Chapter Two: Night World

Disclaimer: I don't own 'Fullmetal Alchemist'.

Note: This was inspired by the fanfic/doujounishi by Shadow-Mage-Evelyn on deviantART that is titled 'BLOODLINE'. Therefore, until I am further along in the story and have further developed the plot further, I apologize in advance for any similarities you may see.

Terra assumed her human form and helped Ashlynn sit Edward up on her horse. The werewolf held him steady as Ashlynn climbed into the saddle behind him, wrapping an arm around the blonde's waist so he would not fall off. She urged the mare forward as Terra returned to her wolf form. They left the city of Munich, following the road that would lead them back to the manor.

The ride was silent for a long time before Ashlynn finally spoke.

"You had incredible timing, as usual," she told the werewolf.

Terra snorted. "Of course. How else am I supposed to keep you out of trouble?"

Ashlynn laughed. Terra had been at her side for as long as the young vampire could remember, acting as a sort of bodyguard. She was also a very good friend. Her gaze drifted to Edward's left hand, and she winced. She should have remembered about her vampiric strength, but she had forgotten about the fragile thing she had been holding. All she had been thinking about was the anger that had flooded her body. She hated herself for breaking his hand, for not remembering that the young blonde was only human.

"Stop that," Terra growled. "You know I can sense your emotions."

"I'm sorry," Ashlynn replied, but she constantly glanced at the young man's hand as they continued down the road.

Edward still felt heavy and sleepy when he woke up. He slowly opened his eyes, thankful that his night had been free of nightmares. It took him a while to realize that he was not in his own bedroom. Once he realized that, he sat quickly sat up, making his head spin as the blood rushed from his head. He was in a lavish canopy bed that was overflowing with pillows, the room full of expensive dark-wood furniture. Pale sunlight filtered through the windows, and a small fire crackled in a corner of the room. He tried to brush his bangs out of his face, but hissed in pain. He looked down, and saw his left hand was bandaged, and someone had exchanged his clothes with a silky nightshirt.

He pushed himself off the bed, and threw out his arms when he toppled over. He shakily got to his feet and stumbled over to an armchair, grabbing onto it for support, cursing the fact that his legs felt like jelly. He made slow, clumsy progress towards the door. Edward tried the doorknob when he got to the door, but found that he had been locked in. His anxiety peaked. Where was he? Why was he being confined? Slowly, he recalled the hooded figures…The wolf with the human voice…Ashlynn…Ashlynn's teeth elongating into fangs…

Letting out an embarrassing squeak of fear, Edward stumbled back to the bed. Was he going to become the girl's—no, vampire's—next meal? Was there nothing left to do but to wait for death?

Ashlynn pulled out a silver key from the pouch around her waist, biting her lip. Undoubtly, Edward had woken up and recovered from her hypnosis spell, and the young blonde human was bound to be wanting answers…That, or he would just about be ready to murder her, since she was something different, feared. She took a deep breath and unlocked the door. When she opened it, a vase flew a few inches past her face, shattering on the wall behind her. The blonde barreled past her and took off down the hallway.

She cursed and followed him. Her uncle didn't yet know that she had brought Edward to the manor…He may not have been like other vampires that attacked anything that had a pulse, but she didn't want him having the young man for a midnight snack. Thankfully, Edward easily became lost, and within no time, she had caught up to him.

Edward had stopped to catch his breath outside of the library. Ashlynn went to his side and grabbed him around the middle. Quite unceremoniously, she dragged him back to the guest bedroom; her main concern was getting the young man back in bed, and away from her family. The human flailed about, trying to escape her grasp, but she refused to yield. She made sure the door was locked behind her before she released him.

"What the hell do you think you're doing!"

She lowered her gaze and silently approached the fire, feeding the dying flames to keep warmth in the room. She felt his gaze boring into her back, angrily demanding answers. With a sigh, Ashlynn rose to her feet and turned to face him, steadily meeting his glare.

"I'm sorry…"

"You're sorry," Edward repeated, his voice deathly quiet. "You're sorry?" Now he sounded bitter, incredulous. "What the hell did you think you were doing! Bringing me here, taking me away from my home! Do you know that I have a little brother waiting for me! He's the only family I have left, and he's probably worried sick about me! Why don't you just kill me and get over with, you monster! Why are you keeping me alive!"

Ashlynn winced and looked away when she saw the burning accusation in his eyes. She also sensed something floating around him, something that wasn't…human.

"Believe me, I didn't want to bring you here…But it isn't safe for you in Munich…"

"Not safe? How the hell is it not safe!"

"Do you remember those hooded figures? They will try to come after you again, try to get a hold of you…They're after your blood."

"What's so special about my blood? Or were they monsters, vampires like you?"

Ashlynn shook her head. "Magic-casters. There is something different about your blood. Something old, magical, something that isn't human…I'm not all too sure what it is…"

Edward scoffed. "What a load of crap. You just want to keep me here until I'm healthy again, and then you'll eat me…"

"No, Edward, I—"

"Don't act like you're my friend! Just get away from me!"

Surprised by the sudden and strong burst of anger, Ashlynn squeaked and ran out of the room, being sure to lock the door so that Edward couldn't get out and do something stupid. She took a shuddering breath and leaned against the door, guilt and embarrassment flooding through her. She closed her eyes as she tried to block out the desperate, angry cries of the human as he pounded against the wood, trying to make it yield to his wish of escape.

"Yes!" Edward breathed as he heard the click of the lock. He tossed aside the piece of wire in his hands and opened the door. He poked his head out, finding that the hallway was empty. Across from him, a long row of floor-length windows had the curtains drawn back, bathing the hall with silvery moonlight. He cursed slightly, but he refused to allow this setback to scare him; he was getting out of that place.

As he went on his way, he jumped at the sight of nay distorted shadow, held his breath with every creak of the floorboards. Eventually, he came to a grand staircase, leading down to a large, open foyer. Opposite the bottom of the stairs, he could see the heavy-looking front doors. The young man's heart skipped a beat, elation and relief overcoming him, before he all but flew down the stairs and threw himself at the door. He strained his muscles trying to open it, but in the end, he managed to open it enough so that he could slip through, stepping out into a moon-bathed courtyard.

He took a deep breath and hurried down the path, towards the great stone wall he saw in the distance. As he neared, he saw that the iron gates were wide open, and he let out a small, almost manic, laugh. He was free!

Edward broke into a run as soon as he was in the cover of the forest. He had not been running long before he heard the sound of pursuit. Fear clenched at his stomach as he tried to quicken his pace. So close, yet so far…The blonde came to across a clearing, and though his brain was telling him to keep running, he collapsed at the base of a tree, his chest rising and falling as he tried to force air back into his lungs. He was wasting precious time, but he couldn't will himself to move.

At the opposite end of the clearing, a massive tiger stepped out into the clearing. Edward pressed himself against the tree as the tiger approached him, its amber eyes flashing, a low growl rumbling in its throat. Not long after, a white tiger joined it, and the two cats slowly advanced on him.

Move…MOVE…! Edward pushed himself to his feet and ran deeper into the forest, hearing the tigers following him. His foot caught on a tree root, and he skidded across the forest floor. A hiss of pain escaped his lips, and he looked around wildly, hearing nothing. He breathed a sigh of relief.

And then his world exploded with pain, black and red dancing before his eyes.

The triumphant roar of a tiger caught Ashlynn's attention. She urged her mare towards the source of the sound. As she neared, she could smell the deep, intoxicating scent of fresh blood, and she had to pause to take a deep breath. Once she found the place where the blood-scent was strongest, she saw that Jackie and Lily, artificial shape-shifters, had caught a kill. Ashlynn dismounted and approached.

"What did you manage to fi—" Ashlynn froze as she spotted blonde hair sprawling out across the undergrowth. "Jackie, Lily, back down!"

The two tigers met her gaze.

"Back. Down," she repeated fiercely.

They stepped away, and Ashlynn gasped. Edward lay there, cuts zig-zagging across his body, his blood spilling out to stain his white shirt with the color of Death. She knelt at his side, lifting his head and placing it in her lap, but she was unsure of what to do. Was he dead? Was he alive?

"Get help!" she snapped at the tigers, and they went away.

She leaned in, and could make out the faint sound of the human's breathing. She let out a sigh of relief and lifted her arm, rolling back her sleeve, and pierced a vein in her wrist, placing the open wound above Edward's open mouth. He swallowed once before he tried to pull away.

"Stop moving…You'll only make it worse…"

"No…!" Though his voice was weak and muffled, she could easily detect the underlying distress in his voice.

"Let me help…You've lost too much blood…" She gently but firmly held him down. "You're not going to turn into a vampire, if that's what you're worried about…"

He fell limp, and Ashlynn panicked, but sighed again when she detected his gentle breathing. She pulled her hand away, drawing a piece of gauze from her satchel and wrapping it around her wrist.

"Lady Ashlynn."

She turned her head towards the voice. Aaric stood behind her, a vaguely questioning look on his face.

"Can you close his wounds?"

Aaric glanced over at the human. "Yes, m'lady." The warlock knelt down, brushing his fingers along each individual cut, the skin beginning to knit itself back together. Ashlynn sighed with relief as the young man lay there, unscathed and sleeping, wondering if the fragile being upon her lap would last in her world.

Edward opened his eyes, sunlight glaring into his room. He groaned and shut his eyes. Something cold and damp pressed against his forehead, and he opened his eyes again. He saw Ashlynn at his bedside, applying a wet cloth to his forehead. She seemed aware that he was awake, but she purposely avoided his gaze as she took another cloth and dipped it into a bowl on the nightstand, before dabbing at his neck and face with deliciously cool water. As she watched her movements, he mentally cringed with guilt, remembering his angry words the day before.

"I'm…sorry…" he said, noticing that his voice was hoarse.

Ashlynn finally looked up at him, her surprise evident on her face, and Edward felt another twinge of guilt.

"You're welcome…Mr. Elric," she hastily added as she lowered her gaze again.

The two fell into silence. Edward wanted to say something, but he didn't know what; he watched the vampire as he tried to come up with something. Her choice of clothing was simple: a black lace-trimmed and bell-sleeved dress that fell off her shoulders, coupled with a deep purple bodice. Her hair fell about her shoulders, partially pulled back into a small knot at the back of her head. Edward quickly looked away, becoming embarrassed that he had been staring.

Ashlynn rose from the chair beside his bed and began to go around, straightening the things in the room that had been thrown around the room during Edward's rampage the previous night. He glanced at the window, the curtains thrown back, his room flooded with pale sunlight, and he looked at Ashlynn.

"You can be in the sun?" Edward was vaguely aware that he probably sounded stupid, but he was curious.

Ashlynn smiled. "Yes. That's just a myth."

There was a scratching noise outside the room, like cat's claws against wood. Ashlynn sighed and looked towards the door.

Edward jumped slightly. "What's that?"

"Jackie," Ashlynn said. "She won't hurt you. After last night, I told her that you're not meant as a—Well, I told her not to hurt you again."

"Wait…The tiger from last night?"

"I apologize for her behavior, but since you are new to the manor, she didn't recognize your scent."

Edward fell silent, noticing that Ashlynn glared at the door before the scratching noise stopped. The young black-haired woman turned to face him, a smile on her face. She then resumed her task of cleaning the room.

"What did you just do…?" The blonde finally managed to ask.

"It's a telepathic link. All of the night creatures have them, although the type of species defines the limits and strengths. I just told Jackie to leave us alone."

"So…can you read my mind?"

"I'm not used to the…wavelengths of your mind, so to speak…However, I can get a weak reading, and I can tell you're still doubting the reality of all this…"

The young man's eyes widened slightly, amazed that she had known that. Then again, the rational side of his brain was telling him that it probably wouldn't be that hard to make out his disbelief. He shook his head slightly, frowning as he tried to make the events of the past few days make sense. No matter how hard he tried to view them from a rational viewpoint, however, the more it seemed to slip out of his grasp like smoke…But perhaps that was how this world worked, using smoke and mystery. Ashlynn smiled softly, her eyes lit up with amusement, as if she were laughing at him.

His thoughts then drifted to his brother, and he threw back the covers, attempting to rise out bed. Ashlynn was at his side almost immediately, gently but forcefully pushing him back onto the mattress.

"My brother…! He's got to be worrying about me!"

"I know. But right now, this is the safest place for you. I already sent one of my sisters to look after your brother. Right now, you need to rest."

Edward looked up into her face, only seeing concern for his wellbeing. He fell back into the pillows, albeit a little reluctantly. She smiled softly when she saw that he was going to stay in bed, and went to continue picking up the things on the floor. She turned and looked at a shattered vase on the floor. Edward watched as she knelt down, tracing the shape of each ceramic shard. There was a gentle blue glow, and the vase was back in one piece. The blonde blinked several times, gaping.

Ashlynn smiled at him. "Magic," she replied to the question clear on his face.

"But…? What…? How…?"

Ashlynn let out a laugh, her grey eyes alight with amusement.