DISCLAIMER: I NO OWN FULLMETAL ALCHEMIST BROTHERHOOD, IF I DID I WOULDN'T BE HERE TODAY!
Me: *pouting* But I really wish I did.
Leo: Seeing what you put me through, I'm really glad you DON'T
Me: *ignoring Leo* I'd like to thank LeFay Strent for making sure I wasn't stealing any of her ideas. *bows* Thank you.
Leo: Now PLEASE R&R
A pair of red-brown eyes were glazed as the owner listened to the teacher drone on and on. They blinked twice and wrote something down on a sheet of paper, then got up and turned to paper in. The others in the class stopped listening as she set the paper on the teachers desk and the teacher smiled kindly at her.
"Miss Rider, please sit back down and listen." He said handing the paper back. The girl sighed and went back to her desk, and pulled out a purple sharpie. Boredom reigned supreme as she drew on her palm. She looked up in hope as the teacher stopped talking and sighed when he said she could turn her paper in.
"Thank God. Here you go Mr. Ternaz." She said, setting the paper down. Ternaz smiled up at her, "Should I expect another A to B grade from you?" The girl looked at him with a blank face, "Maybe, maybe not. Grade it to find out." She waved behind her as she walked back to her desk, muttering "Stupid pervert." under her breath, the rest of the students voices drowning out her own as the engaged in conversation.
"Levy-chan! You finished already?" The newly named Levy, groaned as a pair of arms encircled her neck and a small blonde girl hugged her. The blonde pouted, "You should have helped me Levy." Levy gritted her teeth in annoyance, "How many times have I said not to call me Levy, my name is Leo!" She ground out. The girl looked at her in confusion.
"But you name is Levy Rider, your nickname is Leo. And anyways, when I call you Levy, your expressions are priceless." The girl grinned widely. Leo sighed and broke the grip around her neck. "Carman, please refrain from touching me. You know I don't like being touched." Carman pouted again, her green eyes sparkling.
"Ne, Leo, what's that?" She pulled Leo's hand into her own and stared at the symbol. "Ayiii! It looks so real! If it was red I wouldn't be here right now.!" She said, gesturing to the dark purple and sharpie drawn Ouroboros figure on Leo's right palm. Leo just stared at Carman, "You're weird. You know that right?" She said, pulling her hand away.
"So that saves me the question of asking which anime you're a fan of. Obviously you're a 100% FMA fan! So which character do you like!?" Carman rambled on and on about FMA. Leo looked at her in confusion. "Carman! I have no clue what you are saying. I stopped reading the manga after Mr. Hughes died. I couldn't read it anymore. And I haven't watched the anime either. So stop confusing me with characters that I don't know about!" Carman stopped and stared at her. A pout formed on her face.
"Oh, OK! Anyways, has your mom been found? Or your dad?" Carman asked innocently. Leo froze in putting her books away. "No, my mother has not been found and don't talk about my dad to me. Its his fault mom's missing anyways. If she didn't go with him, then both wouldn't be missing." She growled, face contorted in anger.
They both looked up as the final bell rang and waited till the last of the student filed out to leave as well. Leo sighed as she and Carman walked through the halls. 'She just had to ask that question. You'd think after the first time she'd learn better. Damn idiot.' She thought, glaring at her happy friend out of the corner of her eyes. She stared at the blonde as she skipped down the hallways, humming of all things.
"No, she's just blonde." Leo said while palming her forehead. She winced slightly as the palm of said hand tingled. She looked down at it and glared. "It'd be just my luck to get ink poisoning out of all things." She grumbled, noticing the red around the edges of the 'doodle'. Growling lowly she ignored her hyperactive blonde friend and walked away.
Leo slowed as she got out of the school zone and sighed again. She looked up at the sky and groaned. "Three more years, then I'm free of school." She muttered, pulling off her bag and rummaging through it. "Ah, where is it? Where- oh! There it is." She said, a small smile on her face as she brought out a key… with the Flamel symbol on it. Leo's face blanked and she self-consciously rubbed the back of her head. "Maybe I'm a bigger fan than I'm letting on." She said to herself, unlocking the door and throwing the key in the tray.
She stood there in the dark corridor for a second as emotions passed over her face. "I'm home." She called softly, wishing for someone to answer with a 'How was your day?'. Sadly, no one did, like always. Leo walked into the living room and collapsed unceremoniously onto the couch. Rolling over with a grunt she picked up the picture on the table beside the couch and stared at it unemotionally.
The photo in the frame was four years old, mostly because it was taken right before both her parents just fell off the earth. Leo was in the middle, pouting up at a red haired man who was ruffling her red-almost-black hair with his eyes closed, a boyish grin on his face. The woman in the picture just watched the two with a smile, her long black hair framing her face, green eyes sparkling with amuzement.
That was their last time together. Both her mother and her father were dressed up in gear, khaki pants and shirt, ready to go exploring. Leo herself was in a dark blue shirt and a pair of jeans. And even though she was pouting, you could see the smile in her eyes. Leo turned the picture over and removed the back, pulling the photo from its frame. She folded it and put it in her back pocket, vowing to never part with it, the last happy moment in her family.
Leo yawned and raked a hand through her dark red hair. She laid back on the couch and sighed. Suddenly she felt something jerk her, not literally jerk her but she felt a pull inside. Then the lights flickered off and she sat up quickly and grabbed her stomach. She groaned as the pull worsened and a burning started in her palm. She held up her clenched fist shakingly and opened it.
Her eyes widened in horror and shock as the all the breath in her body left her. The harmless 'doodle' she had drawn on her palm was glowing red purple. Wind swept her short hair from around her face as a spinning circle surrounded her, glowing the same color as the mark on her hand. Thin, wispy black hand came up from around the circle and moved towards her.
She back up and froze as something grabbed her leg. Looking down she screamed in fear as the arms circled up her leg. Leo cried out in shock and tried to jerk her leg back, only to feel the hands grab her from behind. The coldness of their touch traveled up her body, engulfing up to her shoulders.
Leo didn't stop struggling, she wriggled, trying to free herself of the creepy hands hold. Ice water flushed through her veins as a very clear and echoing voice said, "Stop struggling and it will end faster." Leo's eyes widened in recognition and gritted her teeth, struggling harder. "Stupid human! Are you not listening to me? No? I guess you're not, well then this will make it go faster." Leo screamed in pain as the already covered body parts disintegrated.
Her eyes widened, then closed out of pain, fear, and shock. When they opened again, she was lying on her back in a never-ending white room. She took a deep breath and closed her eyes again. "Your not even going to question where you are? Eh, little human?" What sounded like a thousand voices speaking at once.
Leo sighed, "Why should I. I already know. I'm at the Gate. Am I right, Truth?" She opened her eyes to glare, albeit upside down, at the white figure standing near her. She heard him chuckle darkly. "Why are you laughing?" She demanded. Truth looked at her is what could have been amuzement.
"I'm laughing because for a very smart human, you are very dumb at times." He said, watching her sit up and glare at him. "Ok, ok alright, soooo what the hell am I here for?" She asked, standing up. "Hmmm, you're here mainly because I got bored with watching two worlds. I need some amuzement. That's why you're here." He said, grin widening.
Leo narrowed her eyes. "How can I amuse you of all people. You're Truth for crying out loud." She stopped when she heard him chuckle again. "Yes, and you are a very special person. I didn't choose this time. The Gate did itself did, take a look." He gestured behind her.
Her eyes widened and she turned on heel to see a towering dark grey pair of doors. Half formed in the middle was a snake eating its own tail with a six pointed star in the middle. "That's my Gate?" She asked incredulously. She turned back towards the Truth, gasping when she met him face to face.
"Yes, it is. Interesting isn't it? Considering those on your side of the Gate aren't supposed to have Gates." He grinned in her face. She shook and then straightened, "Why does my Gate have a Ouroboros on it?!" She asked. The Truth smiled wider, "This is why." He grabbed her right hand and her head.
An explosion of white flashed before her eyes and she felt like her body was tearing itself in two. She screamed uncontrollably and writhed on the floor. Her right burned as much as her right palm. She grabbed at her eyes and hoped the pressure would help the pain. As the pain subsided, Leo sat on her hands and knees, panting.
"What did you do to me?" She asked between pants and gasps. Truth just grinned and waved at her as the black hands dragged her into the still half formed Gate. As the doors closed, Leo spotted a figure sitting behind Truth. The figure had slightly ragged bright red hair and unfocused red-brown eyes.
Noticing her stare Truth turned and saw the man, "Ah, you noticed. You paid half of your 'toll', he paid the other half." He said, gesturing to the stoic man behind him. Leo's eyes widened, "What did I pay for my 'toll' why do I still have everything intact?! Why is my father behind you!? WHAT DID I PAY!?" She yelled as the doors slammed close.
As she tumbled through a black space, confused. The scenes flashing by, shouldn't they have something on it? Not blank white film. These thoughts went through her head as the blank screens passed her. As they passed, she saw little snip bits within the whiteness. Her attention was torn away from them as Truth's voice echoed within the passage.
"I just thought you would like to know that you paid half of your-" He was cut off as Leo was thrown from the inside of the Gate.
A pair of bright blue eyes stared out into the distance as the sun set over the hills. The owner of the eyes sighed and closed them in thought. The long blonde hair that framed her face moved gently in the wind as she stood on the balcony of her room. Winry Rockbell opened her eyes again and shook the thoughts away.
"No, they're fine. Ed's stronger than he looks. He won't die; he promised that he and Al would get their bodies back." She said, determined, and then she looked back at the sky. Edward and Alphonse Elric were her best friends, she blushed when she thought of Ed. 'Maybe a little more than friends." She thought, smiling softly. She shook her head again and watched the sun sink lower. Suddenly a bright flash of light caught her eye and she looked towards it.
Her eyes widened in shock as the light turned purple. She turned and ran out of her room and down the stairs, remembering how Ed had described their failed transmutation. "Granny, I'll be right back!" She called as she hurried out of the house.
Her heart was pounding as she sprinted towards the light. 'Who could it be this time? Please don't let it be anyone I know!' She thought as she came over the crest of the hill. Winry's eyes widened when a bright flash of white blinded her and blew her hair around.
The light died down and her eyes landed on a limp, sprawled out figure. Instincts took over and she hurried towards the body, chanting 'Please don't be dead' over in her head. Her hopes were answered when the person rolled over and moaned.
Winry's eyes widened in shock as she noticed a trail of blood coming from one eye, like dark red tears. She rushed to the girl's side and shook her a little, "Hey, are you alright?" when the girl didn't answer she sat the girl up and put one of her arms over her shoulder, slightly dragging her to her feet.
She sighed in defeat when the girl didn't wake up and silently thanked whoever was out there for the muscles she gained from being an automail engineer. Winry dragged the girl towards the house and called out, "Granny! I need your help!"
Pinako looked out the door and saw her granddaughter struggling with a limp redheaded figure. She held the door open for Winry to come through and stumble against the doorway. "She's hurt, or at least her eye is, but she won't wake up. Can I lay her down somewhere?" Winry asked, shifting the weight of the girl a little.
"Take her to one of the guest bedrooms and I'll see what I can do." Pinako said, gesturing towards the hallway. Winry nodded and hobbled towards the closest door. When she disappeared through it Pinako sighed and rubbed the bridge of her nose.
"First those boys, now a girl does something stupid. What's this world coming to?" She said to herself, walking towards the room Winry was in. She stood in the door way and watched her granddaughter put a blanket over the strange girl. Speaking over the girl, her hair was short and ragged and colored a deep red-almost-black, and other than the trail of blood beneath her right eye there were no other injuries present.
The short woman walked calmly over to the sink in the connecting bathroom and wet a rag. Winry watched as her Granny wiped the blood off the girl's face and put a bandage on it. "That should hold it for a while, but we'll have to change it tomorrow, when she wakes up." Winry nodded and the two mechanics left the room.
Sunlight streamed through the window in the room as a single red-brown eye opened and blinked away sleep. Fear washed through the peaceful face and a hand reached up to touch the wrapping on her right eye. Realizing that something was only covering her eye she sighed.
"Where am I?" She asked out loud, sitting up and looking around. Realization dawned on her as her eye scanned the room and noticed pieces of automail everywhere. Her face deadpanned and she put a palm to her forehead, "I'm dreaming, right?" When no one answered her she sighed and looked at her hands.
Confusion flickered on her face when she saw no purple on her palm. Then just as suddenly as the confusion was there, relief filled its spot. Running her hand through her hair, Leo sighed in obvious relief. She swung her legs over the side of the bed and looked out at the blue sky outside the window.
Leo stumbled slightly as she stood and grabbed a hold of the dresser next to the bed. Her legs felt weak and unused, "Wow, how long was I out?" Leo mumbled as she made her way to the open bathroom door. Sighing she splashed water on her face, careful not to get the bandage wet. She touched the white covering again, "What happened to my eye?" She wondered out loud.
"Oh, that's because it was bleeding through the lids when I found you. It should be better now." Leo jumped and turned to see and girl with long blonde hair and bright blue eyes. Her eyes widened in recognition but all that came from her slightly open mouth was, "Huh?"
The blonde girl smiled and nodded, "Come over here and I'll check it." Leo nodded and walked stiffly over and sat down on the edge of the bed. "Oh, and I'm Winry Rockbell. I found you outside two days ago." Leo whipped her head up in shock. "I've been asleep for two days?" Her voice shook.
Winry nodded and reached up to take the bandage on. She examined the girl's eye and took note of the blood crusted on the girl's eyelashes. "What's your name?" She asked, walking to a wardrobe in the room. The girl looked up with one red-brown eye wide and the other closed, "Levy, or Leo, Rider. Thank you for caring for me." The newly named Leo said.
Winry smiled, "I couldn't just let you lie out in the dirt, bleeding now could I?" Leo shook her head as a small smile graced her cracked lips. "Now where is it?" Winry went back to rummaging through the closet/wardrobe, biting her lip. "Where's what?" Leo asked, getting up and peering over Winry's shoulder.
"This!" She said, pulling out an old black tank top and a long, long-sleeved shirt out, along with a pair of black shorts. "These should fit. And I would bet money that you want a shower to clean off, plus your clothes are dirty." Winry rambled pushing the clothes into the slightly shorter girl's hands.
Leo looked perplexed, "Um, are these yours?" She asked, looking at the bundle of clothes in her arms. "The shirt is, but the tank and shorts belong to an old family friend. I'm sure they won't mind though." Winry smiled and watched as Leo nodded slowly and walked into the bathroom, shutting the door behind her.
Once she heard the shower turn on she smiled again and left the room, only pausing to look back and frown, "Why would a cute girl like that try to do something forbidden." She sighed and left the room, this time actually going out.
Leo sighed in relief when Winry had all but shoved her into the bathroom. It was true, she really needed a shower. Not only to get all the dirt and sweat off her body, but also the dried blood off of her eyelid and lashes. She stripped and got in the shower.
She winced as the cold water hit her bare skin and washed away the pain and memories of her visit to the Truth. Flashes went through her head and she realized Truth had taken something else. The memory of the person she'd seen behind him as she was pulled out.
Sure Leo had a strong feeling that she had known that person, but every time she thought of him, a flash of white pain would fill her mind. She shook her head, water droplets coming from the tips of her hair. Running a hand through her hair, again, she stopped thinking and took her shower.
Half an hour later, the shower curtain was pulled back and Leo stepped out, wrapped in a towel. She pulled the towel off and dried her hair feverously and then hung it up. She turned back and looked at her reflection. Her eyes traveled down the familiar figure. The short and ragged dark red-black hair, a face that still held childlike proportions, one red-brown eye and the other still closed, a face she knew and had always seen.
But then her eye caught a flash of purple out of the corner and she turned to look at it. Her one eye widened and she heard a popping sound as the other joined it. There on her left hip was a dark purple Ouroboros set in the pale skin. She looked up to her face in shock and noticed something else. While one eye was its normal color, the other was a vibrant violet, and as she watched both of the pupils in the eyes narrowed. Like a cat's eye, or better yet, like a Homunculus'.
She did the only thing reasonable to herself. She screamed.
End Note: Me: I am trying to keep her away from being a MS, Leo will NOT be a MS if I can help it. And I plan to put a poll up in a few chapters and her 'gift' from Truth. She already gets a scythe, because she is Truth's 'Reaper' so she gets a scythe.
Leo: What if I don't want a scythe? *glaring at me*
Me: TOO BAD! Now please REVIEW!