Disclaimer: I do not own Fullmetal Alchemist, as sad as that is.
-Three Seconds Til Midnight-
"Happy New Year's Eve!"
"Same to you!"
Edward scowled as the cheerful greetings of passersby reached his ears. He kicked at a pile of snow that was off the side of the road, familiar words echoing in his mind.
"Remember, 'The Day' will come this spring..."
"Hope the next year will be a better one..."
"Hahaha! What happened, did your girlfriend dump you?"
At the word "girlfriend," his heart did a funny little twist and the face of a certain blond girl jumped into his mind. He shook his head impatiently, trying to shake the image away.
A better year, huh...yeah, if I don't die first. He smiled grimly and then checked his watch--grimacing at the bloodstains still on it; he hadn't bothered to wipe them off yet--and sighed. 11:50. Ten minutes till midnight. He paused. Why am I out here again?
Ever since Ed came face-to-face with the "Father" of the homunculi, his sleeping schedule had been completely rearranged due to exhaustion, staying up late, and night-fighting. He slept at odd hours and woke up at the slightest disturbance, which was usually a good thing, considering the fact that the homunculi were after him. (Not that they were going to kill him or anything--no, they were just going to use him as a "human sacrifice" for their little Amestris-wide transmutation circle, which would probably end up with him dead anyway. The word "sacrifice" wasn't exactly comforting.) But tonight, just when he didn't have a fight to the death with one of the superhuman freaks, he couldn't sleep at all. After tossing and turning in his hotel room for about two hours, he had finally admitted defeat and gone outside for fresh air.
So now he was walking around town, with no real clue where he was going. Well, this place was too small to really get lost in anyway. Surprisingly, there were plenty of people outside, even though it was pretty late.
Maybe because it's New Year's Eve? a sarcastic voice in his mind chided him. He scowled and kicked at the snow again.
New Year's Eve. Which meant that tomorrow would be January 1...the start of a new year...and one day closer to The Day. Of course, every day that passed was one day closer to The Day, but that had never seemed so crucial until today. Now he could no longer say that The Day would come next year. As soon as winter passed--sometime in March, he guessed--everything would be tense. And when spring passed, everything would have changed....for better or worse, he didn't know.
Would he survive this?
"Hey, we've got eight more minutes till next year!"
"Hahaha, you're right!"
"We should definitely get together like this again next December, don't you think?"
"Next December"... He closed his eyes while still walking. Would he even be here anymore by next December? Would he...
Stop thinking about it, he told himself firmly. Worrying doesn't do anything.
And besides, there's no way I'll die after coming this far. I've got to stop that "Father," and I have to get Al's body back, no matter what!
No matter what...
"I will cut you down."
He shuddered as the Fuhrer's--no, the homunculus's--voice entered his mind.
But did that "what" include death?
This was serious--deadly serious. Would he...
Will I survive this?
"...seven more minutes!"
"No way!"
"We have to get the fireworks ready!"
"Waaaah?!! Don't point those things at me!"
He sighed and looked up at the sky. He had to survive, he had to. If he didn't survive, who would turn Al back to normal? Who would stop the homunculi from carrying out their sinister plan?
That's why, no matter what...
"Six more minutes!"
"Okay, okay, they're ready!"
...I have to survive this! I have to... He raised a clothed automail fist and clenched it, relaxing at the familiar feeling of metal and wires coming together. I have to!
"Five more minutes!"
"Five more minutes til midnight, Winry," her grandmother informed her, poking her head around the door. The blonde girl turned and smiled.
"Thanks, Granny. I just have to finish this bit and I'll go to bed, okay?"
Pinako sighed, puffing on her pipe. "You're even more of a work ethic than me, and that's saying something. Don't stay up all night."
"I promise I won't!"
"Alright, alright," the old woman laughed quietly and moved to close the door. Then she paused. "Oh, and Winry."
"Yeah?"
"It's New Year's Eve."
Winry stopped tinkering with the wires of the automail arm she was working on again and smiled at the woman who had taken care of her for so long. "I know."
Pinako sighed. "...four more minutes til midnight."
"I promise I won't stay up too late."
"Well, I'm turning in. Good night."
"Good night."
The older woman left. Winry turned back to her work, paused, and turned to look out her window. It was a clear night, despite the snow just yesterday, and the stars shone brighter than ever, just like in that old nursery rhyme...how did it go again? Something about diamonds...it had been pretty.
But no matter how pretty they are, in the end, they're just big balls of gas, a voice reminded her. She almost laughed--that inner voice sounded uncommonly like Edward. Cynical, dense, blunt, stupid, loyal, strong, caring, determined Edward...
Her heart gave that funny little jump like it always did at the thought of her childhood friend. Gold eyes flashed across her vision and she felt her chest clog up with worry. Was he alright? Was he safe? Was he...
Calm down, Winry! she scolded herself. He was Edward. He was strong enough to take care of himself! He was...he was...
He's fighting something so huge, so dangerous, something so dark and sinister I can't even grasp all of it. He's... And then she almost laughed, again. He's saving the country! Edward Elric, the savior of Amestris!
The stars really were pretty tonight...I wonder if Ed is seeing them?
She laughed for real this time. Ed? He was probably snoring away in a bed somewhere, dreaming about food. If there was one person she knew who could sleep at the drop of a hat, it was Ed.
Or he could be fighting for his life. Worse than that, he could already be dead.
There was that voice again.
No! I have to believe...he promised...he'd be okay...
As she looked down, the clock on the opposite wall caught her eye. 11:58. Two minutes till midnight. Two minutes til the new year began.
How do you know he'll even be here next year? How do you know he'll still be alive?
She could feel her heart clenching painfully. She could still remember the day she found out her parents had died in Ishbal; someone had brought her and Pinako the news, though she couldn't remember exactly who it was. What she could remember was the sudden feeling of agonizing pain, of emptiness, of the yawning loneliness that made her cry, of the hurt that came from realizing she would never see her parents' smiling faces ever again. They were gone forever. They would never come back. Like a hole that had been carved into her chest...
She didn't want to feel that pain ever again, not for anyone. And especially not for Ed.
11:59; one more minute. She looked up at the sky. That star was really bright.
49...48...47...46...
He watched his watch tick away, the seconds slipping through his fingers like so much sand.
Will I still be alive then?
...35...34...33...32...
She closed her eyes, facing the open window and the piece of sky it showed.
Please, let him be alive...
...27...26...25...24...
Tick, tick, tick.
"Are you guys ready?!"
"And waiting!"
Will I survive all this?
...15...14...13...12...
Eleven more seconds.
Please let him survive all this...please let him be there...
...11...10...9...8...
Seven more seconds.
I have to live through it. For Al. For Winry.
...7...6...5...4...
Three more seconds til midnight...
Please, everyone, anyone. We need him. I need him...so don't let him die.
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-x-END-x-
Me:For some weird reason, I've been on an EdWin streak lately. All these random EdWin plot bunnies keep hopping into my head! Arrrgh!! I don't even like EdWin that much!
Cel: Oh, just deal with it.
Me: But I don't like EdWin!
Cel: We KNOW that. You don't particularly like any pairings unless they're OC pairings. Geez, get some variety!
Mir: ...I like EdWin...
Me: -throws up hands- See?! SEE?!! This is what I have to put up with!! -points accusingly at Mir- YOU'RE why all those stupid plot bunnies are popping into my head!
Mir: But I like EdWin...
Me: -gives up- Aah, whatever. Anyway, Happy New Year, everyone! I was actually going to post this exactly ten minutes before New Year, but--
Cel: -bluntly- She got lazy and decided not to stay up that late.
Me: -irk mark- Hey!
Cel: Honestly, it's not even that late. Admit it, you're a lazy ass.
Me: ...oh, shut up.
Mir: Please review...!