Summary: Father comes face to face with 'God', only to find the being isn't what he expected.

a/n: I wrote this from Ed's perspective.

Because this is taking place in Amestris, the main language being spoken isn't English. However, Alucard can't always be bothered to 'go with the flow' as they say, and so:

"'Anything written like this'" is English (which will be predominately the language Alucard lapses into. He's spent a century serving an English family, and I'm going with the theory that it's become a sort of habit to use their language without really thinking about it)

Enjoy!

Chapter 3: Meeting God


"He did it!"
"We won, we won!"
The triumphant cries of the Briggs soldiers filled the air. Edward Elric had delivered a devastating uppercut that had knocked Father off his feet, landing him square on his back in the middle of the destroyed courtyard. He wasn't moving, and as far as they could tell, it was over, they had finally won.

The young alchemist however, looked far from triumphant. His golden eyes were wary, his posture only slightly loosening. 'Too easy. After everything he's taken up till now, there's no way this is the end of it.'Gaze never wavering from the prone man at his feet, Edward Elric, the Fullmetal Alchemist, waited.

Seconds later his fears were confirmed, the energy around father pulsed, and his eyes snapped open. Ed pulled himself back into full fighting stance, the gathered soldiers and alchemists falling silent. The homunculus's mouth opened, a horrible inhuman noise tearing from his throat. Red sparks of alchemic energy appeared around him, covering his body and the immediate area around him. His abdomen contorted and the energy arcs grew in size.

"No!"

The word escaped around the noises erupting from Father's throat, desperate, horrified. A wave of alchemic energy exploded forth from the homunculus, so bright it forced Ed to throw up his arms to shield his eyes. When the light had lessened to a bearable amount he lowered his arms, only to gasp in horror at what he saw. Jutting forth from the center of father's abdomen, reaching towards the sky, was an arm. The pristine white glove it was sporting contrasted sharply against the inky blackness of the sleeve, which, he realized, was moving.

Ed blinked, looking harder at the strange sight before him. There was movement, yes, but it wasn't actually the sleeve doing it. 'Shadows? Does that mean that Pride somehow-no. Whatever this is, it's not pride. It's…' His eyes widened as realization hit him. The thing that Father had trapped inside himself, that had been fighting for freedom was-"God?" He didn't even realize the word had left his mouth, so transfixed was he on the swaying tendrils of shadows. They moved idly for a moment, as if gaining their bearings whilst awaiting their counterpart's next move. Wave after wave of emotion slammed into him as he realized what it was he was looking at. The arm of God.

The momentary silence of the courtyard was broken by the chorus of gasps and exclamations from the gathered men and women as they saw the new development. He wondered how many of them had come to the same realization he had.

Setting his jaw and more firmly planting his feet, Ed brought his arms back up into a fighting stance. God or not, it wouldn't due to be unprepared and leave himself open like a fool. 'Especially if this IS God. There's no telling what he'll do once he's free. Especially if I decide not to buy into that whole 'The Benevolence of God' thing.'

Father's wailing returned, increasing in pitch as the arm came down, fast and hard, to land on the concrete. From where Ed was, he could see new cracks and breaks appear on the already abused surface as the palm made contact. The fingers pulled inwards, as if to better grip the hard surface, leaving indents in their wake. The tendrils of darkness expanded, creeping slowly along the ground. As they did so the whole of the appendage was seemingly released from their encasement, making it look inhumanly long and thin.

Father was still wailing and writhing, but Ed's attention was fixed solely on the thing that was slowly pulling its way from inside the homunculus. A shoulder emerged, sparks of oddly darkened alchemic lightning dancing around it. The flesh entrapping the being bulged and stretched to accommodate the passing of a head, face obscured by a curtain of unruly black hair that fell, longer than even Olivier's, to pool on and around the pale body of the homunculus.

More shadows emerged from the wound with their master, rising above him and shaping themselves into mock-arms. Flexing their fingers, they shot away from their creator with startling speed. The Briggs soldiers on the left and right of the prone figures threw themselves to the ground as the shadow-arms swept towards them, stretching out impossibly far as they gained purchase on bits and pieces of the still standing buildings. The things had become impossibly long and only barely proportionate, more shadows spilling out to pool around their originating point. They heaved and pulled as one, stone crumbling and cracking beneath their grasp as the creature continued his bid for freedom.

Once he'd managed to pull his other shoulder out there was a sickening noise as flesh was ripped and would-be blood splattered the ground. The newly torn-free arm touched down forcibly on it's respective side of Father's body, concrete giving under its grip. Slowly a chest and torso made their appearance, bringing with them shadows and bastardized alchemic energy.

Ed took a step back, terror gripping him as the peculiar properties of the being's alchemy washed over him. Ever since the Alkahestry circle had been activated to counter Father's alchemic transmutation circle, he'd been able to sense alchemic energy to some degree; to pick it apart and understand it's underlying purpose. What he was feeling now, however, only just barely fit into the 'alchemy' category. It felt off, wrong. 'He's stolen the souls inside Father and changed them, taken their life force and warped it …'

The Fullmetal Alchemist's eyes widened as he watched the being wrench his body upwards, supported by another score of shadow hands that had taken the place of his flesh and blood ones on the concrete. Within seconds he'd managed to free both his legs, stumbling slightly as his feet made contact with the ground. Ed wasn't fooled by the act of clumsiness, he could see in the creature's posture a strength and sureness that only added to his wariness. Whoever this was, he was deadly.

As the man's posture straightened (for Ed was definitely sure now it was a man), the arms reeled themselves back in, loosing their shape until they where indefinite tendrils snaking here and there around their master. The head came up, hair parting to reveal a pair of luminescent red eyes. Ed drew in a sharp breath, remembering the similar way Father's eyes had glowed as he'd appeared behind Hohenheim. This man, whatever he was, be it God or otherwise, was the thing Father had sacrificed the whole of Amestris for. And now he'd managed to break free.

A gust of wind blew through the desecrated courtyard, covering up the soft sounds coming from Father. The black haired man lifted his head into the breeze, eyes sliding shut as the gusts buffeted his hair and brushed against his pale skin. His shadows dissipated further until they where just a vague outline about his legs. Ed knew this would have been a perfect opening for an attack, but uncertainty stopped him. He had no idea who the man was, therefore no clue as to his capabilities or his intentions. Just because the man scared the fuck out of him didn't necessarily mean he was an enemy. After all, more than a few of his allies had incited feelings of terror when he'd first met them.

The cloud passed from in front of the sun, letting it's rays wash over central. The light touched the black clad man, his eyes opening into slits as a frown moved smoothly onto his lips. His head lowered, allowing his hair to sweep forward and throw his face into shadow. The forearm of the man lifted, and for a moment he seemed to be watching his fingers as he flexed them, most likely lost in thought if his relaxed posture was anything to go by. Ed frowned. The man didn't even seem to realize he was standing not 10 feet from him, or that he was surrounded on all sides.

"Stone…Philosopher's Stone….Need….God."

The strangely dressed man snapped out of whatever trance he'd fallen into, head lifting just enough for Ed to once again be able to see his face. Red eyes widened slightly, sliding sideways at the sound of the homunculus's words. Slowly he turned, leather jumper creaking slightly as first his upper body, then the rest of him shifted. He'd altered his stance just enough to be able to look around at the blonde haired man at his feet, seemingly noticing him for the first time. Something Ed wasn't sure if he should find comical, or just plain weird, considering he'd just crawled out of the guy's stomach.

Father's eyes shifted upwards to meet those of his so-called God. "Why? Why would you not accept being a part of me?" The voice was laced with both fury and utter despair, the veined face twisted up into something unreadable.

The creature tilted it's head slightly to the side, cocking an eyebrow. "Why would I?"

The sound of the man's voice startled Ed; Whatever he'd been expecting, it wasn't a deadpan tone in a cultured, if slightly accented, voice.

Father's face became momentarily expressionless, before it contorted with anger. He opened his mouth to retaliate, but the dark haired man cut him off.

"You imprison me, set your ghouls on me, leech off of me, and then dare to ask why I could not accept you?" Anger had crept into his tone as he spoke, lips curling into something resembling a snarl.

"I wanted to become a perfect being!"

'God' laughed, a sound that sent chills up Ed's, and everyone else's, spine. No one moved to act, all transfixed on the scene before them.

"'A perfect being'?" More laughter.

"What's so funny about wanting to know everything in the world? To know what Gods knows? Why then should I not take God into me?"

The laughter stopped, a frown taking it's place. "'God'?"

"Yes!" Father shifted, attempting to get to his feet now that the gaping hole in his torso had healed.

Red eyes surveyed the homunculus incredulously for a moment, before narrowing. "'You believe me to be God?'"

Father frowned, not understanding the language the man before him had spoken in.

Soft, humorless laughter echoed in the silence. "You're a fool."

The homunculus's golden eyes widened and he took a faltering step backwards. "Fool? You…think I'm a fool?" Fury and indignation crept into Father's face and tone. "How can you be God and think I'm a fool?"

The laughter faded away, and the crimson eyed monster smiled devilishly. "Who ever said I was God?"

Eyes widening so far it was almost comical, the scantily clad man took another step backwards. "You're, You're not….God?"

"I am many things, but your so-called 'God' is not one of them."

"But I summoned you! I pulled you down from the Gate in the Heavens and took you inside myself! You must be God!"

The dark haired man brought his hands up in a 'what-can-I-say' sort of gesture, grin never leaving his lips. "Believe me to be God all you want, I do not mind." The look on his face grew sly, an air of mockery about him. "Perhaps if you believe hard enough, it will become true."

Father's lips pulled back in a snarl, the veins on his face and neck more prominent than ever. "God or not, I summoned you, I brought you to myself; you are mine-" The homunculus raised his hand, red arcs of energy dancing off of his fingertips. "And now, you will return to me." The arcs leapt from his hand, twisting themselves through the air to latch onto the other man.

Instead of the pained cries Ed had expected, the black-clad man laughed. "You think this is going to get me back inside that hellhole? You're an even bigger fool than I thought!"

Father's eyes narrowed. "If you will not be brought back inside me, then I will at least take your philosophers stone."

Ed's eyes widened, immediately jumping to the laughing man. 'A philosophers stone? Just who IS this guy?'

"Oh?" Not-God made a tsk-ing noise. "I didn't think you a man of empty threats."

"What do you mean 'empty threats'?"

"I do not have a philosophers stone."

Father looked bewildered for a moment, on the verge of voicing his confusion, but was again cut off.

"If that is all you are capable of, then I see why you run through your lives so quickly. You aren't worth the power you bare, whatever you are, and you're certainly not worth mine." As he'd spoken, the shadows lurking around his feet had come forth, effectively cutting off Father's attack. The next instance they were racing towards the homunculus, slamming into the barrier he created around himself.

The barrier held, although it was obvious to Ed that the barrage of hits were strong, maybe as strong as the ones he'd landed with alchemy. Although it was clear to him that the man's shadow manipulation was not, unlike Pride's, alchemy.

Without warning hands appeared beneath Father, cutting upwards and catching him off guard. It seemed that while the homunculus had been distracted by the more obvious, direct hits, the dark haired man had sent his familiars snaking along the ground to launch a surprise attack. A few dozen souls made their escape from the wound the hit had caused before it'd managed to seal itself. All the while the shadows had continued their assault, forcing Father to dodge rather than deflect.

"How pathetic, one little scratch and I've managed to take a dozen of your lives."

Ed thought that was a bit of an exaggeration, considering the 'scratch' had gone from thigh to shoulder, probably hitting more than a few vital spots.

Wound healed, Father came to a halt, again raising his protective barrier. The two men stood, now face to face, parallel Ed. During the whole of the exchange the dark haired man hadn't moved, only now adjusting himself slightly to face his opponent. Their profiles now put into proper prospective to Ed, he found himself somewhat unnerved by how tall and thin the new man was. Even with the all black outfit, Ed could tell that the lean muscles stood out more than they should have on his frame.

Ed was brought back to the fight when he felt a now all too familiar shift in the air, and when he looked back over to Father, could only watch as he loosed a sphere of energy at the man he'd once believed to be God. The tendrils of shadows where disintegrated, and Edward watched aghast as the attack hit it's grinning target. 'He didn't even TRY to defend himself, hell, he didn't even move!'

When the light from the attack had faded, all that remained was a pile of gore, and a few scorch marks. Ed stared dumbfounded, eyes locking onto a clump of black hair sticking out of the mess. He just couldn't wrap his mind around the fact that a man who'd clawed his way from the stomach of a homunculus had been destroyed, just like that.

He'd been so distracted by the sudden turn of events that Ed didn't realized that Father had turned his sights on him; didn't hear the warning cries of his friends as the homunculus came up before him, didn't see the arm that shot out to grasp him until he felt the hand closing on his neck. His brain snapped back to attention, eyes removing themselves from their previous fixation to lock onto his attacker's. They where the same color as his, as his fathers, but there was nothing human there.

The homunculus lifted him, the strain that gravity and his own weight put on his windpipe making him gasp, struggling to breath. "And now, Edward Elric, I will make you apart of my Philosophers Stone."


a/n: I know, cliffhanger. I should have the next chapter up soon, since it's already half written.

See you then!

deadpan riot