Gundam SEED Fan Fiction / Fullmetal Alchemist Fan Fiction ❯ O-mamori ❯ O-mamori ( Chapter 1 )

O-mamori

 

AUTHOR'S NOTES: First Hagaren fic please be kind! Oh, and this is a crossover. What would be the price of true love: loss of memory, loss of self? Would she be able to go back to the one that she loves without remembering, except for the need to be with him again? And would Edward help her find her way back? What if he doesn't want her to go back?

 

DISCLAIMER: I do not own Full Metal Alchemist and SEED/SEED Destiny. This happens soon after that auroral trip involving an exploding emergency escape pod, tons of angst, and some human transmutation gone haywire. What if that movie breach did something to another world, Tsubasa: Reservoir Chronicles style?! A case of “hitsuzen” gone totally wrong. R/R please!

 

 

 

 

“…”

 

Edward Elric winced, then slowly opened his eyes. Rain poured steadily to where he lay, filling the air with the scent of fresh washed earth, along with a dozen more scents that proved too much for his brain at the moment, addled as it was from that impact a while ago. His head was still ringing, and just thinking about what had gone wrong sent him almost vomiting his insides out on the ground in front of him. Edward closed his eyes, willing himself to ignore the pain that was hammering onto his head like sledge hammer, but it was just too hard. Now, every time he tried to think about something, his head felt like it was about to explode.

 

Explode…

 

Edward tried to stand up. Yes, there was an explosion…there was this man…masked guy…selling something to Al…the guy got angry…vented his ire upon them using a pile of dead bodies…what was he supposed to do to them again…?

 

Another bad move. The world spun crazily around him until he decided to fall down to his knees, staggering as he did so. He promptly threw up.

 

“Aah! Don't try to move, you're badly hurt!”

 

Edward hacked and heaved, throwing up again.

 

“I said don't try to move!”

 

***Hell, I'm trying not to MOVE, but I can't seem to try stopping throwing up at the same time, either!*** Edward wanted to scream at whoever that was, but the danger of having to throw up his entire food intake for the last 15 years loomed dangerously close, so he decided against it. He fell uselessly down beside his pool of sick.

 

A shadow appeared over Edward, and he slightly turned to look who it was. A circular shadow blotted out whatever little light the rainy weather allowed to him, and he can't seem to make out his face…

“Rowan! Quick! There's someone here who needs help!”

 

“I'm getting onto it…where the hell did that guy come from?!”

 

The circular shadow loomed closer, and Edward heard faint splashes of water that came nearer to where he lay, like someone in a pair of boots. A hand turned him to his other side before Edward realized he threw up again.

 

“Turn him on his side before he chokes on his own vomit,” another muttered. Edward listened; the splashes of water seemed to have stopped. Another circular shadow blotted out his view of the world. “He looks real bad. We have to take him to a hospital.”

 

“I don't think this guy could make it that far…”

 

“Well…then let's just hope Dr. Gatling could fix him up just fine.”

 

Edward now felt someone carrying him. Or rather, someone trying to carry him.

 

“For a kid he's awfully heavy…his mangled automail's just what's dragging him down…”

 

“Well, throw them off, then!”

 

“We can't do that, the Rosenkreuzians might find out we're harboring a refugee…”

 

“Dammit.” There was a low whistle. “Becky!”

 

A horse neighed then cantered over to where they were. Edward heard the soft jingle of bells then someone throwing him over the back of the horse, like a sack of potatoes.

 

“Careful! We don't want him to lose what's left of his brain now, right?”

 

“It could've been a LOT worse.” Thunder rumbled somewhere from the west. “If it weren't for this wonderful weather, things could've been a lot nastier. The Rosenkreuzians would be onto us faster than a pack of those cathedral dogs.”

 

“It's just good we're done for the day, anyway.” Someone clucked to the horse. “Let's go, Becky…”

 

The bells jangled, and soon they were on their way.

 

 

 

 

Edward awoke to a sound of more bells tolling. He thought he was in some church compound until he heard the sound of children playing noisily outside.

 

“Well, how are you feeling?”

 

He looked up. An old man was seated on a stool beside his bed, wiping a pair of glasses. He put them on again before smiling at Edward in a grandfatherly way. “Rowan and Yui were very, very `boisterous' last night that they managed to drag me from St. Valens faster than the Drachman cavalry. It's good they called me right away, give another 10 minutes you would've probably be dead by now…”

 

“…” Edward blinked. “Where…where am I…?”

 

“Rhein.”

 

“Excuse me?”

 

“Rhein, a small village somewhere in the Briggs mountain range, along the Gullet Pass,” the old man replied. “Briggs in your language, though. To the Drachmans, it's their beloved Evensky.”

 

“Drachmans…?”

 

“Yes, boy, you're in the country of Drachma, the country of eternal twilight. Cut off from the rest of the world for centuries, they've developed quite in an amazing and unique way simply different from all the rest.” The old man then nodded. “Nobody knows what it is with these Drachmans, even Amestris down south has no idea WHAT they really are, and that's given they had signed a non-aggression pact a long, long time ago…”

 

“Amestris…” Edward tried sitting up, his long golden blond hair falling about his shoulders. “I…I have to get back to Amestris! Al…what happened…why am I here in Drachma….?!”

 

“Whoa, slow down, boy, there's no need to rush yourself, you've taken serious injuries…”

 

“But I HAVE to get back to AMESTRIS!” Edward's eyes flashed. “Do you understand?! I have to get back, I~~~”

 

“You wouldn't be able to go back, even if you wanted to, boy.” The old man looked at him sadly. “Amestris is no more.”

 

Edward's eyes widened, becoming blank and glassy looking. He couldn't seriously mean…Amestris is…

 

“Don't look TOO shocked. What I meant was that Amestris has been embroiled in a civil war for the last 2 years and it's not one place someone would want to go back to, given that. There was public clamor for a parliament, yes, and it was allowed, but there were still some war freaks who decided that Amestris should only be for Amestris. It looks like the Ishbal War is happening over there, in some sort of perverse justice, after what the military did to Ishbal so many years ago. So saying, there are your usual suspects again, those State Alchemists, VS a couple of other people, VS a bunch of balding old fogies trembling and cooped up in the Parliament Building in Central City. Not all State Alchemists were involved in that Amestris for Amestris travesty though, but those who are against it are being hunted down by those purists.”

 

“Hunted down…you mean…”

 

“Yes. Cripes, it's as if they're not Amestrians, the whole lot of them.” The old man looked at him. “It was a miracle you survived that harrowing trip going here. Those freaks were hurting for State Alchemists, if you know what I mean. Then there are those Rosenkreuzians to worry about…”

 

“Civil war?” Edward looked confused. “It couldn't have BEEN that serious, now, wasn't it…King Bradley…”

 

“The Fuhrer, you mean? Well, there had been a lot of weird goings on after he got killed, spouting some silly Homunculi bit something or other, and the parliament was formed. Serves him right, though…she had been too stubborn trying to do all of those bastards in, but Fate had other things in mind…”

 

“…” Edward looked even more confused.

 

“Try to get some sleep now, boy. It's not everyday you get lucky.” The old man stood up. “I'll be right outside if you need me.”

 

“…” Edward looked over at him again. “Sir…if it isn't too much of a bother…”

 

“Today's the 10th of July, 1917,” the old man answered without looking up. He pauses by the door. “Sleep, as long as you could sleep.”

 

The door closed, shutting out the sound of the children playing noisily outside. It wasn't after a while that Edward finally realized that this was July 10, 2 years after he parted ways with Al.

 

 

 

 

The sun shone brightly just as soon as Edward went out to get a breath of fresh air. He looked around. Although it was still kind of weird dealing with the reality that 2 years had passed by without him knowing it, he still wanted to find a way to come back to Amestris, and he wanted to know what has become of everyone since then, Al most especially. He must be worried sick by now.

 

Then there's Winry Rockbell.

 

He wasn't even able to say goodbye to her properly.

 

“Why, hello there! Sure took you long enough to get out into the great outdoors.”

 

Edward blinked, then looked down the steps of the chalet where he was at. The old man was down by the steps looking up at him with a grin on his face, his face ruddy from the cold air of the mountains on which they stood.

 

“…” Edward gave a small smile. “I've been cooped up for 2 weeks already, and I still have to get used to these new automail parts you gave me…”

 

“That's true, yes.” The old man gestured for him to go down the steps. “Well, what are you waiting for? The children are most anxious to see you.”

 

“Right.” Edward made his way down the wooden steps, careful not to rush through it, awkward as it was for him to move around a bit more than he should, as he was still recuperating. Still, the old man's automail was excellently done; they didn't feel like dead weights in a village high up in this altitude as he was still learning to get used to it and it was a far cry from Rizembool, where he was from. Edward wondered what Winry would say, if he remarked that this old man's automail skills were a tad better than hers were.

 

Winry…

 

“Ed-nii~~~!!!”

 

Edward blinked. 5 kids, 4 boys and a girl, were waving to him excitedly to where he was standing, their bright happy faces flushed in the cold air of early morning. The little girl ran over to where he was then jumped into his arms, almost sending the both of them crashing to the ground. She grinned, her eyes closed happily. “Ne, ne, ne, it's nice, it's wonderful, you're out! Out! Out!”

 

“Seems like it, Lise.”

 

“So this means Ed-nii can go tobogganing with us? Ne? Ne?”

 

“Guess so…”

 

“Yay!”

 

The other children came after the little girl, looking just as excited as she was. “We know this really cool slope down here, see~~~”

 

“The big kids hog it all throughout eventide, but nobody goes there during summertide, the snow's all slushy and wet by then~~~”

 

“And there are lots of big rocks to hurdle~~~”

 

“And TONS of TREES~~~!!!”

 

The old man laughed. “Now, now, wouldn't it be a little too much for poor Edward here to go through all that torture at once? He's just well.”

 

“It's nothing Ed-nii can't handle!” The little girl looked hopefully up at Edward, her maroon pigtails bobbing. “Ne, Ed-nii? Ne?”

 

“Well…”

 

“See! See! He says it's FINE! I am going to marry him someday!”

 

Edward sweatdropped. “Now Lise, that'd be a LITTLE too much…”

 

“Dr. Gatling, you're going to BE our godfather!” the little girl announced.

 

The old man laughed again. “Of course.”

 

“Lise! Reny! Come on, you're going to be late for class!”

“Yes, Mama!” The little girl planted a kiss on Edward's cheek, then hurriedly ran off, with the rest of the boys behind her. She waved over at Edward before she turned round the bend. “See you Ed-nii by the Wallows! Later! Bye!”

 

Edward lightly held his cheek. The old man grinned.

 

“Lise sure knows what her rights are.”

 

Edward sweatdropped again. “Isn't that what you call pedophilia?”

 

“Do not underestimate the power of puppy love, my lad.” The old man nodded. “Well? Shall we head for St. Valens?”

 

 

 

 

 

 

AUTHOR'S NOTES: Drachma is the country to the north of Amestris. Not much is known about them except that they signed a non-aggression pact with Amestris, but it doesn't mean that it would last for eternity. The locales are figments of my imagination, though; I have no idea what villages there are in that country, except for the fact that they're separated from Amestris by the Briggs mountain range. I've decided to give the people a Swiss-Gypsy flavor, in order to stay true to their mountainous roots.