Hello! hetfan7708 here. This is one of my newest stories. I'm not sure if I have the entire plot straightened out, so updates may be far and few between. Please tell me what you think in reviews! I will make sure to reply to all reviewers personally, so long as there are E-mail addresses since doesn't allow replies in updates. Anyway, enjoy my wonderful story!
Disclaimer: The only things I own are the plot and this off-colored blob I found in my couch cushion. Um... And if there are any grammar mistakes, please tell me, because my computer doesn't have spell check.
Whoo-whoo! A train blew its whistle as it slowly chugged out of the station, gaining speed as it rolled along. Behind it, two figures raced down the tracks, desperately trying to catch the speeding locomotive.
"Dammit, wait up!" The smaller of the two shouted. He was young, dressed in black except for a pair of white gloves and a long red jacket that billowed out behind him as he ran. His long golden-blonde hair was bound in a braid that flapped in the wind. Behind him ran a man in an enormous suit of steel armor. At least, that's what people who did not know the two thought. In truth, the person in the suit of armor was actually the younger of the two by a full year, and there was no body in there at all. The armor was empty, with a seal written in blood the only thing that made it a person instead of a heap of scrap metal.
"Brother, fall back!" The suit of armor called.
"Huh?" The boy looked back and grinned. "Oh, right!" He slowed his pace until he fell alongside his brother, who put out his gauntleted hands, his fingers locked. The boy leapt into the air and onto his brother's hands. He leapt again, this time towards the train, and as he jumped his brother thrust upward, propelling the boy onto the small balcony at the back of the train. As soon as his feet hit the train, the boy brought his hands together and pressed them to the iron railing. There was a flash of light, and when it faded the boy was holding a long coil of thick iron cord. He tossed a loop of the rope to his brother. "Grab this, Al! I'll pull you in!"
Al caught the end of the rope and wound it around his huge fists. "Ready!" The boy nodded and heaved on the rope. The force of his pull, coupled with the momentum of Al's running and the speed of the train, sent the armor flying towards the balcony.
"Whoa!" The boy yelped and ducked, barely avoiding impact as Al crashed into the door behind him and fell to the floor with a heavy clunk. "That was close!" The boy exclaimed as he clutched his pounding heart. "Hey Al, are you all right?" He asked worriedly, looking down at his younger brother.
Al sat up and a adjusted his helmet with a clatter. He then raised his hand in a thumbs-up. "Yup. I'm fine." He gave a small, echoing laugh. "You know, Ed, if I were normal that probably would've hurt a lot."
Ed smiled sadly and gave his own tiny laugh. "If you were normal, we probably wouldn't be doing this." There was a moment of silence, then Ed bent down and picked up his suitcase, (which he had dropped when he landed) and turned to the door. "Come on, Al. Let's go inside."
"Right." Al nodded and got to his feet. Standing, Al towered over his older brother, who just barely came past his waist. It was a fact that contributed to many misunderstandings with strangers as to who was the younger and who was the older. Once a group of people had even mistaken Al for Ed's father.
Inside the train, Ed and Al found a seat and sat down. Al glanced around the compartment. There wasn't a single person in any of the seats of the large compartment. "Brother, I think we're the only ones on this train," he said in surprise.
Ed pulled a folded map from his pants pocket and frowned at it. "I'm sure this is the right train. I double-checked before we left." He bit his lip. "But Tringham's supposed to be a number-one tourist attraction, and this is the best time of the year to visit its botanical gardens. This train should be packed..."
"Um, maybe everyone's up front. I mean, we are pretty far back." Al suggested.
Ed folded the map again and put it back in his pocket. "Maybe..." He sighed and stretched. "Ah well, no sense worrying about it on a few hours' sleep." He laid down and curled up on the seat, using his suitcase as a pillow. "Hey Al, could ya wake me up when we get there?" He yawned.
"Sure, Ed," Al said, but his brother was already asleep. Al sighed, then groaned when he noticed a small patch of skin peeking out from under the bottom of Ed's black shirt. "Sheesh, he always does that. I keep telling him he's gonna catch cold if he keeps sleeping with his stomach out." Al reached over and gently yanked Ed's shirt back down. Ed twitched and curled up tighter on his seat. "Leave me alone, Den..." he mumbled. "Give that back; you know my watch is not a chew toy!" He waved his hands sleepily as through pushing something away and snored loudly, and Al had to stifle a sudden case of the giggles.
When he was calm, Al looked tenderly at his brother, who was now mumbling something about giant doughnuts. 'Sleep tight, Brother,' Al thought with a mental chuckle. 'You've earned it.' Carefully, so as not to wake the sleeping teen with his rattling, Al settled down to wait out the rest of the ride.
"Brother, Brother, wake up!"
Ed groaned and stirred, sitting up and rubbing the sleep from his eyes. "Yo, Al, what's the matter?" He said through a yawn.
"We're here. We're at Tringham!" Al said excitedly as he shook his brother to help wake him up faster. If he didn't wake up fully, Ed had a tendency to go straight back to sleep. This time, however, Ed woke up surprisingly quickly.
"Whoa, already?" He said in surprise.
Al looked at Ed, and amused expression in his eyes. "It's been four hours, Ed."
Ed grinned and shook the sleep from his body. "Guess that explains why I feel so refreshed," he remarked casually. He grabbed his suitcase and threw it lazily over his shoulder. "C'mon, Al. Let's go." They slid open the doors to the compartment and were immediately swamped by a huge sea of people. "YAAH!" Ed shouted as he was forced back into the car by the mass.
"Brother!" Al called frantically. "Um, excuse me! Coming through!" He said as he waded through the crowd. Even in the panic people moved out of his way with little fuss; not too many people were about to stand in the way of a seven-foot tall suit of spiky armor. "Brother, where'd you go!" He cried as he twisted his head from side to side, trying to see.
"Al! Over here!" Al looked over to the area from where Ed's voice called. "Where? I don't see you!" He said.
"Here!" Ed managed to free a hand and wave it long enough for Al to spot it before he was buried again under the waves of panic.
"I'm coming, Ed!" Al cried. He pushed his way through the crowd, being careful to not hurt anyone, until he reached Ed's location. He reached into the midst of the mass as they rushed to board the train and pulled out an unconscious Ed. An enormous lump the size of a golf ball poked up from under his hair, and there were a number of foot-shaped bruises all over his body. "Oh my gosh, Brother!" Al said hysterically. He scooped his brother up in his arms and pushed back against the flow until he broke through into empty space. Looking around frantically, Al spied a stone bench near the center of the station and carefully laid the still-unconscious Edward on it. "Brother! Wake up! You can't die!" He wailed.
Ed sat up and clutched his throbbing head, feeling the lump on his skull. "Ow... Al, what's all the fuss? What happened?"
"Oh, Brother!" In his joy, Al scooped his brother up in a bone-crushing hug. "Brother, Brother, Brother! I was afraid you were dead!" He cried happily.
"A-Al! The armor ridges! Digging into me! Aah, I'm gonna break in half!" Ed screamed as he tried to loosen his brother's grip.
"Oh, sorry!" Al said as he hurriedly released Ed.
"Owww, I'm not gonna die!" Ed said as he glared angrily at his brother. "Yeesh, what's all the fuss, anyway?" He and Al watched the people as they continued desperately to attempt to flee. Full, the train had closed its doors and was pulling out of the station, but many people continued to chase after it, clinging to the doors, windows, and anything else they could possibly get a handhold on.
"I'm surprised to see out-of-towners here," a voice said behind them. The two brothers jumped a few centimeters in the air and spun around, startled. An wrinkled old man was staring up at them, his monstrous brows furrowed in surprise and confusion. A carved oak cane supported his small frame, which was surprisingly solid and laced with wiry muscles. His skin was brown ad leathery, the result of too much time unprotected in the sun.
"Hey, old man, why's everyone running from here?" Ed asked bluntly, not one for tact nor manners.
"I ain't old!" The man bellowed. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath, letting it out slowly. "I guess you ain't heard about what's been happenin', eh?"
Ed and Al glanced at each other, then back at the man. "Can't say that we have," Ed responded.
The man sighed and sat down on the bench beside them, his spine and knees cracking loudly as he slowly stretched his legs out. "This place was once the most beautiful place in the world," he said, his eyes closed and the look on his face one of blissful remembrance. "The whole town was alive with brilliant colors. Folks 'round the world come just to get a peek at flowers tha' could only be grown in this town, 'cause there's some special mineral found in the water 'round here. Life was peaceful, and the air was always rich wit' the scent of roses." His face darkened and his fists clenched into balls of anger. "Then them monsters come and start tearin' up our wonderful gardens and destroying our houses."
"Monsters?" Al asked.
The man nodded, his mouth a pursed in a straight line. "Strange, otherworldly creatures. Things that got no business here on this green earth. They's like weird mixes of animals, 'cept I ain't never seen animals like them."
Ed and Al glanced at each other, the same word going through both their minds. 'Chimeras...!'
Ed cleared his throat. "Hey, old man--"
"I ain't old!"
Ed waved his hand. "Whatever. Anyway, do you have any idea where we could find these... monsters?"
The man looked up sharply. "Why?" He asked suspiciously. "You ain't thinkin' 'bout goin' after the beasties, are ya?" He snorted. "You young'uns wouldn't stand a chance 'gainst them monsters!" He waved a hand around the town, and Ed and Al noticed for the first time that most of the buildings were half-ruined. "Most townspeople've fled, and those that've been left behind are too scared to venture beyond that there station in the hopes that they'll be able to be first to leave this now God-forsaken town. Three o' the young men from town tried their hand at killin' them beasties." He smiled bitterly. "Their corpses appeared in the center the next day, just piles of bones chewed to bits by enormous teeth."
An unwilling shiver ran down both boys' spines. "Ah, you don't have to worry about us, old-timer." Ed said casually, waving off both the chill and the old man's protests at being called old. "We can take those things down easy."
The man gave a short bark of laughter. "What makes ya think a couple of children like you'll do any better than our bravest men!"
"Easy. We're the Elric brothers. I'm Edward Elric, and this is my younger brother, Alphonse Elric. We're Alchemists!" Ed said proudly. If he was expecting an outburst of recognition or worship at the announcement of their identities, he was disappointed.
The old man raised a white eyebrow. "The Elric brothers, eh?" They nodded. "Never heard of ya. And you say yer alchemists, huh? Aren't you a bit young to be into that stuff?" He nodded at Edward. "You say yer the older brother? You can't be outta grade school!"
Ed's temple twitched. "Who are you calling so small that he could be used as a toothpick by a paramecium! I'm fifteen, I'll have you know!"
"Brother, calm down," Al said, embarrassed by his elder brother's behavior. Al's hold on Ed was the only thing that kept the tiny alchemist from attacking the old man. When Ed had calmed to just glaring and the occasional twitch, Al released his brother and bowed apologetically to the old man. "I'm sorry about my brother, sir." He straightened with a clank. "Look, I know you don't believe we can help, but would you please tell us where we can find the creatures?"
The man looked Al over from helmet to boot and rubbed his chin. "Well, I don't know about the runt over there--" (Ed: WHAT DID YOU SAY!) "But you look like you could at least hurt the creatures." He sighed and stood. "Ah well, it doesn't look like I could talk you out of this, anyways." He started shuffling down the cobblestone road, then stopped and look back. "Well? Are y'all comin'!"
Ed and Al blinked in surprise. "Wait a second, are you going to lead us there? Aren't you scared?" Ed asked.
"Ah, I figure if you wanna get yerselves killed, that's yer problem. Me, I just want those beasties out as much as the next guy, and those fools up at Central don't look like they're gonna be helpin' anytime soon. If it takes a couple of alchemists off the streets to help us, I'll take it." As the brothers stared after him, Ed steaming at not being recognized as a state alchemist and being called a street alchemist and grade schooler, the old man continued shuffling ahead. "If y'all don't hurry up, I'll leave ya behind!" He said, startling them into running after him.
The old man led them silently through the winding streets, their footsteps the only noise. As they walked, the cobblestones grew increasingly irregular, in some places gouged out of the earth itself by what looked like giant claws. The once-fine houses turned black and charred; in some places only mountains of rubble remained. Dead plants lay scattered around their feet, torn up by the roots, their stems and blossoms withered and brown. The man halted once to scoop up the remains of a white rose bush, cradling it to his chest protectively. Ed caught the glistening of tears at the old man's eyes and quickly looked away. The man soon stood up and went on, and none of them spoke of what happened.
After about fifteen minutes, the man stopped in front of the mouth of a dense forest that surprisingly had suffered little to no damage and turned to the boys. "Well, this is where I leave ya to win or get eaten," he said. "Follow this path a ways into the forest, and y'all come 'cross our town graveyard. Them monsters've made it their nest." The old man spat onto the dirt path. "Them beasts defiled our sacred land. I don't know how good a alchemist you are, but I hope you make them pay!" With that, the man turned around and began shuffling back towards the town.
Al waved. "Thank you!" he called after the man, but he was already gone.
"Come on, Al." Ed said. He took a deep breath and stepped over the threshold into the woods, followed by his brother. It was a magical effect, like stepping into an unfamiliar world. It was almost completely dark, but enough light escaped the clutches of the thick branched high overhead to give the woods a warm, comforting glow. The dirt path wound around the great trunks of the trees, carefully cleared of creeping grasses and weeds. The Elric brothers' footsteps were softened by the hush of the forest, and the great old trees towered towards the sky. It somehow made them feel as though they were invaders in a holy land. But something was wrong.
"There are no animals here," Al whispered.
It was true. It was utterly quiet in the forest. There were no chirping birds, no bushes rustling with squirrels hiding acorns, not even the buzz of the insects that should have been in bulk at this time of year. The air was perfectly still.
"The chimeras probably scared them all off," Ed whispered back. They didn't really know why they were whispering; perhaps it was the tension that slowly but steadily grew as they walked. It was as though the entire forest was holding its breath.
The tension reached its peak as they exited the forest and came across a scene of utter devastation. Cracked gravestones lay toppled on the ground, and bones lay scattered across the dirt in piles. Huge trenches gouged the earth, with various skeletal parts sticking out of the sides. Al gasped in horror while Ed, his eyes hidden under his golden bangs, reached down and brushed some dirt away from a skull. It was a child's skull, it's small mouth frozen in the eternal grin of death. Ed's fists clenched. "How could anyone do something like this?" He asked in a choked voice.
"Brother, look!" Al exclaimed. Ed looked up and followed Al's pointing finger. Kneeling by a toppled gravestone was a young girl, her face and body hidden by a dirty and tattered red cloak. Her body shook with what looked like silent sobs. Ed walked over to the girl. As he got closer, he could hear soft hiccups emanating from the girl. He stretched out a hand, letting it come to rest gently on her shoulder. She jumped at the touch. "Hey now, what's a girl like you doing in a place like this?" Ed asked kindly.
The girl sniffled and hiccuped. "Wh-who are you?" She asked in a slightly muffled voice. "What are you doing here?" Her voice grew fearful. "Are you with them? Those monsters?" She squeaked and shook harder. "Y-you're not going to kill me, are you?"
"Naw, we're not going to hurt you," Ed said. "Hey Al, what should we do?"
"Well, we can't just leave her here!" Al exclaimed forcefully. "It's not safe!"
The girl stopped crying. "Don't tell me... You're going to fight the creatures?" She clutched at Ed's pants leg and buried her face in the cloth. "You mustn't! It's too dangerous!"
"Don't worry. I'm Alphonse Elric, and this is my brother, Edward Elric. "Al said, bending down and patting the girl's shoulder encouragingly. "We're alchemists."
"... Edward Elric?" The girl said slowly. "Fullmetal Alchemist Edward Elric? For real?" She sounded excited.
"That's right! So you've heard of us, then?" Edward said proudly.
"Of course." The girl wasn't shaking any longer, and she slowly pulled away from Ed. Her cloak fell around her in folds, hiding her face above her nose in shadows. "I'd have to be deaf to not hear of the famous Edward Elric, the child prodigy who became a State Alchemist at the tender age of twelve. It's an honor to meet you." Her delicate mouth twisted in a sneer. "I've been waiting for you."
A tremor shook the earth, and a huge hand erupted from the ground, swiping at the young alchemist. "Brother, look out!" Al shouted as he tackled Ed down, saving him from razor sharp claws that barely missed slicing him in half.
"Ow!" Ed winced as his shoulder slammed into the ground.
The hand was followed by an arm, and the arm by a body as a huge creature pulled itself from the earth until it stood completely in the air. Ed and Al looked up with wide eyes at the monster, who uttered a low growl that shook the trees. "That's... A big chimera..." Ed remarked.
At thirty feet tall, the monster towered even over Al. Its gaping jaws sported seven rows of pointed teeth and dripped saliva that burned holes when it hit the ground. It had four arms and two legs, each sporting three foot-long claws with a blade-like edge. It was covered with a variety of fur, scales, skin, and feathers in various shades of blue. It stared down at the boys with tiny eyes like blood-red stones.
In a flutter of cloth the girl leapt from the ground, landing deftly on the creature's horned head. "Come! Let's see your skills!" She laughed.
"Why, you--!" The chimera swung at Ed's head and he had to cut off what he was saying to dodge. There was a crash as the creature gouged the earth behind him instead of his head. "Hey!" Ed growled as he slapped his hands together and pressed the palm of his left arm to his right, pulling it away as though drawing a sword. His white glove fell to the ground in shreds as his metal arm was transformed into a sharp steel blade.
The girl clapped appreciatively. "Impressive! Alchemy without a transmutation circle!" She sat down between the chimera's batlike ears, her legs crossed and her chin resting in her palm as she stared down at them with eyes still hidden beneath the shadow of her cloak. "It's almost as if I barely consider you a threat."
"Why don't you come here and say that, you bitch!" Ed snapped.
The girl smiled. "Ooh, name calling. How utterly mature." She waved a hand as Ed squawked in outrage. "And I don't feel like coming down right now, but if you can defeat my pet here I'll consider it."
"Brother, calm down," Al told Ed. "You're playing right into her hands."
Ed took a deep breath. "Right." He raised his voice a little. "I hope you're not too comfortable up there, 'cause you're coming down!"
The girl sighed. "Enough with the crappy banter. It's getting boring." Quick as lightening the chimera lunged, slashing at the brothers. "Fight us!" Ed leapt to the side and rolled, jumping to his feet behind the monster while Al stood his ground, catching the monster's arm and knocking it away. Ed winced as the screech of claws on metal rang through the air. It quickly recovered and lunged again at Al, this time with two arms. Al braced himself and caught its wrists under his arms, pinning it in place. It struggled, but Al held his ground. "Now! Ed!" He shouted.
Ed raced towards the monster's unprotected back, brandishing his sword-arm in front of him. He raised his arm and brought it down in a sweep at a patch of flesh. As he was about to hit something smashed into his side with a force that knocked the wind from his lungs and sent him flying with a crunch into a tree trunk on the other side of the clearing, where he slumped to the ground in a heap. A trickle of blood dripped off the side of his mouth.
"You forget. My pet has two other arms." The girl smiled and fondly stroked the top of the monster's head.
"Brother!" Al cried, his attention wavering just enough for the monster to break free and knock him to the side. Al scrambled to his feet and rushed over to his brother. "Big Brother, are you okay!"
Ed waved Al off and tried to stand, but he fell back, coughing up blood. "Brother, you're hurt!" Al exclaimed.
"I'm fine, Al." Ed shakily got to his feet and coughed again, blood dripping through his fingers.
"Well? That can't be all to you," the girl said. "If it is, I must say I'm disappointed. I expected better from the great Fullmetal Alchemist." She shrugged. "But I suppose that you are just a child, after all."
"Shut up!" Ed snarled. He lunged towards the monster, dodging incoming arms with complex flips and rolls.
"Quite the little monkey, aren't you?" The girl commented as she tried to follow Ed's movements to guide the beast's attacks. "Hold still!" Ed ducked out of sight and her head whipped from side to side as she tried to find him again.
"Over here!" She spun around and leapt to the side as Ed slashed down where she had just been sitting. His blade bit deep into the chimera's skull, and it gave a bellowing shriek of pain and swiped at the source on its head. Its huge hand knocked away both Ed and the girl, and they fell to the ground with a thud. Ed quickly got to his feet and lunged again at the girl. Unable to get out of the way in time, she crossed her arms over her head to block the blade from slicing her skull in half. She was strong, but Ed had a better angle and he forced her down on to her back. Her cloak fell in folds around her so only her upper face was still covered, and the boys got a look at her for the first time. She was lean, dressed in a black tank top and shorts with a wrap around her waist. With a start Ed noticed a bright red tattoo on her upper right thigh. A dragon encircling a six-pointed star devoured its own tail.
"You're a homunculus!" Ed exclaimed.
The girl did not answer. Her wiry muscles strained as she fought against Ed. "Don't just stand there! Get him!" She screamed at the chimera. Blinded by the stream of purplish blood from its split skull, the chimera sent a wild blow in their direction that if it landed would squash both of them.
Suddenly there was a loud clang and both Ed and the girl turned to look at the source. Al had caught the chimera's fist three feet before it would have hit them, and was now using his strength to hold the creature back. His metal boots dug into the dirt leaving fairly deep skid marks. He dug his fingers into the creature's flesh and with an echoing roar tore the chimera's arm off. The monster screamed in pain as its arm came free with the horrible riiiip of breaking sinews and ligaments, showering Al with a spray of purplish blood. The beast screamed again and reared as its remaining stump of an arm bled all over the parched ground.
"Beat her, Ed! I'll take care of the chimera!" Al said forcefully.
"Right!" Ed said back.
The girl sneered at him. "I'm sorry, but that's not going to happen!" Her hands clenched around Ed's auto-mail fist, smashing the steel mechanism to bits. Her foot snapped out and slammed into Ed's stomach, sending him flying straight towards Al.
"Brother!" Al caught Ed out of the air, but the force of the blow sent them both crashing to the ground. Ed's right arm was in shreds, and he gasped with each breath as he fought to keep his eyes open.
The girl shakily got to her feet, clutching what looked like a cracked rib. As Al fretted over his brother, she reached back and pulled out a small switchblade from a hidden sheath in her cloak. She then walked slowly over towards the brothers, and Al pushed Ed behind him, ready to protect him from any attempts by the girl at slashing the young state alchemist. Al was surprised, therefore, when she passed them, continuing on towards the thrashing chimera. She reached out her palm and gently pressed it against the beast's writhing flanks.
The beast halted as though struck by lightning and stood as still as a statue. Al watched in fascinated horror as with a quick flick of the blade she sliced across her palm and pressed the wound to the chimera's flesh. Its skin roiled and churned as it slowly melted down into a puddle that rapidly changed colors. There was a small flash, and the puddle began swirling like a whirlpool, growing smaller and smaller until it was absorbed completely into her body. When there was nothing left, she turned to go.
"Wait!" Al cried.
The girl turned to look at him. "Why should I?"
"Well," Al hesitated. "We can't just let you go! You've hurt too many people."
She sighed. "You're not in any position to be giving any orders." She waved a hand at them. "I have no interest in this battle. Go care for your wounds." With that she turned and ran towards the trees. A graceful leap, and she was gone, flitting among the treetops. Al started to chase after her, then realized his brother hadn't moved. He spun around and saw his brother's unmoving body sprawled on the ground, unconscious from pain and blood loss.
Panicked, Al scooped up his brother and raced towards the nearest hospital, his only thought that of getting medical help for his brother.
The next few hours were all a blur to Ed as he floated in and out of consciousness. He remembered being carried somewhere, then a lot of voices screaming orders and more rushing. The voices made his head pound, but he was too weak to protest. He passed out for a bit there, but the next thing he remembered was lying on something soft as blurred figures bent over him and murmured things that Ed couldn't quite catch. He felt rather light-headed, and things seemed a bit muffled.
He tried to ask what was going on, but the words wouldn't come out right. "Wuzzgonnon?" He mumbled as he squinted, trying to bring his eyes to focus. A huge hand was laid gently on his shoulder, stilling his movements.
"It's okay, Nii-san. You're at a hospital." Al said comfortingly.
Ed opened his mouth to ask what happened to the chimera and the homunculus girl when a sharp pain in his ribs made him scream.
"Get the anesthesia! Quickly!" The doctor shouted. A mask was forced over Ed's mouth, and his screams lessened as the gas took affect and he was knocked back into unconsciousness.
It was dark when Ed woke again. The room was empty, and a thin beam of moonlight shone through a crack in the pale blue drapes. His head was clearer than it had been, but a bit of fuzziness lingered on the edges of his mind. He yawned and turned over, unsure of why he had woken up, and wanting only to go back to sleep. Suddenly he heard a small tapping noise, like footsteps or something. His eyes shot open and he sat up quietly, now wide awake. He slid out of bed, ignoring the sharp pains in his freshly bandaged ribs. He crept quietly across the floor towards the window. The noise came again, this time a little closer, and Ed tried to bring his hands together. With a pang he realized his right arm was unusable, the hand crushed. He quickly took stock of his injuries. Not good.
Drawing a deep breath, Ed flung aside the curtains and fell into a fighting stance. There was nothing there, only the open window blowing cool night air into the room. Wait, open window?
"Where do you think you're looking?"
Ed whipped around, and his eyes widened in shock and fury. The cloaked girl from the graveyard was lounging on the bed behind him, casually inspecting a vase of flowers that had been placed by his bedside. "...You!"
"Oh, good. I was hoping you would remember me. That will save some time." She turned the vase over in her hands, admiring its smooth surface. "My, this IS a beautiful vase. I love this shade of blue. OH! And are those roses? My favorite!"
"Shut up!" Ed snarled. "What the hell are you doing here!"
The homunculus cocked her head to the side. "Well now, I obviously can't both shut up and tell you why I'm here, now can I?"
With a roar of fury Ed launched himself at the girl, aiming a punch at her face with his good arm. She nimbly executed a back flip out of the way, and Ed's fist instead pierced the down mattress of his bed. Feathers floated softly to the floor as the girl landed gently behind him, replacing the unharmed flower vase back on its table.
"You should be more careful," she remarked idly. "There are some pretty fragile things around here."
"Dammit, hold still!" He darted forward again, this time brandishing a sharp metal corner of his broken automail like a knife. The moonlight glinted silver as the blade rushed towards the unprotected skin of her throat. Faster than Ed could see, she dashed to the side, disappeared. Shocked, Ed lost his balance, skidding as he tried to stop and turn around. Before he could hit the ground, a strong hand grasped the base of his braid and pulled, yanking him backwards. A knee came up into the small of his back and the world spun as he was flipped over onto his stomach on the floor. When Ed tried to get back up, he was pushed back onto the floor and the wind knocked out of him when the girl slammed into his back, straddling his waist and pinning his arms above his head.
"I was hoping to avoid a fight, but you really don't seem to know when to stop." She ground her knee into his ribs, and Ed cried out in pain before falling limp. "Now, you just lie there, and we can talk like civilized people."
Ed coughed. "What the hell's so civilized about breaking in and beating up an injured person!"
The homunculus feigned offense. "My, your words wound me. Right here." She tapped her heart.
Ed snorted. "What the hell do you want?"
"Ah! At last we get down to business. You see, you have quite a reputation among my siblings. They find you to be very annoying, and they'd give anything to get rid of you. Soooo..." She trailed off.
"Let me guess. You're here to finish me off for them." Ed sneered.
The girl flapped a hand. "Oh no, quite the opposite." She leaned in close, and her warm breath tickled Ed's cheek. "In fact, I actually have need of your services."
Ed spat. "Why would I help a monster like you?" Her hold had slipped; just a little further before he could escape.
"Monster? How rude. And there's a very good reason why you will help me."
Ed wasn't really listening. He was almost free, and then he would kill her. Just a bit more...
"Simply put, you cannot afford NOT to help. I know you would never help me at the cost of your life, but you have a weakness. If you disobey, at a mere thought from me--"
NOW! Ed wrenched himself out of her grip and flipped over, sending the spike of his smashed automail hurtling towards her throat with the speed of rage and desperation.
"-- your brother dies."
That caught Ed's attention, and he halted, the blade a mere centimeter from her flesh. "What?" He asked, his voice squeaking a bit.
The girl smirked, but made no move to push away the makeshift blade. She repeated, calmly and patiently, "I said, if you kill me now, your brother will die."
He pressed the point to her skin, drawing a tiny bead of blood. "You're lying..." he said, but his face betrayed his fear.
"Unfortunately, for you that is, I'm not. See, as you correctly stated during our earlier romp, I am a homunculus. And, as a homunculus, I have a special power. Like Greed and his unbreakable shield, I can manipulate my own blood to make chimeras."
There was movement, and Ed's eyes were drawn to the drop of blood on her neck where his blade had bit in. He watched with morbid fascination as it shifted and bulged, shaping itself into a tiny version of the beast he'd fought earlier. It grinned and bent down, taking a bite out of the steel automail before disappearing back into her body. There was a flicker of energy, and the wound healed over, leaving the skin smooth and unmarred.
Ed took a shuddering breath. "Fine, but how do you plan to kill my brother?"
"Simple. The chimera you fought was made with my blood, right?" Numbly Ed nodded his head. "Right. And I can control every drop of it, wherever it may be. Now, tell me, what was Al splattered with when he tore off my pet's arm?"
Horrified understanding came to Edward. "Your blood..."
The girl laughed. "You catch on quick! Yes, he was covered in my blood. And instantly, one of my pets formed and took residence within that tin can you call a brother. At my order--" She snapped her fingers, "--my pet will erase the symbol tying your brother's soul to this world and BOOM! No more Alphonse Elric."
Ed stumbled back in shock and horror. "No... No..."
"Yes... Yes..." The girl replied. "So, now that you've grasped the situation, what do you say no my request?"
Ed sat on the bed, his head in his hands. "Okay." The boy said quietly in a defeated tone. He could never risk his brother's life like that. It was all his fault that Al was trapped in that shell of a body, he wouldn't have him dying on top of that. He could never live with himself. "What do you need me to do?"
The homunculus shrugged. "Oh, nothing much. I just need you to protect me. I heard of all the stuff you've done, and nominated you as the best choice to be my bodyguard."
The young alchemist's head snapped up incredulously. "What? You can't be serious. What the hell could I do to help you like that? You're obviously much more powerful than I am, and besides," he gave a small laugh and gestured at himself. "I'm too hurt to be much good to you in any case. You made sure of that."
The girl smiled. "I had to make sure you were worthy. And you're more important than you think." She reached back and pulled out the small switchblade. "And I can help with those injuries." She advanced with the knife, and Ed edged backwards over the bed.
"What are you doing?" He demanded suspiciously. The blade looked very sharp.
"Hold still." She deftly tossed the knife, catching it and flicking it across her flesh. Blood welled out, and she put the knife away. Using her uncut hand, she grabbed the collar of Ed's nightshirt and pushed him down onto the be. She lifted his shirt, exposing a wound that had reopened during the fight and was bleeding fairly heavily. "Brace yourself. This might sting." She warned.
Ed opened his mouth to demand what she was doing, but the words turned into a wrenching scream as she swiftly pressed her bleeding palm to his side. Daggers of pain spread though his ribs, and he felt as though he was slowly being burned from the inside. He writhed on the bed in pain, silently screaming. The pain was beyond sound. Then, as suddenly as it had happened, the pain was gone. He lay panting on the bed, both his skin and the sheets soaked with cold sweat. Something was leaning over him, but his vision was too blurry and he couldn't make it out. He squeezed his eyes tightly together and opened them, and the figure snapped into focus. The homunculus had removed her hood, and Ed saw her face for the first time.
She looked young, in her mid to late teens. Her skin was pale ivory, and her hair fell in long black waves over her shoulder, secured into a low horsetail by a crimson ribbon. But her eyes were what caught Ed's attention. Instead of one color they flashed many, constantly shifting and changing. One second they were gold like his own, then blue, then green, then pink, and even combinations of colors that would never appear in normal eyes. The only thing that remained the same were her pupils, which were slitted like a cat's and were staring down at him with mild concern.
"How do you feel?" She asked.
Ed didn't answer, for he was hypnotized by her pupils. They were darker than obsidian, and seemed impossibly deep. They were filled to the brim, yet seemed empty and bottomless. "... Huh?"
"How do you feel?" She asked again.
Ed slowly sat up and felt his ribs. "I'm... All healed..." He said in wonder. He unwound the bloodstained linen bandages from his ribs, and stared at the skin underneath. It was unbroken and smooth, with no signs of scarring or even bruising. "... How?"
The girl sat down in a chair opposite him and considered him with those shifting eyes of hers. Ed had to look away and focus on something else, otherwise the rapidly changing colors made him feel nauseous. "I just injected some of my blood into your bloodstream. I then manipulated it around the injuries and used it to repair them. Unfortunately, I can't heal that metal arm of yours."
Annoyed that his expensive auto-mail was broken, Ed had been staring at the twisted remains. At her mention of blood, however, Ed looked up sharply. "You put your blood into mine!" He shouted angrily. "I could have been killed! You'd better have gotten all of your blood out of mine!"
The girl coughed sheepishly. "Well... Almost. A little of my blood still remains in your body. But don't worry!" She added hurriedly when Ed brandished his automail at her. "There won't be any serious repercussions!"
Ed glared at her. "And by 'no SERIOUS repercussions' you mean there will be some." He stated.
The homunculus looked away. "Well... Yes. Nothing bad, mind you. You'll just get some of the homunculi qualities. Like, healing faster than normal, increased speed and strength... No height increase, tho'..."
"WHO'RE YOU CALLING A TINY LITTLE SHRIMP THAT CAN'T BE SEEN WITH A MICROSCOPE!" Ed ranted.
"Me."
Ed blinked at her, surprised. Usually no one admitted it.
The girl raised a finger. "But be warned: If I need to use my powers to heal you anymore the repercussions will steadily grow worse. My power is such that it can't ever be completely controlled."
Ed glanced at her, curious. "Wait... What's your power, anyway? Like, all the other homunculi are named after their natures. Which Sin are you?"
The girl sighed. "I'm not actually part of the normal group. I'm the eighth Sin. And as for my nature, let's see if you can guess it." She grinned, and her eyes took on a wild look. "I'm more human than my siblings, yet in being so I am less. I'm the most powerful, and the weakest. I can never be contained, and am most powerful during times of war and confusion. People try to keep me away, not realizing that I live in the deepest corners of their hearts. I am ancient, and yet I am the youngest. My very nature forces it to contradict itself." Her grin widened, showing off a wolfish number of very sharp teeth. "Who am I?"
Ed turned over the clues in his mind. They were always opposing each other, never on equal ground. His eyes widened as the answer rose to the front of his mind.
The girl's grin threatened to split her face, and her eyes glowed with a sinister light. "That's right. People fear me, but that fear only fuels my desires. I... am Chaos."