Oh, and I don't own Fullmetal Alchemist. Wish I did, but I don't.
----------
"No."
"Pleeeeeeease?"
"I said NO, Al!"
"But he's so fuzzy and cute!"
"Al, we have no place in Central for a cat!"
"But look at him!"
Edward Elric turned around and came face to face with green eyes. He stared blandly at a fluffy black and white kitten. It mewed.
"Al..." Edward moaned, hanging his head. "We CANNOT keep him! Roy will murder us if he finds it here!"
"But nii-san-"
"Take him outside, Al."
Alphonse hugged the kitten to his armored body, shaking his helmet fervently. "No! We can't leave him out there!"
"Al!"
"Oh...all right."
Edward sighed. "Thank you. I'll be in Colonel Roy's office...getting yelled at..." Ed tromped off down the hall, leaving his armor-plated brother standing alone.
"Stupid brother.." Al muttered, cuddling the small cat in one arm and turning to leave. He took three steps, and paused. The kitten mewled pleadingly and rubbed against the armor's chestplate. Al glanced around, then opened his chestplate. He slipped the struggling kitten inside and shut it, then hurried off to find Nii-san.
----------
About two hours later, Ed and Al were in their room at Central. Ed was sitting against the wall, looking through a book, while Al was staring out the window and thinking. About the kitten.
Of course it was going to need food. He wasn't sure where to get any fish or milk though. Ed wouldn't let milk pass through that door, he was sure of it. He would have to let it out at night to go to the bathroom. He knew it would need water. He could always use the bathrooms or the kitchen sinks for that. He felt the kitten stir in its sleep.
It was a few minutes before he realized that Ed was talking to him.
"Al?"
"Huh? Oh, er, nii-san, uh..."
"Al..." Ed furrowed his brow and flicked a peice of blonde hair from his face. "I've been asking you for ten minutes... Should we go back to Risembool tomorrow or should we wait until the day after? It's Winry's birthday on thursday and we promised we'd be there."
"Oh...um... let's go tomorrow." Al decided, and turned back towards the window.
"Fine." Ed said, and turned back to his book. He looked up again. "Al...you're not still upset about that cat, are you? You've been acting so distant since you put it back outside."
"Yeah, uh...I..I miss it still..I wanted to keep it." Al stammered, not looking at Ed.
"Al, you know we can't keep a cat..." Ed said softly, turning a page in his book and brushing hair out of his eyes again. "We don't have the time or the place to keep it."
Al nodded. "Yeah, I know."
Ed sighed and put the book down. "I'm going to bed. Be ready to leave in the morning." He wandered over to the small bed and sat down, pulling off his red coat and slinging it over the headboard. He removed his jacket and tanktop before finally removing his leather pants. He collapsed onto the bed and pulled the blanket over him before finally beginning to snore.
Al opened up his chestplate as quietly as he could and stroked the kitten gently. It purred. Al got up, clanking softly, and left the room.
He hurried down the hall and into the bathroom. He opened his chestplate again and allowed the kitten to leapt out and run around the room. It gamboled around his feet and batted at the sink, which was gently dripping water. It lapped up some from the faucet.
If Al could have moved his mouth, he would have grinned. He knew that finding a dish now wasn't going to be a problem.
-----------
The next morning was a blur of train smoke and baggage. Ed and Al took the train from Central to Risembool. It was difficult for Al to sneak the kitten a can of tuna fish from the kitchen at Central. It had to last the whole train ride. And, fortunately it did, for when they arrived finally at Risembool, the kitten still had food left over.
It was noon when they got off at the train station. Al was worried. It was summer, and the kitten would be very hot in his armor. He cracked open the chestplate slightly to allow the kitten some air when nii-san wasn't looking. They needed ot get to Pinako's house quickly, or the kitten wouldn't get any water. Or food, for that matter.
"Let's go, Al." Ed said, yawning. He had slept for most of the train ride, and just woken up. "Pinako's expecting us for dinner."
"Did you call her this morning before we left?" Al asked, following Edward down the path.
"No, I called her at the last train station." Ed mumbled, shifting his suitcase from one hand to the other. "I told her we would be there by four."
"Oh..." Al said, feeling the kitten rolling around inside his armor.
"I hope she's making steak." Ed said, a sloppy grin on his face. "God how I love her-"
"Well, well, look who's here!"
Edward's face contorted into a snarl. Without thinking, he automatically transmuted his automail into a serrated blade and holding it at the ready. "Lust...Envy..what an unpleasant surprise"
Sure enough, there they were. Envy, with his brackish mane of hair dangling in front of his face and a roguish grin on his pale face, was crouched in the lower branches of a splaying oak. Lust was leaning against the trunk, her arms crossed over her chest, smiling cynically.
"Hagane O'chibi-san!" Envy chuckled darkly, putting one hand on the tree's trunk for support. "You've grown shorter!"
"WHO ARE YOU CALLING A MIDGET SO SHORT HE COULDN'T EVEN PASS FOR A CHILD'S DOLL BECAUSE THEY'RE TALLER THAN HALF OF MY HEIGHT?"
Lust chuckled. "He's so quick to anger. You shouldn't toy with him like that, Envy."
The older homunculus shrugged his bony shoulders. "Why not? It's fun. Now can I get the watch now or what?"
Lust nodded. "Go ahead. Just remember what she said."
Envy grinned and leapt off the branch, landing catlike on the ground. He straightened up, and, in a flash, was on Edward like lightning. This all happened in very quick succession, so quick that Edward was taken by surprise. He lunged forward with his automail blade outstretched, aching to feel the Envy's skin ripping underneath it. Envy ducked underneath him. Ed felt a strong pull near his pocket, and looked down to see Envy's hand closing over the silver watch.
"Oh, FUCK no!" Edward yelled, stabbing downwards at Envy's arm. Contact. Envy howled in rage and pulled back- but not before he had the watch in his hand.
Envy danced backwards out of Edward's reach, spitting curse words every other step. His arm was cut almost to the bone, and already, his entire left arm was glistening wetly with crimson. "Come on, Chibi-san, let's see what else you can do?"
"Nii-San!" Al cried, running forward to help. Rapier-like fingers thrust forward and blocked the armored alchemist from helping. Lust chuckled again.
"I don't think so, Alphonse Elric."
"What are you going to do with the watch? Neither of you can use it!"
Lust hissed, narrowing her eyes. "Stay back, Alphonse."
Edward leapt on Envy, tackling the homonculus to the ground. It was a scuffle of red coats and green hair, until...
CLAP!
"Kitty!"
Several things happened in quick succession. The kitten, terrfied at the noise, leapt forward out of Al's chestplate and away from him, running straight into the fray! At the same time, Edward clapped his hands to do a transmutation. In a blast of blue electricity and smoke, it was all over.
The silence that followed was thick and heavy. Two things lay sprawled on the ground in the midst of dirt, rocks, and Envy's blood. One of them was Edward. His lip was bleeding, and many scratches and cut lined his face and arms. The other thing was...well...neither the cat or a Sin.
It was large, and curled in a ball, clawed hands over the back of its head in a fetal position. It was covered in jagged black fur, spiked with blood and sweat. It had a spiky mane of dark green hair on the top of its head. A long tail sprouted from underneath the skort that used to belong to Envy. It's face was hidden by the green hair, but everyone knew at once who it was.
"Envy.." Lust breathed, taking a step back and retracting her fingers to normal size. "Oh my god.."
The creature moved, and an unhuman rasping noise came from it's throat. It removed the taloned hands from its head and put them on the ground. It pushed itself upward and tried to stand upright like a human, but fell down on the ground almost immediately. It lifted its head and stared at Edward.
Envy made a strangled choking sound in his throat, seeming to gasp for air. Then, he was silent. For five seconds..ten seconds...fifteen...twenty...
All at once, Envy threw back his head and let loose with a horrible, blood-curling yell that fluctuated and turned into the shriek of a feral she-cat. It seemed to be every single emotion, both feline and homunculi, all at once, regurgitated backwards through Envy's throat.
Silence reigned for what seemed like eons. Then, Envy, shaking with what could either be weakness, rage, or dispair, hung his head and made several more choking sounds. He raised his head again and looked at Edward with as much fury as he could muster raging black fire in his violet eyes. Envy's face was distorted into that of what looked like a panther's. Except for the violet eyes, hair, and headband (which was falling down over his eyes, as it was too small for him), he was completely unrecognizable.
"E-d..." Envy rasped. His androgynous voice had changed so that it was rough, jagged, and slow. It still sounded like Envy, however. Just an Envy with laryngitus. "Ed...ward..."
Lust bent down and picked up a scrap of black cloth nearby. It was Envy's tanktop. When the transmutation had been completed, Envy's new, muscular cat form had been too large for the small cloth, meant to fit a smaller, thinner, HUMAN Envy, and it had torn completely in half. The same fate had met his fingerless gloves and leg wraps- Envy's hands and feet had expanded into heavy, taloned paws.
Envy stood up again, but this time the proper way- on all fours. His skort was still remaining- it had apparently not had to carry enough strain in the form of muscles. Envy staggered towards Edward, who, still on the ground, scrambled backwards hurriedly.
"Kitty..?" Al whimpered. "Envy..? What...?"
"Ed..." Envy gasped again.
Lust took a few steps backwards and knelt beside Envy. She put a gloved hand on her fellow homunculus's shoulder. Envy did not react, except to flick his eyes to her.
"Envy." Lust said simply.
Envy finally turned his head towards her. "Wh-what...h-hap...ppened?" He asked simply. "Cat...?" The outrage in his eyes had turned to a strange, pleading expression that Lust had never seen there before.
Edward seemed not to have been breathing the whole time. He let all his breath out in a gasp and his golden eyes widened. "C-chimera..." He said, in shock. "He...I...I...turned him...into a chimera? On accident? How? Where did the cat come from?"
Lust swallowed. "I think so. That cat that your brother was sheltering in his armor... it ran away and in the way of your transmutation." Envy blinked in shock. He swayed on his paws, his eyes sliding out of focus and a glazed look coming into them. Lust put her hands on the cat's broad shoulders, steadying him. Envy collapsed into her arms. Without thinking, Lust stroked him behind the ears.
"What are we going to do with him now?" Lust asked, biting her lip.
Author's Final Word: To see picture... http/img. Yes I know it sucks ass. Nothing I can do 'bout that except taking more art lessons.
Dante