Disclaimer: I do not own Fullmetal Alchemist. If I did, I'd get mobbed by fangirls, put in more stupid, and give Ed to my friend "Fullmidget Alchemist."
Also, I do not own the city of Chicago. If I did I'd make them put in more Blick art material stores and make them stop people from driving and talking on their cellphones at the same time.
…Where am I…? What is this place…?
There is no way this is real. I'm dreaming, I'm dreaming.
The thoughts echoed through Edward Elric's mind as he stared ahead of him.
What kind of world was this? Machines—automobiles? They couldn't be—sped past on the asphalt, taking directions from a red, yellow, and green lighted pole. There weren't any phone booths along the road, but instead every few feet were some kind of meter for how long someone could park in the spot. Tall buildings, bigger than Central City's by far and made of a glass-like material as well as iron and stone, loomed ahead. One large black building stood higher than all the others did.
People walked by, not even giving him as much as a glance from the corners of their eyes. He, on the other hand, looked at every one of them. They dressed in a way that he never saw before; girls had on barely-there shirts with mini-skirts and light jackets over them, and boys had their pants down to their knees with chains hanging from their pockets and strange cloths on their heads. Business workers walked by with briefcases, formal attire, and strange devices nearly attached to their ears, which they talked into speedily.
Of course, he had to look strange, too. A blonde boy of sixteen sitting there with no jacket and a metal arm, dripping wet while everyone else had umbrellas to protect himself or herself from the rain.
His gaze refocused as the windows of the café behind him shook. He jumped to the side, nearly falling over from shock.
He heard the disturbance before he saw it; someone had turned the bass all the way up on their stereo, and they were getting nearer—FAST.
A car came zipping around the corner, stereo blaring rap music.
Ed slammed his hands over his ears. "What is going on!" he shouted. "What kind of noise is that crap?"
In a second, the car was gone, and the sounds faded into the distance.
"What kind of place is this…?" he said, looking around.
A woman walked around the corner, a toddler in the stroller she pushed. They both looked so familiar, but it couldn't be…
Not here, Gracia and Elicia Hughes, here? No way, he told himself.
"Momma, look at the boy!" the Elicia look-alike said. "What's he doin' out here in the rain with no coat and without his momma?"
"Chelsea, calm down," the mother said.
The little girl was Chelsea. It wasn't them, then. What was he thinking, anyway? Why would they be here?
When they got nearer, Ed smiled slightly at the little girl, who beamed back.
"Momma, can I say hi to the boy?" Chelsea asked, but her mother shook her head.
As they walked by, Ed heard the mother say coldly, "Don't ever talk to a homeless person like that ever again, Chelsea Marie."
Her words stung.
Yes, Ed didn't really have anywhere to call home here, but hearing someone say it like that made it ten times worse.
After that, Ed tried to move, but failed miserably; it felt as though someone threw a weight over him.
The "weight" got heavier and heavier until he got a bit of a surprise.
A hooded figure, cloaked in red, walked towards him. A chill radiated from the form, and he suddenly felt like he wanted to stand up and run, as far away from whomever it was as fast as possible.
This command, however, never got from his brain to his legs.
The figure drew nearer and nearer, but as soon as it reached the door of the café, about 50 feet from him, the weight and chill both disappeared when a drop of water dripped from the awning onto the person's head.
A tiny voice came forth.
"Rain."
It sounded like a boy, and he was about Ed's size.
When the boy passed, Ed stared flabbergasted after him.
Th-that kid has my jacket, he thought. How the hell did he get it?
"Hey, kid!" Ed called, standing up. "Where'd you get that jacket?"
The boy turned to face him, and Ed caught a glimpse of a pair of startlingly amber eyes, just like his own, which widened when they saw him.
"What the.." Ed began, and then he yelled as the teen took off. "Hey, get back here with my coat!"
Ed stood up and ran after the teen, running straight into traffic at one point.
With a large clamor of horns blaring, drivers shouting, and Ed's yells, he nearly lost his quarry to a small alley.
The chase continued, leading them around half the city of Chicago.
This is the end of chapter one.
Thanks for reading; Chapter two comes soon.
Next character is… Alphonse! And there is a twist about Ed's prey, you'll see..