Yay~ My third OC x Edward story.
Once again, this was written as a commission for FullMetalWing. Crystal belongs to her.
9:00 PM, SATURDAY
The sky was dark, and devoid of stars. The streets of Resembool reflected the skies, and were equally as shadowy. A young brunette lady crouched down behind a building and glanced behind her. He was nowhere to be seen. She heaved a sigh of relief. Finally, she'd shaken him off her tail.
"Crystal? Crystal, where are you?" the blond man's voice came drifting over to her. His voice was getting louder – he was getting closer to finding her.
Slowly, she rose from her crouch and sneaked into a dark alleyway. It was like a game of cat and mouse. One where there were two cats.
FIVE HOURS AGO – 4:00 PM, SATURDAY
The skies were cheerfully cerulean. There was not a hint of cloud in the sky. The streets were full of people. Some were taking an afternoon stroll. Others were doing their shopping. Amongst this crowd was a young woman by the name of Crystal Hoplyne. She had hazel hair, which she tied behind her in a ponytail, and bright sapphire eyes. She wore a red short-sleeved top and a pair of dark jeans. A pair of black boots completed her outfit.
"Hey Winry!" she greeted a blonde girl who was studying some items on display in a shop. "What're you looking at?"
"Just these rings," came the reply.
"I see. Why are you looking at them? Do you have some boyfriend I haven't heard of yet?"
"Nope. I'm checking them out, for Ed."
The brunette girl pondered why the blond man would want a ring. Her eyes widened. Was he? To her? No way!
"Ok then, see you later, I've got to get going," Crystal walked down the cobbled street. Her heart was pounding. The sound of her heart racing filled her ears. Ed was going to propose to her? She became filled with overflowing happiness. I can't wait for when he asks me to marry him! I'm definitely going to say yes! As she walked down the street, her gait picked up, and a little hint of a lively skip entered her pace. The smile on her face slowly grew wider as the happiness overtook her other feelings. It was like a golden fountain in her chest. All the warmness was overflowing from her heart, and spreading to the other parts of her body, enveloping her in warmth and joy.
"Dear god, thank you for giving me this life and this happiness."
9:15 PM, SATURADAY
Her breathing came in pants. She tried desperately to quieten her ragged breathing, but her efforts were to no avail. Each breath she took was like a warning siren in the thick still air – loud and unwanted, she was sure that her breaths would give her away soon.
"Crystal, is that you over there?" Edward's voice asked. Where was he? Should she run? "Look, I know you're here somewhere, so just please, come out of hiding so we can talk."
To the left. He was to the left.
"Please, Crystal. Why are you running away from me?"
More footsteps. It was almost time for her to run.
"Crystal, come back with me. We can talk about this when we get home."
She sprang up and began to sprint down the alleyway. Her footsteps were loud and echoed in the silent alleys, but covertness didn't matter any more – he was right behind her now.
"Crystal, please, stop running away from me and come back," Edward pleaded with the fleeing girl. The girl gave him no answer. "If you're not going to stop, at least tell me why you're running away from me."
Because you broke my heart, that's why! Crystal thought bitterly as she fought back tears.
THREE HOURS AGO – 6:00 PM, SATURDAY
The skies were streaked with the red of the setting sun. Birds flocked together and began to fly to wherever it was that birds disappeared to during the night. There were only a few people in the park, most of who were lovers, enjoying the picturesque sunset while they held hands and embraced. Among those who were not with lovers was Crystal. She sat upon a cold stone seat overlooking the little pond in the park. She smiled absently at the red sun.
"Winry," the heard a familiar voice say, "will you marry me?"
The words were like arrows going straight through her heart. The ring was not intended for her? What about everything that Ed had said to her before? What about what he had said to her before, about tying a ribbon in a girl's hair on the day of the Sheep Festival and having eternal happiness with her? Had be just been joking? Had be just been playing around? Last time, she had jumped to conclusion without proof, but this time, there was solid evidence. It was Ed's voice, asking Winry to marry him. A stray tear trickled down her face. It was not her Ed loved, but the gorgeous blonde who he had known since he was a child. A woman's voice – Winry's voice – giggled. What the woman said after was a mystery to Crystal. She never heard the blonde's answer. Running through the park, she tried to escape the feelings that were growing within her. They were dark feelings, alien feelings that she had never felt so strongly before. Hate welled up within her. Tears prickled at the corners of her eyes.
"Crystal?" was the last thing she heard before she ran out onto the street.
9:30 PM, SATURADAY
"Whew," Crystal wiped a bead of sweat from her forehead. "Bet he won't look for me here!"
Slowly, her ragged gasping breaths became calmer and quieter. Her heart began to slow down. No longer did it pound in her chest.
"Hey there, beautiful," a creepy guy sauntered up to her. She shied away, until she was completely cornered. Some more shady-looking men walked up. The brunette cursed herself for not fighting.
"Go away. If you go away, I'll let you off the hook for trying to intimidate a lady," Crystal spoke between gritted teeth.
"Oh," the creepy guy to her left, the one with the crooked teeth and the cigarette stub between his teeth, said. "What're you going to do? Flick your hair in our face?"
The group laughed and cheered at his words. Crystal ground her teeth. She was not in the mood for this. She launched herself at the guy in front of her, her fist raised and ready. The man looked at her, his eyes wide and his mouth agape. Got you, Crystal thought to herself, mentally smirking. This'll be a piece of cake.
She pulled her fist back, and was about to punch the guy's ugly mug and break his nose, when she felt two arms pull her back.
"Now, now," she heard a voice say. "Ladies should play nice, shouldn't they?"
Crystal bit back a curse and tried to face the guy who restrained her. "Let me go!"
"I think not."
She felt a dirty rag being pressed to her face. She tried to pull away, but found that she could not. The rag stunk of sweat and use, but there was a different smell, too. There was a sweet aroma beneath the stench. Crystal's eyes widened, and her frantic attempts at getting away grew panicky. Chloroform! They were trying to use chloroform on her! She squirmed from the man's grasp, but her movements soon began to grow sluggish and slow. Her eyelids were dropping. Her body was betraying her.
No! She thought. No, I don't want to sleep! Argh! I've gotta stay awake… Darkness crept into her vision. Ed, someone, please, help… me…
ONE HOUR AGO – 8:00 PM, SATURDAY
She peered into the glass. It was true. Winry looked so happy and excited. There was such a big smile adorning her face. Crystal's heart pounded. Thump. Thump. Thump. She wondered if the people on the streets could hear her heartbeat. It certainly seemed loud enough for everyone to be able to hear. She pressed her face closer to the glass, ignoring the warm misting on the clear window. They were talking to one another. Winry giggled. Was Ed whispering sweet nothings into her ear? A strong feeling flared up in Crystal's chest. He'd only ever done that once with her! What had Winry done to deserve the sweet and romantic Ed? Crystal felt tears prickle in the corners of her eyes. Why, why, why? Why hadn't Ed told her he no longer liked her? That would've made things more manageable. Why hadn't he ever been really sweet to her? Why did she feel like the world was all falling down? It felt like the end of the world to her. Ed was drifting away from her. Happiness was something that no longer seemed to exist, and if it did, then it was just a fleeting moment that was not worth the trouble one had to go through to achieve it.
"Ed…" a whisper escaped her quivering lips. A lone tear leaked from her shimmering cerulean eyes. It traced the contours of her cheek, rolling down her face almost leisurely before plopping onto the back of her hand.
Am I just like this tear to you? Crystal wondered. Was I just as ephemeral, just as short-lived? Will the only proof of my love be a little spot of wetness on the back of your hand? Will everything I've poured into loving you disappear just as quickly as this tear will evaporate? Will you just brush it off as casually as you would wipe this tear away?
Thoughts crowded into her mind. Bitter thoughts. Tender thoughts. Hateful thoughts. Loving thoughts. She didn't know what to do. Not any more.
"Ed, I love you so much…" she slid down the window and rested on the cobbled path. "So why are you abandoning me?"
There were more tears now. They trickled down her face in shameless rivets. She covered her face in an attempt to hide the droplets, but her attempt was in vain. The strangers on the streets seemed to not notice her. One or two would occasionally stop to watch, but their fascination soon passed, and they went on to do whatever it was they had originally set out to do. It was only to be expected, though. After all, she was just a stranger to them. She was just some girl crying on the streets. There was the chiming of one of those bells that people put on shop doors to help them tell whether there was someone coming in.
"Crystal? Why are you crying?" a familiar, masculine, voice asked her.
Azure eyes looked up to gaze at golden ones. "Ed?"
"Ed, where did you go off to?" Winry rushed out of the shop clinging a white dress to her chest. The sigh of said dress made the pains in Crystal's chest hurt more. "Crystal, what's wrong?"
Angrily, Crystal brushed away Ed's hands and muttered under her breath, "I hope you have a lovely life together."
11:00 PM, SATURDAY
She felt something cold being slashed on her face. Something cold and wet and just an eensy little bit slimy.
"Eww…" she muttered in her sleep. She could almost feel the insects in the water crawling up her and getting into her hair.
"Wakey wakey, princess!" someone said.
Crystal's eyes opened almost instantly. She wasn't at the Rockbell residence! The water that had been splashed in her face wasn't part of some elaborate plan to try to get her to run into Ed's arms. The events of the day returned to her. Ed proposing to Winry. Ed and Winry picking out a dress for the wedding. How bitter she had felt when she saw that beautiful silken dress Winry clutched had been clutching to her chest. The giggles. The sweet nothings. Everything came rushing back to her. Tears began to well in the corner of her eyes again.
"Aww, is the princess crying? Don't worry, your boyfriend will be coming soon," one of the creeps said.
Crystal's azure eyes flashed dangerously. Who were these guys? How dare they try to bind her, a future State Alchemist? She flexed her hands and began to create an ice dagger from the pool of water that lay on the ground.
I'll give you a little taste of this… Princess…
"Boss, she's making a knife outta the water!" a guy leapt back when he saw the ice dagger.
"I know! I have eyes. I don't need you to state the obvious!" a tall man yelled at the lowly goon. "Well? Why are you all just standing here and staring at her? Hurry up and stop her from escaping!"
It seemed that his harsh words were all that was needed to pull the thugs together. Some ambushed the bound girl, while others swept away the water with brushes in an attempt to stop her. The 'boss' guy watched his thugs for a little while, before he grew tired of their antics.
"This," he pointed a gun at Crystal's head, "is how you deal with alchemists."
His statement was met with an admiring 'ooh' from his goons.
MEANWHILE…
Ed scoured the streets for clues pointing him toward his brunette girlfriend's whereabouts. She'd started acting strange again, and Winry had it all chalked up to pre-wedding jitters, but something didn't add up. Ed had not gotten around to telling Crystal of his plans to marry her. Crystal hadn't really seemed nervous, either. She seemed more… Sad, angry. Ed wondered briefly what could have caused the girl to react in such an extreme way that she ended up lashing out against him.
"Ed! Ed!" he turned around to face the blonde woman he had known for most of his life.
"Winry, what is it?"
The blonde lady stopped to catch her breath before handing him a parcel wrapped in plain brown paper. "This. It was addressed to you. It came from some weird guy walking past."
Ed took the package from Winry's hands and inspected it. "To… Crystal's boyfriend…"
He tore open the bundle. Within it was a little postcard with one of the most beautiful buildings in North City on it. He turned it around and read it.
To: Princess's boyfriend
Firstly, I'd like to thank you for taking such good care of Princess for us in our absence.
Please come to Warehouse 20 in the outskirts of town at midnight alone if you want Princess to live.
Thank you once again for looking after her for us, and I am looking forward to our meeting.
X
"Well, Ed? What does it say?" Winry asked.
"See for yourself," Ed passed her the postcard. Underneath the postcard was an all too familiar pocket watch. It was silver, with an intricate rose engraved on its surface. The letters K.H. were carved into the back of it. Ed gripped the watch tightly in his gloved hand. So they had Crystal, huh?
"Winry, I want you to head out for Warehouse 20 about half an hour or so after I go. If I don't return by then, I mean," Ed said.
"Why?" Winry pouted. "I want to go with you."
Ed's eyes glinted dangerously in the moonlight. He was serious, Winry knew. His girl was in trouble, and he wanted to be the one to save and protect her from harm. He wanted to prove his worthiness to her, and earn the right to her hand in marriage.
Sighing, Winry backed down. "Ok, fine, but don't expect me to do this all the time."
There was no response. Ed stood silently, mentally contemplating how he would hurt those who had dared to kidnap Crystal from under his nose. They would not get off the hook with a few bruises. They would learn what it was like to be on his, on Edward Elric's, bad side. They would learn to keep their hands on what was theirs, and learn to leave what belonged to others – namely, what was his, alone.
12:00 AM, SUNDAY
The warehouses were simple steel structures that had been made in 1907 to house the barely living, the dead, and those who had been left without homes, after the Ishvalan terrorists had come and gone. No one really knew why they had such strange numbers designated to them, but there were a few theories. Some say that Warehouse 20 was once known as the 'House of the Dead', and was originally numbered '4' ('four' is homonymous with 'death' in Japanese), but was later changed to try to ward off bad luck. It was also said that the warehouse for those who had lost their homes, but were still alive, were in Warehouse 2, whilst those who drifted between life and death were housed in Warehouse 3, on account of 3 being between 2 and 4. Whether there had ever been a 'Warehouse 1' was a mystery, but it was a mystery for another time.
"Boss, the boyfriend's here!" Ed heard a shady-sounding voice say behind him.
"Ah, Edward, I've been expecting you," a different voice said.
Ed turned to face the two voices. One was just your average thug – torn, ripped-up clothes and a blank-looking face. The second man was well shaved and rich looking. He wore a black three-piece suit. He looked well groomed and mannered, but Ed couldn't help but feel suspicious of him. Especially him.
"Where's Crystal?" Ed asked. "What do you have to do with her?"
The suit-wearing man simply smiled and said, "Well, in order to answer your questions, we're going to have to wait for our dear Princess to come first."
12:30 PM, SUNDAY
Where was she? What was going on? Crystal couldn't tell – they had used a blindfold, and made sure that she couldn't see. The blindfold smelt… musty, like it had been left in some wet place for a long time. Crystal wrinkled her nose. It stank. She shook her head. She needed to concentrate if she was to get out of the situation. First off, where was she? She was in… she peered through the flimsy material. It was no use. They would be riding on a flying carpet for all she knew. She paused. Click, clop, clickety clip. It was the rhythm of a horse's canter. Crystal had learnt to ride horses when she attended private school, and was familiar with the cadence of a horse's pace. If there was a horse, then that probably meant that they were in a carriage. She turned her head from side to side. It certainly was stuffy enough to be one, but where had they gotten it? These guys most certainly did not seem like the sort of people to own such expensive things. They probably stole it, her mind told her. Ok, so she had figured one part out… The carriage stopped. Oh, they were at their destination already. There was no need to try to figure out where they were going to any more. She smelt sweat as the guy on her right leaned over and removed the blindfold from her eyes.
"We're here," the stinky guy flashed her an ugly grin, "Princess."
Crystal wrinkled her nose. I certainly do hope that not all bad guys stink this much.
"Crystal!" she heard an all too familiar voice exclaim gladly as she was escorted off the carriage. She turned to face the source of the voice – Ed. "Are you ok?"
"Yes," she smiled a little. "I'm fine."
Edward rushed toward her, a smile upon his face. His arms were outspread, and they wrapped around Crystal when he reached her. He breathed a sigh of relief, "I'm so glad you're ok."
Someone clapped. They were not of the congratulatory kind, but rather, kind of empty and uncaring.
"The prince is finally reunited with his princess," the suited man said.
"You said that you would tell me why you're doing this when Crystal came," Ed turned to face him. "Well?"
The suit-wearing man's lips rose a little in the corners. "Yes, of course. It all started twenty years ago…"
"We were young then, and were revolting against the State Alchemist program. It was a worthy cause, as there were a million and one reasons why the program should have been shut down. We were all just ordinary people; ordinary citizens who just wanted to voice our opinions and have someone to listen to our reasons.
"Princess's mother, Kira, was still single back then. She hadn't met her future husband yet then. She was a young State Alchemist of around twenty back then. She was young, foolish, and cruel.
"You see, the State had heard of our plans to hold a rally. Some of the higher-ups must have decided that shutting down our operations was the best way to go, and so, they sent Kira to kill our members.
"She went to our base, our HQ if you like, and used her alchemy to slaughter and murder more than half of our members. She used the rainwater from the earlier rains to drown some of them, and used a sword, which had previously been used as a decoration, to torture others, before ultimately ending their life.
"She had killed a little over a hundred people that day. Most were young men and women with elderly relatives who depended on them to survive. Some were young children of between three and ten who some of the members had brought to the meeting in lieu of leaving them at home.
"I was there that day. She was grinning badly as she licked the blood from the sword's edge, and laughing manically as she slaughtered these honest folk the same way a butcher slaughters his pigs."
When the man had finished his tale, he glanced at the bound Crystal and the horrified Edward.
"Now can you see why we hate her so much?"
1:00 AM, SUNDAY
Winry glanced up and checked the number that was painted on the warehouse. There were only three warehouses, but still, Winry had not found a 'Warehouse 20'. Maybe she was in the wrong place?
"Ok…" she got out a piece of paper and scribbled some numbers on it. "So far, I've found these warehouses. If I walk around a bit, maybe I'll find number 20."
She took off to her left, the piece of paper clutched in her hand and the pen tucked safely behind her ear. When she found no other warehouses, she read and reread the numbers on the piece of paper. She'd found warehouses 2, 3 and 4, but had yet to find 20. Sighing, she stretched her back and sauntered to the nearest warehouse. I'll just rest in there for a little, and look around when my legs stop killing me.
1:15 AM, SUNDAY
There was a high-pitched scream. It pierced the cool still air like a knife through butter.
"Winry!" Ed turned to the direction the lady's voice had come from. He tried to run to the girl, but was held back by one of the goons.
"Now then, you wouldn't want anything to happen to your dear girlfriend, would you?"
"Ed, is that you?"
"Winry, get out of here!"
There were muffled screams from Winry's direction. Ed bit his lip and hoped for the best. A hysterical scream, several 'thump's and a strangled scream as a thug was kicked between the legs was all the filled the space just before the ominous silence.
"Winry, are you ok?" Ed finally spoke.
There was only silence.
"Winry?" Crystal called for the blonde lady. It didn't matter whether she had stolen her boyfriend away from her or not – she was still a friend, no matter what. Crystal called out worriedly again. "Winry, answer me!"
Still, there was no response.
"I tire of this game. Go and see what has happened to our dear friends," the suited man waved his hand dismissively. One of his goons nodded his head curtly and walked off. When he finally remerged, he had two slumped over bodies in his arms. One was blonde, and feminine, whilst the other was brunette, and masculine.
"Winry!" Ed and Crystal cried in unison. "Are you ok?"
Winry's slack body was sat on a chair and bound. A bucket of ice-cold water was then splashed in her face.
"Ah, cold," she shivered.
"Winry, was it?" the suited man slunk closer to Crystal and pressed a knife to her pale neck, applying just enough pressure for the thin blade to break the skin and draw blood. "Let me invite you to a little show…"
Crystal's eyes shut tightly, and her lightless vision was suddenly showered with bright light.
"Crystal… Crystal, wake up. Crystal," Crystal opened her eyes groggily. Where was she? She looked around. What was this place? There was only white for as far as the eye could see. There was not a speck of dust, not a grain of sand, to be seen.
"Crystal," the voice said again. Who's voice was it? It sounded familiar. It was warm, sweet…
"Mum? Mum, is that you?"
"Yes it is," the welcoming voice said.
"Where are you? I can't see you."
The spot in front of her shimmered lightly. A form slowly appeared from the light. Firstly came a womanly figure, then the slightest hint of honey-coloured hair. The curve of a cheekbone, followed by full, pink lips and a high nose came next. Detail by detail, a woman appeared from the light. The woman was both majestic and noble. And she was Crystal's mother.
"Mum…" tears welled up in Crystal's eyes.
"Shhh," the lady hushed the girl as she wiped away her tears. "It's ok, Crystal."
"Why am I here? Have I died? Can I stay here?"
"No, I'm afraid that you can't stay here. I want you to be brave, my dear Crystal, and fight for all you're worth. You can save yourself and your friends, but only if you believe in yourself and that fine young gentlemen who you love."
There were more tears. "I can't stay?"
"No," there was the slightest hint of sadness in her tone. "No, you can't. But you can reach me. I'll always be here whenever you need me, Crystal. Just think of me, and I'll be there. I'll always be with you. I'll always be beside you, no matter what you go through."
"Promise?"
"Promise. Now, go back, and save everyone."
The white dissipated, only to be replaced by darkness.
She opened her eyes again. The man was standing behind her. The point of his knife dug deeper and deeper into her flesh. She visualised what would happen if she created her ice dagger in her mind, and decided on picking the second course of action – it had the greatest chance of success, after all. Slowly, she made her iconic weapon, careful not to draw attention to her actions too quickly.
"Boss, she's making her knife again!"
Crystal cursed the lumbering goon who had shouted said words, and got to work quickly. She sliced the ropes that restrained her in one swipe, and had the suited man pinned in another. As the suited man's goons encircled her in an attempt to stop her barrage of attacks, she smirked cockily, before slashing them down, one by one. This will be a piece of cake.
Crystal brushed non-existent dust off her shoulders.
"Well, that was a fun game and all, but I really must be going now," she said cheerfully to the goons, who lay in a giant pile in the middle of the warehouse. "I've called the police, and they'll be coming in a few minutes. I suggest you use this time to try to escape from here." An arrogant grin spread across the girl's face. "Oh, I'm sorry, you can't can you?"
Within a large piece of were the goons, tied up together with a length of rope.
"Crystal, was it really necessary to do that?" Ed sighed.
"Of course it was!" Crystal turned to him and grinned.
As Ed sighed despairingly at his girlfriend's antics, the sound of feet pounding the ground and police whistles grew louder. Behind the warehouse, the morning sun was rising. It was a new day. One that would herald much happiness for our two lovebirds.
~INSERT TITLE OMAKE: WILL YOU MARRY ME?~
THE DAY AFTER
"Ed, where are we going?" Crystal asked as Ed pulled the girl into the woods. Only a day had passed since the incident with the thugs and the suited man, and Ed now seemed completely focused on Crystal – something the young lady attributed to being amazed with her fighting prowess.
"An amazing place," was all Ed said.
"Wow…" Crystal looked about. The trees above wove together to make a canopy that filtered some of the sunlight, to make a mottled carpet of light and dark upon the ground. The brunette girl spun around in a circle, laughing as she took in the magic of the glade. "Oh, Ed, this really is an amazing place."
Ed smirked. "Of course it is."
Slowly, the girl slowed down to a halt. "Ha haa, why did you bring me here, Ed?"
The blond man gazed deeply into her eyes and slowly knelt to the ground on one knee. He reached out behind him and took out a small black velvet box from one of his back pockets. He opened it, to reveal a simple, yet beautiful, diamond ring. It sparkled in the midday sun, making it seem as if the Fullmetal Alchemist had taken a star from the heavens and placed it in the ring.
"Oh, Ed…" Crystal gasped.
"Crystal," Ed began. "Will you marry me?"
The words were like water to the thirsty man, or food to the starving man. They were sweet, like ambrosia, and divine, like the gods above. Crystal's arms were wrapped around Ed, and shimmering tears of joy ran down her face.
"Yes," she said. "Yes, I will."
Rose petals fluttered down and landed on the happy couple. Some were pink, and others, white. There was laughing and cheering and clapping as the petals drifted down. Crystal turned to face the source of the petals to see…
"Winry?"
"Yup. Congrats, you too!" Winry laughed and threw some more petals onto the newly engaged couple.
"B-but… But I thought that Ed proposed to you two days ago…"
Both Winry and Ed burst out laughing at her comment. Crystal cocked her head to the side. "Huh?"
"You see…" Winry fought to hold back the chuckles.
"Winry was helping me…" Ed's face was red from trying to stop the laughing.
"Prepare for today…"
Crystal paused for a while. So he hadn't been proposing to her at the park after all…
"Ha ha," Crystal wiped some tears from her eyes. "I'm so happy. I thought you didn't want me any more, Ed."
"Not want you any more? Crystal, I love you more than anything in this whole entire universe."
"I know," Crystal clasped the blond man's hands in her own. "And I love you too." Their lips locked. It was a perfect moment, full of love and care. Little rose petals fluttered down onto them as they kissed. Soon, they would walk down the path of the family life, their hands clasping one another's forever.
Aaaand, the end~
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