Disclaimer: Do we really need to do a disclaimer? We don't own anything other than the plotline and our original characters. Everything else belongs to their original owners.
The song is Cinderella by Steven Curtis Chapman. It's a great song and I highly recommend it to you all.
Chapter Four
Return to Amestris
Ed watched as a bubble formed in the ceiling of his hotel room, just like when Syaoran and the others arrived. He continued to stare as the bubble touched down on the floor and burst away, revealing a sleeping, but shaking, Fallin. "Fallin!" he cried, rushing to her side. She thrashed about and Ed had to straddle her and hold down her arms to keep her from hitting him or anything else. The lights flickered and went out. Ed grumbled and clapped his hands together, making a small candle. He then proceeded to light it using a spark from his automail.
Fallin screamed. "NO GUARDIANNN!" Tears streamed down her cheeks as she continued to thrash about in her sleep. Ed clamped his hands on her arms again and she went into hysterics once more. "Ah! No, stop, Pride! Don't hurt them! No, ED!" she screamed. Ed then realized she was dreaming about the Homunculi hurting him and the rest of Fallin's friends in her nightmare. As much as it hurt to him to do so, he reached up and slapped her in the face, jolting her from her dream. The first thing she saw was Ed, fear apparent in his eyes.
"Ed?" she whispered. Then her eyes shot open. "Ed!" she cried, reaching up and wrapping her arms around his neck. "But if you're here, then that means... I'm not in Japan anymore!" She released his neck and sat up, taking in her surroundings. She was in a dark room of some sort, and the only thing she could see was Ed and a small candle next to him. "Ed, where am I?" she asked. "Back in Amestris. We're in my hotel room, but there's a power outage, so that's why all the lights are off," he said shakily.
"Amestris? But how the hell did I get back here?" Fallin wondered. Then Ed got real close to her, examining the skin behind her ear. Then he sat back. "Fallin... your tattoo's gone!" Fallin's hands flew to her neck and she felt the skin for the usual bumps her tattoo had, partially because rubbing it was an old habit of hers. As Ed had said, it was no longer there. "But, this means I'm trapped here! Without the tattoo, I can't travel back to Japan!" she exclaimed then she felt for her pendant. When she felt for it, all she got were shards of glass in her hand.. "What? My pendant? What happened?" she sobbed. Then Ed's pendant started glowing red and soon Guardian and the others' images appeared in the dark room.
"Fallin!" Guardian cried, the others looking relieved. "Guardian!" Fallin exclaimed. "What happened? Why am I in Amestris?" Guardian shrugged, looking faint. "I have no idea whatsoever, Fallin." Fallin looked down into her lap. "The last thing I remember was having this strange dream where the Homunculi Pride and Envy had you all trapped and Envy was about to... to..." she began, then started sobbing again. Ed wrapped his arms around her. "Shh. It's gonna be alright," he whispered to her. Guardian looked shocked. "That's the same dream I had, except our roles were reversed!" she exclaimed.
Then Fai stepped forward. "Let me see your tattoo, Fallin, please," he asked her, but Fallin shook her head, rubbing the spot where it used to be. "Uhm… well actually, it's gone. I don't know what happened." Everyone looked shocked but Fai. "That's what I thought. You must've been so worked up over your friend's torture that you unconsciously called upon the tattoo's power and chose to come back to Amestris. Your emotional levels not only wiped out the tattoo's power but shattered the pendant as well," he spoke wisely. "What?" Kurogane snapped.
"How do we get her back here and restore her tattoo's power?" Syaoran asked Fai. Now Fallin chimed in. "I'll head back to Ranger HQ here in Amestris. They have me on file as one of the Rangers who needs a tattoo. And they have Ed as a witness. As for the pendant, can you get another from Yuko?" she asked. Fai looked up in thought. "Hm. I don't know. Yuko-san always demands high prices." As if on cue, Mokona sprung up an image of Yuko. "I can get you a new pendant, Fallin. But your price? Your price is your freedom of movement. From now on, the only places you can go are Clow, Amestris, and that Japan. Even if Syaoran and his friends pop up in another ranger dimension, you cannot go there." Fallin's eyes widened at that realization, but then she smiled. "As long as I can visit the hosts and Edward, I'll be alright. I accept." Guardian opened her mouth to protest, but Yuko held up the pendant and sent it through Mokona to The group in Japan.
"You'll get it when you get back to Japan, Fallin-chan," Fai teased, holding up the pendant. Fallin took hold of Ed's hand. "Let's get some sleep, but tomorrow I'm getting that tattoo back. Bye, Guardian, bye everyone, I'll see you all tomorrow for sure."
"Okay, make sure you get rest, Fallin. No more nightmares, okay?" Guardian said. Fallin nodded, resting her head on Ed's chest. "I won't. Ed will scare 'em all away. I should be saying the same for you, Guardian. You don't look so good. Visit one of Kyoya's family doctors. Bye!" Fallin cheered. The transmission was ended, and Fallin settled deeper into Ed's chest. Giggling softly, Fallin crawled under the covers and fell asleep almost immediately. Ed crawled in as well and wrapped his arms around her and fell asleep as well.
xXx
The next day, Ed and Fallin walked hand in hand to the tattoo artist's house. Fallin had her hair pulled back in a bun and she was dressed in her favorite black Flamel t-shirt and short shorts, along with her trusty thigh pouch. Ed smiled at her and her carefree demeanor as she walked with a bit of a beat, belting out the lyrics to 'Tik Tok', and swinging their arms back and forth. "Don't stop, make it pop, DJ blow my speakers up tonight, I'ma fight till we see the sunlight, tick tock, on the clock, but the party don't stop, no!" Ed whistled the tune along with her, which only made her laugh harder. Then she stopped dead in front of the house, dropping Ed's hand and whipping out her gun.
"Something seems very wrong, Ed," she whispered. The front door was wide open and the window upstairs appeared broken. Ed stepped in front of Fallin, shielding her as they crept up the front steps and peered inside. She placed her hands on his shoulders and looked over them at the inside. There didn't seem to be anyone home, but she cocked her gun just in case. "Hello?" Ed called. "Mr. Marshall?" Fallin shouted. Rustling came from upstairs, and Ed dropped into defensive, hands poised to transmute, and Fallin aimed her gun.
"Relax, guys, it's just me," Mr. Marshall said, coming down the stairs. He was an older man with a white soul patch and a shaved head. Fallin relaxed at the sight of her old Ranger friend, but Edward didn't. "Fallin," he whispered, "look at his eyes." Fallin glanced up at them. They had a small ring of red around them. "So? Those are always there. It's a disease he has. Why? Did you think he was Envy in disguise or something?" Ed nodded. "Maybe a little." Fallin laughed.
"It's alright, Guardian and I thought the same thing when we first got here." Then she turned back to Mr. Marshall. "Hey, what happened here?" she asked. He looked around. "Oh, some kids. They think they're so cool, busting down my door and them jumping out my window, all because I'm an old man," he rasped. Fallin's eyes grew sad. She looked at Ed. "Do you think you can fix up his place?" she asked, eyes pleading. He nodded. "Sure thing." Then Fallin looked back to Mr. Marshall.
"Hey," she said, motioning to the space behind her ear. "Can you get me a new tattoo? Mine vanished." Mr. Marshall peered at it for a second. "Ah, I think so. Let me go get my tools," he rasped, going back up the stairs. Ed clapped his hands together and began repairing things around the place. It was all fixed before Mr. Marshall came back downstairs. Toolbox in hand, Marshall examined the place. "Ah, thank you, Fullmetal," he said, eyes lighting up. "But, sir, how did you know my name?" Ed asked. "Well, the last time Fallin came to my shop, she was going on and on about this wonderful State Alchemist who was so cute and talented and-"
"Marshall!" Fallin exclaimed, face bright red as she sat in the tattooing chair. "That's enough." Ed laughed and kissed her on the cheek, sitting next to her in the chair and squeezing her hand. Marshall laughed heartily. "Well, let's get started, Fallin." Then he sat down and fished out a needle and tattoo gun out of his box. Then he pulled out a glowing rod for the ink. "Whoa, what's that?" Ed asked. "It's the magic, Ed," Fallin whispered. Then she clasped his hand and squeezed it tight as Marshall started the tattoo behind her ear.
When it was all said and done, Marshall whispered into his hand and placed it on the tattoo. Instantly, the redness faded away. "There you go, Fallin. It's ready for use." She nodded. "Arigato, Marshall-sama. I'll wait till tomorrow to leave so I can spend just a little more time with Ed before I return to Ouran," she said, looking up at Ed. Then they said their goodbyes to him and left.
xXx
When they got back to the hotel, Ed collapsed on the couch, exhausted from their long day of touring the city. Fallin giggled and sat on the arm of the couch. "Hey," she said, stroking Ed's golden bangs away from his face, "We're planning on having a big fancy ball when I get back to Ouran, but you won't be there, so we should have our own dance here, you think? Since I won't get to dance with you there." she requested, her voice almost pleading. Ed looked up to her and gave her a warm smile.
"Of course, darlin'. I'll be you're first dance," he said, taking her hand. Fallin blushed slightly as she got up and padded over to the radio on the table, one she had brought from a different dimension, and pressed a few keys on the iPod that was attached. A few opening notes played on a piano and Fallin slid her hands around his neck and he did the same to her waist. She rested her head in the crook of his neck as they swayed and shuffled to the beat of the music.
She spins and she sways
To whatever song plays
Without a care in the world.
And I'm sitting here wearing
The weight of the world on my shoulders.
It's been a long day
And there's still work to do.
She's pulling at me
Saying "Dad, I need you.
There's a ball at the castle,
And I've been invited,
And I need to practice my dancing.
Oh, please, Daddy, please?"
So I will dance with Cinderella
While she is here in my arms
'Cause I know something the prince never knew.
Oh, I will dance with Cinderella
I don't want to miss even one song.
'Cause all too soon the clock will strike midnight
And she'll be gone...
She says he's a nice guy and I'd be impressed.
She wants to know if I approve of the dress.
She says, "Dad, the prom is just one week away
And I need to practice my dancing.
Oh, please, Daddy, please?"
So I will dance with Cinderella
While she is here in my arms
'Cause I know something the prince never knew.
Oh, I will dance with Cinderella
I don't want to miss even one song.
'Cause all too soon the clock will strike midnight
And she'll be gone.
She will be gone.
Well, she came home today with a ring on her hand
Just glowing and telling us all they had planned.
She says, "Dad, the wedding's still six months away,
But I need to practice my dancing.
Oh, please, Daddy, please?"
So I will dance with Cinderella
While she is here in my arms
'Cause I know something the prince never knew.
Oh, I will dance with Cinderella
I don't want to miss even one song.
'Cause all too soon the clock will strike midnight
And she'll... be... gone.
Ed and Fallin just stood and rested after the last notes faded away, simply holding each other. "I'll miss you, beautiful," Ed whispered, brushing back the long bangs hanging in front of Fallin's left eye. She blushed a faint pink. "And I'll miss you too, love." She grinned, giving him a kiss.
When they finally came up for air, Fallin stifled a yawn. "Looks like we should get some sleep," she remarked, rubbing her new tattoo. Ed took her hand. "Don't rub it yet," he scolded lightly. She shot him a teasing look before padding over to the bed and burrowing under the covers, faking sleep already. Ed groaned and slid under the covers as well, placing his feet on hers. She shrieked and wriggled away. "Your feet are like ice!" she giggled. Then she yawned for real this time and gazed sleepily at Edward. "Hehe, night Ed." She smiled before closing her eyes and dozing off.
"Bye, love," Fallin whispered as she kissed Ed on the forehead one last time. "I'll see you when I get back," she whispered, her eyes filling with tears. She stroked his hair as he slept and she yawned. It was early in the morning, around four Amestrian time, and she had gotten up early just so she could get to Ouran as soon as possible.
Ed moaned and rolled over to face her, clasping her hand in his sleep. She smiled and withdrew her hand, rising from the bed and stretching. Casting one last look at him, she placed two fingers on her tattoo and murmured the magic word. The ice blue circle appeared on the floor and Fallin stepped into it, her blue-black hair whipping in all directions as rainbow lights spun all around the room. Soon she was gone, leaving a sleeping Edward in the room alone.
We hope that you enjoyed this chapter. Next up, Guardian's half of what happened after Fallin was returned to Amestris. ^^