Rated: T –violence, angst, torture, character peril
Published: Feb. 9, 2018
Status: complete
I don't know how I found the courage to save his life, but there was no hesitation. It all happened in seconds; a thousand choices suddenly made in the blink of an eye. He was in pain, and distracted, so he didn't see Kimblee's final attempt to kill him. It had been a hard fight, and Kimblee was wounded badly. It was the blood from his wounds that he used to scrawl the sloppy transmutation circle on the fractured pavement around him, and I was the only one who had seen it. I knew that the Red Lotus alchemist specialized in explosions, and that he was famous for his bloodlust. He was ruthless, and I knew that, despite his orders, he was going for the kill. I knew there wasn't enough time to warn Ed, and that his brother was too far away to help him even if he had somehow seen Kimblee's plan. I threw myself towards Ed, terrified I wouldn't be fast enough, relieved as I slammed into him and knocked him out of the range of whatever alchemy Kimblee had begun. Unfortunately, I wasn't fast enough to save myself. I had grown up in a quiet village, far from the many wars that had raged across Ishbal and Amestris, and I had only joined Ed and Al on their adventures a year ago. Because of this I had seen very few explosions, and had never been in one. It wasn't something I could've imagined even if I'd tried. It was all light and sound and pressure, blinding and deafening me as it tossed my body effortlessly aside. I slammed into the pavement and slid several yards before finally coming to a stop. Though it was all over in an instant, I had no doubt that the damage was more lasting than the incident. But... I didn't feel any pain. Everything was blurry and unfocused, but I wasn't in pain. Had I somehow escaped unscathed? I couldn't hear Ed's cry of rage over the ringing in my ears, but I knew it was there as I felt the ground shaking with the force of his alchemy. Whatever he was transmuting must be huge, though I couldn't see it. I was flat on my back, and had the wind knocked out of me. A few moments passed and Ed was by my side, his golden eyes bright with fear. His hands slid under me as he lifted into his arms with painstaking care and gently tilted my head to meet his eyes, since I didn't seem to have the strength to do so myself. He kept asking me something that I couldn't hear, and I was too disoriented to try to understand. My blank look must've alarmed him even more. It finally occurred to me that he would want to know if I was okay, so that must be what he was asking. I tried to tell him that I was; that aside from the ringing in my ears I felt fine, so I must've gotten lucky. I must have been on the very edge of the blast and received only a few cuts and scrapes when I was thrown against the pavement. But if the words ever left my lips-which I'm not entirely sure they did-Ed didn't believe me. I managed to read his lips this time as he cursed, and said I was in shock. I tried to tell him I wasn't, but he had stopped listening. He set me back on the ground and called to Al. Then, Ed pulled off his jacket, and wrapped it around me, despite my protests; I wasn't sure yet how badly I was bleeding, and I didn't want to ruin his coat, but he didn't seem to care. The fear in his eyes was more defined now, bordering on panic. Though I didn't understand the cause I knew the look, and I could tell it was all he could do to keep a level head right now. Al was beside me then too, though I had somehow missed his approach. Ed picked me up again and handed him to his brother carefully, yet with a sense of urgency I still couldn't understand. Really, I felt fine. Why were they so worried...? My stomach lurched as I finally tore my eyes from Ed's and happened to look down. Instantly, I comprehended my friend's panic. Far from my earlier assumptions, I definitely needed medical attention. I was covered in burns and in my own blood, so it was hard to tell the extent of the damage done to me, but I could tell it was bad. That's when the pain kicked in. My hearing must have been returning, because I heard a cry of hurt and shock that I think was mine. My eyes flew to my limbs; I was half afraid they wouldn't be there. My terror ebbed slightly as I realized that, though mangled, they were still attached. "It's gonna be okay." Ed promised, "You're gonna be fine." But I could tell he was trying to reassure himself just as much as he was trying to reassure me. "We need to get her to a doctor!" Al insisted, but after a quick glance in my direction, Ed shook his head. "She'll never make it. Granny's house is way closer; it's her only chance." Al glanced down at me as well. "Do you think Granny Pinako and Winry can help her? She's hurt so badly..." They were running now, headed towards my one shot at survival. Ed's jaw set stubbornly, and his eyes hardened. "They've fixed us up more times than I can count. If anyone can help her, it's those two." His tone was forcefully optimistic, but I could hear the fear behind it as he refused to accept what he considered impossible: that I might die, and that Granny Pinako might not be able to stop it.
Hi! So this is the first fanfiction I've ever posted, and I hope everybody likes it! I don't like to post stuff before I finish it, (because I've read a lot of stuff that doesn't have an ending and I understand soooooo much how frustrating that is) so I can promise this fic will be completed. Idk if I'll post all at once, though, since my editor insists on reading everything before I post even though I am fully capable of proper grammar lol but here's the first chapter, just to give everyone a sample.
P.S. I can promise none of my stuff will have language or other stuff that's way worse than language because I like to keep it clean so here's a fic you can safely enjoy.
