[Full Metal Alchemist] [55] An Assassin's Only Love

[55] An Assassin's Only Love [55]

The last chapter of An Assassin's Only Love. I hope you enjoy reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it.


This is "Beaming Sunlight" conducted by Michiru Oshima... It's beautiful...
I can play it on the piano, too. ^^
o.O Now that I think of it, I can play most of the F.M.A. songs on instruments I own...

If the console is being stubborn, keep hitting PLAY until it starts playing. From then on, it might take a while to load.

An Assassin's Only Love

Remember: "DIALOGUE", *THOUGHTS*, and the rest is the story.

Ed stared at the female, transfixed. Dante smiled, and he snapped out of his little trance.

"Who is she?" he asked and he avoided looking at the female.

Dante tucked the female's loose strands of hair behind her ears. "She's beautiful, isn't she?" Dante's cool hands traveled down her neck.

"Tell me," said Ed louder. "Tell me who she is," he demanded.

Dante chuckled. "You don't remember?" She smirked as he continued to stare at her with the uttermost confusion. "It's Catherine, Edward."

Catherine.

Ed forced himself to look at the female, and he found his knees growing weak. He couldn't control himself. Ed started to walk towards the girl, and Dante gently indicated that she walk towards him. Catherine slowly walked towards Ed, a sad smile on her face.

"Ed...ward..." she whispered and she spread her arms out and embraced him.

Ed wrapped his arms around her, feeling familiar with this certain person. Who was she... And why did he feel as if he met her before.

"Catherine," he said to himself and she rest her head on his shoulder.

Dante smiled to herself. "Do you remember her now?"

Ed's face moved closer to hers, and she swept his hair back with one stroke of her gloved hand. Her lips neared his.

You watched in dispair as their faces neared.

Dante was right, and you should have believed her.

[~Flashback One Hour~]

Envy smirked as "she" got off the train. "She's so easy to fool," he said to himself as he transformed back into his favorite body. The body of a young man with long black hair and electrical violet eyes. He followed Catherine.

He figured that those bratty Tringham brothers would let slip about the note their father had left. And knowing she was interested in it, she would obviously read it while they were asleep.

Catherine was holding on to the younger Tringham's hand when she suddenly had Arget fly off, and she ran after. She planned it all. She wanted to make everything look realistic enough.

And she was too fast for the Tringhams to follow. Envy smirked.

Catherine walked down to the deserted laboratory and entered from the back. She had found it: the passage to the underground city. Music led her to the old mansion, and she had stepped in to a ballroom.

"Dante," she stated confidently. "I know you're here."

"Surprise," said Envy as he grabbed her from behind. "It's good to see you again, Juliet." He smiled at her attempt to escape.

"Let me go, Envy!" she shouted.

"That's not a nice way to greet your friend. Wasn't it you who said that using manners was polite?"

Her eyes widened with realization. "You were Kevin, weren't you?" she snapped.

"In the flesh." Envy transformed into the blonde teen who had lead a group of boys into trouble.

She glared at him and pushed him off her. "You... You were the one who broke the necklaces!" she shouted.

"Exactly," said Envy and grinned. "Now let's get going, shall we?" he asked and gestured for her to follow him.

"You bastard," she hissed. "You made everyone forget I existed! You erased three years of my life, and I want it back!"

"Oh ho!" said Envy, amused. He placed one hand on his hip. "I see someone misses their beloved Edward."

Someone entered the room. A tall female with short black hair and violet eyes, who was dressed up in a violet-colored gown stepped in. "I'm so glad that we finally get to meet, Catherine."

Catherine took one step back, and she felt herself accidentally run into Envy.

"You're Dante, aren't you?" she asked.

"Why, of course," the woman replied. She walked towards Catherine and put a hand on her cheek. "Gregory has told me so much about you. What a beautiful body..." She held on to Catherine's long white sleeve and ripped her shirt off.

Catherine screamed and wrapped her arms protectively around herself. Why wasn't she fighting back? For some odd reason, Dante had her under some kind of spell.

Catherine let herself fall into Dante's arms, and Dante traced the birthmark on Catherine's back.

She was getting weak. *Catherine! Pull yourself together! Don't let her... take... control...* It was too late.

"Envy, take her to the bedroom," instructed Dante.

"Yes, Master," and Envy complied. He carried Catherine bridal-style and walked out of the room.

<>_______<>_______<>

Catherine opened her eyes. She was lying in a soft downy bed, and she got up quickly. Where was Dante and Envy?

She almost stumbled over her own feet, trying to run in a dress. She looked down at herself. She was wearing a long white dress, and her hair was up.

Catherine got back on her feet and made her way through the door.

"Ah, you're not going anywhere," said Envy as he grabbed her waist. She was pushed into the wall and Envy plopped himself onto the bed and crossed his legs.

"I don't see what you guys want with me," she said.

"Oh," said Envy and leaned back. "It's not what we want," he explained. "But what he wants."

Catherine straightened up. "What are you trying to say?" she asked.

"That he doesn't love you, Catherine."

Envy linked arms with her and he told her to remain quiet. She couldn't help but comply. He led her out the door, and the music once again filled her ears. But in the ballroom she had entered once earlier, now had Dante, Rose... and Edward Elric himself.

[~Present~]

You pressed yourself back against the wall. Ed was going to kiss this girl, and all you could do was watch.

"Didn't I tell you...?" whispered Envy in your ear. "He doesn't even see you. He doesn't care."

*He didn't care... And he never did...* you thought to yourself.

You started to tremble in Envy's arms.

He merely smiled, and let you hold on to him.

He didn't care... And he never did. It was true. He never knew you, and he just let you suffer while he continued his ignorant lifestyle. Edward Elric, the one you wanted to always be with, was going to live his life... Without you.

You just slumped against the wall, and slid down and sighed.

This really was it. You were going to throw away your love for Ed, just so he would be happy.

"You've really got it bad," said Envy and he crossed his arms. He seemed a little annoyed.

You remained silent.

"You're just going to let him go to her, aren't you?" he asked.

You furrowed your eyebrows. "I don't know what you're getting at," you said quietly.

Envy sighed and rolled his eyes. "Well, you love him don't you?!" he hissed. "You can just... stop her! Ugh!"

You looked up at Envy with wide eyes. "Are... you trying to help me?"

Envy just frowned and crossed his arms.

You smiled at him. "Envy," you started, "thank you."

You could have sworn that his pale cheeks were tinted a light shade of pink.

Envy seemed to have noticed that you saw. "Don't think that I'm going soft on you or anything. You're going to pay me back..." He regained his composure and crossed his arms.

"Look, this romance is making me sick, so just go so I can leave!" Envy shoved Catherine slightly.

Catherine looked back at him and Envy felt his face go red. He turned around and walked off. Little did you know of what Envy was planning...

Suddenly, you felt as if you were being watched by everyone. You stepped on to the ballroom floor, and Dante turned to you. Ed and the female payed no notice, they were just standing in the middle of the room, seemingly frozen.

"Ah, hello," said Dante and she walked towards you. "I was just watching the two share their love for each other." Dante placed her hand on your shoulder, and you felt yourself shiver... but grow weak again.

"Stop it," you growled and she smiled.

"You want him to love you, don't you?" she whispered as she raised your chin. "You want to have him as your own, to hold you, and to tell you it's alright..." She pressed her free hand against your bare back. You felt Dante's nails digging into your skin. But you didn't wince as her sharp nails etched something on your back.

You couldn't help but think, *Yes.*

Dante pursed her lips. "You love him," she whispered in your ear. "But he loves her."

You glared at the female's back.

"Loves her..." she repeated, even louder.

You felt so weak, as if a part of you were gone. And like that missing part was being controlled by someone else.

"Look at her," said Dante and she turned your head to face Ed and the girl. Your eyes widened in realization. You gasped in pain, and your head started to spin.

"You want Edward, don't you? Go after him..." she whispered.

Why was Dante encouraging you to go to him? But for some inconceivable reason, you couldn't resist. Had you become another marionette for someone other than Gregory as well?

You ran towards the two and punched the female square in the face, and she stumbled backwards. Her lip started to bleed, but she smiled menacingly. You looked at her and gasped... Realizing it was you.

"Stay away from him..." you hissed angrily and pushed Ed behind you protectively.

*A homunculus!* you thought as you gazed into her violet eyes. *But... it's an exact replica... of me! But how did someone manage to retrieve a soul for its body?!*

"Make me," she replied and crossed her arms. You felt yourself weaken. She shoved you and you felt your arm crash into the ground. You couldn't fight back.

"Ed! She's going to kill you!" you warned as you struggled to get up.

"Who... who are you?" he asked as he slowly backed away from the two of you.

He didn't remember you. Not at all. You felt pangs of anger vibrate throughout your body.

"I met you... In the forest..." you tried to explain, but the other you kicked you in the stomach, and you felt yourself cough up some blood. "Last year..." More blood. "We... spent so much time together..."

Time. That's all you needed.

Time. To tell him how you always felt.

Time. To make things right again.

"C-catherine?" asked Ed, a hint of realization in his voice. "Catherine Cairo..."

You smiled up at him from your position. He was starting to remember again.

"Shame you remembered," said Dante as she took a step forward. "Go on, Juliet."

The other you forced herself on to Ed. Her lips pressed against his, and you watched in fear. Your body was too weak to stop her. The poison in the lipstick you had originally created would take effect almost instantly. Tears started flowing down your cheeks. He was going to die...

You forced yourself to get up, and you grabbed the other you by the hand. The two of you gasped in pain as your hands felt as if they were burning. There was a blue light being emitted from where your hands touched.

The other you screamed and pulled back. "What's going on?!" she shrieked, but a strange force was holding her back. "Stop it!"

It seemed as if she were almost combining with you. You screamed in pain.

Dante walked right in front of you and smiled. "Now that your body has combined with that of the homunculus', your body will have the power of a homunculus. And with the human part of your body, I'll be able to perform alchemy as well!" She laughed as she ran her fingers through your hair.

"You can't do that!" shouted Ed as he clapped his hands together and transmuted his automail arm into a blade. "That's Human Alchemy! It's man's greatest taboo!"

"If it's as terrible as you claim, then why did you yourself attempt it?" retorted Dante. Ed glared at her. "You did it for your mother, didn't you? Because you loved her." A smile played on her lips. "Son of Hohenheim, wouldn't you love me if I had her body?" she asked and tilted her head towards you.

"Of course not!" he retorted. "Just because you had Catherine's body doesn't mean you could ever be Catherine! Her soul is what makes her!"

Dante pursed her lips. "Tell me, Edward, what is a soul?" She crossed her arms and took one quick glance at you.

"Ed!" you shouted. "Kill me now, before she gets the chance to use this stronger body!" you hissed.

"Are you stupid?!" he exclaimed. "This is your only chance at living!" You were immobilized due to what you figured was a transmutation circle on your back etched in blood. A homunculus anywhere within this specific transmutation circle could not escape it's boundaries. Now that your body had combined with that of a homunculus', and the transmutation was on you, you would just stand there... paralyzed.

Dante chuckled. "Love is man's greatest taboo, Edward." She put her hands on her hips. "Love makes the man vulnerable and weak, their mind's easier to manipulate. Love is only for fools who need it!" Dante clapped her hands together and Ed jumped in front of you and moved you aside.

Ed put his gloved hand on your back and smeared the transmutation. You were in too much shock to wince. Dante smiled at Ed. "Love makes you want to risk your life, and waste it." She dodged Ed's sudden attack.

"If love is such a terrible thing, then why did you love my father?!" he shouted as he took another swipe at her with his blade.

Ed wanted her to say it; to say that she only used his father to create the Stone. Maybe he could forgive his dad if she just said those words. Ed could finally stop blaming his dad for all this.

Dante didn't respond, but grabbed the baby in Rose's arms. Rose just stood there and watched Dante. She still had that far-off look in her eyes, as if she wasn't really there. The baby started to cry.

"Hush, darling," cooed Dante and she clapped her hands together and pressed them against the crying infant. You watched in fear and gasped.

"Don't hurt that child!" you cried as you ran towards her and lunged at the baby in her arms.

Dante glared at you. "Don't interfere!" She created a transmutation circle on the bodice of her dress.

You ran even faster, but Dante clapped one hand against the floor and the boards restricted you. She dragged one finger against your back and used your blood to create an identicle circle at the front of your dress.

You struggled and shouted. "Ed, help me!"

Ed started running towards the two of you when Dante interjected, "Stop!" Ed complied, and she smiled. "If you get any closer, I'll take both Catherine and Rose's child into the Gate!"

"My baby!" Rose gasped as she took a step forward.

Dante stopped Rose with a sudden gesture. "Edward, this is exactly what you did to your brother seven years ago. You binded his soul to a different structure, and that's what I'll do with Catherine's body!"

You and Ed watched in suspense, and you couldn't help control the tears streaming down your face. This is how you were going to die...

"We all have a little part of the Gate within us, but the link grows weaker as time goes by. So we humans can gain access to the Gate by using the conscience of one who has not been changed by the material world, such as Rose's child." Dante pressed both hands against the baby, and the transmutation on it's blanket started to glow bright blue. A gigantic stone gate appeared before their eyes, and you were stunned.

You quickly clapped your hands together and made the boards slither away from your body. You didn't have much time. For some reason, you knew that the Gate would not stay open long. You raced towards Dante, wiping the blood seal off your dress.

Dante suddenly turned around --not what you expected. You grabbed the child in her arms and shoved her, but she grabbed your leg and attempted to climb up. You felt your side collide with the ground again, and Dante was using you as an escape rope.

"I told you not to interfere!" she hissed and you were holding yourself . It's as if there were a force that were pulling you into the Gate.

"Ed, take the child!" you shouted and Ed grabbed the baby, but he himself almost got pulled into the Gate.

"Grab my hand!" he shouted and he stretched his right arm as far as it could. But his automail could only go so far. Dante suddenly grabbed his hand and pulled herself forward.

You lost your grip on the door and many "arms" started pulling on your body. Ed dived after you, but Dante held him back, and shrieked, "No!"

Somehow, you had managed to clap your hands together in time and pull yourself out of the Gate. You fell to your knees and collapsed on to your side, your eyes shut, refusing to open. You felt Ed kneel next to you, and tears slowly trailed down your bloodied cheeks. It was all your fault. You were just too pathetic to help him. All you could see was blackness, and you couldn't stop it.

"Catherine..."

You turned to where you heard the voice come from. "Ed..." you whispered and felt around, hoping he was still there and you had just gone blind. Your hand came across something solid and you pulled him close, hoping if you were to die, the last thing you could ever feel was Ed.

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+ To Be Continued +
<><><><><><><><><><><><><><><>
O. M. F. G. *jaw drops*
You use a cligghanger... on the last chapter of your series?! *clenches fist* Now why would you do that?!
Hey, don't kill her! We can't force her to write a sequel if she's dead!

If you are one of the very good people who do go the the Results to hear what I have to say, you should be glad. Below, is a very important key to the story. It may not seem important, but it is... I assure you, it is...


Rye walked into Xander's unoccupied room. Everything was still where it was last week, except for the blood on the ground. In Xander's will, he said that he, Rye Craine, was welcome to take all his belongings. But Rye didn't really know if there was anything here that would take all the pain away.

Rye just looked around and dug his cold hands in his pockets. Sunlight spilled through the window and it shined upon some chalk on the ground. The white markings on the ground looked like they were part of a transmutation.

"Weird," Rye said to himself. "He never needed a transmutation circle. He can perform alchemy without one."

Rye occupied himself with a book on the top shelf. It looked torn and battered up, but when he flipped through each page, its contents seemed quite fresh. But the pages were dated years ago. Every drawing and diagram fascinated him. He wasn't the type who bothered to use alchemy, he preferred to do things the "normal" way. But that never stopped his curiousity and determination to learn about alchemy. He continued to flip through the pages.

He came to a stop when he read the heading of one page. The last few pages seemed to be part of a journal, or at least an excerpt from one. It was recently made.

_______Years ago, I read in one of my great-grandfather's journals about a necklace. Something about time and reality. Parallel universes and things my mind couldn't comprehend. It turns out that he had seen something he called a "Great Gate" that gave him so much knowledge. He refused to leave it, and tried to cling on to its doors. He had scraped some of it off, part of a carving with a maiden carrying a child, and had managed to take it back here.
_______It was very malleable, and when he was changing its physical appearance, it suddenly changed into a bright red crystal, but instantly changed into a luminous silver metal. He was amazed at what it could do. He called it "magic", but I knew it was alchemy.
_______Something inside that necklace was very powerful, and it seemed to exceed the boundaries of Equivilant Exchange. One day, my grandfather told me that his father had died in his laboratory. Reason unknown.
_______That's what started my interest in alchemy. If I could control time, I would be the most powerful man on earth. But I had to first find a way to get to the Gate.
_______My great-grandfather had given a woman he had fallen in love with the necklace, and she had no clue what power it held, until they had nearly died and they were hurtled into another place. An hour back, to be precise.
_______"Time can't be controllable," he had said. "Matter and energy are the same thing, that size is just an illusion, and that time is a material substance. We can know this, but it's far more than we can understand with our puny little brains."

[Author's Note: That is actually a quote from Madeline L'Engle's "A Wrinkle In Time", and I do not claim it as my own. =D]

_______

And all this knowledge could never be retained in the small capacity our human brains could hold. It was all too true.
_______Several years ago, I had discovered that Catherine Cairo herself... was now owning the necklace. And it was likely that it would kill her if she didn't know soon what power it held...

Rye shut the book and stuck it in his carrier. He needed to find Catherine... now.

[ + 1/2 Rate or No Ed + ]