Ferret Freak

Chapter One

I lifted my suitcase, preparing to get off the train. My friends did the same. Their names were Katherine and Mimi. We didn't really have much in common. I mean, who would have anything in common with a mutant ferret freak? Yes, a ferret. Is it my fault my parents were mentally crazy scientists? Yes, my parents worked at Laboratory Number 5, and I was one of their experiments. A sad example of their parenting skills. Though, because I was merged with a ferret, I had a great nose, keen mind, and good reflexes.

"C'mon, Gina, we're almost there!" Mimi bounced up and down in her hyper…ness. I didn't really now much about where we were headed. Mimi had a boyfriend there, but she didn't tell us much more than that. She kept on trying to say that a man here, some sort of a Colonel or something was totally up my alley. I just smiled and said that I'd consider meeting him.

"Gina, he's sweet, and charming. He's really smooth, too." I sighed angrily.

"Guys, stop trying to set me up with strangers! I'll know when I find someone that clicks with me." I knew it wasn't fair to yell at them, but the ferret got to me. Easily angered, I suppose.

"Gina, that was mean. You didn't need to snap." Mimi looked hurt, and I hated it when people were hurt, but she recovered quickly. Seeming to forget the incident, she pushed me lightly towards the door, telling me, "C'mon, it's time to get off." She picked up her suitcase and followed me out. Kathryn just silently picked up the bento boxes we had carelessly left lying around. She jumped off the train, running to catch up with us, when she ran into a man. I heard a thud, and turned around to see a black mop of hair.

"Squee! That's him! That's Colonel Mustang!" Mimi ran up to him, nearly glomping him to death.

"Nice to see you again too, Mimi. Would you mind introducing me to your charming little friends?" He smiled at Katherine, who blushed, looking away. Mimi giggled and said, "The blushing one is Katherine, and the one with her eyes glued on Havoc is Gina."

I looked away at the mention of my name, favoring instead to stare at my feet. "Er, hello." I mumbled, too embarrassed to look up again.

"Well my girl, look me in the eye when you shake my hand." The Colonel firmly shook my hand, holding on for a moment longer than necessary. I pulled my hand away, disgusted. Next, though, the blond-haired man, with the blue eyes I couldn't tear myself away from. He gently grasped my hand. As soon as he did, I felt a sort of adrenaline rush that swept through every nerve and seemed to make my head spin. I lurched forward, falling towards the ground. I felt, the moment before I hit the ground, an arm around my waist, hauling me back to my feet. "Th- thanks." Every time he touched me… it was…weird. "No problem. I'm 2nd Lieutenant Jean Havoc, Just call me Havoc, or Jean. Whichever." I nodded.

"Okay, Jean. My name is Gina Laurence. My parents had the weirdest names." I smiled, swaying slightly.

"You okay? You seem unsteady." He rested a hand on my forehead, and the shock went through me again. As soon as he removed it, my forehead felt cold. For some reason, I just wanted to stay with him, never leave his side, and-

"Are you smoking!? Get that cigarette out of your mouth. Here, have a toothpick instead." I grabbed his cigarette and shoved a toothpick in it's place.

"What the-?" Jean looked almost angry. "Nobody takes my cigarettes!" Unfortunately for him, his menacing act was broken by a goofy grin.

"You know, lots of girls have told me not to smoke, but check it out: still a 3 a day smoker."

"Oh?" I smiled, "You mean, like these three?" I laughed and handed Jean the pack of smokes back.

"How'd you do that?" Jean smiled and pocketed the cigarettes.

"Meh, that's for me to know, and for you to never find out." I then stepped beside him and said, "So, ya gonna show a pretty lady 'round town?" I found that no blush came to my face, but I couldn't look at his face…that time.

"What about me? Don't you want me to?" Mustang whined, showing the attitude of a little kid.

"You expect too little from women. Some of them have brains, you know. They can tell if you're too eager, or too much of a chauvinist." With that, I asked Jean to walk me around again. "Preferably to the food and thrift stores." I smiled and thought of the cool clothes and boots I could get…

Chapter Two

Havoc's Point of View

That one girl is something else. I mean, she even looks different from the other two. The others are wearing sundresses and have their neat hair up in styles. Her hair is short, and shaggy, with a white streak down the front. The bangs fell over an eye. She's wearing a baby doll tee that says, "My eyes are up here." And has an arrow pointing to her face. Her jeans are slightly baggy and she's wearing a black and red wristband on her right…wrist. Her purple eyes are more like a cat's than a human's. They seem to watch everything, and stare right into your soul… The other two are plain, with blue eyes on the brunette, and brown eyes on the redhead attached to Mustang. Crap, the weirdo's staring at me! And…blushing?

"and the one with her eyes glued on Havoc is Gina." The girl seemed to be concluding something. So…her name is Gina.

She looked away when her friend introduced her. "Er, hello." She mumbled, apparently interested in the floor. She wore combat boots!

"Well my girl, look me in the eye when you shake my hand." The Colonel firmly shook her hand, obviously trying to charm her. Anger built in me when he held her hand for too long. She looked disgusted by his…chauvinism.

I shook her hand and she suddenly started falling towards the ground. I caught her as quickly as I could.

"Th-thanks." She mumbled when I helped her to her feet.

"No problem. I'm 2nd Lieutenant Jean Havoc. You can call me Havoc. Or Jean. Whichever."

"My name's Gina Laurence." She said, then mumbled, "My parents though of the weirdest names."

"Are you okay?" She was still swaying. I checked to see if she had a fever, and she immediately straightened.

Almost immediately after I removed my hand, she said, "Are you smoking!? Take that cigarette out! Have a toothpick instead."

With speed I could barely catch, she had switched my cigarette with a toothpick. Alrighty then. She joked me, I'd joke her.

"What the-" I tried to look angry, "Nobody takes my cigarettes!" I tried to sound threatening, but it didn't work. I grinned. "You know, lots of girls have told me to stop smoking, but check it out: I'm still a three a day smoker."

"Oh," she smiled deviously, "You mean these three?" She held out my box, which only had two dry and one soggy cigarette. She laughed (I think my eyes were bugging out) and handed them back to me. That was cool.

"How'd you do that?" I was interested. I mean, c'mon, they were in my pocket, and I never even saw her reach towards it.

"That's for me to know, and for you to never found out." She smiled and cocked her head, asking, "so, ya gonna show a pretty lady 'round town?" Was she flirting?

"What about me? Don't you want me to?" Mustang whined.

"You expect too little from women." Gina said, "Some of them have brains, you know. They can tell if you're too eager, or too much of a chauvinist." With that, she asked if I could take her around…
"Preferably to the food and thrift stores." She smiled and I just nodded. She linked arms with me, and our day began.

Chapter Three

Gina's Point Of View

Well, I didn't think that Havoc would spill his heart and soul to me so quickly. I mean, the normal stuff I expected. You know, Second Lieutenant in the Amestris Military. That I expected. What I didn't expect was him suddenly telling me about how Mustang always stole his girlfriends, and how he felt very angry and shot down. I couldn't believe the next thing he said…

"Gina…w-would you mind…pretending that you're…my girlfriend? J-just to show that...uh…I can keep one for more than a week. Please? I mean…I'm not asking you to be my girlfriend…but just to pretend to be my girlfriend."

I felt something inside me…go cold. I knew that if I was to survive, I wasn't supposed to fall in love. That's what Father had always said.

"Gina," Father said, "If you are to live among the living, you mustn't fall in love. If you do, then they will learn of your origin. Then, we will be exposed, and all of our hard work will come to an end."

Father…he said that humans should never learn of us…but if we are to live among them…shouldn't they know what we are? It confused me…and confusion is one of the things I hated so much. So, I thought of what Havoc said…

"Sure." I tried to be nonchalant, but he must have noticed that my voice was strained.

"Gina, what's wrong? Oh! No! I didn't hurt your feelings, did I? No, what I asked was callus…forget I ever said it."

"Nah," I smiled, and I felt something on my face. Sudden whisker marks. I felt small ears begin to protrude from my hair, and a tail squirm through my jeans. "Oh, no! Not now! I rushed to the bathroom and checked my face. The whiskers. The ears. No!

"Gina! What's happening! Gina!" I ran out of the bathroom, pushing past Havoc and to the nearest bush. I tried to crawl in, to hide myself, but I felt firm hands grab my waist.

"Let go! No! You can't see this!" I felt a tear roll down my cheek and I scratched at Havoc. My claws were just beginning to sharpen. He let go, but I didn't move. I just stood there. He could see my ferret ears and tail. The whiskers and claws. He could see everything that was…me. Father told me, "This will only happen if you are in danger of falling in love." I was in love. With Jean. And so the monstrous truth would rear it's ugly head and Jean would hate me forever. That's how it was supposed to work. That's what I thought would happen. That's not what happened.

Chapter Four

"Gina…why didn't you tell me? If you had-"

"You would have known to stay away from me? Not even my closest friend wanted to come near me when I told them. Mimi, and Katherine? I met them on the train. They don't know about this at all."

"Gina, don't think of it like that! Don't you realize that you're unique and special enough to have hidden this for so long? It must have just meant-"

"Jean, it means I'm falling in love! I'm in love with you! Don't you get it! I'm not supposed to! If I fall in love then I'll be put off the goal I was born with! I won't be able to help my real parents! My parents that weren't the scientists! They're going to DIE unless I get what I need! Do you know what I need? A Crystal Heart! (1) I can only get one if I take the heart of the one loves me! If I do, they won't be killed! Father won't kill them! That damn bastard won't be able to, because I'll have given him what he wanted! Don't you see, Jean?" I began to cry, tears falling rapidly.

"Shh, Gina. It's okay. Listen, come here." He hugged me, stroking my hair and whispering, "Shh, it's alright. I'll help you. Shh." Without warning, he kissed me. I felt a tingle, then a foreign heat rush over me. I kissed Jean back, passionately as I could for an inexperienced minor. Jean pulled back, wiping away the tears with his thumbs. He held my face gently.

"I'll give you my heart." He said.

(1) The Crystal Heart, if I remember correctly, is from Demon Diary. I don't own it…and I really don't wish to. I only wish that Kara-san and Lee Chi Hyong can forgive me.

Chapter Five

Jean walked me to his house, and opened the door wordlessly. When I had stepped inside, he led me to the hall. Kissing me again, he told me,

"I love you, Gina. Remember that."

He began to reach towards his chest.

"Jean!" I cried, but it was too late. He had plunged his hand into his chest, and pulled out The Heart.

Over time, Father would tell me, if you love someone very VERY much…Your heart will crystallize, and your love will be the Crystal Heart. The single most valuable item in the world. Gina, you will never love someone, but a man will love you someday. If he chooses, he may give you his heart. His Crystal Heart. That, and only that, is the answer to any question. He will love you indefinitely. But…when he takes his heart out, he will die. But he will be willing to do so for you. Remember that. Remember that, and then you can love…for your mission will be complete…

My mission…it was worthless…Jean was gone…and so was I. I cradled his body in my arms, and cried. As the blood pooled around him, I whispered in his ear, " I love you too, Jean. I will always love you, no matter what. And I don't care. I love my parents, but not enough to let you die.

I clapped my hands. Gently resting them on Jean's chest, I pulled my own, beating heart out of my chest, and replaced his with it. When Jean gasped, I smiled, knowing it had worked.

"Jean," I gasped, blood pooling out of my mouth, "I love you." I slowly felt the world around me go dark, and then- nothing.

"Gina, wake up!" Mimi shook my shoulder and said, "C'mon! We're almost at Central! Then you can meet Mustang!"

I groaned.

My dream was happening.

Fin!

Okay, this is only chapter one, but when I was writing chapter five of the dream, I was crying. I hope it's okay to take something from Demon Diary! Oops! Oh, by the way: should I continue this (I've already got a second chapter going) or just leave it to you guys' imagination? That is all…