visited by my superiors the Elric Brothers.  Aren’t they old friends of yours?”

“Yeah, I haven’t seen them in soo long.  I wish they would come and visit me once in a while.  I mean gosh they are like my brothers”.

Winry and I talked about so much the rest of the night. While we were in the middle of our conversation I looked straight into her eyes, they were like two crystal blue ponds that you could get lost in. I then started to feel something in my heart for her. I leaned in while talking and kissed her beautiful lips; to my surprise she kissed me back.  We started making out, and it led to us being in bed together.  Her beauty made me forget about all the troubles that I had gone through.  Winry and I fell asleep in one another’s arms.

I awoke the next morning lying next to the beautiful women I had fallen in love with the night before.  I started to get ready to leave when Winry woke up.  She said, “Wow! Michael I think I have fallen in love with you. I wish you could stay here with me, and we could lie in bed all day. I know you half to leave, but know, I will always be here waiting for you”.

“I will be back, don’t worry.  I am in love with you too, Winry, but I have to stop Tameka from doing anything with the stone.  I wish I could stay, but I can’t”.

I then walked over to her, and kissed her lips one last time before I left.  I left Risenbull with a new happiness, but also a new fear. What if Tameka finds out where Winry is, and kills her? It would my fault.  I can’t put her in danger.  I have to stop Tameka.

While I was walking to the train station I saw Winry running down the path.  I stopped and waited for her to catch up.  She was wearing a white sundress with her hair up in a ponytail.  She finally caught up and said “Michael I am glad I caught you.  I just wanted to give you this.  It is a good luck charm.  I made it from clovers and steel.  It will you bring you luck where ever you go”.

“Thank you so much Winry. I will keep this with me always.  I am going to miss you dearly, but I will be back soon.  I will call you in about a month, until then, I love you with all my heart”.

We then kissed.  I said I love you to her one last time then I continued on to the train station.  I got on the train a very happy man.

I returned to Central, where I received depressing news from the state military.  Madam Gaia was murdered in her house; she was stabbed to death by what appeared to be a giant blade.  The military suspected that it was some random psychopath with a sword, but I knew not to trust them.  I went to my past teacher’s home to remember lost memories.  I stepped into the dark and dreary place that I used to call home.  The walls were covered in blood, the blood of my teacher.  I broke down and started to cry because I knew I had lost the woman that was like my mother.

I left the house in a grim mood. I roamed the streets of Central like a ghost, thinking of what to do next, and how I was going to kill the B***h that killed Madam Gaia.  While walking in my depressing daze, I ran into a teenage girl that was dancing in the streets.  I quickly snapped out of my trance to help the teen to her feet. She was a young girl that looked about sixteen; she had straight brown hair, and brown eyes.  She was a street performer; her and her family lived on the streets doing dance acts for the public.  She said that her name was Elisabeth, and that she had known Madam Gaia.  I asked her how she knew my lost teacher, but she didn’t tell me.  She followed me around Central for the rest of the day, politely grinning at me when I looked back at her. 

I finally said, “Why do you keep following me, why I am so special? Do you like me or something, just leave me alone! I am not in the mood for childish games, so leave!”

The young girl started to weep as yelled at her. I began to feel a tad bit of guilt growing within me as I saw tears stream down the young girl’s face.  I knelt down and said I was sorry, but again asked why she was following me.  She said, “You look a lot like my older brother that passed away about a year and a half ago. He was murdered by a demented woman that went berserk in the State military offices, she even killed her superior.  She then killed everyone in his office.  She murdered my brother in cold blood, and after he died my parents lost their jobs.  We were forced onto the streets by our landlord, because we couldn’t pay the rent anymore”.

“Okay that is a good explanation.  You can follow me if you want, but be careful I am on the look out for the woman that killed your brother”.

She was surprised to hear that I was hunting for the individual that had slain her beloved older brother.  It soon started to become dark and I offered to put Elisabeth and her family in a hotel for the night. The family was delighted to hear the news, because they hated sleeping on the cold hard ground of the streets.  I was glad to see that they enjoyed the rooms. 

That night around midnight, I heard a commotion coming from Elisabeth’s and her family’s room. I got up to see what all was going on in the room, when I got to the door all was quite. I opened the door to see Elisabeth and her family covered in blood. I looked at the window to see a figure, but I couldn’t tell who it was.  I rushed to the teen’s side to see if she was still breathing.  She was, but she needed to get to a hospital fast or she would die.  Her parents were ripped to shreds; their flesh ripped from their bones.  I swiftly made my metallic wings appear, and with Elisabeth in my arms I flew her to the hospital.

I landed outside of the hospital and laid Elisabeth on the ground.  My wings went away and I picked her back up and ran her into the hospital.  I brought her to the nurse’s station yelling in a panic, “Please you half to help this girl!  She was attacked and has lost a lot of blood!  I will give blood to help! Please! Just help her!”

She was rushed into emergency surgery.  I kept thinking to myself that all of this was my fault.  Tameka must have seen me with Elisabeth and just out of hatred towards me decided her family’s fate.  One thing I couldn’t help but notice was that there were no stab wounds on any of them. The marks seemed like massive bite marks, but why would Tameka try to sink her teeth into them, it made no sense.

I was at Elisabeth’s side when she awoke hours after her operation.  I told her about her parents, and she was instantly stricken with grief.  She began to cry, and then I took her in my arms and held the now orphaned girl.  After comforting her she told me what happened. 

“I was awakened by a sound at the window.  A young man had broken in and started biting and devouring my parents.  He then turned his attention towards me.  He had brown hair and blue eyes; he was wearing a black coat and blue pants.  He also had a strange mark on the back of his neck. It looked like a dragon with its tale in its jaws”.

The mark on the back his neck, that symbol means he is a homunculus.  Tameka must have used the stone to make him, so he could do her bidding while she was still in hiding.  I knew I had to try and find this assailant, and question him about Tameka’s whereabouts.

I searched the city for days trying to find any trace of the murderer.  I anticipated not finding him, because I theorized he was only sent out when Tameka needed him to kill someone.  I needed to come up with a plan to catch this monster before he hurt Elisabeth.  I waited by her side keeping watch over the girl.

One day I when I was talking to Elisabeth in the hospital, I thought I saw Carmella walk past the door to Elisabeth’s room.  I sprang from my chair and rushed to the door.  I looked up and down the halls looking for the ghost of that turncoat.  I walked back into Elisabeth’s room, and she asked me why I ran out of the room.  I jokingly replied, “I thought I saw a spider on the windowsill. I hate spiders; that is why I ran out of the room.  Spiders are just evil creatures”.   

We both shared a laugh, and since it started to get late, I decided to stay in the room with Elisabeth to keep her out of harm's way.  That night I thought I heard Rose saying something in the hallway outside of the room.  I thought to myself.

“That is impossible.  Rose is dead she can’t be alive.  None of this makes any sense.  I have to protect Elisabeth, but I keep seeing and hearing things.  Could be I be going insane.  The sorrow I have felt could be twisting my mind into making me believe Rose and Carmella are still alive.  Maybe Tameka brought them back as homunculus.  This is crazy; I hate this guilt that I feel deep inside”.

The weeks after that day were dawdling and tedious.  The hospital was like a penitentiary for the teenage girl’s youthful vigor.  Elisabeth got out of the hospital after months in therapy and tests, the doctors finally said she could leave.  When she got out I had her stay with me in a local inn.  I researched Tameka and the Philosopher’s Stone, while Elisabeth practiced her dancing. 

One morning she asked me if I could teach her alchemy.  I replied, “Alchemy isn’t something that you can learn just like that.  It took me ten years to learn it, and I haven’t mastered it, no one can.  We can only hope to perform it well, so we can execute science”.

“That didn’t answer my question.  Will you teach me?  I need to learn something so I can defend myself if you’re not there to protect me.  So will you teach me please?”

“Fine, but we will do it on my terms.  I will warn you now, this will not be easy in any sense of the word.  You will learn alchemy where I was taught it”.

Elisabeth’s face lit up with joy when I said yes.  She ran up and gave me a hug.  I patted her back and told her to pack her things.  We then went to the home of my fallen teacher, so I could begin to teach the teenage girl.

We arrived at Madam Gaia’s home when the sun highest in the sky.  I felt chills run up and down my spine.  We walked inside, the blood that was on the walls was gone, covered with wallpaper and paint.  I told Elisabeth to put her things in the back bedroom.  When she walked through the door of the bedroom she screamed.  I ran to see what was wrong, when I got to her side I was shocked to see what was written on the wall. 

There on the wall was a message that was written in blood from the man I believe was the person that killed Elisabeth’s parents. The message said

“I wonder how teenage girl tastes.  Alchemist, please meet me near the river at midnight tonight”.

I was shocked that he wanted to meet me.  That afternoon I put Elisabeth on a train headed for Risenbull.  I gave her a note and told her where Winry’s shop was.  I called Winry and told her the situation.  She was absolutely okay with Elisabeth staying there until I could find the creep that killed her parents.

It was a moonless night on the river.  I waited until midnight walking up and down the river front in impatience.  I finally saw a figure coming through the darkness.  I held up my light to get a better look at the person.  It was a young man with a big mouth.  He matched the description that Elisabeth had told me months before.  He looked at me and began to grin; he then finally said, “Oh, so you are the alchemist that Tameka is getting so caught up in.  Where is that succulent teenage girl that was with you?  I would have really enjoyed tearing the flesh from her bones.  Oh well, I guess I could settle with alchemist instead.  Whoops! I almost forgot my name is Glutton and I had an excellent time killing that young girl’s parents.  I only wish I would have eaten Madam what’s her name.  Tameka told me I couldn’t though, what a shame, I bet she tasted great”. 

“Enough! How dare you talk about my teacher that way you mere freak of alchemy.  How cowardly of Tameka to send a homunculus to her do job for her.  So are you going to try and eat me now, well go right ahead you Son of a B***h”.

I looked at him with complete hatred.  He was a despicable person that was only defined by what he could eat.  I stood my ground and waited to see what he would do.  He looked at me and said, “Are you going to make me attack you first?  I really hate attacking people first.  I am the guy that usually doesn’t fight; I mostly just eat the people that Tameka kills.  Well if you I don’t kill you my master will kill me.  So here is how it will go, I am going to kill you and eat you.  Okay do you understand that, I hope so”.

The glutton then ran towards me with his tongue hanging from his jaws.  I transmuted the ground below me into a wall which he ran into.  He started to devour the wall. The monstrous freak finally broke through the wall just as I transmuted my arm into a blade.  I stabbed him right in his gapping mouth right when he was about to bite me.  He bit down on the blade and started to chomp down on the shimmering blade.  He then punched me in the face and knocked me to the ground.  He started to lick his lips and salivate.  He jumped on top of me and bit into my left shoulder.  I shoved him off of me, and stood up.

I made my arm into a blade for a second time and walked up to him.  He was lying on the ground laughing wildly, and rolling around.  I grabbed him by the scruff of his collar and started to push my blade into his abdomen.  I asked him, “Where is Tameka?  Tell me right now.  Is she in Central?  Are there other homunculus she has created?”

“Well that succulent teenage girl is headed to Risenbull right.  That is where Tameka is, she knew you wanted the girl out of harm's way.  And for your question about if there are other homunculus, there is. There are two to be exact, my sisters, and I don’t think they will be pleased to see you.  I am glad that you caught me though.  It is better to be caught by you than the military anyway.  All they would do is conduct experiments on me and that would be no fun”.

He cackled as I put the blade deeper. I finally sliced off his head and laid it down next to his body.  I was walking away when I was stopped by the Elric Brothers and a group of solders.  Ed said, “Well it looks like he gave you no trouble at all Michael.  He isn’t dead though, he can’t die until you destroy a piece of his body from his former life.  Al and I will handle that, you head to Risenbull and save Winry and that adolescent girl.  Oh, and Michael, if Winry dies somehow; I will execute you, if you aren’t already dead”.

Alphonse said to me, “Michael you better hurry! There is no telling how long Tameka has been in Risenbull.  Here is a ticket. The train departs in twenty minutes so you better hurry.   Oh and What Ed said about Winry, he means it.  We know she loves you and we know you feel affection for her so go and save her”.

I got to the train just in time.  I hopped aboard and found my seat.  I hoped that nothing had happened to Winry or Elisabeth.  I didn’t know that the Elrics knew about Winry and I. That came as a surprise.  

The train finally arrived in Risenbull.  The station itself was 5 miles away from the small village.  I sprinted the entire five miles to see Winry’s shop ablaze.  I ran to the shop, there was no one inside the smoldering building, but there was a note on the ground.  It said

“Dear Michael,

As you already can tell I have taken your friends captive.  I wanted to keep them alive long enough to see you breathe your last breath.  Meet me at the hill just east of this village.  Please hurry I have some old associates of yours that are dying to see you again”.

I crumpled up the note and chucked it into the blaze that now fully engulfed the shop.  I had to get to the hill.  I was perplexed, what old friends could Tameka have been taking about.  I knew that she had the stone. I thought, “Could it be Rose and Carmella?  If it is them I know I’m not going mad.  But there is no way to know”.     

I headed to the summit of the hill where I saw Tameka sitting on a throne constructed of iron.  She looked down at me and grinned.  She looked extremely pleased for some reason.  I looked for Winry and Elisabeth but there was no trace of them.  I shouted towards Tameka saying, “Where are they, what did you do to them?  If you hurt them I am going to kill you!”

“Oh Michael, hello, your friends are around here somewhere. So at least I know you can take orders from a simple peace of paper. That is good. So it seems I have your lover and a girl that you took off the streets.  Which one would you want to live more”? 

Tameka stopped talking and clapped her hands. Then two people in hooded cloaks brought out Winry and Elisabeth in glass boxes.  The two hooded figures appeared female.  They took off the cloaks and revealed there identities, it was Rose and Carmella.  Tameka made them into homunculus.  I yelled to the two women that Tameka had breathed new life into them.

“You don’t half to follow her orders.  You can fight back against her.  She is just using you as puppets to do her malevolent bidding.  I will kill you if I half to, but I don’t want to.  You can break free of her, just try”.

Rose and Carmella grinned and looked up at Tameka.  Tameka looked at them and nodded giving them the signal to attack.  The two of them rushed me; Carmella’s arms changed into long blades of skin and bone; Rose made her silver rose into a whip.  I didn’t know what to do. I transmuted my arms into blades and just stood my ground.  I knew I had no likelihood of beating them both, but I had to try, for Elisabeth’s and Winry’s sake. 

The two girls assaulted from both sides.  I blocked the blades and the whip as much as I could.  I was hit and hit over and over again, my blood was pouring out of freshly made wounds.  I was able to grab Rose and I felt a pulse.  I was shocked homunculus are dead they have no pulse. So how did rose have one?  Rose must have never died and Tameka must have nursed her back to health. She must have been brainwashed, I thought to myself 

I then started only to attack Carmella. I knew I had to get her out of the way so I could try and break Rose out of her hypnotized state.  I slashed madly at Carmella, trying to at least get one hit in.  She just snickered at me; she looked like she was getting enjoyment from just toying with me.  She grabbed my arm and stuck my blade into her stomach.  She then said, “I can’t die you fool.  I am eternal, and it feels great.  So keep sticking that blade in, it will do you no good.  Alchemist you are a fool to try and attack me.  I should just kill you right now, you pathetic waste of life”.

“I am a waste of life? Am I?  You are nothing but an empty casing used only to serve your master without question.  So in all respect I think you are the waste of life. You freak of nature”! 

I knew I had to do something.  I pulled my arm out of Carmella’s abdomen and slammed it into the side of her neck.  The blood soaked blade gradually cut its way through Carmella’s spine.  Her head finally fell to the earth.  I then looked at Rose; she looked like she was in shock from what I had done. I said to her, “Rose! Do you remember who I am?  It’s me Michael.  I am your friend.  Rose, you have to snap out of this trance and help me stop Tameka.  Please! We must stop her before she hurts anyone else”.

“Michael, wait where am I?  How did I get here?  Tameka! Oh no!  Michael we have to stop her, how are we going to do it though”.

Carmella’s severed head looked at Rose and said, “Rose don’t pay attention to him.  You are one of us, a homunculus.  You must aid Master Tameka.  Rose you must kill this foolish alchemist for doing what he did to me.  Kill him now”!

Carmella’s pleas did nothing. Rose was snapping out of the trance that she was in.  I grabbed the severed head and tossed it down the hill.  The head shrieked the entire way down, as it bounced and smacked into the rocks below the hill.  I glanced at Rose and said, “Rose, do you remember me now?  Do you remember how Tameka betrayed you?  Please! Tell me that you do!”

Rose just nodded and glanced up at Tameka.  I walked over to her. I whispered my plan into her ear.  We both stood in front of Tameka’s iron throne. We knew we had to stop her.   

Tameka was taken aback by Rose breaking from her trance.  She stepped down from her throne where she had been watching the skirmish.  She took off her coat and with a devilish grin lifted her right hand to reveal a ring containing the Philosopher’s Stone. She said, “Do you like it? I made it from a group of homeless people in Central.  I took pleasure in using it to overpower your pitiful teacher Madam Gaia.  She was so frightened when I revealed I had this ring.  It was so depressing to see a woman with so much pride on her knees begging for her life.  Well I guess that is what happens when you are faced with your own demise.  Oh! Don’t be concerned about those two girls of yours Michael. They aren’t going to depart this life. I want them to watch while I rip you to shreds”.

Tameka then changed her throne into a cannon and opened fire.  She virtually hit me several times.  I ran towards her, blades out, with Rose behind me. I jumped on the cannon and started to slash at Tameka. She blocked my blades with her arm. Laughing she transmuted her arm into a claw.  She pierced my chest with the razor-sharp claw, and then carried me over to Winry and Elisabeth.  I was coughing up blood.  The two girls looked at Tameka in fear not knowing what she was going to do to me.  She looked at me and said, “This is what you get for trying to kill me.  I realize now that we are not the same.  I am stronger than you.  I am willing to give anything to gain power.  I was willing to have you as an equal, but you are too much of a hero.  You disappoint me Michael. I thought this fight would be a lot longer.  Oh well, I guess I can still have fun with Rose”.

“You know what? I might be wounded, but I am still going to kill you.  I will find a way. Somehow I will do it.  Pain is nothing. It only lasts a few minutes. So go ahead cause me pain, it doesn’t matter anymore”.

“Oh! You don’t mind pain do you?  This will be fun then. You shouldn’t have said that you fool.  Now, I am to kill you nice and slow.  I am going to make those girls watch as your life is slowly drained from your bleeding body.  Then I am going to kill them and Rose to.  It will be fun, like a game.  Oh! Before I kill you, which of these exquisite girls should I kill first?  I am thinking the blonde, because you love her, but then again your apprentice would be just as much fun to kill.  Decisions, decisions it is so hard to decide.  Oh well, I will just kill them both at the same time. How does that sound?”  

 

I spit blood into her face and smiled.  She was about to take my life when Rose stabbed her through her blackened heart.  Tameka and I dropped to the ground.  I then crawled over to Winry and Elisabeth and released them.  They stood next to me trying to bring to an end to the bleeding. 

Winry looked at me and I said, “Looks like that lucky charm you gave me wasn’t so lucky after all.  I guess you can have it back now.  I don’t think I will need it anymore”.

Winry took me in her arms weeping.  I was falling in and out of awareness.  I looked over to see Rose standing over Tameka.  Tameka looked up and said to Rose, “Sister, how could you do this to me?  I only wanted us to be together yet again.  Do you remember when we were little and we used to play with our dolls together.  I miss that”.

“Wait what are you talking about? I am not your sister! Even if I was, what you have done I could never forgive you for.  I hate you Tameka.  You are not my sister! I am an only child!”

“That is were you are mistaken Rose.  You are my sister; you were only five when our parents put you in the orphanage.  To this day I have no idea why they put you there.  They died before I could unearth the secrets they held”.

“Wait! Tell me more, don’t die now.  I need to know more.  Tameka, God damn you!  I need you to enlighten me.  Don’t breathe your last now”!      

Tameka then died in Rose’s arms, leaving Rose with few answers and many questions.  After Rose was done trying to revive Tameka, she walked over to me. I could barely see her because my eyes were encrusted with blood.  I could feel my life leaving my body.  I looked at Winry and kissed her for the last time and whispered to Rose “Train Elisabeth in the science of Alchemy”. The last thing I saw was the three girls weeping over me.  I then closed my eyes and embraced my fate knowing I had done what I needed to do.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Madam Gaia’s Home….

Four Years Later…

“We are here to bring back Michael.  Elisabeth, do you have the things we need to do the transmutation”.

“Yes Rose, I have all the things we need.  I am so happy to once again see Michael after four years of him being gone.  I know we have the stone, but it will still be easier said than done to find him on the other side of the door.  Winry do you have the ring”?

“I have it right here on my hand.  I have had it on my wedding finger for the past few years.  I can’t believe I will finally be able to see Michael again.  I have missed him so much.  He was the only man I have ever truly loved.  Rose isn’t what we are about to do against the law though?”

“Officially, yes, but no one will ever know what we did here tonight besides us.  We can not inform anyone of what will transpire here tonight.  We need Michael back. You know that. There is something wicked brewing in the state government.  I believe Tameka is some how still alive and the stone will be gone after tonight, so we need another brilliant alchemist.  Elisabeth are you ready”?

“Yes M’am, you have trained me well. I am ready to bring Michael back so I can learn more.  He was supposed to be my teacher then he died, saving Winry and I.  We need him back so let us begin.”