Fullmetal Alchemist Fan Fiction ❯ Her Knight In Shining Armor ❯ The Cold Walk ( Chapter 22 )

[ T - Teen: Not suitable for readers under 13 ]
By: joyfulmusic
The chapter you've all been waiting for! At least I hope you have.

On a cold walk something is reviled that will change their world.

Anime/Manga: Fullmetal Alchemist Fan Fiction | Genre(s): Romance | Type: Alternate Universe | Uploaded On: 01.03.2006 | Pages: 3 | Words: 3.5K | Visits: 261 | Status: Work In Progress

I do not own the characters Ed, Al, Winry or the basis for their past history. They belong to the creators of Full Metal Alchemist. I also don't own any of the fairytales mentioned. I don't own much of anything…
Warning: There will be some references made to the show. It won't give away anything about the ending… I don't think… Anyway there will be threats of rape and murder. Not too vivid though.
There will also be spelling mistakes due to where Lorna originates from. I allowed some spelling error because it's words she would use. And I don't want any flames on it. I'm from where she's from so I just had her speak the way I do!
Chapter Twenty Two: The Cold Walk
It was on cold day that we decided to go walking out in the country. The world was still dressed in white, though not as thickly. There seemed to be no one around for miles. We'd found a path through some woods and started following it. The day was nice and quiet.
“Winry said you wanted to talk.” I coxed Al, my hands in my pockets. I'd forgotten to wear a pair of gloves.
“I did. I mean we need to.” He grew silent again. Today he seemed to be having a hard time finding the right words.
I decided to break the silence, “We've been walking a while now. If ya don't want to tell me…”
He shook his head. “It isn't that I don't want to tell you.” He looked at the ground again.
We walked on for a while without saying anything. I was starting to get cold but didn't complain. I had a feeling he wanted to tell me what had happened when he and Ed had tried to bring their mother back. My willpower kept me going.
Then without warning we hit an icy patch. I slipped and fell. Al tried to catch me but ended up falling too. He slid across the ground and hit a small tree with such force a loud crack rang through the forest. The branches shook dumping so much snow that it completely covered him instantly.
“Al!” I scrambled to my feet, trying hard not to fall again. I began to dig at the snow. I was terrified for him. `What if he's hurt? What if the tree breaks on through and falls on him?'
When he finally sat up I gasped. His helmet had come off revealing the truth. I fell back onto the ground in shock still looking at him.
“Lorna?” He questioned worriedly, quickly finding his helmet. He put it back in place.
“Not there.” I uttered shaking my head. “You ain't there.”
Under that helmet, the armor had been empty.
“Lorna please.” The shell reached out for me but I stood and backed away frightened.
“No, no, this ain't real.” My mind was screaming at my feet to run but my heart wouldn't let them.
“What are you?” I managed slowly.
It quit reaching letting the arm fall. “I'm… Brother…” The armor shook its' helmet solemnly.
“Are ya a poltergeist? Some sort of ghost?” I quivered as the thoughts passed over my lips.
“No, not exactly.” The helmet looked up at me.
I held my ground trying to keep my composure. Then I heard it, the crack of the tree finally breaking through.
“No!” The armor yelled shoving me out of the way.
I hit the earth hard but was only bruised a little. I looked to the suit that was now pinned under the tree. It didn't try to move.
“Get up.” I whispered.
It didn't respond.
“Get up!” My voice yelled loudly.
It moved, the helmet looking up at me.
“Get up.” I ordered, my voice forceful with pain and anguish.
The suit obeyed pushing the small tree aside. The back plate of the armor was dinted where the tree landed.
“What are you?” My voice quivered but was hard as a rock.
“Brother attached my soul to this armor.” It answered, “When we tried to bring back mother. Brother lost his leg and I lost my body.” It's voice broke, “He gave his arm to bind my soul to this suit.”
I wanted to scream, wanted to cry. I wanted to kick myself for having fallen in love with an empty suit of armor!
“What if I'm not human?” Al's voice came back to me from the past. “Perhaps you're wrong and all I am is this armor.”
He had tried to tell me then, but I hadn't understood. I had told him that, “No armor can contain such a wonderful soul and not be human.”
My own words were now cutting into my heart. `But what of a soul without a body?' I thought.
“Lorna.” The armor called me back from my thoughts. “I was trying to tell you.” It didn't move toward me but only reached out a little.
I started to turn my head away but stopped. Wasn't this still Al? Didn't he still hold my heart?
“So then you're dead, ain't ya?” My voice was harsh.
“No.” It uttered. “I'm still alive, just…”
“Just what? You've got no body!” I was screaming now.
The armor shook its' helmet, “I am alive Lorna. I never crossed over. I can still be killed.”
I glared at it. “How? Your heart can't stop. Your brain won't stop functioning. How are ya supposed to die if ya ain't alive to begin with?”
The suit stayed quiet for a moment. “I… my seal, if it's broken… I'll die.” The armor removed the helmet and pointed to what appeared to be an alchemy circle drawn within.
`So that holds him here. That little circle?' My mind refused to comprehend this.
It moved to put the helmet back in place.
“How do I know you ain't just some sort of machine?” My heart was screaming at me but my mind was in control, “Maybe Winry made you. Perhaps you're just another form of automail.”
The armor took a step backward.
“Or maybe,” My heart took over, “maybe you're right.” My head bowed, consenting defeat. I didn't know what he was.
“Lorna?” It was reaching for me again.
I shook my head. “I have to head back.” It was getting colder so I turned to go, limping a little.
“Do you want me to carry you?” It called softly.
“No.” I couldn't deal with him… it… whatever was following me.
I wasn't sure if it was Alphonse, human, love of my life, or just a suit of armor, empty, cold, unreal.
Tears seemed too trivial for the moment. I was too overwhelmed for them to fall.
The suit followed behind me slowly. The clanking of metal made was sickening.
`He didn't tell me. In all this time he didn't tell me.'
My heat pleaded with me to go back to him, but logic said he'd lied to me. That it didn't deserve my comfort.
In all the anatomy and biology books I'd studied back home I never once came across anything that covered something like this. What did it take to be human? Shouldn't bones and skin count for something?
I stopped walking and it paused behind me. I turned to look at the suit again. Wasn't this the man I loved? Wasn't I hoping just yesterday marry Al?
`But ya can't marry armor.' Logic told me, `Ya can't have children with an empty suit.' Did I even want children? Sure, maybe some day. But the thought hadn't crossed my mind recently.
I fell to my hands and knees as the sobs finally broke through. The armor moved toward me and knelt down. I felt its cold gauntlet on my back.
“Please don't.” It pleaded softly.
I shook my head. I wanted to move away. To get up and run as fast as I could from this empty shell that had held so much of my dreams. But something deep within my heart held me there.
“Lorna, I'm sorry.” The armor whispered.
I couldn't look at it. I just couldn't face it now that I knew there was no one inside. There were no eyes to look into mine, no heart beating softly. “I'm sorry.” It repeated.
I nodded then rose and wiped my eyes with my freezing hands. I still didn't look at it, just turned and started walking back home again.
`Home? It ain't really my home anymore, is it?' The thought crossed my mind that both Winry and Ed had known. Yet neither of them had bothered to tell me. That was why Winry had given me strange looks when I put back plates of food for Al. He couldn't eat; he had no stomach, no need.
Then I thought back to what Edward had said so many months ago, back in the library, “He said he kissed her. Him, Al kissing her!”
I turned to glare up into those hollow eyes. “Who exactly did you kiss?” My voice was cold.
“What do you mean?” The suit asked innocently.
“Edward told Winry you kissed someone.” I accused, “How is that possible since you have no lips?”
The armor took a step back, “I…”
“Who!” I wanted an answer, not more silence.
“You Lorna. I kissed you in the dream world.” The armor sounded so betrayed now.
“Dream world? How's that possible?” It was, in retrospect, a stupid question to ask bodiless armor.
“I'm not sure how it happened.” The suit explained, “When you first came I started to dream. I'd see you in a field surrounded with woods, but I was only able to watch.”
I glared at the armor as it spoke. “Then, when you fell asleep next to me on the couch, I found myself in the dream with you. It was the first time I'd felt anything since being trapped in this body.”
It moved toward me but I stepped back. Its' arms fell loose at its' sides. “I kissed you on your head remember? Then later, the day we put up the Christmas tree, we kissed on the lips.”
“And that's why ya didn't want me to fall asleep when I was sick.” I spoke the words aloud without realizing it.
The armor nodded, “I was afraid you would have died.”
A pang struck my heart, but then rage took over, “You've known the dreams were real all this time and didn't tell me?” It didn't answer. “You should-a said something sooner.” I stated then began walking again.
Author's Notes
Joy: Well she's found out… now what?
….
Joy: Everyone's upset, mad or sad, no one's talking to me!