Disclaimer: I am not making any money from this publication. No copyright infringement is intended.
Chapter 5
Winry
۞
Warning: Rating has risen from T to M and this fic will contain some violence and language.
The room was quiet, the only sounds coming from the young man laying on the room's only bed. The occasional growl of frustration would escape his lips. However, the sounds were slightly muffled as the teen tried to calm himself.
Edward rolled over, his metal arm lowering from its previous position over his eyes. His blond hair, still damp from his recent shower, was pulled back in a simple pony tail and was spayed across his pillow, the golden locks shining from the bedside lamp, bringing light to the otherwise dark room.
He was currently a guest at Tonks' residence, a deceptively small apartment—it was huge inside—just a short distance from the ministry. She had dragged him here after their little conversation, though dragged wasn't quiet the right word. She had in actuality pushed into a flaming green fireplace while laughing at his frantic protests, saying it was a perfectly normal way to travel! That was not a normal way to travel and he would eat his own tongue before he said otherwise.
Edward could hardly understand how he had gotten himself into this predicament. How a simple trip to look for Winry could turn into him becoming a guest of a witch--a loony one at that--he couldn't fathom. He still wasn't sure if he believed in all this wand and wizard stuff Tonks sprouted. However, talking to Moody and Kingsley had made him think that maybe there was some truth behind this magic thing, though he suspected it may just be some altered form of alchemy.
The three were members of some sort of organization, The Order of...something; he couldn't quiet remember what—though he seemed to remember it had something to do with an animal…a bird maybe? This Order fought against a Dark Lord, who was apparently a very bad and evil person, judging from what Tonks and the two men had said.
The Order was a private counter organization of sorts, independent from the Ministry and headed by a headmaster from some magical school, an idea which Edward found odd. A headmaster didn't seem like the best choice to him but you can never tell someone's worth from appearances so he didn't think too deeply into it.
The members were apparently very influential in their world, though few knew who the members were if they weren't in it themselves.
The basics had been explained to him last night, but he got the felling that they were kind of like a private army--they fought, they spied, they did every thing that Edward had always disliked about the military; however, he did see the use for such things even if he didn't agree with them.
Edward sighed at the unpleasant thought and rolled over, his flesh fingers pulling gently on his damp hair.
He wasn't quiet sure what he was supposed to do. He knew he had to find a way to locate Winry, but the only clue he had so far was Tonks and the prospect didn't particularly thrill him.
Tonks.
The word evoked anger as well as irritation in him. Anger at himself for his loss of control whenever that woman decided to intervene, and his inability to extract information about Winry from the accursed woman. His expression turned indignant as he thought of the conversation they had had just hours before leading him to his current quarters.
He had told her about Winry, but he left certain things out, like about the letter. Edward didn't trust her. He didn't know what motivated her to help him, though he doubted the reasons was sinister. Still…it didn't hurt to be careful.
Why couldn't she be conventional and learn how to keep her mouth shut and not babble every thought that came to her? It was incredibly frustrating dealing with her and he found himself wishing that she would learn how to be more...eloquent.
Although Edward knew the thought was hypercritical, it didn't make the thought any less true. She didn't think; she just acted. If she had thought before dragging him into that crack house she called a ministry, then he wouldn't be in this mess in the first place! He didn't belong here. He should be looking for Winry, not being lectured on the nature of magic or being told he was an Amorphous of all things!
What the was up with all this Amorphous drivel anyway? He wasn't an Amorphous. He barely knew what an Amorphous was, seeing as Tonks' explanation was less than satisfactory as far as Edward was concerned. He was an alchemist damn it, not some bloody fairy-tale creature!
She said that an Amorphous was one who 'has the power to have no substance.' It didn't make much sense to Edward considering it went against everything he knew and believed in.
Every object has matter and weight; everything in this world is made up of atoms. You cannot just make those molecules disappear as Tonks seemed to suggest an Amorphous could do. Science just didn't work that way. Of course, if he believed Tonks, it wasn't alchemy, it was magic and apparently, an Amorphous was a magical being.
Edward snorted at the thought. That anyone would even think that was ludicrous, much less use it as one's argument. It went against the laws of nature and that was just insane.
However, as stated by Tonks, Amorphous' didn't follow the laws of 'Muggle' science—Muggle, via explanation from Tonks, meaning ordinary or non-magical—but followed the more obscure rules of the magical world.
Edward groaned as his head throbbed, the pain as sharp as any knife and he rubbed his temples.
He sighed quietly, his eyes staring up at the ceiling. Why did crap always seem to happen to him?
-------------------------
-------------------------
The next morning Edward awoke to an awful thundering on his front door. He groaned when the remnants of his headache decided it weren't quiet done with making a mash of his head. He jerked when the door gave a noticeably painful shudder, almost causing the door to come free from its hinges.
Edward gave a strangled yell, pain shooting into his head.
"Stop pounding on the damned door!"
He sighed when the room became blissfully silent. He rolled over pulling his blankets over his head wishing he were any place other than here.
He rested quietly under his blankets, his breath warm and moist on his face when suddenly a sound like something exploding rang throughout the room.
Edward threw his blankets off and jumped his feet, his hands clapping together and his right arm transforming into a metal blade. He couched down, his eyes scanning the room, looking for the expected attack.
He groaned aloud when his eyes feel on the from of Tonks. She had blown in the door and she had a smug, self-satisfied expression on her face as she studied her handy work. The once solid, wooden door had been reduced to splinters and pieces of it now lay scattered around the bedroom floor.
"Why the blazes did you that?" Edward asked, aghast as he surveyed the once neat room.
"Wonkers Edward, you didn't answer the door so I thought you needed a wakeup call," Tonks said non-pulsed.
Edward groaned again. Did nothing get through to the bloody woman? He had distinctly expressed last night that he did not need a 'wakeup call' when she had asked if he wanted her to wake him up. He had been doing it all his life and he didn't need or want somebody to wake him up now.
He clapped his hands again and the blade shrunk until his automail was once more in the shape of an arm, all in a flash of blue light.
Tonks looked interested as she watched alchemic reaction, but she didn't comment on it. For once, Edward scathingly thought as he sat down on the edge of the bed.
"Good morning to you to, Edward." Tonks said, leaning against the door frame. Edward wasn't sure that was smart considering the splinters that now decorated the frame. Her eyes were sharp as she studied the teen in front of her. "I have to leave in a little bit, Edward. I have to go to friend's wedding and I can't miss it. I don't know where your friend could be, but we should look into deciphering who sent the kidnapping letter and untangling what they could possibly want from you."
"Yeah, I don't know where Winry could've…" Edward trailed off, his eyes wide. "How did you know about the letter?" he demanded, incredulous.
"Oh, you mean this letter?" she asked innocently, holding up a white envelop with green writing on it. "I swiped it from your stuff when you showered last night."
"You did what!?" Edward yelled, standing up. He was not amused. "How dare you go through my stuff without asking me first! I'm in the right mind to--"
"Oh for peat's sake, I was just joking. You really shouldn't make yourself so easy to tease, Edward." Tonks said exasperated, pushing away from the door frame. "You make it really hard for me to resist. I found the letter on the floor last night. It must have fallen out of your jacket or something."
"Oh, really?" Edward said, still highly suspicious.
"Yes," Tonks said simply and her tone sounded so honest that he believed her.
"Oh."
Edward sighed. "Sorry," he mumbled, feeling somewhat out-of-sorts, not to mention out of his element. Give him a serial killer over this any time of the day. At least then he knew what to expect, while here, he had no idea what was going to happen. It made him feel somewhat uncomfortable.
"Err, about this wedding…" he said thinking. "You said everybody in this Order of yours was going to be there?"
"Yes."
"Well, would these people be helpful or have any useful information on kidnappings or on my friend Winry?"
"You mean, you're little lover," Tonks teased.
"She is not my lover!" Edward yelled horrified, though he was blushing.
Tonks chuckled, her eyes twinkling with amusement, but she didn't comment further on the issue. "They would probably would have information on the kidnappings, if not on Winry herself. Some are quiet close to inner workings of the Dark Lord and they spy for us. I'm sure you'll be able to find something out to help you locate her. However, are you sure you want to do that?" she asked shrewdly. "Asking around will alert the kidnappers and you don't know how they will react. They might hurt your friend."
"I know that," Edward said, pained. "But I don't know if they are going to do that anyway even if I don't act. I just need to get her back and make sure she's safe and away from those crazy people."
"Crazy people?" Tonks asked confused.
"Yes," Edward said fiercely, his tone thick and hard. "Anybody who messes with somebody I care about is crazy because I will make sure they pay the consequences for such an unforgivable act."
He turned to the silent woman beside him, his eyes boring into hers. "I will go to this wedding of yours, and I will find the assholes who kidnapped Winry, and when I do, they will not be able to do anything for a very long time, if they able to anything at all."
Tonks was quiet as she studied the passionate boy in front of her. She had the feeling that he was telling the truth and he would go through with his threat. She felt oddly sorry for the people who had taken Winry because she didn't think there would be much left of them once Edward was finished with them, though on second thought, they probably deserved everything Edward decided to dole out.
-------------------------
-------------------------
Winry gradually awoke, her breath coming out in even gasps as it came out between her slightly parted lips. She was cold. She didn't understand. It was summer...right? Then why was the air so chilly it felt like ice sickles were forming on her eyelids…?
She felt disoriented for some reason, though she didn't understand what was wrong. Then she realized that she was upright and she felt straps binding her arms and legs down. A flash of panic went through the teen. Where was she? The thought was fleeting though as she willed her heavy eyelids to lift.
Winry's eyes flickered open weakly and she was shocked when only blackness filled her vision, almost like a black void the dark was so complete. The absence of light was all consuming and her panic became more pronounced, her eyes flew wildly about. Why was she tied up? She hadn't done anything wrong; she was an upright citizen of Ametris. Who would do this to her?
The girl pulled frantically on her bindings, but whoever had tried them had done their job well as they didn't even budge from her ministrations.
Suddenly, she froze when a soft sound came to her the sound feeling her with elation and dread, her heartbeat loud in her eyes as her blood roared with fright. She heard someone moan, a moan of such deep anguish and pain it froze Winry's blood. her eyes strained, trying to see the source of the gut-wrenching sound but to no avail as it remained as dark and impenetrable as ever.
"Who's there?" she asked, trying not to sound as frightened as she felt, but her voice came out oddly stilted and rusty as if with disuse.
No answer came and the only sound that met her ears was her own erratic breathing.
The girl tried to calm her thoughts, her eyes closing to shut out the horrible blackness that surrounded her, but her thoughts wouldn't settle and panicked thoughts flickered at the edges at her conscious. She tried again, but her emotions quickly overwhelmed her and she had bite her lip to suppress a howl of frustration that suddenly came to her lips. Her nerves literally felt like they had been through a meat grinder.
"Where am I?" The words were barely whispered and they sounded strange even to her ears as they were filled with suppressed emotion. However, her only answer was silence.
She moaned as she tried to move again but it was to no avail. She didn't understand. Why was she tied up?
Her eyes opened again, the motion unintentional, and flinched when she was again greeted with the absolute void that surrounded her.
She took a deep breath trying to steady herself, however the action did not help as her pulse was still erratic, the sound loud in the oppressive silence.
The air on her arms rose as she felt something brush past her and Winry couldn't suppress the scream that rose unbidden from her cold lips.
Winry's thoughts felt wooden, like she couldn't quiet grasp what was really happening as she felt something cold and slimy grasp her arm.
She shuddered, a grasp coming from her lips as the touch rose up her arm to her face. She couldn't see it as her eyes were still useless, but the touch was...horrendous. Horrible didn't begin to describe it… the touch was so violating and felt so… wrong...on her bare skin that her mind closed in onto its self when she felt it brush her neck with its cold touch. She couldn't think…she...
Why…? Why was this happening to her? Why... was she…so cold…
She gasped when she felt something pierce her mind and her blue eyes widened impossibly wide.
Suddenly, images of Edward lying beaten and bloody, his blank eyes staring up at her, flittered across her mind and she felt her breath hitch.
A scream echoed through the dark space and it took Winry a moment to realize that she was the one who had screamed, however the thought was fleeting as more images assailed her and she quickly lost focus of her surroundings as a fresh batch of terrifying images assaulted her mind, each worse than the last. Her eyes glazed over and he mouth gapped open; she was trapped in her own nightmare.
The room soon filled with her screams.
-------------------------
-------------------------
A group of robed men started at the bound inhabitants in the sealed rooms, standing behind a tinted glass wall that had been spelled to be unbreakable and unviewable to those within the small closed rooms. The rooms were getting more occupants every day but they were still a far way from acquiring all that they would need in order to proceed to the next step. Things were going well so far. It would only be a matter of time.
The group stared keenly at their newest audition, a luscious young girl with golden hair.
The leader of the group, a tall figure in an expensive black, hooded robe, a white mask covering his face and identity, was particularly pleased with the proceedings.
The spells surrounding the room were affecting her quiet nicely. They induced panic and extreme anxiety in those unlucky enough to fall into its grasp. Few could escape their worst nightmares and were soon consumed by the terrifying images. The spell acted in many ways like a dementor would. It would repeatedly bring forth images from the minds of its victims that would beget the most fear, eliciting feelings and emotions of dread with its cold touch. The purpose was to terrify the victim whether it be into submission or something else. The spell fed off the fear and it made it stronger, thus making the terror more pronounced the longer spell was in place.
The dark spell was a beautiful work of art really. It was unique and it suited the Dark Lord's tastes perfectly. It was now a favorite of his to use on his subjects, though due to their sanity, it wasn't used too often.
A dark smile curved the pale lips of the masked man as he listened to the screams coming from the sealed room. He liked the spell too. It made things more...interesting.
His head tilted to the side in thought.
Yes, things were moving along quiet nicely.
Everything was falling into place.
A/N: Errm... So this was quiet a bit different from the rest of the story. A little more dark. Well, Winry is in the grasp of the Dark Lord, so I thought it fit. So sorry if you didn't like it, but I wanted to put it in. It must be the all the dark hp fics I've been reading recently. //sheepish look// I'm sorry about the sudden rating change, but I wanted to put the Winry scene in so hopefully you all won't be too upset.
I'm not sure if I like this chapter or not. It seemed a little off to me, but hopefully it was okay. They felt OOC to me. I'll probably edit it later when I have the time.
I changed the second chapter around a little bit and combined the first three, so check it out if you want. However, there's no new information, except for the a/n were I answered some of your questions about the first chapter and Hohenheim. However, it's not mandatory to read/reread it to understand this fic.
Also, I want your opinion on Tonks because I can't decide. Should she stay with Ed or should she help from the sidelines and not be such a prominent character in the fic? All opinions will be considered. I would also like to thank all those who reviewed and gave suggestions. They mean a lot to me.