Red Roses2: 10 and a half pages. Tell me what you think, and what you think I should improve on.
Disclaimer: I don't own Fullmetal Alchemist. It belongs to Hiromu Arakawa.
!#$%^&*()_+~
Shadows wrapped around the three like a cloak, and it taunted Envy to no end.
"Envy, why are we still here?" Lust asked
Envy growled and pressed his palm against his forehead. It was hard to think when she kept bothering him!
"I told you, we're not done yet." Why couldn't see sense it? He couldn't be the only one who felt its presence. He couldn't be the only one experiencing the warm, tingly feeling in the back of his skull. He wouldn't call it a pleasant feeling, but it was something and it was important!
"But we can't get a Philosopher's Stone out of this place. Not anymore."
That didn't matter, damn it!
Gluttony tugged at Lust's dress, his finger tucked into his lower lip.
"Lust, I'm hungry."
. . . . Ugh, that really was all Gluttony thought about.
"We'll get you something to eat soon, but first we need to find it," Envy said.
Lust and Gluttony shared a look.
"Find what?"
AUGH!
"You'll know it when you see it!"
Envy snarled at them and stomped down the hall.
Where was it? It couldn't have gotten far.
The Red Water Fountain sat harmlessly against the wall of the cavern, and the suspicious absence of red vapor spurred Envy onward.
~!#$%^&*()_+
The room wasn't as dark as it should have been. The windows brought in too much light. They didn't even need the damn overhead light.
It didn't feel right – that they'd be solving Edward's death in a fully lit room. But what was Hughes going to do? Make tribute to the rain god and hope it put a damper on everything? Dry weather and good lighting was perfect for detoxing the water supply, so at least that was in their favor.
Hughes locked the door and turned towards Al, Mustang, Armstrong, and Brigadier General Gran. He pushed his glasses farther up his nose and stepped up to the table. Upon the table lay the malformed corpse of Edward Elric. Al refused to look at it.
"What's the meaning of this, Lieutenant Colonel?" Gran demanded. "What is that thing?"
Mustang's jaw tightened. Hughes immediately regretted bringing Gran into this. But he couldn't have done much else. Gran was a higher ranking officer than any soldier in Xenotime right now. Hughes needed the backup.
"It's what I said it was. What's left of Edward Elric," said Hughes.
Armstrong gasped and reexamined the corpse. His eyes widened, and he reached out, then retracted his hand. As though wanting to touch it, to see if it was real, but afraid of what the truth would mean.
How well had Armstrong known Ed? Hughes honestly had no idea. Maybe personally knowing Ed wasn't necessary. Ed had been a child. Fifteen, but a child nonetheless. Military officer or not, for a child to die so suddenly – and to have his corpse look like this – it was garish, it was grotesque, it was heartbreaking.
"Impossible! Its eyes are purple! Edward's are a brilliant gold."
Mustang frowned.
That was an understatement. The skin was ash black, for God's sake! The skeleton structure was twisted – what kind of bone was horseshoe shaped? – and it looked like it didn't have any muscle.
"That's not the only thing." Hughes snapped himself out of his reminiscing. That's right. He hadn't told anyone yet. Just looking at Mustang's face told him that informing them now wouldn't be a good idea. "There's a strange tattoo on its back. As far as I know, Ed didn't have one." Mustang glanced at Al. "Right?"
Al nodded. "Even if he wants one, we never have any time for anything so frivolous."
Pain flashed across Mustang's face. Al pointedly ignored it. He wouldn't admit Ed was dead. Not until they proved that thing was him.
"That brings us to what we're here for," Hughes said. His eyes hardened. "We're to find out whether or not this is the product of human transmutation."
The shock of Armstrong and Gran thrummed through the air.
"Human transmutation?" Armstrong exclaimed.
"What are you getting at, Hughes? Are you saying a child would do something like this?" Gran said.
Why did the man sound so damn angry all the time? It wasn't like he actually cared. . . . Hughes stopped that train of thought.
"I'm saying that it's possible that the Red Water may have caused an accidental human transmutation." Hughes said.
"I don't know, Maes," Mustang said. "There's no evidence that Red Water could do such a thing on its own."
Hughes shook his head.
"That's not what I'm saying. I think that the kid was preparing Ed's final wish, then the Red Water got in the way."
Gran crossed his arms, drew himself up to his full height, and succeeded in looking imposing. Hughes tightened his fists, glaring at Gran as if to dare him.
"Not a chance, Lieutenant Colonel. Now if you'll excuse me, I have a unit to lead!" Gran slammed the door behind him, leaving the four alone with the corpse. A tense silence hovered over them.
He was going to get that horrible man. Just wait.
Hughes cleared his throat.
"Al, you'd know more about human transmutation than any of us. What do you think?" Hughes said.
Al stared at him, letting silence reign once again.
His theory wasn't a happy one. In fact, it would hurt more than help. But Ed was gone. For no good reason. Al didn't know if this hollow feeling in his soul would ever go away.
"I think Fletcher just wanted to erase his mistakes." Mustang flinched, Hughes's eyes hardened, and Armstrong faltered. "Had he succeeded, everything would have turned out just fine for him, through equivalent exchange. Fletcher brings him back, Ed's in his debt. Big time. That's what I think he was trying to accomplish."
"But Alphonse, Fletcher is just a child. Do you really, truly think he'd capable of such a thing?"
"Don't bother, Armstrong. He's not thinking clearly." Mustang interjected, before Al could answer. "Quite frankly, neither am I." The colonel tightened his fists. "I just can't believe he's dead."
~!#$%^&*()_+
Fuery peered around the corner at the Trigham brothers, his eyebrows furrowed. They looked so normal and innocent, more so than Ed and Al ever did. Were those two really the cause for the water pollution?
Fuery started when he heard footsteps. He turned around and saluted, only to see that it was Havoc. Fuery's attention immediately went to the lack of cigarette.
"Lieutenant?"
Havoc lowered his head, his eyelids drooping.
"Hey, Fuery."
The depression in the other man's eyes was paramount.
"Are you okay, sir?"
Havoc swallowed and lifted his head.
"Where are the other soldiers?"
"Uh, by the river, helping with the detox. I was just getting back to that. Why?"
Havoc started trudging toward the river. Fuery stared after him, then hurried to catch up. Breda, Falman, Bloch, Maria Ross, and several other soldiers and state alchemists looked up as Havoc stacked a couple of crates, then stood upon them. Fuery stared like everyone else, but he was the only one close enough to see the pain.
"There's an – an announcement I have to make, on behalf of the Colonel," Havoc began, swallowing hard.
The non-alchemists stopped their respective tasks, and the alchemist finished their transmutations. Every soldier wore a face mask, but no one needed to see their frowns to see that they were confused.
"You all know that we're here to purify the water due to poison. But I'm sure you are all wondering why this involves the military."
Pain flashed in Havoc's eyes, and Fuery felt his heart clench. Where was this going?
Breda and Falman stood up. Havoc was their co-worker and friend. They could tell when something was bothering him.
The lack of cigarette was a dead give away.
"We believe that the poison killed Edward Elric, the Fullmetal Alchemist."
Gasps circled around those present. Fuery's glasses slipped off and fell to the ground, shattering. His jaw hung there, shock freezing his muscles.
Fullmetal was dead?
You mean they'd never hear him rant about his height? Or complain about the milk in the cafeteria? Or yell at the colonel?
"Havoc, are you sure?" Breda shouted over the crowd.
Havoc gritted his teeth, and his muscles tightened.
"They're resting the corpse right now to be sure. But that's why we're here. As you were."
Havoc jumped down from the crates and walked away.
Fuery trembled there, the reality seeping in. They lost a comrade. They lost a superior. They lost an overly qualified alchemist. They lost a fifteen-year-old boy who, despite his position, had been their responsibility to look after him, like the colonel told them to. Oh, God, the colonel – he thought of Edward like a son or little brother – how was he taking this? And havoc had cared a lot about Edward, too – exactly what Edward had been to Havoc, he was never quite sure (friend? Brother? Son? Object of romantic affection?), but that didn't matter anymore.
Fuery found himself breaking into a run.
"Lieutenant Havoc!"
Havoc slowed to a stop and looked over his shoulder.
"Yeah, Fuery?" Said so gloomily that, had the man had his trademark cigarette, it would have gone out as though doused in water.
"I'm so sorry." What else could he say? What else could he do? He didn't feel comfortable patting him on the shoulder or anything like that – he was of a lower rank, for Christ's sake, he couldn't do that! – but it just felt like his condolences were lacking.
Havoc clapped a hand on Fuery's shoulder, his eyes communicating a whole load of grief.
"Thanks. We all are. But the one you should be comforting is Mustang."
"What about Alphonse?"
Of all things, Havoc scowled.
"Al's hopeless. He goes from trying to beat up the eldest Trigham for poisoning the river, then to insisting that Ed's still alive and ill somewhere. At least, that's what I think he means when he says he doesn't believe the corpse is Ed's."
Fuery furrowed his eyebrows.
"Why would he doubt it?"
Havoc grimaced.
"It doesn't look human anymore, to tell you the truth."
Fuery gasped.
"What happened to make it look like that, we don't know yet, but Hughes is investigating as we speak."
~!#$%^&*()_+
Envy, Lust, and Gluttony crouched behind a tower of crates and peered at the soldiers. Envy scowled, Lust groaned, and Gluttony pulled at his lower lip.
This was going to be rather inconvenient. There'd be no way to do this without people noticing.
"Lust, I'm still hungry."
Envy's eyebrow twitched.
"We know, Gluttony. We'll get you some more soon."
"You said that an hour ago!"
"Will you two shut up?" Envy hissed, his grip on his knee tightening. A small cracking sound alerted Envy that, if he didn't remove his hand from his knee, he'd end up snapping it in two. That certainly wouldn't help matters.
Gluttony whimpered and Lust glared at him. Envy turned his head away from the soldiers and examined a warehouse-looking building. Knowing Xenotime, it was probably someone's home.
"How certain are we that that is the building that they're keeping it?" Envy asked.
Lust closed her eyes and crossed her arms.
"They're guarding it for a reason. Only one person is still in there. The Flame stormed out in a hissy fit, the Strong Arm basically threw Alphonse out, and the guy with the glasses ran off to find a pay phone."
"So the only one in there is Strong Arm," Envy reiterated. If that was the case. . . .
Lust nodded. Envy grinned. Jackpot.
"Gluttony?"
"Yes?"
"Does big and muscle-y sound appetizing to you?"
Gluttony's face split into a ravenous grin, drool dripping from his gums.
~!#$%^&*()_+
Hughes ran back to the house, his military jacket billowing behind him.
"Armstrong!" Hughes shouted, banging open the front door. "The Fuhrer agreed to - !"
He came to a halt, the scene before him turning his blood ice cold.
Blood puddle around Armstrong's body, his flesh ripped and bone exposed. His right leg looked like it had been torn off by some kind of carnivore, and Hughes only found the right shoe. His innards were chomped to pieces, and he could see teeth marks – human teeth marks – on Armstrong's shoulder. Bloodied footprints led to the window, but Hughes didn't dare more. He forcefully tore his eyes away from Armstrong's corpse to the three different sets of bloodied footprints . . . though only two were close to Armstrong's body.
The third pair of footprints – they were smaller and shaped like the person was barefoot – stood next to the table where Edward's corpse was supposed to be. . . .
Nothing but maple wood stared back at him.
~!#$%^&*()_+
Envy cuddled the malformed thing, sitting across from Lust and Gluttony. The scenery past them by as the train barreled down the tracks. Gluttony stared at the assorted animals and people, grinning greedily.
"Why couldn't I have brought my food?" Gluttony asked.
"We're in a hurry, and we don't want to be delayed because your meal happened to be raw human." Lust said, her eyes focused on Envy and the . . . thing. Envy gazed at it almost lovingly. As far as she could tell, whatever it was was dead. Why did it matter so much?
Envy nuzzled it – and its finger twitched. Envy smirked.
"I knew you were alive. You just needed a little encouragement."
It made a pitiful sound, like a cross between a bird's cry and a sheep's dying baa. Had Lust a heart, it would have broken.
"Shush now, it's okay. We won't let the mean humans hurt you any more." Envy cooed, gently lifting its head.
Something about the body was familiar. Like Lust had seen it somewhere before. But where?
She thought as hard as she could, but it was difficult to remember. She recalled a dark room, and the sounds of bombs going off, and a man's voice. . . . That's right. She used to look like that. They all used to look like that. The thing was a new homunculus. How had Envy known where to find it? She thought that only their Master could locate new homunculi.
Poor thing. She did remember how her body had flared with pain when she was first created. Then she was left alone, to fend for herself . . . or to die all over again. Then Master came, spirited her away, and helped her become what she was today.
Wait. The hair. That hair belonged to someone she knew. That shade of blond was unique. A special golden color. And . . . was it missing an arm and a leg?
Lust gasped.
"Fullmetal?"
It made its pitiful sound again.
Envy sneered at her.
"Lust, you know better than that. He's not Fullmetal Edward Elric anymore." Envy touched his forehead to the struggling new homunculus's temple, strands of its golden hair getting caught on his nose. "He's our beautiful younger brother now."
Lust pushed her back against her seat, uneasiness settling in her. Why was Envy acting like this?
"And I have the perfect name for him."
Gluttony even removed his eyes from all the potential food.
"What is it?" Gluttony asked.
Lust's eyes widened as the new homunculus – awkwardly, slowly – lifted his left hand and struggled to grasp Envy's shirt. Its hand shuddered terribly, and its fingers ghosted over the fabric. A strangled sound escaped its throat, and it managed a fragile hold on it.
Envy positively purred. He covered its hand with his, helped it get a tighter hold.
"We'll call him Desperate."
Envy was feeling content, Lust realized. Satisfied. She wasn't sure she liked it.
"Why?" she asked.
Envy's smirk widened.
"Listen closely, Lust."
Lust furrowed her eyebrows. Gluttony even paid attention.
The homunculus gave another cry.
"Raaa. . . ."
Envy caressed its malformed face, whispering encouragement and comfort, completely different from what he usually is like.
"Braaa. . . ."
"That's it, Desperate. You can say it."
"Braaaath . . . er."
Envy's smirk split into an all-out grin. Gluttony aahed in surprise. Lust gasped.
She remembered what it had been like to speak when she had been like that. Her vocal chords had burned so badly, she didn't even bother to try. But this one, he was actually trying to form a word. And not just any word.
The one word that ruled Edward Elric's life.
"Very good, Desperate. Can you try again?"
It made a choking sound, like it'd much rather vomit blood, but it tried again.
"Braaath . . . er."
"That's right, little Desperate. I'm your big brother. And I'll take good care of you."
It whimpered, but managed to lay its head on Envy's shoulder, instead of his neck. Envy wrapped his arms around it and held it gently.
Lust lowered her head, pity pooling in the bottom of the cavity in her chest where a heart would be.
"I see. . . . Desperate for comfort. Desperate for a reprieve from the pain. . . ."
Envy didn't need to look so damn smug about it.
"Desperate for family. A brother, specifically." Envy added, his sadistic grin starting to boil Lust's blood.
Gluttony sniffed the air and tucked his finger into his lower lip again.
"Do you smell that?"
Envy's grin finally fell off.
"Smell what?"
Gluttony stepped toward Desperate and pointed to his torso.
"His body. It smells like Red Water."
Envy brought his nose close to Desperate and sniffed.
"I don't smell anything."
Lust didn't find anything wrong scent-wise, but her eyes did catch something.
"Envy."
"What?"
"Doesn't his stomach area look a little concave to you?"
Envy took a better look and narrowed his eyes at it. His belly did look like the skin was sinking in on itself. He frowned.
"It's too early to tell. He'll need to be developed a little more." Envy tightened his grip, then loosened it when Desperate gave a pained cry.
Lust frowned deeply, wondering what the hell happened to make this happen.
Fullmetal was supposed to be the one to make the Stone for them. Not be one of them.