I warned you, everything was susceptible to change! Now this idea came from my editor, so I'm kind of going on a whim here. Not to mention I spent over 12 hours writing this. If you're wondering about Gray Skies, the latest chapter is really taking a toll on me. Trying asking yourself for 6 hours straight "How would so&so react to this?"
It gets annoying.
Anyways, enjoy!
I have to get away
The skies thundered as the people in the town of Fotset walked through the streets with umbrellas over their heads. Those without umbrellas simply held their newspapers or other objects above their heads in an effort to not get soaked by the falling rain. Out of everyone on the street, only one was focused on running. A young girl, looking around the age of twelve, was running on the streets of Fotset wearing nothing but a dirty and torn white dress with long sleeves. Her short, ginger hair clung to her head as she stumbled through the crowd, her bangs covering her left eye.
Help me! Please!
The young girl's voice couldn't cooperate with her thoughts, only responding with a raspy exhale. People looked at the girl with confusion as she struggled to reach the train station
"GET BACK HERE, VIXEN!" Someone near the crowd shouted. The girl ran like hell was at her heels, then again, if she got caught it would be hell all over again.
They're at the station… Just a little more! The girl thought as she began picking up speed. She sighed in relief as the train came into view.
"WE ALREADY GOT THE CRANE! YOU'RE NEXT!" The voice yelled once more. The girl turned her head to see a man with a lab coat and dark brown hair. The girl's visible eye filled with horror as she turned her head forward and kept running.
No! He gave up his life for nothing if I'm caught! The girl gulped. Her silver eyes sparkled with hope as she saw the two people she had been hoping for: a young woman with short, spiky blond hair and a man wearing a fur vest. The two were talking in front of the train as the girl ran towards them.
"When you meet them, yell-"
"The vixen's here!" The girl yelled. Both adults turned their heads towards the girl as she stopped in front of them.
"So you're the kid who sent the message?" The woman asked, turning her head to reveal a green mark on the side of her face.
"No, the ...crane is ...dead" The girl's voice shook as she took deep breaths. Both adults' eyes widened at the girl's response.
"What do you mean-" The man tried to ask, but was interrupted when the man in the lab coat began shouting once more.
` "YOU WILL NOT ESCAPE!"
"The old man…!" The girl panicked as she ran behind the woman with blond hair. The man with the fur vest smirked.
"Trying to damage my property? Bad decision" He said cracking his knuckles as the man in the lab coat approached the trio. "Martel, get ready"
The woman, Martel, looked the girl in her eye. "You'll be okay now. Greed will take care of him. Be prepared to run" The girl nodded as she watched the man, Greed.
Greed's skin began to darken as the old man smirked. "You think you can protect a monster like her?!" The old man yelled. "She will never be something worth living in this world!"
"You know what?" Greed questioned as he quickly kicked the old man on the side of his head. The old man hit the ground as blood pooled where he had been kicked. People began screaming as they noticed the pool of blood. "You talk too much." He turned to Martel and the girl, who had been watching with a straight face. "Let's get outta here before the authorities show up" Greed ordered as the trio ran onto the train, finally relaxing as the whistle bowed and the town behind started slowly fading out of view.
"Mission complete, I guess" Greed sighed as he relaxed, sitting in a seat opposite to Martel and the girl. "It's too bad we didn't get 'the crane', so to speak"
"But we did save one life" Martel reminded.
"Speaking of" Greed said, turning his attention to the girl. "What's your name, doll?"
"M-my name?" The girl asked quietly.
"Yeah, you have one. Don't you?" Greed asked with a cocky attitude.
"Y-yeah…" The girl nodded. "It's Thorn… Thorn Ashton"
3 Years Later
"Hey Thorn!" Greed called out as he searched the bar for a certain ginger-headed girl. "Where did she go? Stupid fox…"
Suddenly, steps leading to the bar got closer as a ginger-haired girl about 5'0 calmly walked through the door. The girl had short, thick, somewhat dark ginger hair that stopped just below her chin. Her left eye was slightly covered by her hair, which framed her face. She wore a navy blue sleeveless top, a white tank top visible at the bottom of her shirt, with detached sleeves starting below the shoulder and ending just before the wrists. Her shirt was accompanied by loose, black pants with white stitching, the ends disappearing in her boots, which were military-like in style and tan in color. On her throat sat a small chain with medium-sized clock gear, bronze in color, at the end of it.
"Thorn, where the hell have you been? You have work here to do" Greed loosely lectured. The girl's eye widened as she spoke out in an almost monotone voice.
"I apologize. I wasn't paying attention to the time" Thorn apologized with a softened look in her silver eye.
"Just get your ass out there and get some meat before Dolcetto has a fit. Okay, doll?" Greed stated bluntly as he tossed the girl a heavy envelope.
"Yes, sir" Thorn said as she tucked the envelope in her pocket. She began walking towards the door.
"Hey doll!" Greed called out. Thorn stopped and turned to him. "Is it too much to ask you to loosen up?"
"I'll try" Thorn sighed as she exited the bar and headed down the street, searching for a specific shop. Try to loosen up, he says. Make some friends, he says. Don't be so cold, he says. Thorn sighed as she approached the little shop with "MEAT" written on its sign. Walking into the shop, Thorn was surprised to find it empty.
"Izumi?" Thorn called out. "Sig? Is anyone here?"
Thorn waited patiently for a good half hour before she started worrying what Greed ordered. They won't mind me coming in. It isn't the first time this has happened, not mention I can't let the others wait for too long.
Thorn walked into the back of the shop, peeking into areas she had seen once before. "Hello?! Mr. and Mrs. Curtis?!" Thorn shouted as she entered the house section of the shop and finally found the people she was looking for sitting at their little round table. They were not alone. On the opposite side of the table, a blond boy and a suit of armor were sitting parallel to the couple of the other side of the table. Thorn immediately regretted her decision.
"Thorn?" Izumi said as she looked at the withdrawn girl. "What are you doing here?"
"I got…" Thorn was weary to talk in front of the boys in the room. They looked at her with puzzled expressions.
"Ignore them. What do you need, Thorn?" Izumi asked, straightforward.
"My boss wanted me to pick up some meat for his workers" Thorn stated, holding out the envelope. Sig rose from his seat and took the envelope, opening it. Inside the envelope was a list and a large amount of money, nothing new by Greed's standards.
"I'll go get what you need" Sig stated as he headed towards the shop. Before Thorn could follow, Izumi quickly rose from her seat and put a hand on her shoulder.
"Wait, Thorn. Why not sit down with us?" Izumi smiled.
"I… I don't…" Thorn stuttered. She felt nervous around any adult that wasn't Greed. Although the Curtis family was more mellow, she still felt pressured from time to time. Kids around her age made Thorn even more nervous, so this was a situation Thorn wanted to avoid.
"It will take a while for Sig to prepare the meat your boss asked for, why not relax until then?" Izumi encouraged.
"B-but… Okay" Thorn gave in as she sat in the chair beside Izumi. Thorn found herself silent, like usual. She didn't know how to act around people her age, making social situations difficult for her.
"Boys, be polite and introduce yourself" Izumi somewhat ordered in a kind tone.
"R-right!" The armor stuttered. "My name is Alphonse Elric"
"And I'm Ed, Al's older brother" The blond spoke up.
"I'm assuming Ed is short for Edward?" Thorn asked quietly. The blond nodded, slightly put off by her withdrawn nature.
"Thorn, introduce yourself. There's no need to keep quiet" Izumi kindly scolded.
"Yes, Mrs. Curtis" Thorn sighed as she took a deep breath. "My name is Thorn Ashton… Nice to meet you"
Obviously uncomfortable, Izumi took over Thorn's part of the discussion. "Thorn is around your age, Edward. She works for a gang around the bad parts of town, despite my requests for her to quit" Izumi said, directing the conversation to Thorn. "She may not be an alchemist, but she can hold her own in a sparring match"
"So you can fight?" Alphonse asked.
"Y-yes. I can fight pretty well, according to my boss" Thorn said, trying not to brag.
"You should spar with the boys next time" Izumi encouraged. "You might learn a thing or two"
"Okay" Thorn nodded. Sig came back into the room wearing an apron and holding a large bag containing Greed's order.
"Here you go" Sig said as he handed the bag to Thorn, who rose from her seat to leave.
"Thank you, Sig. Keep the change" Thorn said as she rushed out the door. Walking down the street, Thorn thought of the boys from Izumi's house. She found a million questions running through her head. By the time she had sorted out her thoughts, she had reached the bar.
Walking inside, Thorn called out "Sir! I'm back with your order"
Out from one of the curtains, Greed came out with his usual smirk. "Damn, doll. What took you so long?"
"Mrs. Curtis wanted me to be social with some boys that were at her house while your order was being-"
"Woah, woah. You? Being social?" Greed said surprised. "That's not like you."
"I couldn't refuse. It would seem rude" Thorn said as if it was obvious. "Anyways, here's the order."
Greed took the bag and patted Thorn on the head. "Nice work, doll"
"Thank you, Greed" Thorn allowed herself to smile as she began heading to the door once again. "I'll be back by sunset"
"Alright, don't be late, doll" Greed said. Suddenly, a thought ran through his mind. "Hey Thorn"
Thorn turned to face him. "What is it?"
"You'll be meeting some boys here soon. We'll be needing information from one of them. I want here during the exchange, that's an order" Greed said, making sure to get the point across.
Thorn noticed how serious he was and nodded. "Yes, sir" Thorn responded as she headed out the door and climbed onto one of the many roofs in Dublith, looking at the clouds as they passed.
The next day went by pretty fast. Thorn found herself drifting more towards looking at the clouds than her usual activities of walking through town and completing little jobs. Before she realized it, the sun was setting and she was walking into the Devil's Nest like she did every evening.
"I'm back!" Thorn called out as she walked into the back of the bar, greeting the chimeras. Thorn saw Bido and Greed stop talking and look at her with concern. "What is it, sir?"
"Turns out the rumors about our information were true" Greed said, putting a hand behind his head.
"So what seems to be the problem?" Thorn asked, weary of the answer.
"Those boys the meat lady wanted you to meet… Was one of them in a suit of armor?" Greed asked.
"Yeah. The other had blond hair in a braid" Thorn nodded.
"Then you met our target" Greed stated bluntly. Thorn found herself mildly shocked.
"Oh… I see" Thorn sighed. Looks like I won't be able to spar with them any time soon, Mrs. Curtis
"The question is will you be able to do the mission?" Martel spoke up.
"Of course" Thorn said, shocked someone would even question her loyalty. "I will carry out any orders given to me by Greed"
"Alright then" Greed nodded. "Our target is that suit of armor. Our intel says the boy's soul is bonded to armor. Bido was sent out to confirm this."
"What?" Thorn eye widened. "Soul binding? I thought that wasn't... "
"Possible?" Greed finished. "You're apart of my crew and you thought soul binding wasn't possible?"
"You're right… I shouldn't be so surprised…" Thorn sighed. "You are a homunculus after all… So what's the plan?"
"You realize you can walk around, right Thorn?" Ulchi, the crocodile chimera, asked the teenager. She had been standing in the same place for over an hour.
"I refuse to! Greed told me to wait here" Thorn said bluntly.
"Your hair is puffing up again" Ulchi sighed. The teen blushed as she took a deep breath. This was a recurring quirk the girl had. Whenever she was mad, frustrated, or even nervous, the girl's thick, ginger hair would slightly puff up, like how an angry cat's fur would stand up.
"Look, Greed ment stay in the base, not to stay in the exact spot" Ulchi clarified. "Even Martel said so"
"Well… If Martel said so, then okay" Thorn sighed. She held a high respect for the snake chimera, almost as much respect as she held for Greed. Thorn began pacing the room. It wasn't long before there was banging from outside of the bar. Thorn fought the urge to outside and see what was happening. Soon, Greed came walking in with Roa carrying the familiar suit of armor, without his head.
"Hey Roa, chain him up" Greed ordered.
"Greed! You're back!" Thorn smiled. Greed patted the kid on the head.
"I was just outside the bar" Greed smirked.
"Then why did you make me wait here?!" Thorn said with a slight attitude.
"Well, had to see if you were loyal during this mission." Greed smirked, knowing this would upset the girl. Her hair began to puff up once more.
"That is a stupid excuse. If you give me an order, I will follow it. End of discussion" Thorn slightly snapped. Greed brushed off the girl's comment and went to inspect the now chained up armor. Inside of the armor was a very grumpy Martel.
"Cool" Greed awed. "You're actually hollow"
Greed placed the armor's head back on, causing little wisps to appear in the eye sockets. Thorn, feeling a slight pang of jealosy, assumed that was how he could see.
"The name's Greed and I want to be your friend" Greed smirked.
How could anyone take you seriously with those glasses? Thorn thought, even though she would never openly tell Greed that.
"Then why don't you tell me what you people really are" The armor snapped.
"Huh?" Greed said with confusion
"You're not chimeras. It's impossible, no one's made a chimera that can talk" Alphonse snapped like a professor defending his research.
"You can't believe everything the government tells you, kid" Greed said, tapping the boy's armor."You got all the proof you need right inside you. The girl in there is part snake." Greed tilted his head towards Roa behind him. "And this big guy here, Roa what were you made with? Cow?"
"Yeah" The large man nodded.
"We've also got a lizard, a crocodile. And the little runt you took down earlier tends to lift his leg when he pees"
"Only once!" Dolcetto growled.
"You're part dog?!" Alphonse asked.
"Yep" Dolcetto responded with a smug look. "It's really not so bad." Dolcetto turned to Greed. "Hey, aren't you forgetting about a certain someone?"
"Oh yeah" Greed remembered. "We also have a little fox. Mind coming closer, Thorn?"
Obeying orders, Thorn stepped in front of Alphonse. The armor went ballistic.
"THORN?!" Al practically shouted.
"Yes?" Thorn responded calmly.
"You're a chimera? B-but that can't be possible! You were with Teacher!" Al said, surprised.
"Trust me, I should the last thing that surprises you" Thorn sighed. "What? Did you think the scars here" -she motioned the space on her shoulders between the shirt and the sleeves- "were something I got from working?"
"N-no, I…" Al was left speechless. "Who would be capable of doing this?"
"The military" Greed bumped into their conversation.
"You're saying-" Al said, shocked.
"You got it. There's a shadow world beneath yours that's jam packed with the impossible." Greed explained. "Hell, I'm more uncommon than they are. I'm a homunculus"
"A homunculus?" The boy gasped.
"You know what that means, right?" Greed smirked. "I'm an artificially created human. Really, no joke"
The armor went silent for a moment before he got angry. "You're lying! A homunculus is just a theory, nobody's made one!"
"I strongly suggest you don't shout at Greed" Thorn growled as her hair began puffing up.
"Calm down, doll. No need to get violent with the kid" Greed said. Thorn tensed up, but obeyed.
"She works for a gang around the bad parts of town"
Greed must be the boss she told Teacher about Al realized.
"If the kid wants to doubt me, I'll just have to show him" Greed smirked as he stood up. Roa then smashed the pointed side of his hammer into Greed's skull, making Greed fall to the ground and blood splatter on the ground. This brought Thorn back to the first time Roa had done that in front of her a few days after she began working for Greed.
Blood pooled around Greed's head as he stopped moving. Thorn rammed Roa, who was confused by the thirteen year-old's action
"Why did you kill Mr. Greed?! You bring him him back right now or you'll be next!" The girl threatened as tears threatened to fall from her eyes.
"Calm down, Thorn! He's okay!" Martel said as she struggled to calm the girl down.
"No he's not! Can't you see he's-" Thorn saw as Greed held up both hands and began regenerating. Once everything was healed, Greed smiled.
"Don't worry, kid. It takes more than that to kill me" Greed smirked. The little girl smiled as she ran over and hugged Greed, who was just as confused as everyone else in the room.
"Don't do that again! You saved me, so I have to protect you!" Thorn shouted. Thorn sighed as the memory, though not the kindest, brought her relief.
"Why did you do that?!" Al asked shocked. Greed held up one finger, like he was saying "Gimme a second", as he rose to his feet and red sparks began surrounding his head. The bone began growing again and the regenerating muscle laced itself around the growing bones. Everything was finished with a layer of skin, completing the regeneration as Greed cracked his neck and wiped away any leftover blood.
"That's one time I've died" Greed smirked.
"No way…" Al awed.
"You get it yet? Nothing is impossible, alright?" Greed snapped. "I'm a little surprised you would have such a hard time accepting that considering you're just a soul in a suit of armor."
"Who told you that?" Al asked, shocked.
"People like to talk in the shadow world. And I've got plenty of friends" Greed explained. "Well, let's skip this casual chit-chat. I'm more interested in hearing what it's like having a body that'll never die" Al turned his head.
"An individual soul transmuted and bound to an object?!" Greed faked surprise. "It sounds like that's the perfect recipe to immortality to me. Let me explain: See, I'm Greed. I want everything you can think of! Money and women, power and sex, power and status, glory. I demand the finer things and, of course, I crave eternal life."
"Aren't you already immortal?" Al asked.
"Well, I guess I was put together sturdier than most. I am nearly 200 year old" Greed bragged. "But I wouldn't exactly say that I'm immortal. So, I've spilled my guts all over. Told you my darkest secret. Now it's your turn. How you'd get your body?"
"Just make this easy and tell him" Martel intervened. "Unless you'd rather be examined, which means he'll have to take you apart" Thorn felt a squeeze in her chest.
"We'll just have to take this little vixen apart and see what makes her tick."
B-but Greed wouldn't do that… Right? Thorn thought as her hair began to puff up, proofing how nervous she was.
"I wish I could tell you" Al admitted. "That would actually mean I remember how I got it, but even if I could, I'm not the one who did the transmutation"
"That's not a problem" Greed assured. "In that case, I'll just ask the person who did"
"I have an idea of who it might be" Thorn spoke up. Greed looked at the girl, surprised. "Has anyone considered his brother?"
"You have a point there, doll" Greed praised as he turned to the armor. "Alright, let me ask you this, was it your brother who transmuted your soul into that armor?"
Alphonse stayed silent.
"I'll take that as a yes" Greed smirked turning back to Thorn. "Since you figured it out, you and Bido go get the brat"
"Yes sir" Both chimeras said as they headed out the door.
"Never thought I would talk to so many people in one day" Thorn muttered as she saw a certain blonde walking down the street.
"Where would a seven-foot-tall suit of armor run off to?" Ed asked himself.
"I'd be happy to tell you where you can find him" Bido said as he crawled out of the alley, followed by Thorn. Ed gripped the broom in his hand as his state showed that he was on his guard.
"Bido, you don't want to push his patience" Thorn warned.
"Hey, I know you. You're that girl teacher introduced." Ed said as he slightly lowered that broom.
"Yah, that's me" Thorn sighed. She was getting sick of so much interaction in only a few days. "Right now I'm on a job"
"What kind of job?" Ed asked, suspicious.
"A job to learn the armor's secret, tell me what his secret is and you'll get him back unharmed" Bido smirked.
Thorn sigh as the blond began beating the poor chimera. Bido, who wasn't the best fighter, just had to take the punches and kicks he was getting. Thorn didn't pay much attention until there was a tap on her shoulder. She looked over to see the blond dragging Bido by his shirt.
"I apologize for my partner's stupidity" Thorn sighed.
"So are you going to take me to my brother?" Ed snapped.
"Of course. That was the order in the first place." Thorn stated bluntly. "Follow me"
Ed obeyed, dragging a poor Bido by the shirt. "So I'm guessing you two are part of the gang that took my brother?"
"Yes, that's correct." Thorn said.
"So what does your boss want with my brother?" Ed asked.
"I… Uh…" Thorn struggled with her words.
"What is it?" Ed asked, puzzled.
"I do not want to offend you" Thorn admitted. "I'm not good at communicating with others my age"
"I can tell. Just say it, I'm the one who asked." Ed said without hesitation. Thorn found herself confused.
"Well, let's see…" Thorn said as she picked her words. "It seems very simple. He said he wanted to know how you transmuted your brother's soul"
"What?!" Ed said shocked.
"There's no use explaining since we are already here" Thorn sighed as she gestured to the sign in front of them. Ed made his way inside and Thorn just followed. When he made it to the back room, he threw a beat-up Bido at the door and walked in. Thorn walked up to Greed, showing that she made it unscathed. The homuculus patted the girl on the head, which made a slight smile appear on Thorn's face for a split second.
"Brother!" Alphonse cried out.
"Never really crossed my mind that you could get kidnapped" Ed admitted.
"Brother, this guy's a homunculus!" Al shouted.
"Are you serious?" Ed asked, slightly shocked.
"Hey! Way to ruin it!" Greed whined.
"We might be able to get some from him on how to get our original bodies back!" Al shouted. Ed glared at Greed as he showed Ed the ouroborus on the back on his hand.
"An ouroborus tattoo…" Edward said as the room began to tense up.
"Aren't you observant" Greed praised. "I was hoping that I'd only have to deal with the little armored giant."
"Why don't you just ask your partners whatever you want to know?" Ed questioned.
Thorn's attention was now directed on the two's conversation.
"Partners?" Greed questioned.
"Yeah. The rest of the ouroborus gang from the fifth lab" Ed snapped. "They had a couple of armor bonded souls as well."
"You don't say" Greed replied, somewhat shocked. "Well, it's kind of a long story, but we don't talk much anymore" Greed then steered the conversation to his favor. "I've got a little proposal. You guys are pretty desperate to get your bodies back, right? Because I can teach you how to fabricate your own homunculus in no time at all. In return, all I ask is that you teach me how to transmute a soul. Classic equivalent exchange." Greed turned to Al with a chuckle. "But I really don't understand why you would want your other body back."
Ed flinched.
"Seems like you've got one that's perfect already" Greed smirked.
"No I don't!" Al shouted.
"You're joking right?" Greed chuckled as if something was funny. "You don't need to eat, you don't need to sleep, you don't even need to use the toilet! Sounds great to me!"
"That's enough. SHUT YOUR DAMN MOUTH!" Edward screamed. "SOUNDS GREAT TO YOU?! IT SEEMS PERFECT?! YOU DON'T KNOW ABOUT THE HELL HE'S HAD TO GO THROUGH STUCK WITH THAT BODY! AND YOU WANT TO KNOW HOW TO TRANSMUTE A SOUL?! YOU KIDNAPPED MY BROTHER AND YOU WANT TO TRADE SECRETS WITH ME?!"
Thorn, for the first time in years, actually felt somewhat curious. She also found the boys volume to be quite annoying.
Geez, this blonde can yell! Thorn thought with annoyance.
"I'M GOING TO CRUSH YOU CREEPS, I'LL SMASH YOU, END YOU! AND I WON'T GIVE YOU SLIME, IN ADVANCE! IN OTHER WORDS I WON'T BE DOING AN EXCHANGE WITH YOU, YOU SCUM!" Edward shouted with all of his might, his expression darkening.
So that's what the face of hell looks like… Thorn thought as she covered her ears. Once Ed's rant was done, Greed slowly clapped, as a way of mocking the boy's rant.
"I guess we're doing this by force again" Dolcetto sighed as he reached for his sword and walked forward.
"Don't kill him, alright?" Greed reminded.
"Yeah, yeah" Dolcetto brushed off as he charged towards Edward. Unfortunately for Dolcetto, the boy jumped above his sword.
In mid air, Edward said "You're a lot smaller than a prisoner I know!" before landing a punch on Dolcetto, knocking the chimera out of commission. Ed clapped his hands and placed one on his arm, causing a blade to form and tear away his glove. "Next?" The boy said confidently.
Automail? Well that explains the oiled scent coming off him Thorn sighed.
"Roa, get the armored kid out of here" Greed ordered. "Guess we'll dismantle him"
"Right" Roa nodded as he picked up the armored boy and threw him over his shoulder.
"Drop him!" Ed ordered as he charged towards Greed. Before he could hit Greed with his blade, Thorn kicked his legs, knocking him down. The boy quickly jumped back to his feet.
Seeing what this would lead to, Greed took action. "Thorn! Go with Roa" Greed ordered.
Thorn froze for a second before obeying his command and following Roa and Dolcetto.
The trio of chimeras (plus Alphonse) ran for a few good minutes before Dolcetto stopped.
"Something doesn't smell right to me" Dolcetto admitted. Besides sewer smells, Thorn could smell the approaching scent of burnt rubber, metal and gunpowder.
"He's right…" Thorn sighed.
"You know what this feels like? Old times" Roa said with a straight face. Roa turned to Thorn. "Hey, keep on eye on him"
Right" Thorn nodded as Roa put the armor down.
"We'll be back soon, keep Martel company" Dolcetto assured as he and Roa ran off in the direction the trio had come from.
"Are they gone?" Al asked. Since Thorn was turned towards Alphonse (Hence the left side of her face was facing the direction Dolcetto and Roa had run off), she couldn't see at first.
"I don't know, let me check" Thorn said as she looked towards the direction the two had ran. "They're gone"
Alphonse immediately began moving. With Martel in the armor, Alphonse could once crawl, just barely moving.
"Will you stay put?!" Martel growled. "Quit struggling! A little help, Thorn?!"
"Huh?" Thorn said as she turned back to Alphonse, now seeing the weird position he was in.
Is this part of my contract? Thorn thought as she looked at the crawling armor.
"I don't wanna!" Al complained. Thorn sighed. Suddenly, footsteps approached the trio. Thorn recognized the figure immediately.
"Greed!" Thorn and Martel both shouted as Martel poked out of Al's armor.
"Martel, Thorn. Glad to see you're both safe" Greed greeted with his usual smirk.
"What's going on up there?" Martel asked. "No one else has made it back, yet"
"Yeah, things have gotten a little of of hand, so we need to figure a way out of here" Greed smirked.
Before Thorn could ask why, a voice spoke before her. "I can't let you do that" Thorn had to turn to see who it was. What she saw was an old man wearing an eye patch and a military uniform.
"Just what do you want, old man?" Greed snapped.
"It's the Fuhrer! Why is he here?" Al asked to no one in particular. Thorn knew who the Fuhrer was, just barely, but hadn't ever seen him until now.
"King Bradley?!" Martel said with shock evident in her voice.
"Huh" Greed said with little shock "What's the most powerful man in the land doing down here?"
"Not that you'd know, but growing old isn't easy" Bradley spoke.
"Huh?" Greed questioned.
"This year marks my 60th birthday" Bradley continued. "It's frustrating how your body stops moving the way you want it to. So I'd like to finish this job as quickly as possible and return home"
"I've got an idea, retire!" Greed snapped. At that moment, the Fuhrer's sword sliced off Greed's right hand before his ultimate shield could cover it. Thorn panicked.
That's-! That's not possible! Greed could've dodged that! Thorn thought as she struggled to calm down.
"Well look at this! The old man's got some moves!" Greed said as he began dodging. Noticing Thorn's panicked state, Greed sighed. "Thorn, face the armored kid, that's an order"
"But-" Thorn tightened her fist as she obeyed as she turned to Alphonse, only allowing the left eye a slight side view of the fight. Thorn could only hear Greed's pained gasps as the Fuhrer sliced another limb. "Alphonse, what's happening?"
"Can't you see?" Al asked, confused. Frustrated, Thorn lifted the hair over her left eye. The eye itself was closed with a large slash-like scar over it, as if the scar was keeping the eye sewn shut.
"No, I can't see" Thorn said, her voice trembling.
She can't see… out of her left eye Alphonse realized. It suddenly made sense why her hair was always in front of that eye, specifically or why she always faced people a certain way…
Greed crashed into a wall,causing both girls to panic. "Greed!" Martel called out. Al quickly shushed her.
"Thorn! Get out of here! That's an order!" Greed gasped. "Don't look back!"
Thorn looked at Greed one last time with tears in her eye before dashing towards an exit.
You know what? She didn't follow orders… She looked back Greed realize as he struggled to keep up with the Fuhrer.
Thorn kept running, trying not to cry so she could see clearly as she ran. Soon, two damaged figures came into view.
"Roa, someone's coming" Dolcetto's voice broke through. "Wait, I know this scent"
"Roa! Dolcetto!" Thorn called out as ran up to the two.
"Thorn!" The two did the same as the girl embraced both men.
"Gr-Greed ordered me! I-I couldn't stay!" Thorn cried.
"It's alright, you were just doing as you were told" Dolcetto assured. "We need you to get out of here"
"Why?" Thorn sobbed.
"The military found us" Roa said bluntly. Thorn stopped crying and looked at the two, finally seeing the gun shot wounds and bruises.
"We need you to get out of here. We'll meet up with you later" Dolcetto said, smirking.
"O-okay" Thorn trembled. "You're not lying to me?"
"Naw, why would I? Us dogs gotta stick together, right?" Dolcetto smirked. "Ulchi and Bido and waiting for you, can't keep them waiting!"
Thorn smiled. "Right"
"There a vent you can go there just ahead" Roa informed.
"Thanks, I'll see outside. Alright?" Thorn smiled.
"Got it" Both men replied.
Thorn ran forward and saw the vent Roa mentioned. Using the pipes on the side of the tunnel to reach it, Thorn crawled inside and took a deep breath. Kick that guy's ass, Greed. She thought before crawling through the vent to the roof of the bar.
Roa and Dolcetto looked at each other a moment. "Was it a good idea to lie to her?" Dolcetto asked.
"No, but it's the only way she would've left" Roa sighed as the two began walking towards the fight.
Thorn made to the end of the vent, kicking out the grate. Climbing out, she found herself on the roof of the bar. Thorn tried to run as fast as she could, but found herself slipping on the roof's tiles and fall off the roof. Luckily for Thorn, it was the very back of the bar, which was sealed off and filled with trash bags. Thorn held her breath as she fell so she wouldn't attract attention. Landing on the garbage bags, she allowed herself to breath. Sitting up, Thorn tried to carefully roll off the bags, only to tumble down the trash mountain and fall onto a mirror, breaking it into pieces that dug into the skin of her back and knees.
"God dammit!" Thorn cursed as she hit the ground, glass and all. Looking down, a mirror piece showed Thorn her reflection, which include blood on her cheek, a torn shirt, and her puffed up, messy ginger hair that currently wasn't covering her scarred eye. For some reason, Thorn's mind went to her hair.
I didn't know it puffed up when I'm scared Thorn sighed as she sat against the mountain of garbage, looking at the sky. She let a small smile crack on her face as she identified shapes in the sky.
Let's see, there's a bone, Dolcetto would like that one. That one could be a boat…
Hours went by and eventually the sky turned dark.
I have to find them. They should be out by now Thorn thought as she rose to her feet, trying to ignore the pain of glass in her back as she picked the glass out of her knees. Thorn began walking aimlessly through the streets.
Bido, Ulchi, Martel, Dolcetto, Roa… Greed. Thorn thought as she limped through the streets. She found herself gripping the clock gear at the end of her chain.
Soon, a lighted building came into view. A familiar suit of armor was sitting outside of the familiar meat shop Thorn had visited so many times. Her clumsy footsteps made her presence known pretty quickly.
"Who's there?!" A familiar blonde said. Thorn stepped into the light, shocking both boys.
"Thorn?" Alphonse asked
"Alphonse" Thorn sighed with relief. "Thank god, where's Martel?"
"M-Martel?" Al stuttered.
"Yeah, Roa and Dolcetto said they would meet me and everyone else outside of the bar" Thorn explained. "I assumed…"
Thorn then stumbled to her knees, trying to keep herself awake.
"Hey! Are you alright?" Ed asked as he approached Thorn. Thorn's calm attitude immediately began to crumble.
"It doesn't matter if I'm alright! Once I meet up with Greed and the others, I'll be just fine!" Thorn shouted as she rose to her feet once more.
"Thorn, they're...dead" Ed said, trying to be gentle with his words as he put a hand on her shoulder. Thorn's world came crashing down.
"... No. You're lying" Thorn said, her voice shaking. She could practically feel her calm demeanor breaking away with every word. "Stop lying to me!"
Thorn shoved Ed away, hearing a clang of metal from his pocket. Seeing a watch slip out of his pocket, Thorn recognized it immediately. Seeing the engraved lion, like animal on the front caused Thorn to shake with rage.
"Thorn, I…" Al tried to consult her. Thorn gripped her scalp and began pulling her hair as tears fell from from her eye.
"Dolcetto… Roa… Gr-Greed…" Thorn whispered. Al walked up to Thorn's left side and held out a hand. That was a mistake. Thorn panicked due to her lack of sight on her left side and threw Al over her shoulder onto the ground. "It's all your fault, you damn dog!" Thorn shouted. The armor stood back up, looking at the girl with concern.
"What's going on out here?" Izumi called out as she stepped out and saw this young girl in front of the boys. "Thorn?"
Thorn ignored Izumi completely. "You're the reason I was taken… Alchemists like you are why I had to hide for so long!" Thorn began trembling as she directed her rage at Ed. "You people took my sight away! You're the reason why I can't see!"
"Thorn, please try to calm down. You're hurt" Alphonse said, worried about the pools of blood below her feet as he tried to approach her, carefully.
"No! Don't touch me!" Thorn shouted, stopping Al in his tracks. "If it weren't for you… You should've just given Greed what he wanted! Maybe he would still be alive if you just did as you were told!"
"And what? Risk my little brother's life?" Ed snapped.
"They were all I had left! They made one of the government's little… Mistakes feel like they belonged in the world! Where am I supposed to go now?! I can't live like one of you!" Thorn shouted. "You should've never come! Maybe the military wouldn't know that their little accidents were still alive-"
A sharp pain in the back of her neck caused Thorn to fall forward, unconscious.
"It's alright, she's just asleep" Izumi assured as she carefully picked up the girl, bridal style. "Boys, go get some medical supplies. She has some glass in her back"
"Right!" Both boys replied as they ran inside. Izumi looked at Thorn with sorrow.
"You've been through a lot of pain today… You can rest now"
Now Fullmetal Alchemist is receiving a live action and Funimation has stopped streaming brotherhood, so That's why My schedule has been "Order this... Schedule that"
It sucks.
Thanks for waiting so long, but you're just going to wait longer. Sorry guys.
_Jackie C.A.