'Tis me again! Okay, nothing much to report today, so I'll just go ahead and respond to all my reviews!
To Elric329: Yes, poor Ed. I feel bad for torturing him so much.
To Takkie-Chan: Eep! Don't hurt me! I promise to continue this story and not leave it to rot in the dust.
To crazyanimefreak15: Er… Sorry, but I did say that this was going to be a RoyxEd pairing a couple chapters back, but I'll go ahead and put it in the summary. Enjoy your Al plushie with its mewing action xD
To Shingo-sama: I do read Darren Shan and I pretty much worship the ground he walks on xD No, it's not that bad, but I'm obsessed enough to order his books from England and have 'em shipped over to me.
To Anan Koroku: I shall write more and there won't be much EdxRoy parts for a while… I think… I do know that Chapter 12 is going to be kinda fluffy, so yeah. Sorry Anan ;
To hittocerebattosai: You read it 6 times! OMG! I luff you! –hugs-
To Miko102: Why do people threaten me so? Ah well… Yesh, I do love cliffhangers, but I will try to limit them.
To HagarenFanGirl: Yay! Someone does like the RoyxEd fluff. I just couldn't stand having WinryxEd pairing, and probably never will, but I think RoyxEd is cute. Does that make me a pervert or something? Man, Anime and Manga has seriously messed with my brain. Yes, poor Fury as well, but Havoc will take good care of him
To Halli05: Hell, I can't draw any of the FMA characters for beans. I make Ed look like a freakin' girl and Roy looks just weird. If you squint at my drawing of him you can see a squished tomato xD
To fmafan-92: This story is weird, but I like weird and creepy things, so yeah…
To madamwolf: I feel bad for Ed too. Here's a knife and a Hughes plushie. You can use the knife to stab the Envy plushie till your hearts content. I think Envy's actually a guy, who can change into a girl and has a very girly voice. I'm sure that he's a guy though. I personally like Envy, but I'm mad at him for killing Hughes. I seriously cried during that episode, so I'm just in denial about Hughes's death xD –hands over knife and Hughes plushie-
To KamauFox: Mustang is so thick xD He's finally figuring stuff out, but he'll need one final push to realize what Ed is.
To eternalflamingdragon: Er… Thank you. I'm glad you think that way about my story. You're free to base some things off of my story, but I won't be pleased if you completely copy me. I'm not to kind with people who rip off/copy/steal my ideas and stuff. It has a habit of ticking me off. Thanks for the review
To Jen: Wow, I can't answer any of your questions because that would completely spoil some things xD Anyways, I'll keep on writing, so don't worry 'bout that.
To A: It is a sad story, but it is rather cute sometimes, well, if you like RoyxEd, which apparently, half of my reviewers don't like --To Dairokkan: Okay, then. On with the vampires I guess.
Well, thanks to all my reviewers! I appreciate all your comments. I'm just going to say that this is a RoyxEd pairing, so you don't have to continue reading if you don't like it, or you can just skip the fluffy parts, but some of them may matter in the end. I swear that it is only going to be some fluff, none of that other stuff, 'cause I just won't do that.
Disclaimer: No, I don't own Full Metal Alchemist and probably never will, but at least I have Raith, Lilith, and Seth to keep me company since Siba was killed off in Chapter 9 xD
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Crimson SinChapter Eleven – Swimming Through Lies
--
Ed sat in an uncomfortable plastic chair that had been placed in the middle of a small white room. White walls. White tiled floor. A table. Two chairs. Nothing else. He could hear voices yelling outside the room. His clothes and skin were caked in blood. His eyes were red from crying and the metallic taste of blood coated his tongue. Ed didn't even look up when he heard the slam of a door and the sound of footsteps heading his way.
"Ed?" a voice said gently. Ed looked up to see Lieutenant Colonel Hughes standing next to him. "Are you going to be all right?"
"Yeah… I'll… Be fine…" Ed mumbled as he looked back down. Hughes sighed sadly. He hated to see Ed like this.
"We've just talked to the only two survivors from the incident and they described a tall muscular man with black hair and red eyes. One of them, a woman, is coming to see you in a little bit, just to confirm that you were not the one she saw committing the crime," Hughes said as he walked towards the door, "I'll be back with her in about ten minutes, so just sit tight until then."
Ed nodded and didn't move when Hughes slammed the door. He was unable to understand the recent events, but he did realize that he was the one who killed all those people. Being covered in their blood and tasting the sickening metallic taste that his inhuman side longed for proved that. The screams and sirens were still ringing in his ears. Images began to flash before his dulled golden eyes.
--
A woman screamed.
Children cried.
The sickening cracks of their bodies filled the air. Bones snapping in two like twigs.
Crashes.
Shattering glass.
More screams.
Monster! He's a fucking monster! Run!
Ally! Come to Mommy! Please!
Paul! Wake up! Don't give up on me now! We can make it!
Blood. Splatters of it everywhere. Walls painted crimson. Blood. It collects in giant pools of red around the bodies of the dead.
No!
More crying.
Mommy! Help! Save me from the monster!
Not a monster…
MONSTER!
I'm not a monster…
HELP!
DON'T CALL ME THAT!
Final snap.
Body falls limp.
More blood.
Silence.
No more life.
The air is still.
Sirens. They fill the air with their cries.
Bright lights. Blinded.
Need to hide! Go! Run!
Fall back to reality.
Waking up.
Ed…
A voice?
Ed!
Leave me alone! I'm a monster!
ED! WAKE UP!
--
Ed opened his eyes to find himself sprawled across the floor, a very concerned Hughes hovering above his face. "What happened?" Ed managed to croak out in a hoarse whisper.
"I guess that you fell asleep. All the stress from tonight must've made you tired," Hughes said as he offered a hand to help Ed up, which Ed gratefully took.
The blond alchemist's head throbbed uncomfortably and his vision remained slightly blurry. He looked up at Hughes and saw that there was a woman behind him. Ed became as still as stone, almost like a deer caught in headlights. The woman behind Hughes looked exactly like the girl in his dreams.
"Why don't you have a seat, Ms. Witherfort," Hughes said as he motioned to the chair across from the one Ed had been sitting in. The woman thanked him politely and sat down. "Ed, why don't you sit down as well," Hughes said. Ed nodded and sat down, his eyes still fixed on the woman. "Well, why don't you tell us your story, Ms. Witherfort."
The woman nodded and began her story. "I had just arrived at the Grand Neko Hotel and there weren't any of the bellhops available to carry my luggage, which was too large for me to carry on my own. This young man, Edward, saw my dilemma and offered to help me. I was quite grateful that he wanted to help me carry my bags, so I accepted his offer. We both walked up to my room. I carried one of my bags, while he carried to last two. I was so grateful for his help that I invited him to come to the party that was going on in the ballroom downstairs. He said that he couldn't, but I insisted, so he eventually gave in and we went down to the ballroom. When we were just outside the ballroom's double doors, a large crash and an earsplitting scream reached our ears. Clearly wanting to know what was the matter, Edward quickly opened the door. The sight that lay before us was ghastly and will haunt my dreams for as long as I live. A sea of bodies drenched in their own blood lay before us and a tall man with gleaming red eyes and black hair stood before us. His hands glistened with the blood of all those innocent people, so naturally I screamed. The man saw us and headed towards us at an inhuman speed. Edward quickly pushed me out of the way and told me to go and hide. He then shut the doors, trapping the man and himself inside. I did as Edward had told me and took refuge in my room, which is the only reason that I came out unscathed. The police came not too long after I shut my bedroom door."
The woman then sighed, signaling that she was finished. Hughes, who had closed his eyes as the woman told her story, slowly opened them and looked towards Ed.
"Is this the truth?" he asked, his voice serious.
"I-" Ed began, but stopped in mid-sentence. He knew that he needed to say that the woman's story wasn't true and that he was the killer, but his mouth wouldn't let him utter the truth.
Say yes, a voice hissed from the back of Edward's mind.
"I-"
SAY IT!
"Yes, it's the truth," Edward finally said, his eyes staring down and the cold tiled floor.
That's my good little Half-Blood, the voice whispered as it faded back into nothingness.
Hughes then stood up and said, "I'll be sure to tell the Colonel about this. So you're off the hook for now Ed. Oh! Black Hayate ate has gone missing, so if you see him could you please tell Riza; she's awfully worried." He then turned to the woman and said, "Thank you for your time. I'll be sure to have one of our personnel escort you back to your home." The woman gave a small nod and stood up. Both Hughes and the woman left the room, leaving Ed all alone.
Why did I tell them that what she said was true?
Isn't it obvious? You didn't want to be sniffed out, so you lied.
Why did she help me though? And why did she look like that girl?
You mean Lilith? As for why she helped you, that's a secret.
Who are you anyways?
You don't remember me? Oh, I'm so hurt.
Just give me a straight answer.
Oops! I have to go! See you later my shrimpy little Half-Blood!
WHO ARE YOU CALLING A TINY LITTLE SHRIMP EGG THAT CAN ESCAPE BEING CAUGHT BY SEEWEAD SINCE IT CAN FIT THROUGH THE MICROSCOPIC SEEWEAD PORES!
--
"Dammit," Edward muttered under his breath as he walked down the hallway towards his room. He felt sick and wanted to sleep, after all, he had just gone almost twenty-four hours without sleep.
Ed was soon lying down on the familiar comfortable mattress of his bed. Not even bothering to change out of his blood stained clothes,he began toslip into a blissful dreamless sleep.
--
'I'm going to figure out what's troubling Edward so much," Roy Mustang muttered to himself as he walked briskly through the library. The librarian had told him that Ed usually sits in the farthest corner in the back of the library, where no one would dare disturb him least they wished to face his wrath.
The library smelled of old paper and musty dust covered leather covers. Shelves stood neatly in rows and each one was pilled high with books of every shape, size, and color. There was a couple of tables and chair where you could sit down and read till the library closed down for the night. Ed spent most of his time in this two-story building, trying to find out information about the Philosopher's stone.
After walking past what seemed like millions of bookcases, Roy found himself standing in the corner where Ed usually stood, reading thick volumes that were probably twice his size. Roy chuckled slightly at that. Most of the books in the library were gigantic, yet the small alchemist read them with ease. Roy sighed and looked around. He saw a large pile of books strewn across the floor. One of them caught Roy's eye. It was a deep forest green that had golden trimmings. Roy picked it up and began to read the first yellowed page that sparked his interest.
Vampires and Other Creatures of the Night
Vampires are creatures that survive by drinking the blood of humans or that of some specific animals, as the blood of some are poisonous and will kill a vampire. These animals include cats, snakes, and weasels. Bats, rats, wolves, and dogs are quite friendly to vampires and will befriend them easily. Vampires cannot survive on animal blood alone and will die if they do not get an adequate amount of human blood. The same goes for the blood of a human who has died, but for the blood of the deceased to have any effect then the blood must be extracted within twenty-four hours of the death. Although human blood in one of their sources of food, vampires do need to eat regular human food to stay in good health. Most full-blooded vampires will be able to sprout bat wings at will and be able to fly. There have been some rare cases of half-vampires being able to do this. Neither a half-vampire nor a full-vampire is able to transform themselves into bats though some do believe that they can. Crucifixes, garlic, and other holy items do not have any effect on vampires. Vampires can be killed by any normal way a human can be, though please bear in mind that they are harder to kill. They are nocturnal creatures…
Roy quickly read the rest of the chapter and put the book back where he had found it. Has Ed become a vampire? Wait! What am I thinking? Vampires don't exist! There must be some other explanation…
--
The Colonel thought about what he had just read for the rest of the day, making completing his paperwork three times as hard, which made Hawkeye threaten to shoot him three times more often. It was a simple fact really. Roy didn't like paperwork and it didn't like him. He was also terrible at concentration on such boring tasks. He would enjoy doing paperwork more if he would be signing a form to make all female military personnel wear skimpy mini skirts, but that would probably never happen and he was sure that Riza would make sure of that.
"Hmm… Riza in a mini skirt," he muttered to himself, which unfortunately was loud enough for Riza to hear.
"Colonel," she said angrily as she stood up from her desk. Roy could already see her reaching for her gun, which she always kept on her person.
Ah shit…
--
Roy groaned and rubbed his cheek, which was now covered in a large red mark that had the shape of a hand. "Mental note to self: Do not under any circumstance picture Riza in a mini skirt for she will slap you and almost hit you with a barrage of bullets," he muttered as he walked out of HQ and onto the street.
It was almost ten o'clock and the sky was completely dark; a thick layer of clouds hung overhead. Streetlamps illuminated Roy's path as he walked towards his house. He was usually home earlier, but Riza had purposefully given him more paperwork because of the earlier incident. Roy decided that it would be easier to cut through the park, making him reach his house and more importantly, his bed, in less than ten minutes.
Leaves crunched under Roy's boots as he walked down the cement path that stretched throughout the park. It was slightly darker in the park as there were fewer lamps. Roy suddenly stopped when he saw a figure sitting on one of the plain wooden park benches.
Who is that? Roy thought as he moved closer, but he was far enough away to remain hidden to whoever what there.
--
Ed sighed as he flicked a couple of rocks that he had collected during his walk through the park off the bench's wooden surface. He was tired and hadn't been able to fall asleep without waking up every five minutes because of the horrible images that had been buried deep within the catacombs of his mind suddenly resurfaced.
The loud rumbling of thunder alerted Edward to the coming of a storm, but he didn't care. Droplets of rain started to steadily pour down, making Ed's long blond hair stick to the back of his neck and face.
Why am I standing here? It's pouring and I need to get home, Roy thought as he moved behind a tree that was rather close to the bench on which Ed was sitting.
Ed sighed and closed his eyes. He just wanted all the memories of the past week to fade away. He wanted to become human again more than anything. Ed suddenly thought of Al and scolded himself for being so selfish.
How can I just sit here worrying about my own problems when Al has lost his entire body? I need to find a way to get his body back, Ed thought as the rain fell down onto his head and clothes, soaking him thoroughly.
A loud bark, snapped Ed out of his thoughts and back to reality. Ed opened his eyes to see a small black and white puppy, who was known as Black Hayate.
Why is he here? Oh yeah, he ran away from Riza. I better go bring him back to her.
Ed bent down and picked up the small wet puppy. Almost the instant Ed touched Black Hayate; a wave of nausea washed over him and a terrible headache racked his brain, making him wince. His vision then began to fade in and out and he felt extremely dizzy. The world was spinning around him and then all went black.
--
Roy's breath got caught in his throat as he witnessed the scene before him. There was Black Hayate squirming as Ed sank his teeth into the poor creature's neck. The Colonel couldn't believe it. Ed really was a vampire, a creature of the night that feasted on the blood of others. He took a couple of steps back, unable to believe what he was seeing.
I'm dreaming. Ed is not a vampire and is most definitely not drinking Black Hayate's blood. I'm dreaming and I must've had a couple of beers too many or something. This. Is. Not. Happening.
Roy looked up and saw that the once squirming form of the puppy was now limp; its eyes were glazed over. Black Hayate was dead. Roy pinched himself as he continue to tell himself that it was a dream. He felt a twinge of pain as he pinched his arm.
It's not a dream…
--
What's happening? Ed asked himself as he finally woke up. He was still standing in the same place that he had been when he blacked out. The taste of blood was strong in his mouth and he looked down and saw the deathly still form of Black Hayate.
No…
Ed felt his grip around the black and white puppy's body loosen and the small body fell to the ground with a sickening thud.
Please… Not again…
Ed could feel tears form in his eyes and then begin to roll down his cheeks. The rain started to pour down even harder, forming large puddles on the ground.
Why! Why did it have to happen again! Am I going to keep killing until I die?
Sobs racked Ed's body as he looked up at the sky. The rain pounded against his bloodstained lips. Ed wiped his mouth with one gloved hand and saw that they were large spots of blood staining the white cloth.
"Ed?" Roy called out as he stepped out from behind the tree, making himself known to Edward.
--
Eep! Please don't kill me! I told you that this story was depressing! Aw, poor Edo. You just want to give him a hug now don't you? I swear I almost cried while I wrote this. Poor Black Hayate –strokes him- Don't forget to review!
Next Chapter:
Chapter Twelve - Unerasable Sin
(( I know that unerasable is not a word, but it sounds better than inerasable xD ))