"NO! no. please don't leave me, please don't go." I could heard Edward shouting through the
sound of water falling. I was lying in
his arms. I had no feeling, all was gone. Ed stoked my hair. "Not
now." he said softly.
I flickered my eyes open, and looked
into his topaz eyes. "Edward…" I managed to whisper. "Wait …
for me." I breathed and all went white. I was standing in front of
the gate, my hair was not covered in blood anymore but still had its
gentle curl and I was where a simple white dress.
"The gate." I said out loud not realizing I was all alone. It slowly opened up for me. And I walked in.
I lived in a small village. Only about 300 people, and surprising Alchemy was not common here. It was a simple old fashion village. My father, Michael Krista, had pretty must control over all the land. He mostly paid more attention to the people then to me.
But it wasn't all like that you see, I had once been very close to him. That was when my mother and brother were still alive. they died about 7 months ago. The state alchemist had come to inspect out village. I don't even know what happened but a fight broke out. Needless to say my mother and twin brother were both killed by state alchemist. My father grew bitter towards me and I began to hate the state alchemist.
I have always loved music; I would write and compose music for my father when I was younger. Once my mother and brother died he hated everything I had ever written. He burned most of my music and ordered for the piano to be destroyed. The piano was very special to me. My brother Aaron had it built custom for my 13 birthday. The keys on the piano that were normally white were black and the black keys where white. The piano was marble swirled with black and white. I'm still not sure what my father did with it but it is gone now, and the large house is silent.
To keep my mind off of Aaron and my mother, I started to study alchemy. My father used to be an alchemist but gave it up. I would work on my alchemy skills almost every day. I soon came across an alchemy book; it spoke of a stone that could be used to perform Alchemy with the laws of equivalent exchange. I could use it to bring back both my mother and brother back and my pain would stop. I then realized that in order to make the stone others would have to die. I couldn't do that to others, so I research more. I found that I could use alchemy to make compounds such as diamonds and other precious stones. I thought that if I got good at producing compounds, then I would be able to produce the philophers stone. I couldn't have been more wrong.
I sat in my room looking out the window at the fall leaves that blew around with the wind. I lifted my left hand up to the glass, but I wasn't able to feel the coldness of the window. My newly acquired auto mail wasn't able to feel coldness. I looked down at the front steps that lead up to the front door, two boy were walking up to the door. One who looked no older than me was dressed in a red cape, black pants and shirt, where white gloves. The other I could see no features, because he was in a large metal armor suit.
I picked up my black glove and slipped it over my auto mail. I walked over to my desk and opened another alchemy book that had just come in through mail. I hoped there would be more on the stone. About 5 minutes later I heard a light knock at my door.
"It's open." I said and the door creaked open. Our house keeper, Carolyn walked in. "Yes?" I asked.
"Some men asked to see you." she said softly.
"Who are they; do you know what they want?" I asked her.
"No I do not know why the wish to speak with you. Should I send them off?"
"No, send them in." I was curious of why they came to see me.
"Yes Ma'am." She said walking out. The two boys came into my room. I motioned for them to sit.
"Hello, My name is Edward. Edward Elric." The one that looked my age said to me. "And this is my brother Alphonse."
"My name is Rebecca, why have you come to see me?" I asked.
"We have come to asked you if can produced the philosopher's stone." He asked quickly.
"I cannot give you what you ask for." I said turning to once again look out the window.
"You must understand." Alphonse said. "We really need the stone. If you have if please tell us, so we could use it together."
"We all need it for something," I yelled. "You not the only people who need the stone in this world." A tear rolled down my cheek. The both didn't say anything. I turned back towards them. "I'm sorry; I didn't mean it like that. It's just, I do not have to stone, nor can I make it."
"I'm sorry to be of a bother to you." Edward said.
"Do you need a place to stay for a few days?" I asked, it was the least I could do.
"I don't want to be a burden." Edward replied.
"You're an alchemist right?" I asked.
"Yes." he said sounding confused.
"I will tell you what. I will challenge you to a duel and if you win then you may stay here as long as you wish." Edward raised one eyebrow.
"Your on." he said through his evil smile.
"Oh, brother, can you ever say no to a fight?" Alphonse said to his brother and Edward just laughed.
I brought them both down to my alchemy lab it was large enough for us to fight. Alchemy circles where drawn all over the ground and ceiling.
"Okay the first person to disarm and pin the other wins." I said removing my coat.
"Fine. Sounds fair to me." he said. We began to fight with just simple punches and kicks. Dodging and missing. He was better than I thought.
"Oh come on, is this all you got." I yelled over to him.
"You haven't seen nothing yet." he yelled back to me. He then did something I never would have expected. He clapped his hands and placed them on the ground. The rocks underneath me buckled and was sent flying backwards.
He just used alchemy without a circle; I thought I was the only one who could do that. But how? I bet he thought the same thing about me. I stood up and clapped my hands together and placing them on the ground I sent my energy over to where he was standing. The ground under him shoot up. He looked surprised.
I then clapped my hands again producing lightning. I had it strike right next to him. He quickly got up and towards me clapping his hand incasing me in a box of concrete. I clapped my hands and placed them on the wall that surrounded me. The rocked went back into the ground and I saw no one in front of me. I then felt someone grab my hand and turn me around. I lost my balance and fell on the ground. Edward had pinned me and he was on top of me.
"How do you know how to do that?" He half shouted.
"Do what?" I asked. My head hurt a little from the fall.
"Alchemy without a circle." he said a little more quietly.
"I don't know." I breathed.
"Don't give me that crap." He said placing his hand on my left hand. "Is it something in this glove." He started to try and remove my glove from my hand.
"No please. Stop, let me get up." I begged him.
"Then it is something. What is it?" He said and he finally got the glove off. Revealing my automail hand. His eyes widened.
"Automail?" he whispered getting off of me. "Why do you have Automail?"
"Why should I tell you?" I asked. I didn't want to tell him about my haunting past.
"Because, I have auto mail too." He said ripping away at his shirt on his right arm. I could see the metal shine through. I opened my mouth to say something, but I couldn't form the words. I reached my right hand to touch the cold metal.
"How?" I whispered.
"Human transmutation." he looked away. "We tried to bring my mother back." I could see a single tear escape his eye. He looked back at me with his sad topaz eyes.
"I tried to make the philosophers stone." I looked down at my silver hand. "so I could bring my mother, and my brother Aaron back. But I ended up with this." I lifted my hand to show him.
"I have never seen an automail hand before. What happened?" he asked.
"I had been working so hard at perfecting my skills, I can make diamonds, and other stones, so I thought I was ready to make the photospheres stone." We were still sitting on the cold floor of my alchemy lab. He placed his right hand on my left hand. Our automail clicked together softly. "I drew the circle, I did everything right. I saw the stone right in from of me. I reached out to grab it. But, before I could reach it exploded and it was gone. I began to feel my hand start to burn. Soon the skin dissolved, and then the muscle, till all I could see was my bones. It felt as if I placed my hand in fired and couldn't remove it. The pain finally stopped, but my hand was gone. I guess it was my punishment for trying to create the stone."
"Oh I see" He squeezed my hand tighter.
"What about you?" I asked looking down at his automail.
"Once our mother died." he stopped for a moment. "My father was an alchemist and keeps notes on his alchemy. We tried to do human transmutation. I ended up losing my leg and Alphonse was sucked in towards the gate. In order to save him I connected his soul to a suit of armor, so I ended up losing my arm. That's why I need the philosophers stone."
"So you can bring you mother back?"
"No, so I can get my brother's body back." He helped me stand up.
"I cannot make the stone for you, but I want to help you find it. Please let me come with you." I looked deeply into his eyes.
"Well, after seeing you fight, and you can perform alchemy without a circle. You might be able to help us." He smiled, I could feel my cheeks' burn. Did I like this guy? I asked myself but pushed it out of the way.
"Here let me take you to your room." We walked outside of the lab to find Alphonse sitting against the wall. I couldn't tell if he was asleep or not.
"Come on Al." Edward said to his brother.
"Brother! Who won?" he asked quickly.
"Well, we're staying aren't we?" He let out a small laugh as I led the way back to the house. We walked through the long hallways of the house.
"You have a wonderful home." Alphonse echoed
"Thank you." I whispered. Although I didn't think that these hall were 'wonderful'. they used to be, but they have grown dark, and dreary.
"You may stay here." I pointed towards the black doors. "You like separated rooms. Because if so there is another room down the hall."
"Thank you." We stood there in the silence for while bother of not sure what to say. "I guess this is good night."
"Oh, well, Goodnight." I turned to walk away but Edward grabbed my hand to stop me.
"I promise you that if we find the stone I will get you your hand back," I couldn't help much smile. He turned around to enter his room. I almost ran back up to my room and fell onto my bed. Oh my god, I thought to myself. I think that I really like him. But he most likely doesn't feel the same way about me. He was just being… polite.
I sat up, I had remembered something. Edward had said something about a gate. When he said it I didn't think it meant anything but maybe it did. I wonder what it was, but for some reason I felt like I already knew what it meant.
I climbed into bed with a mind that was racing. I was soon able to close my eyes and drift off to sleep.
I flickered my eyes open to find myself in a white room. I looked down at my left hand, and there was no automail, I still had both my hands. Where was I? I turned around to see a large black gate behind me. I walked up to it, symbols where etched into is and words that I didn't know the meaning of. I felt as if I needed to open the gate. I placed my hands on the gate, my left hand started to burn. I looked down at my hand to see it begin to disappear. I started to scream and back away from the gate.
I jumped up so fast, and didn't realize that I was still screaming. I lifted my left hand up to see that I once again had my automail. It was a dream, only a dream.
"That gate!" I said out loud. I jump out of my bed and ran down to Edwards room.
"Edward?" I said softly as I knocked on the door. "Edward?" I asked a little louder. Soon the door opened and I saw Edward standing in fount of me. He was without a shirt so I assumed he had been sleeping.
"Yes?" he asked sheepishly.
"Um, I … Um… its just…" I couldn't form the words.
"What did you come down here for, Ms. Krista?" I shook my head to wake myself up.
"Earlier you mentioned a gate?" His eyes widened.
"Why don't you come in?" He stepped aside as I walked him. He grabbed his shirt that was draped over a chair and quickly pulled it on. "Do you not know about the gate?" he asked as I sat down on the edge of the bed.
"No. I don't. Why would I?" I asked
"I just assumed, because you can perform alchemy without a circle. And the lightning thing you did." he walked over towards me.
"I have never seen a gate before." I stopped. "Was it black, large, had words carved into the side?"
"Yes, but you said you have never seen it before." he looked confused.
"I haven't I just had a dream about a gate, just now."
"Hmmm." He began to pace around the room. "That's strange. You see, when I tried to bring mom back, I was pulled to this gate. When it opened up, I could see everything, answers to questions that have never been asked. I guess I learned how to do alchemy without a circle in there. I guess it was all I could remember." He once again walked over to me. "When were you able to do alchemy with out a circle?"
"I guess," I thought. "It was right after I tried to make the stone." My eyes shot open. "And that's when I began to work with lightening." '
"You must have been brought to the gate that night, and you just can't remember it." He said.
"But why did I have a dream about it?" I asked.
"You must have pushed the memory into you self conscious mind." I was still confused but I could begin to understand.
"Are you saying that after I tried to make the stone I went and saw the gate." I looked down at my automail, that explains why when I touch that gate my hand started to burn. We both just sat there for a long time. Both thinking the same thoughts. I looked over to the clock that was hanging on the wall. 3:00 AM.
I stood up, "We better be getting back to bed. I'm sorry I bothered you."
"Rebecca?" Edward said in a quiet voice. I turned to meet his eyes.
"Yes?" I looked down.
"Every day you seem to wake up wondering, should I even be living today. Do I even deserve to walk the face of this planet? You think to yourself, 'I wish I was the one that would have died'. But there is always that voice in the back of your mind that tells you to keep going, to never stop fighting for what you believe is right." I couldn't say anything. He just summed up ever emotion that I had felt since my mother and Aaron died. How could he have known? "I know," He continued. "because that it was I felt everyday too. When I look in your eyes, I can see it. There is hurt, but there is passion that keeps you going. Don't let that passion stop, don't let the fire in your soul die."
I couldn't help it, after holding it in for so long, I couldn't keep it in anymore. I fell to the ground and started to cry. "I miss them so much." I said through my tears. "I feel so sad all the time." Edward came over to me and lifted me up. I could feel the gentleness of his touch. With a bit of hesitation he wrapped me in his arms as I continued to weep.
