Quick A/N: So, instead of studying, working on Pressure Point, OR working on Humanity, I randomly thought of this Soul Eater-inspired oneshot. It might be because this past weekend I watched the first ten episodes of the show, and I am really enjoying it. So I thought I would make a short AU story with my favorite characters from my favorite anime. (That being said, I have only seen 10 episodes of Soul Eater, so I don't know all of the mechanics. Instead, I have made a story based on my thoughts of what the show and concepts seem to mean to me while maintaining the characters/relationships/places from Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood.). If you have a limited knowledge of Soul Eater, I think you should be able to follow along based on my description…
Can you guess what battle from FMA:B this was slightly based on?
(Apologies in advance if anyone seems OOC; mostly written as a fun, random idea.)
The tension in the nighttime air was palpable.
Breathing in the crisp, cool autumn air, the black-haired man tried to calm his feelings of anxiousness and anticipation as he quickly turned a corner and vanished into the darkness.
As he made his way down another darkened alleyway, Roy Mustang held the silver pistol against his chest, directly over his rapidly beating heart.
This was it. Tonight was the night that he would finally apprehend the monster that had murdered countless military personnel in cold blood. It was the night that he would finally exact his revenge for the murder of his dearest and closest friend…
Roy yelped in pain as a blast of red static erupted from the pistol in his hand, forcing him to release his grip and drop it to the ground.
"Damn it," he muttered to himself as he bent over to pick it up. Before he could grasp it, however, it began to glow a brilliant white. Groaning inwardly, Roy sat back on his heels and watched as the pistol's shape changed, becoming humanoid in appearance. A heartbeat later, the white light dissipated, leaving a blonde-haired woman standing in the place the gun once was.
Arms folded across her chest, the woman glared down at the man, sherry eyes locked directly on his midnight ones. After a few moments of watching him, she sighed and moved one hand to her hip, allowing the other to hang loosely at her side. Her expression softened as she asked, "Sir, could you please explain to me what that was about?"
Roy let out a frustrated sigh. "It won't happen again, Lieutenant; I promise." He got to his feet and dusted himself off. Still feeling her eyes on him, he looked back at her and held her unwavering look. Hoping to avoid the subject entirely, he asked, "Are you okay?"
Shifting her weight from one foot to the other, Riza's expression hardened once more. "I'm fine, sir. Don't avoid the subject. Your objectives for this mission changed; I've never rejected you before. So why now?"
She was right. In all the years they had worked together, their souls' wavelengths had always been in perfect sync. Hell, they were considered one of the best Meister-Weapon teams in the entirety of the Amestrian military; that is, until Fuhrer King Bradley claimed her as one of his Death Blades, reassigning her to his arsenal in an attempt to separate the powerful pair. The thought of Bradley laying a single finger on her had been unbearable, making any relationship with every other Weapon counterproductive. She was the only one that understood him and he was the only one who could wield her. So, when he found out that Bradley had begrudgingly decided to send her back to East City to partner with Roy once more, he was elated.
Apparently, using a pistol proved too great a challenge for the half-blind man. That and their souls' wavelengths had often rejected each other, interfering with the Fuhrer's plans of advancement and conquest. Reassigning her under Roy's command showed Roy that the man valued their strength, but it also told him that they'd be under constant surveillance; eyes constantly watching to see if they would become powerful enough to oppose him.
"Sir," she interrupted his thoughts, "If this is about revenge, then I will not be a part of it."
"I don't know what you're talking about," he growled in reply.
"You know exactly what I'm talking about," she replied hardly. Taking a few steps forward, she stopped in front of him, the toes of her boots practically touching his. Looking him straight in the eye, she continued, "If this is about Maes, I understand that you are upset. I am too. But if you go into this seeking only revenge, then the mission will fail, and we may never apprehend the killer. Do you want that, Roy?"
Upon hearing her say his name, Roy felt his face soften. Again, she was right. If their objectives weren't the same, her soul would reject him again, which could lead to the two of them being killed. Or, if he was still able to use her, they may still fail the mission. And if Bradley caught wind of that, he would take her back in a heartbeat.
"No, I don't," he admitted. He couldn't afford losing her again. But he didn't know if he could keep his feelings of anger and his desire for revenge from clouding his mind once again. He wanted nothing more than to watch the monster that did this to suffer as much as Hughes had…
Riza was about to go on when a sinister laugh tore through the air, sending shivers down Roy's spine. It was here.
Suddenly, a pair of thin, black spikes shot out of the blackness. Roy yelled out as they ripped through his shoulder, sending shockwaves of agony pulsating throughout his entire body. Reaching out instinctively, he felt a soft, familiar hand take his. Tightening his grip, he felt the hand shift and change, becoming the silver pistol once again. When his finger found the trigger, he fired a multitude of blazing red shots into the darkness, trying to find his mark.
A few moments after his barrage ended, he advanced slowly, the pistol raised and pointed toward the source of the spikes. However, he found himself staring into a dark and empty corner, finding only pieces of the wall the pure soul energy had chipped away. Cursing to himself, he looked around frantically, trying to locate the unworldly creature that had assaulted them.
"Sir, please calm yourself."
He looked down at the pistol, seeing Riza's face reflected overtop the hawk insignia etched onto its barrel. Her brows were furrowed in concern, her sherry eyes mirroring her worry. "If your soul becomes anymore restless, I might reject you again."
He took a deep breath and exhaled. He needed to focus. "Right…" Clear your mind.
Turning on his heels, Roy cautiously crept back out into the dimly lit cobblestone streets, the pistol raised and ready. He narrowed his eyes, hoping they would adjust to the lack of proper lighting. There was nothing. It was as if it had vanished…
"Do you sense any other souls?"
"That's the thing," Roy stated slowly, "I don't sense any at all, save yours and mine."
"Odd…"
Hearing the sound of heels beating the pavement behind him, Roy whirled around, gun pointed into the darkness.
Another sickeningly harsh cackle erupted through the air as a slender, black-clad figure sauntered out of the darkness. Stopping a few hundred feet from him, the black-haired woman shifted and placed a hand on her hip, a wicked smile played across her full, red lips.
Roy's midnight glare caught the woman's violet eyes. Something was off…
Narrowing his eyes further, Roy desperately tried to make sense of the creature that stood before him. No matter how hard he concentrated, he could not see her soul. But that would mean…
His eyes widened with realization. No… That was impossible.
As if she had read his mind, the woman's smile widened. "Technical difficulties?" she purred amusedly.
"What are you," Roy snarled.
"Well, that was rude," the woman said as she stuck out her lower lip in a pout. "I'm just like anyone else." Eyeing him intensely, she remarked, "I am human."
"Bullshit," Roy responded dryly. "Then why can't I sense your soul?"
"What…?! That's impossible!"
Upon hearing the disembodied second voice, the mysterious woman's impish smile returned. "That confirms it. You are the one I'm looking for," she said as she pointed at Roy.
"What does that mean," Roy pressed as his finger twitched on the pistol's trigger.
The woman crossed her arms. "Simple. I've been sent to find and incapacitate you, Colonel Mustang."
"By telling me that, I could only assume you don't intend for us to live," Roy asked as he took aim.
"Exactly…" And with that, the woman vanished.
Whipping around, Roy surveyed the darkened area, trying to get a visual on the woman.
"Above you!"
Looking up, he saw a dark shape dropping down from the sky, threatening to come down on him. Shielding his head with his arms, he waited for the inevitable impact. Instead, his ears were greeted with the sound of clashing metal. Glancing up through his arms, he saw that the pistol had changed shape to become a small, rounded shield.
Crying out in anger, the woman leapt back from the shield and darted forward toward Roy.
He raised the shield and blocked her blows. Pushing back against her, he managed to thrust her away.
As she stumbled to regain her footing, the shield became a pistol once more. Finding the trigger, Roy fired a multitude of rounds; each round finding its mark on the creature's body and bringing it to its knees.
Holding his fire, Roy took a step toward the struggling creature. "Are you the one that has been murdering military personnel," he asked coldly as he pointed the pistol at the creature.
Staring up at him with hate-filled eyes, the monster spat a mouthful of blood onto the ground next to it. Pulling its lips back into a smile, revealing blood-covered teeth, it purred, "Unfortunately for you, it was not I. However," it staggered to its feet as red sparks danced around its body, "You can be my first."
Roy's eyes widened with dismay as the holes that had riddled its body began to close, bathing it in a shower of red flares.
Raising its head to peer into his eyes, it licked the excess blood from its lips. "But first, I'm going to destroy that Weapon of yours."
In an instant the creature was in front of Roy, mere inches from him. Long, dagger-like nails extended, it swung toward him, its claws clashing against the manifested shield. Moments later, a sickening crack rang through the air, the sound ringing in Roy's ears.
Horror and panic rose in Roy as he realized what he had heard.
A series of long, winding cracks had radiated through the shield, threatening to shatter at any moment. Threatening to shatter Riza at any moment.
No. He would not let that happen.
With every last ounce of his waning strength, he shifted the shield, changing the angle of the monster's attack.
The next time the monster's claws clashed with metal, they deflected, ripping through Roy's side instead. Crying out in glee, the monster changed its target, lunging at Roy. However, its attack was never landed.
A massive release of soul force divided the two of them, sending them in opposite directions. Just like he had planned.
Because in that instant before the monster struck, Roy allowed his fear of losing the one he held most dear take hold of him and consume him. That level of emotion was enough to counteract Riza's will to fight on, forcing their souls to reject each other. The resulting amount of force generated had been enough to separate them from the monster…
Roy gasped in pain and surprise as he was slammed against the cement wall of the building behind him. Dazed, he slid down the wall and crumbled against it. Through his blurred vision, he could see the monster screaming in pain as it regenerated itself.
He propped himself up against the building and clutched his side, trying desperately to stanch the blood that flowed from his fresh wound. His heart was pounding in his head; his vision was beginning to fade. Before long, his body would succumb to the pressing darkness.
No… He couldn't.
Turning his head slightly, he saw Riza push herself up onto her hands and knees. When she lifted her head to try and get a visual on him, Roy's heart sank. Her entire face and torso were covered in blood.
He couldn't let it end like this…
Riza crawled over to Roy and put her hands on his shoulders and bowed her head, positioning herself in front of him.
Despite everything he had done, every mistake he made… She was still willing to protect him; to be his shield. If she still had the will to fight, then Roy would fight too. Even if it meant to the death.
"Riza," Roy murmured weakly, "Can you still fight?"
She looked up in surprise, squinting through the blood that had run into her eyes. Taking a deep, shaking breath, she nodded her head slightly. "Yes."
"Good."
Roy gently reached out and took her left wrist in his right hand. Pulling her toward himself, he ran his other hand up her arm and grasped her elbow. Brushing his cheek against hers, he pressed his lips against her ear and whispered, "Now."
In a flash of white light, Riza vanished, replacing in Roy's grasp a black Springfield rifle.
Through the blood and the sweat, Roy saw the recovered creature charging them down the barrel of the rifle, screaming madly as she closed in, her talons stretched and ready to strike.
But even in that moment, Roy felt no fear. Instead, he felt a brilliant warmth pulse throughout his entire body. What started as a dull, flickering light had become a raging inferno. He could feel Riza's soul and he knew that she could feel his. They were connected; in perfect harmony. This was the testament of their true power.
Together they were unstoppable.
Without hesitation, Roy pulled the trigger.
A heartbeat later, a blast of reddened soul energy erupted from the muzzle of the rifle. As it ripped through the air, it began to change shape; morphing into a creature of flight and flame.
The soul-fire phoenix seized the monster in its talons and wrapped its wings around it, enveloping it. A pulse tore through the air, throwing Roy back against the building once again. He held the rifle tight to his chest and turned away from the blinding light that followed.
A second pulse resonated through the ground as the light blasted upward, creating a column of fire and light that parted the darkened clouds above.
Then, as quickly as the attack happened, it ceased; leaving behind a path of destruction and rubble.
Panting heavily, Roy looked down at the woman he held tightly to his chest. Taking a deep breath, he murmured, "I think we overdid it this time. Good thing this part of town is abandoned…"
He felt her tense in his arms before she craned her head back to look up at him. Instead of seeing a look of admiration or thankfulness he had long craved, he saw an expression of pure fire and anger.
"What the hell was that, Roy?" Riza growled as she narrowed her brown eyes.
"I don't know," he mumbled as he looked at the area of the cobblestone street that had been the center of the blast. All that remained as a flattened, black circle of pavement, slightly larger than an automobile.
"Not that," she seethed as he looked back down at her. "Your deflection of the attack that was meant for me."
Roy stared back, his mouth slightly ajar, completely at a loss for words. He saved her life and she was upset with him?!
Her eyes softened, giving way to an expression of pain. "You are the Meister and I am the Weapon. My duty is to protect you; it's not the other way around." She leaned her head forward and rested it against his chest, letting out an exhausted sigh. "You're all I have left. So don't go where I can't follow... "
Roy rested his chin atop her head and pulled her closer. "You're all I have left, too, you know," he replied. "I can't afford to lose you..." Suddenly he tensed as he felt a wave of pain roar through him.
He had completely forgotten about the large, gaping wound on his side.
Roy collapsed onto his side, dragging Riza down with him.
"Roy?!" She pushed herself off of him, eyeing the black-haired man in alarm. Quickly locating the source of his injury, she shrugged off her military jacket and pressed it against the wound, mopping up the blood that ran from it. "Stay with me, okay?"
"Okay," he groaned in reply, his consciousness beginning to fade in and out.
He could hear her talking to him, but it was difficult trying to make out the words. He was positive, however, that she was scolding him for his recklessness and stupidity; maybe even going as far as comparing him to Fullmetal and his foolhardy behavior.
He had been reckless; that much was true. However, despite what she thought and said, Roy would never take back what he did; because he needed her now more than ever.
During his times of decreased consciousness, Roy's thoughts were constantly racing, trying to process everything that had happened. That creature they fought was unlike anything they had ever encountered before.
It was powerful…
It was dangerous…
And it was not Hughes' murderer…
That meant that somewhere out there, the monster responsible for the killing of his best friend and other military personnel was slinking around, lurking in the shadows, and poised to strike…
At an interval of increased consciousness, he suddenly became aware of a familiar noise. Opening his eyes, he looked up at the blonde-haired woman that was leaning over him and shot her a small, goofy grin. "Do you hear that," he murmured, referring to the wail of sirens in the distance. "How many do you think they sent this time?"
Seemingly taking it as a sign that he would be alright, Riza relaxed slightly. "Four," she guessed in reply to his question.
Feeling his grin widen, Roy responded simply by saying, "I'll bet it's five."
A/N: So, that was my rendition of the battle between Roy and Lust in a Soul Eater-inspired AU. Mostly, it was written for fun. Since I had the idea and I typed it out in one sitting, I figured I'd share ;P And it's my first Royai oneshot (who knows, maybe I'll write another one soon that doesn't involve being mean to them... Or setting them in an AU... *Hint hint*)
To those that read Pressure Point and/or Humanity, expect the chapters to be out sometime toward the end of this week or next week (exams are beginning to pick up again and I haven't written anything for either chapter; I do have them all plotted out though…). But I will try to get Pressure Point's chapter out first.
Now, back to your regular, scheduled programming by The Flame and Hawk's Eye.