It's here... *ominous music*
It also probably took longer than you guys were hoping for. ._.' But it's not (entirely) my fault! Things were kinda cray-cray for a while. We even stayed at someone else's apartment for 2 weeks where, with 2 loud and curious kids, it's sometimes (*coughusuallycough*) difficult to get privacy. I also wanted to get the chance to draw a new pic for this, and wasn't sure where my sketchbook went, but figured it'd pop up once we started taking things out of boxes at our new place.
My mom figuratively sweatdropped when I asked her if she knew of its whereabouts. Turns out, even though I said I wanted to keep it, she probably threw the sketchbook away.
So, I faked it with sticky-notes. I didn't think my new drawing would look as disproportional as the first, but it's even worse. T_T You'll figure out what's going on in it in a few chapters... Hopefully.
Enough with that, already! *mentally slaps self*
OK, this is actually the important part, not rambling. While this is technically the sequel to "Family History" (which I suggest you at least skim over the last chapter of to remember what happened, cuz I'm not giving any reminders), I still also consider it a new story. It's a little different in a few ways, perhaps the most important things being that the chapters didn't all come out the same size, and it's still a work in progress. You guys need to help me out with what's gonna come next. Beyond what's happened in the chapters I already wrote, I know -2% of what's in the future. I might ask (what will seem like) random questions every once in a while to aid my writing, and I'm open to suggestions. They might not all actually be used, but they'll still help a lot. :3
This first chapter is the shortest of them all, don't worry. And if you're confused by the end... GOOD. *Grumpy Cat face* Naw, just kidding. But I'm actually gonna be using a lot of theories I've thought up myself (that may or may not be explained later) that I'm reeeeaaally hoping aren't too out there. Also, I don't remember the 2003 anime as well as the manga/Brotherhood, so if I mess up something small, roll with it. If it's so obvious it pains you to read it, then tell me.
On with the story!
Suddenly, everything was black.
Then, everything was white.
John blinked, cringing at the sudden brightness. He hovered his hand above his eyes to shade them while he adjusted. It was strange; it didn't seem like he was standing on anything (when did he stand up anyways?), but he wasn't just floating around either. There wasn't any sort of breeze, but it didn't seem he was in a closed room. Everything was totally still.
He finally could stop squinting, and glanced around. His breath caught when he realized his location. He felt a prickle on the back of his neck, warning him of something looming behind him. He slowly turned around to see a ginormous set of doors with a strange design of an upside-down tree etched in, the short shadow underneath the only sign that it was actually a few inches off the ground... if there really was a ground.
The Gate.
"We actually made it..." he softly whispered to himself in amazement- and a little fear.
He started when he heard a loud thump and creak come from the doors.
They were opening.
Matt gasped as he watched his own Gate slowly open towards him, giving off intense foreboding vibes. Without meaning to, he stepped back carefully a few inches.
Maybe this really was a bad idea... He paused and frowned at his thought. No. We made it this far. We will go through with this till the end. He set his face into a determined expression as the doors reveal darkness within.
Pairs of wide purple eyes blinked open, all staring at him.
Black hands lunged for him, violently pulling him into the inky space. They hungrily surrounded his body. He heard the doors close again, but the sound seemed to be in the distance.
A few seconds later, however, the black hands let him go all at once, almost repelled by his skin. He couldn't understand what was whispered by the souls, but they seemed shocked... angry... scared.
He had no time to ponder on this because he was then blasted with images and voices, filling his cranium with more knowledge than he could comprehend at one time- more than he could comprehend in his lifetime! He grasped his head with his hands, screaming horrifically because it hurt so much his head was going to EXPLODE!
THE TORMENT WAS ENDLESS AND PAIN WAS IN EVERY MOLECULE- EVERY ATOM IN HIS HEAD AND HE COULD NOT HANDLE IT WHERE ARE YOU BROTHER SAVE ME FROM THIS TORTURE HE WAS SURE HE WAS DYING WHAT IS ALL THIS INFORMATION WORTH IF HE WOULDN'T BE ALIVE TO USE IT HE REFUSED TO DIE A SENSELESS DEATH BUT IT HURT SO HORRIBLY HE COULD BARELY THINK THE ANSWERS TO EVERYTHING WERE CRAMMED INTO HIS BRAIN COME OUT OF THIS ALIVE DON'T YOU DARE DIE!
Both an eternity and a second later, it was over.
He saw a flash of a face with purple eyes gaze at him and whisper, "What are you?"
Darkness once again.
He dropped onto solid ground, but didn't realize it. He passed out from the exhausting, agonizing experience.
{Matt Alphonse Elric, AKA Al: If you'd read "Family History", you should know by now who the heck this is. 15 years old. Gray eyes and light brown (almost blond) hair kept short in side part. He and his older brother have better synchronization than Anna and Hans in "Love Is An Open Door". He is the sweeter, more polite one.}
Matt was startled awake. He sat up quickly and groaned at the headache the action caused. He then chuckled ruefully. I'll never complain about my head hurting after going through something like that. He blinked and frowned to himself. Wait... I actually remember the Gate?
He looked around and his eyes settled on his older brother next to him, who sighed in relief. "Good, you're awake."
{John Edward Elric, AKA Ed: 16 years old. Light brown eyes and messy blond hair. The older brother who would not be able to start friendships without the younger around. Would never admit to actually watching Frozen. You like him once you get to know him.}
"Are we...?" Al scanned their surroundings, and he didn't recognize any of them.
Ed grinned and slowly nodded. "We made it. We're in Amestris."
*flails arms and makes weird freaking-out noises* ...You probably actually expected the story to go this way, though. XD
However, if you think this is gonna be the average story, au contraire, mademoiselle! (No hablo francés, si querías saber.) What makes this different from not just "Family History" but other fics (I hope ;-;) starts next chapter! So stick around! :D Please! D:
You have no idea how anxious I've been about the result of posting this- even more than those crackish!fics I usually put (which you may request one, as long as it's not a huge list of words to pick from, that's scary to look at!). That says a lot. I don't want my friends to run away because I've suddenly sucked at writing something decent. ;-; And I don't want to disappoint those who really liked "Family History" when this doesn't live up to its (small) legacy. I'm pretty sure the ANs for this first chapter have ended up longer than the actual chapter. That's how anxious I am!
Okay, I'll leave you guys alone now to decide if you want to follow, review, or just go back to archives.
Happy Summer Break! K bai!