Chapter 1: Through the Gate
AN// Uhhh…hiya, This is my first fic so be nice!HAH! ya right…plz tell mee if something is horrendous…it helps if it is constructive criticism…but compliments are welcomed too! ;D…Okay so this story starts right about the same time the movie does, so it's been 2 years and our favorite older Elric brother is still stuck on the other side…okay I'll shut up now.
Shadowed Ink
BAM! The simple door was crushed open and the splintered pieces scattered. The lasts cracks of a greenish light faded with a few sparks. This man was clearly using alchemy. "Where is the Fullmetal Alchemist!" said a deep menacing voice.
Half of his face was covered by a mask while his sturdy chin had a scraggly look to it. Behind the kitchen counter and taking deep breaths, the girl mustered all of her strength and grabbed her only weapon: a wrench.
Setting her wild eyes in a cool appearance, she stood and threw the tool. 'Doof!' The man grunted. It was a bull's eye, straight between the eyes; Winry Rockbell always had a terrific aim.
"It's rude not to knock you know, don't just barge in here like you own the place!" huffed Winry. Why, oh why did I just say that? Where's granny when I need her? Damn it, she's out picking up a shipment of automail parts…how convenient. She would know what to do, wouldn't she?
Trying to keep the glaring façade but failing miserably, she tried again, "Is that mask as thick as your head? I said GET OUT!" Winry hadn't noticed how much bigger he was than her until he took a step towards her. Panic started to pulse through her body.
His annoyance was soon replace with a sickening look "My, my what a fiery little spirit- now if you'd just-"
Not even being able to take another step forward a flash of blue filled the room and with a gush of wind, the floor trembled. Wooden spikes jetted out from the floor all aiming for the throat of the intruder. Before he could doge them a hand formed from the wall and ceiling crashing down behind him. 'Tch' His only option was to be crushed against the jagged spikes, but his death did not come so easily. The dust settled and he was met with the piercing grey eyes of a boy.
The man was confused, this couldn't be the Fullmetal alchemist, he would be older than this…it had to be the younger brother!
"Why are you here." He said with a steely glare, not a question- a demand.
The filthy intruder growled in a ruff voice "I know this is his home. Tell me where Edward Elric is! I need his research! I will obtain its power! I will obtain the philosopher's stone!"
Winry eyes tremble at the name. She clutched her heart frozen against the wall. "You're not in a position to be making any demands." Al said coldly.
The man's scraggly face turned into a nasty grin and with a flash of blinding green light the wooden spikes crumbled before him. "Oh I believe I am able to become quite persuasive." He stole a glance at the trembling Winry.
The oaf slapped his hands onto the wall; light shot through and crawled towards the girl. He was morphing the wall, and it was about to crash onto her… "NO!" screamed Al. He already had lost his brother, he would not loose her too. With the slap of his hands he tried to stop it, but something went terribly wrong.
The power of both alchemists combined together and danced into one. A swirl of dark hands began to unravel, grabbing anything in reach.
The man began to step away, suddenly frightened and confused, "What- What is that?!" Before he could run, the hands wrapped around his ankles, then his arms and eventually pulled him into the swarming depths of darkness.
A shriek was heard, a piercing scream. "Oh no." Al gasped.
The hands were all over her except for her frightened blue eyes, begging for help. She groped the floor anything, anything to hold on to. Al stumbled to get to her, but he was too late. As he reached to grasp her hand, the portal closed, and his fist punched the wall behind it.
"WINRY!" he screamed. She was gone. He slumped to the ground unbelieving.
What had he done?
He felt a small smack on the head but he ignored it with a grunt. "Eeeeddwwwaaarrd." said a sing-song voice.
The smell of coffee engulfed his nose, his eyes twitched before he opened them with a few blinks. "Mmmm….hey Alphonse." He said groggily.
Books and graphs were spread out everywhere on the tiny desk. One lay extremely flat because of too much use was the one by a man called Hermann Oberth who believed it was possible to travel into space with a rocket. The small lamp was still on from the previous night. Papers were scattered across the floor.
"How late were you up last night?" Alphonse asked while handing Ed the coffee.
Sipping the tart drink, the 18-year-old scratched the back of his head and looked at the clock reading 9am. "I was up till about….uhhh… 2 hours ago." Ed grinned sheepishly.
Alphonse spluttered his own coffee. "Another all nighter huh?"
Ed didn't respond and simply looked ahead, as if in a different world.
His companion sighed, "You can't keep doing this to yourself Ed. Lack of sleep is never good and we have a big work day ahead of us!"
Angrily he noticed the blond nodding off; his frown was soon turned into a sly look. "So who's Winry?"
Ed jolted awake and lost his balance causing him and the chair to crash to the floor. 'Well, that definitely got him up.'
"W-Whataya mean?" said Ed with blush unquestionably apparent. He rubbed his bruised head.
"Oh nothing," said Alphonse offhandedly, "you just muttered her name during your sleep a couple times."
The atmosphere changed; it became tense. Ed stood up abruptly and griped the chair besides him. "She's no one" he retorted in a dead voice. He walked out of the room and Alphonse could hear the slam of the front door. "Geez, I was just joking around."
Edward Elric was glad for the crisp fresh air. It's been two years since he's seen her or his brother…if the transmutation even worked. He was determined. He will find a way to get back to them- to her.
Winry's head was throbbing at each pulse of her beating heart. She tried to lift her head only to find herself spinning. 'What happened?' Sudden flashes of her memories clashed: the oafy man, Al fighting him, the blinding light, the snagging of her body as she was dragged away from her reality…
She whimpered and gladly rested her head against the cool pebbled alleyway. A shadowed figure stepped in front of her. This wasn't good.
Edward strolled down the street with no purpose and oblivious to the world he was forced to live in. "SOMEBODY! HE-" His thoughts washed away when he heard the muffled screams in the alleyway he just passed. Ed's body clamed up in worry, he ran toward the entrance of the shadowed lane.
"Get OFF of meee!" said a hysterical voice, desperate for help.
The big brute of a man was greedily clobbering at a clearly visible young woman. Edward's temper flickered and he charged forward, "HEY!" he shoved the gorilla man away from his victim.
Pulling the man away, the distressed girl was shown, blond haired tangled and her clothes ripped at her neck and bruises clearly visible. Ed froze, his heart thumped loudly as if trying to leap out of his chest. He was paralyzed, his eyes held disbelief; he was in shock- they both were. "W-Winry?" he choked out.
She looked like she was about to break into pieces. Suddenly she jabbed her finger behind him, a look of terror struck her face. "ED!"
The thug just didn't know when to quit did he. He tried a hard swing with his massive fist, but Ed quickly dodged it with a simple step to the side. At an advantage, Ed's fury simmered. How could he- he- could of- what if I hadn't been here, Winry would have been-
Edward slammed his fist into the crook's face setting him off balance. He howled at his broken nose. He was soon doubled over in pain as Ed jabbed his knee into his gut, knocking the wind out. With the slimeball panting and bent over, the former alchemist pounded his elbow between the shoulder blades causing the man to finally clash towards the pebbled ground.
Shuddering, the thug struggled to get up, but was immediately slammed into the brick wall. The pain in his back left no effort to even try to lift his arms. The man felt his throat go dry as the boy's glare shook his entire being. If looks could kill… "Don't you ever-" Ed whispered dangerously, "EVER touch her again."
The crook was truly afraid of that golden gaze.
But, Edward was never a patient person. He grabbed the collar of the man's shirt and smashed him into the wall again as if shaking him to see who was truly in charge.
"DO YOU UNDERSTAND ME!?!" Edward roared.
The man trembling gulped and then slowly nodded.
The young man gave an evil smirk and dusted his hands, "Good."
The brute relaxed his tensed muscles and was filled with relief; he was going to get off easy.
BAM! Ed punched him square in the temple and the man slumped to the ground unconscious.
"Much better" muttered Ed as he rubbed his sore hand.
Edward heard a shuddered intake of breath. His eyes widen and he whips around to see if it was a dream, a mirage- anything but true. She couldn't be here…it was impossible.
There she was like a fallen angel. She clutched her arms and tattered clothes. Her golden hair was mess, either plastered to her face with sweat and grime or stuck in different directions. A small cut was just below her sparkling blue eyes, brimming with tears.
Frozen, tense minutes went by as they stared at each other disbelievingly. Every emotion passed from their eyes. Longing, pain, joy, terror…love.
After another shuddering breath as if trying to suppress everything, Winry finally broke. She flung herself into Ed's arms with strangled sobs.
They clung to each other, afraid that one would simply disappear, like so many times in their dreams. Winry's body was wracking with sobs and almost hyperventilating.
Although Ed is not usually the comforting type, he found himself stroking Winry's head and shoulders as he held her tightly. "Winry, its okay, I-I'm here now." He managed to whisper in her ear.
Her grip tightens on his shirt, she looked at him terrified and happy at the same time through her tear stained face. "I-I … D-Don't e-ev-er…l-le-ave." She could barely form a sentence. A warm look came into Ed's eyes as he brought her head back into his chest. His own tears began to prick his eyes.
"Shhh…it's okay…it's okay now….we're together."
AN// TA-DA! So far this is a oneshot, but I dunno I might keep going..wat do u think? After I watched the FMA movie, this idea kept bonking around inside my head…bleh… Poor Winry, she always gets to be the damsel in distress…muahaha! So tell me what u think with wonderful reviews! Thx for reading :D
Shadowed Ink
