"Time to wake up, princess!"
The blow caught Sakura in the face, and slowly she resurfaced into the world of the conscious. Where was she? Why couldn't she remember? And WHY couldn't she move?
'Ah' She thought blearily, 'That's why. Yeah, that'll do it….'
Sakura Mustang was suspended in midair above a Trapping Circle. It's magic had her completely bound. Now that she knew it was there, she could feel the tendrils of power flowing in the Circle, intertwined with her own, binding that as well as her body.
The teenage Solar Alchemist was still trying to get her bearings when the sinister face of the homunculus Envy swam into view.
"Good morning, Colonel!" He said, throwing a fake salute in that strange grating voice of his, tone dripping in sarcasm, "I trust you had a good rest?"
"Oh, you bet," Sakura snapped in a tone of voice that proved that he tongue was just as good a weapon as the rest of her lithe, young body, "Tell me-Envy-WHERE AM I???"
"Loooooooooooooong Story, sweetheart!" Envy drawled, rolling his eyes. He did several well placed back handsprings away from her, vanishing into the darkness.
Sakura ignored the irritating homunculus, and instead concentrated on the Trapping Circle that kept her immobile. It was alchemy at it's best-all the runestones used to channel the energy were the purest that she had ever seen, and every measuring carved into the flagstone floor was accurate and precise to no end. Grudgingly, Sakura admitted that not even her older brother, Colonel Roy Mustang, would have been able to draw up such a high caliber Circle.
Sakura blew a strand of hair out of her face with a huff, pouting slightly as she did so. Gosh dang it, she was stuck!
"You're dying of curiosity, aren't you?" Envy called from somewhere to Sakura's immediate left. She couldn't see him in the dark. In fact, the only thing that she could manage to see was that confounded Trapping Circle!
"You want to know three things!" Envy continued, stepping into the small amount of light that the circle threw, "You want to know who drew up such a lovely bit of alchemy, and you want to know what I am planning to do with you!"
"Right.." Sakura growled, shooting daggers with her eyes, " But you forgot one little one. Is the same guy who dressed you up the same crack who did your hair?"
Envy gave a hoarse laugh, throwing back his head, and letting his shoulder shake. It was one of the most bizarre sounds that Sakura had ever heard in her life.
"You're funny!" The wild haired homunculus snickered wickedly, "I should keep you around just for laughs! But one thing you should remember-" Envy added, all traces of humor gone from him, now, "When you're hanging in the clutches of a Trapping Circle…I'm the one who'll be shooting the biting comments!!!"
At that moment, Envy pulled from nowhere what appeared to be a black mask shaped like a wolf's face. Envy swung it around like a sling, holding it by a pair of thin straps that were obviously for tying behind the head.
Sakura's keen eyes followed the mask, and for one instant she forgot that she was being held captive by her enemy. All that mattered was that mask. That mask…that-
Envy let the mask go. It flew up into the air, and he snatched it out with nimble fingers.
"The mask of nine moons is one of it's many names!" Envy shouted to his prisoner, "It's a fickle object, this thing! The bearer of the mask was killed some time ago, but her spirit still lives on in it, or some such tosh…
Envy stroked the mask lovingly with a forefinger.
"All YOU have to do is use that handy dandy solar alchemist power to shine life into it, or whatever you do, and we'll let you go!"
Sakura fought back a mad urge to burst out laughing, "You think I'm gonna do that?" She hooted, "First of all, I'd never EVER help you, even if my life depended on it, which it seems to at the moment…..and second of all, you don't know the first THING about alchemy. There's a law of equal exchange that says-"
"Oh, shut up already!" Envy cut in, not even looking at her, "All of you, 'I'm a hero' blather is really starting to get on my nerves, and in the position that you are in, that wouldn't be a good thing!!!! Half of your law of equal-whatever-the-crap has already been taken out. The alchemist who sealed herself in here has already died….all that we need is a dead body who's soul has been ripped from it, and thanks to our friend Gluttony, that's not a problem anymore…."
"What the he-"
"SHUT UP!!!" Envy roared, and the ties of magic binding Sakura tightened considerably.
"How is he doing it?" Sakura wondered to herself, "Everyone knows a homunculus can't do alchemy! Unless….no!"
Sakura's gaze darted to the Mask of Nine Moons. What had formerly been a plain black piece of metal now had blood red runes shining up and down it in intricate patterns, shining brightly on the surface. Was the mask itself doing the alchemy?
"No…." Sakura thought, correcting herself, "It's the trapped alchemist INSIDE of it!"
It was getting harder and harder to think clearly. Sakura's vision was starting to flicker as the power of the Trapping Circle arose, and threatened to overwhelm her!