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Nano '09 - Coma (unedited) - Prologue |
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Prologue
The Dream
A large expanse, filled with lush, dark green grass. Flowers spotted against the sheet of green, bright spots of yellow, red, and white spotted against the grass. There were tall, old oak trees all around the large clearing, offering both cool shadow and warm sun, and a cool breeze stirring the leaves. Bright golden sunlight glinting off of golden yellow hair, the wind ruffling it and blowing it to and fro. Molten yellow eyes, staring at the crystal clear sky above him. A young man lay on the grass, near the top of a hill towards the northern end of the clearing. His skin was tan, and under it strong, wiry muscle could be seen. A small, wistful smile tugged at the corners of his lips, and his eyes held a nostalgic look, although he couldn’t remember having ever been to that meadow before. Edward Elric couldn’t remember a lot of things right at that moment. He simply felt nostalgic… and wistful… and also slightly hungry. Maybe even a little creative. He couldn’t really tell. He just wishes you would stop trying to make sense of what he’s feeling right at this moment and also that this random fan fic writer would stop typing all of this. Slowly, as if he were under water, he rose to his feet, affording himself a better view of the meadow. His mind was in a fog. He still couldn’t remember where he was. Where this clearing was. Why it mattered. He can’teven remember how he got to this clearing.
A sudden chill ran down his spine and he shivered. The air had been so warm just a moment ago. Looking around himself he noticed that it had ground suddenly darker. Dark grey clouds blew across the sky, quickly blotting out the light. The trees looked darker as well, and they had suddenly become more menacing. The wind picked up, and grew oddly chill. The long grass shriveled and browned in the cold, the blades scratching against each other as the wind blew them about. It was almost as if the trees were closing in on the little hill that Edward stood upon; as if it were a single island in the middle of a turbulent sea. The air continued to grow colder and colder, and Edwards breath puffed out in great white clouds. The meadow grew darker, and it seemed as if even more clouds had blown in the sky above the clearing, creating a blanket of cloud so thick no light could penetrate it; for the clearing had darkened to pitch blackness.
A feeling of dread filled him like none that he had ever felt, chilling his bones down to the marrow as he stepped back to the top of the hill, the feeling of fear almost paralyzing him. Just as his foot touched the ground at the top of the hill, he screamed, feeling pain as if hundreds of razor sharp claws were tearing into his back all at once. His knees buckled, and he fell, falling onto all fours on the ground; the ground below him had turned suddenly into hard, barren earth, not a hint of the lush carpet of before could have been seen - even if there had been light to with which he could have seen, - and the ground was cracked; his palms and knees scraped when they met this unforgiving floor, grit and small stones digging into his hands and knees. He could feel his palms bleeding as he brought them up off the ground, holding them to his chest, curling around them to protect his hands from further harm.
Warmth grows in his chest, and his hands no longer hurt, and he pulls them away to stare at them in wonder; they have been healed, and as he looks down at his chest, he see that it is glowing with a bright golden light. “How…?” The light grows steadily brighter, and he sees that he is surrounded by what appear to be shifting shadows; but he can tell that they are not. They are foul beasts, ones who hold no color, though he has no name for them. They shy away from the light coming from Edward’s chest, and he giggles hysterically as the beasts - the wolves - yelp and squirm as they push at each other in attempts to get away, their tight pack formation being their undoing as they found no escape. Some of the wolves go mad from the light and as the heat in his chest grows to a burning height and the light grows to blinding, some leap towards him; the heat consumes him first, though, and he screams as visions of being burned flash before his eyes. Screams until his throat is raw, and his vision is filled with white.
Edward Elric sits suddenly bolt upright in his bed, still screaming as his younger brother attempts to untangle himself from his sheets in the next bed over. Finally managing to throw his sheets off of him, Alphonse Elric leaps out of his bed, rushing over to his older brother, Edward, just as the shorter boys screaming quieted to hysterical gasping, having not nearly enough air to continue. He threw his arms around his brother, easing himself quickly into a seated position on the edge of his brother’s bed as he started to rub circles in his brothers back. “Ed? What’s wrong? Are you alright?” Alphonse said in a rush, holding his brother close to him as the older boy shook and gasped, sobs escaping him as fat tears ran down his face, leaving salty tracks on his cheeks. Alphonse pursed his lips. It was never good when his brother woke up this frightened. “Ed?” He tried again, more gently, and the older boy looked up, taking in the soft features of his brother face, and the love and concern in the younger boys golden eyes. Edward gulped, willing the shaking and the tears to stop. After a moment, he took a deep gulping breath and plastered on the most convincing smile he could as he looked his younger brother in the eyes. Really, where would he be without Alphonse? Without his pillar and his anchor to sanity? “I’m fine Al. Just a bad dream. I think I’m okay now,” he managed to croak out, his voice raspy from screaming. Alphonse looked at him skeptically and he forced his smile wider. “Really Al, I’m fine. You should go back to sleep, you have to get up earlier than I do.” Alphonse sighed at this, and gave his older brother a scathing glare, as if daring his brother to lie again. “Are you sure, brother? Because you sure don’t sound like you’re fine.” Edward let the smile drop to a small one, his eyes softening and filling with the love he held for his younger - if somewhat taller - sibling as the shaking finally slowed to a stop; his entire face had softened into an expression he reserved for the people he held very dear in his heart. “I’m sure Al, now get some sleep.” His voice had softened as well, even though it was still raspy and cracking. Alphonse sighed, seeing that his brother wouldn’t concede, whether or not he was alright.
“Okay, brother, but I’m sleeping over here. That way if you have another nightmare, I won’t have to worry about wrestling with my sheets.” At that, Alphonse crossed over to his bed only long enough to grab his blankets, and Edward moved to the side of his bed, in order to give his brother room to lie down. “Alright, alright. I give up. Sleep over here.” Edward said, mock annoyed, although his smile took any heat out of the words. It didn’t take long for them to get settled, with Edward facing the door, and Alphonse sleeping cuddled against his brother’s back, dropping off to sleep very quickly. Edward did not go back to sleep however, and did not sleep any more that night, still to scared as he was of the dreams he might have, and also much too puzzled; for while he knew he was awake, and knew that what he had just experienced was a dream, he thought he could still feel an odd warmth in his chest, like his skin had been warmed in the sun. And so laying there, under the covers, staring at the wall, he closed his eyes and muttered.
“Perfectly fine indeed.”
 Half-Human-Homunculi · Mon Nov 09, 2009 @ 11:50pm · 0 Comments |
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