~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Lust and Gluttony stared down at the commotion below in the small desert town of Liore. Ever since the Elric Brothers exposed the Minister Cornello as a fraud, the town has been split and fighting each other. Eventually, the military stepped in and were now shooting resisting citizens.
"Humans are such foolish creatures..." Lust mumbled.
"Foolish, foolish. Heheheh..." was Gluttonys response.
"You'd think by now they'd learn, but I guess not," a strange voice said from the shadows. Lust and Gluttony turned to see a small figure emerge from the shadows. The girl had waist long medium blonde hair tied into a low ponytail as well as empty, gray eyes. She wore something similar to what Envy normally wears, but the top had sleeves and the shorts went down to just below her knees. "Have you seen Envy anywhere?"
"He's currently down there, playing Cornello, why?" Lust asked as Gluttonys stomach growled.
"I haven't heard from him in a while, not since he came to this town a few months ago." the girl replied. "Oh, we haven't officially met yet. My name is Ericka. What are your names?"
"If you know Envy, you must know us." Lust replied in a cold voice.
"Can I eat her?" Gluttony moaned from starvation, if you could call it that. Not long ago he ate not only Cornello but one of his followers who had found them while following Envy disguised as Cornello.
"Sorry, Gluttony, no eating this one," a young male voice responded. Ericka turned and smiled as a large man in priests clothes came up the stairway.
"Envy! Perfect timing! How come you haven't called recently? You promised to keep in touch!" she scolded. Envy came into view from the staircase and transformed into his 'younger, adorable' form with the palm tree hair. He glanced towards the gray-eyed girl and sighed, then shrugged and turned towards Lust, who currently wore the face that said 'Explain'.
"Ericka, I can't just drop my mission for a useless call." Envy saw Lust raise an eyebrow, and knew that he had to explain himself. He couldn't hide the look of defeat on his face, and Lust smiled. She had won without even speaking a word. "Okay, okay, I guess I have no choice now. Hey, Chibi, could you step more into the light? I can hardly see you!" At mentioning the word 'chibi', Ericka pounced towards him, annoyance staining her face in the dim evening light.
"WHO YOU CALLIN A PIPSQUEAK!" she screamed as she lunged towards Envy, who just simply side-stepped the attack. Lust stiffled a snicker as she recalled how the Fullmetal Alchemist reacted when being called short. Pretty much the same thing. After the girl calmed down, Envy continued.
"You see, this girl used to know the Elrics." he said, and Ericka nodded.
"You could say we were friends, but I didn't really care for them. Until that night when their mom passed. I came to the funeral and talked to them, saying if they needed a place to stay, my mom wouldn't mind. They declined, saying they were going to bring her back. I thought it would be a good idea to bring her back because she would always help me with my garden when my mom was too busy. That, and I knew my mom was going to cry her eyes out every day because Trisha was dead. I didn't want to drown, so I asked them to teach me basic alchemy and all three of us found a teacher to make us more powerful. Boy, was she strict. And then came the fateful night where we all tried to bring Trisha back. Al had lost his body while Ed lost his leg. I lost my ability to feel." she then pulled out a knife and handed it to Envy, and he nodded. she then outstretched her left arm and he stabbed it. Lust expected the young girl to scream, but instead she sat there with the same face before. she didn't flinch when Envy did that, and she didn't wince in pain as she pulled it out. "Geez, you couldn't make it easy to pop out? Don't stab me so hard next time! But all joking aside, I do blame them for this. After I read about human transmutation more, I realized that if we went through with this we could die. But Edward had somehow convinced me that it would be fine. when my mother found out about what happened, she took me the train station and sent me to Central, where I had to fend for myself. Eventually I ran into Envy here. I ttold him to take me with him and even threatened to mess up his pretty face if he didn't."
"I said that I wanted to see her try, and I started punching her. I noticed that even though my punchs were causing her to bleed, she still had that same emotionless face. I jumped back and grabbed a knife, and she still felt nothing."
"He asked why I wasn't screaming in pain at this point and I said because there was no pain. I only flinched a few times as he attacked me but when I realized it didn't hurt, I just let him attack. "I returned a question asking why he wasn't attacking any vital areas, and all he did was smirk and allow me to join. And eventually, I was permitted to make this on my neck." she then pulled down the collar of the shirt to show a well drawn symbol of a dragon, the Uroboros, similar to the ones on Envys leg, Lusts chest and Gluttonys tongue.
"Interesting. I suppose you can keep this little pet of yours." Lust said, and Ericka twitched and mumbled that she wasn't a pet.
"Thank you. I know you guys want to be human, just as I want to feel again. Not knowing pain, I hate it. Sure, I don't get burned and I don't freeze, but it can still kill me. And I won't know when I'm in trouble or not, because I can't tell if I'm bleeding unless I see it." she turned again to Envy. "Since that one fight, he's taken I liking to my strength. So, humanity for feeling? Deal?"
"You agree to do everything we ask?" Lust asked and Ericka nodded waiting for Lust to agree. Instead, she smirked. "Alright then. I guess you're our little errand girl." she came off her perch and walked toward Ericka and took her hand in hers. "Ericka is such a long name, how about another one?"
"Gluttony is a longer name , but you don't have a problem with it. My name stays." she retorted. Gluttonys stomach growle loudly again and he moaned.
"I'm hungry, Lust..." he whined. Lust and Ericka smiled at each other and turned toward Gluttony.
"I've been meaning to put you on a diet, Gluttony." Lust said as she turned towards the staircase. "Let's go. Our work here is finished. Come, Gluttony." she said as she walked down the stairs, Gluttony lumbering behind her. Envy glanced towards Ericka.
"We should go too, Chibi." he said, recieving a glare from the girl. But instead of going insane like usual, she closed her eyes and smirked.
"You call me short, and yet we're about the same size. Doesn't that make you short, too?" she asked in a mock tone. He gasped and made a mock 'I'm offended' face.
"You wish, Chibi." He walked over to her and handed her a small vile with a red liquid in it. "You'd better heal that arm. If it gets infected then it'll slow us down." He looked away to hide the fact that he was blushing lightly. She smiled and took the vile.
"Thanks. A lot." she healed her arm and handed it back to him, but he shook his head and pushed it back to her.
"You need it more than I do, I have regenerative powers, you don't. We can't afford injuries." He still didn't turn his face toward her, and she, too, was resisting the urge to blush, but it was herder for her because she couldn't feel the warmth of a blush on her cheeks.
"By the way, Envy," she ran in front of him and smiled. "I like this form better than any other." She started down the stairs, then turned back a bit. "Your hair could use some work, though." He broke out of his blushing trance from what she said before and started chasing her down the steps.
"Me? What about you! You always have your hair up! You have to take it down from time to time, come on!" By the time they caught up to Lust and Gluttony, they were both laughing so hard they thought they were gonna die.
"What took so long? And why are you laughing like that?" Gluttony asked. Ericka stopped to breath and said it was nothing. Lust shrugged it off and made a mental note to ask later. But she did notice that Envy and Ericka had started walking on opposite sides, so the order from left to right was Ericka, Lust, Gluttony and Envy, so she started to suspect something happened, seeing as Ericka's hair was being pulled out of the original ponytail.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"So, where exactly are we headed?" Ericka asked afterabout an hour of walking in boring silence.
"Envy and Gluttony are going back to our master, and I'm going to the town a Xenotime. My goal is to have the landlord create a Philosopher's Stone with the help of some alchemists. He claimed to know two perfect candidates, the sons of Nash Tringham, who came to the town not long ago. My job is mainly to keep things running properly. And if we aren't careful, the Elric brothers may find out and step in." Lust answered.
"Hey, Lust you should take Ericka with you to Xenotime. It would be worth your while." Envy said with an inaudible snicker.
"Oh? How so?" she asked. Ericka answered the question before Envy could speak, she knew what he was talking about.
"Simple. I know the Elrics and if they show up I could stall them or even turn them to another town. It might hold them off for a week or so, giving you more time." she explained, and Lust raised an eyebrow. She thought the plan over in her head, and a single flaw popped up.
"And what if they decide to take you back to Central with them?"
"Then I spy from the inside."
"But we already have two spies inside the military, Sloth and Pride."
"I didn't mean on the military, I meant on the Elrics. I keep an eye on them and report anything new." Lust and Envy glanced at each other then at Ericka.
"Wow, Chibi, I didn't know you could think like that." Envy teased. He seemed like an older brother to her at times, but she thought as him differently. And who knows, maybe when he gets a Philosopher's Stone and becomes human... 'No, no, he'll never think of me the same way, just as a useful tool.' she shook her head of these thoughts and smiled toward Envy. He backed away a bit. He never liked that smile. She was thinking something.. "Um, Chibi, you're acting creepy again. What's going on inside that sand-grain-sized brain of yours?" Her smiling face twisted into one of anger.
"COULD A PERSON WITH A GRAIN-SIZED BRAIN THINK UP AN ELABORATE PLAN LIKE THAT! AND I'M NOT SMALL!" She ran after him, and not wanting to feel her dreaded fists on his 'glorious face', he started running from her with an 'I really shouldn't have done that' look on his face. Lust sighed and put her head in her hands.
"Ericka, we have to split up now. Our leader is further East, but we have to go another way now. Say goodbye to your punching bag."
Ericka stopped and nodded while Envy screamed things like 'I am not her punching bag' and stuff. After they went seperate ways, Lust could see a tinge a sadness pull on Erickas already tired and weary eyes. She guessed that even when he taunted her with words like chibi and pipsqueak, she felt something towards him. She smiled to herself and thought it could be good blackmail if she was right. And where Gluttony and Envy were, Gluttony could see a similar look in Envys eyes. If only he were smart enough to understand what it meant.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
As Ericka and Lust came closer to the town of Xenotime, they decided to think out thoroughly as of what to do.
"If you see the Fullmetal pipsqueak, come and let me know as soon as possible. Make sure they know you are here and who you are, we can take advantage of that." Lust ordered as they drew closer to the run-down gold-mining town. Ericka nodded. She figured that if she hung out with Edward and Alphonse and became 'friends' again, then Lust could pretend to take her hostage.
"You sure that will work? I'm pretty sure they'd be smart enough to dodge the work and still get me out of there. Ugh, if only I knew their moves now, not from when they were kids. This could be harder then I thought. But I do know that I could help them towards you, if the townspeople don't do so first." she replied, still emotionless.
"If not, then we resort to plan B. Leave it to Mugwar." and with that, the set off for the large mansion on the hill overlooking Xenotime, Mugwar's lab. Ericka sighed, thinking about Envy.
"You know, I'm envious of you guys. Ironic, because I envy Envy most. You can slice through anything with just your nails, Gluttony can eat anything without a problem, and Envy can become anyone he wants. I once told him when he became another form than the strange palm-tree like form claiming that he saw someone he claimed was even more adorable than that form. I said 'change back right now! Honestly, you shouldn't feel threatened if someone else is more adorable than you'. I then went over to a nearby alley way and transmuted a large pipe out of some lead and walked back to him. 'That's what lead pipes are for' I finished and handed him the pipe. He grinned and I let him take care of the rest. We only messed up his face a little." Lust glanced at her, and she shrank down a bit. "Okay, maybe not a little.. More like, near death." Ericka smiled sheepishly and scratched her head. Lust could only laugh at the sight. "After that, Envy enjoyed my encouraging company, telling him that if ever he comes across somebody that he thinks is more adorable even by a tiny bit, then make them unrecognizable." she stopped talking as she realized they were now in front of the mansion. Lust took Ericka over to a small wooded area.
"Can you transmute a small changing room here? I want to disguise us for a bit." she said, and the small girl nodded and bent over. She touched the ground and a flash of brilliant blue light, changing to yellow and then it vanished, revealing a master bedroom sized changing room. Lust raised her eyebrow. "A bit big isn't it?"
"Mm-mm. There are two seperate changing rooms in there so we can finish faster." and with that, she led the Homonculus inside. Minutes later, they emerged, Lusts hair tied up and wearing a dress somebody from town would wear, as Ericka had transmuted her hair a light blue and wore a dark green dress that stopped an inch before her knees with black leggings underneath and white shoes on.
"Impressive. I noted earlier when you made this thing that you didn't use a transmutation circle, and you didn't clap your hands together like the pipsqueak does. You were both in the same spot, why don't you have to clap?" Lust asked. Ericka shrugged.
"Maybe cause I can't feel, so Truth let me do so without clapping. But everytime I transmute something, I get lightheaded and sometimes collapse. Envy had to carry me several times because of it. He didn't seem to mind, though..." she said, trailing off into her thoughts. Lust smiled. She didn't want to say anything, because that would ruin the fun as we all know. Instead, she destroyed the room and they headed back to the mansion.
"Well, time to start. You go into town as a lookout, Blu." Lust said, making a codename for Ericka based off her hair. Ericka nodded.
"Alright." She then whipered in Lusts ear if she should act like her daughter. Lust thought for a minute, then nodded.
"Best course of action, if you acted as my daughter. It would look as if we were old friends of Mugwar coming to visit. You could easily act like a child right?" Lust asked.
"No, just a normal fifteen year old." she smiled again. "Bye, Mom, see you later!" she waved as she left, like any teen would to their mom. Lust sighed, and wished she didn't do that in a remote area like this.
"Bye, Blu." she said as she entered the mansion.
Minutes later, Ericka was in town, looking for a good place to scout out the Elrics, and it had been only around a month when they finally showed up, and she had to tell Lust to hurry it up. And then, she could meet the boy she once loved, but no more. Not after that night.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Alright. So, if you think this story has potential, then write 'continue' as a review and a reason or ideas if you want. Any ideas given will be credited in my story, whether or not I use them. If you think this story won't make it, then write 'discontinue' as a review and a reason if you want. When I hit eight continue reviews, I will start writing the next chapter. At ten good reviews, I will post the new chapter. But if I get ten negative reviews before the positive ones, I will post a note saying it's discontinued and either delete it or leave it as a failed one-shot story.
Please let me know what you think. Thanks, Amorinda97