Fan Fiction / Fullmetal Alchemist Fan Fiction ❯ The Key to Alchemy ❯ Chapter 4 ( Chapter 4 )
[ T - Teen: Not suitable for readers under 13 ]
By: WillowBee the Cat 
Anime/Manga: Fan Fiction / Fullmetal Alchemist Fan Fiction | Genre(s): Action / Supernatural / Romance / Adventure | Type: Crossover | Uploaded On: 04.12.2006 | Pages: 2 | Words: 1.7K | Visits: 295 | Status: Completed
Anime/Manga: Fan Fiction / Fullmetal Alchemist Fan Fiction | Genre(s): Action / Supernatural / Romance / Adventure | Type: Crossover | Uploaded On: 04.12.2006 | Pages: 2 | Words: 1.7K | Visits: 295 | Status: Completed
Chapter 4
By the time Ed managed to cath up to Dawn, she was several blocks away. He had left Nina in the care of Hawkeye. He knew that Lt. Hawkeye would let nothing happen to her while he was gone.
Seeing Dawn enter an alley, Ed paused. What could she possibly want there? He hid behind some old rubbish, ready to spring into action should anything happen.
“(I don’t have time for this nonsense,)” Dawn growled in English.
“(Oh, I don’t know about that Miss Summers,)” replied a male voice. “(From the looks of it, you have all the time in the world-just not in that form.)”
“(Stop it. Just stop playing games with me.)” It sounded as if she was rather upset. “(Nina is safe now. Promise me that she won’t be hurt again.)”
“(That’s not something I can do. You changed fate when you interfered. Nina Tucker was supposed to be killed by the man called Scar several minutes after he killed Shou Tucker. Nobody ever expected you to reason with him.)”
“(So? My sister changed fate on several different occasions without any really serious repercussions. Anyway, without me here, things should soon return to normal.)”
“(You know, I did give you two choices.)”
“(Yes. And I chose death. There is no way in hell I’m going to subject some poor, innocent person to what you’re suggesting. It’s better for everyone if I just die.)”
“(Come now, Miss Summers. You don’t really believe that, now do you?)”
“(If I’m dead, nobody else will die for the sake of something which never should have existed in the first place. And anyway, I can see Mom again.)”
“(Your mother wants you to live. Do you know how disappointed she would be if you joined her in the afterlife before you made her a great-grandmother?)”
“(Stop being stupid. It’s not like any man would ever marry me. In case you’ve forgotten, I have horrible luck with men. And even if I didn’t, do you honestly think they would be willing deal with the fact that any children I have wouldn’t even be considered human? I doubt it. Anyway, with the way my life is going right now, I doubt I would live to see my fifteenth birthday, let alone my fiftieth.)”
“(That’s the problem with you Summers’s, always so self-sacrificing. That Elric boy-what was his name again? Oh yes, Edward Elric is already considered a champion by the Powers. What harm would one more responsibility cause?)”
“(Whistler, I am only going to explain this once. I. Am. Not. Human. Ed should not risk his life for a creature such as me. He’s going to do a lot of good in this world one day, and I am not going to let you send him on a fool’s errand. You cannot and will not subject him to this. It is far better for me to die than for you to even suggest using him in such a way.)”
“(Alright, alright. Should have known you’d choose death, considering that you attempted suicide twice before you turned fourteen. Third time’s the charm, eh?)”
“(Get on with it.)”
“(You sure about this? There’s no turning back.)”
“(Just do it. I”m endangering everybody in the city just by existing.)”
Ed had sat by silently during the conversation. He still wasn’t sure if Dawn was or was not on his side, but he wasn’t going to stand by and let somebody die when he could do something.
***
“What do you think you’re doing?”
Dawn put her head in her hand as Ed burst out of the shadows. He had obviously done some sort of alchemy because Whistler was pinned to the wall by a hand made of stone. This was exactly the sort of thing she’d been hoping to avoid.
Ed moved to stand in front of Dawn, obviously trying to protect her.
“Well?”
“I-well,” stuttered Dawn. “Whistler and I made a deal. He changed Nina back to normal and in exchange I did something for him.”
“And this involves you dying, how exactly?”
Dawn sighed. “It’s... well it’s complicated. Whistler works for... God, the Powers, whatever you want to call whatever god or goddess you want to believe in. He’s a balance demon. My being here... it tipped the balance.”
“You honestly expect me to believe in demons.”
“I don’t care what you call him It’s not important The thing is, Whistler offered me a choice, either I die, thereby eliminating the threat that I pose or... Well it doesn’t matter what the other choice is, cause I decided that it would be best for me to die.”
“I don’t think this is your choice anymore, Miss Summers.”
Dawn looked up at Whistler in horror. “No Don’t Please, I’m begging you.”
Whistler ignored her. He looked at Ed. “Would you protect Miss Summers from her enemies?”
“What?” said Ed, obviously confused. “It depends. Why do these people want to hurt her? Did she kill their family or something?”
“To the best of my knowledge, Miss Summers has never willingly hurt an innocent,” shrugged Whistler. “Miss Summers’ enemies... they want to enslave her, use her for her powers. She is nowhere near good enough to protect herself and the innocents that would be caught in the battle. That is why she was offered the choice of death or... Well you’ll find out soon enough. Would you protect her from a Homunculus?”
“Homunculus? There’s no such thing as a Homunculus.”
“But if there was, and said Homunculus was trying to kidnap Miss Summers, what would you do?”
“I-I would protect her... well only if she actually needs help.”
“Then I am entrusting her to your protection. Good luck,” said Whistler. “What Miss Summers is... well let’s just say the Philosopher’s Stone pales in comparison.”
With that Whistler’s body started to fade. Before Dawn could protest once more, Whistler was completely gone.
“Damn balance demons,” she muttered.
Noticing the way Ed was glaring at her, Dawn moved back a step. He looked absolutely furious at her, no doubt because of this conversation.
“I-uh...”
“Don’t.” A command, not a request. He grabbed her by the arm, pulling her roughly in the general direction of headquarters. Hearing her stomach rumble, Dawn tried to remember when exactly she had eaten last.
As the world faded to black, Dawn remembered that she had not eaten since she had found out about Nina’s... dilemma.
***
Ed walked over to the room Dawn was in. It felt odd to balance without his automail arm. It had been lost not even an hour earlier in a fight against the Ishbalin called Scar.
Sure, Dawn had saved Nina, but that conversation he had overheard was ... worrying to say the least. Dawn had been willing to give up her life to help a child she had never met before rather than have him as her protector. She wasn’t even human, if the conversation was to be believed. Ed couldn’t help but wonder what Dawn was. According to that man, the Philosopher’s Stone was nothing in comparison to Dawn.
But the questions about Homunculi were absurd. There was no such thing as a Homunculus, not really. But... that man had seemed worried about Homunculi attacking Dawn. Maybe the idea bore some looking into.
“When was the last time you ate?”
Ed paused just outside the doorway. From the sounds of it, the doctor was questioning Dawn. If the doctor felt the need to ask her about when she had last eaten.... Ed felt a wave of guilt. If it hadn’t been for that stupid argument, Dawn would have eaten with him when he was at the Tucker’s and then she wouldn’t have made herself ill.
“Uh...” said Dawn. “I think it was yesterday, but I’m not sure. Could have been the day before.”
“And the last time you slept?”
“I don’t know. The night before last, I think.”
“Major Elric!” Ok, so the doctor could see him.
“Yeah?” said Ed, walking into the room
“This woman’s well being is your responsibility, yes?”
Ed ignored the outraged look on Dawn’s face. In some ways, Amestris was very progressive, this was not one of them. Well, he had promised to protect her, that made him responsible for her well being, right? Eh, good enough. “Yes, I am.”
The doctor gave him a long, measuring look. “She’s fine, but make sure she eats and sleeps on a regular basis.” The doctor glanced at Dawn and then back at Ed. “Let’s step outside.”
They stepped out into the hallway, stopping about twenty feet from Dawn’s room. “How long have you known Miss Summers?”
“About a week,” shrugged Ed. “We traveled together for a little while. We parted ways three days ago.”
The doctor sighed. “Any family?”
Ed shook his head. “They’re not on speaking terms.”
“All things considered, Miss Summers is lucky she can still bare children.”
“What do you mean?”
“Miss Summers has been tortured on more than one occasion. The latest being about two or three years ago. She’s been at the point of death by starvation at least once...”
By the time Ed managed to cath up to Dawn, she was several blocks away. He had left Nina in the care of Hawkeye. He knew that Lt. Hawkeye would let nothing happen to her while he was gone.
Seeing Dawn enter an alley, Ed paused. What could she possibly want there? He hid behind some old rubbish, ready to spring into action should anything happen.
“(I don’t have time for this nonsense,)” Dawn growled in English.
“(Oh, I don’t know about that Miss Summers,)” replied a male voice. “(From the looks of it, you have all the time in the world-just not in that form.)”
“(Stop it. Just stop playing games with me.)” It sounded as if she was rather upset. “(Nina is safe now. Promise me that she won’t be hurt again.)”
“(That’s not something I can do. You changed fate when you interfered. Nina Tucker was supposed to be killed by the man called Scar several minutes after he killed Shou Tucker. Nobody ever expected you to reason with him.)”
“(So? My sister changed fate on several different occasions without any really serious repercussions. Anyway, without me here, things should soon return to normal.)”
“(You know, I did give you two choices.)”
“(Yes. And I chose death. There is no way in hell I’m going to subject some poor, innocent person to what you’re suggesting. It’s better for everyone if I just die.)”
“(Come now, Miss Summers. You don’t really believe that, now do you?)”
“(If I’m dead, nobody else will die for the sake of something which never should have existed in the first place. And anyway, I can see Mom again.)”
“(Your mother wants you to live. Do you know how disappointed she would be if you joined her in the afterlife before you made her a great-grandmother?)”
“(Stop being stupid. It’s not like any man would ever marry me. In case you’ve forgotten, I have horrible luck with men. And even if I didn’t, do you honestly think they would be willing deal with the fact that any children I have wouldn’t even be considered human? I doubt it. Anyway, with the way my life is going right now, I doubt I would live to see my fifteenth birthday, let alone my fiftieth.)”
“(That’s the problem with you Summers’s, always so self-sacrificing. That Elric boy-what was his name again? Oh yes, Edward Elric is already considered a champion by the Powers. What harm would one more responsibility cause?)”
“(Whistler, I am only going to explain this once. I. Am. Not. Human. Ed should not risk his life for a creature such as me. He’s going to do a lot of good in this world one day, and I am not going to let you send him on a fool’s errand. You cannot and will not subject him to this. It is far better for me to die than for you to even suggest using him in such a way.)”
“(Alright, alright. Should have known you’d choose death, considering that you attempted suicide twice before you turned fourteen. Third time’s the charm, eh?)”
“(Get on with it.)”
“(You sure about this? There’s no turning back.)”
“(Just do it. I”m endangering everybody in the city just by existing.)”
Ed had sat by silently during the conversation. He still wasn’t sure if Dawn was or was not on his side, but he wasn’t going to stand by and let somebody die when he could do something.
***
“What do you think you’re doing?”
Dawn put her head in her hand as Ed burst out of the shadows. He had obviously done some sort of alchemy because Whistler was pinned to the wall by a hand made of stone. This was exactly the sort of thing she’d been hoping to avoid.
Ed moved to stand in front of Dawn, obviously trying to protect her.
“Well?”
“I-well,” stuttered Dawn. “Whistler and I made a deal. He changed Nina back to normal and in exchange I did something for him.”
“And this involves you dying, how exactly?”
Dawn sighed. “It’s... well it’s complicated. Whistler works for... God, the Powers, whatever you want to call whatever god or goddess you want to believe in. He’s a balance demon. My being here... it tipped the balance.”
“You honestly expect me to believe in demons.”
“I don’t care what you call him It’s not important The thing is, Whistler offered me a choice, either I die, thereby eliminating the threat that I pose or... Well it doesn’t matter what the other choice is, cause I decided that it would be best for me to die.”
“I don’t think this is your choice anymore, Miss Summers.”
Dawn looked up at Whistler in horror. “No Don’t Please, I’m begging you.”
Whistler ignored her. He looked at Ed. “Would you protect Miss Summers from her enemies?”
“What?” said Ed, obviously confused. “It depends. Why do these people want to hurt her? Did she kill their family or something?”
“To the best of my knowledge, Miss Summers has never willingly hurt an innocent,” shrugged Whistler. “Miss Summers’ enemies... they want to enslave her, use her for her powers. She is nowhere near good enough to protect herself and the innocents that would be caught in the battle. That is why she was offered the choice of death or... Well you’ll find out soon enough. Would you protect her from a Homunculus?”
“Homunculus? There’s no such thing as a Homunculus.”
“But if there was, and said Homunculus was trying to kidnap Miss Summers, what would you do?”
“I-I would protect her... well only if she actually needs help.”
“Then I am entrusting her to your protection. Good luck,” said Whistler. “What Miss Summers is... well let’s just say the Philosopher’s Stone pales in comparison.”
With that Whistler’s body started to fade. Before Dawn could protest once more, Whistler was completely gone.
“Damn balance demons,” she muttered.
Noticing the way Ed was glaring at her, Dawn moved back a step. He looked absolutely furious at her, no doubt because of this conversation.
“I-uh...”
“Don’t.” A command, not a request. He grabbed her by the arm, pulling her roughly in the general direction of headquarters. Hearing her stomach rumble, Dawn tried to remember when exactly she had eaten last.
As the world faded to black, Dawn remembered that she had not eaten since she had found out about Nina’s... dilemma.
***
Ed walked over to the room Dawn was in. It felt odd to balance without his automail arm. It had been lost not even an hour earlier in a fight against the Ishbalin called Scar.
Sure, Dawn had saved Nina, but that conversation he had overheard was ... worrying to say the least. Dawn had been willing to give up her life to help a child she had never met before rather than have him as her protector. She wasn’t even human, if the conversation was to be believed. Ed couldn’t help but wonder what Dawn was. According to that man, the Philosopher’s Stone was nothing in comparison to Dawn.
But the questions about Homunculi were absurd. There was no such thing as a Homunculus, not really. But... that man had seemed worried about Homunculi attacking Dawn. Maybe the idea bore some looking into.
“When was the last time you ate?”
Ed paused just outside the doorway. From the sounds of it, the doctor was questioning Dawn. If the doctor felt the need to ask her about when she had last eaten.... Ed felt a wave of guilt. If it hadn’t been for that stupid argument, Dawn would have eaten with him when he was at the Tucker’s and then she wouldn’t have made herself ill.
“Uh...” said Dawn. “I think it was yesterday, but I’m not sure. Could have been the day before.”
“And the last time you slept?”
“I don’t know. The night before last, I think.”
“Major Elric!” Ok, so the doctor could see him.
“Yeah?” said Ed, walking into the room
“This woman’s well being is your responsibility, yes?”
Ed ignored the outraged look on Dawn’s face. In some ways, Amestris was very progressive, this was not one of them. Well, he had promised to protect her, that made him responsible for her well being, right? Eh, good enough. “Yes, I am.”
The doctor gave him a long, measuring look. “She’s fine, but make sure she eats and sleeps on a regular basis.” The doctor glanced at Dawn and then back at Ed. “Let’s step outside.”
They stepped out into the hallway, stopping about twenty feet from Dawn’s room. “How long have you known Miss Summers?”
“About a week,” shrugged Ed. “We traveled together for a little while. We parted ways three days ago.”
The doctor sighed. “Any family?”
Ed shook his head. “They’re not on speaking terms.”
“All things considered, Miss Summers is lucky she can still bare children.”
“What do you mean?”
“Miss Summers has been tortured on more than one occasion. The latest being about two or three years ago. She’s been at the point of death by starvation at least once...”