Fullmetal Alchemist Fan Fiction ❯ The Storm Within ❯ Escape ( Chapter 7 )

I know, it's been a while… I was in school and busy with homework and work in general. I had lost inspiration for a while too, but I feel I got it back!

 

Disclaimer: I DO NOT own Fullmetal Alchemist or any of the characters mentioned in this fanfiction. However, the original characters (Celeste, Hunter, etc…) can not be touched. It's bad taboo to do such things, you know.

 

Chapter 7: Escape

 

Celeste woke with her face lying on hard cement and her hands bound behind her back. Her head throbbed with a dull ache, and her shoulders were screaming to be released from their awkward position. She fought the dizziness that threatened to bring her lunch back up and opened her eyes. She found that even though she'd opened them that she couldn't see a thing. Trying to sit up, Celeste moaned in agony when her ears started ringing from the pounding in her head. Unfortunately, she still couldn't tell if her eyes were open or not.

 

She shivered, realizing that she was still wearing the rain-drenched clothes that she'd intended to take off after writing in her journal. Why hadn't she changed first?

 

“Celeste… it was a long time ago. I'm not…”

 

“Am I just another girl that you'd be more than glad to break the law for in order to sleep with her?” While her voice didn't waver, her eyes gave away her heartbreak and distrust. Tears started to build, but they refused to spill over. “I won't be another girl like that. Find someone else to flirt with.” With that, she raced past Hunter and up to the sanctuary of her room.

 

She closed her eyes, allowing the tears to come again. Hunter... how could you? Celeste hung her head, letting her chin touch her chest as fresh grief washed over her. Her pendant flashed silver as it started to warm again. Her goose-fleshed skin welcomed the heat at first, until it started to burn. Unable to lift the pendant, Celeste cried out in pain as it seared into her skin. Wh-why is the Pendant doing this? It feels as though my chest is on fire!

 

A door opened from the opposite side of the room, and the room flooded with light. A shadow stood in the doorway, his long hair swaying with his steps. “Well, looks like you finally woke up.”

 

The burning pain on her chest caused Celeste's throat to close. She couldn't speak, no matter how hard she tried.

 

The shadow entered, his face just out of the light. “That necklace is causing you pain, isn't it? Wouldn't you rather just take it off?”

 

A Homunculus… Celeste thought, panic filling her lungs instead of air. The Pendant is reacting to this Homunculus like it did last time.

 

The slim figure walked into the room further, circling behind her and revealing his face. This Homunculus wasn't one that she was familiar with. He wasn't fat like Gluttony, and he definitely wasn't a woman like Lust and Sloth. So who was he?

 

“Why won't you speak little girl? It's not nice to not talk to a friend.”

 

Taking a shaky and shallow breath, Celeste said quietly, “You… are not my… friend.” Each syllable she spoke was difficult. Her chest was burning so terribly that it consumed her thoughts.

 

Kneeling so he was level with her, he said, “You will be if you hand me that Pendant of the Gods.” Suddenly, before her very face, he changed into Hunter. Everything about him was Hunter Phillips, right down to his scent. “Please Celeste? Don't you want to live?”

 

Her eyes widened in shock, but she refused to give in. “You… you're not Hunter.”

 

“Who says I'm not?” He straightened himself up. “If you give me that Pendant, you will live. Then you can be with me forever…” He was cut off when a sharp jolt to his knee knocked him off balance.

 

With what strength she could muster, Celeste had managed to kick his knee. It was probably just bruised, but it had shut him up. “Don't toy with me.” Feeling a sense of accomplishment, she rose on unstable legs to stand even with him. “Where am I and who are you?”

 

The Homunculus laughed, changing back into his original form. “Why, I'm Envy, my dear. Unfortunately, I can't tell you where you are for my own personal sake.”

 

“Why do you Homunculi want the Pendant of the Gods?” Though she felt stronger, it was fading fast. She felt her vision blur but managed to stay standing.

 

Envy only smiled and brought a hand up to his chin. “That's not for you to know little girl.” The same hand that had just risen to his face lashed out to grab the Pendant.

 

Her world spun out of control. The face before her blurred into nothingness and her surroundings started swirling around her. Bright lights of different colors breeched her vision as darkness shrouded around her. Somewhere in the distance she heard a scream that closely resembled her own. Pain spread through her body, like tiny knives piercing every inch of her flesh and coursing through her blood. With sudden relief, she felt numb. But that numbness was short lived. The pain increased ten fold until she felt her mind lose contact with her body and sweet darkness enveloped her vision.

 

***

 

Envy watched as the girl convulsed and screamed in agony in his hands. The Pendant wouldn't lift over her head no matter what he tried. He'd even attempted to rip the cord off, but that had only caused the girl more grief. It seemed her very soul was connected to this Pendant.

 

He released the Pendant of the Gods and the girl fell, unconscious, to the floor. This would be harder than it first appeared. The Pendant couldn't be removed unless they killed the girl. Normally, this wouldn't be a problem, but Pride had specifically told him to keep the girl alive.

 

“Only she can work the Pendant. While we need to remove it from her, she's the only one that can wield its power to make us human. Do you understand that Envy?”

 

“Well now what?” Envy said aloud, looking at the girl's motionless form. “How am I supposed to get that Pendant?”

 

When the door in the other room opened, Envy turned to see Lust entering the attached room. “Well, did you get it off of her?”

 

Envy only shook his head. “No, if I had continued she would've died.”

 

Sighing heavily, Lust sank into the couch adjacent to where Envy exited the room. She watched as he closed the door and replaced the lock. “So what do we tell Pride?”

 

“What else can we tell him? It didn't work this time.”

 

“Are you going to try it again?”

 

Envy snorted. “Of course! We have to get it off of her.”

 

Lust looked to the door. “The Military will start to look for her soon. They won't have a reason to look here, will they?”

 

He looked at the pale woman with her long, black hair. “No, Midnight was downstairs and never saw me. She's only going to be lost, and never found.”

 

***

 

Hunter sat outside the old, beat up house that Celeste had been carried into. It was a lucky thing that he'd gone up when he had or he might've never seen the figure in her bedroom carry her off.

 

He had decided to let her blood cool before he would try to talk with her. How long could she take anyway? Twenty minutes, half an hour? Even though he knew she'd only been up there for ten minutes, he couldn't wait any longer. He needed to do some explaining before she automatically assumed he was some pervert who slept with any woman he could get his hands on.

 

She was different to him. There was something about her that not only attracted him physically, but emotionally, too. All of the other girls he'd had in his life had been pure physical attraction, nothing attached. They would only have fun together in bed and then move on in life.

 

Then Celeste had come into his life and had basically put him in his place the moment they'd met.

 

He watched as the two Homunculi exchanged words, their faces in obvious worry. What are they worried about? That one didn't see me follow him here. Hunter furrowed his brow in frustration. Did it have something to do with Celeste's Pendant?

 

Both Homunculi left the main room to go into the adjoining kitchen. Taking advantage of the situation, Hunter propped open the window and entered the room. His heart raced at the idea of knowing that he could be discovered any second. He took his glove out of his pocket and put it on his left hand. Touching the alchemy symbol on top, he felt the air around him crackle. Darkness shrouded his vision for a brief second before it encased the rest of the room, leaving him invisible but able to see where he was going.

 

He found the door relatively easily. Soundlessly, he opened the door and closed it tight behind him. He took his fingers off his glove and waited for the darkness to disappear. When it didn't, he reached into his back pocket to find his flashlight. He shined it on the floor and found Celeste sprawled in the center, a grimace stuck on her unconscious face. Hunter almost cried out to her, but he remembered at the last second that there were others in the house that he'd rather not face. He rushed to her and knelt by her face. “Celeste?” He whispered her name, but she gave no response.

 

Shit. Celeste is out cold and those Homunculi could come back in here any second. What do I do? He flashed his light around the room to see if there were any windows from which he could escape. It went over a tiny window with thick curtains that would have blocked any sunlight if there had been any. He ran over to it on silent feet and pried it open. It was just large enough to fit his body through. Celeste was much smaller than him, so he knew that she would fit through. His only problem was how to get her through while she was unconscious. Both of them couldn't get through at the same time. He went back to her and cradled her body to his chest. Don't worry Celeste, I'll get you out of here. He approached the window with her in his arms.

 

“Don't you think it's too soon to try and get that Pendant off of her again?” Hunter froze when heard a voice beyond the door.

 

“Pride told us that we need to do it tonight. If we continue to procrastinate, the Military will find us before too long.”

 

As they continued to argue outside the door, Hunter contemplated throwing Celeste out the window and coming out after her, but the voices trailed off after the doorbell rang. Thanking whatever Gods where up in the heavens, he managed to gently lower Celeste out of the window and onto the rain drenched lawn.

 

After he'd wriggled out the window, he lifted Celeste into his arms and ran. He didn't care where he ran to, just as long as he took her away from the house she'd been held captive in.

 

***

 

Celeste felt her mind slip in and out of consciousness multiple times. Whoever was carrying her was strong. Every time she'd wake, she would feel his heart hammering against his chest and the pounding of his feet on pavement. She wasn't sure if she was coming back from sleep often or if she would occasionally wake every twenty minutes or so. All she knew was that she felt safe.

 

Hunter's face continued to haunt her dreams when she passed out. Did he even know that she was missing? And if he did know, did he care? She woke once again, and this time, the movement had stopped and she was resting against a hard seat of some kind. Was it concrete? She managed to open her eyes enough to see that she was inside, out of the rain that was continuing to pour in torrents. After recognizing her location as a train station, she noticed that while she was out of the rain, she was still soaked to the bone. Obviously, she hadn't been inside long.

 

She was alone. Her rescuer was nowhere to be seen. Had he dropped her off after he'd rescued her from the clutches of the Homunculi? Weakly, she reached up to touch the Pendant that lay securely on her chest. It was still there. A huge wave of relief surged through her veins as she felt her body start to drift into sleep once again.

 

***

 

Carrying Celeste onto the train and into their private section, Hunter started to worry. She hadn't so much as batted an eyelash since he'd found her. She was breathing, but her body was icy to the touch. The rain hadn't let up at all since they'd left the house and it had soaked them both. However, in her weakened state, she was more vulnerable to catching a fever from the exposure. Thus why he'd bought some clothes from the gift shop in the train station. He wished that she'd wake up so she could change herself, but seeing that it didn't look like that was going to happen any time soon, he mustered up the courage to change her himself.

 

Hunter prayed to God that she didn't wake while he was changing her. How well would that end? He replayed the scenario several times in his head and found none of the outcomes pleasing.

 

As he peeled off layers of Celeste's clothing, Hunter tried not to admire the shape of her breasts and her slim waist. Using a towel to dry her off inch by inch, he ignored the sensation of his hands roaming over her body. Many of his dreams as of late had had him touching her and making her moan until she begged him to take her. Those little fantasies crept up from his memories, but he pushed them away. This is no time to be thinking dirty thoughts. Celeste is in no condition to be seduced.

 

He made his way down her body carefully until her entire upper half of her body was dry. He put a white t-shirt on her, carefully pulling each arm through and managing to do so without her even moving. He found, however, that undressing and drying the lower half of Celeste was going to be a challenge. He'd seen many women's lower genital region, but Celeste was different. He cared about the time that he would finally get to see all of her with her consent. Swallowing nervously, he started to draw off her pants.

 

They clung to her like a second skin. Being as wet as they were, it took some strength to get them off of her. Once they were off, he started to dry her legs. Starting at her feet, he worked his way up this time. When Hunter reached her upper thighs, he heard her moan slightly. He immediately pulled away, thinking that she was going to wake. All she did was shift her head to the side and continue to sleep.

 

Breathing a huge sigh of relief, he reached out to grab her panties. He looked away as he started to pull them off of her. But curiosity got the better of him, and he peered down at her naked lower half.

 

As Hunter had thought, she was perfect. Everything from her sometimes rude personality to her body was flawless. He suppressed his desire and decided that looking away to dry her wouldn't be that hard. However, he couldn't tear his eyes from her body. His desire grew with every inch he touched to dry. Finally, he knew he'd tested fate to her limit today and put on new panties and sweat pants for her.

 

Celeste continued to sleep as the train continued towards their destination. He looked at their ticket stubs. Central was no longer safe for Celeste, and Hunter needed to get her away from there as fast as he could. He'd call HQ when they reached the next train station for a rest and tell them that he was in Briggs. He knew that Mustang would chew him out and probably send the entire squad out to get them, but by then they'd be on the next train out of the country. Their final destination: Prague. He wondered if his friend, Luke, was still there. If he was, Hunter seriously needed to talk to him about Celeste's necklace.

 

The click-clack of the train lulled him to sleep until the whistle signaled that they were nearing their stop.

 

***

 

The shrewd whistle startled Celeste out of her deep slumber. She sat up with a start, trying to recollect where she was. Nothing looked familiar and her only company was the closed door of a train cabin. From her last recollection, she'd been wet and cold and sitting alone and abandoned at a train station. Had her savior taken her on the train after she'd passed out?

 

How long have I been conked out? Where am I? Looking out the window, she saw no indication of what city she was in. Then she realized that she wasn't cold anymore. That, and she was wearing some odd looking clothes. Gift shop clothes… she realized. They were one size too big on her, but better than the cold things that she'd been adorning before.

 

A steward knocked on the door. “Anybody in here?”

 

“Y-yeah.” Celeste stammered. She reached over and opened the door.

 

The graying steward looked down upon her with sharp brown eyes. “Are you staying on the train to continue to Prague?”

 

Prague??? “I… I don't know…”

 

“Ticket please?” He huffed, annoyed that this passenger was possibly a free-loader from Central.

 

When she failed to produce a ticket, Celeste started to panic. Maybe I should just get off and find a telephone. Roy should be able to help me.

 

“Excuse me, her ticket stub is right here.” An annoyed, and familiar, voice said from out of Celeste's sight.

 

The steward took the ticket and looked at the man, then back at her. “Sorry about the inconvenience.” He gave the ticket back to the man and walked toward the front of the train.

 

Hunter came into view of Celeste and entered the cabin. “Hey, you're awake.”

 

“Hunter, I… where are we?”

 

“We're in Briggs right now. Our next stop isn't for a day or so yet.” He handed her a drink that a stewardess brought to him. “Drink up. You've been asleep for the better of a day.”

 

Taking a sip, she kept her eyes on his profile, the question of what had happened sitting on her tongue. However, she found herself more compelled to ask how he'd found her in the first place. Then he answered her unasked question.

 

“You're lucky I decided to come up to your room after only 10 minutes instead of the 20 or 30 I was thinking you needed. I saw that Homunculus take you out the window at the last second.” His eyes were staring at her intensely, almost drilling holes in her head. “They tried to take your Pendant, didn't they?”

 

She nodded, taking another sip before talking. “The last time I confronted a Homunculus, she never touched the Pendant. When Envy touched it, it was like the pain I'd felt before had increased by one hundred.” Celeste gazed up at him, confronting his intense gaze with one of her own. “Why would it do that? What are the Homunculi if they can cause such a reaction out of this pendant?”

 

Hunter shook his head. “I'm sorry, but I really don't know much about the Homunculi. However, I do have a friend in Prague who might know something about that necklace you're wearing.”

 

The train shook and stuttered as it started lurching forward again. Celeste looked out the train window, watching as other people checked their watches or calmed little children. Her hand reached up to clutch the necklace around her neck. A friend of his might know something… “Hunter, do you think he'd be able to get this necklace off of me?”

 

“Luke is a specialist in alchemic items. He could know something about your pendant, but then again, he might not.” Hunter smiled. “Knowing him though, if he doesn't know anything, he'll search for any information until he knows everything about it.”

 

“He's not in the military then?”

 

“No, he's a solitary man.”

 

Celeste finished her drink and looked at him again. “Does the Colonel know…?”

 

“He knows we were in Briggs; however, he doesn't know where our final destination is.” He sighed and looked over at her. “Celeste, I never had a chance to explain myself. What I did…”

 

“It's ok.” She interrupted him. “What was done is done. It doesn't change how I feel about you.”

 

“But…”

 

“I shouldn't have over-reacted like that. Besides, you rescued me again. How can I stay mad at you?” She smiled, a slight blush creeping into her cheeks.

 

Hunter put his hand over hers, lacing his fingers with hers so they were intertwined. He had no words to say. She'd forgiven him, despite the fact that he had done something despicable in his past.

 

The future held something unknown for them now. The military had been no help in trying to get the Pendant of the Gods off of her, so it was time that they took matters into their own hands. Hunter wasn't about to let the woman he loved die because of a pendant that could ultimately destroy the world if it fell in the wrong hands.

 

And the military wasn't about to separate him from her either.

 

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