The Impact of Death

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    Mason's POV:
"That ice won't kill him," Ed says. What? I think. It would kill any other person. Besides, I hit him in the heart. I hear a slight stirring behind me, and my chest feels slightly heavier. Cassandra screams, and I hear a few 'oh my God's around me. My ears ring as I look down at my chest.
      My vision starts to blur and become shaky at the sight in front of me. Protruding from my chest was a similar blade that Envy was using to fight with. I grasp it with my hands, and I can feel something rising in my throat. Suddenly, I can't breathe. It feels as though something is blocking my airway. It rises up and up until it reaches my mouth. I cough the blood onto the ground and into my hands. I cup my hands and look up at my sister in disbelief.
       Envy shakes his arm, and I slide off of it. A stabbing and burning sensation spreads throughout my body as I fall to the ground. The impact takes my breath away, and I grope at my chest. My fingers find the puncture, and I touch it.
      The hole was large enough for me to put my fist through it. As I lay on the ground, the area around me starts to turn into a battlefield. Gunshots ring out, and lighting bolts from alchemy fills the air. Cassandra dives for me, and with Ed's help, they carry me behind a boulder.
        "Cassandra, I- I'm so sorry," I whisper, each word agonizing. She cries while telling me to not talk. I ignore her and keep apologizing for my failure. I could feel my breath starting to slow. "E- Ed," I manage to croak. He attentively looks at me, and I grab his wrist, pulling him towards me. "You........ You take care of her now. I won't be there to support her, so you gotta do it," I whisper in his ear. He nods and turns back towards Cassandra. She crawls beside me and holds my hand.
     "The....... The stars are brilliant tonight," I quietly croak. She purses her lips while nodding. Suddenly, my life starts to flash before my eyes.
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      I was five at the time. Cassandra and I had just gone into the woods to look for rocks. She holds a large rock up with a grin. "Look what I found!" I couldn't help but smile at her enthusiasm towards a chunk of different minerals. She giggles, and takes my hand. We then head back home.
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       "Woah!" I exclaim as my mother uses alchemy to transmute a miniscule house. She smiles, her wise eyes crinkling. "You would've loved your father," she says with a whimsical look in her eyes. Both Cassandra and I look up at her. "What was he like?" Cassandra asks. Our mother's smile fades as she attempts to remember the smallest details about him.
        "Well, I guess he was strong and a bit hot headed, but he loved me. He cared for anybody or anything no matter how much he denied it. That's why he served in the War," our mother explains. I look at the dusty ground of our shack wondering what I would do if I ever saw him.
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       "Mason!" Cassandra screams. My feet start to feel numb, then my legs, and soon my chest. I look up at the sky to see the magnificent stars. Tears leak out of my eyes and down my face as I prepare to let go of the world. Please don't cry, I think while looking at Cassandra. My hearing starts to fade away, and my vision goes from clear to blurry, back to clear, and then back to blurry. A light starts to envelop me, and the last thing I hear is Cassandra saying goodbye. My chest stops rising, and everything fades away.
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     Cassandra's POV  "Mason?" I frantically ask while shaking his shoulder. His glossy eyes remain fixed on the starry sky, and I shake him even more. "Mason! Please wake up! Don't go! Not yet!" I scream. I can feel Ed's hand on my shoulder, as I try to get my brother to come back. I gaze at the gaping hole in his chest, and I choke out a sob.
       "Cassandra, it's over," Ed says while trying to pick me up. I swat at his hand as I remain planted next to my brother. The color had drained from his face, and he had turned cold. Ed gently closes his eyes, and calls Mustang over.
      The Colonel brings not only Hawkeye with him, but a few supply people. They wrap Mason in a dark blanket, and they carry him into the back of the cart. I sit, gazing at the blood stained dirt that he had spent his final moments in. Looking around before I do it, I spread the dirt so the blood wasn't visible anymore. With one last glance at the sky, I follow everyone else.
        Today, I stay with Mustang and Hawkeye. They barely talked, probably because I was near them, and they had to call a full retreat after loosing nearly half of the troops. The rest of us were severely injured. "Colonel?" I pipe up. He responds with a 'hm?' I look at Ares, and back at the man. "Instead of Mason being buried in the military cemetery, can he be buried in the one back at my village?" I ask. Mustang turns around and gives a solemn nod. I slightly smile, and look forward.
        After a few nights of riding, Central finally comes into view. The lights illuminate the area surrounding it, and we pick up speed.
      I dismount Ares and pat his neck as I remove his tack. Everyone else does the same. A few soldiers had come over and apologized for my loss, but I merely ignore them. I don't need any reminders of my deceased brother. I glance over at Naomi who had been keeping her distance from me. Might as well leave her be, I think as I brush Ares down. I set the comb to the side, pat my horse's neck, and walk up to the quarters.
        I lay on my bed looking up at the white ceiling. I hear a soft knock at door, and I glare at it. "Go away Ed," I bark while rolling onto my side.
      Despite my order, the door creaks open and someone slips in. "Cassandra," a female voice whispers. I roll my head to see who it is. Hawkeye comes into view, and I roll over to face her. She straightens up and opens her mouth. "Colonel Mustang would like to see you in his office," she states.
      I groan and swing my legs off the side of the bed. She starts to leave, and I have to speed walk to catch up with her. We shuffle down a hallway with no conversation. Probably because of Mason's death.
      We reach the doors that lead to his office, and I walk in. He looks up, and then back down to his paperwork. "Hello Multiblood," he mutters as he organizes a stack of papers.

"Good afternoon, Sir," I mumble back with a halfhearted salute. He continues to work on paperwork in silence. Finally, he looks up at me and beckons for me to come forward. I do so until I reach his desk.
      "We recovered this," Mustang says while sliding Mason's pocket watch towards me. I grab it, and run my fingers over the military symbol.

"Thank you, Sir," I whimper. Mustang nods and continues on.

"We made some arrangements for Mason's funeral. You wanted it back at your village?" I nod, and Hawkeye writes something down. "Alright. How does tomorrow sound?" I nod once again. Hawkeye writes something down once more, and Mustang excuses me.
       "So we're going back to your village for the funeral?" Ed asks. I nod, and he looks away. I glance at the ground to avoid looking in his sympathetic eyes. Suddenly, I feel a pair of arms wrapped around my body, and I'm pulled into his chest.
     My face heats up to the point that it hurts from the burning feeling. I stand there like an idiot with my hands pressed up against his chest. My eyes burn, and soon I'm sobbing into his chest. He squeezes me and lightly rubs my back.
      When he releases me, I wipe the tears off of my face. "You've gotten taller," I stupidly confirm. He smiles, but doesn't say anything in return. "I gotta get going, but if you need anything, find me," he says while turning around and walking away.
      Al then approaches me. "You know, Brother never acts like that. You're the only person that he's like that with," he says while watching Ed walk away. I sigh, "I don't know what to say, but I'm going back to my room," I announce while also leaving Al.
      I get down on all fours while I dig around under my bed. My hand touches the exact object I desire, and I pull it out. I think back to Naomi's tattoo, Mustang's gloves, and Armstrong's........ Whatever those were. If I have a transmutation circle on me, I should be able to freely transmute stuff, I think to myself. I look at the knife in my hand, and bring it to my hand. I then push it under my skin and wince at the stinging from it. I turn the blade and cut a circle into my hand while biting my lip. I continue to carve a transmutation circle into my hand until it's complete. I then move onto the next circle.
      When I'm finished, the ground around me has blood splatters from the gashes in my hand. I lost feeling in my hand a while ago which I guess was good. Footsteps start to approach my door, and I panic. The doorknob turns, and Ed walks in.

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