Chapter One: In the Dark of the Night
Disclaimer: I don't own 'Fullmetal Alchemist'.
Note: This was inspired by the fanfic/doujounishi by Shadow-Mage-Evelyn on deviantART that is title 'BLOODLINE'.
"Brother?"
The young blonde cocked his head. Why did his brother sound frightened? He finished plaiting his hair and got to his feet. He felt a shiver run down his spine as he wandered the dark hallways of their house, unnerved by the silence and lack of light. Normally, he would not have been bothered by this, but something about that night brought all his fears to the surface, blew them out of proportion.
"Brother?"
The blonde quickened his pace, eager to find his brother, protect him from whatever was scaring him. He reached the study, the room they rarely entered because they did not wish to disturb their father's things, even if at that point it appeared he would not be returning.
"No, Brother, don't! Run away! Save yourself!"
Now it seemed as if his brother's voice was surrounding him, coming from everywhere at once. He staggered back, confused. What was scaring his brother, what was it that he needed to get away from its clutches?
"I've been waiting for you, my prey." The feather-light voice tickled his ear, and then he felt pain exploding in his neck.
"Brother! Brother, wake up!"
Edward Elric forced his eyes open, looking around. Sunlight filtered into his bedroom, quickly chasing away the horrors of his nightmare. His younger brother, Alphonse, stared at him with concern.
"Are you alright?" he asked. "You were screaming…"
Edward nodded as he sat up. "Yeah, Al. I'm fine. I just had a nightmare."
"Okay." Alphonse stepped back as Edward stretched his arms above his head, yawning. "I've got breakfast ready downstairs."
"Great!" Edward got out of bed as Alphonse left the room. He started changing, pondering over his nightmare. It just wasn't logical…Then again, who said the mind's deepest fears were bound by logic? There was nothing logical about the way the human mind took its fears and, with the help of some imagination, twisted them so much that some people even became afraid of their own shadows. Edward shook his head.
It was just a bad dream, and nothing more.
"Lady Ashlynn, your steed is ready."
"Thank you, Flynn." The dark-haired girl got into the saddle as her red-haired friend and servant held the midnight-black mare steady. "Tell Uncle I'll return at daybreak."
"Will you be out all night again, m'lady?"
"Yes. Don't worry. I know I need to eat tonight."
Flynn nodded and stepped back as Ashlynn urged the horse into a gallop. She waved a hand as she passed through the gates, signaling to Falman to close them. Almost as if with a note of finality, they clanged shut. She continued down the road, savoring the moment she had stolen. Since she was the youngest of her sisters, her uncle was always worried about her well-being. He had promised her parents that he would care for her and her sisters. Ashlynn loved her uncle, but she didn't particularly enjoy being confined to the manor, either. She needed to get out, breathe a little…
When she arrived at the outskirts of Munich, she slowed her horse to a steady walk, and a slight smile crossed her face. She promised herself she would enjoy the evening.
Edward downed another cup of coffee, making a face at the bitter taste. However, he was in no position to complain, since he'd need it to keep him awake. He was going to be at the café for a while, studying. He scratched his head and turned a page, jotting down a few notes. The night stretched on, and eventually, Edward felt the back of his neck prickle.
He looked up and noticed a black-haired girl staring at him. She blinked a few times, and smiled in a friendly sort of way, her storm grey eyes sparkling. Edward smiled timidly, feeling very frightened for some reason. He returned to his book, and when he happened to look up again, she was gone.
With a sort of detached feeling, Edward followed his brother's voice to their father's study, heard Alphonse's warning at the threshold. Then, his nightmare changed.
A shadow moved at the window, disturbing the patch of moonlight on the carpet. The black-haired girl from the café smiled at him. What unnerved Edward about her appearance in the dream were her eyes, which had taken on the eerie, mirror-like glow of cats' eyes. He took an involuntary step back.
That same feather-light voice spoke. "I've been waiting for you my prey."
Pain shot into his neck, and he reached out to the girl at the window. Slowly, he realized she was no longer there, but at his side, causing that pain he felt. She grinned at him, almost innocently, which contrasted with the fact that her teeth were pointed, and blood was dripping down her chin. With a sickening jolt, he realized it was his.
She licked her lips. "You have the most delicious taste…" Her light voice made him feel heavy and sleepy. Her beautiful, horrifying face was the last thing he saw before he fell into darkness.
Edward shook his head as the nightmare kept nagging for his attention, not wanting to be pushed to the back of his mind. It bothered him that he was thinking about the world of myth, when the whole reason he was going to the university was so that he could excel in science and philosophy, relying on rationality. To add to the troubling matter, a girl he had only seen once had featured in his nightmare as a vampire, of all things!
Shaking his head again, he placed a book on a shelf above his head, promising he would no longer stay up late studying, nor would he drink coffee so late at night. Work was his main focus at that moment, anyway. He turned around and bumped into someone, the stack of books in his arms flying out of his grasp. He, and whoever he had collided with, were knocked to the ground. Shaking his head yet again, he began apologizing.
"I'm very sorry. I wasn't paying attention to where I was…" At that point, the blonde opened his eyes, and found himself beside the black-haired girl. Against his better judgment, he felt himself become tense with fear.
"No, no, no. It's my fault. I was in your way."
Edward relaxed slightly. Her voice did not sound anything like the feather-light one in his dreams. Rather, she sounded young, yet intelligent beyond her years. Edward knew it was ridiculous, but something still unsettled him about the girl…Nevertheless, he got to his feet and offered his hand to her. She smiled daintily and accepted his help, brushing off her dress once she was back on her feet. Only then did Edward realize how well-dressed she was. Her dress was a dark royal blue, with a modest, square-cut neckline accented with lace. Her bodice was laced with silver-colored ribbons, and a heavy-looking black coat hung from her shoulders, pinned in place with a silver brooch inlaid with rubies. He caught himself staring and quickly knelt down to gather up the books he had dropped. The girl knelt down to help him, and their hands brushed against each other. She jerked back as if she had received an electric shock.
"I'm sorry." Edward looked up, and noticed she looked tense.
She shook her head. "No, no, it's fine…"
Edward dismissed it as his imagination, but it seemed as if her voice had changed, warped in a way, making her sound like a hungry animal…She rose to her feet and, without another word, hurried out of the shop.
For the rest of the day, Edward caught himself thinking back to the black-haired girl. He was the last to leave the shop after they had closed. He stepped out into the chilly autumn twilight, closing the door behind him and locking it. He went down the small flight of stairs that led down to the sidewalk and turned, crashing into someone.
"I'm sorry, I'm sorry." When he looked up, it was the very same dark-haired girl.
"I'm really sorry, Miss…eh…I don't believe I know your name…"
She smiled. "Ashlynn Mustang."
"A pleasure," he said with a slight bow of his head.
"The pleasure is mine, Mr.…um…"
"Elric. Edward Elric."
"Well, Mr. Elric, I do hope you will not make a habit of bumping into me every time I'm nearby," she said good-naturedly.
"I don't think I will, Miss Mustang."
Ashlynn smiled at him again before she stiffened, staring at a point behind him. Edward, however, did not notice this. Ashlynn turned her grey eyes to his golden ones.
"Would you please come with me?" she asked.
"Why?"
"Please," she pleaded, taking hold of his hand. "Just trust me."
Edward looked into her face, but all he saw was desperation and fear. He decided to follow her. She pulled him along, gradually quickening her pace, muttering to herself.
"Why, damn it…? Need to get him away…It's not safe here…"
"Not safe? Miss Mustang, there's no one here…"
"Of course there is…They're always watching…" Ashlynn turned a corner, going into an alleyway.
Edward was just beginning to think that he should probably steer this girl to the nearest mental asylum when the other end of the alley was blocked by a couple of hooded figures. Ashlynn jerked to a stop, her body tensing, her grip on his hand tightening. There was a slight cracking noise, and then Edward's face twisted in pain. Had she…broken his hand?
"Why are you here?" Ashlynn hissed.
There was no reply. In annoyance, she turned to go back the way they had come, only to find that their way was blocked by a few more hooded figures. Ashlynn's eyes narrowed and she pulled Edward closer to her side, almost protectively. Her eyes darted about as they became closed in, a total of seven enemies.
"You're not having him. I don't care how special his blood is. I'm not letting you have him."
"What the hell is going on here?" Edward hissed under his breath, but he received no reply.
A bone-chilling howl filled the air, and the hooded figures to their right were practically bowled over by a light brown wolf, segments of its pelt an icy blue color. The wolf came to a stop in front of Ashlynn, turning its blue eyes to her. Ashlynn nodded, her face revealing her relief.
"Now, are you going to leave them alone?" Edward's mouth fell open as a female human voice came from the wolf's mouth. "Or am I going to have to rip your throats out?"
All but one of the hooded figures backed away, seeming to melt into the steadily-increasing shadows. The one that remained took a step closer to the three of them, facing Ashlynn and throwing back their hood. Before them was a young man with long, dark green hair that was in wild disarray.
"You know we will get the human eventually, Ashlynn."
"I'd love to see you try," she hissed back, baring her teeth. However, as Edward watched, frozen with confusion and fear, her top canines lengthened, tapering into two sharp points. Unconsciously, she loosened her grip on Edward's hand.
The young man's violet eyes sparkled mischievously, his lips curving into a smirk. "Very intimidating. Too bad you're mad at me at this present moment. You know how much I love your company…"
The wolf growled at him, advancing as her fur bristled, making her appear larger, before she appeared to warp, taking on an appearance that was a cross between human and beast. "Leave!"
"I'm going. Though you may want to catch your precious human, Ashlynn." With those words, he also melted into the shadows.
Ashlynn spun around and saw that Edward was nowhere in sight. "Terra!" she called to the wolf before following the blonde's scent.
Edward placed a hand upon a lamp post, doubling over to catch his breath, his mind reeling. None of this could be real, there was no rationality to it. He must be having another nightmare…When he pinched himself, he found that he was still standing outside in the chill autumn evening, breathing hard on a street corner, his heart thumping wildly with fear. He looked around, trying to get a bearing of his surroundings. He finally determined that he was only a few blocks from his house. He took off running, desperate to escape the insanity.
Ashlynn suddenly appeared in front of him, and he slightly slowed his pace.
"Please, I can explain this. Just calm down."
He made the mistake of looking into her eyes when she was speaking. When he met her grey eyes, he felt sleepy, heavy, unable to move. He couldn't keep his balance and fell forward, his eyes closing. Before he hit the ground, Terra caught his fall. Ashlynn petted the werewolf's head with a sigh.
This is bad…