Fullmetal and Blood-Bent: Chapter One
It was midday and from the sky rained down the screams of the dying and the blood of the innocent. The once fruitful city of Ishval was now in ruins. Where beautiful buildings and serene places of worship had once been, now only rubble remained; thus was the work of the Amestris State Military.
Bodies lined every walk-way and street, the faces of the dead permanently stuck in painful and pleading expressions.
Ishval had been a peaceful and harmonious providence. And now, there was only death. . . . So much . . . death.
And standing among the fires and dead bodies of the Ishvalans and soldiers alike, was a child no more than five years old.
This little girl had been shown more monstrosities than most adults could ever dream of. She was a child born of anger, despair, and regret. A child of the Civil War, who had witness in horror, as civility was abandoned for more ruthless tactics, and innumerable lives were lost. She was a poor little creature who currently screamed the name of her dead mother at the top of her lungs, and shook the limp body with hysterical, bloody hands.
This child was both the cause and effect, for she had been sired by an Ishvalan mother and an Amestrian father.
This had been somewhat of a conundrum, and yet it didn't matter now. Not when corpses filled the deserted city, and people were slain by the second. Nothing mattered, except the hatred and chaos. Nothing else could be conceived in this world of fire and noise.
The child cried freely as her little legs buckled underneath her and she collapsed to the ground beside those who had loved and cherished her. The only ones who had ever cared. . . The ones who were now gone.
Slowly she slipped into unawareness as the fatigue and grief finally took its hold. And as she descended into the black abyss, the child found that she wanted to die alongside her loved ones. She wanted it to end.
But as she fell unconscious, someone moved to cradle her, and her wishes were ignored. For destiny, had other plans in store for the child of mixed nature, and wasn't willing to give up.
For fate was fickle and longed for revenge . . .
13 years later . . .
Edward Elric sighed loudly as he stalked towards Mustang's office, his foul mood turning into a right temper as he thought of what awaited him. If there was one thing Ed hated, it was having the Colonel shove his failures and short comings back in his face. It wasn't as if he needed a constant reminder that time was passing him by, and he and his brother were no closer to getting their bodies back. Mustang acting all high and mighty wouldn't make them find a philosopher's stone any faster, and it was a fact that made the young man extremely anxious.
The Fullmetal Alchemist frowned as he passed the last hallway of his journey, and braced himself for the onslaught he was walking into. Silently, he wished that Alphonse had been able to come with him to Central Command. But the younger Elric had already promised to spend the day at the Hughes' household, so Ed had had no choice but to go solo.
As Edward reached the Colonel's door, he paused to calm himself before he reached out and was about to knock on the door. But before his fist could connect with the solid wooden surface, a dark shadow formed on the door announcing the presence of another. The Fullmetal Alchemist immediately turned to see who stood behind him, and was surprised by what he found.
The newcomer was young, around 18 or 19 by Ed's guess, and was surprisingly female; with short cropped silvery-gray hair, medium colored skin, and a neutral looking face.
Edward thought that the woman might have been considered pretty to the eye, if she had shown some semblance of a smile or positive emotion. But from the lines of her face, it seemed she rarely let her lips form into any optimistic expression. She currently wore simple black pants and a matching long sleeved shirt that came down to cover her wrists, and finished the devil-may-care ensemble with a dark pair of shades that covered her eyes completely.
It was somewhat disconcerting to see someone who seemingly didn't have eyes, and Edward could help but shudder before he regained his composure.
He gave a half-hearted wave in her direction, but then thought better of it. And without introducing himself, the Fullmetal Alchemist quickly reached out his hand and wrapped on the door. As the door opened he was promptly admitted into Mustang's office by Lieutenant Hawkeye. And to his dismay, the strange woman entered in behind him.
The Colonel's office was decorated in the standard style of the State Military: simple, little furniture, and muted, solemn shades. This sense of fashion proved a fine environment for being yelled at or berated in a most heinous way; though such unpleasant things were apparently not on Mustang's current agenda as they settled in and were formally greeted. Instead of the reprimands, the Colonel was pleasant - well as pleasant was he ever was- and introduced Edward to the silent female who currently sat in the chair several feet away from him.
"Edward Elric, this is Zafina Faulkner a fellow State Alchemist and the only one to come close to beating your record of youngest Military recruit."
Both alchemists looked at each other, and Edward noticed that Zafina was actually smiling, and seemed more relaxed than he had so far seen her, though her body posture was still perfectly erect. A tell-tale trait that seemed to follow her like ones' shadow would, though she had proven him wrong. She actually could smile, and it had the ability to light up her whole face, so she didn't seem so startling or harsh. Quite the miracle, all things considered. . .
"Hello, Edward Elric," she greeted, with her small smile sustained. "It's nice to finally put a face to the name I've so often been compared to."
Edward patiently waited for the wise crack about his height, or how he was too young, but it never came. And when it didn't, his lips formed into a grin of their own.
Well, Zafina Faulkner was absolutely strange, no question about that. But if nothing else, she had given him a reason to smile. And at the moment, that was worth its weight in gold.
"Thanks. . . Zafina."
Zafina nodded to him, and then fell quiet. And after she stopped talking, the four figures in the room were silent as well for several short minutes before Edward once more broke the silence.
"So Colonel, what'd I do this time? Break another rule? Piss off another officer? Or was it something else?"
Mustang rolled his eyes. "If you had done something, I probably wouldn't be so calm right now, would I Fullmetal?"
"I guess not," Edward leaned back in his seat and propped his feet on the nearby coffee table, "Though you never call me in here unless you want to chomp on my butt."
Mustang steepled his hands together as he studied Ed, and gave nothing away as he answered. "Well, if that's the case, I see no reason to give you this."
The Colonel's gaze shifted ever so quickly to two packets that had been placed before him on his desk; temping his visitors to walk away without the knowledge they offered.
After a momentary hesitation Edward made a decision and let a loose sigh escape his lips. Al would be upset that he gave into simple baiting, but it couldn't be helped.
"Alright, Mustang, I'll bite. What are those?" He asked with resignation with an extended hand, gesturing for the package.
With Mustang's approval, Lieutenant Hawkeye moved forward and passed out the packets. One to Edward- who she graced with a smile- and the other to Faulkner with a glance of respect. Then, Riza returned to stand next to the Colonel at attention, and Mustang moved to explain.
"Your new mission is a joint one," he said, fixing his gaze on both Alchemists in turn before continuing. "Both you Fullmetal, and you Faulkner, are to go to Liore."
"Whoa, Colonel," Edward interjected quickly, "Why both of us? Me and Al can take care of ourselves. We don't need a babysitter!"
"With all due respect, sir, I agree with Fullmetal," Zafina said calmly, as she moved to leaf through her packet. "Both of us are accomplished Alchemists. I see no reason why we should journey together. It will just waste more time on both our parts. We could be far more productive if-"
Mustang held up a hand, effectively interrupting the young woman and silencing further arguments. When Zafina made no move to try to continue her thought, the Colonel finally played his trump-card.
"I thought that you both would be pleased by this assignment, seeing as the Priest might have something that you both are looking for."
It took a moment, but Edward felt his stomach clench as the subtle hint sunk in, and his gaze turned downward. "The philosopher's stone."
Why was Mustang doing this? Why would he inform another Alchemist of a stone's existence when he knew why he and Al were after it? So much for friends in need and all that other optimistic crap. . . . Apparently, he would just have to beat Zafina to it.
"One in the same, Fullmetal," Mustang confirmed with a smug little smile. "But your main objective isn't so personal.
We've heard rumors of a private army that is being formed in Liore. You two are meant to learn what you can and dissemble their groups before it becomes a real problem for the Military. What this might entail doing, I'm not sure. It could be quite unpleasant for all parties involved if it gets further out of hand."
"The task is worthy of two state alchemists," Zafina conceded in a strange tone, as she closed her packet, and looked up at her commanding officer. "But I doubt that either one of us, is the camaraderie type. – Things could get . . . complicated."
"That's between the two of you," the Colonel said easily. "As long as you disband the private forces in Liore, the philosopher's stone is none of my business and otherwise is no more than another empty rumor."
Edward looked at Zafina found that her smile had once more disappeared, and knew that no good could come of the new arrangement. But what could he do? If he wanted a chance at getting the philosopher's stone he had to obey some orders along the way. And he would have to be faster, more agile, and smarter than his fellow state dog. . .
Finally he groaned aloud, "Fine! I'll do it!"
Mustang smirked before turning his attention to Zafina. "How about you, Blood-Bent? You willing to test your mettle and try something new?"
Edward's eyebrow rose. Blood-Bent? That must have been the name Bradley gave her upon passing the certification. But why would he give her such a name?
The Blood-Bent Alchemist seemed hesitant to agree but then seemed to come to a realization and made up her mind.
"Very well. I agree."
Mustang shot a triumphant look at Hawkeye, before he clasped his hands together. "Good. You have the files, so there isn't much more to say, other than it needs to be taken care of in a timely manner and with care. You're both dismissed."
Edward grumbled at the blunt dismissal, but otherwise didn't speak as he followed his comrade out of the office. The two made an interesting contrast in appearance as they left, and it was startling to see the difference.
Riza, upon making sure they were gone and that the door was firmly closed shook her head in exasperation.
"Colonel, you just put the most destructive duo together for a mission that could prove detrimental- They'll end up killing each other before their goal is achieved."
Roy Mustang smiled, and from the way his dark eyes shined, it appeared that he knew a secret. But his reply was simple and gave nothing away.
"We'll see, Lieutenant. We'll see."
The two Alchemists were silent as they moved away from the Colonel's door, and walked several paces away. But when Edward stopped, Faulkner only paused for a moment.
"I suppose I'll see you soon enough," Zafina said with a nod of farewell- making her glasses tip against her face- before she continued toward the exit. Then, right before she disappeared around the corner she called back over her shoulder, "See you in Liore, Fullmetal."
It was several moments before Faulkner was out of sight, but when she was, Edward felt himself let out a breath he hadn't realized he'd been holding.
When the woman had dipped her head and her glasses had briefly slipped, the young man had been graced with his first glimpse of her eyes. Such a detail might have seemed trivial to most, but their color had proven to be quite unique.
The Blood-Bent Alchemist: Zafina Faulkner had eyes the color of crimson. . . The same shade of red as an . . . Ishvalan.
A/N: I have no idea how far or where this will go, but I'm going to write it anyway. I honestly have wanted to make a FMA OC for quite some time now, so I'm excited to finally started writing this! ^^
Anyway, I hope you guys liked this! Please drop me a review and let me know how I'm doing with my OC so far. I need to know in order to improve.
Hugs and kisses to all! And cookies, lots and lots of cookies. . . *drools*
~Lyn Harkeran