Gundam SEED Fan Fiction / Fullmetal Alchemist Fan Fiction ❯ O-mamori ❯ My Only Wish Is To Be With You Now... ( Chapter 2 )

PHASE SHIFT

 

My only wish is to be with you now…

 

AUTHOR'S NOTES: I have no idea why my fic ended up in the Gundam SEED fic section when it's mostly Hagaren…^_^;; Anyway, the wings of “hitsuzen” take flight! For Edward Elric, it took him TOO far off. Now alone in the country of Drachma under the care of Dr. William Gatling, who is quite a well-known doctor in these parts, he searches for a way to come back home to Al and Winry. Edward is scared that they might have forgotten about him and left him for dead. Under the beautiful cathedral windows of St. Valens, he meets an unexpected stranger. Like him, she too has gone too far on the wings of “hitsuzen”. Was it their wish to be with somewhere/someone they could belong to be the one wish that has brought them together?

 

DISCLAIMER: I do not own Full Metal Alchemist and SEED/SEED Destiny. I only own some of the OCs portrayed within. So no suing! R/R please!

 

 

 

 

Edward was quiet the whole coach ride to St. Valens, a good 3 hours away from the lovely village of Rhein. For Dr. William Gatling, it was just a normal reaction. It wasn't his lot to speak up until Edward has cleared up some of the thoughts in his mind.

 

“Um…” Edward looked at him. “Dr. Gatling…”

 

“Yes, Edward?”

 

“Um…I…”

 

“Don't worry, I'll help you find your way back to Amestris.”

 

“…” Edward became even quieter. He stared out into the mountains beyond the window on his right, capped as they were with everlasting snow and tiny dots of what seemed to be pine trees.

 

“The people took real good care of me when I first arrived in Rhein,” Dr. Gatling was saying as he watched a pair of snow owls dart through the trees, obviously ruffled by the racket the bells on the coach was making. “Things haven't been the same ever since I got back from the war.”

 

“You've…been part of Ishbal, too?”

 

“Ah, so you're pretty familiar with the Ishbalans and their history…most especially that of the war that has torn their very homeland apart.” Dr. Gatling nodded. “Yes, I was part of it, once. I was a medical doctor treating the injured, both ally and `enemy'…”

 

“So, you know the Rockbells?”

 

“Yes. Rockbell…it's a name I haven't heard for quite some time now.” Dr. Gatling looked over at Edward closely. “You mentioned a Winry Rockbell…”

 

“…yes…she's…was…their daughter.”

 

“I see.” Dr. Gatling became quiet. “I take it that she got quite upset when you told her you decided to become an alchemist?”

 

“She WAS upset. But she came over it, eventually. She takes care of my automail and stuff.” Edward's eyes became thoughtful. “She was quite a loud one, but in truth there's no better automail mechanic I know of than her in and around Rizembool.” He then gave a goofy grin. “Until I met you, of course.”

 

The old man laughed. “Don't you let that Winry hear you say that.”

 

“It's true! Well, in fairness to Winry…”

 

“Yes, yes, I quite see what you mean.”

 

The bells on the coach jangled a little bit louder as they made their way up a pretty precarious climb in the pass. Edward blinked. “Um, I've been meaning to ask this, Dr. Gatling.”

 

“Shoot.”

 

“Why are there lots of bells in and around Rhein? I mean, not just the usual things or places you'd really expect bells to be tinkling from, it's just that…I don't know…”

 

“You find it weird?”

 

“Not exactly weird. Rather…unusual.”

 

“One and the same.” Dr. Gatling nodded. “Do you want to hear the story behind those bells, Mr. Elric?”

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

There was a flurry of wings, and several white doves flew past the beautiful cathedral, its century old spires glinting in the sunlight. Several people milled about in the streets, wearing white cloaks over their colorful costumes, each of them holding a small bell, which they rang as they went. A nun wearing a black habit was leading this procession, along with several other novices wearing green habits. Merchants selling all sorts of wares ranging from beautiful pottery to ornate looking pins, figurines, and other bric-a-bracs were calling to the other people milling about in the square, to take a look at their wares, that and much more besides. Children laughed, running and weaving in and about the solemn statuary that dotted the square at intervals, their bright clothes a flash in the sun as they chased each other around in a game of tag. The sound of cows mooing, chickens clucking, and pigs squealing added to the din, being led as they were to their respective selling sections or to the slaughterhouse.

 

In the midst of all this confusion, a young girl was looking up at the statue of the Goddess in the middle of the square, a fountain bubbling about it, the waters splashing as they leaped from each of the terraced stones about the statue's feet. She was wearing a pure white habit, which looked more like a short dress with a short skirt. A sun was intricately embroidered upon its shoulders, as well as the sides of the habit's “skirt”; each sun had 3 outward rays and 2 sub rays (you get the idea ^_^;;) radiating from it. A headdress with the same design on its main headpiece sat on top of her head, looking so much like a small pillbox bunched upon with layers of stiffly starched folds upon one another. A pair of knee-high boots was on her feet, white as the base upon which the sun on her outfit was embroidered. A silver belt was slung about the young girl's waist from which a Magnum hung from its holster, and vials about it. A pendant of a small vial etched with strange inscriptions encircling the central jewel of an amethyst hung about her neck, suspended as it was on a fine gold chain.

 

The young girl's deep blue eyes were intent as she stared up at the statue, seemingly lost in thought.

 

“Sister Esthel!” a voice calls out. “Sister Esthel!”

 

The young girl turns to look around, her deep red hair swishing about her as she did so. She blinked. “Yes, Sister Ordelia…?”

 

“Mother Sophia wants you at once in the Cathedral, she has a job for you,” Sister Ordelia Ramses said in a hurry, just pausing long enough to catch her breath. She held her hand to her chest. “It's just really frantic, we've just arrived in St. Valens and already the Mother has a job for the Grigori…”

 

“Is that so?” Sister Esthel Llownry was quiet, then gave a small smile. “Then I guess it can't be helped. I have to get these prayer bells to the shrine before the other Sisters decide to call it a day…”

 

“Of course, those prayer bells are needed by the pilgrimage office by eventide,” Sister Ordelia agrees with a nod. “Too many things we have to be hopeful and thankful for. There is some talk regarding those Amestrians down the border by Calthorpe Ridge, and the barony believes that this is the time we must all take the civil war threat in Amestris really seriously…”

 

“Maybe it's that reason why Mother Sophia wants me to come to the Cathedral as soonest. One of the most important lords of the barony would be there.” Sister Esthel blinked, then nodded. “Well, I guess I should be off. I'll see you in the convent later…”

 

She leaves. Sister Ordelia had a sad expression on her face just as she watched the young nun go.

 

“In hopes that she would regain her lost memory, she vowed to become Grigori…” she whispered. “Without feeling, without remorse…is it the price to pay to save all sinners and for her own memory…?”

 

There was a series of rapid blinks, and soon a platoon of chibi mechs zoomed after Sister Esthel, looking like flying blinking Christmas lights. Sister Ordelia's deep gray eyes widen.

 

The heavens seemed to be weeping then when Esthel first came to them, the strange man in black unflinching as he handed the unconscious young girl to the Mother Superior in the Lune convent 2 years ago, the same chibi mechs blinking rather anxiously at that time as they floated here and there about them. The man's black coat, emblazoned with the strange crest of the Tree of Raphael on the left side, flapped in the wind as he regarded Esthel with a strange look.

 

***Send her as soonest to Mother Sophia. Her prayers are answered, though it came late. Maiden of the Eventide, she will help open the Gate.***

 

The Gate…

 

It was what Drachma was all about.

 

What were they called?

 

They were called the Keepers of the Gate.

 

 

 

 

 

“…” Edward was staring up at the beautiful stained glass windows of the Cathedral of St. Valens in awe. Dr. Gatling was to visit someone in the hospital and said that it would take long. He then told Edward that it was alright if he took a look around before meeting up at the Prayer Hall by noon. It was fine by Edward. Dr. Gatling just cautioned him about steering clear of suspicious men in black. They were an alchemist's worst nightmare.

 

Edward wondered why it was so. But as soon as he ventured out beyond the beautifully carved posts that served as the coach station's gateway to St. Valens, Edward forgot all about his anxiety regarding the suspicious men in black and was completely taken in by the city of St. Valens.

 

He got himself a brochure from the smiling lady at the information office then began to read. He remembered history lessons about Drachma when he was just a kid, reading through the thick books his father used to have in their library way back. He noted with special interest that those books about Drachma were the only ones who took a special space in his father's alchemy library. But even so, those books his father had never fully explored Drachma in rich detail, only hints of their culture and their religion here and there. Drachma had been hidden from the world for the last couple hundred centuries or so, and everything about it was just a blank to the rest of the outside world, even more than Creata and Areugo, the countries west of and south of Amestris respectively. The Briggs Mountain range must have cut them off effectively from what had been going on with the rest of the outside countries, and so gave rise to a culture that was very different from what he knew about, what he was comfortable about. It might be the reason why his father took special interest in Drachma.

Edward frowned. He still hasn't given up on the fact that he still held a grudge against his father, how silly and how selfish it might be. Hohenheim didn't EXACTLY say where he was going, or more importantly, why he left, but even if he did manage to think up of a good reason, he still won't believe it. Edward would still hate him.

 

He passed several nuns wearing somber black habits and pilgrims wearing white cloaks over their colorful costumes, talking among themselves in hushed tones, all the while ringing their bells as they made their rounds about the Cathedral. Edward blinked then turned to look after them as they made their way toward the Prayer Hall to the other side of the courtyard. And seeming to answer them were the ancient bells that tolled all over the place.

 

He closed his eyes. The bells' ringing was pure and beautiful to his ears, seeming to cut straight to his soul. If it were to be believed, the Drachmans revere music as much as they revere their Goddess, who used song and music as their form of prayer, the one thing that she delighted to hear above everything else when her people were to pray to her. The bells were the ones that saved Drachma from a fell tragedy a long time ago, when their voices were lost, after the Great Darkness had enshrouded the land and the Gate was sealed shut. The Goddess Essedel heard their prayers and saved them, bringing the Light out of Darkness, driving the evils that befell them and sealing them behind the Gate once again, the Gate that has sealed goodness as well as sealing evil. Good and evil were present in every person and it was the bells' duty to “heal” them from being tainted, make them remember their prayer, and the bells' powers were supposed to ward off the evil that was all over the sinful world where they live, just as they saved them then. Good and evil were present in the Gate, and every person was connected to it. If the Drachmans did not take care, the Gate will open and chaos would ensue.

 

The bells' ringing was soon faint. Edward let the bells' ringing echo through his soul. If he rung his own prayer bell hard enough, would he be able to come back to Amestris…?

 

“Who are you?”

 

Edward suddenly opened his eyes. A rather tall young girl was standing at the other end of the courtyard, blinking at him. A flock of white doves were about her, pecking at the ground for some wayward bread crumbs she scattered for them to eat. She must be a young nun, from the looks of it…but her habit was different from any other habit he's seen on the other nuns around them so far. For one thing, it looked more like a short dress with a short skirt, and since when did nuns wear knee high boots…?

 

He blinked. A group of small things were hovering about her, blinking rather rapidly and had huge question marks floating over their heads. Edward took to staring at them. What the hell were they?

 

The young nun blinked again. Just then, the ancient bells up the bell tower tolled, and the white doves flapped their wings and took flight. She lightly held her headdress as the gale of those flapping wings blew the white feathers like a feathery blizzard about her. Edward was speechless. Something stirred deep inside his soul as he looked over to where the young girl was standing, even as the feathers drifted slowly back to the ground like snow.

For some strange reason, Edward felt like he was finally home at last.

 

 

 

 

“…”

 

The waves crashed against the shore, drowning the calls of the seagulls as they shrieked above the water, circling overhead as they searched for fish to be their next meal. The sky was streaked with gold and deep red, as the sun slowly set in the west, marking the end of another day. The young man was impassive.

 

“My only wish is to be with you now…” he whispered. His eyes became expressively sad, as the seagulls screeched their sad cries over the beach and the early evening breeze blew his short dark brown hair about his face. His deep violet eyes mirrored a loss deeper than silence.

 

“Where are you…Fllay…?”

 

 

 

 

*************

 

AUTHOR'S NOTES: Esthel is…XD Aww, Kira wants to be with Fllay! “My only wish is to be with you now…” from FFIX, Stellazio quest, Virgo's clue. Somehow that one sentence ties all of Kira's sentiments regarding Fllay and her “death” (in this fanfic anyway) in very beautifully. Would he be able to see her again?