My first story! Yay! I feel so excited to get this out! Of course, I'm a little lazy with writing, so don't get your hopes up about constant updates. Anyway, this is my first story as well as my first anything with -Man. I'm only in the thirties of the show, so don't be expecting characters from the second part on to appear, and I don't know all of what the abilities of the characters are. I know I'll probably get reviews and messages telling me to finish the series, but I NEED to get this story written. If you don't like it, please do not complain. If you feel like helping, please be polite and offer everything you can. I HAVE finished FMA, however, so you can expect some of the familiar homunculi to appear, along with my two OC's (please don't complain, I beg of you; if you don't like them, just go away). Other than that, I hope you enjoy my story and the others I plan to write.
Lenalee walked the cobblestone streets. Shops were closed and blinds were pulled shut tight as waterproof seals. Heads peeked out, snapping away whenever she caught their eyes. She felt something hit in the pit of her stomach, an uneasy feeling of nausea. She swallowed and turned the corner.
A sea of massacred bodies lay in the streets. Eight women were cut literally in half, their insides spilled onto the streets. The young girl smelled death and bile rose to her throat. She leaned over and vomited. Her teeth felt sticky and her mouth tasted rotten and hot.
"Aw, poor baby." the voice cooed, and a laughed echoed. "Does Jacky-Boy need to rub your back for you? Or how about some hot tea?"
Lenalee looked into the eyes of a madman with a transformed arm in the shape of a large sword. She felt herself shaking. Akuma had never scared her before. Was it the scene in front of her? Akuma's prey usually turned to dust. Was it the sight of humanly-shaped fresh kill that made her knees knock together? Whatever the reason, she opened her mouth and screamed.
Allen stared at Reever like he was lit on fire and sucking on a pickle. "Lenalee's hurt?" he said a little too loudly. Lavi and Kanda, who had been bickering in the corner, stopped and came to join the conversation.
"What's this about Lenalee?" Lavi asked.
"We don't know. She encountered something that hurt her badly. According to Komui, it's both physically and mentally."
"Where was she?"
"In a country called Amestris. Komui is traveling this evening to where she is being hospitalized in a city called Central. He wants the three of you to join him." Reever looked at the report he was given. He had dark bags under his eyes and he looked exhausted. After warning them about him reacting oddly to the stress, he told them to meet the Supervisor and left for the paperwork stacked to a height that could compete with Mount Everest.
The three exorcists approached Komui's desk. Odd behavior, all right. Komui's desk was neat and clean. Papers were organized into twelve neat stacks, some filed away and most of it was actually done, and correctly as well. He chewed on his lip as he paced, since all his work was done and he had nothing to do. The appearance of his colleagues seemed to ease him in just the slightest. Allen couldn't help but smile at the display of love and worry Komui had for his sister.
"I can't tell you how long the trip will be, but the Furher has promised to accommodate us with whatever we need. I would suggest a couple days change of clothes, any necessities, and your anti akuma weapons, of course."
Allen could see the professional façade Komui was putting up. Just as he did at times when he didn't want to worry anyone. He knew how hard it was to smile just like Komui was doing. He nodded his understanding and the three of them left to their rooms. Allen stumbled into Miranda, who apologized for knocking him over.
"So, you'll be leaving tomorrow?" she asked him, fighting a lock of back hair from her eyes. Allen nodded slowly, looking at his feet.
"Lenalee's hurt badly. If we don't find who did that to her, I don't think she, or Komui, would be able to live in peace unless we do." He tried rationalizing the situation. Amestris was a new ally. They sent people called alchemists to help them when chaos struck, whether it was war or destruction, man made or natural causes. Allen had never met one before. Maybe this would be an interesting experience.
Within the next twenty-four hours, and six train rides later, they were in the city called Central. Buildings were tall and grey. The tallest building was quite a walk away, and it had a green flag with a white lion embroidered on it. A woman with cropped black hair and a man with hanging gold locks stood side by side in blue military uniforms.
"Lieutenant Maria Ross." The woman shook hands with each of them, as well as the man, Lieutenant Denny Brosh. "I understand this is a first time visit for all of you. I want to officially and warmly welcome you to our city, and our country." She was a kind woman. Allen took a liking to her immediately.
The six of them squeezed into a car. Komui and Ross began talking, discussing things of a higher value than Allen cared to guess. Stuck between Kanda and Lavi, who both blocked the view out the window, he could only sit there and be bored, staring at the higher-ups. Ross caught his eye and smiled at him.
"It would seem we're ignoring you three." she said. "I've heard of these anti-akuma weapons you have. How do they work?"
The three exorcists exchanged looks. Then Lavi pulled his hammer out of his pocket.
"Mine is an Equipped Type. Big Hammer Little Hammer." He looked quite proud of himself. "It can grow to large sizes and extend as long as a trip around the Earth and still stay the same weight."
Ross looked confused and impressed. Kanda only held up his sword and didn't even look at her. Typical Kanda.
Allen removed his glove. The dry red skin of his left arm startled the lieutenants. "Mine's a Parasite Type. I can change it into a larger arm, a sword, and a gun. It takes its toll, though." he said, and put his glove back on. Ross and Brosh only grinned with a rather disturbed hint to their lips. But they had reached the building. The four Black Order members said goodbye to the lieutenants, and hello to Major Alex Louis Armstrong.
Armstrong was a rather well-built man with only one little curl on his head and a very boisterous personality. When he shook hands with Allen, it felt like he was going to rip his arm off. Thankfully, it was his right hand that was throbbing, and not his anti-akuma weapon.
It was strange being in this new land. Anyone he passed in the hallway stared. He felt like a caged animal, unable to say or do anything.
He led them all the way to a grand room with the same lion printed on a rug under their feet. A woman with black horn-rimmed glasses stood up.
"Major, good morning!" she said loudly, bowing to him.
"Sciezska, good morning. These are the exorcists who have come to speak with Furher Mustang."
"Ah, yes, I'll let him know you're here!" After notifying a man through a speaker phone, she told them to walk right in. They did so.
Furher Mustang was a tall, black haired man whose eye was colder and harder than even Kanda's. His left eye was covered by an eye patch that covered almost the entire half of his face. The first thing Lavi said to him after introductions was, "Oh, hey, we match!"
Furher Mustang only grinned and shook hands with the rest of us. And then he motioned to the three other people in the room.
"This is Colonel Riza Hawkeye. She's a very personal assistant of mine. These two boys are Edward and Alphonse Elric. They are two very important State Alchemists in our military."
Kanda looked between Edward and Allen, then a rather evil grin spread on his face. "Looks like we found someone smaller than you, Shortstack."
Edward glared at him with daggers in his eyes. "WHO ARE YOU CALLING SO SMALL THAT EVEN AN EXORCIST TWO YEARS YOUNGER THAN HIM COULD CRUSH WITH A SPOON?" he screamed, flailing his arms and legs. Allen believed he would have killed Kanda had Alphonse not held him back. The younger brother looked very apologetic.
When everything became "professional," Mustang led them to the infirmary. Lenalee had been put in the back, away from other patients. She was sleeping, but that only made the view of her injuries that much worse. She was scratched, cut, and even stabbed in a couple places, but nothing even close to lethal.
"It looks like he toyed with her until he got bored." Edward said. Komui clenched his fists. The alchemists seemed totally unaware of what his statement did to him.
"Miss Lee." Riza was shaking her gently. "Miss Lee, it's time to wake up. Your brother is here to see you."
Lenalee seemed to be sleeping too deeply to be woken, but her eyes soon opened. She seemed a little fazed, but her eyes focused enough for her to recognize her brother. She smiled with chapped lips and held onto her brother tightly. Her small frame convulsed violently as she sobbed. Komui seemed to forget that anyone else was there as he tried to quiet her crying.
She soon calmed down. Lenalee didn't let go of her brother. But when she looked at Allen, she looked at him strangely. Then her eyes widened. Her mouth opened and she screamed.
"No!" she cried. "He's back, he's back! Stop, no, go away!" She buried herself underneath Komui's white coat. Mustang led everyone but her brother out of the room. The Furher's gaze was hard on Allen.
"Well, it seems as though you resemble her attacker."
"Wait, Allen looks like the killer?" Lavi asked, pointing to Allen's head. "He's got white hair, for crying out loud!"
Mustang only smiled. It was a sly, sneaky grin. "Yes. That means finding our killer will be much easier, because now we know what we're looking for."
James walked into the dining room, bowing to the Noahs and the Earl. "You wanted to see me, Master?"
"Yes," the Earl said, his inhuman voice echoing through the tiny room. "I know it was quite sudden to call you, but I wanted you to join in our meal." When James erected his body, he noticed the unusual and pale guests. "After all, you are responsible for our new allies."
The homunculi, known to the Noahs and Earl as the Seven Sins, were scattered around the table. His lover, Pride (wanting to be known simply as Clare) winked at him and patted the chair next to her. The akuma nodded and joined the rest of the people at the table. Unlike the others, no food sat in front of him.
Lust and Gluttony sat across from him, between Road and Tykki. The fat one sat on the floor, sucking on an arm. James examined it. It was a right arm. He seemed to enjoy it like a toddler with a giant lollipop. Funny, the sight didn't disgust him. Tykki seemed a little disturbed by him.
"Must he be chewing on a person during our meal?" the man asked, placing his silverware on the table and wiping at his mouth. Lust only smiled.
"I apologize." she said in that husky voice of hers. "Gluttony, please finish your meal outside the dining room."
Gluttony looked at her with sad eyes. "But, I don't want to leave."
"No need for him to leave," the Earl said. "We're all family here, including James."
Road grinned. "So, which one is your girl, akuma?" She never did like acknowledging the fact that he had a name.
"Pride." he answered. The petite woman next to him only sat up straighter and smiled.
"I prefer to be called Clare. If we went by our 'real' names, then it would be harder to blend in."
"Clare," she corrected, adding her usual sarcastic tone. Pride, one not to take such attitude lightly, turned to Tykki.
"Is she always such a brat?"
Road glowered at her.
"It's natural for Road to be sarcastic." he answered cautiously. Road only glanced at him sideways and continued to eat her egg.
"Alright, that's enough chatter." the Earl said. Skin had begun to break an akuma maid to bits. James felt hatred for his superior, but did nothing to show it. He, after all, was just as breakable as she was, and just as expendable. "We have to discuss the recent alliance between our enemies."
"Yeah," Greed sighed, flinging his feet onto the table. "The military and the Black Order are friends now, right?"
"Yes. I believe James had a little fun with an exorcist just the other day."
James felt a fire rush through him at the memories. "Ah, yes," he admitted, grinning devilishly. "Making her scream was easy, with just a small stab in the right place. She was fun to play with." His voice had gotten low, husky, at the rapture of the kill. But he soon resumed his regular, laidback personality.
"She was wondering the streets of a town just outside Central, where she and other Black Order members are now." Envy stood back in the corner. True to what Pride had told him about the genderless homunculus, Envy wasn't too favorable of "grand events" like this one. "I posed as a nurse and listened in on their conversation. They know to look for someone with white hair."
"Oh, what a bother." the Earl sighed. "James, we'll have to dye your hair."
James scowled beyond his control. He liked his white hair. It called attention to him, and he loved watching men's jaws drop and eyes squint jealously with his gorgeous homunculus on his arm.
"Alright."
"Nothing too flashy, of course. We want you to blend in."
Not too bad for my first fic? Leave a review and let me know what you think. The first chapter is just an introduction, I'll REALLY get things going in chapter two. So, until then!
