InuYasha Fan Fiction / Fullmetal Alchemist Fan Fiction ❯ Humanity ❯ Belief’s Power ( Chapter 33 )

Humanity

By Joyfulmusic

 

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 33: Belief's Power

 

Racing along the streets, Edward was glad it was early. What that meant was the roads were clear, where later in the day they would be crowded. It felt as though he were running out of time. Then he caught a glimpse of something leaping along the rooftops above.

 

Without warning it made a sudden movement, jumping down in front of him. It was the same man who had taken Willa before. Only this time he was panting, fangs growing longer with each passing moment. Ed watched in horror as the ears of the creature became pointed like Shippo's. His eyes glared red, pulsing until they changed, the pupil becoming elongated like a cats. “Give me the hanyou.” He growled, his voice huffy and impatient.

 

Again something inside him snapped, like when he had been called short as a kid. “She's a human, leave her alone!” His heart was beating rapidly. The tension in the air was thick making it hard to breathe. “You've done enough damage.” He hissed, pulling the girl in tighter, not wanting to put her down.

 

“Human?” The monster grinned, his fangs glistening with saliva. “You dare to call that creature you're holding human? She's nothing more than a stinking half-breed, not human or demon, just a mutt.” He took a step forward. “Think what you will. Just give me the girl!”

 

Glancing down Ed could see that Willa had not even stirred. Her breathing was labored and her pulse rate slowing. `I don't have time for this.' Grabbing Shinri from its sheath he ran at the monster before him. “Get out of my way!” He demanded, necessity giving him strength.

 

The creature scowled. “That blade is nothing but a toy.” But as the alchemist got closer his red eyes widened. A blast of energy came at him, knocking him out of the way. Shaking his head he sat up and looked at himself. His eyes, fangs and ears had all changed back to his less threatening form. “Impossible.”

 

Edward didn't stop to see what the sword had done. It didn't matter. The only thing on his mind was getting Willa to Roric's cave. Reaching the city gates he rushed past, following the dirt road as it wound through the trees. `Please be there. Please.'

 

Running by bushes caused the hat to become knocked off, leaving Willa's ears exposed. Even with the rushing wind she did not rouse. Once they made it to the cave Ed collapsed to his knees. However the poor girl remained as she was. Her eyes were closed and her pulse weakening even more.

 

“Roric!” The alchemist called, almost breathless from his run. “Roric you'd better be here!” He screamed as loudly as he could. Glancing down his heart faltered again. He lifted the woman back into his arms and stood, walking slowing to the cave's entrance. Shinri was in his hand and pressed against her back. He laid her down gently on a rock that had been used as a table.

 

“What is it?” The smithy demanded, wringing his hands on a cloth as he came through the woods. But when he saw who it was he rushed over. Fear and frustration melded together in his eyes. “I told her! How does she expect to wield truth like this? Oh, stupid female!”

 

Glaring up, Ed stopped himself from punching the guy right in the jaw. “What is it? What's happening to her?” His frustration was mounting as quickly as her heart rate was dropping. He tried to pull himself together as he slipped Shinri back into its sheath and placed it at the girl's side.

 

“She's denying the truth about herself.” Roric explained with exasperation, pacing back and forth. He shook his head feverishly. “I didn't realize that she had doubts about who and what she was. I thought that having Shinri at her side would help her to realize the truth. But apparently I was wrong.”

 

“What do you mean?” The alchemist demanded, catching the other man by the arm. His eyes burned with something similar to anger, at the man having had something to do with what was happening. “You said you thought Shinri would help her realize the truth. The truth about what exactly, who she is?”

 

Nodding the smithy clenched his fists and began pacing again. “But there's no way to reach her now. If she's decided something is true then it may be confusing Shinri about what is right. Can you tell me what she was doing at the time she collapsed? Did she say or do anything out of the ordinary?”

 

Ed scowled and thought back to what he had told Alphonse the night before. “I think she was talking to my brother about what happened after the death of someone she loved back in her world. I know that she thought it was her fault that he died. That she should have been the one instead of him.”

 

Realization came to Roric as a knife colliding with his heart, causing pain deep within him. “She's twisted the truth! Taken something and believed in it so strongly that she thinks it's real! Unfortunately Shinri doesn't realize it's her who's making the decision out of emotion rather than logic.” Shaking his head he looked down at the sword. “And I thought it was so perfect.”

 

Anger filled Edward's veins. “Then you're telling me that the sword is going to suck the life out of her?” With a nod his worst fear was realized. The death of the woman he loved was more than he could handle. “Then take it away! Get rid of the thing and she'll come back right?”

 

Shaking his head the metal worker stared at the man. “It's in the middle of whatever it's doing. It could be that it's trying to bring whoever it was back from the dead. However if that's the case then she will be scarified in the process.” He glanced down at the woman. “She's somewhere in between right now. And I'm not sure how to reach her.”

 

 

“Willa?” A voice came from somewhere in the woods behind her. She was standing on the edge of a steep drop off. Down below she could see the ocean waves as they crashed against the rocks. At other places along the cliff were sandy beaches. But directly below her was nothing but water. The thought of jumping had already come to mind. “Willa?” It called again.

 

Turning, she could see no one behind her. But slowly, out of the darkness came the same teenager who had saved her life so long ago. Tears rolled down her cheeks when she saw him. `He can't see me like this.' She thought, turning back to the waves. But his voice was still calling to her. “Willa, what are you doing here?”

 

Swallowing the lump in her throat she didn't bother to glance back. “How did you know it was me? It's been so long since I saw you last. And I've changed a lot since then.” She thought of her ears that were pressed against her head, and sadly closed her eyes against the salty droplets that were falling. “I'm not the same person I was back then.”

 

When she felt his arms turn her, she looked up at him. `Up at him? But I'm...' Gazing at her hands she could see that they were that of the thirteen year old she had been so long ago. Her gaze returned to his worried face. “I'm so sorry. It should have been me in that basement. I should have…”

 

“Hush.” The young Edward brought his lips down to hers, effectively silencing her. He continued before she had the chance to speak. “What's done is done. We can't change the past. Even if you do this now, it won't be the same.” Shaking his head slightly he moved a hand to her cheek, his eyes full of love. “Don't you think I would have been with my brother that day?”

 

Shock filled her as he spoke. With a sudden movement she pressed herself up against his chest. “But… no… It would have been different. You would have gone on to live a happy life. I…” She peered up again. “I've been so lonely without you. Can't you see that? I needed you.”

 

Shaking his head again, Ed smiled. “But I've always been with you. You've carried me with you all these years. I was never more than a memory away.” He touched her chest lightly. “I've been in your heart, and I've been hurting with you. I watched what you did all those times you thought you were alone. I saw you hurt yourself and I kept your hand from pressing too hard.” Gently he stroked her wrist. “I've been with you all this time. When you saw that man standing in the rain, I'm the one who told you to give him shelter. I've been trying so hard to have you move on. You need to let me go.”

 

“No.” She sobbed, holding him tightly. “I can't. You're the only one who's ever really cared. The only one who…” She paused. Peering into the woods she could see a vision. It was the alchemist Edward, kneeling over her crying. “But… I…” Then she saw Kikyou walking among the living, out of place.

 

“Let me go.” The young teen whispered into her ear. “You yourself thought it was wrong of Inuyasha to hurt Kagome the way he did. And he did so by holding on to Kikyou. Now you're doing the same to my double. Let go of the past and move forward.” He kissed her head gently.

 

She wiped her eyes and sighed. “But how can I? We can't be together like he wants. We'll never be able to get married and have kids. I'm not the girl you knew. I've changed in so many ways. I'm nothing more than a hanyou.” She frowned deeply. “If you saw Inuyasha then you must have seen that too.”

 

Shaking his head Edward backed up. “This is you.” He spread his hands gesturing to the things around them. “This is the world within your mind. When you are sad it rains. When you feel your heart turning cold it snows.” He took hold of her arms. “This is your world. You are as you see yourself. Now you are that young teen I loved. Sometimes you're the young awkward woman you were when my brother died. You are Willa, nothing more, nothing less.”

 

Locking eyes with him she found herself in awe. “Why do I see this place now? What am I doing here?” She glanced at the cliff and bit her lip. “What would've happened if I would've jumped?” Her gaze returned to meet his and she shivered. It was starting to get cold.

 

“You are here because you thought your death would make things right. You believed it so strongly that Shinri picked up on it.” He faded a little, like a hologram, and it filled him with horror. “You have to go back now. There isn't much time left. If your heart gets much slower you'll die.”

 

Shaking her head she watched as he started to fade again. “What's going on? Are you being returned to the real world?” She spoke frantically, anxiety gripping her heart. “That's what Shinri is doing right? You're being sent back in my place. That means you'll have a second chance.”

 

“To do what?” He screamed, trying to talk some sense into the girl. He loved her with all his heart and had to make her understand. “You honestly think I would be happy returning to a life without you? Without my brother or anyone I know? People are counting on you Willa! You can't just let them down!”

 

Tears poured down her cheeks as the world around her began to freeze. She was forced to scream over the wind and the crashing waves. “I'm not needed back there! I won't be missed. You deserve to have a life. The life I took from you!”

 

Ed scowled deeply. When had she gotten so bullheaded anyway? “I can't believe you're still thinking like this! Hasn't meeting my double and his brother taught you anything?” She frowned so he continued. “You can't give them back the years they spent looking for the stone. You can't really change the past. All you can do is make a better future!”

 

She had changed back into her grown form. “I'm trying to! You're the one who won't let me!” Sighing she shook her head, trying to regain composure. “You were so young. You deserve the time you lost because of me. I'm not needed. No one needs me!”

 

He tried to calm himself before speaking. “There's a man over there who loves you with all his heart. And you're telling me that no one needs you? Willa listen to me, he, his brother, and Mora went through a lot to find you. Do you honestly believe they'd want this to happen? They've all three lost a lot of people in their lives. Don't do this to them.”

 

Again she was that broken girl she'd been, looking at the fallen building from where she lay on the ground bleeding and crying. “Then how do I get back? How do I get out of here?” Everything around her seemed to be falling into chaos. The icy gusts were becoming more than she could bear.

 

“Let me go.” Ed was nothing more than ghostly form by now, his body already being formed in the real world. “Let me go. Please Willa. I love you. I don't want you to do this. Let me go.” He was desperately trying to make her comprehend his words. Relief spread over his face as she nodded. His body began to reform but then started to glow.

 

Rushing into his arms, the young teen gave him a final kiss goodbye. Backing away she released his soul to the afterlife. Watching him with teary eyes she called out. “I love you Edward.” She smiled, and though it was forced, it was full of hope.

 

“I love you too. See you on the other side.” With a slight wave the light around him brightened. A tingling sensation seemed to rush through her as she changed back into herself. While the world around her grew dark she heard his final words, “I'll always be with you.” and knew them to be true.