Fullmetal Alchemist Fan Fiction ❯ Disaster or Destiny? ❯ Reminders of the Past ( Chapter 15 )

[ T - Teen: Not suitable for readers under 13 ]

I left Russell and Al and went to check on Ed, and was surprised to find him sitting up in bed.

I walked over and took my usual position in the chair next to his bed. “Hey, you’re up! How do you feel?”

“Better. I think I might be up and going again by tomorrow.”

I sighed in relief and sank back in the chair, looking up at the ceiling. “Thank goodness.”

I felt his gaze on me and looked at him. “What is it?”

“You’ve stayed with me this whole time, haven’t you?”

I shrugged. “Pretty much. Al dragged me out a while ago, but other than that I‘ve been here.”

He seemed like he wanted to say something else, but was reluctant to do so. He rubbed the back of his head nervously and said, “By the way…thanks for staying with me last night.”

I didn’t think he’d remembered the dream or was even aware that he’d said anything to me. “If you don’t mind me asking, why did you call out my name?”

I thought I saw him blush a little. That was twice in the last few days; that had to be some kind of record. “I just…had a bad dream with you in it, that’s all.”

“C’mon Ed, just tell me,” I prodded.

He turned away from me. “Really, you don‘t want to know.”

I continued to nag until he finally gave me a rushed description to shut me up. “I had a dream that you left for some reason, and I went to find you. When I did, you were dead, and Envy was standing over your body, telling me it was my fault because I hadn‘t been there to protect you. I’d really rather not go into detail, it wasn’t exactly pleasant.”

The idea was disturbing, but I was actually flattered that Ed had reacted so strongly to the dream. I couldn’t think of anything to say, and was relieved when I was spared the necessity to do so when Al and Russell peeked through the door.

“Brother! You‘re awake!” Al whispered.

I nodded at him and turned back to Ed, who was smiling at his brother. “There was something else I was going to tell you, but I’ll just let these guys do it.”

Russell and Al entered the room and Ed quickly got out of bed, seemingly embarrassed by being seen in such a helpless state by Russell. He still had to keep his hand on the back of the chair to steady himself when he stood.

“Russell, what are you doing here?”

Russell chuckled slightly. “It’s good to see you too, Ed.” To Ed’s extreme annoyance, Russell looked him up and down. “Hey, it looks like you’ve grown an inch or so. Still shorter than me though, even though I’m a year younger. Funny how that works, isn’t it?”

Ed suddenly seemed to regain all of his energy. I managed to hold him back, but it wasn’t an easy task. “RUSSELL YOU ARROGANT PRICK! I COULD KICK YOUR ASS ANY DAY SO WATCH WHAT YOU SAY!”

Russell calmly held up a hand. “Whoa, Ed let’s not get off on the wrong foot here. I actually need your help with something.”

Russell explained the situation, and Ed took on a look of determination. He knew how horrible it would be if Al was ever taken away from him, so he understood what Russell was going through.

“Where is this place?” he asked.

“It says that it’s in the mountains north of here. I have no idea what this person wants from you, Ed, but they apparently think you’re the only one who can do whatever it is they want done.”

Ed gave Russell an I-told-you-so look. “Well, it looks like stealing my identity has come back to bite you in the ass once again.”

“Will you drop that, Ed?” Russell said impatiently. “Now are you going to help me or not?”

“I don’t really have a choice. Once they find out they’ve got the wrong guy, they’ll just come after me. We’ve got to be there three nights from tonight, right?”

Russell nodded. “I think they gave me that much time because of the time it takes to get there.”

“You’re going to have to give me the rest of the day and night to rest up. We’ll leave first thing in the morning and move as fast as we can to make up for lost time.”

Ed and I both took it easy the rest of the day, and I finally enjoyed a full night’s sleep.

My wake up call came all too soon. Someone was shaking my shoulder, and I closed my eyes tighter, trying to ignore it. A hand pushed my hair out of my face and I heard Ed’s voice whisper in my ear. “I thought I’d let you know we’re leaving, but you don’t have to come.”

I suddenly remembered the trip ahead of us and quickly sat up. “Of course I’m going!”

“I don’t know Marie, maybe you should stay. You’re not exactly in the best shape for a two day trek in the mountains.”

I raised an eyebrow. “And you are?”

He shrugged. “I don’t have a choice.”

I got out of bed and rummaged through my bag for something to wear. “I’m fine. Now get out so I can get dressed.” I pushed him out the door. “And don’t you dare leave without me!”

I threw on pants and a t-shirt, tying a jacket around my waist. When I met the others outside, Russell looked none too pleased to have me tagging along. I scowled at the look on his face. “What’s your problem?”

He spoke to Ed, as if I weren’t even there. “Ed, why are you bringing your girlfriend?” Ed started to protest, but I beat him to it.

“I’m not his girlfriend! I’m coming in case I can help.”

Russell started toward a road that lead into the woods, towards the mountains. “Fine, but if you slow us down, I’m leaving you behind.”

The rest of us followed, Ed and Al cautiously staying a few steps back from Russell and I.

I glared at him. “Who said you’re calling the shots, huh?”

“I did,” he answered coolly, keeping his eyes on the road.

I walked a little faster to get ahead of him. “You know, you have a lousy way of thanking people who are just trying to help.”

“You need to work on that attitude,” I heard him say behind me.

“And you need to work on your people skills,” I shot back.

That finally shut him up, and the trip commenced fairly peacefully, save for an odd three way argument between Ed, Russell and I over who would win a pie-eating contest. Exactly how that conversation got started, I’ll never really know.

We kept up a fast pace the rest of the day, and when the sun started to go down decided that we’d made enough progress to stop for the night. Ed, Russell and I looked for firewood while Al, who offered to carry all the supplies, made us something to eat. Of course the wood gathering part turned into a contest between the three of us, and we ended up with about three times more than we needed.

It was dark by the time we started eating, and we decided to turn it afterwards. Each of us took a blanket - except Al, of course - and curled up to go to sleep.

Sleep didn’t come easily for me, and once the fire died down one blanket wasn’t cutting it. Not only that, but the faltering light was diminishing rapidly and I would soon be surrounded by complete darkness. I told myself I was too old to be afraid of things like that, but it didn’t help much. I looked a few feet away, where Ed was sleeping on his side. I was surprised but relieved when he opened his eyes halfway and glanced lazily over at me. “Why’re you still up?”

“Because I’m freezing.”

He grinned evilly. “And you’re scared, right?”

“No!” I responded, so quickly and defensively that it probably assured him he was right.

He rolled his eyes. “Well I can’t very well let you sit there and freeze, can I?” he said, yawning. “C’mere.”

Surprised but grateful at the offer, I crawled over and laid down next to him, my back against his chest. He put half of his blanket and an arm over me, falling asleep again almost instantly. The warmth of his body and the feeling of his warm breath against the back of my neck shut out the cold and my fear, and I was asleep within minutes.

I woke up to find Ed and Russel gone, and Al cooking breakfast over a newly kindled fire. I sat up, rubbing my eyes.

“Good Morning,” Al said cheerily.

“Morning,” I responded groggily. “Where are Ed and Russell?”

“Getting some water. I’d imagine Ed is enduring some heavy teasing from Russell right about now.”

“Teasing?” I queried, scooting closer to the fire.

He snickered. “About how cute you two looked this morning.”

I felt my face flush. “C’mon Al, it’s just because I was cold last night!”

“Well it’s sure giving Russell some early morning entertainment.”

I threw off the blankets and went off toward the river in a huff. “I think I’ll go push him in the water before he has a chance to give me any crap about it.”

I heard Al chuckle as I disappeared into the trees, following the sound of the water. I had every mind to march right up to Russell and shove him in the water, but when I got close enough to hear parts of the heated discussion that was ensuing between the two, I suddenly didn’t want to make my presence known.

“So she’s not your girlfriend, but you’re sleeping together?” The corners of Russell’s mouth curled up into a sadistic grin.

Ed’s face flushed in anger and embarassment. “We weren’t sleeping together, you pervert! I let her sleep by me because she was cold, that’s all.”

“Maybe that was all you thought of it as, but if you ask me I think she’s got a thing for you,” he said with a sly look at Ed.

I watched the two of them nervously. Was it really that obvious?

Ed scoffed at the idea. “Yeah, right. Where the hell did you get that idea?”

Russell shrugged. “I don’t know, it just seems that way to me.”

Ed shook his head. “What reason would she have for that? I’m a dog of the military on a wild goose chase with an obligation to do whatever the State tells me. On top of that I’ve violated the most important laws of alchemy and I can’t even manage to get my little brother back to normal. Now you tell me what she could possibly see in me.”

Russell seemed suddenly sympathetic. “Did you ever think maybe she doesn’t care about things like that? I mean why is she even with you and Al in the first place?”

“Because she has no other choice. She’s here because she has to be.” His voice had an edge that hinted the conversation was over. “Besides, I don’t have time for things like that and neither does she.” For a moment I thought I caught a trace of regret in his voice, but decided it was probably just the result of me hoping for it.

Having collected the water, the two of them started back towards the camp. I abandoned my idea of getting revenge and hurried back, thinking about what Ed had said. Russell was right; I didn’t care about any of those things. I was both releived and a little hurt that Ed was the only one who didn’t realize that I really did have feelings for him. I couldn’t decide if I wanted him to know or not, but I was leaning towards the latter, mostly because I was fairly sure he didn’t feel that way about me. But I regrettably admitted that he was right about one thing; we didn’t really have the time to worry about things like that.

The three of us wolfed down breakfast and we were soon on our way again. Fortuneately, no one mentioned anything about the night before again, and Ed seemed to have forgotten about Russell’s teasing.

We rested little that day and had covered a good distance by the time the sun started to go down. In accordance to the instructions in Russell’s letter, we eventually took a trail that forked off the road and our surroundings changed from an open, cheery forest to a dark, uninviting wood congested with gnarled trees and twisted roots. The fog began to roll in, getting thicker the farther we went in.

Ed suddenly signaled to us to stop. When the sound of our footsteps ceased, someone else’s took their place. We all whipped around frantically, unable to see much in the heavy fog.

“Marie!” Ed suddenly screamed, grabbing me and diving to the side. I turned around in time to see a scimitar-like blade lodged in the ground where I had stood only seconds before.

Al had completed a transmutation circle by now and pressed his hands to the ground, causing the roots in the circle to ensare our attacker. Once immobilized, I got a good look at him. Something wasn’t right. He looked…fake.

Russell approached him - or it - cautiously. I noticed the eyes didn’t look focused, or even real for that matter. He was completely still, and didn’t seem to have any reaction to anything that was going on.

“Who are you?” Russell asked him, eyeing him suspiciously.

No response.

“I don’t think…” Ed began, as he touched the arm of our attacker. There was a knowing look in his eyes as he pulled back. “It’s not human.”

Upon an inspection, Al seemed to come to the same conclusion as Ed. “Brother, it’s just like - “

“Majihal.” Ed finished.

“Who’s Majihal?” Russell and I asked in unison.

“He was an alchemist Al and I met awhile back, an acquaintence of my father’s.” Ed grimaced slightly at the mention of his father, of whom he was not fond. “He used alchemy to transfer the souls of young girls into life-like dolls he made to look like his dead lover. It looks like a similar method was used here.”

I stared at the entangled puppet. “Great, so we’re dealing with a psychopath who steals souls.”

Russell ran a hand through his hair in frustration. “No wonder no one knows about this place, she uses everyone who
comes close and they never get to leave.”

Ed suddenly transmuted him arm and slashed through the dummy, then turned and continued along the trail. I hoped that destroying it was enough to free the soul that was trapped inside.

We eventually entered a canyon that got progressively narrower the further we walked. Before long, a gate came into view. I thought two people were guarding it, but as we approached them I saw they were more puppets. Everyone slowed at the sight of the guards, half-prepared for another fight. But instead of pulling out weapons, one of them stepped forward, holding up one finger.

We stared quizzically at it. It must have noticed we didn’t understand, because it then pointed to all of us, holding up four fingers. It shook its head and held up one finger once again.

“I think it’s saying there’s only supposed to be one of us,” Al whispered.

Ed stepped forward indignantly. “I’m Edward Elric and I want to speak to whoever sent me the letter. Either you let us all through peacefully or we’ll enter by force.”

The guard calmly pulled out a sword identical to the one the first puppet had.

Ed shrugged and raised his blade. “Alright then, we’ll do it the hard way.”

There was a brief struggle in which they parried one another‘s attacks, but Ed soon disarmed the guard and slashed through it. He glanced maliciously at the other guard. It stared at him with expressionless eyes and opened the gate without any sign of protest.

We entered, and it closed the gate after us without a passing glance.

I finally started to see something through the dense fog. It was a house, and a strange one at that. The exterior was oddly shaped, with small towers sticking out of the roof. As far as I could see, there were no windows.

Ed hesitated when we reached the huge, black door. He turned around and looked questioningly at Russell. “You sure this is the place?”

Russell was still studying the house. “It said to follow that trail until I came to a gate, and that I would be admitted inside. This has to be it.” With determintation etched on his face, Russell walked resolutely up to the door and pushed it open. The rest of us followed.

“I want my brother back!” Russell’s yell echoed around the house, which was completely dark save for a few torches on the walls.

The door slammed behind us, and I turned to see yet another manikin. A woman’s voice coming from above caused me to whip back around. “I told you to come alone.”

She was leaning against the banister upstairs, looking disapprovingly at Russell. She had an eerie appearance; like someone who was on the verge of death.

Ed spoke up before Russell had a chance to repsond. “You’ve made a mistake. I am Edward Elric, so you can let his brother go and take your business up with me.”

She looked unconvinced. “And how am I to believe you?”

Ed pulled up one of his sleeves, exposing his auto-mail. “Hence the name Fullmetal.”

She glanced at his arm before continuing. “If my information is correct, the Fullmetal Alchemist can perform alchemy without a transmutation circle. If you can show me this, that and your arm will be evidence enough that I have made a mistake.”

Ed once again transmuted his arm into a blade. The woman’s eyes narrowed as she studied the result of his transmutation. “Well I must say I’m a little embarrassed, but at least I have you here.”

“Do you have a connection with a man named Majihal?” Ed demanded.

The woman smiled slightly. “My, you are perceptive, aren’t you? I heard about the way he bound human souls to dolls he made to look like his lost love. I decided to mimic his methods, but it’s only temporary until I get what I really want. That’s where you come in, Edward.”

I didn‘t like where this was going, and by the sound of it Ed didn‘t either. “Who are you and what do you want?”

Her smile disappeared as quickly as it had come. “My name is Aida. I need you to do three thing for me, actually.” She paused for a moment before continuing. “As a skilled alchemist, I’m sure you’re aware of the Philosopher’s Stone, correct?”

Ed looked as if he knew where this was going. “What about it?”

“My life,” Aida continued, “Is, or was, tied to a Stone that must have existed up until a week or so ago, when I started to feel my very life draining out of me. As I’m sure you’ve noticed by my appearance, I do not have long to live. The only reason for this can be that the Stone was destroyed.”

I stiffened. There was no other possibility; it had to have been the same Stone I had destroyed. I could tell by Ed’s expression that he was thinking the same thing.
“I don’t understand how this could have happened, because the only way that Stone could have perished would have been for it to come in contact with the creator’s blood, and she is no longer alive. She was a close friend of mine, and I used her Stone to give myself eternal life. She did not know of this, but when she disappeared and the Stone was also nowhere to be found, I figured that I was safe because I knew of the Stone’s only weakness. Since its creator was gone, most likely succeeding in transporting herself into one of her parallel universes she studied so religiously, and she had no relatives, I don’t understand how it could have come in contact with the same blood. If I ever find out who destroyed it, they will pay.”

I tried to hide my fear at this last remark, but Aida noticed how tense I was. She studied my face for an uncomfortably long period of time before turning back to Ed, with the hint of a grin on her face. I didn’t like the look of that
smile.

She raised an eyebrow at Ed. “You look like you know something about this, Edward. Do you know what happened to the Stone?”

“No. I wasn’t aware there was one in existence.” I could sense the tiniest hint of nervousness in his voice.

She looked unconvinced, but continued. “In any case, I need you to make me a new one.”

“I won’t,” he replied instantly.

“Yes you will. And afterwards you will bring someone back from the dead for me.”

Ed shook his head. “I can‘t do that either.”

Her eyes narrowed again. “Why not?”

“Because the laws of Equivalent Exchange don’t allow it. I broke those laws, and this is the result,” he said, holding up his arm again. “Not only did I lose my leg and arm, but I didn’t succeed in bringing the person I wanted to back. You should abandon any thoughts you have about human transmutation.”

“So you have attempted a human tranmutation. Well I‘m afraid you’re just going to have to try it again for me.”

“I’m telling you it won’t work!”

There was sadness mixed in with the determination in Aida’s eyes. “My fiance was Ishbalan. He died in the war. You are going to make me a Stone so I can live, bring him back and then help me kill the bastards in the military who killed him. If the freedom of the boy I already have is not reason enough for you to do it, well, I’ll just have to give you more of an obligation now, won’t I?”

She snapped her fingers and more of her mindless servants emerged from the darkness. There were too many to count. They divided into three groups, each one taking hold of Al, Russell and I. There were so many that even Al couldn’t overpower them, and the three of us were left helpless.

“Don’t move!” Aida yelled to Ed as he prepared to use alchemy. He stopped and looked up. “Each one of them is armed, and if you make any move I’ll have them killed. Now won’t you reconsider your answer?”

“What’s wrong with you?” I screamed, struggling against the hold of my captors. “Didn’t you hear a word he said? You can’t bring him back! It’s impossible!”

The grip on my arms tightened to the point where I could barely move. Aida glared at me. “Nothing is impossible. If the rumors I have heard about this boy’s talents are true, then he is one of the few who will be able to pull it off.”

She signaled to the three groups, who dragged us into separate corners of the room. Each group opened a door that I had been unable to see in the dim light, and shoved each of us through a different one.

“Where are you taking them?” Ed asked, watching helplessly from the middle of the room.

A sadistic grinned tugged at the corners of Aida‘s mouth. “Until you agree to do what I ask, I’m going to keep them down there. The longer you take to do as I say, the more risk you’re putting them in. Where they’re going, they‘ll be fighting for their very survival.”