LunarFallenStar: Hey guys! Here's an early... Christmas/Hanukkah/Whatever_you_celebrate present! Hope you enjoy!
The house was abuzz with commotion. With all the guardian's gathered together, and a name being decided upon, nothing was preventing the party from commencing. Everyone was dressed in their finest attire. They had even bought Ed and Al fancy suits. Al had fit right in with the fancy clothing, getting used to it quickly. Ed however, felt awkward and uncomfortable.
Al was in a simple suit, crisp and clean, jacket and all. Ed, however, discarded the jacket and wore only the vest over his clean, white shirt. A fedora was perched upon his head, a low ponytail hanging out from below it's rim.
Giotto and the others merged into the crowd easily, used to this lifestyle. Heck, Elena, Lampo, and Daemon usually lived it every day.
The guardians all stood alert, looking for any suspicious signs. Giotto and Cozart mingled as usual, keeping a radar up for any hints of malice. Al was off with Elena, immersed in pleasant chatter with the lady.
Ed sighed, and leaned against the wall of the building. The party was also being held outside as the house would've been to crowded. The pond reflected the light of the moon beautifully, setting the ambiance.
The blond alchemist stared at the glass in his hand, swirling its contents around. He was never one for alcohol, finding the after-effects less than pleasant. He had only taken a glass because G had insisted, saying it wouldn't be kind to Giotto if he refused.
He took a small sip, quickly swallowing. Most of the party-goers were inside, enjoying their evening. Ed had stolen outside, reveling in the quiet atmosphere. He hummed a small tune, the melody echoing.
He turned, looking at the entryway to the house. He supposed it was time to return inside. Most of the guests were dancing to a ballad being played upon the piano by G. The song was nearing a close as he approached the red haired Italian.
When G's fingers stilled, Ed leaned over towards him, "Never knew you could play..."
"There's a lot you don't know about us," G said simply, standing.
"Have you seen anyone suspicious?" Ed asked under his breath.
G shook his head, "The most suspicious thing I've seen is Lampo being well behaved."
Edward chuckled slightly, turning to face the green haired noble who was currently engaging in small talk with the guests, "Well, he was raised in this lifestyle."
"True," G chuckled, "I'm going to go check up on boss."
The blond nodded, turning to make his way into the crowd. He briefly noted Alaude lurking in the corner of the room. He chuckled. The man was as antisocial as usual.
The room was only without music for a few minutes before the calming lilt of the piano resumed, having found a new player. A woman walked over to Ed, holding out her hand. Ed smiled and bowed. It was a fun night, why not dance at least once?
He took the woman's hand and proceeded to escort her to the dance floor.
Over on the sidelines, Al gaped.
"What?" Elena asked, peering through the crowd to find what was so shocking.
"Nii-san..." Al gasped, "He's... he's dancing!"
Elena turned to him, arching a thin eyebrow, "What's so strange about that?"
"Well, Nii-san usually doesn't like to partake in events like these very often," Al explained, "And whenever he does, he stays as far away from the party as he can."
Daemon walked over, holding his hand out for Elena, "Shall we dance?"
Elena chuckled, holding out her hand, "Why certainly. It was nice talking with you Alphonse."
Al watched the two disappear into the crowd and smiled. They made a pretty nice couple. He felt a presence next to him and turned, spotting a girl, appearing to be of Asian descent, gazing at him.
"Hello," He greeted, smiling warmly.
The girl smiled back, "Hello! My name's Mei."
Alphonse smiled, "I'm Alphonse, but feel free to call me Al. Would you like to dance?"
Mei flushed slightly before nodding, holding out her hand.
The evening continued like that, everyone having a good time.
Eventually, the music stilled to a stop. Everyone fell silent as the sound of silverware tapping gently against a glass echoed through the hall. Everyone turned to the front of the room, where Giotto stood, on what appeared to be a raised platform of sorts. His guardians as well as Cozart, Ed, and Al stood next to the platform.
He cleared his throat and began to speak, "I would like to thank you all for attending tonight. As you all may know, my associates and I have created a group. A group designed to help you, the people. We would like to strive to help our town, our country, get to a better place, where it won't matter what class you are in! We strive for a point in time where everyone is treated fairly. We can only hope that you will join us in our efforts. The efforts of we, the Vongola."
He bowed, signaling the end of his speech. Everyone applauded, most in favor of what the blond had offered. The party returned to normal, and the guardians dispersed.
Ed walked up to the platform and approached Giotto, "You did well up there."
Giotto chuckled, "Thanks... I was pretty nervous," The blond looked down, scratching his cheek.
Ed laughed, hugging his stomach and bending over. He began to wave bye to his friend as he walked off, only now noticing a figure in the shadows near Giotto. And it wasn't Alaude. The cold barrel of a gun glinted dangerously in the small amount of light reaching that area. It was aimed directly at the unsuspecting Vongola Primo.
Ed gasped, rushing forward and screaming at the top of his lungs, "GIOTTO!"
He pushed the Italian out of the way, said Italian's body going flying before colliding with the ground. Giotto gasped, looking up at Ed with slight irritation. A gunshot rang out. Ed crumpled to the floor.
"ED!" Giotto cried, running to his friend. Cradling Ed's form in his arms he looked down at him, "You idiot!"
"Damn..." Ed choked, "This... hurts..."
"Don't talk," Giotto chided, applying pressure to the wound. His eyes darted around, scanning the crowd. The guests were screaming trying to scramble out of the room as fast as they could. Giotto couldn't even see his guardians anywhere. He was practically alone.
He could here the shouts resounding in the room, but they all blurred into a single dull roar. Adrenaline pumped through his veins as he looked around the room. His eyes widened in horror when the candle operas were nocked over, catching all around them on fire.
Everything was going wrong.
He returned his attention to Ed, who had stopped talking. He tried to stop the bleeding, but nothing was working. A deep red was spreading over the white expanse of Ed's shirt.
The flames were spreading in the corner of his vision. He needed to get out. He needed to get Ed out.
A voice was heard over the roar of the screams, "Nii-san!"
Giotto's eyes darted up just in time to see Al rushing over to them. Only seconds had passed since the shot rang out, but it felt like centuries.
Al knelt beside him, looking at his brother. The brunette balled his hands into fists, "Nii-san, you dumbass!"
Ed cracked an eye open. Al practically never swore.
Giotto looked at the younger Elric brother, "Al, do you know where any of the others are?"
"Daemon-san was taking Elena to safety I saw, and the others tried to get people out as quickly as possible. G-san should be here soon."
"There won't be a 'soon' for all of you," A voice rang out.
The two jumped slightly, turning to find a hunched figure, holding a gun towards them. A black cloak was draped over his frame, a hood casting a shadow over his face.
"You... were the one..." Ed choked, "That shot at... Giotto..."
"You're still alive?" The man chortled, "I'm surprised."
With those words being said, the man pulled the trigger. Ed's head snapped back and he slumped.
Giotto's eyes widened in horror. Passing Ed to a surprisingly composed Alphonse, Giotto slowly stood, bangs shadowing his eyes.
The blonde pulled out gloves, slipping them onto his hands. The strength of his emotions lit the gloves with flames. He charged forward, knocking the man through a nearby wall.
Al looked down at his brother, whispering softly, "I think it's time you stopped playing pretend, Nii-san."
The youngest Elric hooked his arm around his brothers waist and slowly dragged the blond out to safety, "Your automail sure is heavy..."
Giotto, still inside the flaming building, dueled with the masked man. He gritted his teeth, blocking another bullet aimed at him. He needed to get out and fast, the building wouldn't be able to support this strain for long. Flames licked at his skin but he didn't care.
Peering the smoke and haze, he spotted the dark cape. He flew forward, landing a swift punch on the man. The man gathered his bearings before firing a bullet towards the sky. A loud creaking assaulted Giotto's ears and he looked up for a moment, just in time to see a chandelier falling from the ceiling. He jumped back, arms flying over his face to block the embers that flew up.
Dust and debris clouded his vision. A single shot rang out once more and Giotto felt a pain in his leg. Then, there was nothing. His vision cleared and he looked around, but saw no sign of the man anywhere.
He staggered to his feet, doing a once over before making his way out of the burning building.
Outside
Al sat, looking over his brother. A shout was heard in the distance accompanied by curses. He looked up, seeing many of the guardians rushing over to him.
G looked at Al, not fully noticing Ed's presence, "Where's Giotto?"
Al looked up at him, "The last time I saw him, he was fighting with the guy who shot at him."
Asari, Knuckles, and Lampo slowed to a stop next to G. They still hadn't noticed the figure below Al, more concerned with their leader currently hidden in the flames.
"Where's Alaude-san and Daemon-san?" Al inquired.
"They're trying to get the guests to safety, along with Cozart-san," Asari informed, "Where's your brother..."
The japanese man trailed off as he followed Alphonse's gaze. The others soon followed his lead. Knuckles jolted into motion, kneeling down besides Al.
"I-I can try to heal him..." The priest trailed off, knowing an injury like this couldn't be handled easily.
Al shook his head, "There's no need."
"How can you be so composed?!" Lampo shouted, "You're practically holding you're brother's dead body!"
"You needn't worry about, Nii-san," Al said simply, thinking to himself, 'He'll wake up soon...'
They stared at the Elric incredulously, thinking he had lost his mind. Silence settled on the group, the only noise being the roar of the flames.
"G-Giotto!" G called, running to the house. And sure enough, a slumped figure stumbled out, cradling his thigh. G slung Giotto's arm over his shoulder and helped the blond to safety, setting him down onto the grass. Knuckles got to work on healing his injured leg.
Al watched transfixed at the sun flame. He'd have to ask to research those specifically later.
Giotto tried to bat the priest's hands away, "Help Ed first..."
The priest bit his lip, not quite knowing what to say. Giotto looked down, knowing full well what the priest's silence meant. He looked towards Alphonse, whispering under his breath a muffled, "I'm sorry."
"Sorry for what?"
Everyone froze, all knowing that voice too well. They turned their heads, gazing at the source of the noise. Ed was sitting up, wincing slightly as red sparks flew across his form. Two bullets fell to the ground.
Everyone gaped silently, just staring at the unharmed blond before them.
"WHAT?!" The members of the Vongola screamed.
"B-but... you and the bullet! You were- and he was-... WHAT?!"
Ed chuckled sheepishly, rubbing the back of his head.
Al raised his hand, smacking his brother harshly upside the head, "Apologize, Nii-san! You scared everyone half to death!"
"Oh, come on, Al!" Ed groaned, "If I told him I couldn't die, it would kill the suspense!"
An awkward cough settled the dispute instantly, and the two brothers turned to face G, who had awkwardly coughed into his hand, "Now, even though this is the perfect time to have this conversation," His voice was laced with sarcasm, "I believe there is something more important to worry about at the moment."
To emphasize his point, a level of the Vongola house crumbled slightly, a loud roar permeating the atmosphere.
Staring at the blaze, Ed leaned over to Giotto, "Do we have an excuse to make some expansions now?"
Giotto could only muster a sigh.
LunarFallenStar: And the fail chapter is finally finished! Thank you all for reading, I hope you enjoyed the chapter. 'Til next time, Bye-Bi~
majishan: Thanks for the review! Glad you liked my fail attempt at humor.
YuyaKnightwriter97: Thanks for the review! I'm happy that whole ending didn't seem too stupid or anything! Oh, and I think your avatar picture is adorable!
HebaAce: Thanks for the review! And no, not at all! Those comments are very helpful, and help with improvement! I thoroughly enjoy analytical and edifying suggestions and info. Glad you liked my use of Knuckles and my attempted humorous ending! Your welcome for the shout-out! Credit is given to whom credit is deserved! And about Al, I'm planning to have some chapters centered around him, specifically with his research and studying of sun flames.
The OMG Cat: Thanks for the review! And here's the update you probably waited a long time for!
Yuolmae: Thanks for the review! Glad you like the plot so far! Alphonse will be included quite often, but I fear that Winry and Roy will be unable to make an appearance outside of flashbacks. But if you're a fan of the gang from Xing (Mei, Lan Fan, Ling, Fu, etc), I'm planning to have their parallels making an appearance.
CrimsonLocket: Anime logic is SO crazy and weird XD I could probably jump out a window, except it wouldn't look nearly as cool or coordinated as it does in anime... They're completely fine after the jump... I'd just be a stain on the side of the road if I tried. And I hope your Thanksgiving was good as well. And... I hope this gives you just as much happiness to counterbalance the sadness.
diskidi: Thanks for the review! Glad you found this story funny... at all. I fail at humor. I plan to continue this, so... stay tuned I guess