I can hear them, the souls, taking over what will soon become my vessel. Thrashing and destroying and reconstructing the insides of its body. I laugh at them all as I patiently wait to take over what will soon be mine. The souls are competing with it, but its presence won't go away. Finally at long last I take form within its soul and I laugh at my birth, my freedom, and my new existence. Below is a brat with wounds on his body and clothes stained with blood. His squinty eyes are tightly sealed from pain and confusion, but this can't really be the soul.

"What's a kid doing in here?" I think twice about it, "Well whatever. I'll just have to make do with it. Hand over your body and let Greed..."

"Consider it yours! I'll give it to you!"

My laugh ceases at the brat's unexpected answer, "...take charge..." I fade, "What? I don't think I made myself clear. Someone you don't even know wants take over your body and you accept?"

"I'm the man who's to become emperor of Xing! I can take twenty or thirty bodies if that's what it- Agh!"

A soul strikes him in the abdomen for dominance and my laugh couldn't get any louder at this "future emperor", "You, an emperor? You talk big for a brat!"

"I came to this country to find the Philosopher's stone so I can become emperor. The Philosopher's stone holds the key to immortality and I hear it gives immense power. So now you're asking if I want that power inside of me? It's like a dream come true!"

He showed confidence in his voice and never faltered or hesitated while he spoke. It's hard to believe that this kid is actually serious to have me take control over his body just for the sake of immortality, but...

"You've got guts kid. I like you already," I boom, "You and I are going to get along!"

But he's just a brat, "But don't blame me if you come to regret this. You can still call it off," If you want to die that is, but I'll keep that part to mys-

"My subject cut off her arm for my mission! I wouldn't be able to face her if I returned empty-handed!"

I sensed pain and frustration in his voice. I can tell he has been searching a long time for this one chance. He really is serious about this. I can't believe this human.

"Power..."

Power? "Huh?"

"I need power to rule, to protect, to maintain!" Fierceness comes across his eyes that I can't ignore. I might as well give him what he wants... Not that I'm complaining anyways. It's easier this way.

"I know the risks so come, Greed. I accept," He screams at me with all the miserable amount of energy he has left. Power he says. This bastard's greed is nearly equal to my own.

"You're greedy yourself. I like that," I grin, "You say you have the boldness to be an emperor?"

The little brat smiles as if he were really prepared, "Then show it to me!"

I swallow his soul into my own. Air fills my lungs and the cold touches my skin. I push myself off the ground and stand for the first time in my new body. My eyelids lift open but the light slightly blinds me and I cover them for a second to give them time to readjust.

"Ling?"

"Wha?" Who's Ling?

A boy with blonde hair, who is in a similar condition as Squinty Eyes, looks at me with wide questioning eyes and I can only guess that he is referring to the black haired brat. I smile widely at this boy's ignorance.

"You mean the owner of this body?" As proof of my control I allow the bandages to fall from my left hand to reveal the red ouroborous tattoo, "Your friend just checked out and let Greed take control."

"Well look whose back." The large green creature with sobbing bodies sticking out all around his body, who is holding down Blondie and a suit of armor, looks down on me with one purple eye and the other I can't quite make out. Who the hell is this ugly thing?

"Sorry if your form disgusts me."

Did he really just say that to me? "You aren't much to look at yourself."

"You bastard." It growls.

A bald fatty beside the horrific creature gives a little more of an introduction, "Nice to meet you, Greed. I'm Gluttony and this is Envy."

I take a look at both creatures and realize that they are my siblings so that means... An emotionless blonde haired man that's look like he's in his forties stands behind me and I kneel before him taking notice of who he is.

"You must be Father. Thank you for giving me life."

"Greed?" Blondie calls out again, "Are you that Greed?"

"What do you mean "that" Greed? Who's this other Greed you're talking about?"

"Don't you remember us and the Devil's Nest in Dublith?" A young boy's voice comes from the armor.

"There was Greed before you." Father clears away my confusion.

"Oh, I get it now," A different Greed huh? Father must have removed his memories, "but if you want to hear it from me, no, I'm not the Greed you used to know."

"What did you do to Ling?" Blondie says with concern and anger etched in his voice.

"Your friend was an odd one. He accepted me without a struggle at all," I give him my biggest grin to show off a little that this body no longer belongs to the Ling runt, "Sorry, kid, this is my body!"

He pathetically calls out for his friend while I watch and snicker at his futile actions.

Panting and claws scraping the floors echoes across the room and everyone turns to the chimera standing between a tall door. We watch it fall to the ground with blood spurting form its body and coming from behind a large tanned man steps forward with a highly noticeable "X" shaped scar on his forehead and beside him a small pale skinned girl with her hair picked up in two black buns. They whisper things that I don't really care to know about other than who the hell they are. In a flash from the corner of my eye a small black and white cat rushes to the little girl's arms and they both get all googly eyed over their "heart felt" reunion.

I clap for them out of the goodness of my heart, "What a touching reunion, but really... who are these people?"

Of course no one answers my question and instead Envy issues an order to Greed to eat, what they called, the Ishvalen. In ecstatic hunger he jumps at the Ishvalen, but the human used alchemy on the poor slob and from the looks of it destroyed him from the insides. Immediately after, in an unexpected flurry of anger, the small girl throws some knives at a rock and after placing her hands on a transmutation circle raises three rocky fists from the ground; all making contact with Envy. I delightly sit and watch the humans struggle with my siblings. For sure I have no idea what the hell is going on, but it is really too much fun to watch them all fight amongst each other.

Something tipped the scarred guy off and in rage he placed his right arm on the ground and had the floor beneath Envy crumble.

"Hey. Not bad, not bad. This Scar person is not bad for a human."

"Greed," Father calls, "Go take care of the outsiders."

"Sure." I gladly respond, but as I make my way towards the Ishvalan, Blondie situates himself on a rock a few levels above me and gives me a hard glare.

"I don't believe it... Ling?"

He just doesn't get it does he? "Don't let this face fool you," I re-arrange the carbon atoms in my arm turning it into Graphene, and bring up my claws to demonstrate my intentions to fight, "I am Greed."

Shorty claps and transmutes the rock to extend a part of it towards me, but I grin at the wasted effort and cut it away. While I was focusing on the rock he jumps and tries a kick at my head but I crouch and wait for him to land and at that moment I bring my claws under his jaw. He moves his head back in time to dodge the blow then stumbles back some from the off balance. I catch this chance and bring my elbow to his stomach but again he avoids it by moving aside. I turn and see another kick aiming at my stomach, but this time I don't bother to evade it and absorb the impact as I carbonized my stomach.

"That was a good solid kick," I sprint my way to him, "This is gonna be much more fun than I thought!" and attack with my claw.

He blocks with his left automail arm, "Idiot prince! Come to your senses!" and clashes our attacks with the forearm of his automail.

His confusion was amusing at first but it's getting to me now, "I told you I'm Greed."

"I don't care! Give Ling back his body!"

I break away from his hold, "Sorry! No can do!"

I throw a punch at him but he crouches and I hit the rock behind him instead making a hole. He kicks me in the face quickly to my surprise, but I cunningly smile at him, "I told you it's no use." I was able to block it in time with my Graphene. Shorty did not seem fazed at all and swiftly sweeped my feet.

"Huh?" I fall on my back and he raises his metal fist.

"What about your country?" He tries a punch to my face but I catch it with my hardened hand. Before I can react he raises his human fist, "Have you forgotten about Lan Fan!"

A strong stirring deep in my mind pushes me away and I am back inside the Philosopher's stone.

"What the hell? That damn- What?" A strange sensation comes over me as if I have forgotten something very important. It's raking into every corner of my thoughts begging to be let back in, but I push it away not wanting anything to do with it or want to know what it is. Then in that instant a shuddering ache pulsates in me. I feel that something is missing. Something that I need to have. I curse at the feeling and push my way back into my body again. I catch Blondie in a surprised state and without a second thought I take my chance to hit him under the jaw with the palm of my hardened hand. While he's in a daze I grab his arm and put him in a lock with my legs.

"Hey, Father, I caught him."

"Take them up to Wrath's place." He says.

I don't know where or who Wrath is so I leave Shorty with Envy and walk away to wherever I can think to myself. I take note of the area for the first time and wonder where exactly am I. The entire place is dark and musty with an endless amount of tubes surrounding the place in its own maze. Behind me in the center is a chair where the tubes are connected to and tables filled with glass bottles of different colored liquids. Put it simply. The place is all together creepy.

Thinking back now I'm a bit frustrated that I haven't completely gotten rid of the prince and to know that his soul is ready to take over at any chance he can get. Also what I really want to know was that weird feeling I felt after the brat took over. Am I missing something? Have I forgotten something I shouldn't have? But how? I have just been born so how can I forget something? Nothing vitally important happened back then in that ruckus I'm sure. I cross my arms over my chest and try to think clearly.

"What can it possibly be?" This empty feeling.

I grin widely at my sudden realization, "Of course."

Just as my name implies I want... I want... I want. I haven't particularly found anything that I wanted but my urges are seemingly growing fast enough. If I can just figure out what it is I want I'm sure this... void will close up.

"Greed."

The sound of the brats voice inside my head catches me off guard, "What the? The hell you want?"

"I need you to do me a favor."

"And why should I do that?"

"I gave you my body so I should at least get something in return."

I ponder on it for a while and making a deal with a human doesn't sound like it will suite Father's tastes, but I personally don't mind offering Squinty Eyes an equal exchange, "Tch. Alright. What is it you want me to do?"

"Let me take over for a second so I can write a message to one of my subordinates."

I wasn't keen on the idea, but I already made the deal with him, "Fine, but don't get any funny ideas," I sneak a peek behind me to check on Father. He's attending to Gluttony, who used up all of his regenerative powers, and not paying any mind to me, "And do it fast."

A strong force pushes me back within the Philosopher's stone and I watch the prince rip a part of the bandage wrapped around his abdomen away then bites his thumb to write on it with his blood.

"I'm done."

Immediately I push him away and regain control while the injured thumb surrounds itself in red electricity from the stone and heals itself. I stare at the strange red letterings of his homeland.

"Give it to a woman who's waiting for me."

How am I supposed to find a woman? The short, blonde runt seemed to be acquainted with this guy so he should know who this guy is talking about. I'll give it to him.

"Hm." A ripped up jacket with no shirt underneath. A sword strap wrapped around the chest. White trousers and black slippers... But before then I'm gonna change out of this get up.

The streets of Central are bustling with people and I walk down it with my new all black outfit of an oriental shirt underneath a long trench coat, slacks, and dress shoes. The little runt has just finished talking to the homunculi Wrath so he should still be on the one road that leads to the main gate of Central Command and soon enough I find him with the armored kid talking in a pay phone booth. I stand next to the booth but they aren't even aware of my presence so I just wait for them to finish.

Concern and worry comes from Edward while he talks to someone named Winry. From the second I met him he's always been worrying about someone and it's that kind of thing that my siblings will definitely take advantage of. I'm sure they already know how this kid's personality works so I'm not surprised that their plans are going so smoothly. Father practically has two of his five sacrifices under his control for him to obtain the power of God himself, from what he told before I went to search for this runt. The idea is a little farfetched for me, but sounds great to have.

"Take care of yourself... Alright. Bye." He lets out a sigh relief, but I think I should at least give some sort of warning so he won't be too comfortable.

"That's exactly the kind of desperation they're going to take advantage on."

They scream at my sudden appearance when I've been standing here throughout the entire conversation.

"Ling?" Edward shouts at me to my annoyance.

"I told you I'm Greed." Damn kid, "But look at you two. You're a total wreck after just one threat. And you called the one person who can be the source of your weakness, tipping your hand to anyone who might be following you," I grin, "You're the type who are a cinch to manipulate."

He becomes flustered and blows off my warning, "What do you want?"

"Uh... This guy is "Ling" right?" I hold out the ripped bandage with the message to him, "Your friend asked me to do him a favor."

He grabs the bandage and raises an eyebrow at it, "Some weird writing? What does it say?"

"I don't know. I can't read it. He told me to give to a woman who's waiting for him."

The armored boy and Shorty stare at me in disbelief, "... I don't know where she is."

Of course the runt doesn't trust me, "Just give it to her."

He turns a suspicious eye on me, "You're going to follow me and kill her aren't you?"

I scoff at this, "I've got more class than that, alright?" I shrug, "Besides I don't fight women."

It's about time I leave now. Father said he was suppose to introduce me to the rest of my siblings, "And another rule of mine is to never tell a lie, but whatever. It's your call."

"Hey, Ling!" The runt calls out to me.

I continue walking and raise a hand at him, "It's still Greed, kid."

So one of my siblings, Lust, was killed by a Flame Alchemist. Sloth is slaving away somewhere digging tunnels for the creation of a transmutation circle that's the size of this country. Pride is my oldest brother whose alias is Selim Bradley, the Fuhrer's son. And Wrath is the Fuhrer himself. Father gave me the job as the guard of this place, which sounds totally boring, but who am I to disobey my creator. I examine Central Command's size from the highest point of its building and it's a pretty big place to take care of, but thankfully it's pretty much clear of any large objects so it would be easy to spot someone.

"How's that body treating you, Greed?" A low voice comes from behind.

A grown man, with black hair and an eye patch over his left eye, in his fifties stands tall with the common blue military uniform of this country and a sword sheathed on his hip. He's just as Father described, "So you're Wrath?"

"Yes."

"I feel great. And listen to this. This body was once a prince of Xing! The kid was something else! He wanted me to take over the body so he can become emperor or something like that."

"I've spoken to him before about his role as a leader. He boasted that he can protect his country and people. The fool... He got too ambitious and lost everything."

A strong stirring is pushing me away and I'm seeing things between the blue sky over head and the inside of the Philosopher's stone.

"How pathetic humans are." Wrath finishes. Almost instantly I am sucked back inside the stone and the prince's anger echoes through the sea of souls.

"Shut the hell up! Don't underestimate humans!"

I drag the kid back inside again and take a look at Wrath's surprised face, "What can I say?" I shrug, "He's a patient bastard waiting for any chance he can get to take this body back."

Wrath chuckles, "He accepted a monster into his own flesh. The avarice of humans knows no bounds."

After Wrath walks back inside I couldn't help but feel a strange sense of déjà vu. For a split second I could have sworn that I met Wrath before and that I somehow knew about all these plans about God's power or whatever already. After just a few seconds of thinking it over I give up on it and ignore it all together.

"Avarice of humans knows no bounds, huh?"

I chuckle at his words. It's probably one of the things I find so interesting about them.

It's been weeks since I was first assigned for the job as guard and man is it boring! I've been around all of Central Command at least three times and Father's lair at least six. I just about have every turn, exit, and entrance memorized. The place I often come by the most, because it actually gives me something to look at, is where father keeps his puppets or Mannequin Soldiers in a long dark passage where the pipes in the ceiling looks like the guts from a human stomach and floors are covered with large, long pipes and wires. There're endless rows of them of at least hundreds hanging upside on the walls and I wish I can say that they look like their sleeping with their one eyes closed, but their teeth are tightly clenched together as if they have experienced great pain. They are hairless, skinny things with white bodies and red lines coming from their head down to their chests. These pathetic looking creatures are supposed to be a lower form of homunculi, but really they are exactly what they have been named: mindless dummies.

Echoes of voices down the hall reach my ears and I automatically recognize one of them to be General Gardner's- A frail looking man who will go as far as killing his own people to gain immortality. I really don't care for him and anything he does is under Father's approval. So I leave the room of dolls and go down an empty hall with only wired walls and ceilings when I hear feet tapping against the pipes above me. I widely grin as I follow the steps of the intruder who has finally come to fill my boredom. I run a head of him so it can see me before I kill it and I listen to its feet hit the ground a few feet away. It walks towards my direction and I turn the corner to meet with the stranger.

A small human based chimera, who resembles a lizard (especially with the tail), dressed in rags, stares at me with its large eyes in curiosity and surprise. Without giving him a second thought I smile profusely and strike him in his left shoulder with my hardened hand. He screams from the pain then I smack him against the face as his head hits the wall with great impact. He turns to me with wide eyes and blood dripping down his head, nose, and mouth then immediately takes off at full speed. He jumps onto a pipe above then runs along it as I jump up myself to a higher one above him. I run until I match his speed then jump down and bring my hardened hand down at him but miss and hit directly behind him, bursting the pipe. He falls from the sudden force and lands on the ground and I jump down before him.

"Well this is fun. I like it when they put up a fight," I ready myself to strike him with the final blow, "Guarding the tunnels is so boring. That's why it's great when guys like you come along." I laugh at his futile attempts but one that keeps me entertained.

"Who do you think you are imitating Mr. Greed?"

I question the "Mr." part but... "Excuse me. I'm no imitation. My name is Greed."

"You're Greed?" He stutters with disbelief.

"Yep! In the flesh," I grin wickedly, "I want everything you can possibly think of. Money, women, status, fame, sex, glory-"

"You demand the finer things in life!" He finishes for me.

He has certainly peeked my curiosity now. He knows a lot about me even though I'm sure we have never met before.

"It can't be... but... What's going on?" He asks weakly.

He's a chimera small in stature. Pale brown skin with brown spots on random areas of his body. Large eyes and nose. A tail. I'm positive I don't know him.

"Who are you?" I ask.

A blurry vision scratches at my brain and that faint feeling comes back again. I thought it had finally gone away, but it's different this time. It's stronger than before and my head is throbbing.

"You are Mr. Greed! But how can you look like someone else? Is that a new ability of yours?"

Who is...? "I asked who the hell you are."

"It's me! Bido! From the Devil's Nest, remember? You haven't been gone long enough to forget your friend!"

Where's the Devil's Nest? I put aside the strange sensations and ignore my pulsing head. Instead I decide to use this information to my advantage and play along to get rid of this guy as fast as possible.

"Uh... Yeah, yeah! I remember now. The Devil's Nest. Now it all makes sense!" It actually does now.

Hope beams in his smile and tears come to his eyes, "Do you remember now?" But it doesn't faze me. I take the opportunity and pierce him through the chest.

"Afraid not. You must have been buddies with the old Greed. I don't know you."

His face contorts with pain and rejection while I watch him struggle with himself to comprehend the situation.

"But..." He clings onto my coat with a firm grasp to try to keep himself standing while I continue to look down upon the chimera with no regrets or care for his life.

"Mr. Greed..." He chokes out through the blood rising to his mouth. I don't even pity the fact that he has mistaken me for the other Greed.

"...you were my friend..." He faintly gasps his last words as his hand slips away from my coat and falls limply to the ground in his own bath of blood.

"It's nothing personal. I'm just doing my job to keep the vermin out."

Again. Why again? It's coming back. That thing scratching me from the inside. Raking and clawing. My hand shakes on its own and I lift it up watching the chimera's blood drip down it.

"What the hell?"

It pounds into my skull. Punching and beating every recess of my mind until it finally leaks through. In a gray haze I see the backs of three people. Two male and one female. Their very presence in my mind hammers my head and my stomach clenches in tight knots. I fall to my knees and vomit only water and saliva then gruesomely cough out the rest. I return my hand to normal and look at it with mixed feelings. Was that chimera the cause of this? Who was he? What did he do to me? These things digging into my skull are growing more and more and it won't stop. I grab my head in a lame attempt to calm the bloods strong pulse, but nothing can stop it. How can I stop it?

"What a low life you've become, Greed."

The prince? This is the first time he's spoken to me since he asked me to do him that favor.

"I've seen some pretty bad things in my years but what kind of sick creature would kill his own friend?"

This hand. It won't stop shaking, "That wasn't..." Something is trying to push itself in. But I won't allow it, "My friend..."

It's them again, but this time their faces are visible. A large strong man with white hair and mutton chops. A woman with short blonde hair and purple markings on her face. A man with short brown hair with a sword. All of them... smiling at me. Then that lizard guy. A hand with black bracelets pats him on the head and on it is the ourobourous tattoo. Too much is leaking out and I don't know who the hell these people are. But something is convincing me that I do and strangely enough they do seem familiar. I don't care to know who they are, but the force is too hard to restrain. I bring my head down hard against the floor from the new pains which have increased incredibly. I take a look at the chimera's body and his lifeless features bring me sorrowful feelings for him and my heart is throbbing at his death.

"Then why do you remember him? And are you telling me that what Bido said was all a lie?"

I speak to him face to face inside the Philosopher's stone, "Those are the last Greed's memories! Not mine!"

"Then why are you in so much pain?"

Why am I in pain? I can't know who they are. Guilt is grabbing me by the throat and grief is twisting my insides.

"Get a hold of yourself, Greed. I'm warning you now that if you let your guard down, my soul is going to take this body back."

"They aren't mine!" I try to explain as desperate I may sound, "Father purified me and purged the old Greed's memories! Those memories aren't a part of me anymore!"

Anger flashes in the prince's eyes and the veins pop out of his head, "You can't erase the truth!" He smacks his forehead against my own and looks at me in the eyes. Rage is the only thing I am able to read, "It's not that easy! They will always be a part of you! It's a bond between souls that can never be wiped away!"

Again more people come and they are all chimeras. Smiling and laughing with me.

"You hear that? Their souls are crying out, Greed!" No. I can't hear them. I don't want to. More and more are leaking out and they are becoming so real.

"You turned your back on your real family- your kindred spirits!" Blood. Why do I see blood? They were killed. All of them. I lost something. I lost them.

"You gave them up!" Wrath? Why the hell is he there? Behind him I see one of my subordinates cut in half. "My subordinate"?

"Fool. If you turned your back away on something you wanted..." No. No. No! It can't be! I can't hold them back any longer. These memories...

"You don't deserve to call yourself Greed!" My defenses break and I let them all pour in; all the memories that I tried so hard to forget. Dublith. The Devil's Nest. The chimera's I put under my wing. My want for immortality. I scream out as they rush into my head and subconsciously I hold Bido's body. The last survivor of The Devil's Nest. My last friend. And I killed him. I stare at the ceiling and wallow in my own self pity until...

"What?" They're back again? No this is different. This is completely different from before. Sorrow, anger, agony... joy? My breathing hitches and my heart beats ten times faster than normal. Tears brim my eyes while flashes of light and colors blinds me. They fall out from my eyes and cascade down my cheeks. I'm thinking... of someone. I can feel the presence of that person somewhere in the back of mind. Calling and asking for me.

"Greed?" the prince asks, "What's wrong with you?"

I ignore his pestering while I try to pull out these memories. This feeling. This is exactly what I felt the first time the prince took over. This was that important thing. It's here now!

Soft cheeks. Long brown hair. Rosy lips. Beautiful smile. A harmonious laugh. Brilliant green eyes. Tanned flawless skin. These images they belong to...

"Cliantha." I whisper her name.


Asclepias is a flower meaning: Sorrowful memories

Yes! It is finally complete! I have worked very hard on this and dedicated this entire week to my lovely Greed (leaving Gaara in the dust...). I had so much fun writing this! With constant research everything turned out the way I wanted it to be, besides it being a little lengthier than I expected. I was expecting maybe 8-10 pages, but not 15! Oh well.
I hope you have enjoyed chapter one of Vacant Soul.