Wayward Son

Chapter 8

He sat against the wall, forehead resting on his interlocked fingers, and hoped to hell that all this tooth-grinding wouldn't wear his molars down to useless nubs. It was the only thing on his mind besides the ever-growing tsunami of soul-crushing despair that rose over his mental horizon like the darkest of moons.

His anger was such as he had never felt before: partly directed at those who had locked him in this storage closet but mostly at himself for being such an incompetent, irrational, imbecilic IDIOT.

And he knew. He knew it would be easy to escape by just transmuting the door. But he had literally nowhere else to go. Nowhere. At. All. And if anything, it was that thought which was the most crushing.

He didn't look up when the door opened. It didn't do much to brighten his situation. Literally, as it would appear night had fallen during his incarceration.

"Should've known better than to think you were trustworthy," he heard Aerrow say. "I knew there was something familiar about the guy who cut my cheek."

"What does that have to do with anything?" he muttered.

"If you can steal one of the most powerful crystals ever discovered without any assistance, why would you ask for our help?" asked the Sky Knight. "Although I guess it explains why you were so bitter and secretive."

"It's not just that," Edward growled through gritted teeth.

"Then what else is there?" Aerrow asked.

Edward clenched his fists.

"I can't tell you," he growled. "You wouldn't believe me if I did."

"Try me," said Aerrow.

"I can't!" Edward repeated, and sounded more desperate than he had before. "I can't tell anybody! And I know you wouldn't get it, you're so wrapped up in being some tall, tough goody-two-shoes that you wouldn't even care!"

"I said try me!" Aerrow said, more firmly this time. "If it's really so-"

"I NEED that thing!" Edward cried, jumping to his feet. "I need to use it because without it I won't be able to get a Philosopher's Stone!"

"What- why do you want a-"

"It's the only chance I have at-"

"Just slow down!" Aerrow raised his hands defensively. "So you want a Philosopher's Stone? While that does explain why you'd want a piece of the Aurora Stone, why do you need one of those? We're not even sure if they're real or not!"

"Well- I- but- they have to be!" Edward almost yelled. "They're the only chance I have!"

"At what?!"

"I CAN'T TELL YOU!"

"WHY NOT?!"

"I JUST CAN'T!"

By now the boys were almost right in each other's faces, fists clenched, each trying to hold back from punching the other in the face.

"Can you at least tell me why-" Aerrow started, but he was quickly interrupted.

"And you don't care, do you?!" By now Edward seemed to have stopped listening. "You couldn't give the slightest of damns! You don't even care tha-that I've got people waiting for me back home who're going to have no goddamn idea what happened to me or where I went, but I guess that's all my fault for not mentioning it sooner 'coz I'm such a fucking idiot-"

"If you could just-"

"I mean sure, I tracked down the house just like Mustang told me to, no thanks to him, stupid bastard couldn't give me the actual address of course, which means there isn't any way for Al to know that I'm not still on that fucking mission-"