Adult-FanFiction.org : Gundam, Beyblade, DBZ, FMA

A Little Light of Love	By : squallstorm Category: Fullmetal Alchemist > Yaoi - Male/Male Views: 7987 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 0
Disclaimer: I do not own Full Metal Alchemist, nor any of the characters from it. I do not make any money from the writing of this story.

Chapter List
- 3
- 4
- 5
Disclaimer:
I do NOT own Fullmetal Alchemist or its characters.....I'm just
playing with them.

Author's
note:

This
fic takes place 2 years after the movie, Ed and Al are on the hunt
for the Uranium bomb and are currently travailing through a
politically unstable Italy. As near as I figure it Ed's 20 and Al's
16. The year is 1925.

Thanks
to ZaKai for reading through this chapter and finding all my many
mistakes.

(1)
Console Generale – Brigadier General

(2)
Aacrotomphilia – See link on profile....however this wasn't
diagnosed until 1990-ish so I know it's an error but well it's my
story!

Chapter
4 – Version 2.0

Edward
was entranced. As fuzzy as everything thing was, he didn't think he
had ever seen anything so wondrous as the electric lights zooming
past on the ceiling, he stared at them in awe. They kept coming and
going so fast that it was making him slightly giddy. They were like
little rainbows shining down on him. So
pretty,
he thought, giggling to himself. I
should try to catch one to show to Al.

His arm was heavy, but
he managed to raise it just in time to make a grab for one of the
rainbows as it came toward him. Holding his hand out, ready, he
swiped at it, but it passed through his fingers. Annoyed, he tried
again. The soldiers near his head pushed his arm back down to his
side. Not noticing the difference, Ed still tried to catch them;
although now his arm was twitching by his side as he tried to grab
for them.

“Man,
will you look at this kid? He's so high right now,” said the
soldier near Ed's head in Italian.

“I
know, it's kinda funny.” Chuckled the second turning round to
look.

The little rainbows were
getting harder to see clearly; light from somewhere else making them
dim and faint. Puzzled Ed turned his head to the side in thought;
scrunching up his eyes to make them clearer. Then the ceiling opened
up and it was blue and white and wonderful to look at.

“Hey,
Gino, what'd they use on him anyway?” asked the first soldier,
snickering at the man they were carrying.

“Some
new drug Dr. Marcoh cooked up from his research. Supposed to make
you tell the truth and do some other weird stuff to your mind.
Sometimes it makes you see things that aren't there. I heard about
it from that nurse, you know the real pretty one? She said it's
lethal if you're given too much of it.”

“Wow...
I heard that Dr. Marcoh's pretty sick. He uses people from the
interment camps as his lab rats or something like that. He
does...operations...while they're awake!”

“Yeah...I
heard that too.” They were silent for a few moments.

Although Ed heard the
sounds of them talking, it meant little to him as the sound didn't
resemble anything he was familiar with, and to be honest why should
he care when the color of the sky was the most unfathomable blue he
had ever seen.

“So...do
we got to dress him too? Or will the nurse do that?”

“Naw,
I think we got to. Nico! The van's this way.”

“Oh.
So which nurse is coming with us? That really cute one I like?”

“No,
it's Valeria...
Ah, my wonderful Valeria. I'm going to marry that girl on day,”
said Gino dreamily.

“Really?
I wonder if she will have anything to say about that.”

“Hn.”

“Wonder
why the Console
Generale wants to see him?” mused Nico.

“Don't
know, don't care. I just follow orders. Here, hold on a sec. I'll
open the door.” The door swung outward, reveling a space for
Ed's stretcher board with a narrow padded bench beside it. Above
the cot's berth were cupboards with rich wooden paneling. Ed craned
his neck around in order to see them better. The wood grain was
moving so softly, it was nice.

“Yup.”

“Okay,
just let me get in first then push him though to me.” As Nico
pushed the cot towards Gino, the blanket covering Ed snagged on hinge
of the van door, sliding off him to the ground. His hospital gown
was twisted and caught up under Ed's legs from all his trashing
earlier, and his metal leg was on full view. Nico hissed at the
blanket in annoyance. He kicked the blanket up to his hand and
hurriedly threw it over Ed. Neither man wanting to see his unusual
leg.

“Good.
He's okay here by himself, let's go have a smoke before we get
cooped up in there,” said Gino waving the other man away from
the truck.

“Sure,
but let's leave the door open so we can see what's going on in
there.”

“Hm.”

As
the voices faded Edward studied his new view.
Turning
his head to the side he was able to look out the back of the van at
the two soldiers having a cigarette. The smoke was twisting and
turning into little kitties. They danced around the soldier's heads
trying to make them look. It was absurd, everyone knew that kitties
didn't dance, they skipped.

“Gentlemen!
What are you doing? You're supposed to be watching the patient.”
A young but formidable, woman strode across the gravel drive,
swinging a canvas bags at them. The sound of her strides crunching
across the gravel enthralled Ed and couldn't help but stare at her
feet.

The soldiers ground
their cigarettes into the gravel. “But we could see him from
here. Plus he's so high right now, he's too busy too get up and walk
away because he's staring at everything,” said Gino. Nico
chuckled at his friends joke. She glared daggers at them both.
Nico's smile quickly vanished.

“We're
going!” the woman announced. Climbing into the back, she
patted Ed on the shoulder in greeting before seating herself on the
low bench running parallel to Ed's stretcher. Gino sat in the
driver's seat and the other climbed in the back, closing the door
behind him.

The van's engine revved
to life. The woman addressed Ed in halting English.
“Edward...you...hit...head hard. Sleep...three days.”
Ed was watching the laces on her shoes bump with the motion of the
van. The woman cupped his chin, pulling his face towards her. She
wiggled her fingers under his nose then brought them up to her face;
Ed followed the movement eagerly. “Understand?”

“Yes...”
he replied, after he took a moment to process what she told him. He
grinned crookedly; half of his mouth moved while the other half
stretched the bruised skin.

“Good...we
drive now...to...look at console
generale? Yes?” she asked. Ed nodded along with her, watching
her lips as they formed the shapes to make sounds. The soldier
sitting next to her snickered. “Okay, we change...you now.”

Leaning over him, she
whipped off the blanket that covered him. She placed one hand under
his neck and the other on his stomach and assisted him into a sitting
position. Grunting at the change in elevation, Ed blinked and swayed
as spots danced in his eyes. He put his hand out to touch one, but
it faded away. He pouted, pushing out his fat lip as his hand fell
back into his lap. He really, really wanted to show Al all these
cool things he was seeing.

The nurse smiled at Ed
as she left one hand on his arm for support and gestured to the
soldier next to her. Rummaging through the canvas bag she had
stashed by his feet, Gino finally found the kid's shirt. He tugged
on it until it came free. He wrinkled his nose at the soiled, bloody
shirt as he passed it to Valeria.

Tucking it between her
legs for the moment she took hold of the hospital gown Ed was
wearing, un-did the ties at the back, and pulled it off the young
man. They both gasped at the sight before them. Not only was the
shining metal arm and leg a fearsome sight, but a large black bruise
was working its way across his well muscled chest, peeking out from
under the tightly bound ribs.

Quickly, the nurse
pulled his arm though the dress shirt and then doing the same for the
other arm; settling it on his shoulders. She gathered his hair up
and pulled it out, draping the mass of hair across his shoulder.
Leaving the buttons until later, she took the pants the soldier was
holding out for her and put both feet though the leg holes. The
metal foot clanked as she let it drop through the pant leg to the
floor of the van, startling her. She hid the fact that she was
un-nerved by quickly pulling up the pants to his thighs.

Laying him back down on
the cot, she lifted his hips, pulling the pants up and fastening the
button and zipper. She had to wrestle the shirt buttons through the
small holes, as it was made hard and stiff from the blood that had
spilled on it from his various wounds.

Sitting back she studied
the young man for a moment, thinking. Running her fingers through
his hair, she picked and teased out the many tangles. She fingered
his hair until it shined in the poor light. Making three sections
out of it, she loosely braided it and tied it with some string she
had in her pocket.

“You
know...he's really beautiful,” she mused aloud in Italian. She
brushed aside a stray bit of bangs that had fell across Ed's face.

Ed's eyes drooped.
Blinking up at the woman, he tried to focus on her but his body
wanted sleep and would not be ignored. He sighed weakly as his eyes
closed.

“I
don't see what's so great in that pip-squeak! Look at that huge
bruise on his chin and his lip looks like a large tomato is growing
out of it!” the soldier sitting beside her protested.

“Shush!
We got a long drive ahead of us. Don't make me hit you.” The
woman glared back. The soldier beside her sat back sullen.

“Yeah,
an eight hour drive through rolling country side,” piped up the
one in the front; laughing at his mate who just glared back at him
through the rear view mirror. Valeria saw the exchange and pinched
Gino on the arm. Nico laughed at them as they drove out of the
hospital grounds.

- - - -

Tim ran heedlessly down
the corridor dodging the other people with new found agility. He
couldn't believe what had just happened. His heart pounded inside
his chest with his panic. His new research project and the Seniore's
new toy had been snatched away before they could even get half of
what they wanted from him.

Skidding to a halt
outside the office door, Tim took a moment to catch his breath. It
wouldn't do to appear before the Seniore out of breath and sweaty.
Pulling out his handkerchief he wiped his brow, the shaking in his
hands wasn't that noticeable, he told himself in an effort to build
up his courage. Standing a little straighter, he ran his hands down
the front of his lab coat smoothing out the wrinkles.

Well it was now or
never. He knocked on the door and then let himself in. The Seniore
was alone thankfully. He glanced up from his paperwork at the
intrusion.

“What
are you doing here? You're supposed to be with Elric.”

“Ah!
Well you see...there was...um...a complication...um...” Tim
shifted his feet as sweat beaded again on his forehead.

“What
happened? Did he react badly to the drug you gave him?” The
Seniore gave him his full attention now.

“Er...no...not
per say...um...it seems that...um...the console generale wanted him
more.”

“He's
gone!” Tim could only nod minutely. The Seniore sat back in
his chair, thinking, rubbing the corner of his mouth. “Do you
know where he was taken?”

“No.
I'm sorry sir, please forgive me!” Tim was truly afraid now.
The Seniore wasn't showing his anger which meant he was going to pay
for this...a lot.

“I'll
deal with you later! It's unforgivable that you allowed him to slip
though our fingers. All that planning gone to waste...” He
murmured the last bit to himself. “Do we still have the
brother in our possession?”

“I'm
not sure, sir. I came to you as soon as they left with the boy.”

“Fine.
Did you learn anything useful?”

“He
got that wonderful prosthetic in a town called Rizembool
from
a girl named Winry and he's been in the military since he was twelve,
but I think that drug must have made him confused at that point.”

“Good.
Well, we still have his brother, so in the end Edward will come back
to me in order to keep him safe. That much we know about his
character, right?”

“Yes,
sir!” Tim agreed quickly.

“Now
get out of my sight,” barked the Seniore.

Tim hurriedly left the
office, closing the door behind him. The day had started out so well
with the awakening of the subject. How could it have gone wrong so
fast?

Since Tim had
such...unusual research methods, he was lucky to work for someone who
understood; however, the Seniore's own peculiar habits sometimes got
in the way of that. He just hoped that Edward came back quickly so
that he could relax. Otherwise he would be punished and that was
never as much for him fun as was for the Seniore.

He decided that he
should retreat to his lab and not show his face for a couple of days
just to be safe. He ran there just as hard as he had before.

- - - -

The murmuring of their
voices wove into a dream of nose that keep Ed from falling into a
mindless sleep, but instead keep him near the surface in a light
doze. The effects of the drug seemed to fade somewhat when his brain
began to re-assert itself and start to analyze the situation he was
currently in, even while resting. Although he figured that he was
still a little bit confused when he thought he heard someone who
sounded like Major Armstrong tell him to stop slouching.

The van slowed to a
stop. The change in motion and noise pulled his eyes open. “Where
are we?” he asked the woman, rubbing sleep out of his eyes.

“We
at Console Generale Giuseppe house....he meet you,” she told
him, in basic English. Edward
was once again helped into a sitting position, and with her help, he
shuffled to the end of the van and stepped down onto the gravel
drive. Evening was hard about them; the only light was from a grand
ornate porch light behind them. Ed
leaned heavily on the woman as he allowed his legs to stretch.

Slouching slightly in
consideration of his ribs, Ed took a few shaky steps towards the
house, and looked up at the many windows and its grand size in awe.
The nurse came up beside him and also gazed at the house.

Taking the opportunity
to study her out of the corner of his eyes, Ed wondered what was
going to happen to him now. Her soft brown hair was pulled into a
tight bun on the back of her head. Over the top of her head she had
pinned her paper white nurse's hat. Soft tendrils had worked their
way loose to frame her face and were blowing gently in the light
spring wind. She was several inches shorter then him, which made him
feel really happy to be able to tower over someone while he was
standing.

Sensing his convert
inspection she smiled at him with her best, most charming smile. She
hoped that before they parted ways she might be able to steal a kiss
from him. He blushed furiously at being caught staring and quickly
looked away. Ed cast about for something to say to hide his
embarrassment and fill in the silence.

“Um...so...what's
your name?” Ed asked lamely.

“Valeria...it
mean strong.” She closed the distance between them placing her
hands lightly on his chest and looked into his eyes. “I
strong.” Ed blushed harder, turning a bright red. He wanted
to step back and create some space, but his feet didn't seem to be
listening to him anymore. Obviously the drug was affecting the
signals from his brain to his feet. There was no way he wanted to be
kissing an unknown girl for who he had no feelings. Knowing this
though, didn't help his feet respond to his demands.

Licking her lips she
leaned in further; rising up on her tip-toes she held onto his
shoulders for balance. She lightly brushed her lips against his,
being mindful of the bruised and swollen bottom lip. The chaste kiss
was short and not demanding, but it was very disconcerting to Ed.

“Thank
you,” she said as she moved away. Biting her bottom lip, she
studied her feet for a moment. Then she gave him another one of her
charming smiles.

“A-ah...f-for
what?” Ed tried to put a hand behind his head, but his ribs
told him no with a sharp reminder that he couldn't move like that
yet. Shifting his feet and looking very unsure of himself, Ed tried
to quiet the mild nausea in his stomach she had caused.

“You
pretty. I want to...” She searched for a word that fit her
feelings. “Taste? Understand? Yes?”

“Hm,
I...I think so.” Snickering behind them made them turn around.
Valeria smiled at him once more before she marched over and let
loose on the soldiers accompanying her. Ed shuddered involuntarily,
as he remembered how his sensei used to yell at him like that.

Ed watched as the two
men got a verbal strip torn off them, with one of them looking very
distressed and pained at what ever the woman was saying. He wondered
what he was supposed to do. Should he wait to be told where to go?
Or should he just go up to the house? The decision was made for him
when the front door opened, bathing the area in a warm light. A man
came out in a dark suit, and motioned Ed inside. Not knowing any way
out of this meeting with this console generale person, especially in
his present condition, he walked across the threshold.

Before him was a grand
entryway with a marble inlayed floor in the center of the large room
and a graceful mahogany staircase that wound up to the second floor,
twisting back on itself up to the next level and beyond. The man,
most likely the butler, bowed and gestured to a hallway off to the
left of the staircase. Leading the way the butler, even walking
slowly, was soon very far ahead of Ed leaving him to follow as fast
as he could.

The butler opened a tall
door midway down the long hallway and waited for Ed to make his slow,
lumbering way to him. The room housed a vast library, with bookcases
all the way to the top of the twelve foot ceilings. A fireplace was
lit and giving off heat in a far corner; two wing-back chairs were
positioned in front of it, prefect for reading well into the night.
A scattering of comfortable furniture was placed around the room.
Desks and couches, tables and chairs, all of it placed in clusters to
catch the best of the natural light from the massive row of windows.

The door closed behind
him unnoticed. He turned round and round taking in the sheer number
of books in the room. Not sure where to head first he just picked a
direction. Stopping in front of a row of books, he noticed that they
were all on magic and the occult. Frowning, he drew a book out and
flipped through it.

The book was nonsense.
He flipped through halfheartedly, never one to pass up the chance for
knowledge no mater how inane until something caught his eye and he
had to flip back through the pages to find a picture that looked
familiar. Having found the page, he brought the book close to his
face, uncertain that he was seeing what he was seeing. There, on the
page, was the circle he had used to transmute his mother.

How
was this possible? Al and I DESIGNED that circle...from scratch.
How the HELL did it get in a book in this world?
Ed thought. The shock seemed to sweep away the last of the brain
fuzz from his injection. Holding the page he flipped through the
rest of the book and didn't find anything else about alchemy in it.
Checking the front of the book, he noted that is was published almost
thirty years ago, in England.

“Ah!
I see you found my collection. I should have known an Elric would
gravitate towards the rarest books.”

Looking over his
shoulder Ed saw, presumably, the Console Generale Giuseppe. “What
the FUCKING HELL is this!” He shook the book at him, holding
open the page in question. “Why is there a book with a circle
for human transmutation here?”

“Really?
That's interesting,” the man said, coming towards Ed to see
the page; he took the book and studied the circle. “Says here
that it's for turning lead into gold.” Laughing, he looked at
the angry man in front of him. “You know, you look a lot like
him.”

“Who?”
demanded Ed, startled at the sudden change in conversation. Giuseppe
handed the book back.

“Your
father, of course. I was quite fond of him and we shared a lively
correspondence. Though I haven't heard from him in 2 years. You
wouldn't know what happen to him do you?”

“He's
dead.” Ed's voice was, thankfully, steady and betrayed none
of the emotion that was welling in him. His feeling towards his
father would always be mixed, but in the end they had made peace and
were happy for a time. He didn't remember his father ever telling
him about this man though.

“Oh
my. Oh dear...I'm truly sorry.” The console generale turned
away, pinching his nose. He walked over to the fireplace roaring
merrily in the corner. Sitting heavily into a worn wing-back chair,
he gazed into the fire thinking.

“We
met through Churchill, at one of his garden parties and ever since
we've been writing to one another. Since I haven't heard from him in
two years I just assumed that he was working on a project and was too
wrapped up to write.”

Taking the book with
him, Ed shuffled over to the fire. Standing behind the other
wing-back chair, he studied the console generale. He was well into
his fifties and his white hair had receded, leaving the top of the
scalp bare with the reaming hair trimmed close. His eyes were small,
but intelligent, and he had deep laugh wrinkles that suggested a
happy life. The creases between his eyebrows seemed newer and
deeper. This was a man with many new cares and worries.

“How
did he die?” Giuseppe asked as he stared at the fire.

Ed marked the page in
the book with his finger and leaned on the back of the chair. His
father, trapped within Envy's jaws had done the only thing he could
to help with Edward's desire to return home to see his brother. He
took a few extra moments before he felt he could answer without any
emotion in his voice. “He was being held against his will and
in order to get me home he killed himself.” Giuseppe nodded at
that.

“He
was extremely proud of you and your brother, you know. He talked of
you all the time in his letters. He regretted leaving you as
children. When he saw you again, after you lost your limbs and your
brother was in that condition, he told me, he was proud of you both.”

Frowning, Ed asked, “How
much do you know about us?”

“Us?
As in, your family?” Ed nodded. “I know all of
it...Fullmetal. You're not of this world. Somehow, you were able to
cross over from a parallel world.”

“Don't
call me that! Only one person can call me that and he's not here
anymore,” snapped Ed. Nodding his compliance, Giuseppe lapsed
into silence. “So, were you a part of the Thule society too?”
Ed demanded after a few minutes.

“No!
Most assuredly not! Using another world's power to use against this
one...” He shook his head, disgusted. “Once Hohenheim
found out what they were about, he tried to leave, but...well I don't
agree with Hitler's ideals, but I think that that man will not rest
until he gets what he wants. Right now no one is really sure what
that is, so he's very dangerous.”

“Yes,
that man will make trouble again. He'll bring the world to its knees
and commit the most ...evil crimes against mankind. You're all too
blind sided to notice what he's doing,” said Ed as he stared at
the flames. He saw again the future the Gate had shown him. He had
to move fast if he wanted to stop the atom bomb from being used here.
Looking up he saw that Giuseppe was studying him. Ed met the
inspection without looking away. Finding no deception in Ed's eyes,
Giuseppe leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees cupping his
chin in thought.

The firelight flickered
and danced across Giuseppe's face. The only sound coming from the
wood cracking, sending sparks drifting up the chimney.

“So,
why would my father tell you about his origins?” wondered Ed,
breaking the silence once again.

“Your
father...was lonely until you came and joined him. I think he just
wanted to be open with someone he could trust. I feel quite honored
that he trusted me enough to share that part of his life with me.”

Ed took a moment to
consider that. Coming around to the front of the chair, he eased
himself down slowly. Sighing shallowly once he was seated. “So,
why am I here?”

“Ah
yes, I was contacted by your patron to secure your release. It was
lucky that he had enough forethought to have a man following you,
otherwise we'd never known what would have happened to you and your
brother until too late.”

“How
long were we followed? Since the beginning?” Ed couldn't find
it in him to be angry at his patron, especially since it had saved
him.

“Just
as soon as you entered Italy. The Thule society may be destroyed,
but it's not gone. They are aware of you and your goals, and will
work against you. Dr. Marcoh is one of them and has been keeping an
eye peeled for your arrival and likely fed information to the
Seniore. Men like Dr. Marcoh and the Seniore are thriving on the
chaos of this country. So, I want you to be careful from now on
until you're on your boat and on your way. The Seniore will not take
kindly to being denied his prize.”

“Why?
What would he have done with me if you hadn't stepped in?”

“The
Doctor would have studied your auto-mail and the Seniore...is an
acrotomphiliac (2) which means he's attracted to people with
amputated limbs. More specifically men with amputated limbs. I even
once caught him trying to amputate his own hand.”

“What!”
said Ed horrified. He knew that Dr. Marcoh had set him up, but until
now he didn't know why. The Seniore on the other hand was...was...
Ed hardly knew what to think about him. That guy deserved a serious
pounding. Shrugging his shoulders to relieve the tension that
settled there, he focused on Giuseppe again.

“Yes,
actually he has a collection of young men, some, veterans of the war;
others were mutilated for his pleasure; in his not-so-secret
basement. He also enjoys long hair.” Giuseppe nodded at Ed's
poorly braided hair. “He will wait years until the hair is
long enough or until the missing limb heals before he takes them to
his bed. It's a very well known secret and an embarrassment for the
higher ups in the military, but he serves a purpose and no action
will be taken against him until his usefulness is over.”

They lapsed into silence
again. Ed couldn't handle this line of conversation anymore so he
asked the one thing that he had wanted to ask since this meeting
started. “So does this mean you know where Al is? Is he coming
here?”

“Yes,
he has been located and my men are on their way to retrieve him now.
Once in their possession he will be taken to Rome. You will meet him
there.”

“Do
you know if he's alright?”

“I
don't know his condition,” said Giuseppe said quietly. Ed
nodded at that. “But I will be getting an update from my men
once they're on the road to Rome.”

Satisfied for now, Ed
flipped open the book again, wondering at the implications of his
circle being in this thirty year old book could mean. He ran his
fingers across the page in contemplation. “When do I leave?”

“Tomorrow
morning, or as soon as you're ready.” Leaning forward in his
chair, Giuseppe took the book from Ed. He also ran his fingers across
the page looking at the circle, wondering what an alchemic reaction
would look like. “You know, I don't like the direction this
country is going but I'm powerless to change it.”

“You
have to do what you think is right, don't let something you feel is
wrong continue just because it may put your job in danger. My
commanding officer did that. I admire that in him.” Ed tried to
hide a yawn but failed, he gasped as he inhaled too much and his ribs
protested. Even though he slept somewhat on the way here, it was
hardly a restful sleep.

“Well
it looks like that's all for tonight. I have a bath waiting for you,
plus a light meal then I'm sure you'll be wanted to sleep. Come, I'll
show you to your room.”

- - - -

The outside door closed,
shutting out the light. Al was sobbing into Macy's chest, grief
making him blind to everything around him. Rubbing his back, Macy
murmured platitudes as he moved them along the building's interior.

They found themselves in
a long room filled with dirty cots and poor lighting and was already
occupied with many people. The residents barely looked up at the new
arrivals or at Al's loud sobbing; too involved in their own grief and
sorrow to care. Macy led Al over to a deserted corner and sat him
down. Drawing Isabella away for the time being they left Al alone for
awhile.

Pulling his knees to his
chest, Al laid his head in his arms and wept. He wept for the old man
who had smiled and yet refused his help; he wept for a man that had
known he was going to die and was happy for it. Also, he wept for
himself and his brother. They were lost now with no way to reunite.

At some point, Isabella
came and sat next to him, leaning against him and sharing her warmth.
They sat that way for sometime before he'd cried himself calm.
Drawing a shuddering breath he looked up at Isabella and smiled
weakly, scrubbing his eyes. Her large, brown eyes studied him. She
leaned in and placed a hand on his arm, trying to say with her eyes
what she could not say with words. Clasping the top of her hand and
squeezing, Al smiled; this time genuine.

Satisfied that Al would
soon get better, Isabella tugged at his sleeve and pointed to the far
end of the vast warehouse like room. She spoke urgently and fast
pointing and gesturing. Al tried to follow but her meaning was lost
to him. Shaking his head in confusion, he pushed himself upright.
Frustrated Isabella pouted, grumpy that Al couldn't understand her.
Al just patted her head reached down and took hold of her hand. They
walked among the other captives as Al got his first good look at the
conditions surrounding them.

It was less then
squalor. Open, poorly dug, and over flowing toilets were scatted
around the interior, and seeping sludge across the floor making the
footing unsure and dangerous. Refuse was pilling up in heaps and the
people were dirty and sickly looking; their skin loose and waxen. All
the inhabitants were listless and melancholy. The kids were running
around and playing but their play was subdued and less energetic then
one would expect child's play to be.

Sickness and death hung
in the air adding to the miasma. Through it all, Isabella walked;
fearless and sure in a way only a child could when faced with
overwhelming horror. She led Al to a corner of the room with a dirty,
broken window that offered a chance of fresh air. Macy was pacing
from the window to the cot and back again. As the approached, he
beamed at them, beckoning them closer.

“Welcome
to our new home!” He swept aside to reveal a wet and moldy cot.
“Either you or I should stay here at all times so no one takes
this spot from us okay, Al?” Al nodded.

“We'll
take turns sleeping. You and Isabella can fit on there together,”
Macy explained. Al sat on the cot testing it. “Dinnertime will
be soon so I'll go and get ours okay?” Al nodded again. He
didn't trust his voice right now, the pure amount of human suffering
was almost too much to take in. Macy repeated all that for Isabella's
benefit. She only glared up at him as she held onto Al's hand. Macy
keeled down before her and drew out from his pocket, a silver chain
with a beautiful pendant on it. He placed it over her head and smiled
up at her and then he was gone.

Isabella ran over to the
window trying to peek through the glass and see what was outside.
Standing on her tip toes to get a glimpse. After a moment of
struggling to look out the window, Isabella took off the necklace and
studied it. It was too valuable to just throw away, which is what she
wanted to do and she didn't want to wear it either. Instead she
tucked it in a dress pocket making sure it was way down at the bottom
so that it wouldn't fall out. It may be useful to her parents when
she found them again.

Al lay down on the cot,
pillowing his head in his hands. He felt drained and weary from his
crying. His eyes were gritty and puffy. He wiped at them again to
clear the feeling. Drawing a shaky breath he resolved to be stronger,
like Ed. He was going to get out of here and he was going to find his
brother again.

A slow steady banging
started. Sitting up, Al looked around and saw the populace of the
building banging metal bowls of all sizes on the floor while staring
towards a small room located on the second level at the far end.
Isabella plowed into his side fearful of the noise. As the noise grew
and grew, people started to surge forward, lining up. There was a
shiny, feral look in their eyes. After several minutes the doors
behind the room opened up, and two large pots carried by four burly
soldiers were lugged in giving off clouds full of steam.

People cheered their
arrival and the food was slowly parceled out to them.

Sometime later, Macy
returned with three metal bowls; each filled with one sorry looking
potato with a weak broth and bug infested rice. There was no cutlery
so they had to eat with their dirty hands. Al picked up his
undercooked potato and bit into it like it was the best food he had
ever seen. That fact that he hadn't eaten in four days helped him
stomach the awful texture.

After their meal Macy
informed them that he was going to walk about and that they should
try and get some sleep. With Macy gone, Al tried to engage Isabella
in some lessons in English for her and Italian for him. They
successfully memorized several words and it kept their minds away
from the growing oppressiveness of this place.

After a while, with
nothing else to do, they lay down on the cot together. Isabella
tucked into the crook of Al's arm and began snoring softly but as
tired as Al was, sleep eluded him. As dusk settled around them, the
fading light made the pale illumination of the interior dimmer. The
smells of the placed settled on the ground and ate up the air leaving
them all breathless.

Macy returned several
hours later burdened with many things that he had scavenged or stolen
from his examination of the building. He had two more metal bowls, a
pair of used rubber lace ups, a sweater and a pocket watch; all of
which he proudly displayed to Al while he was lying on the cot.

Al sighed. Since Macy
was back now he motioned that he should look after Isabella for
awhile so he could stretch his legs and relieve himself. He
disentangled himself from the small warm limbs and stretched his
back. Nodding his compliance with Al's request, Macy sat on the cot
by Isabella's feet and began to examine the watch more closely. Al
stretched his back again and wondered away to relieve his bladder.

Al figured that he had
walked around for about an hour before he finally started to make his
way back to their cot at the back of the building. The overhead
lighting flicked and turned on, illuminating the whole room, making
everyone blink and groan weakly at the unscheduled intrusion. Al
slowed to a stop and looked around puzzled. Several soldiers and an
officer marched into the building taking up position near the front
of the kitchen, then the officer addressed the crowd.

Wondering what was
happening, Al looked around hoping to see how the other people
reacted. Most of the residents were looking tiredly across the room,
barely reacting to what the officer was saying. Al's eyes settled on
a old man sitting wearily on a cloth cot petting the hair of a woman
around his age who was staring up at the ceiling with dull lifeless
eyes. Al frowned and dropped his eyes to the floor. Hurrying back to
their cot, Al was going to get Macy to tell him what was going on.

As he neared the cot he
saw that Macy was hovering over Isabella's sleeping form. Walking a
little bit faster he noticed that Macy seemed to be touching her in a
way that may Al's insides squirm unpleasantly. Her skirt was askew
and pulled up to her stomach, and Macy had one had down the top of
her shirt. In horror, Al watched Macy grope at Isabella's groin while
fondling her chest. He stood frozen for a moment in shock that Macy
could do this to a small girl.

Shaking out of his
stupor, Al stepped forward into Macy's line of sight. “Get away
from her!” he growled through clenched teeth, shoving the man
harshly to the floor. He stood over the prone man shaking with the
force of his anger.

Startled, Macy backed
away from the cot, then stopped. This little boy was not going to
intimidate him. He pushed his way to his feet and resumed his place.
“What can you do, you're just a kid. You'll just have to wait
your turn,” he sneered, looking Al up and down suggestively.

Al saw red. He may look
like a young boy, but really he was nineteen and knew what happened
between two people. That an adult would try that with a
child...unforgivable! Advancing towards this man, who he had thought
of as his friend; the need to punch him became overwhelming. Macy
stood his ground, confident that this kid couldn't do any damage to
him. Al advanced to within an arms length and stopped. He stood
there, doing nothing; waiting.

Macy started to sweat,
as he also waited for Al to strike. “What's the matter?”
he taunted. “Forgot what to do now?”

The time stretched
longer and longer and still neither of them made a move. Unable to
take it any longer Macy had to teach this kid his place. His eyes
flickered down, then back. Al saw the warning sign and waited. When
the front hand jabbed at his chin Al could see it coming a mile away.
Stepping neatly inside his guard Al caught the limb and used Macy's
forward momentum to flip him over his shoulder and onto the floor,
knocking the wind out of the scumbag with a satisfying whoosh.

Groaning, Macy rolled
over and slowly got to his feet. He coughed and spat on the ground.
Isabella was awoken by the sounds of fighting and looked on with
interest. She watched from the cot as Al advanced again towards Macy,
now at the opposite end of the cot. Picking him up off the floor by
the collar, Al made him stand and took a step back in order to drive
a side kick into his soft midsection. Macy doubled over in pain,
wheezing; his eyes watering freely. Al grabbed a hold of his shirt
and pulled him upright. Macy blinked and wheezed, trying to bring Al
into focus. When Macy's eyes cleared enough to see straight, Al drew
back his arm and drove his fist into the side of Macy's face, sending
him flying though the air to land on his back. This time Macy stayed
down.

The officer and his
guards were standing to the side watching but taking action to stop
the fight. Macy would not move from the floor anytime soon, having
knocked his skull on the ground in his fall. The battle was over too
soon and Al shook with unused adrenaline with no outlet to use it. He
turned towards the soldiers, waiting for the retribution that would
soon come.

The soldiers leveled
their guns at Al, seeing the unused battle fury in his eyes. The
officer stepped forward waving his escort to stand down. He addressed
Al in Italian. The only bit that Al could understand was his name.
Isabella spoke up, pointing to Al and then to her. The officer nodded
and Isabella jumped up off the cot; grabbing Al's hand tight. At
Isabella's touch, Al's blood cooled several degrees and the need to
hit something vanished.

The soldiers surrounded
Al and Isabella. They jostled and poked them along to the front of
the building. Al reached down and drew Isabella into his arms,
setting her on his hip. She gripped his neck with small sweaty hands.
The door beside the kitchen was thrown open and they were moved
outside and into the dark. The fresh air was like wine, heady and
rich with the smell of living things. Both Al and Isabella sniffed
and inhaled as much as their lungs would allow clearing away the
miasma and despair of the last couple of hours they had spent inside.

They
were escorted around to the far side of the building towards a large
black car and were forced inside. The front driver's side door opened
and a soldier got in and another in the back with Al and Isabella.
The engine turned over and they made their way down to the looming
black gate which stood open, ready for their departure, headed for
somewhere that Al couldn't guess. He was really glad that Isabella
was with him now. Although,
he thought, if
we're in for more trouble it may be a problem.

--To Be Continued --
- 3
- 4
- 5
You need to be logged in to leave a review for this story.You need to be logged in to leave a review for this story.
Report Story

A Little Light of Love