All right, here is my latest story! The plot of this story is totally Nayru Elric's because this is a one shot that she won in a contest! Hope you like it, Nayru! GO NEKO ED! XD
I held Winry as she cried, wishing I could make her stop. Though I wasn't the one who made her cry, I still felt her pain as the sobs wracked through her. She was crying so hard her thin, yet muscular, frame was shaking.
Then again, the more I thought about it, the more I wondered if it really was my fault that she was so upset. The words I had said to Scar still bounced around in my head.
"You're so self righteous, but do you remember two Amestrian doctors named Rockbell? The order came down to end the uprising and exterminate Ishval, but that didn't stop them. They kept right on helping your people!"
I remembered how Al had told me to wait, but I was too overcome by my rage at Scar to care why Al wanted me to stop. I kept right on going, my harsh words hurting Winry as she watched from the alley, unnoticed by me. I was foolish, but I couldn't bring myself to regret what I had said to Scar. It was that Winry had heard that hurt me the most.
"Don't you remember them?" I goaded. "Those doctors saved your life, and you killed them!"
"Brother!" Al said, so alarmed that I turned from Scar and saw...Winry.
"What are you talking about Ed?" The mixture of pain and shock in her voice were etched into my brain. Everytime I closed my eyes eyes it was all I could think about.
I had been unable to answer her question. All I could do was stutter like an idiot, wishing I could take back the words. But, the damage had already been done."
As I looked at her sobbing in my lap, I still remembered the look on her face as she pointed the pistol at Scar. A logical part of my mind told me that she would have found out anyway, it was only a matter of time, but I still felt that it was my fault. I'd had time to kill Scar, again and again, but I had let him live because I didn't believe that violence was always the answer. But...for someone like him...did that even apply? Winry had called him a monster, and maybe she was right? With all the innocent people he's killed, does that even make him human anymore?
But, Scar's words from earlier made him hesitate mid-thought.
"This girl is the doctor's daughter? Very well, she has the right. Killing me would be justified."
He'd seemed so ready to die by her hand.
I looked up at a small noise coming from the wreckage of my fight with Scar. It was only a cat, nearly white with orange stripes and an extremely angular face. It noticed I was watching it, flicked up its tail, and walked arrogantly away. Seeing the cat, I wondered how Al was doing, fighting Scar.
Soldiers reached us, wondering what had happened.
I took off my coat, wrapping it around Winry's shoulders, and picked up the gun off the ground.
"Here, officer," I said, not meeting his gaze. I couldn't keep my eyes off Winry, so upset. But, I had to go make sure Al was okay. I tore my eyes away from her saying to the soldier who'd taken the pistol, "Take her somewhere she'll be safe." I looked back down at her, "Winry, Al is still off fighting somewhere. I have to go. Okay?"
She clutched at his automail arm, but he pulled away with a final appology, "I'm sorry. Once this is all over, I'll explain everything."
With, that I ran off to find my brother. And the man who had killed her parents.
Scar had gotten away. Again. I was thinking about what I would say if Winry asked what had happened as we walked through the halls of Central Command, led by a rather uptight soldier with light hair.
"Winry!" I exclaimed, half-running into the room. I stopped short when I saw who was sitting across from her. "Fuhrer Bradley. This is a surprise."
What the hell is he doing here?
"What brings you here?" asked Al from behind me.
The Fuhrer set down his cup and said pleasantly, "I heard that a childhood friend of yours was under our protection here at the command center. As a friend of such an important alchemist, she deserves our every curtasy."
I tried to hide my scowl, but I think he could tell that I didn't buy it because he said, standing, "I should be on my way now. If you'll please excuse me, miss." He bowed to Winry.
She, sounding a bit surprised, stood, bowing, "Oh, of course."
"And, Fullmetal," Bradley finished, walking over to where Al and I were standing in the doorway, "You've been requested to go repair the damages caused to Central from your fight with Scar." With that, the Fuhrer left the room.
"Damn," I muttered under my breath, then looked at Alphonse, "Take Winry back to the room, okay?"
He nodded, though the glowing orbs that were his eyes looked worried. "Just be careful, brother."
It was my turn to nod, then I turned to Winry. "I'll be back as soon as I can. It shouldn't be long."
She met my eyes, "Hurry back," she tried a smile, but it didn't quite reach her eyes.
"Yeah, this shouldn't take long," I grinned at her. It wasn't even a lie. It shouldn't take long to take care of some collateral damage, being that I was a bona fide state alchemist.
I waited until I was out of their sight, checked the hallway, then ran down the long, marble hallways of Central Command. I slowed to a walk when I reached the main hallway, though the secretary gave me a look that said she knew precisely what I was doing. I smirked at her and walked out the door.
Catching a ride to the street where Scar, Al, and I had fought proved easier than I thought. I rode in the backseat, crammed between two excited tourists from Drachma who wanted to go look at the wreckage. On the way there, I couldn't help but wonder whether Ling and Lan Fan were all right. I figured that I would go do this, make sure Winry was safely on a train back to Rush Valley and then go looking for Ling and the homunculi again. Not to mention Scar, that was a given, though.
Geez, I need to stop making enemies.
We reached the end of the street and were forced to stop by some soldiers who had blocked off the area. I showed them my pocketwatch and they let me in. I saw some men in uniforms with shovels sifting half-heartedly through the dirt.
"Let me take a crack at that," I said, smirking at them. They glared up at me.
"We don't need civilians to do our work," one of them said gruffly, "I don't know why they let you in, but you need clear the area. A serial killer attacked a state alchemist."
"I know," I said, thoroughly enjoying this, "As a matter of fact, I am that state alchemist." At their stunned faces I proudly declared, "I am Edward Elric, the Fullmetal Alchemist."
"S-sir! Um, I mean, Major Elric," the one that had spoken earlier stuttered, "We're sorry for disrespecting you. We had no idea..."
I raised an eyebrow, "Whatever, just step aside." They cleared out after that, seeming to realize that a state alchemist was going to do their work for them. I rolled my eyes and crouched where one of the buildings would have been. I clapped my hands, feeling the energy running under my fingers as the building assembled itself under my finger tips. I stood back to admire my work. It looked just like it had before our fight.
I'd repaired all the buildings but one, behind all the others. The sky was darkening some; it had taken longer than I thought. Wiping the sweat from my brow, I walked over to the building. It seemed that all the others had gone home.
I thought I saw something move out of the corner of my eye, but when I looked there was nothing there.
I'm probably just tired.
I knelt down next to the remains of the building. Clapped my hands and smacked them to the ground. The building began to take shape next to me, but there was something different about this transmutation. It was...darker than the others had been.
It's like when we tried to bring back mom.
Why would I think that? This was nothing like mom unless...unless it was human transmutation.
I heard the white and orange cat that I had seen earlier the scream at the same time that I felt the worst pain I had ever felt in my entire life shoot through me like white-hot lightning.
No...no...This can't be happening!
It felt like I was being pulled along by the forces of alchemy as opposed to conducting them as I was used to. And the pain, damn, the pain was a concentrated and unyielding wave of solid fire in my veins. When I lost my arm and leg, I thought I was going to die and the pain was terrible. But, this was worse in the fact that as opposed to just losing my limbs, it felt like they were twisting, morphing, being pulled by invisible hands until they popped and cracked into the position they'd been forced.
I couldn't take it. I never thought I'd say those words, but I couldn't take the pain any longer. I surrendered, relinquishing my hold on reality.
When I woke, I didn't know where I was. I blinked and looked around. I was in a small, white-walled room, lying on the edge of the sofa. I was in our hotel room! But...it was different. The furniture seemed bigger somehow and strange smells assaulted my nose. I lifted my head from my paws to get a better look. Wait...paws! Since when did I have paws! I tried to stand and noticed I wasn't standing on my feet, I was standing on four paws!
What...what the hell is going on!
I looked frantically around and caught a glimpse of my reflection in a polished, brass lamp. I was...not me.
I suddenly knew exactly what had happened the day before. When I'd tried to transmute that night, I hadn't seen the cat. It had gotten caught up in my transmutation and well, this happened. I was now a gold, tabby cat. My automail arm and leg were still, somehow, attached and in tact, though no one would have known who I was in this state, I took some comfort in the fact that my eyes were still a bright gold color, though the pupil's were slit.
"Al! Winry?!" I called, but it came out more as a, "Mahn! Mrt Mew!"
"I see you're awake," Winry appeared in the doorway. She walked over to the sofa I was standing on. "Al was worried when you didn't wake up for so long. Al found you on the streets when he was looking for Ed last night, just lying there so he went to get you a doctor or, hopefully a veterinarian, but we may not be able to find one of those."
"Mrt mew meow mrt mrt mow meh meow?" I tried to ask how they knew it was me.
Winry started to stroke my back, rubbing around my ears. Surprisingly, it felt good, like a massage. I heard a low, rumbling noise and looked around with a start, wondering what it could be when I realized that I was purring. Actually purring.
"You're a good kitty aren't you?" she cooed, sitting down next to me and putting me on her lap. "What's your name, little guy?" She smiled down at me, but I stared up at her with surprise.
It...it's me, Edward! Don't you recognize me? I wanted to shout, but I knew she wouldn't understand. DAMMIT! WHY COULDN'T I SPEAK AMESTRIAN! NOT CAT!
I looked back up at her angrily, but it seemed to melt away when I saw the expression on her face. She had tears in her eyes.
Winry smiled shakily down at me, but the tears leaked out of the corners of her eyes and trickled down her cheeks. "I shouldn't be crying," she murmured. "It's just, Ed hasn't come home. He told me he'd be right back, but he's still not here! What if...what if he's dead!?" She buried her face in my fur, sobbing. "I don't know how I could live in a world without Ed! He's so brave and even though he acts like a jerk sometimes he's always there!"
Acts like a jerk?
Winry wiped furiously at her eyes before she went on, "He's always been a symbol of the good things in the world for me. With people like Scar and those military state alchemists that just go out and kill, people like Ed are needed in the world. And...I need him."
I couldn't believe she was saying these things. I knew she would never, ever say them to me, but they gave me a warm feeling. Like a candle flame. Was she saying that she lo-
The door banged open, making both of us jump. Al walked into the room, a man in a white lab coat behind him.
"Al! Did you find Edward?" Winry asked, setting me gently on the couch and standing. Only I noticed her wipe her eyes one last time.
Alphonse shook his head, "No, I couldn't find brother. But, don't worry, Winry. Ed's strong; he can take care of himself." Only his voice gave away that he was actually very worried about me.
The man in the lab coat behind him spoke, "Alphonse, is that the cat you were telling me about?"
"Yes, Dr. Lens," Al replied, then added, "This is Winry."
They shook hands then he made his way over to me. He picked me up and brought me over to the table to examine me. He poked and prodded me until he seemed satisfied. Then he walked over to where Al and Winry were standing.
"Well, I have some good news and some bad news, to use the old expression," he said, pushing dark hair back out of his eyes. "The good news is that he's perfectly healthy, other than the missing limbs, of course. The bad news may come as something of a shock to you. You're friend over there," he jerked his chin in my direction, " is a chimera. Half cat, half human in composition."
They both looked at him in shock; Winry's mouth hanging open, and Al's eyes wide.
"It was obviously done by accident-a transmutation gone wrong or something like that, or it was done by an amiture."
"Can you help it?" Al asked, then looked at me and said, "Sorry, I mean, he? She? I didn't check."
The doctor chuckled then, to my shock as much as theirs, said, "I can separate them. They weren't purposefully fused so their souls should be separable.
"Do you need any supplies?" Winry asked for Al.
"Nothing but some chalk."
Al recovered from his surprise and pulled some from the drawer next to the table. The doctor took it and drew a surprisingly simple array, me at it's center.
Dr. Lens looked me in the eye and said sympathetically, "Now, this is going to hurt. Probably just as much as when you were fused. Ready?"
I nodded and closed my eyes.
He pressed his palms to the table and the bright lights of alchemy engulfed me in a sea of energy. It was a different kind of pain than the last time. Then, it was pulling my body unnatural ways, but this time it seemed to be righting itself. It was like when you pop a joint that's out of place: a good kind of pain. It seemed to take longer to be done this time, though, but it probably had something to do with the fact that I was conscious for the entirety of the transmutation.
When I opened my eyes I was me again, but I was naked. Fortunately for me, the doctor was ready with a towel to wrap around my waist.
I looked around, everything seemed normal again. Al was relieved, but Winry...Winry looked like she wanted to kill me.
"How dare you!" she shrieked, she launched herself across the room, stopping a foot away from me. "How dare you listen to me tell you everything I'm thinking and feeling and not give me some kind of signal that you were you!" Smack! The slap whipped across my face, rocking my head back. She lifted her hand to deliver another blow, but I caught her wrist before it touched my face.
"Winry, I'm sorry," I spoke before I could think it through and decide against it, "But I'm glad that you told me that. I have more than one reason to get mine and Al's body back to normal. I need to make it right for Al, but I also need to make it right for you, Winry."
Her eyes widened and I suddenly realized how close we were standing, just inches apart. She pulled her wrist lightly from my hand and shook her head, smiling. "You idiot. Go put on some clothes."
I stared at her for a moment then shook my head, and went to my room. I pulled on a pair of pants and a shirt, then went back to the main room. Winry smiled when I entered from where she was sitting on the couch and patted the spot next to her. I sat down by her and watched as Al said good-bye to Dr. Lens and cuddled the cat.
I glanced at Winry, and realized for the first time that she only smiled after she saw me. And, maybe I smiled when I saw her, too.