FMA Fic: "Magical Battle" 1/1
Title: Magical Battle
Author: evil_little_dog
Rating: PG-ish?
Characters/Pairings: Edward, Winry
Warning: Alternate Universe. Magic.
Disclaimer: These are Arakawa's characters, not mine.
Notes: Unedited, and rough, rough, rough. However, after seeing the art that hikaru_9 did for me for fma_cya, I had to write this.
X X X
“Stand there.”
“Why?” Winry leaned closer, blue eyes wide. If he just looked into her eyes, and no where else, he might believe she was actually human. Then she’d shift her stance, showing the wings folded against her back, her forked tail, the tiny horns and pointed ears, peeking out of her blond hair.
“Because I’m going to work magic.” Ed pointed at her. “Stand there.”
“What kind of magic?”
Her curiosity sometimes reminded him of a cat’s, or maybe a real girl’s. Not that he’d had much truck with a real girl. Not since - no, it didn’t bear thinking about. Certainly not now. “Dangerous kind,” he said. “Now, stand there.”
“But.” She pouted.
“Winry!”
Pout deepening, Winry shuffled to the place Ed pointed to, and folded her arms under her breasts. Ed ignored her, turning his attention to his calculations, the papers spread over stone wall, rocks holding them down. He knew she’d stay there until he said she could move. At times, having her around was almost like having a slave, though Ed would never call her that. Not out loud, at least.
Pouring over the pages, Ed moved the stones so he could review each diagram separately. He could hear Winry’s soft grumbles at being relegated to the spot he’d sent her to, and blocked her out of his mind. Yes, she was bound to him, as he was to her, but he could - and did - ignore her as necessary. Mentally brushing her off, Ed replaced all the papers and anchored them back down. He closed his eyes, imagining the diagrams, separately, at first, then as a whole. With the image fixed in his mind, Ed turned slowly, staring at the empty doorway of the ruined castle. If he opened this portal, he might be able to find Al, and whatever dangers he had to face, it was worth it to get his little brother back.
Winry would be his anchor, just as the stones anchored his documentation. The binding between them meant she wouldn’t - couldn’t - let him die. Her essence boosted any magic he did, increasing his power. That didn’t mean Ed wouldn’t take the precautions he thought necessary - mentally grounding himself before beckoning Winry closer. “Stand here,” he repeated, ignoring her annoyed huff. Ed drew a circle in the rough dirt with the point of his athame, enclosing Winry and him within its boundary. Winry wriggled her shoulders when he closed the circle, her mouth tightening and her wings wrapping closer around her body. “It will be fine,” Ed told her, straightening and sheathing the knife at his hip.
Ed took a deep breath, holding it for a few seconds as he ran through the diagrams one final time. He swallowed hard, picturing his brother’s face as he’d last seen him, before the hands grasped him, hauling him away. Winry’d said he wasn’t in hell, and Ed hoped he could believe her. He wasn’t sure he could pull his brother out of the depths of hell, as opposed to wherever those black, oily hands had taken him.
Pushing aside that final thought, Ed opened his eyes, focusing on that empty doorway. His hands pressed together, in a mockery of prayer. Winry moved closer, leaning against his back, her chin on his shoulder. Her body felt cool, and Ed reminded himself she wasn’t human. Wasn’t. His brother was, and Al needed him, and -
Ed shouted, igniting the arcane circle he’d diagramed in his head. It flared in front of him, the cold blue of it reminding him, as always, of Winry’s eyes. Behind the circle, the empty doorway boiled up with black clouds that solidified. The center of it slit open, an eye, a peculiar shade of garnet, snapping open and staring at them.
“Ed,” Winry whispered.
He ignored her, gritting his teeth as he increased the power surging through his body. The blue of the circle intensified as the eye trained on them, through both the arcane circle’s and the barriers of the protective ward. It was so much stronger than he expected. “Nng!” Ed felt Winry’s power twining with his own, increasing the strength of the arcane circle. It didn’t stop the inky arms, swarming out from around the eye.
Cold sweat trickled down Ed’s spine. He couldn’t see beyond the eye, through that black wall to find out if Al was on the other side. “Damn it!” he snarled, hearing Winry’s chuckle in his ear.
“You could be,” she whispered, but offered even more power, making the arcane circle flare with his magic.
Even with that extra burst of power, Ed could feel himself losing control of the circle. If it failed, he knew those hands could possibly breach the wards, sucking both Winry and him through the portal. Clenching his jaw, Ed fought to keep the circle in place. The hands reached for it, like moths to a flame. The first touch shocked Ed, nearly knocking him back and out of the wards. Only Winry, pressed against his back, kept him standing. Her hands moved from his shoulders to wrap around his waist. He could feel her bracing him up. “Winry,” he said, “this is going to sound stupid, but you need to let me go.”
“No!” she growled, tightening her arms around him.
“Winry! You have to. I’m ordering you to let me go. I have to go through that gate to find Al. It’s the only way.” Ed turned his head enough to meet her eyes. “You know that.”
Her sigh ruffled his hair as another hand touched the glowing blue circle, making it flicker. Ed shuddered. “I can’t hold it, Winry, even with your help.”
“I’m not letting you go,” she said sharply. “Wherever you go, I’m going with you. We made an agreement.”
Signed in blood - his. Ed wanted to rail at her but knew it would make no difference. “All right,” he said, “we’ll go together.”
He could all but feel Winry’s smile as she stopped providing her power to him, making him stagger at the full weight of the hands battering against his shield. Ed held it for a few seconds more, then let it fall. The hands poured through the space the circle had occupied, reaching for them both. They struck the ward, making Ed wince at the pressure building outside the drawn circle.
“If we’re going, Ed,” Winry said, “we should go now. Before they get hungry.”
“They?” Ed whipped around to her, eyes wide. Concentration broken, his ward crashed down, and the hands wrapped around them both, yanking them back toward the garnet eye.
X X X
Author: evil_little_dog
Rating: PG-ish?
Characters/Pairings: Edward, Winry
Warning: Alternate Universe. Magic.
Disclaimer: These are Arakawa's characters, not mine.
Notes: Unedited, and rough, rough, rough. However, after seeing the art that hikaru_9 did for me for fma_cya, I had to write this.
X X X
“Stand there.”
“Why?” Winry leaned closer, blue eyes wide. If he just looked into her eyes, and no where else, he might believe she was actually human. Then she’d shift her stance, showing the wings folded against her back, her forked tail, the tiny horns and pointed ears, peeking out of her blond hair.
“Because I’m going to work magic.” Ed pointed at her. “Stand there.”
“What kind of magic?”
Her curiosity sometimes reminded him of a cat’s, or maybe a real girl’s. Not that he’d had much truck with a real girl. Not since - no, it didn’t bear thinking about. Certainly not now. “Dangerous kind,” he said. “Now, stand there.”
“But.” She pouted.
“Winry!”
Pout deepening, Winry shuffled to the place Ed pointed to, and folded her arms under her breasts. Ed ignored her, turning his attention to his calculations, the papers spread over stone wall, rocks holding them down. He knew she’d stay there until he said she could move. At times, having her around was almost like having a slave, though Ed would never call her that. Not out loud, at least.
Pouring over the pages, Ed moved the stones so he could review each diagram separately. He could hear Winry’s soft grumbles at being relegated to the spot he’d sent her to, and blocked her out of his mind. Yes, she was bound to him, as he was to her, but he could - and did - ignore her as necessary. Mentally brushing her off, Ed replaced all the papers and anchored them back down. He closed his eyes, imagining the diagrams, separately, at first, then as a whole. With the image fixed in his mind, Ed turned slowly, staring at the empty doorway of the ruined castle. If he opened this portal, he might be able to find Al, and whatever dangers he had to face, it was worth it to get his little brother back.
Winry would be his anchor, just as the stones anchored his documentation. The binding between them meant she wouldn’t - couldn’t - let him die. Her essence boosted any magic he did, increasing his power. That didn’t mean Ed wouldn’t take the precautions he thought necessary - mentally grounding himself before beckoning Winry closer. “Stand here,” he repeated, ignoring her annoyed huff. Ed drew a circle in the rough dirt with the point of his athame, enclosing Winry and him within its boundary. Winry wriggled her shoulders when he closed the circle, her mouth tightening and her wings wrapping closer around her body. “It will be fine,” Ed told her, straightening and sheathing the knife at his hip.
Ed took a deep breath, holding it for a few seconds as he ran through the diagrams one final time. He swallowed hard, picturing his brother’s face as he’d last seen him, before the hands grasped him, hauling him away. Winry’d said he wasn’t in hell, and Ed hoped he could believe her. He wasn’t sure he could pull his brother out of the depths of hell, as opposed to wherever those black, oily hands had taken him.
Pushing aside that final thought, Ed opened his eyes, focusing on that empty doorway. His hands pressed together, in a mockery of prayer. Winry moved closer, leaning against his back, her chin on his shoulder. Her body felt cool, and Ed reminded himself she wasn’t human. Wasn’t. His brother was, and Al needed him, and -
Ed shouted, igniting the arcane circle he’d diagramed in his head. It flared in front of him, the cold blue of it reminding him, as always, of Winry’s eyes. Behind the circle, the empty doorway boiled up with black clouds that solidified. The center of it slit open, an eye, a peculiar shade of garnet, snapping open and staring at them.
“Ed,” Winry whispered.
He ignored her, gritting his teeth as he increased the power surging through his body. The blue of the circle intensified as the eye trained on them, through both the arcane circle’s and the barriers of the protective ward. It was so much stronger than he expected. “Nng!” Ed felt Winry’s power twining with his own, increasing the strength of the arcane circle. It didn’t stop the inky arms, swarming out from around the eye.
Cold sweat trickled down Ed’s spine. He couldn’t see beyond the eye, through that black wall to find out if Al was on the other side. “Damn it!” he snarled, hearing Winry’s chuckle in his ear.
“You could be,” she whispered, but offered even more power, making the arcane circle flare with his magic.
Even with that extra burst of power, Ed could feel himself losing control of the circle. If it failed, he knew those hands could possibly breach the wards, sucking both Winry and him through the portal. Clenching his jaw, Ed fought to keep the circle in place. The hands reached for it, like moths to a flame. The first touch shocked Ed, nearly knocking him back and out of the wards. Only Winry, pressed against his back, kept him standing. Her hands moved from his shoulders to wrap around his waist. He could feel her bracing him up. “Winry,” he said, “this is going to sound stupid, but you need to let me go.”
“No!” she growled, tightening her arms around him.
“Winry! You have to. I’m ordering you to let me go. I have to go through that gate to find Al. It’s the only way.” Ed turned his head enough to meet her eyes. “You know that.”
Her sigh ruffled his hair as another hand touched the glowing blue circle, making it flicker. Ed shuddered. “I can’t hold it, Winry, even with your help.”
“I’m not letting you go,” she said sharply. “Wherever you go, I’m going with you. We made an agreement.”
Signed in blood - his. Ed wanted to rail at her but knew it would make no difference. “All right,” he said, “we’ll go together.”
He could all but feel Winry’s smile as she stopped providing her power to him, making him stagger at the full weight of the hands battering against his shield. Ed held it for a few seconds more, then let it fall. The hands poured through the space the circle had occupied, reaching for them both. They struck the ward, making Ed wince at the pressure building outside the drawn circle.
“If we’re going, Ed,” Winry said, “we should go now. Before they get hungry.”
“They?” Ed whipped around to her, eyes wide. Concentration broken, his ward crashed down, and the hands wrapped around them both, yanking them back toward the garnet eye.
X X X