InuYasha Fan Fiction / Fullmetal Alchemist Fan Fiction ❯ Humanity ❯ Hospitality ( Chapter 1 )

Humanity

By Joyfulmusic

 

Full summary: Willa has a special ability that unnerves some, or rather most , people. The Elric brothers become her protectors. Protect her from what you ask? Those creatures with the red eyes that want to capture her for… well you'll find out later. Meanwhile Inuyasha is missing, but don't worry, he'll meet up with Willa soon enough, but she's not the same as when Edward met her.

 

 

Disclaimer: I do not own Fullmetal Alchemist or Inuyasha. Never have, never will.

This fanfic contains some spoilers. I haven't seen the whole series of either show so I'm not sure how they end. But that's why this is a fanfic!

 

Chapter 1: Hospitality

 

It was afternoon as the rain poured down on the little town of the new world. What is the new world, you ask? It is the realm in which people from different realities come clashing together. By their own mistakes or the mishaps of nature, beings from various domains come to this one. People, who vanish without a trace, are likely brought to this world. Others, who are believed to be dead, are sometimes here. It is almost like a net, which catches castaways from other Earths. But I'm getting off track.

 

As I was saying, the rain was pouring down on the little town of Wick. Of course it was named after its founder, Jovan Wick, who had started the first store. He and his wife built their house and shop on the road between two large cities. From there it seemed to grow, finally becoming a town in its own right. There were, on this day, several merchants, restaurants, and even a small lodge. Wick had become a getaway, settled in the valley between the mountains, and surrounded by a rather large stone wall.

 

At one of the gates stood two men, who were speaking with the guard. One had golden hair that had been waved into a braid. He was tall, and looked close to twenty. The other wore a large suit of armor, which was the reason for the problem. “It's raining!” The blond raved. “You're telling me that we can't get in because Al's wearing armor!”

 

The guard nodded his head. His beard was black and his red eyes, behind dark shades, were uncompassionate. “That is exactly what I'm telling you. The wall is for our protection against the evil beings. How am I to know that he is not one of them?” The guard pointed to the armor with his gun.

 

“Brother.” The suit whispered softly. His companion turned to him with a scowl. “It's ok. You can go in without me. I'll be fine out here. You go get something to eat and some rest.”

 

“NO!” The blond screamed. “I'm not leaving you out in the cold rain while I'm warm in that lodge!” He turned back to the sentry, who still blocked the pathway. “How can you just leave us out here? It's freezing cold and it's raining!”

 

There was a pair of blue eyes watching this display. She was a little shorter than the demanding young man. In her right hand she held an umbrella, and under her left arm was a paper bag full of groceries. Her jean skirt was almost dragging in the mud, while her jacket only went past her knees. The hood of which was up covering her long red hair, that hung below her waist. She walked up to the guard and cleared her throat. With a slight nod, he moved to let her out of town.

 

She walked a little ways, just out of the sight of the sentinel, and then turned to glance back. The armor had been watching her closely. She paused, ignoring the comments his associate made to the sentry. With a smile, she nodded for the man to follow her.

 

“Brother.” He touched his companion on the shoulder. “Let's go.” The blond looked up at him, still scowling deeply. The suit nodded to where the girl had went, then began to follow, leaving his sibling behind.

 

“Al!” The man ran to catch up with the suit of armor. “Where do you think you're going? You can't just follow some strange woman into the woods.” But as they rounded a bend in the road, he stopped.

 

There before them stood the lady in question. She was gazing back at the two with a smile, her face showing that she was close to their age. “You need a place to stay?” They nodded in a unison response. “Well then come on. It's too cold to talk out here. My place isn't much farther.” She turned and began walking again.

 

When both men had caught up with her, the armor introduced himself. “I'm Alphonse Elric, and this is my brother Edward.” He noted a disturbed look in her eyes, though she quickly tried to hide it. “We're very grateful for your generous offer. It seems that town back there has some unyielding regulations on who gets past the gate.”

 

“Yes.” The girl nodded with a warm smile, but the odd expression still hung in the back of her eyes. “It's against the monsters and such. Though I'm sure Miles explained that to you. He's a little too good at his job sometimes. Oh by the way, I'm Willa Anderson. I'd shake your hand but both of mine are kind of full.” She frowned a bit, struggling to keep from dropping the food.

 

“Oh here, let me help you!” Alphonse took the bag of groceries, and then shook her hand. “It's very nice to meet you.” Though he couldn't feel it, his grip was gentle. It was something that he'd been forced to learn years earlier.

 

Edward hadn't said a word, but his temper had finally cooled enough for him to speak up. “Why don't you live within the wall? If it's so dangerous out here, then shouldn't you live in town with everyone else?” He had quickly realized he couldn't trust people in this new world for, at times, they could be quite deceptive.

 

Willa shook her head. “Everything is dangerous, not just out here, as so many would have you believe. Besides, they're too prejudice.” A frown crossed her face again. “Because I'm a woman they thought I needed protection. I just couldn't take having all those people checking up on me. Even the older women got on my nerves. I'm too bullheaded to deal with all that, so I moved.”

 

They had finally come within view of the two story house, which stood in a glade of trees. It was old, with vines growing up the wooden walls. The paint was pealing, and the fence, which once enclosed the porch, was falling down. However it was still evident where it had run along two sides of the house. The roof had been patched and the windows washed, making it look somewhat livable.

 

As they neared Willa fished in her pocket for a set of keys old keys, most of which were skeleton. Finding them, she hurried up the front steps to unlock the house. It took a little work but, after some reluctance, the door swung open for her. “Finally!” She breathed. “Home at last.”

 

Moving out of the way, she allowed her guests to follow. As she closed the umbrella she explained, “I've been out all day long! It feels so good to be away from those people.” Shrugging off her coat she hung it on one of a series of pegs, her long hair cascaded down her back loosely.

 

Edward followed her example, taking off his red, full length jacket and hanging it next to hers. The house was chilly, though not as cold as outside. He rubbed his left arm, trying to regain some of the feeling in it. His eyes traveled around the entryway and on up the dark stairwell. A hall ran beside them, into another room.

 

Alphonse followed Willa into the living room, which was just to the left of the entryway. He glanced around as she turned on the lights `At least it has electricity.' He thought to himself. Then he noticed the fireplace, which had recently been in use. The rose wallpaper was peeling back a bit and had been taped in several places. A crystal chandelier hung in the middle of the high ceiling.

 

While her guests looked around the living room, Willa continued through another doorway which led to a dinning room. On the left wall stood a door, leading to the outside. The opposite wall connected with the hallway and the entryway to the ballroom. She followed one of the two doors on the third wall. One led to a sitting room while the other opened into the kitchen.

 

It was large with cabinets lining three of the walls. The icebox stood beside the backdoor, which was precisely parallel the front. When airing out the house, one could see straight through from one yard to the next. The stove stood in the far right corner. Willa moved to turn on the oven, in preparation for dinner, while allowing her mind to wander. `They remind me of… no I can't think about that right now.' Frowning, she scolded herself.

 

She stopped by the laundry room, which was tucked between the kitchen and the dance hall. Through, it was only accessible through the kitchen. The door stood right next to the pantry, so the wall was straight across in both rooms. It made it seem almost as though it were not there at all, unless one noticed the doors, which blended in well with the paneling.

 

Willa took two large towels from the dryer, which she had left running that morning. Unfortunately its cycle had ended hours ago, leaving them cold. But a dry towel was better than a wet one, so she didn't bother to worry about it. Before exiting she remembered to check and make sure she hadn't left a load of clothes in the washer.

 

Coming back into the living room she could see the men looking at various pictures and ornaments. Alphonse still held the bag of groceries firmly in his hand. “I'll take that.” She told him, catching his attention. He was startled, but handed it to her as she offered him a towel. Then, giving one to Edward, she asked the young man, “If you know how to, can you please start a fire?” He nodded and moved to fix it for her.

 

Meanwhile, Al followed their hostess into the back of the house, astounded by the different décor in each room. “You have a very fine place.” He murmured when they had reached the kitchen. He had expected a cozy cottage rather than an old mansion. While it wasn't enormous, the home certainly wasn't considered an average size either.

 

“Thank you. I found it a year ago.” Willa pulled out the various items she'd bought in town. “It's old, but it's also private. No one seems to remember it's out here.” She smiled up at her visitor apologetically. “Don't get me wrong, I don't mind having company. But those old women would drive me crazy if they could walk this far!”

 

Alphonse laughed, his throat deep, revealing his age to be close to that of his brother's. It was something in that voice that caught her memory, forcing things to surface that had long been dormant. She found herself having to shake the thoughts to allow herself to hear his words. “Surely they can't be so bad?”

 

Willa's red hair brushed against her face as she shook her head. “You have no idea. They'd die if they knew I brought two men here!” Why had she done something so rash? These obviously weren't her old friends. She laughed a little to cover her own concern. Taking out a package of hamburger meat, she continued. “I hope you like meatloaf. That's what I was planning on fixing tonight.”

 

“Uh…” Al shook his head. He hated moments like these. Though they happened often he found himself unwilling to lie. But the façade must be kept if he wanted to continue living in peace with his sibling. “No thank you. I'm not hungry, but I'm sure brother is.”

 

She gave him an odd look and frowned. “You haven't even had a chance to smell my cooking and you're turning it down?” With a fist placed against her hip she shook her head. “I'm not that bad at it. I mean it could be worse. I could be about to try out some new recipe you know.”

 

“Al doesn't like to eat in front of others.” Edward interrupted, coming through the door. He too hated such moments. It was at times like these when the guilt became strong and hard to bear. “I fixed the fire. The house should warm up soon.” He glanced at the meat and gave his winning grin. “But I like meatloaf.”

 

Willa turned back to her work, shaking her head again. “Alright, I'll save you some though. You can eat later if you want to.” Luckily she didn't notice the look Ed gave his sibling. “It's okay to eat in the bedrooms. I believe a house is for living in, so don't worry about that.”

 

“Thank you.” The armored man was grateful, though the offer wouldn't help him much. Still, he knew his brother would willingly eat up his portion of food. They had been walking all day, without coming across a place to dine. Ed's stomach had been growling in protest several hours, which was why Al had been willing to split up at the gates of Wick.