DISCLAIMER: I do not own Fullmetal Alchemist, only any ideas that are separated from the show
This story will have gore, swearing as well as dark themes. There will be discussion of LGBT themes occasionally as well, but it won't be a big part of the story. Proceed at your own will, and enjoy!
Sleep evaded me.
I tossed and turned and tired turning my fan on to lull me asleep, but I was wide awake. My mind was racing a mile a minute and it just wouldn't shut up. Ugh, sometimes I really despise insomnia. Huffing, I finally decided to toss the blankets off my bed. Tip-toeing quietly out of my room I tried not to wake the sleeping puppy resting on my bed. God knows Loki would wake the whole house up if he realized I was about to leave him alone. Grabbing the sweater I threw on the couch earlier, I tugged it on before hastily throwing on my shoes. Exiting the house, I breathed in the crisp air of the night with a small smile. I chose to ignore the sounds of cars and cops, of people yelling in the distance, and instead began walking down the cracked side walk.
Instead of pushing my legs and walking as fast as I could, I decided to take my time. The town was quiet at this time of night, if you avoided the less than savory people. Still, it was easy to get lost in your thoughts on a night like this. The cool summer air was refreshing from the stuffy house, and I could never resist looking up at the stars.
A beep from my phone cut off my stargazing, and with a rising hope to my chest I pulled it out from my pocket. Not unsurprisingly, it was only an alert from one of my stupid apps and yet I still felt that drop of disappointment to my stomach. I was waiting to hear from someone who merely didn't want me anymore, and sat impatiently. Ugh, and in the end all I was left with a basket full of insecurity, go figure.
Growling tore from my throat as I stuffed my phone back into my sweater, hoping to avoid the rush of anger and rage that always accompanied the texts that I never received. No such luck. Instead I had the images of laughter and fun, of late night conversations and silly debates, of reassuring words and comfort. Of taunting and insults, sneers and smacks, of deteriorating self-worth and empty promises. Over and over they repeated through my thoughts like a broken projector as questions and pleas filled my mind. Could I have done better? Could I have said something? Could I have been imagining it? Should I go back?
Of course all that made me do was huff in irritation as I collapsed on a cold metal swing in the empty park. What was I thinking? What's done is done, and I couldn't do anything about it. Even if I dwelled and pleaded and wished for the situation to have been different, nothing would have changed. I screwed it up and I had to deal with the consequences.
It was the sound of rustling branches that tore me from my thoughts, causing my body to tense up as my heart race quickened. I wanted to curse myself at the sheer stupidity of my actions, I knew that going out by myself in the middle of the night wasn't a good idea, if not completely stupid. It wasn't unheard of people being attacked during the night around here, and with me just sitting here on the swing just for picking, who knows who was waiting to attack me?
Slowly, as if moving inch by inch would keep me from being detected, I turned around in the swing to face the bushes behind me. The few seconds as I stared into the bushes were tense as my heartbeat echoed in my ears, thoughts of being found at the river in a weeks time running through my mind. Would Nanna miss me? How would my parents react? Who would take care of Loki?
The grisly thoughts were quickly cut off as a squirrel scuttles out of the bush and jumped onto the bark of a tree and disappearing between its branches. I huffed as my shoulders sagged in relief, thanking whatever entity that was listening that it was merely a squirrel and not some psycho ready to cut me up. Still, I should probably take that as a warning and get back home.
Or, that was the plan, until a breeze rustled the bushes and my eyes caught the sight of a paper. I hesitated, thoughts of home and a warm bed filling the forefront of my mind, before curiosity took over as I stood to inspect it. Crouching down and ignoring the chilly wind, I took in the sight of it. At first glance, it looked like a regular piece of paper with maybe a few nondescript scribbles on it, but once I took a second I blinked in further curiosity at the familiar lines.
It was a transmutation circle. Or, I assume that's what it was; it remarkably resembled the ones from the fictional world of Fullmetal Alchemist. At first I balked it up as an eccentric showing their love for the show, but as I inspected it further I quickly realized the lines and circles were almost immaculate in their perfection. Why would a fan spend so much time on it only to toss it for the earth to take? I reached forward to pick up the paper, only to hiss as a thorn nicked my hand. Quickly placing it in my mouth to staunch the bleeding and frowning at the taste of blood, I sighed at the sight of further blood on the paper. It was a shame that I ruined it.
I was about to give up and go home to sleep, but all of a sudden a bright red light flashed before my eyes. I yelped in alarm, falling on my rear in surprise as I wiped at my eyes to try and regain my sight. Blinking a few times, what greeted me tore the breath from my throat.
The paper was glowing- wait, no it was the actual circle drawn in the middle of the paper that was glowing. I cried out at my hair whipped me in the face from the gusts of wind that picked up. Staring incredulously at the circle, I didn't bother to try and hide my bafflement. How the hell was this thing glowing or creating wind?
My pounding thoughts abruptly halted when a crack opened in the ground, causing me to try and scramble backwards, but I tripped when the crack opened to reveal an eye. A scream tearing from my throat, I was useless as it seemed to glare at me. Then freaking tendrils or arms or whatever they were began creeping towards me, ripping another scream from me. I jumped to my feet, intending to run home and as far away as I could, but once I took one step I was tumbling to the ground. A loud crack filled the air along with my groan of pain as I gingerly touched my bleeding- probably broken nose.
I looked down to see what caused my fall, and let out a desperate, "No!" at the tendril wrapped around my leg. I tried prying it off, kicking it away, scrambling backwards but nothing would release me. Once another tendril wrapped around my arm, my screams wouldn't stop. More and more tendrils wrapped around my body, trapping me as I tried uselessly to escape, my fruitless efforts doing nothing but exhaust me.
It took me a few seconds to realize they were dragging me towards the eye. I tried digging my hands into the dirt, grab onto the branches but nothing was working. "Let me go!" I cried uselessly, blearily noticing the tears running down my cheeks. I- I didn't know what was happening. Why it was happening. I couldn't fight back, and its maybe that thought that causes me to slump helplessly as I was dragged towards the eye, and once my feet made contact with it, I blacked out.
My consciousness came back to me in what seemed like a blink, and I had to squint my eyes against the white nothingness I was faced with. Groggily, I tried rubbing at my eyes only to flinch at the sharp pain that went up my skull once my hand grazed my injured nose. I wondered briefly if it was broken. Huh. That would be the first broken body part in my life.
"Welcome, little one."
I whirled around to the... Broken voice that spoke, only to nearly collapse at the image that greeted me. The grin the blank figure had my stomach churning, casually leaned back like it couldn't tell I was panicked, like I was about to break down any second. But somehow I could tell. It enjoyed watching me like this. The Truth enjoyed watching me squirm.
"Where am I?" I asked tensely, trying my hardest to keep my voice steady. It didn't work, I realized blearily when its grin widened further.
"Why, I thought you would know that my now, Kaela." I shook my head, trying not to keep down the bile rising in my throat. My name, my full name sounded wrong coming from this voice. Like it was my own voiced, mixed with all the voices around the world. Like every living being was talking down to me, making me fee inferior, like an ant under their shoe, an insignificant spec. I couldn't speak against that voice, for fear of cracking. "Well, if I must spell it out for you." The empty figure stood, facing me, nearly eye to eye if it had any. A black mist floated around it, just so I could make out a near replica of what my body would look like; a silhouette, a copy of me. "This is the gate, thought I'm quite sure you were aware of that by now," the Truth spoke bemusedly, gesturing around with its arms.
I swallowed down the bile that rose in my throat, shaking my head at the though of just shutting down. I couldn't do that, I wasn't that weak, as much as I wanted to be. "Why am I here?" I asked, a near broken whisper.
Its grin stretched further. "Why, you brought yourself here!" Its amusement seemed to grow further and further the more I shook my head. I couldn't have, I didn't want to be here! I didn't want to be taken! The Truth was aware of my distressing monologue, because it titled its head and said, "Think back; what foolish thing could have caused your arrival here?"
It didn't take long to figure out.
"When I activated the circle," I muttered, looking down at my hand and the small nick on it. When my blood had hit that circle, I was already done for.
"Bravo!" the figure applauded me, grinning further. "Now, what will be the price you pay?"
My blood ran cold as my head whipped up to look horrified at the figure. "What price?"
It laughed. "You must know of what price you must pay. All those who enter the gate must pay their toll."
"B-But I didn't want to be here! It was an accident!" I tried arguing, taking steps back in my fear. I didn't want to lose anything.
"Still, you are here, and you must pay your toll," it says, raising an arm and pointing towards me. The looming gate that I had yet to take notice of behind the Truth creaked open, and I watched as the tendrils came back, slithering around blindly, trying to find me. I thought back to when they had been around me, choking me in their hold. I thought of my limbs, my organs, my body. I didn't want to lose anything, I didn't want to pay that kind of toll!
"I'll do something, just don't take anything!"
The Truth halts, as does the tendrils behind it. I'm surprised by what I blurted out too, but I refused to back down. I... I couldn't lose anything. I just couldn't. "What are you suggesting?" it asks.
I gulp at the sudden serious voice it uses. "I... I'll do something. Like an errand, just... Don't take anything from me." My hands are clenched tightly around my sweater, thinking of whatever I had just gotten myself into. What the hell was I thinking? I could have lost maybe an arm or a leg instead of being Truth's little lapdog.
It seemed to consider for a moment, before grinning again. "Okay, I'll agree to your terms." The sigh of relief that escaped me was overwhelming, and I fell to my knees. "But you must agree to mine."
Another rush of cold screamed through my veins. "And... What are those?" I asked cautiously. Truth's grin only turned to a frightening, cold and menacing smirk. My body moved backwards without my control, trying to get away.
"You'll find them out once you're ready."
The tendrils rushed towards me, and I didn't even have time to react before I was held captive under their hold. Instincts kicked in as I struggled and screamed uselessly. It didn't weaken their hold, and I was dragged towards the gate. Their grip was tighter than before, and I winced in pain, certain that I was going to be left with bruises.
The gate begun to swing closed behind me, but not before my gaze turned on the Truth and its grin. "Try not to die, little one," it spoke, causing my eyes to widen and a weight to drop into my stomach. The tendril trapped around my mouth held back my scream. "Though I'm sure the alchemists will keep that from happening."
The gate closed on its grin.
It was cold.
Everything hurt, but I couldn't move... My limbs were locked in place, like I was trapped in rock. Furrowing my eyebrows, I tried to concentrate and figure out where I was... and...whose voices were those...?
"Poor dear... rain... like this..."
"We... to... help her..."
Ugh, I couldn't concentrate. Their voices were foggy and I was so, so tired.
"A... her up... home..."
No... The voices were going away, I needed... I needed to...
"... Okay... help you..."
I was so sleepy...
AN: Hello, welcome to Spirited Away! I hope you enjoyed this chapter and that you're interested to read more. Some things to be aware of before we continue;
Ages will be changed, but not that much. At max, just around 2 years. Yes, this will end up being EdxOC, just so you're warned if you don't enjoy that. This will have dark themes, such as neglect and things like that, as well as gore. Please be careful if those ideas are triggering. I will put a warning at the beginning of the chapter when they appear.
Well, that's all for now, folks. Hope you enjoyed it! Until next time!
