~Past 1~
Their steps became louder through the forest meaning they were close behind. I sprinted faster, but it was useless no matter how far I ran. They had Gluttony to detect my scent and it didn't matter where I was, he still would have been able to track me. Everyone else was relying on him to lead them to me and bring me back to Father. Like hell I would anyways. I've had enough of waging wars and making giant transmutation circles just for Pops. There was nothing in it for me and I could care less about what he wanted. I knew there was so much more in this world for me to take advantage of and to take for myself. There are so many things beyond Father's layer that this world had to offer and I wanted to take it all; even if it meant living amongst humans. They are such interesting creatures who can be easily manipulated and simple minded. And oh, their women! Some were so easy to fall prey to my hands. I was going to make my place in the world and I wasn't about to have my brothers and sister stop me.
A sharp pain came across my cheek and I caught a glimpse of one of Lust's extended fingers. I jumped to the trees to divert them a little, but the trunk of the tree snapped in two by Pride's shadow. He took advantage of every little ray of moonlight there was to ensure my capture.
"You're not getting away, Greed!"
While I jumped onto another tree Envy came from behind and attempted to kick me in the head, but I moved my head to the side and jumped down to the ground.
"What the hell are you doing, Greed? How dare you abandon Father!"
I grinned and shrugged my shoulders, "What? I can't have a little fun around here?"
"Don't toy with me." He growled. His left eye grew three pupils then the left side of his body contorted and grew bigger as he was about to reveal his true form.
I snickered at his short temper, "Come on you ugly bitch. Show us all what you really look like."
"Envy," Lust came from behind the trunk of the tree Envy was on, "You can't do that here. You'll cause a ruckus in the village next door and we already have plans for it."
"Tch!" He calmed himself down and reverted back to his thinly toned body and two purple eyes.
I took the chance to run, but something held my feet rooted to the ground. Pride's shadow had a firm grasp on my ankles, "Fuck," I cursed at myself for not realizing that I was directly under the moon's light.
"Would you really lower yourself so much by living amongst the humans?" Pride said coming out from the shadows on Gluttony's shoulder, "You're a homunculus who are higher beings than they are. The little vermin's are only good for the creation of the Philosopher's stone and Father's plans. Don't forget who you are, Greed"
"Heh. I don't care much for pride, big brother. As long as I get what I want nothing else matters to me," I grinned mischievously.
"You're pathetic." His shadows coiled around my body, but his child-like features showed frustration when the moon's light was slowly closing away, "Hurry and capture him!"
Envy and Lust came at me and I half smiled while I watched the circle of white light close itself on my chest. I carbonated my entire body and broke free of Pride's hold. Lust extended her sharp fingers and speared my shoulder with no avail against my Ultimate Shield. I sprinted away whilst listening to Envy's long array of curses fading away and returned my skin back to normal. I took precautions on keeping an eye on the clouds covering the moon, but shortly after gave up on the idea as a town came into view with most of its lights still on. If this was the neighboring town Lust was talking about then I thought it best to hide in there knowing that they weren't able to do any major damages.
I stayed away from any lights I came across and stuck with the shadows. The streets were practically empty and the silence was gnawing at my ears waiting for any unexpected noises that may be my siblings. I crept back into the alleys where there were the least light and the moon's view was incapable of seeping in. Now all there was to worry about was Gluttony's nose, but no ideas came to mind on how to hide my scent. Nearby Gluttony's voice came from down the alley pinpointing to the others where I was.
"Shit." I continued down the alley without a clue in the world on how to evade them. Then, with luck patting me on the back, a few feet away a door was ajar. I slipped inside and closed it behind me and a small source of relief came out into a sigh. Gluttony would still be able to scent me out but at least I mislead him for a few seconds or hopefully a minute. The room was dark and as my eyes adjusted I took note of a lot shapes lying around the whole area. I took one step forward and nearly tripped on myself over something that rolled under my foot. I caught my balance on a large, smooth object and when I slid my hand over it it made a ceramic sound.
From the other side of the home a door opened then closed. A slit of orange light made its way under, where I could now make out, the door and shuffling noises of feet and creaking sounds of the floor boards made its way around that certain area of the home. I tried as best I can to maneuver my way around the objects from what little light I had and made my way towards the door. With my back against the wall I slowly pushed the door open to only reveal a crack and see into the other room. I could only get a ceiling and parts of a small wooden table and the floor, but the owner. To see to the other side I slightly shifted my weight and a creak sounded from under my weight. I held in my curses and instead mouthed out 'fuck', then the creaking of the floor boards sounded again and this time it made their way over to where I am. I considered getting out into the alley again, but a set of footsteps from outside made their way past the door and I could only assume it was my siblings. I took a peek through the crack again and caught a woman's torso dressed in a purplish shirt. Voices were heard behind me and one of them I distinctly recognized as Envy's.
The door carefully opened beside me. I didn't plan on killing her because I'm the one that brought her the trouble and it would be unfair, although it could have made things easier. If I made my escape and left her the others wouldn't so much as care for her life and let Gluttony eat her. Damn it! Of all the houses there were it had to be a woman's I ended up in. Oh well...
She opened the door and stepped inside with a candle in hand. She didn't notice me standing behind her so I took a hold of her arm that was holding the candle and dropped it on the ground then I quickly stepped on it to turn off the flame. I brought her arm behind her back then she immediately sucked in some air as she was about to scream but I placed my hand over her mouth before she could.
"You have to be quiet," I whispered into her ear. She looked up at me with petrified green eyes, "If you don't want to die that is," I grinned at her. Her beautiful green eyes couldn't get any wider.
Their voices were directly behind the door and I ran inside the house, with the woman in my grasp, to look for a place to hide. The small kitchen in front of me. A door that lead to who-knows-where. A staircase that most likely lead to the woman's rooms. Then to my right a door with a glass window and a peculiar smell that came from inside. An explosion, from inside the room I just came from, rushed me to take whatever chance I could get and swung the door open. The aroma of flowers filled my nostrils making its way towards my head which brought about a headache. Every color and type of flower were on the walls down to every corner on the floors.
"Are you sure he's in here?" Envy!
"Yes, I'm sure," Damn that fat ass!
I spun around once to scan the area and find a place to- Behind the wooden desk! I flew to the long desk and sat down behind it with my back against it. I brought the woman close to me and continued to keep my hand over her mouth, "Don't make a sound."
Her hot breath hit my hand and her eyes shined with tears. Christ, these women...
"I'm pretty sure he's in there." Gluttony said without assurance to my surprise.
"Where?" Envy asked while inside. His loud footsteps made their way around the room along with the sounds of pots being thrown and shattered. The woman jumped at each pot that was destroyed.
"He's somewhere inside this sea of crap," He continued raking through the place throwing and breaking more things.
"I lost his scent..." Gluttony said. He lost my scent? That was something impossible for Gluttony. He could even scent a person's movement unless... above on the wall in front of me are dried flowers hung upside and tied together in a pink ribbon. The flowers covered my scent and Envy throwing all the things around mixed my scent with them and made it harder for Gluttony to follow.
"What do you mean you lost his scent?"
"Envy, let's go. We can't waste any more time on him. We have things to do," Lust calmed Envy, "Pride, what do you think we should do?"
"Let us return to Father and ask what he thinks of this. I personally want to eat him, but I rather not without his consent."
"Very well. Come on, Gluttony."
"Alright."
A loud explosion of wood of a door being destroyed followed after. Envy's heavy breathing was all that was left in the room before he threw a vase of flowers at the wall in front of me. The woman let out a short scream but thankfully my hand muffled the sound.
I waited at least two minutes before I recovered my hands from the woman. I peeked over the smooth wooden surface and took a look around the demolished room. Puddles of water mixed with dirt were all on the floors and walls and nearly every pot and flower were laid out in pieces on the wooden floors. No doubt about it that that was my entire fault for bringing them here, but if I stayed any longer I might just cause more trouble. Who knew what Pop's thinking of doing to me?
I turned to the lady to apologize then get the hell out, but she had something better in mind for me.
"You jerk!" She punched me square in the nose and I heard the bones crack beneath her fist. I fell back from the sudden impact and held my nose which was bleeding profusely.
"What the hell, woman?"
"How dare you drag your problems into my shop! Look at it! It is completely destroyed!" She turned away to look at what remained of it and I took the moment to allow the Philosopher's stone to heal my nose. Her eyes teared up again and one fell down her smooth, softly tanned cheek. For a moment I felt bad, but hey. What can I do? If it was to save my ass I'm not complaining. But the sadness instantly turned to rage when she looked at me.
"You better have some sort of idea to repay me for this or else I am going to call the military. Better yet pay for all the damage."
"I don't have any money, sorry." I looked down at her chest and her button down shirt is unbuttoned at the top revealing her nice cleavage.
"Then I'm calling the military!"
I chuckle, "Sorry, babe. That won't work." Pops practically has the entire country under his control and the military wouldn't have been able to lay a finger on me anyways.
The anger dissipated and revealed wide curiosity and realization, "How did you heal so quickly?"
I ignored her question and decided to leave now that she let out her steam, "Sorry for the damage, but I gotta go."
I made my way to the door-less doorway, save for a few pieces that hung off the hinges, "Ugh! Wait just a minute! You cannot leave me like this. It is going to take me over a month to rebuild my shop and open it again. This shop is the only way I gain money to survive!"
I really wished I could have said 'It's not my problem' but sadly it is because if it hadn't been for me finding her home by chance she wouldn't have been part of my situation. But really, there's nothing I can do about it.
"So? What do you want me to do?"
She took my question by surprise and played with her fingers while she looked down at the ground. Obviously she was contemplating over something.
"You can..." She took in a deep breath, "Help me fix my shop." She blabbered out.
Help fix? "Ehh?" She couldn't be serious?
"It is only for a month," she added meekly.
I thought it over, but then that meant..., "So that makes my boss?"
She shifted her eyes unsure about the question, "I guess so."
If there was one thing I absolutely would not have was being ordered around by someone again and I didn't work for others. They work for me and I doubt she would want to come with me, "Nope. Sorry. If you'll excuse me," I put my hands in my pockets and headed out again.
"Wait," She ran in front of me and I stopped to let her speak... again. She sure talked a lot.
"You are only under my orders in the shop; obviously because only I know where I want everything to be placed, and you can do whatever you want after when you are done helping," Her eyes focused on the floor and she played with her fingers again, "Um. This can be your home in the mean time and I can feed you. For no cost at all. Just your help," She looked up with hope gleaming and blinding my eyes.
Again if it hadn't been for me I wouldn't have been in that situation and that woman said this shop was basically her only source of income and money without a month is pretty bad I'm guessing. Also... If Envy and the others did come back for me my scent would be hidden due to all those flowers and a month sounded like a good amount of time to stay low before I could be on way again. On another note I didn't mind staying alone with a woman. Especially this one: Long, thick light brown that waved on certain sections and thin bangs that covered her forehead. Brilliant green eyes against her lightly tanned skin that looked flawless. Her curves are mesmerizing beneath that fitted button down purple-pink shirt and long skirt. I guess I'll stay.
"Fine. I'll stay. But only for a month."
"Yes! The work will go by faster with the extra help. Thank you!" She beamed a smile which caught me off guard.
"Yeah, yeah." I recovered and sighed.
"How did you get inside anyways?"
"Your back door was open," I pointed behind me with my thumb.
"What?" She smacked her forehead, "No way. Again?"
She was a bit absent minded wasn't she? "Anyways. Where am I staying for the night then?"
"Uh. Oh. I have to make the bed," she said hurriedly as she walked out of the room and towards the stairs, "You can get something to eat from the ice box or the cabinets. I also just brought some more things from the groceries. Eat what you want, but not all of it." She was about to go upstairs but then came back; "There is a towel there by the sink to clean the blood off your face."
After she went on upstairs I helped myself to the kitchen and rinsed the towel with water and wiped the blood beneath my nose. An ice box was next to the front door then beside that was the stove and oven beneath it. The sink was besides the stove, with a window above it, and then a counter that was empty besides for the basket of fruit. A tall cabinet was set against the wall then behind me was a dark brown wooden table for two and set on it was a paper bag filled with groceries. Decorating the blue walls was dried upside flowers and paintings of flowers. In fact most of the home was decorated in a similar way with vases of flowers or some other plants placed in certain areas of the home.
"Not exactly how I pictured the start of rebellious life, but if it's with a woman I don't mind as much," I helped myself to an apple then searched the icebox. I didn't realize how hungry I was.
"You are sleeping upstairs in the room to your left and- whoa, that is a lot of food."
Around me on the table was half eaten loaves of bread, most of the meat I was able to find already half way gone, half eaten cheese, egg shells, and two empty glasses of milk and I was finishing up my third. I set the empty glass back down on the table and gave a sigh of satisfaction to my full stomach.
"Thanks, babe. I'll be going to bed then."
She gave me a look of dissatisfaction, "My name is Cliantha. Cliantha Kirsch."
"I'll remember it," I made my way to the staircase.
"What is yours?"
"Greed."
"Greed? That is a strange name to give someone."
I smirked, "You think? I think it suits me," I continued upstairs then stopped halfway up. I held my grin to myself and was able to at least only let a smirk seep through my lips.
"Hey, Cliantha right?" She stopped and looked up, "Wanna spend the night with me tonight?"
Her face flushed red and looked she was about to burst, "N-no!" Her face contorted with mixed feelings and regret when she looked straight into my eyes.
"Uh-oh. Looks like the lady is having second thoughts about me staying here," I laughed at her and when she didn't say anything I knew I had it right. Judging by her reaction I was also able to deduce that she had never had a man over her home either, "Don't worry I promise that I won't try anything, but it was worth a shot," I shrugged, "Night, toots."
~End Past 1~
Cliantha. Kirsch. I rest my head in the palm of my hand when the throbbing still doesn't cease. That woman. Who is she? I recognize her and feel like I've known her for years, but I don't know anything about her. I don't want anything to do with these memories, but at the same time I want to delve deeper and find out more. But I can't do anything about the woman and what's more important to me now is why Wrath was in my memories killing my possessions? Bido's limp body is heavy in my arm and I can feel the weight of my guilt and regret. The pain intensifies while more memories keep pouring in. There is only one person I want to see and my rage and confusion is blinding me with only one vision. Wrath's death. It's as if I can't help myself but feel these emotions. And the one question that's leaving me baffled is why are these memories returning to me? They were supposed to be gone! I leave Bido on the ground and sprint to Wrath's dorm. I need to ask him. I need to know.
I make my way to Wrath's dorm without detection and the men that are standing guard at his door I strike down unconscious. Another man comes from behind and before he is able to pull the trigger of his gun I grab him by the collar of the shirt and drive a fist into his stomach. I open the door huffing and puffing from using my energy in mix with the endless pounding in my skull.
"Who are you?" Wrath's wife asks, but I disregard her and Pride's presence and attack Wrath with my carbonated hand. His draws his sword with great speed and blocks the attack. We hold out on this position testing each other's strength and I glare into his eye knowing he has the truth behind these memories.
"Darling!"
"Father," Pride's childish voice calls out.
"Stay back," Is all he says.
"What is this, Wrath...?" They come back again. The chimeras, "Why do I keep seeing all these things...? What the fuck is all this! My head feels like it's going to explode!" An instant image of the woman comes and goes in a flash.
Then a memory of him slicing the chimera with the sword in half, "And why are you there "King Bradley?" Why did you destroy my possessions!"
The backside of the large man with white hair and the head and hand of the brunette who was sliced in half are floating in a river of blood.
"Greed, you're a fool whose endless desires won't even let you discard the past."
"Bastard!"
A glass breaking diverts my attention away from Wrath and he seizes the opportunity to attack me. I jump over a strike to my chest and land on the top of the fireplace behind him. Without even letting me plan my next move he instantly thrusts his sword at me several times while I barely dodge them. I am able to deflect them several times with my now hardened arms then I grab the white plate, which was there for display, and throw it at him. He dodges then slices at my feet, but I flip over the attack and off the fireplace.
I run to the other end of the room and catch a gleam of the sword being thrown my way. I flip over it and let it spear the wall. He races to the sword and removes it then slices at my abdomen. He raises his sword and brings it down, but with the support of the balcony behind me I kick the sword out of his hand. He glimpses at it in the air, but instead takes a hold of my hand and fiercely grabs my coat. He throws me across the room and I land on the coffee table knocking over all the glass objects, then bounce off of it. My back falls hard on the floor and I gasp for air. The migrane gets worse and everything is foggy until I feel his feet crush both my wrists.
He brings his sword down after my neck and I compete with his speed as I carbonize my neck. Sweat perspires down my face while I watch the sword come closer to my neck. He strikes it and the blade breaks in half.
Mixed images of Wrath piercing two of his swords into my throat and the prince's own memories of carrying a woman over his shoulder and fending off Wrath. There's no way I can beat him in this condition and with Pride also in the room. I won't stand a chance. I pull free from Wrath's weight on my wrists and jump through the window. Shards of glass fall around me when I land on the ground then a force pushes and tug me back inside the stone.
"Damn you, Prince?" He's taken advantage of my confusion.
He blows off my protests and runs away from Central.
Anemone is a flower meaning: forsaken
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