Turning Tides

Turning Tides: Chapter 2

In case it wasn't super obvious, this fic does have a lot more language than is in my other Fics. Also, blood and gore warning up ahead, but it's FMA and Kimblee. That's a warning in and of itself. Surprisingly, Kimblee doesn't kill anyone.

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Bringing the building down on them had been a spur of the moment thing, but it did its job well.

When Kimblee came too, he was mostly buried under rubble and his already injured body certainly wasn't pleased about that. That gold-toothed doctor had certainly "done his best" (Kimblee hadn't wanted his hands on his person longer than needed), but that "beast" meant that a few well-placed hits or a heavy weight pressed on the injury would result in the painful problem of internal bleeding. He doubted it was at that point at the moment, but it still was painful.

Kimblee blasted the rubble off and to the side of him as soon as he could. None of his limbs were broken, but his ribs were probably cracked. There was a low buzzing in his ears, already driving the almost constant headache of his tinnitus to an even sharper pain.

He hated silence after he caused a major explosion— the euphoric feeling of casting the perfect one had run it course and he lost interest when he developed tinnitus— and the mines certainly were silent right now.

He'd have to fix his ears soon, he briefly realized, along with that goddamn itch across his skin that was back.

He pushed it to the side, looking around him for a flash of red that wasn't blood.

It didn't take him long to find both Philosopher's Stones— the one Edward had kicked out of his hands and the one that he had been holding when they all fell— and move over to where the other three were.

The Chimeras were both leaning over Edward, who looked far worse than any of them there. The boy was pale, bloody, and— was that a steel beam sticking out from his side?

That wasn't exactly something that was good, ever. He was in front of Edward in a few quick strides, kneeling down and frowning as he placed a hand on the steel beam.

Edward's eyes filled with pained hate as he saw him enter his vision.

"Pull the beam from his stomach," He ordered, looking up at the two chimeras. Darius startled, looking a bit uncomfortable as he looked at him.

"Won't that kill him, sir? He'll die from blood loss," he pointed out and he rolled his eyes.

"How do you think I healed so quickly after fighting Scar? Alchemy can do a number of things," he told him before he grabbed Edward's real hand, pressing the stone he got from Ishval into it.

"Fullmetal," he said slowly, carefully, and almost gently. "Focus. I can't do this for you, but you have to use the stone. The souls within cry for revenge against the State, if you die, you'll be the one failing them. Use the stone, use your life, and transmute your body back into one piece."

He ignored the blood that the boy spat at him, but he nodded weakly, eyes determined and angry. Kimblee's expression melted a bit, and he saw shock pass through Edward's eyes when he gently nodded.

"Good," he said before he looked up at Heinkel towering over him even when kneeling. "You can handle this?"

"Yes, sir," the Lion said, grasping the steel beam while Edward steeled himself for the pain that was sure to follow.

"Do it," he uttered and Heinkel looked to Kimblee. He nodded and the Lion pulled. The scream that left the boy was gut-wrenching, but the blonde boy's jaw snapped shut, his hands coming together and pressing them over the wound. Alchemic sparks flew once again as he forced the wound closed before the blonde slumped back, gasping for breath and certainly still in pain, the stone fell from his grasp and Kimblee picked it up, slipping it into his pocket.