Okay, hmmm, why am I updating again? Because it's Kiyoko's birthday! Yatta! So yeah, thank her for the update. But it was annoying because I had to rewrite it because I lost the chapter before...KUSO! Anyway...
Yeah, this chapter has some well needed horror...noting too gross...just...yucky...ness...yeah...
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"Ayumi! Ayumi, wake up!" Melissa was shaking me. I opened my eyes and stared at her dizzily. The light from the transmutation had already faded away. "That felt like crap..." I groaned.
"You okay?" She asked gently, offering a hand. I took it and pulled myself to my feet, then glared at her. "What the hell was that?! I told you not to join the transmutation, and you did anyway! Dammit! You could've...why is my face wet?! Did you pour water on me or something?" I demanded, wiping my face off with my sleeve.
She stared at me, looking completely confused. "Um...no? You were crying in your sleep."
I almost fell over, partially because my automail leg was still broken. "I was not! I don't cry, and how do you cry with your eyes closed anyway?!" I snapped angrily. "It was probably Ed."
"Was not! I don't cry in my sleep either!" Ed yelled with the same annoyed tone I was using. "You used to do it all the time when I was still in an armor body." Al noted quietly. Ed was all quiet again. I sighed; I think I'm gonna go crazy with all these voices in my head. And that totally did not sound sane.
"But Ed, if it makes you feel any better, Ayumi was definitely the one who was crying." Melissa added with a grin. I twitched at that and shook it off. "Um, hope you don't mind me asking...but Al, how'd you ever get your body back?" I asked. Melissa flinched the slightest bit, frowned and looked behind me at something.
"That would be me." A familiar voice said. I bit my bottom lip and turned around, then jumped back. She was back! Her hood was up again, but bright red eyes literally glowed from under it.
I stepped back and glared at her. "Hiromu...Ed was right; this is all your fault!"
"Ayumi, don't!" Melissa said warningly. I saw her blink her glowing eyes and she smiled a grin full of pearly white teeth. I shuddered at how creepy that looked...and horribly familiar. She lifted two black gloved hands and pulled down her hood, finally revealing her face.
It was scarier then I had thought. Her skin was literally, transparent pale, looking as white as her bones. Her eyes were red, but it was only a glowing light in the center of otherwise seemingly empty eye sockets. Thick hair of a color I couldn't recognize framed her face, and crescent shaped glasses sat on her nose. I realized just then what she looked like to me; a character I created a while back. Death; the Truth and Gatekeeper. It was freaky how close to my imagination she was.
Then she smiled again, even though it looked more like she was baring her teeth at us. Her face grew rounder, kinder, her eyes fading from its dark glow and going dark green. Her hair changed also, a dark red-black color. Now she looked more angelic then devilish. "How disappointing. I was actually hoping you wouldn't act like your old self, Ayumi."
"Old self?" I echoed. She just nodded, taking a step closer to us. Instinctively, I stepped in front of Melissa with my arms spread out, shielding her. "Get away from us." I growled.
Hiromu laughed. "Don't be an idiot. You've gotten your memories back, right Ed? When are you going to realize that I was right and help me again?"
"I only helped you because you threatened Al! There's no way I'm doing it again." I shouted, then stopped, wondering why I said that. Why am I talking like I'm Ed?
"Don't fall for it, Ayumi. It's a trick...she's playing with your mind." Ed muttered angrily. I nodded in agreement, getting into the fighting stance I had learned in Ninjutsu. "What're you doing? She's on our side!" Melissa hissed in my ear.
"You're gonna attack me?" She chuckled, her eyes glowing red again, but remaining somewhat normal. A crazy smile came onto her face, her hair and cloak floating up, like she was radiating some sort of telepathic energy. "Fine! I accept your challenge, come at me!" She taunted.
I gritted my teeth, feeling energy rushing down my fingers. Assuming Ed was partially taking control again, I went along with it, clapping my hands together hard and transmuting my arm into a blade that ripped through the white glove I was wearing. I charged at her, pointing the blade forward.
She grinned. Her billowing cloak shifted the slightest bit, and thin, black hands extended from its depths and shot at me, grabbing both of my shoulders and around my neck, blasting me back into a wall.
Blood dripped down my neck. I couldn't breathe with this arm wrapped around my neck, but when I grabbed at them, they passed easily through my fingers like fog. "Brother!" Al ran towards me, only to be knocked back by another one of the arms. "Al!" Ed screamed through me. I, on the other hand, glared at Hiromu. Her head was bowed, watching me with a single red eye through her long bangs; her arms limp at her sides. It reminded me of Lucy from Elfen Lied. (Of course, at a moment like this I'm still thinking about anime...)
"Just what the hell are you?!" I yelled as soon as I felt the arm around my neck loosen. She lifted her head and sneered. "You should know what I am." The 'wind' that was still blowing under her suddenly strengthen, her cloak parting to reveal...nothing. It was pure darkness under there, the same terrifying darkness as it was InBetween. Then, an eye opened in the darkness, a big, ugly, red, almost bloodshot eye that I could remember in nightmares I never had but remembered anyway. "I'm the Gate." She said with a small laugh.
(Now, if this was a movie/episode, now would be the perfect time to cut to a commercial! But, alas...only fanfiction...so...yeah...just wanted to point that out...onward!)
"No freaking way..." I breathed, staring into the eye.
"Yes. And if you won't join willingly, I'll show you what would've, and will happen if you don't!" Another hand rushed out at me and grabbed my head, snaking around and blindfolding my eyes. Melissa yelled something, but then I couldn't even her or anything. I wasn't anything anymore. I was nothing.
But I was outside, it what I assumed was Amestres. The sky had gone red and almost black clouds blocked off the sun. People stared in confusion and terror, as the center of the sky cracked and another eye, the same horrible eye as the Gate's, appeared, watching them all.
Someone screamed. Then more people's screams joined them. Soon, everyone was screaming in fear, and crying, or maybe trying to run for their lives. Black arms rushed from the opening and whirled around, polluting the air black. People coughed, which turned into shrieks of pain as each hand touched them and stole them away.
Then, I was watching a woman. She was clutching her head, blood leaking from the corner of her mouth and gasping for breath. She fell to her knees and screamed, then fell down, dead. All moisture was sucked from her skin. Any and all blood slowly dripped from every opening in her body, from her mouth to even individual pores. The blood evaporated into the air, and her body turned into a pile of dust, topped with an ancient looking skull.
And it was happening to everyone. I watched in terror, as men, women, even children lost their souls and turned into dust. Everything blurred, and I was back home, at my school, watching my friends outside chatting casually. Then the sky turned red, and the Eye appeared again.
I tried to call out to them, to try and warn them, but they couldn't hear me, staring horrified at the Eye until they burst apart into blood and dust.
I was home. My family was dying in front of me, their screams loudly ringing in my ears. I covered my ears in an attempt to block the sound, but it only got louder.
But it stopped. I was back, the only screams I could hear now was mine. I was on my knees, clutching my head and screaming on the top of my lungs.
"Ayumi! Get up!" Melissa was at my side, afraid to even touch me. "Snap out of it, Ayumi!" Ed shouted inside me, his voice in a panic.
"I'm sorry! I'll do it, I swear!" I shouted to Hiromu, shutting my eyes to try and block out the images still flashing in my mind. Hiromu grinned in triumph and it completely stopped.
Melissa glared at her. "What did you do to her?!"
"I only showed her what would happen if she didn't help me." Hiromu shrugged her shoulders. "Otherwise, making her would've been a waste."
I stared at her, my vision blurred by annoyingly stinging tears. "W-what?" I stuttered weakly.
"You heard me. You were created only to be a resurrected Amestrian. Your sole purpose is to save America, like you saved Amestres...Edward." With a proud smile, she looked at Melissa. "And the same goes for you, Alphonse."
"Y-you're lying!" Melissa cried, her voice trembling. My body went completely numb. "That's it...?" I whispered, biting my lower lip again, so hard that I could taste blood. "No other reason...I only lived...for this?"
"Exactly." She replied. I nodded slowly, falling forward onto all fours. There's no other reason for my existence except to be someone else? I was living an act? Was the only reason I loved Full Metal Alchemist was because of this? I was drawn to Ed's character because he was me? Did I study and research him to learn about...myself? Who am I?!
I fell again, this time completely onto the floor. My mind had gone blank now, my only thoughts were Ed's, screaming my name. But I didn't respond. I couldn't.
Black arms slithered to my sides, and wrapped around my arms and waist. I was being dragged towards Hiromu, towards that damn eye. Melissa was yelling at me to wake up, and so was Ed. But I still couldn't move. It's funny, the same thing had happened to Ed when he was in Gluttony's stomach.
Last thing I saw was Melissa, still trying to get me to snap out of it. Then I was behind the cloak, and everything was black, that horrible smile appeared everywhere, and purple eyes stared at me hungrily. Hands stroked lovingly at my body, disembodied voices arguing on who gets which piece of me, then they all laughed, and closed in, about to devour me whole...
...and I woke up. Staring at the white ceiling blankly, trying to place where I was. I sat up quickly; I was back in my room! But...how?
"You okay now?" Ed asked warily. He sounded tired. I nodded slowly. "Was that just a dream, or..."
"No. It was real. Last night, you lost consciousness when the Gate overtook you. I had to take control." He explained. "You really freaked out last night."
"You would've too if you saw what I did." I muttered weakly, putting my hands over my eyes. My flesh one was cold and clammy, making me shudder.
I looked up, hearing a noise in the kitchen. "Who's that?" I demanded. Jessica poked her head out from the kitchen with a sandwich hanging from her teeth. My stomach growled, and I remembered that I haven't eaten since yesterday's breakfast. She took a bite and pulled it away from her mouth. "Oh, finally up now?" She asked.
"What're you doing here?" I asked, forcing myself to be calm. I didn't want to snap at her since she could obviously beat the crap out of me.
She walked over, leaving her half eaten sandwich on the counter. Oh man, my teacher's a slob! "Your family went on ahead to the convention. They let me in to watch you until you woke up."
"Huh?" I blinked. Since when did my mom let a total stranger into my room? She really is insane.
"Anyway, I'm guessing you found out about Hiromu." She started with a careful stare. I sighed and nodded again. "I don't trust her." I muttered, crossing my arms out in front of me. She frowned.
"You know, she's not--" She got cut off when she stated coughing really hard, until blood spurted onto her hand. She groaned. "Woah! Cool! You coughed up blood, just like Teacher!" I squealed excitedly.
"Ayumi, this isn't an anime!!!" Ed scolded frantically. I blinked and gasped. "Oh, yeah! That's bad, isn't it?"
She punched me in the face, making me topple off the bed. I got up, covering my once again bloody nose and whined. "I was just asking, geez!"
"I can completely see why you were made to be Ed. You're a total spazz." Jessica muttered as she wiped her mouth.
"I am not a spazz!" Ed and I said at the same time, so I sounded half Amestrian and half...New Yorker? She frowned again. "It's happening faster then usual..."
"Huh? What is?" I asked, snorting back blood. "Ew!"
"It's nothing. But Hiromu isn't as bad as you think she is. She really is trying to help..."
"She created us, right?" I asked slowly. "If she really is the Gate, she could do this on her own, instead of dragging us into it. I'm not her pawn; I choose for myself whatever my fate is."
She shook her head. "You really are too much like Ed for your own good. Didn't you see what's going to happen if you don't help? You have a more powerful alchemic energy then most of us."
I twitched and scowled at her. "I never said I wasn't going to do it. I'm not selfish enough to let so many other people die." I turned my back on her and started to leave to find everyone else. She sighed and chuckled, muttering, "So damn stubborn."
"You do realize what you're doing, right?" Ed asked dully. I rolled my eyes and nodded. "I'm acting like a pawn in Arakawa's game, I know." I grinned, assuming that it probably looked like Ed's grin, but didn't have a mirror to see. Even if I'm her pawn, I'm still gonna do it my way.
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Whee, I finally finished! X3 Took longer then I'd liked...but I did it! Yay! And zomg, I'm only 6 reviews away from 100 +.+
I'm working on my first AMV after a year of not making them! Whoot! It's hard though, because the timing's really hard to do with this particular song...ya'll should watch it when I finish! I don't care if you haven't seen Elfen Lied or not, WATCH IT!!!!!
Now, the replies to my lovely reviewers who I lobve like woah!
Keiyou- X3 You think so? Well, thanks! And homework will never defeat the Mistress of Fullmetal! Mwahaha!
UndeadTiger- Yeah, it is a good thing. X3 You'll be coming in soon!
SapphireElric- Woah. o.o Someone's hyper, much. n.n; Ranger lobve!
Skyler25- Awww, thanks! -hugs- I love this fic too...X3
Yami Hikari- XD; Is it that funny? I just wrote it..-shrugs- And remember, Iupdate on Mondays, so no need to check everyday! XO
EdxAyumi FAN!- Yeah, life sucks for the people who wanna draw but can't...T.T
agent000- Sihester! -glomps- XP I really dunno how to reply to your review...so uh...I love you! -glomps again-
Monkey Mist Robo- Everytime I type that, I almost write 'Monkey Fist' Curse you Kim Possible...anyway! XD Yeah, homework is evil XP
Amaya24- Zomg, I have a character named Amaya...she's an evil vampire chick though...uh...anyway...yay! X3 Get your friends to review me too+.+
Yakami- XD; No, reincarnations aren't on the market...how would you sell a recycled soul anyway? o.O In a jar?
Amaris Sirtsema- Yeah, well, the theme song to Elfen Lied basically has Lucy/Nyuu naked in it alot...so yeah, you can assume that...XD
Ara Mei- Yup, that was one of Ed's memories. His last one anyway...-sweatdrop- Geez, that makes me sound like I killed him!
Colonel Bastard- Yay double reviews! Nah, Hiromu's not evil...they're unpacking because they don't live in Boston, they live in New York and went to Boston for the convention...XP...and...yeah, sure, alchemy can do that. It's special alchemy though XP
Love you all! Gimme reviews!