Reverie's War

By: Shania Nowhere

Author's Note: I don't own Full Metal Alchemist, dearest Hiromi does and she did a wonderful job creating the series. I'm just posing a "what if" that sort of answers the question of "what happens after Ed and Al come to our world?" I don't own any of the characters except Ginny, Drew, and Dogma. Don't sue me!

Chapter 1: Meeting

It was a normal convention full of the usual crowd of attendees and cosplayers, milling about and making their way to panels and meet-ups. One lone girl in particular wasn't so much looking for a friend but the bathroom, desperately running blindly through the crowd in search of the almighty "women's" sign. Running up to a bathroom, she found a sign clearly posted over the door "out of order" and let out a painful moan as she danced and looked around frantically.

"Oh maaaaaan, I shouldn't have had that Double Gulp! EXCUSE MEEEEEEEE!" She wailed as she took off down the hallway seeking out an alternative. Finally, she saw what looked to be her salvation – another bathroom. Quickly and without giving it another thought, she forced the door open and a few seconds later felt her face hit a metal pole in the middle of the hallway. Falling backwards, she sprawled out indignantly and began to cry out in pain as her nose bled from the impact.

"Oh my gosh, are you alright?!" A soft but greatly concerned voice broke through her sobbing and caused her to look up in curiosity. Stooped over her and looking deeply concerned was Vic Mignogna, his hair a little tousled from the collision.

"Nooo, by nose is brogen!" She whimpered in a stuffed up voice, the blood making it difficult to pronounce things properly.

"It doesn't look broken, sweetie. Here, let me help you up and get you cleaned off." Vic picked her up and led her into the bathroom to the sinks where he wet a paper towel and dabbed at her nose. Finally removing the traces of her nosebleed and plugging the source, she mumbled, "Dank you, Bic."

"You're welcome, sweetheart. What were you doing running in here anyway? This is for men!" His expression had softened into a gentle smile as he found a bit of humor in the situation.

"I really 'ad do go a'd de girl's room down de hall was glosed so I saw dis one a'd dought id was anoder girl's room…" She babbled before staring blankly at his face.

"I see…what is it?"

"…your eye." She pointed and he turned to look into the mirror. Sure enough, his left eye no longer matched his normal hazel color. Instead, it was a shimmering golden hue, shining brightly under the bathroom lighting.

"Crap." Was all that Vic muttered before falling silent for a second as if thinking. Letting out a laugh, he said, "Surprise! I'm cosplaying Ed, I must have lost the other contact when you ran into me. I was…just about to go get the rest of my costume, if you'll excuse me-"

"So you habe a audomail arm u'der your shird?" She rapped her knuckles on his right arm and he pulled away, chuckling nervously and saying, "Uh yeah, that's right! Now I really need to go and-"

"So why gan I see your hand?" They both stared down at his bare hand and he grit his teeth, muttering, "You ask too many questions, kid."

For a long minute, she just stared at him in surprise before whispering, "…Ebwarb?"

"You're…mistaken." Vic hissed, the nervousness evident in his voice.

"You are him! Oh by gosh, you're-" The girl squealed out loud but Vic quickly clapped his hand over her mouth.

"Quiet! They can hear you!" He said, taking her hand and towing her toward the door.

"Dey?" She muttered, looking around as if she expected someone to be lurking nearby.

"Yes, now follow me." Stopping at the door, he peeked out as if making sure the coast was clear before saying, "We need to get out of here fast but we need a diversion."

"Trip someone?" She suggested.

"Yes, perfect!" Vic reached into his shirt and produced a ruby ring, placing it on his finger and clapping his hands. He stooped and touched his palms to the floor just as the ground shuttered. Watching in amazement, several tiles across the hall popped up and tripped a group of girls running by. Amidst the noise and confusion, Vic and the girl slipped from the bathroom unseen and ran down the hall away from the commotion. They turned a corner and didn't stop running until they were inside Vic's hotel room. Bolting the door behind him, Vic said, "There, we'll be safe in here, I put a protection spell on the room so no one can get in without my help."

"What on earth is going on here, Vic? Why did you bring me to your room? And what are you doing??" The girl pulled the plugs from her nostrils and watched as Vic removed the remaining hazel contact and placed it in a tray of solution.

"What's your name?" Vic asked calmly as he shut the contact case and pulled another out of a bag sitting on the sink.

"Um…Ginny." She blushed as Vic looked up and smiled with a sad glimmer in his golden eyes.

"Not many people know my secret, Ginny, can I trust you?"

"Trust me…?" She blinked.

"Yes, can I count on you to keep my secret, otherwise…I'll have to kill you." His eyes bore into her and she swallowed hard. Suddenly, he let out a laugh and said, "I'm kidding, relax! If you cling to that wall anymore you'll leave nail marks and I'll have to pay the hotel to have it fixed."

"Oh…sorry, I just…I don't know what to say…you're really Ed?" She stepped away from the wall and clasped her hands in front of her.

"Please, call me Vic, I haven't used that name in so long…" His expression softened and he turned away, wandering into the room slowly and sitting on the edge of his bed with a heavy sigh. Cautiously, Ginny followed him and stopped a few feet away, whispering, "But Vic, if you really are who you say you are…why aren't you really old and wrinkly?"

"Gee, thanks…I guess." Vic almost fell off the bed at her comment and propped his hands on his knees as he closed his eyes and reminisced, "I've been using the aid of a philosopher's stone to make it through the years, it hasn't been easy."

"A…wha?? But…but alchemy doesn't exist in our world!"

"It doesn't exist now but there was still the vague leftovers of it lulling about back when I first arrived here, most likely revived by my presence. Normally it would be impossible for your kind to make a stone but with the proper knowledge…anything's possible. If a stone exists, alchemy exists within it and can be harnessed by a skilled alchemist."

"Like you." She said, intrigued by his story, whether false or true.

"Yes, in a sense. The people who made it thought they could use me to keep them from growing old or dying, they planned to rule the world for all eternity by living forever. Their arrogance was their downfall and I took advantage of it. I took the stone and fled the country before they could stop me, living the rest of my life on the run and in the shadows."

"But why? Why would you use it?" She frowned in confusion.

"Because…I have a job to do."

"What's so important that you'd use the philosopher's stone, knowing very well how it came to be?"

"The fate of all humanity, that's what."

"Wow…that's a lot to handle. But…what I don't understand is how you've pretended to be someone you're not all these years. Is Vic even a real person?" Ginny approached the bed and sat next to him, eager to hear more.

"Oh yeah, he was, very nice guy…couldn't have asked for a better friend." Vic smiled as he remembered him fondly.

"Was? Where is he now? Is he…" Her face contorted into a sad expression as Vic's sank at the thought of it.

"He died a couple years back, he asked me to take over for him and watch over of his mom, who was I to say no? After all he's done for me, it's the least I could do." Vic said quietly.

"Does she know that you're not her real son?"

"I never told her but I suspect she does…"

"Wow…so…what happened to him? If you don't mind me asking, it's just weird thinking that he's gone…"

"It's a long story, let's just say certain people weren't too happy about the fanfilm he made cause he almost blew their cover for the whole world to see."

"Are you serious? That's crazy, it was just a film!" Ginny felt her heart race wildly as her rage grew inside her.

"To you it may have been, but you don't know anything about what goes on behind the scenes. It's bigger than you could ever imagine…believe me, you don't want to get involved." Vic got up and crossed the room to window and peeked out the curtain, looking into the streets below at life passing them by.

"But…if I know your secret, doesn't that mean I'm already involved? I don't really have a choice now and…I wanna help!" Ginny said determinedly.

"You? Help? You can't, you've got no power to fight what's to come, you're better off hiding like the others." Vic chuckled dryly.

"That's not true! I may not know alchemy and I might just be some stupid girl that can't tell the boy's bathroom from the girl's but I will never let you down! I'm smart, I can find stuff for you and research things and-"

"Listen, Ginny, I have seen a lot of people just like you who wanted to help and ended up throwing their lives away for nothing. I don't want you to do the same, this is my battle…" Vic said with a serious tone in his voice, his gold eyes flashing violently as he stared her down.

"If the fate of the world is at stake, then it's my battle too! I live here, I should help protect the world just like you, no matter what happens! I'm sure Al feels the same way, right?"

Vic's expression went blank suddenly and he turned back to the window, muttering, "Yeah…he did."

Confused, Ginny was about to inquire further but a knock came at the door and interrupted their conversation. Vic quickly moved across the room, motioning for Ginny to hide behind the wall as he peered out the peephole to see who was there. With a sigh, he unbolted the door and opened it, saying, "What are you doing here, Travis?"

"I saw you hightailing it out of the con and thought something was up, you don't usually use your alchemy unless it's serious. Can I come in?" A deep voice said around the corner.

"Yeah, I kind of had a problem." Vic invited the man in and shut the door behind him, bolting it again and leading him in to see Ginny.

"Oh…uh…" Travis was caught off guard and looked back at Vic.

"She knows my little secret, just like you. I was trying to convince her that she's better off forgetting about it but she's a stubborn one." Vic explained, returning to the window.

"I'm not stubborn, you're the one that won't let me help!" Ginny said indignantly.

"She sure is spirited, you definitely know how to pick 'em." Travis smirked, "But he's right saying you should forget, it's not easy being a secret keeper."

"But you know who he is! So do countless other people! Why am I any different!"

"You're just a kid, you wouldn't understand." Vic muttered, continuing to watch the street below.

"I'm not a kid, I'm almost 17! I'm sure Aaron knows and he's younger than me!"

"That's where you'd be wrong, Eddo there doesn't want anyone to know if he can help it and Aaron would be the last person he'd tell. Sentiments, most likely."

"That's enough, Travis, and what have I told you about calling me that?"

"Yeah yeah…" Travis scratched the back of his head.

"So…how did you find out?" Ginny asked calmly.

"It's…a very long story, I doubt he'd want me to tell you cause it's a bit embarrassing." Travis chuckled before leaning in and whispering, "I'll tell you later."

"There will be no later, she's not helping." Vic said sternly.

"Oh right…so what's she gonna do, sit around her house being paranoid for the rest of her life expecting a homunculus to come and off her?"

"Homunculus? They're real??" Ginny's jaw dropped and Travis laughed again.

"Of course they are, they just aren't as obvious as the ones in the series. I'm sure you're aware of the terrorists in the history books…"

"They're homunculi?"

"Or they were taking orders from one, which was often the case. Where do you think they get the idea that they can take over the world? Those homunculus promise a lot and give very little, the only thing you can trust them to be is untrustworthy."

"So…do you know who they are? Where they are?"

"A few, yes, but not many. They're better than I am at hiding their identities." Vic said mildly.

"Yeah, cause you're too nice to kill the people who find out." Travis commented.

"Enough people have died because of me, I don't need more guilt on my conscience."

"Look, it wasn't your fault he died, Ed! He understood the risks, as do we all, you gotta stop blaming yourself for what happened."

"This discussion is over." Vic said coldly, refusing to meet Travis' gaze.

"Fine, be that way, but you can't just expect to let her leave and not get killed or even kidnapped. Face it, she's involved and there's nothing you can do about it."

"There is one thing…" Vic looked down at the ring on his finger and Travis's mood changed quickly.

"Oh no, don't even think about wiping her memory! Remember last time you tried to do that??"

"It's better than knowing!"

"No, I don't want to forget! I never want to forget you, Vic!" Ginny felt her eyes watering as she desperately fought to keep her memories.

"I'm not the man you think I am, Ginny…" Vic whispered under his breath, a hint of resentment in his voice.

"You're every bit the man I think you are, Vic! You may not have lived his life but that's who you are now and he wouldn't have wanted you to be like this! I'm sure he wouldn't…"

Swallowing her fears, she went to him and took his hand, saying softly, "You've been suffering in silence all this time, pretending to be someone you're not so that you can save the people you've been hiding from all these years. Such an act of selflessness is too much for you to have to bear alone for 60 years, Vic, I…I want to be there for you. Please let me help, I know I can't fight the way you can but I can give you the support you deserve! Just give me a chance…"

"Ginny…" Vic uttered, his heart wrenching inside his chest as he recalled the many souls that said the same to him in the past.

"Look, the damage is done, let's move on and not argue about it. Besides, you've got fans to meet back at the con and running off like this gonna make them suspicious, especially if anyone saw you with her. Shall we?" Travis motioned toward the door and Vic sighed, saying, "Yeah, I guess so. We'll talk about this later, Ginny."

"Okay." She said shyly, bowing her head as he turned to face them. Giving her a sympathetic look, he touched his finger to her chin and lifted her head, saying, "But just to be safe, do you mind hanging around with me for the rest of the con so I know you're alright?"

A smile lit her face up and she replied cheerfully, "Sure, anything for you, Vic!"

"Right, let's get back before they think we're having a threesome up here." Travis said as he walked to the door.

"TRAVIS!" Vic exclaimed, threatening to use his alchemy on him as they raced out the door and back to the con.