Broken Wings

Author: MoonStarDutchess

Chapter 1: Broken Wing

Disclaimer: Full Metal Alchemist and all its characters are the property of Hiromu Arakawa. No profit was made from this fanfiction. The only things that I do own are the OC’s. This is a work of fiction. Any resemblance of original characters to actual persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental. The author holds exclusive rights to the overall course of the plot. Unauthorized duplication is prohibited.

Broken Wings

There once resided the city of Linvalencia, the angel city that was the namesake of its realm. If outsiders were welcome to visit, if they could visit the realm of the angels, their eyes could not take the beauty that they would behold. Their minds could not grasp around it, their hearts would be so filled with wonder that they would burst and the blood would run through them like rivers of life essence.

The city was truly a wonder with its white streets, sidewalks, and buildings, displaying what a pure race the angels were. So pure they would not dirty the streets with garbage, dust, or even impurity of specific types of talk that shall not be voiced.

The gold domes of the government buildings, the training centers and churches glittered in the sunlight, looking like millions of diamonds were mixed with the gold when it was formed into the arches and the tall pillars that ascended up in the sky, paying tribute to the gods to which the angels' worshipped. To the gods that created such a magnificent race that possessed such perfect, pure, good, moral attributes.

The Council of Elders, who founded Linvalencia hundreds of millennia ago, governed the city making sure its residents lived up to the expectations that were set for them by the unseen and all powerful beings that ruled the realm. Like all beings, angels fell from time to time, giving into the temptations of the other realms. It was then that the council would decide a fitting punishment, and their judgment, was the final judgment. There were no courts to appeal to for a retrial, no presidents to turn to for a pardon, and no changing their mind once their decision was cast down.

This was something an outsider would never see. It was something that the majority of the angel populous was fine with for it was all they knew. A few angels didn't believe things were perfect and wouldn't fall to that illusion. Every angel knew that they had no freedom, yet no one would voice anything against it, out of fear of being banished from the comfort of their illusions in favor of a place they knew nothing about.

Currently, a trial was occurring that had everyone waiting with baited breath, yet not displaying the anticipation of the decision outwardly. It would never do to show those things about such a controversial topic.

Their most famous guardian, the woman that was revered as angelic perfection, broke two of the most golden of the rules in the angelic realm and would no doubt, be punished for it. Most were not worried about the punishment being too severe. Riza Hawkeye, her angel name to humans being Elizabeth Grumman, was loved too much for the council to cast out anything too horrible upon her.

A group of angels was gathered outside the courthouse, sitting on the pristine stairs and waiting for Riza. She'd been with them when the council summoned her and news of her conduct set the angel world on its head. Still, the group that waited loved her, and would wait all day if they had to.

"Why is Riza with the elders? What did she do that was so bad?" a little blond angel asked her mother. The older woman gazed down at her daughter and shook her head, not wanting to speak the answer. Suddenly, upon hearing the girl's question, the other children present gathered around her.

"Yes, why," all of the other children asked, their voices coming in at different pitches and variables. The older angel, who'd been leaning against a pillar, sat down, her daughter quickly making her way onto her lap as the other children sat down as well.

"You see children," she began, and paused to organize her thoughts. To keep from getting in trouble herself she would have to tell this tale in a manner that sounded like a lesson. "You see, as you all know there are good people in this existence and there are bad."

"Demons are the bad right?" a little boy said, interrupting her lesson.

"Riza isn't bad. She's good!" another little boy protested.

The teacher hushed him and whispered. "You are right Cain, but we aren't to say things like that. Now please let me continue." The woman took a deep breath and began to speak again. "There are three races in existence. There's the angel race, the human race, and the demon race. We all exist in different dimensions. We angels and the demons can interact with the humans. We angels feel that it is our duty to take care of the humans and to protect them from the demons if they were to attack. Guardians like Riza are to remain distant with their assigned human and when their time to pass on comes, they are not to interfere. Riza fell in love with the human she was protecting."

"And that's bad? Love is bad?" a little red haired angel asked.

"If it is the love between a human and an angel it is. It goes against one of our golden rules," the woman answered.

"But no kind of love should be bad!" another girl protested.

"Hush now, there are rules for a reason," she replied. It was true, those rules made things easier but that didn't mean she didn't despise them.

"What was the other rule that Riza broked?" Cain asked.

"It's broke Cain, not broked. The other rule she broke was that she intervened in the death of the human, killing the person who was going to kill him. She-" Before the woman could continue further the doors to the building opened and Riza stepped outside. The woman heaved a sigh of relief to see that Riza was unharmed.

Riza gazed at them with a soft lovely smile and slowly began descending the stairs and moving toward them. Her posture was regal in appearance and her wings were situated beautifully as she walked. She was always so elegant and the envy of those training to be guardians. The short train on her snow-white dress dragged behind her like a small river of silk. She didn't display the demeanor of an angel that was punished, and walked more as if she was rewarded.

The kids stood and ran over to her, asking her all kinds of questions that inquired whether she was all right. She patted them all on the heads and directed her gaze at the older angel. The woman could read gazes so Riza opened her mind to the woman, burning her hazel eyes directly at the green orbs of the other angel. The woman gasped and called the children to her, realizing Riza was also conveying that the children should stay away from her.

The children moaned in disappointment as they rushed back over to the woman.

Riza made her way down the rest of the steps and quickly down the street, not looking back at the group that was waiting for her. The older angel watched Riza leave them, knowing it would be the last time she would ever see the beautiful guardian.

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Riza sighed as she walked toward her home for the last time, taking in the city that was beautiful only in appearance. She stopped on an arched bridge that overlooked the crystal blue water of the stream under it. Leaning against the marble railings, she gazed upon the fish that jumped up to get a bug from the air before diving back under the cool water. She had until nightfall to leave the city: to cross into the Realm of the Fallen, never able to return.

She'd broken the rules and knew what would happen if she was discovered. When she was with him, it just didn't seem to matter to her. She'd experienced so many foreign and wonderful emotions, that she hadn't thought of what she was going to do if she was caught, and if the council found out she'd fallen in love.

Honestly, she had a good chance of keeping it secret until another human tried to kill Maes and she was supposed to let him. Instead, she killed the murderer and the council, furious, called her back. She was with her friend and a few of the child angels when she was called for her trial. When they told her of their decision, it took every ounce of strength she possessed not to let the emotions pass her features. By now, the entire city should know about her actions.

"Mommy, look! It's Riza!" a little voice said. Riza directed her gaze to the voice and saw a little girl waving. Suddenly, her mother ushered her away, much to Riza's understanding and gratitude. She didn't want the little child to get into trouble.

She sighed again, stood straight, and finished crossing the bridge. She then took a path that would lead her straight to her small home. She stopped when she heard her name called. She turned and saw her trainer, her wing-sister, Olivier, walking toward her.

When her sister got to her Riza steeled herself for what was coming. Olivier reared back and slapped Riza as hard as she could, causing a small trickle of blood to come from the side of her lips.

"Were you out of your mind? Weren't you thinking at all?" the older angel yelled.

Riza took out a handkerchief and wiped the corner of her lips without speaking a word. She stared up into her sister's blue eyes and shook her head.

"No, I wasn't thinking," Riza said. "Love makes you do stupid things."

Olivier rested her hand upon her sword and growled. "Love, I thought I taught you better than that. You are lucky they didn't take you by the wings and throw you out of the city!"

Riza nodded, making no move to tell Olivier of her banishment. "I'm sorry I've done you such a dishonor," she said, bowing.

"Oh straighten up!" Olivier snapped. "I can't stand that and you know it."

Riza smiled softly. "I guess I needed one for the road," she said and walked away.

Olivier laughed and shook her head. That girl was something else and she was extremely proud of her despite her mistake. She would be sure to take the girl for lunch in the human realm when things cooled over a bit.

"Hey wing-sister Olivier!" a voice called. Olivier turned her head and smiled when she saw her newest student make her way toward her. "Riza! Have you seen her?" the young woman said in a panic. Her wings were spread and shuttering slightly and her brows were in an arch, causing the middle of her forehead above her noise to crinkle slightly.

"Yes, I just saw her a few moments ago," Olivier said, wondering why her student was in such a panic.

"She's been banished! It was just announced by the council!"

Olivier's blue eyes widened and she took a step back in shock, a rare action for the normally stoic angel. There was no way, her lovely student must have heard wrong. The council wasn't stupid enough to banish Riza, someone that risked life, wing, and limb to save this realm during the war. She even saved them once, even though Riza's distaste for the council was evident.

"You must have heard wrong," Olivier said.

"No! It was on the telescreen in the city, everyone is in absolute shock! They called the story, 'How the mighty can fall!' It was disgusting! They completely ignored what Riza did well in her career and now the people are all against her! It's horrible!"

Olivier sat down on a bench, stunned at the latest occurrences. She couldn't believe it. She would need to get it straight from Riza's mouth before she could possibly come to grips with the entire situation. She stood and looked at her student. "I'm going over to Riza's home," Olivier said.

She walked away from her student and started to walk up the path toward Riza's house when she suddenly stopped as she remembered something Riza said.

"One for the road," Olivier muttered, a frown deepening on the beautiful guardian's face. So that's what Riza meant. She suddenly spread her wings and took to the sky. She first flew to Riza's small home and when Riza wasn't there, she flew to the Grumman residence. Riza would probably want to say goodbye to her family.

Olivier, who'd been so welcomed by the Grumman family since she first met them, knocked and a maid let her into the home. The maid carried a tissue in her right hand and dabbed her eyes with it as she led the guardian into the family room where Riza's family was. Riza was not there and just by gazing at their postures and faces, she knew there was no need to speak.

"Olivier, please. Come in and sit down," Grumman said, the old man's voice shaking as he spoke.

"She didn't even say goodbye," Maria said.

"Do you think that she'd want that? A sad goodbye? Think about the way she is. She would want to spare us the tears and to keep us from seeing how upset she was," her brother, Denny, said, clearly distraught at the current events.

"It's not fair," Maria growled. Denny put an arm around her and pulled her close to him. "How could they do that to her? Surely, she'd earn some leniency in all the years she had been in their service. She performed her duties perfectly all that time and because of two stupid mistakes she gets…this!"

Olivier fell back into a chair, her entire body going numb upon hearing a confirmation from Riza's best friend and family. "The council never cared for Riza," Olivier said. "They'd just been waiting for the chance to get rid of her. I just didn't think they'd do it like this. Riza's had her guard up against them for a while. They knew it, she made a mistake, and they took their chance. Now she'll be an example and they'll use her situation to keep the rest of us under their thumb."

"We have to find her before she leaves. To tell her we love her at the very least!" Maria said.

"It's too late," Grumman said. Olivier didn't think she'd ever seen the older angel look so miserable.

"Master Grumman, isn't there anything you can do?" Maria asked, trying to put a hopeful tone in her voice but failing miserably. She knew that if he could have done something, he would have tried it already.

He looked at her and shook his head. He stood from his chair and walked over to the window, leaning against the frame and staring out into the darkening sky. Olivier could make out his hand shaking and knew he was trying not to let tears flow out of him. Riza and Denny, his grandchildren, were his world and now half that world was gone.

Maria leaned against Denny and started crying. Olivier had a hard time keeping the tears at bay as well. When she got home, she knew she'd end up in tears for her apprentice, fellow guardian, and friend. She knew she'd forever wonder about Riza.

No one knew what happened to the banished angels, or fallen as they were deemed. No one was allowed to keep track of them, even if there was a way to do so. Their fate was a complete mystery for the people who loved them.

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RW: 2009