Okay, so, first story from Amari! Yay! Okay, so, the usual disclaimer drill- I DO NOT OWN FULLMETAL ALCHEMIST! ALL OWNERSHIP RIGHTS TO FULLMETAL GO TO HIROMU ARAKAWA! The only thing within this story that I own is my OC, Evelyn. Evelyn is the reincarnation of Amari, but I'll re-describe her because I forgot to do so in the story... XP She has long pale blonde hair and bright green eyes. She has a relatively sweet personality... as long as you don't get on her bad side. XD Anyway, I hope you all enjoy this story! I'll add chapter two soon! Thanks!
Chapter One
"I can't believe it! Nii-san, how could you have been so careless?" Al cried, throwing his hands over his head. It was almost late October in the year 1918 and the older Elric's State Alchemist Assessment Day was coming up fast. He needed to pass in order to keep his title as a State Alchemist, but he had fallen ill due his lackadaisical attitude toward his own well being. He had contracted the stomach flu, of all things!
"Al, calm down! Don't shout, either. I have a headache." Ed complained, pulling the bed covers over his head. "Close the curtains. The sunlight hurts my head even worse!"
"Well, that's your fault for getting lost! Seriously, Nii-san, it was raining outside and you didn't even think to get to some shelter? Where was your head?"
"All right, all right, I screwed up! I'm sorry, Al, geez. My head hurts…" Edward moaned dramatically, peeking out from under the covers to see if his little brother would leave. Alphonse sighed hopelessly and shook his head; he turned when he heard laughter coming from the doorway to their hotel room and, to his surprise, saw that the laughter was from Evelyn, an old friend of theirs from Resembool.
"Well, I see you haven't changed one bit, have you, Edward?" she teased, sitting on the bed next to him. She smiled sweetly at the brothers and continued, "Man, I heard you got the stomach flu. Bummer. Guess that means you won't be a State Alchemist anymore, Fullmetal!" She laughed evilly, as if she were planning to take the title of Fullmetal from him. He sat up fast, throwing the sheets aside.
"Like crap, I won't! I may be sick, but I can still kick your butt any day!" he cried, challenging her full on. Normally, Evelyn would challenge him back and it would all be settled when they laughed together and moved on with their lives. However, seeing Ed's appearance caused by the flu, she couldn't help but cringe. Sure, Edward acted like he was okay as always, but they had never seen him look so terrible. There were incredible dark circles under his eyes from lack of energy and sleep; his skin was so ashen and pale that Al thought he may have been dying; his eyes were blank and dead, having lost their luster; his voice was hoarse and rough as if his throat were dry, but then he would cough violent, wet coughs as if he was choking on water; he even coughed up blood like their teacher, Izumi, once or twice, but no one told Evelyn. That would have broken her heart. Evelyn's brows turned upward in sadness as her eyes widened in shock, and then she turned away from him.
Since he knew why she refused eye contact, he gripped her hand tightly and whispered an apology to her. Acting as if she didn't care, she turned back to him and smiled her same smile.
"No worries! It's not your fault you got sick, after all!" she said cheerfully. Ed turned and glared at his younger brother, nodding in agreement.
"That's what I keep telling Alphonse, but he won't listen!"
"That's because I know you well enough to know you disregarded your own physical health! You do that all the time!" Al cried, sitting in the chair across from them. Evelyn nodded thoughtfully and closed her eyes.
"Al has a point there. You can be pretty careless and reckless when your mind is set." She agreed, grinning. Ed turned on her, glaring.
"Hey, I thought you were on my side! What happened there?" he cried. Evelyn laughed and, with her free hand that wasn't holding his, caught his chin between her index finger and her thumb.
"Relax, babe, I'll always come to your rescue." She chided, tapping him on the nose. They laughed raucously and, as they relaxed finally, cuddled up in each other's arms lovingly. Alphonse couldn't help but smile. It had been three years since Ed had managed to pull Al's body out of The Gate of Truth and return from the other side of The Gate to Amestris. Ever since the brothers were little, Al had always noticed a strong connection between Ev and Ed. He figured that, one day when they were older, the two might actually start a relationship together and discovered that they did when they turned fifteen. The two of them have been inseparable ever since then. They struggled through thick and thin together and they still managed to make their relationship last. Whenever Edward was upset, she was there to encourage him and get him back on his feet. Whenever Evelyn broke down into tears, Ed was always so kind to her and was there to wipe away her tears. She trusted him just as much as he trusted her.
Ed coughed wetly, causing Evelyn to wince. Al sighed and stood, stretching his limbs. After a satisfying crack in his back, he grinned and held out his hand to Evelyn.
"Hey, Ev, how about we go out and get some ice cream?" he suggested, meeting her bright emerald eyes. She frowned sadly and glanced at Ed, her face lined with worry. He just grinned and nodded.
"Go ahead. I'm not going anywhere. You need to get out and get some air. You've been in this room as long as I have. Besides…" he trailed off, yawning dramatically. "I need to take a nap. Maybe I'll actually get some sleep today."
"Yeah, but…" she turned her torso to him, clutching his automail hand tightly. "What if something happens while I'm gone? You need someone here to take care of you and-"
"That's what I'm here for." The three turned to the doorway to see Riza Hawkeye standing before them. She smiled kindly. "Don't worry; I'll keep an eye on Ed. I'll make sure he doesn't escape or anything."
"Geez, you make it sound like I've been incarcerated or something. Just like the Colonel would…" Ed commented, frowning at the Lieutenant. Al had always been curious as to why Ed held a grudge against the Colonel. Evelyn hesitated, biting her bottom lip. After taking in both the Lieutenant's and Ed's expressions, she sighed in defeat. She gave Ed a quick peck on the lips, then stood and nodded at Al. She bowed thankfully at Hawkeye, as did Alphonse, and they left for Central City.
"Wow! This is delicious!" Alphonse cried, smiling as he took another big bite of sea-salt ice cream. He cringed and held his head, feeling a brain freeze coming on. Evelyn laughed and delicately lapped at hers. Sea-salt ice cream had become quite popular in Central City, all thanks to Evelyn's recipe. She and her best friend ran shop on the main street but, with Evelyn's promotion to Lieutenant Colonel, she had become too busy to help out and had no choice but to leave it to the other girl; the shop was a booming success before then and her customers were sad to see her go. However, when Evelyn had free time on her hands, she would take as many people as possible down to the shop and catch up with her former customers. It wasn't surprising that she was popular, but he hadn't realized just how popular she actually was! It was almost like everyone and their mother knew who she was and she knew them as well.
Al shivered involuntarily, surprised by the sudden feeling of impending doom hanging over him. It was strange. He had just been feeling so jovial and had been having fun with Evelyn only a moment previously.
"What's wrong, Al?" Evelyn asked, concern and confusion distorting her features. Her emerald eyes darted up from Al's golden-brown ones to something behind him, and then she smiled. "Hello, Colonel Mustang. It's been a while since I've seen you down here. Did you come for ice cream?" Al whirled around in surprise, instantly meeting the cold midnight eyes of the Flame Alchemist, Colonel Roy Mustang. The Colonel smiled kindly at the two, which was out of character for him. But, even more than that, there was something hidden behind that smile, something that frightened Al…something seriously sinister.
"Hey, Alphonse. Evelyn. Yeah, I was handed a huge pile of paperwork and, to be honest, I didn't feel like filling it out, so I made an excuse and came down here to kill some time," he chuckled hopelessly, scratching the back of his neck. Al's eyes narrowed at the strange bandage over the Colonel's neck, wondering what could have happened. The Colonel caught the younger Elric's gaze, and then protectively put his hand over the strange wound.
"What happened, Colonel? Were you hurt or something?" Al asked, trying to hide the suspicious tone in his voice. He shot the Colonel a look that read, I know you're up to something and I'm going to figure it out, so don't try to hide anything from me. I'll find out. The Colonel said nothing at first and shot a look back at Alphonse that was unreadable but sent chills running up and down his spine anyway.
"Yeah, what happened, Roy?" Evelyn asked curiously, not hesitating to speak to him so informally while still being completely oblivious the tension between the two alchemists.
"Oh, it's nothing. One of Hawkeye's warning shots just barely grazed me. Black Hayate scared her and made her jump, causing her aim to be off a little. I'm okay." The Colonel smiled reassuringly at the two young alchemists. Evelyn laughed and nodded; however, Alphonse was still unconvinced. He opened his mouth to press further, but hesitated as a frightened expression came across the Colonel's strangely pale face. By his expression, he looked as though someone had just scared the life out of him. When his midnight eyes went blank and he excused himself in a monotonous voice, he vaguely reminded Al of a zombie or a person under mind control. Mustang stiffly walked away from the two, heading back into town, and Al watched him with his head tilted to one side curiously. Evelyn followed suit.
"Um, what was that all about, Al?" Evelyn asked, looking for an answer in the younger Elric's eyes. Al shook his head, his eyes staring after the Colonel in the same manner as his older brother would. Evelyn blushed at the thought of Edward, wondering curiously how he was doing. She shook her head, convincing herself that he was well. At that same moment, Alphonse was wondering what exactly the Colonel was up to…
Colonel Mustang's pale body shook under the pressure of the Master's voice commanding him to return. The Flame Alchemist had only recently joined the ranks of the undead as a fledgling, yet the Master still managed to find constant use of him. Roy remembered it well. The Master came to him in the dark of night, shrouded in shadows, and asked him with the voice of both a demon and an angel whether or not Roy wanted to live forever. Roy had refused at first, but froze in fear as the Master wrapped his arms around Roy's shoulders in restraint, whispering promises of becoming Fuhrer into his ear. The promises were as tempting as forbidden fruit, and Roy couldn't help but submit to his life-long dream. By the time he had realized his mistake, it was too late to back out. The Master revealed himself to be a vampire— a creature of the night, a demon in human skin- and quickly dug his fangs into the Colonel's jugular, drinking deeply until nary a drop remained in Roy's veins. However, just before the promising alchemist could die, the Master offered his own blood to the Colonel.
He pressed the side of his neck, where the bite marks had still not healed. The Master had told him, once he had woken up again, that the wounds would heal quickly, but the scars would remain since they had been inflicted on him while he was still human. From then on, every injury would vanish without a trace. Roy sighed, stopping at the bottom of the stairs leading to the Master's current hideout. Taking a deep breath, he headed up the stairs, all the way wondering about Alphonse Elric. Clearly, the young alchemist had seen through him, sensed something wrong, but had not been able to name it specifically. Roy wondered whether or not to report this fact to the Master, unable to decide if it was important information. By the time he had decided to mention it, he found himself standing before the Master's room. He hesitated, then lifted a shaking hand to knock on the door. He heard shuffling sounds on the other side of the door, then silence before he heard the Master's voice call him in.
"Enter," was the one-word command that forced the Colonel through the door. As a fledgling vampire, Roy had no choice but to obey every command he received from vampires that ranked higher than him, but the Master's word was law. Even if you mentally and emotionally tried to disobey, your body would act on its own and fulfill the Master's wishes. He approached the Master's resting place and knelt before him, bowing low. "Rise and report, Roy Mustang."
"My Lord, I have begun my investigations on the younger Elric brother and one Evelyn Hartley, as you commanded."
"And? What have you found, my child?" Roy tried to look at the Master, but the room was encased in shadows. The drapes had been drawn closed to keep out the sunlight and the Master's long hair masked his face in even darker shadows, not to mention that he had a thick blanket wrapped around his shoulders.
"I believe that Alphonse Elric may be aware that something is happening…" He heard the Master hiss as he sucked in a breath in surprise. "…but, Evelyn seems to be completely ignorant to everything. Even Alphonse cannot pinpoint his suspicions and he has no idea about you, My Lord, I swear it. He has no knowledge of your existence… or your identity." He saw the silhouette of the Master's shoulders relax in relief. The Master's bright crimson eyes seemed to pierce the darkness of the room, glowing with captivating iridescence. It was the only thing that Roy could see of the Master's face and that frightened him. An intimidating shadow with bright red eyes glaring at him from the vulnerability of the darkness… just the thought made his skin crawl with terror.
"Very well done, Mustang. You serve me well, my son." The Master stood and approached the Colonel, kneeling before him. Roy had only seen the Master's face once- on the night that he joined the league of vampires- but his beauty still captivated the Flame Alchemist. According to legend, vampires were incomparably beautiful, but he had never realized how much of an understatement it was until he had encountered the Master on that fateful night. The Master's soft, delicate hands cupped Roy's face and his eyes narrowed with the grin that spread across his face. "As a reward for your loyalty and usefulness to me, I shall allow you to feast upon some of my blood. It will make you stronger and you will be able to work even harder. I know that you love to make me happy, don't you, Roy?"
Roy nodded absentmindedly, the Master's compulsion fogging up his mind to the point where Roy could barely stay sitting up before the Master. A hungry growl escaped his lips, his lust for the crimson warmth to flow down his throat causing his fangs to ache as they slipped out of his gums. He longed to feel the sensation of the Master's blood flowing through his veins like it had on the night of his transformation, or maybe he just hadn't fed in so long that anyone's blood would satisfy his thirst. The Master chuckled darkly and leaned forward as if to embrace the fledgling, offering his neck to the famished vampire. Roy, still under the power of the compulsion, greedily sank his fangs into the Master's neck.
Mustang celebrated every little milliliter of blood that trailed down his dried out throat, the taste absolutely ravishing. The warmth of the fresh liquid filled him to the core, his hunger gradually being sated. His tongue desperately lapped up the blood, tracing the puncture wounds from which the blood flowed freely. The Flame Alchemist emitted a low guttural growl, causing some of the blood to spill over his chin and drip onto his uniform. He grasped tightly at the Master's shoulders, trying to hold him there as he drank. He felt the Master tug away from him, signaling that the feast was over. As the Master pulled his neck away, Roy whimpered defiantly and reached for the crimson warmth as if his life depended on it. An unidentified shadow joined the Master's side, gently dressing the wound with some gauze and tape; Roy had not seen this person earlier, but noticed the distinctive aura of a human emanating around the new guest. He growled protectively at the person.
"Even a man as distinguished as Colonel Mustang can be reduced to a beast when given the right encouragement," the Master laughed, waving away the human. The shadow bowed silently in respect then returned to its corner of the room where it remained hidden for the rest of the time. The Master reached out and wiped away some of the blood on Roy's chin with his index finger, causing Roy to flinch in surprise. He stuck the finger into his mouth, licking the blood from his skin, and then stood. Roy looked up at the Master, eyes wide with wonder, as he returned to his place on the bed where he had been when Roy first arrived. "You are being assigned a new mission. Since Alphonse is becoming suspicious, I will send some of my children to take care of him as well as Evelyn. You are to monitor them and makes sure that no one gets in their way. If they do, kill them. If either of the targets resists or destroys one of my children, make sure they receive the proper punishment."
"I swear, it will be done," Roy bowed low in respect. The Master chuckled and nodded, eyes glistening with pride.
"Alphonse and Evelyn should be headed to Resembool to visit Winry Rockbell as they do once every month, no? I believe that a train attack would be perfect. Alphonse has been through many of those, has he not?" The Master laughed sinisterly, a truly terrifying sound. Roy shuddered and nodded, standing as he took his leave to go.
"It shall be as you wish, My Lord," he replied, departing at last. As he descended the stairs, Roy clutched at his pounding heart and panted. Even if nothing happened, every time he had to meet with the Master, he always left feeling like he hadn't breathed in several hours. Sure, the Master was enduringly kind and generous, but he still held a mysterious air around him that struck fear into the hearts of anyone he wished. But, above all of that, the Master knew him well… and he knew the Master. They had known each other for some time, but Roy only recently discovered the Master's true form. That form… sincerely frightened him above all else.
Okay, kind of a short chapter, but it was pretty good. Yes, I realize that Evelyn is suspiciously oblivious, Al is just suspicious, and Roy sounds like a Death Eater from Harry Potter. I did that on purpose because it's funny to hear Roy so... submissive. (cough) Anyway, I hope you all liked it! Flames will be used to roast the Stay Puft Marshmellow Man; compliments will be accepted and enjoyed. Please, be gentle. It's my first fan fic. R&R, please and thank you!