As the young girl ran down the street of Dublith, she held her right side in pain. Blood squirted out from between her fingers and she knew she couldn't do this much longer. Her vision was beginning to fade to black around the edge of her eyes and her slender body screamed in protest every time she picked up her feet. No matter how strong the pain became, she knew she had to keep moving. If she stopped those damned military dogs would catch her again, there was no telling what would happen to her. She couldn't take the chance and find out. All this running was not only making her bleed more, but it was sapping her strength. Her normally fast and elegant way of running was now just sloppy jogging. Still, she was ahead of them. But for how long?
As Bido watched the chase from a distance, his heart of gold took pity on the girl. Even from this far away, he could see the sun glittering in the tears on her face. He felt so sorry for her. The men chasing her were obviously miltary which confused the little lizard man.
"What would the military want her for?" Bido asked the open air around him as he watched.
The girl turned a corner and nearly fell as she stumbled. She threw her free hand down and did a back flip before continuing to run. It was clear that her little move hurt her more though as she began to slow down. Bido realized if he didn't act fast, he'd never get his answer. He slithered into an alleyway ahead of the chase and waited. As expected, it wasn't long before the girl ran by. She'd gained a little distance so she took a moment to catch her breath. She bent over in pain and panted in exhaustion.
"Hey! Hey!" Bido called from his spot in the alleyway.
She looked up and saw the short man who was dressed in rags and barefooted. She couldn't see much of his face, but she could see how wide and innocent his eyes were.
"Come over here and I'll help you. Hurry before those men catch up." Bido offered.
Naturally, anyone who be a little hesitant to accept help from such an unusual looking stranger. Still, his voice was so concerned and his eyes were overflowing with worry. Maybe he was trustworthy.
"Please, come with me, miss. Please, I'll help you escape." he pleaded.
She looked unsure, but as the voice of one of her attacks rang out through the dusty air like a gunshot, she knew that her mind had made up for her. She ran into the alley and ducked behind a large dumper with the short. The men ran by and she sighed in relief before sitting back against the wall.
"Thanks. You really saved my ass back there." she said.
Bido smiled until she moved her hand away from her side and blood poured from her side. Bido's eyes filled with tears.
"Oh no. You're hurt. If I'd known that, I would have hurried. I'm sorry." he said sadly as he hung his head in shame.
"Whatever. If you'd hadn't showed up with you did, they would have killed me. You're a hero. Don't apologize." she said, smiling at the ground weakly.
"My friends can probably help take care of that. They're only a few alleys down. Can you walk?" Bido asked.
She tired to get up, but bit her lip to hold back a scream and shook her head.
"I'll go get them and bring them to you then. I'll be right back." he said.
"You don't have to go to that much trouble for my sake." she mumbled in pain.
Bido clearly wasn't listening as he began to scale the wall across from them like a lizard.
"Wait. Before you go, what's your name?" she asked.
"I'm Bido."
"Bido? Okay. Nice to meet you. I'm Elyza."
Bido smiled again.
"I'll be right back, Miss Elyza." Bido said as he crawled up the wall and disappeared.
It didn't take long for Bido to reach the Devil's Nest. When he got there, he hurried in and ran to Greed who was in the process of lighting a cigarette.
"Mr. Greed! Mr. Greed!" he cried out as he got him.
Greed took a long draw off his cigarette then blew the smoke over Bido's head before looking down at the little hybrid.
"Oh, there you are, Bido. I was wondering where you were." he chuckled.
"My friend, Miss Elyza, she's in an alleyway near here. She's hurt really badly. Some soldiers attacked her. She's losing a lot of blood." Bido said in one long breath.
Greed's eye widened into a curious expression.
"Soldiers attacked a young woman? That's odd. Bido, can you take me to see your little friend please?" he said as he flickered his ashes into a nearby ashtray.
"Does that mean you're going to help her?" Bido asked hopefully.
"I can't just let this poor kid bleed to death in an alley. That's just cruel and it's not my style. Dolcetto, you coming?" Greed replied.
"Yeah. I'll go. I'm a little curious about what kind of girl getting attacked by the military." Dolcetto said as he walked up behind Greed.
"Lead the way, Bido." Greed said.
Bido smiled widely.
"Follow me." he said as he left.
The other two men followed him to where Bido had left Elyza. There in the alleyway was something that none of them expected. What appeared to be a giant bush made off of metal had be erected around the girl who was laying in a pool of her own blood and seemed to be unconscious as well. Bido started crying a little and Dolcetto shook his head in disgust. Greed walked over to the metal bars slowly.
As he walked up to the maze of metal bars, he began to study it a little.
"Bido, was she like this when you found her?" he asked.
"No, sir. She was just sitting there when I left. They must have done it."
"I don't think so. If they roughed her that badly then their orders were to kill. They won't have just trapped her." Dolcetto said.
"I think she did it. The markings on her bracelets kinda look like transmutation circles. Plus this was made to protect her. There's even thorns on it so if someone tried to grab her out of here, they'd just about cut their damn arm off." Greed said. "We can ask her later. First things first, let's make sure she doesn't die."
He hardened up the shield on his hands and pulled a few of the bars apart so that he could knell beside her and check her pulse.
"Good. She's not dead yet. Hey, doll, can you hear me?"
She groaned under her breath.
"We're gonna take you back with us and get you all fixed up, okay? Tighten your hand into a fist if you understood that."
She barely had the strength but she tried to do as he said. Her skinny fingers slightly curled up and Greed nodded before unhardening his shield.
"Good girl. Now, stay still so I don't drop you. This might hurt." he said as he put his arms under her and lifted her up.
She screamed in agony and Bido shuttered at the sound of his new friend's pain.
"Come on, guys. Let's go." Greed said as he started walking.
As they continued back to the Devil's Nest, Elyza rested her head on Greed's chest. He didn't pay much attention to as he talked to the others until Dolcetto laughed.
"I think she's taken a liking to you, boss."
Greed looked down to see that the young woman was cuddled up to his chest and looked more asleep than unconious now. He laughed and looked at his half dog friend.
"Don't act so surprised. You know I have a way with women."
"Whatever you say." Dolcetto laughed as he rolled his eyes.
When they returned, Greed laid Elyza on the couch and ripped her shirt down the middle before yanking it off. Dolcetto blushed a little and looked at Greed.
"How are we supposed to bandage up a wound that we can't see? Damn, Dolcetto. Get your head out of the gutter." Greed chuckled.
"Pervert." Dolcetto laughed.
"Shut up and go get the others."
Greed unhooked her bracelets and put them in her pockets. He also unhooked a small leather belt that had six silver throwing knives on it and sat it on the bar on the other side of the room. Martel, Roa, Dolcetto, and Bido came into the room and began trying to repair her wound and Greed headed outside to smoke again.
"Let me know when she wakes up." he called as the door closed behind him.
After about two hours, Elyza began to stir. As she awoke, she tried to sit up but her soreness was too much and she groaned in pain loudly. Dolcetto came into the room and smiled.
"Oh good. You're finally awake. Greed has been waiting for you to get up. Hey, Greed!"
"Greed? What kind of a name is that?" she whispered to herself.
Greed came in and Dolcetto left. Elyza looked up as Greed studied her for a moment. She was very pretty. She had large blue eyes and jet black hair that hung past her shoulders and was a little wavy but mostly straight. Her hair was tucked behind her ears on both sides. Her eyelashes were thick and long. Her tan skin looked like the sun had kissed it on a daily basis. Her lips were full and pink. She didn't look so close to death and Greed actually began to admire how pretty she was.
She had a blanket throw over her and a second blanket was rolled up behind her head as a pillow.
"Where am I? Where are my braclets? What's going on?" she demanded.
He pulled her braclets out his pockets and held them up. She growled under her breath and tried to snatch them out of his hand but only managed to hurt herself more.
"Calm down there, dollface. I'll answer your questions and I'll give these back to you. First, I have some questions of my own."
"Like what?"
"Like why the miltary would sic their dogs on an innocent little girl like you."
"It's a long story. Basically, I ditched the miltary and they're pissy about it. Granted, I stole $16,000 from them first. I still think they're overreacting though." she said as she shrugged her shoulders.
"Damn. Looks like I had you all wrong. You're not innocent at all. You're just a little badass, huh?" Greed laughed.
"Miltary life just didn't match up to my goals." she said.
"Did you make that bush around yourself?"
"Of course I did. I was a State Alchemist before I left."
"That's what I thought. Nice work by the way.
"Thank you." she said, looking him up and down curiously.
"So what now?"
"Hell, I don't know. I have nowhere to go and the miltary is trying to kill me. So, I don't know." she said.
A smile appeared on Greed's face.
"Tell you what. I want an skilled little woman like you around here and you want a home, right?" Greed asked.
"Yeah?"
"How about this? You stay here and work for me and in exchange, I'll let you live here and make sure the miltary stays off your back. You'll have your safehouse and I'll have my alchemist. Everyone wins."
"Now, hold on. Who said that I plan on working for anyone? I'm not the follower type, pretty boy, and I don't need anyone bossing me around. I have big goals and I don't want anyone getting in my way!" she said as she sat up.
The blanket fell down to reveal several layers of thick white bandages that started just above her breast and went all the way down to her waist. A deep blush covered her face and she threw her arms around herself protectively. Greed started laughing and she instinctively reached for her knives only to find out that he'd taken them too.
"Sorry about the shirt. I didn't exactly have time to be patient so I ripped it off. Like I said, babe, I'll replace your shirt and return your things."
"Your friends call you Greed." she said. "What's your real name?"
Greed chuckled.
"Believe it or not, that is my real name. You see, I'm not your average guy."
He held up his hand to reveal an Ouroboros tattoo and Elzya's eyes widened.
"I'm a homunculus."
"A homunculus?"
"It means I'm a person made from alchemy." he said.
"Impossible!" Elyza hissed.
Without another word, Greed retrived one of her knives, returned to where she was sitting, and looked at her. He shoved the knife into his hand and out the other side. Elyza's eyes widened as what looked like red lightening swarmed his hand and the hole closed.
"You're amazing." he said softly.
Greed burst into a fit of laugther and Elyza looked at him confused.
"Sorry, it's just that I was expecting fear, not admiration. You're such got a lot of moxie, kiddo." Greed said.
"I've never scared easily. Why are you called Greed, by the way?"
"That's simple. I'm the living embodiment of avarice. I'm greedy. You see, I want everything. I want money and power, woman and sex, status and glory! I want everything! This entire world is my possession!"
Elyza smirked and leaned forward.
"Well, you and I aren't so different after all. The one and only reason that I joined the miltary as a state alchemist was to obtain most of that stuff. You see, I'm tired of having nothing. I want it all too. Maybe not the women, but the money, power, sex, status, and glory all sound wonderful to me! I'm pretty greedy myself." she said.
Greed starting clapping his hands and chuckling loudly.
"You are the most avarious little thing I have ever seen! Now that's my kind of woman! I might just keep you by my side for company. You are just a little peach!"
Elyza looked pleased with his compliment.
"So, you really want me to stay?" she asked.
"Sure. I've explained my reasons. I can't really force you though. I don't fight women."
"Who knew homunculi were so charming."
"Not all, but I suppose I've always been a bit of a black sheep." Greed said with a smirk. "So what's your story, kiddo? I've spilled my guts all over. I'd like to hear about my newest little addtion."
"I haven't accepted your offer yet, pretty boy, but I don't mind to tell you a little information about myself since you did tell yours. I'm Elyza Forte and until recently, I was also known as the Silver Petal Alchemist. I was born here in Dublith but my family was tragically killed in an explained house fire. I was the only survivor. I lived in the streets until an old man who worked at the library found me and let me live in the attic of the library. While I was there, I began to study alchemy. Then I went to Central, became a State Alchemist, and the rest isn't that hard to figure out." she replied.
"Interesting. So you don't have anyone? That's gonna suck, huh, doll?" Greed said.
She looked down and seemed to fighting back tears. Greed smirked and went to sit behind her. He pulled her bracelets out of his pocket, placed them into her hand and closed it into a fist. Then he removed his vest and draped it over her shoulders. She looked up in shock but he merely smirked.
"Working for me isn't like working for the miltary. I don't tie a ball and chain to your ankle and shout orders all day long. No, you'll just be laying around most the time with me. You can do as you please. Just give me a heads up when you go somewhere so I'll know when to send a search party out for you. Other than that, you're not really restrained. Working for me, however, means you have live in the shadows. Don't lie to me and I'll never do it to you. Don't betray me and I'll never do it to you. Oh, and don't die. You're not very useful if you're dead somewhere. So what do you think
"I only have one request." Elyza said.
"What about that be?"
"Don't leave me in the dust. If I'm loyal and helpful to you, then I want you to value me." she said.
"You prove your worth and I'll respect it, alright? Do I have my alchemist?" he said.
"We have a deal, Greed."
A smirk quickly ran across his face like a fire on a fuse.
"Alright. Welcome to the Devil's Nest, babe. Now, let's go talk to my chermias." he said as he stood up.
"Chermias?" she asked.
"You know what those are, right?"
"Animal and human hybrids? Is Bido one of them?"
"Yep. He's part lizard. The runt that was in here when you woke up is the family pet. His name is Dolcetto and he's part dog. You haven't met Roa and Martel yet. She's part snake and he's part cow. We have a crocodile too." Greed said with a little pride in his voice.
"You just have a whole zoo, don't you?" Elyza laughed.
"You really don't scare easily."
"Of course not."
Dolcetto came into the room with Bido behind him. Bido's eyes lit up and a smile appeared on his face.
"Miss Elyza! You're okay!" he said happily.
"Yeah and I've been talking to your boss man over here. You guys have a new room mate." she laughed.
"Nice to meet you, Elyza. I'm Dolcetto."
"Hey, Dolcetto. Greed says that you're the family pet. It's nice to meet you too."
Dolcetto shot Greed the most evil look that he could but the homunculus simply laughed. Martel and Roa came into the room as well.
"We overheard the conversation. No need to repeat yourself." Roa said.
"Greed's never been very good at whispering." Martel said with a smile.
"Good to have you, Elyza." Roa said.
Elyza nodded then put her arms through the arm holes in Greed's vest before standing up slowly.
"So what's first, boss?" she asked the homunculus in front of her.
"Look at you. Just a few hours of down time and you're suddenly ready to get back in the game." Greed laughed.
"I'm not very useful on the couch."
"You can relax for a while. You have 3 bullets hole in you and a huge gash in your side. You don't need to be moving a lot. By the way, I need that vest back."
"Too bad. You ruined my shirt. When I get a new shirt, you can have this back, big boy."
It was too big for her and was falling off her shoulders. Greed laughed.
"Now, damn it, girl. You can't just come in here and steal my clothes." he said.
"Equivalent exchange, pretty boy. I get a shirt and you get your vest."
"You're a crafty little monster, huh? Okay, Miss Elyza. Let's play. Martel and Dolcetto, see if you can find a shirt for this crazy woman." Greed said.
"Alright. Be back in a minute." Martel said as she went out the door.
"Man, now he's got us shopping." Dolcetto complained as he followed.
Greed went into a back room and motioned for her to follow him. She did and closed the door behind her.
"You know, you look pretty hot in that vest." he said.
"Thank you." she said smirking.
He ran his fingers through some of her loose hair and smirked.
"You might just be the prettiest girl that I've seen in about 100 years."
"Are you hitting on me?" she giggled.
"Yes, I am. I'm Greed. I want woman and sex. I just told you that."
"I'm not about to give into you that easily. You have to earn this." she said.
"Challenge accepted. The other thing I wanted to tell you is that you should consider changing your appearance in some way. With the military after you, it might help to avoid attention. Now then, why don't you go rest for a bit while we wait for them return with your clothes?" Greed said as he started walk away.
Suddenly, he reached back and popped her on the butt before leaving the room. She blushed a little and looked at the door.
"I know he just didn't. I would have stabbed anyone else for that." she said as she left the room.
When she went back and laid on the couch, Greed must have noticed how red her face was because he laughed as he lit a cigarette.
"I tend to get a little handsy when I'm around a girl that my avarice desires. I hope I didn't scare you."
"Scare me? Don't kid yourself. By the way, can I have my knifes back?"
"Later." he said as he took another draw from his cigarette.
"You said you'd give them back." she said in annoyed voice.
"And I will. I didn't say when I would, now did I? I don't tell lies. You'll have them back but you don't need them right now."
She crossed her arms and looked away.
"Come on, doll face. Smile a little. Your worries are gone for now." Greed said.
She smiled and looked over at him.
"There we go! That's better. Now, why don't you go back to sleep for a while and let some of that soreness wore off? You're still limping and I noticed you frowning every time you moved. Go ahead and catch up on your sleep."
Elyza looked at him like she was a little scared and he smiled before holding up the hand with his Ouroboros tattoo on it. Suddenly his skin began to turn charcoal and his fingers became claws. Elyza looked shocked. The charcoal color stopped at his wrist. His tattoo was still visible.
"This is my ultimate shield. It's harder than diamond and my claws can cut through most anything. You belong to me now and no one is gonna to mess with you. Go to sleep if you want to, okay?" he said.
"Thank you, Greed." she said softly.
Greed blew some smoke into the air and looked away.
"Nah, don't mention it." he said.
Elyza laid down and started to fall asleep. This was the first time since her house burned down that she'd been able to sleep in an unfamiliar place. Before falling asleep completely, she looked up at the ceiling.
"Hey, Greed?"
"Yeah?"
"You have my complete loyalty. I'll do whatever you need me to do. I'll even die for you if I have to." she said.
"Okay. I'll keep that in mind. Now, get some rest." Greed said back.
Elyza fell asleep rather quickly and Greed looked at her as she sleep.
"Die for me, huh?" he said as he put out his cigarette. "What a heart of gold to want to die for a monster. I just kinda hope that we don't have to test that. You're a pretty cool girl."
He watched her sleep for a while before going outside to get some air. As Elyza slept, she smiled. This was starting to look like the beginning of a beautiful friendship.