Dawn: Hey look, an update!

Ed: Fascinating.

Roy: Thanks to .lolcatsrule., hopeless-daydream, and major ed groupie for reviewing. That's what makes it all worthwhile for her.

Ed: *sigh* Before Dawn gets on us, ImmortalDawn18 does not own FullMetal Alchemist.

Roy: Reviewers can have Ed's handcuffs.

Ed: *eyes go huge at implications*

Dawn: *tears in eyes* I LOVE YOU GUYS! *hugs them*

Maintenant et pour toujours (1)

III: Un peu scandaleux emballement (2)

When Ed awoke, he could not see anyone nearby. Better yet, he couldn't sense anyone nearby, not even the swollen aura of that Roy creature. He shivered at the memory of how powerful the vampire had been, so much more so than the werewolf had been. Not wanting to lose his opportunity, he slipped out of the huge bed and began creeping towards the cave entrance, his only escape.

/Where do you think you are going, chiot(3)?/ Roy's mental voice chimed, sounding amused. The blond's eyes narrowed angrily. Oh, he did not just go there.

Lying there beneath the soil in an underground pool felt nice for the vampire, healing him quickly with the combined properties of earth and water, but he longed for the moment he could be free and begin satisfying his Soulmate like the boy deserved. He wanted his chiot beneath him, writhing as Roy pleasured him beyond his wildest dreams, panting his name as the sensations began to overwhelm…

Movement from the main level pulled the vampire from his fantasies rather abruptly. /Where do you think you are going, chiot?/ Roy asked his Soulmate, still flying high from his erotic imaginings.

/Away from you, bastard!/

The words, flung with anger and instinctual hate for all vampires, cut to the quick, hurting Roy. /Chiot,/ he murmured, desperately trying to banish the hurt from his thoughts, /I am your Soulmate./

/Bullshit, you're just a controlling perverted bastard of a vampire!/

/Chiot, what are you doing?/ There was no response. /Chiot!/ The human's responding telepathic blast was enough to bamboozle Roy long enough for Ed to make his escape. /CHIOT!/ Roy roared, the strength of his call a grim promise of what would come.

Edward shivered, his fur rippling hypnotically as he did so, watching the birds fall silent in fear. Roy was powerful, that was certain, but no matter how gently he'd been treated, he'd sworn not to trust vampires, not after what a vampire had done to Alphonse and Winry. Pawing at his muzzle to refocus himself, it was only a matter of time before the vampire came after him, Ed trotted after the stench of humanity, well aware the stink of a town carried a ways from the settlement.

True to his suspicions yet grating against his sensibilities, about three hours of running around with four legs and thirty minutes of cautious human walking saw the blond standing on the outskirts of Xenotime. This was a very quiet town, well set in the ways of its inhabitants, which meant Edward would need to be careful if he wanted to avoid undue attention. A town like this would be one to burn him for witchcraft if they found out he had powers they didn't. Why did people have to destroy what was different from themselves? All he wanted to do was live in peace, so why did the world have to resent him because he could do things they couldn't?

Maybe Roy feels the same way about you, a part of his mind whispered, after all, you did just hurt the first person to show you genuine kindness regardless of your powers. The mortal smacked the little voice upside the head and shoved it to the deepest darkest part of his mind. There was a huge difference between him and Roy, of that he was certain, starting with the fact Roy was a vampire and Edward wasn't.

"Heya pipsqueak, you lost?"

"WHO'RE YOU CALLIN' A SPECK TOO SMALL TO SEE?" Ed exploded instinctively, startling the other blond watching him.

"Um, I never said that," he said uncomfortably. "I was just wondering if you knew where you were going."

"Of course I do," Ed huffed, looking away.

He chuckled, holding out a hand. "Russell Tringham."

"Edward Elric."

No sooner had the two shaken hands did an explosion startle the pair. Russell paled. "Not the mine," he whispered, "Please, not the mine. FLETCHER!"

Ed remembered all too well what it felt like to be on that end of the anguish. Darting into town and skillfully avoiding the fleeing townsfolk, he pinpointed the snarling werewolf, a large one-eyed black male overtop a whimpering boy, and transmuted a makeshift weapon for himself. Golden eyes met red for the briefest of moments before the creature darted away, frightened by something its more sensitive body could feel but the humans couldn't. As the blond felt the cold metal handcuffs close around his wrists, he couldn't help but feel relieved at the way Russell embraced the boy formerly beneath the werewolf, the one who could only be Fletcher, even as the local doctor injected him with a serum to make him dream of what once was.

"Brother!"

Ed turned around happily, seeing the smiling face of his younger brother Alphonse clutching a small kitten to his chest. "Al-" he warned, but he never finished.

"Do you think she'll make Mom feel better?"

He couldn't say no to that face. "It's worth a try. Why don't you and Winry take her up to Mom? I can handle going to the markets on my own."

"Okay!" he chirped, running off. Ed's smile slowly slid from his face, his young golden eyes growing somber with an age far beyond his years. Their mother was really sick, leaving Ed the sole caretaker of the three, and the boy wasn't sure how much longer he could keep up Al's hopes, but he had to try, for his little brother's sake.

(1)-Maintenant et pour toujours- Now and Forever (French)

(2)-Un peu scandaleux emballement – A scandalous little runaway (French)

(3)- chiot- puppy (French)