Once again, I don't own FMA! I only own my OCs lol! Oh and don't mind the OOC-ness that shall appear in this section, kay? Good! Enjoy reading! I'm glad you all take time out of your day to read my works! It really brightens up my life! Hee hee!
Edit: This chapter had quite a few spelling and grammar mistakes as well so I fixed them all up (I think) Also I just realized that when I upload this to the internet the tabs aren't there anymore, haha! It looks so much better in my word doc! Maybe that's just because I have an apple??
Kitten blinked the sunlight back. She felt warm and safe but she didn't know where she was. Kitten shifted and felt something on top of her, it light as air and soft against her skin. Her brain tried to put the pieces together and she realized she was in a bed. Kitten liked the feel of where she was laying. This was safest she had ever felt in her life. The light was bright against the face but she didn't want to rise from the bed. There were noises outside but she couldn't place them. Birds? A stream? Wind through the trees? Nothing was registering quite right in her brain, the warmth was too overwhelming, and it overtook every other thought. She felt the smile spread across her lips as she shifted a little more in the warm, safe bed. She rolled over and gasped lightly. Suddenly her brain was functioning properly. In front of her was the peaceful sleeping face of her best friend, Sakura. She was breathing lightly. Kitten scanned the sheets; there wasn't a trace of blood anywhere. Maybe all those horrible things were only nightmares. Maybe this was the real world, and if it wasn't, then it should be. Kitten reached out with a trembling hand to brush against her friend's cheek. Kitten's shaking fingers touched her skin. It was warm and soft, just like it always was. Sakura's skin had always been baby soft. Kitten smiled and felt tears come to her eyes. Sakura was right there all along, sleeping by her side. Sakura twitched under the covers and opened her eyes slowly. Kitten held in her waterfall of tears of joy. Sakura opened her sleepy eyes and blinked at Kitten. A smile creeped across her lips and she released a soft giggle.
"Sakura." Kitten breathed out, her voice floated away on the warm morning breeze that was coming in through the open bedroom window. Her friend smiled at her and giggled again.
"You sound so surprised Kitten! You're so funny!" Sakura giggled. She cuddled against the covers, pulling them up against her face. So all those things were just nightmares! Sakura was there all along! All Kitten had to do was wake up, and there she was. Kitten bit her lip; the tears were starting to drip down her cheeks. Sakura's cheerful expression turned to worry. "Oh no! Kitten what's wrong?" Sakura asked. Her voice sounded sweet like an angel. She reached out with her small fingers and brushed the tears from Kitten's cheeks. "Is it about Roy?" Sakura asked worriedly.
Kitten shook her head 'no'.
"Edward?"
Kitten shook her head 'no' again, more fervently this time.
"Greed perhaps?" Sakura asked this one a little slower. Kitten didn't shake her head but just looked at her friend.
"Do you really think it would be him?" Kitten asked. The tears had stopped and an overwhelming feeling of joy replaced the sadness. She couldn't believe it, her friend really was right there. The white covers ruffled around their faces. Sakura giggled again. The laughter sounded like sweet music in Kitten's ears. It was a sound she never thought she would be able to hear again. Kitten wished she could capture the moment and hold onto it forever. She never wanted to move from this warm and safe bed. She didn't care if everyday passed like this, she was just so happy to have Sakura back in her life. Nothing had been the same with Sakura gone. There was no one to talk to about her love life, no one to share secrets with, no one to really understand how she felt, no one to be her best friend. There was a hole in her heart and now she felt it filled. Everything was the way it was supposed to be.
"Well you never know with you Kitten!" Sakura giggled, poking Kitten on the nose. Kitten couldn't help but giggle as well. Their laughter mixed together and drifted out the window into the sky. Kitten could still hear the sounds of birds singing in the background.
"It wouldn't be him! I mean, no way!" Kitten replied. A flush crossed her cheeks. Sakura scooted closer to Kitten and smiled widely. Sakura always smiled like that when she thought she knew something juicy. Kitten blinked in confusion and stared into her friend's bright blue eyes. They seemed to be filled with happiness.
"I think you're lying! I mean you have to have thought about the possibility!" Sakura retorted. She pressed her forehead against Kitten's and stared straight into her eyes. Kitten flushed an even darker shade of pink. Sakura could always read her mind; it was like they were twins. Kitten looked into her friend's eyes again and knew it was pointless to avoid her questions.
"Well okay so I did think about him for a little bit!" Kitten allowed that much to slip from her lips. Sakura pulled back a little and giggled in victory. Kitten smiled widely, she was just so happy that Sakura was there with her. It didn't what they talked about, as long as they stayed in the moment for as long as they could. They could have been talking about sports for all Kitten cared.
"So what made you think of him? Is it the aspect that he is semi-immortal? I mean he is the only one relatively like you in that aspect." Sakura commented, tapping her chin. Kitten flushed again.
"I never thought of that actually, I can't believe that never crossed my mind!" Kitten stated. She sounded dumbfounded. Sakura's mouth opened in an 'O' of shock.
"Oh my God! You're serious! You never even once thought about that?" Sakura exclaimed. Kitten flushed darker and twiddled her thumbs together.
"No. I didn't." Kitten replied softly. Sakura giggled.
"Not even after he risked his life for you at the command center two years ago." Sakura said, her voice still light and airy.
"Nope not even after—" Kitten started but stopped. No, that didn't happen. Sakura was right there in front of her, alive and breathing. Kitten refused to believe it. That incident didn't happen. Kitten was staring down at her fingers. Sakura was right there and everything was perfect. She wasn't dead and they could continue life how it used to be. There was nothing wrong, everything was the way she dreamt it would be. Kitten looked up at her friend and the scream got caught in her throat. Sakura was covered with blood and her eyes were glazed over. She was frowning at her friend. The sheets were soaked with blood and it pooled on the mattress as well. Kitten was shaking now and she couldn't move. The peace was shattered; her dreams were shattered now.
"It was horrible wasn't it? If only you had understood what I was going through, maybe you could have saved me. Maybe you should let Greed save you from this journey, because it seems you aren't stopping." Sakura stated. She propped herself up in the bed. Kitten felt the tears running down her cheeks again.
"I'm so sorry! I'm so sorry Sakura! I wanted to save you! I love you Sakura! You are my best friend and I'll do anything to bring you back!" Kitten screamed to her friend. Sakura reached out with a bloody finger to whip away her tears again. Kitten let her friend whip the tears away. Blood smeared across Kitten's cheeks and mixed with the salty water.
"Let him save you. Let anyone save you from this hell." Sakura breathed softly.
"No! I won't stop until I save you! Sakura! Sakura!" Kitten screamed. She felt like a small child. She was so powerless and it felt like someone else was pulling the strings. Kitten screamed again, she wanted everything to stop. She wanted to turn back time and sleep in bed with Sakura again. She wanted to share secrets, paint nails, talk about love, discuss advice, suffer work together, and live through all their dreams. Kitten grabbed her hair in her hands and kept screaming and crying.
Kitten shot up. She got up from her seat and ran down the isles, past all the sleeping bodies. Her hand was pressed against her mouth to hold back all the horrors. Tears poured down her cheeks as she slammed through the doors. She dashed through cart after cart until she slammed through the last cart. The last 4 carts she had run through were empty. The door shut behind her and the night air blew around her face. She dropped her hand and let loose a tortured scream. It was quickly ripped away from her and thrown through the night air. She dropped to her knees and pounded her fists against the metal floor. If she had been mortal she knew she would have been tempted to throw herself from the balcony of the last cart and slam into the metal tracks, letting the wood and metal tear her skin from her muscles, but in her body it wouldn't matter. The tears kept falling and her scream droned off as she ran out of breath. After the scream her breath came out in wretched sobs. She gripped her head in her hands and kept crying. Soon she had slumped all the way down to her side so her cheek was pressed against the cool metal. Her tears slowed and finally stopped. Kitten felt like she was in a daze. She pushed herself up to her knees again. She turned her raw face to the night sky, the moon shined down upon her red face.
"I swear. I will make that moment reality. I will bring you back if it costs me my life." Kitten promised herself and her dead friend. She made her vow to the night sky. Kitten closed her eyes and uttered a short prayer for Sakura. Kitten grabbed the railing the pulled herself to her feet. She could feel her legs shaking, but she would be able to make it back to her seat. Kitten started her trek back through the carts. She didn't know how long she had been outside, but at least it was still dark and Hans wouldn't be awake. Kitten slipped back into her seat and settled her head against her bag. She closed her eyes and let sleep overtake her again. No dreams came and Kitten was relieved inside the darkness of her mind.
Something was shaking her arm.
"Huh?" Kitten inquired; her voice thick with sleep.
"The breakfast cart is here! Wake up Kitten! You need to eat!" Kitten heard Hans voice. It seemed far away. She forced herself awake and sat up. Kitten rubbed the sleep from her eyes and looked over towards the isle. A man was standing there with a cart in front of him.
"Oh, well I'll have oatmeal." Kitten stated; her voice still sounded dreamy.
"Alright Miss. That will be $7.57 for everything then." The cart man said. He set the food in front of Kitten. She noticed that Hans already had his food sitting in front of him. Kitten reached into her pocket and pulled out eight dollars.
"Keep the change." Kitten said with a sleepy smile. The man nodded and left them to tend to the next guests. Kitten yawned loudly and Hans chuckled.
"You sleep pretty deeply Kitten! I wasn't sure I would be able to wake you up!" Hans laughed. Kitten giggled as well as she opened her oatmeal.
"That's funny coming from you! You sleep like a rock Hans!" Kitten retorted. Hans flushed at this comment and shoved a piece of bacon into his mouth.
"Hey! Don't make fun of me!" He complained. Kitten laughed as she took a huge bite of oatmeal. It burned her tongue but she didn't care, the hotness felt nice going down her throat.
"Oh don't get so offended! Being a deep sleeper it good!" Kitten stated with a smile. Hans flushed again.
"I guess." He agreed with her. Kitten laughed again.
"So, do you know when the train makes its first stop? We can jump off and mail our letters really fast." Kitten asked. Hans lit up and nodded.
"Yeah! They announced it a while ago, but you slept through it!" Hans laughed. Kitten narrowed her eyes but Hans ignored it.
"So? What time?" Kitten prodded.
"It will stop in around 15 minutes! Don't worry you didn't sleep through the stop." Hans laughed loudly.
"Oh ha ha! Very funny Hans!" Kitten remarked. She couldn't help but smile though; he was a really sweet kid. By the time the pair had finished eating the train was slowing to a stop in the station.
"Are you ready?" Hans asked as Kitten ate her last bite of oatmeal.
"Of course I am! I propose a race to the mailbox and back! Who ever makes it back first has to buy the losers lunch when we reach Aptos!" Kitten stated. Hans smirked at this comment.
"I hope you got a lot of cash on you because I get pretty hungry!" Hans chided; rubbing his stomach for affect. Kitten started laughing.
"We will just see about that!" Kitten retorted with a wide smile. The train came to a halt at the station and the doors opened.
"Passengers have 10 minutes to get off and on before the train departs for Aptos." The voice came on over the loudspeakers.
"Get ready, get set—" Kitten started.
"GO!" Hans screamed and propelled himself out of his seat.
"Ack! Wait!" Kitten wailed. She jumped from her seat and chased after him. Hans jumped out the train's open doors and onto the cement. Kitten was only a few steps behind him. She launched herself from the train and landed right behind Hans. They dodged between people looking for the mailbox. Kitten spotted it first and took a sharp right, almost knocking over a large woman.
"YOU DAMN KIDS!" The woman screamed and shook her handbag at Kitten. Kitten couldn't help but start laughing as she skirted around more people. Hans pivoted and chased after her. Kitten slammed into the mailbox and jammed her letter into the slot. Hans hip smacked her out of the way to shove his letter into the mailbox as well. Kitten took off running back to the train with Hans right on her heels. They both jumped towards the door and hit it at the same time, getting stuck. They wiggled and squished until they both fell onto the floor. Kitten picked herself up and leapt for the seat. She hit the fabric and let loose a victory squeal. Hans groaned loudly as he plopped down across from her but he was still smiling widely. They both broke out into laughter even though they were breathing hard.
Greed watched the spectacle from out the window of the smoking car. More people were sitting in that cart now. 'You'd never guess she was some immortal secret alchemic weapon for the military with the way she acts. She looks like a girl playing with her little brother.' Greed thought to himself. He bit back a chuckle when she slammed into the mailbox and almost knocked it over. Still, Greed knew that she wasn't really that happy. Inside she was torn up over her dead friend and sometimes that pain was visible in her eyes. Greed guessed that Hans couldn't see the pain inside her, he was too young and didn't have enough experience yet. Greed sighed and flagged down the moving drink bar.
"Vodka." Greed stated and handed the man money. In return Greed was handed a small glass. He sipped on the drink and watched Kitten bolt back towards the train with Hans on her heels. It did look like she was playing with her little brother. Greed chuckled lightly to himself.
The rest of the train ride passed quickly. Hans pulled out an alchemy book which he read while Kitten stared out the window. Kitten was getting pretty hungry by the time the train rolled into Aptos. The train had been slower than Kitten expected. Hans put his book away and suddenly his stomach growled loudly. He flushed and Kitten looked over at him. She started laughing but then her stomach growled even louder and she blushed. Hans started laughing at her after that. It seemed like they were both hungry. It was 3:00 pm by the time the train pulled into the station. Kitten and Hans jumped off like rabid animals searching for someplace to eat. Hans spotted a restaurant and pointed to it, he jumped up and down excitedly. His stomach growled loudly again. Kitten started running towards the restaurant. Hans was pointing too and he followed after her quickly. The hostess saw them coming and braced herself. Kitten almost slammed into the hostess counter and Hans almost ran into the glass doors before they had time to open.
Greed got off the train and saw the pair storm the local restaurant. A few other people were watching them as well.
"Did you see that Henry? That young boy almost ran into those doors!" A woman said as she watched. Greed shook his head sadly and walked in another direction. He would wait and see where they chose to stay for the night. He wondered if Kitten would give him another invitation to come into her room.
Kitten and Hans were led to a booth and handed menus. They scanned them quickly and Kitten looked over at Hans.
"Remember this is your treat little boy!" Kitten stated. Hans looked over the menu at her.
"Shit I thought you'd forget that." Hans replied. Kitten giggled and wagged a finger at him.
"I never forget when people owe me food!" Kitten answered with a wide grin. Hans couldn't help but chuckle.
"What can I get you to drink?" The waitress asked when she came over. Kitten and Hans slammed their menus down and stared at the waitress.
"I want a cream soda to drink and I want to start with potato skins as an appetizer and then following that I would like two cheeseburgers and with a side of fries." Hans rambled everything off in one sentence. The waitress scurried to write it all down in slight surprise.
"Then I would like water to drink with the cheese sticks as an appetizer followed by the 8oz steak cooked rare with mashed potatoes as a side and along with that I want a bowl of veggie soup!" Kitten recited her order all in one sentence as well. The waitress looked at the two in shock.
"Are you sure?" She stammered.
"Yes." They both answered in unison. The waitress scrambled off to put their order in. Hans and Kitten smiled at each other, this dinner would be awesome. It didn't take long for all the food to come out. Hans and Kitten dug in the second the plates were placed in front of them. To the waitresses disbelief the two of them finished off all of the food that was on the table. There wasn't even one french fry left on the plate. The waitress handed ten bucks over to the cook since she lost the bet. After dinner ended and Hans paid, unwillingly, the pair headed off to find their motel. It didn't take long for Kitten to find a nice motel to stay at. Hans and Kitten decided to start searching after they dropped their bags off.
"Okay so we both hit different sides of town and then we meet back here at 6:00 to swap information on the library okay?" Kitten ran over the plan. Hans and her were standing on the steps in front of the motel's main office.
"Got it! Good luck!" Hans stated. They gave each other high-fives before parting ways. Kitten ran out into the sidewalk and started down towards what looked like a popular district. She stopped at a street vendor.
"Hello!" The man exclaimed and turned to look at Kitten.
"Hey! I was wondering how much you know about the hidden library?" Kitten asked. The man laughed and Kitten blinked in confusion.
"You are looking for the library? You? A little girl! Oh that's a hoot!" The man laughed even louder. A few people stopped and looked over at them. Kitten growled under her breath.
"Yeah I am. Just tell me what you know." She hissed at him. The man stopped laughing and gave Kitten a stern look.
"That's not something you want to go searching for. There was another man who came through here around 10 years ago looking for it as well. No one goes looking for it anymore, we try to keep the rumor hidden." The man explained. 'A man 10 years ago? Could it be the doctor I'm searching for? Did he come through here too? Now I got to find this library!' Kitten declared in her thoughts.
"Wonderful. I don't care how dangerous the path is. I need to find that library." Kitten stated. The vendor sighed.
"No one knows where it is. It's even said that there are more than one building hidden in those woods. They aren't charted or mapped anywhere, you could get lost in those woods in seconds." The vendor stated; his voice was lower like he didn't want other people to hear this. Kitten nodded; it didn't matter to her if she got lost, she was immortal anyways. She could starve over and over again if she needed too although she preferred not to of course.
"That's fine, what's the adventure if there's a map? That's what I always say!" Kitten boasted with a chuckled. The shop vendor just stared at her like she had gone off the deep end.
"You don't know what you're getting into! No one has ever come back from those woods! The people go in and never come back! I don't think you understand! Don't you see how never ending those woods are? No one has ever settled in there! There might not even be a library in there, it is just a rumor!" The shop vendor hissed at her. Kitten narrowed her eyes.
"You won't know if you ever try. Plus I'll be sure to tell you if I find it or not when I return my skeptical friend. Do you know of anyone who might be able to offer me any more advice?" Kitten stated and asked. The man sighed.
"You really aren't going to give this up are you? Ah well, you can look in the public library. There are some books in there about the myths." The vendor stated. Kitten beamed.
"Thank you mister! Don't worry about lil ole' me! I'll be sure to come back." Kitten laughed and skipped off down the sidewalk. She could see the public library in the distance. Kitten wondered what the hidden library would look like. Kitten skipped up the steps and held the door open for a family before slipping inside herself. The librarian gave her a small wave and Kitten returned it. Kitten walked up the counter.
"Can I help you find something?" The librarian asked sweetly.
"I'm looking for books on the myth of the hidden library in the woods." Kitten answered with a smile. The librarian got off her chair and came out from around the desk.
"Not many people know about that anymore. Here, follow me." The woman said and started walking. Kitten followed her through the rows of books and into the deepest corner of the library. The librarian pointed down to the lowest shelf towards the corner. "The books on that topic can be found right here. Enjoy." The librarian stated and then left Kitten to her studies. Kitten plopped down on the faded red carpet and ran her hands across the backs of the books. She pulled a few off the shelves and blew a layer of dust off of their covers. The librarian was right about people not knowing about the hidden library; it looked like these books hadn't been touched for years. Kitten stood up with her arms full of books and sat down at a nearby table. She pulled out her notebook and prepared to take notes. She took a deep breath and opened the covers. Kitten poured over the information, writing down everything that seemed important to the search. 'So let's see here, this library was supposedly last used over 200 years ago. Back then only one or two families lived in these mountains and they were the only ones. They must have built the library. But then in another myth it states that the library was here before the mansions came in. I guess we won't know for sure until Hans and I find it. Maybe we can find some of those mansions in the process; they aren't listed on any maps either. The woods are completely uncharted. No one knows where anything is and they don't want to go searching for it either. It seems like no one really wants to talk about the woods. I hope Hans is having good luck too.' Kitten thought to herself as she continued to read through the books. Hours and hours passed and Kitten still had her head in a book. The librarian walked past a few times to put away the books she was done with. Kitten looked up at the clock and jumped out of her seat. It was almost time to meet Hans. She couldn't believe that time had flown by so quickly. She grabbed her notebook and jogged from the public library. The librarian waved fondly at Kitten when she left. Kitten dashed up the busy sidewalk towards the motel. Hans was already sitting on the steps outside. He stood up and waved when he saw Kitten running down the sidewalk. Kitten waved back and they met on the sidewalk.
"So are we sharing information over dinner?" Hans asked and pointed towards a small restaurant that was near the motel.
"Of course! Let's go!" Kitten exclaimed. Hans and Kitten started walked up to the hostess counter and were quickly seated. They both ordered milkshakes and sipped at them while they waited for their food to arrive.
"You first Hans." Kitten stated and took a long sip of her strawberry milkshake.
"Okay! Well let's see, where should I start? Oh yeah! So I started by asking a woman who was selling newspapers on the corner and she told me that there was an old woman on the out skirts of town that knew a lot about it. I headed over there and got a lot of good information and some great tea as well!" Hans laughed.
"Do share!" Kitten urged.
"She told me that when this town came in that the woods had already completely overgrown the library but they knew it was here because there was an old sign for it in the middle of the woods. That sign is long gone now and no one can remember where it was. She also mentioned that over the years a lot of people have gone looking for it and never come back. She said that woods are so deep and dense that it is really easy to get lost. Then I left her house and asked a few more people. The only thing I kept getting was 'you're too young for that' or 'wait a few years kid' and it was really aggravating! Although, one man did tell me another rumor. He said that there are supposed to be books in there that describe the beginning of the world. He told me that there is an old myth that the library has been there since the dawn of time and scholars from all over put there one-of-a-kind books in there. We have to find it Kitten!" Hans stated. His eyes lit up and were bright like an excited child. Kitten was smiling, this library might hold the answers to her questions, maybe she wouldn't even need to find the doctor.
"We will find it!" Kitten exclaimed.
"Now tell me what you learned!" Hans more-or-less commanded. Now it was his turn to sip on his chocolate milkshake while Kitten shared her information.
"I asked a shopkeeper first and he told me that it was dangerous but I kept bugging him about it. He told me that it was deep in the woods and that no one had ever found it before. He also mentioned that he remembered a man coming to the town and asking about it around 10 years ago, so that could have been the doctor I'm looking for! He also mentioned that the town has been trying to keep the rumor hidden and not many people know about it anymore. Then that man sent me to the public library and he told me there were books on it there, but they were all myths. So I headed over to the library and that's where I've been for the whole time pretty much. It looked like the books haven't been touched in years but I found out a lot!" Kitten exclaimed. She pulled out her notebook and opened it up to all her notes.
"Wow." Hans breathed as he looked at all the comments scribbled in the pages.
"Okay so let's see here. They said that this land was actually settled around 200 years ago by wealthy families who built mansions in the woods, like summer homes. All the roads and houses are now overgrown and none of the families are left. There were myths that these families built the library and others that it had always been there as well. There was some indication that it could be near a mountain peek, but that wasn't at all certain at all. We are just going to have to wing it and pack a lot of food and water. 'I don't even need it, maybe I should pretend to eat and drink but then let Hans have it all. I think that would be the best bet.' Kitten thought to herself.
"How long do you think we are going to be gone then?" Hans asked.
"We should pack enough food for at least five days." Kitten replied. 'That means Hans actually has enough food for ten days. That sounds good incase we really do get lost. If we do I'll have to wait until he's asleep and jump over the treetops to look for the city lights.' Kitten planned it all out in her head. She was sure that the people who went searching for the library back then weren't immortal or alchemic weapons; she defiantly had an advantage in this search. Hans was smiling.
"Great! We head out tomorrow right?" He asked. It seemed like he was trying to hide the excitement in his voice but it was clear as day.
"Of course! I can't wait to get out there!" Kitten stated. The food was served and the pair dug in. They discussed plans and what to bring while they ate. Kitten knew she didn't need any supplies but Hans did. She nodded along with everything he said since she couldn't let him know that she didn't need any of it. Soon dinner was over and they both retired to their beds. Hans was on another pull out couch. Kitten curled up in the queen-sized bed. She didn't mind paying a little extra for a bigger bed.
"Good night Kitten! I can't wait for tomorrow!" Hans exclaimed as Kitten turned off all the lights.
"Night Hans! Me either!" She replied. The room fell into darkness and silence as the two partners fell asleep. Once Hans had fallen asleep Kitten slipped out of bed and tiptoed across the floor. She checked the door to make sure it was locked and then she walked across the room and locked all the windows. Greed wasn't getting in tonight. Kitten smiled at the locks and then crawled back into bed. She closed her eyes and let the night take her into darkness. Before Kitten knew it the bed was shaking violently and she was almost bouncing into the air.
"EARTHQUAKE!" Kitten screamed as she bounced around on the bed. She opened her eyes and saw the sun shining in through the open blinds. Hans was jumping on her bed, the reason why it was shaking so much.
"About time you woke up! Hurry up!" Hans shouted down at her and stopped jumping. Kitten shook her head sadly. Hans was already dressed and ready to go.
"Okay! Okay! Head downstairs and start buying food and water for the trip. My wallet is in my cloak, pull out a 20 and go on." Kitten stated and pointed to her cloak that was draped over a chair. Hans jumped off the bed and ran over to the chair. He quickly rummaged through her pockets and pulled out the money. Then he was out the door faster than Kitten had expected. She giggled and threw the covers off her body. She walked across the soft carpet and opened a window to let the breeze come into the room. Kitten walked back across the floor and changed into clean clothes. She re-packed her bag and saw Hans's bag packed and sitting in the corner. Kitten picked up both bags and exited the motel room. She found Hans in a store buying a lot of food and water. They met outside with all their supplies and started off in the direction of the woods. They had planned to enter the woods after crossing the small footbridge that went over a river.
"This is it." Hans said when the pair stopped in front of the woods. The trees loomed over them and cast shadows on the grass.
"Let's go find that library!" Kitten cheered and started into the wood. Hans followed after her with a wide smile on his face. This was what he was waiting for, everything he needed could be inside that hidden library. Having Kitten there with him made he feel like there was no way that he could fail. He walked happily by her side as they weaved through trees and jumped over fallen logs. They spent the whole day chattering about mindless things as they walked through the woods. Kitten had no idea how far they had made it into the woods when the sun started to set.
"We should set up camp here for the night." Kitten stated. Hans nodded in agreement. They set down there bags and pulled out the sleeping bags they had bought for this adventure. They laid down inside the soft bags and zipped them up tightly around their faces.
"I can't wait to find it." Hans said; his voice sounded heavy with sleep.
"Me either." Kitten replied softly. Soon she heard Hans's breathing slow and Kitten softly unzipped her bag. She stood up and looked up at the tallest tree around. Kitten squatted down and then pushed off the grass, propelling herself into the tree's branches. She landed on one near the top and climbed the rest of the way up until her head was poking out. She scanned the distance and could see the town lights. They were close but rather far away as well. Kitten guessed the city was around 16 miles away. They had walked for about eight hours give or take. Kitten jumped back down to the earth. Kitten walked across the grass under the shine of the moon. The woods had a calming feel to it; one that she never felt in the cities. She inhaled deeply, taking in all the scents of nature. Kitten slipped back into her sleeping back and drifted off into a deep sleep.
The sweet song of birds and the sun woke her up in the morning. Hans was stirring as well when Kitten sat up. They ate a quick and small breakfast, Kitten faking drinking her water to save more for Hans in case they needed it. They packed up and headed out again. Kitten wondered if Greed was still following them. She shrugged off those thoughts and focused on the woods in front of her. The second day passed quickly and they settled down again for the night, this time in a small clearing.
"How close do you think we are?" Hans asked. He was looking up at the starry sky. Kitten was looking up at the stars as well. They didn't look at each other while they talked, they both wanted to take in the views of nature.
"I'm not sure. We don't have a map or anything. Maybe we will find something tomorrow." Kitten replied.
"What if there's an old sign or something?"
"Well that would sure be helpful."
"Yeah." Hans's voice sounded sleepy again. He was probably drifting off in the middle of a conversation. Kitten smiled up at the stars. She closed her eyes and left herself drift off into sleep again. The smoothly sounds of the forest helped to calm her mind and body. In a tree overlooking the clearing Greed sat in a tree. He was leaning against the trunk and had his legs stretched out on a branch. He got a weird feeling about this forest but couldn't remember why. He looked down at the two travelers and sighed. He hadn't listened to why they were in here. Greed felt like he should remember something about this woods but he couldn't put his finger on it. The thought bothered him. Could it have been something from his time as a human? He bit at his thumb and looked over the dark trees. He didn't have memories of his past life as a human anymore. After being sealed for 100 years he had forgotten all about that.
It was the fourth day. Kitten and Hans were still hiking up through the mountain woods. Kitten stopped suddenly and squinted into the distance. Hans stopped and looked over his shoulder at Kitten.
"What is it? Do you see something?" He asked. His voice rose during the last sentence.
"I think so. It looks like bricks or something!" Kitten exclaimed; she couldn't keep the excitement out of her voice. She broke out into a run towards the bricks she could see through the trees. She jumped and dodged trees, bushes, and logs as she neared the building. She could hear Hans running behind her. Kitten slowed as she reached the building. She walked out into a small clearing and looked up at the mansion that was standing in front of her. It was tall but the trees were still taller. They completely blocked it away; no one could have seen it from the town. There wasn't a library sign anywhere on the building. Kitten walked all around it with Hans right on her heels.
"This must be one of the mansions from the myths. It seems like the wealthy did build summer homes in these woods!" Kitten exclaimed in wonder as she came to a stop in front of the large doors.
"We should spend the night here! That would be so cool." Hans stated.
"It would be good. I'm sure it would be better than sleeping on the hard ground." Kitten agreed. She approached the door and gently tugged on it. It squeaked and opened up; it wasn't even locked. The house was completely dark inside. Kitten walked inside followed by Hans, who was clinging to her cloak edge. Kitten surveyed the main room. The ceiling was vaulted and there were fancy paintings on the walls. The walls were painted deep red but had faded and chipped. This house had to been around 200 years old. Kitten couldn't help but gasp at the beauty the old house still held. Hans looked to be in awe as well as he looked around. As Kitten was looking around she realized that there weren't any electric lights in the house, she wondered why she expected there too be. Kitten walked over and grabbed a candle off a desk. She pulled a lighter from her pocket and lit the wick. The candle burst into life and covered the room in an eerie glow. Kitten handed Hans the candle.
"Let's go explore!" Kitten stated with a smile.
"All right! I'm going upstairs to look for the bedrooms!" Hans exclaimed and skittered off towards the grand staircase off to the right side of the main entrance room. The railing looked to be made of gold and the stairs were covered what was once soft black carpeting. Kitten found another candle and lit it. She turned and headed down another hallway. There were pictures lining the wall. Kitten reached up and brushed the dust off of some of them. They were faded and the names were rubbed off due to the age but she could still see what they looked like. 'These must have been all the members of the family that lived in the house. Wow. They look so royal and rich! This is like walking through a museum or something.' Kitten thought to herself as she walked slowly down the hallway. Kitten jolted to a stop and almost dropped her candle when she came across one of the lasts paintings. She shoved the candle into the holder in front of the painting. The light from the candle lit up the painting making it glow in the light. Kitten whipped the dust off with her cloak and then took a step back to look at it. She couldn't believe whom she saw in the painting. She remembered seeing this one other time, back in the mansion in Central, the one at the bottom of the ravine. She couldn't believe her eyes but she knew it was true. She hadn't expected to see it again, it wasn't the same painting of course, but it was the same person. That Kitten was completely sure of. She took a step forward now and touched the painting gently. It didn't look completely like him of course. His features in the painting looked softer and he wasn't smiling in the painting. He was dressed in fancy clothes that hadn't been in style in over 200 years. She scanned the painting over and over again. Kitten couldn't peel her eyes away from it. She would have stopped at the mansion back in Central but she was too caught up then, now she had all the time in the world to stare. She had completely forgotten about the mansion in Central, but this made her remember. She couldn't believe she had forgotten about it. Here it was, the proof, right in front of her face.
"This really is him." Kitten breathed. Her breath made more dust lift off and float away in the stale air. The fire on the candle flickered slightly. Kitten just couldn't stop staring at the painting. He looked so different and yet so much the same. They caught the look in his eyes perfectly. It was one of power yet somehow his eyes looked lonely; so very human. The candle flickered again and with a gust of wind it went out. Kitten gasped as the hallway was plunged into darkness. She took a step back away from the painting. Suddenly there was a pair of arms wrapped around her, holding her in place. Someone was pressed against her back and a breath tickled her neck. Kitten's eyes grew wide in the darkness but noise couldn't escape her lips.
"Never thought I'd be back here." The voice whispered into her ear. She couldn't tell the emotion behind it. "Takes you back doesn't it? Like when I followed you into your old house? But now it seems the tables have turned." The voice added softly. He was still holding onto her tightly. Kitten just stood there; she couldn't see anything in the darkness, not with her human eyes at least. The past was right in front of her on the wall and the present was there behind her, holding onto her tightly like she was a life raft.
"Greed." Kitten whispered his name into the darkness. She reached up and lightly touched one of his arms that were holding onto her.
"I wondered why I had such a strange feeling in these woods." Greed stated. Something in his voice still sounded uncertain.
"You didn't have to come in here, you know?" Kitten replied softly.
"I didn't remember it. I still don't really remember anything about this place. It's just the feeling." Greed retorted. It sounded like he was trying to defend himself. Maybe he didn't want to remember. Homunculus, they were human transmutations. Not quite the real thing, but close enough. The memories must be choppy and they might not even remember everything about their lives before they were attemptedly transmuted.
"I'm sorry." Kitten murmured.
"I'm just a copy anyways. It's not like the memories would even mean much to me." Greed replied. He was still holding onto her. Kitten was silent and so was Greed. Kitten could hear Hans running around on the second story. He was opening doors and closing doors.
"You shouldn't be in here. You should go outside." Kitten finally stated.
"I was in my other house wasn't I? You weren't like this then."
"You kidnapped Sakura back then, I wasn't thinking about your wellbeing because you were an evil nutcase." Kitten snapped back. Greed sighed and finally released her from his grasp. Kitten took a few steps forward and spun around. She opened her lighter and flicked it. The flame sparked to life and lit up the gap between them. Greed was looking down at Kitten and she was looking up at him.
"I'm going upstairs, don't follow me." Kitten stated. She grabbed her candle from the holder and threw another glance up at the painting. Then she turned and walked down the hallway.
"You're the one intruding on my property." Greed stated. Kitten looked over her shoulder.
"I thought you said you were only a copy. Wouldn't that mean this never even belonged to you?" She replied. The light didn't reach far enough to see his expression, but then again, Kitten didn't want to see it. She turned around again and kept going down the hallway. He never answered her question. When Kitten disappeared down another hallway Greed was surrounded by darkness again.
"Just a copy huh? Why would I care?" He growled to himself. He pulled his lighter out of his pocket and flicked it on. He held the small flame in front of the painting of his former self and looked up at it. It felt so strange to be looking at who he used to be, the human he used to be. Looking at the painting gave him a weird feeling in his stomach, it was unsettling. He turned off his lighter and started down the hallway in the direction Kitten had gone.
Kitten walked up a spiral staircase that went to the second floor.
"Hans?" Kitten asked.
"In here!" Hans shouted. Kitten looked around and pinpointed his voice. She walked down the hallway and turned into a room. It looked like it had once belonged to a boy. 'I wonder if this used to he Greed's room back when he was a human.' Kitten thought to herself as she looked around. Hans was sitting on the floor looking through the closet.
"What did you find?" Kitten asked and walked up behind Hans.
"Well nothing about the library or anything. But I think this is just so cool! It's like a trip back in time! All the stuff in here is so cool!" Hans stated. He was holding some old clothes in his hands and looking them over.
"I'm going to go check out the next room okay?" Kitten said. Hans nodded, he was looking over some old playing cards and other knick knacks that looked like old toys. Kitten left the room and pushed open the wooden door that led into the next room. This room looked like it belonged to a boy as well, but maybe an older boy. There were books on some of the shelves and statues that looked to be from foreign countries. Kitten walked across the faded black carpeting and stopped in front of the shelves. She took a deep breath and blew out. The dust lifted in the air and filled Kitten's lungs, making her cough violently for a few seconds. Her eyes watered and she whipped away the tears as the coughing faded. She reached out and gently pulled a book off the shelf. It was an old adventure book, or so she guessed. Kitten replaced it and pulled out another book. Something fluttered out of the second book and fell to the floor. Kitten looked down and saw a piece of paper sitting on the carpeting. Kitten dropped to her knees and picked it up carefully. She unfolded it as she stood back up. It looked like a map. There were two signatures in the corner but she couldn't read the writing, it was too fancy or sloppy. She couldn't tell which one. Kitten gasped when she saw what the map detailed. It showed the mansion and then off in the corner there was the library. The path there was marked by landmarks, which Kitten figured might not be there anymore, but it was still a map. Near the top it said secret library and then beside that it said three hours. That must have meant it took three hours to make it to the library. Kitten smiled down at the map. If it was secret between the children in this house then that meant it was here before the families built these mansions. Kitten looked away from the map and saw another small framed painting sitting on the desk. The glass was covered in what looked like an inch of dust. Kitten set the map down on the dusty desktop and picked up the frame. She whipped it off with her cloak and couldn't help but gasp again. It was a painting of two brothers; she recognized the one was Greed. In this painting both boys were smiling brightly. It looked like they were having the time of their lives. For a fleeting moment Kitten wished that she was there in that painting smiling and laughing. She would have done anything to gain back the childhood she lost. Kitten shook away those thoughts violently and placed the frame back on the desk. She picked up the map again and left the room. She found Hans out in the hallway looking in another room.
"Whoa! This must have been the master bedroom!" he exclaimed, looking over his shoulder at Kitten. She walked up behind him and looked into the room. Hans wasn't kidding. This room was at least the size of a living room. The room looked to be about 40x60 feet. The bed in the middle was a covered bed. The drapes around the bed were pulled open and the sheets looked like red silk. Kitten looked around the room in awe.
"Whoa. This is amazing." Kitten breathed. There was a fancy vanity in the corner with three mirrors around it. Painting that looked like there were painted by master artists hung all over the walls.
"Did you want to sleep in here tonight?" Hans asked and looked up at his partner.
"Naw, I'm going to sleep in another room." Kitten replied and smiled down at Hans. She could tell that he wanted to sleep there anyways.
"Well then I'm sleeping here!" He stated with a wide smile. Kitten couldn't help but giggle at that.
"Oh yeah! I almost forgot! I found a child's written map to the library!" Kitten exclaimed and handed Hans the map. He snatched it from her and looked it over with hungry eyes.
"This is awesome! First thing tomorrow we are going to find it using this! Man Kitten you are so awesome!" Hans exclaimed. He threw his arms around her and hugged her tightly. Kitten was shocked but happy at his gesture. She patted his head and giggled again. Hans pulled away when he realized that he had hugged her out of the blue. He flushed slightly.
"Oh Hans! I didn't mind at all! Don't be so shy!" Kitten laughed. Hans smiled up at her, his blush faded.
"Sorry!" He replied.
"Don't worry about it! Well it's late, you should get to sleep! I'll be that room." Kitten pointed to the room at the end of the hall near the staircase. It was the room that Kitten had found the map in and also what she guessed was Greed's old room.
"Okay! Good night Kitten! See you in the morning!" Hans said and walked into the large master bedroom.
"Goodnight Hans! Get some rest!" Kitten replied. Hans closed the door and Kitten walked down the hallway. She slipped into Greed's old room and placed the map on the desk. She picked up the photo again. Greed looked older in this, and the boy smiling beside him looked younger. Greed must have been the older brother. 'I wonder what happened to him. Did his brother try to bring him back? What happened to his brother I wonder. Or maybe his whole family tried and were all killed.' Kitten sat the picture back on the desk and turned to the bed. This bed was rather huge too; it looked like a king. The covers on this bed were black with gold embroidered designs in them. Kitten ran her hand across the bed. The sheets were silk and so soft. Kitten would have never guessed that this house was 200 years old. Everything seemed so preserved. It was amazing. Kitten pulled off her cloak and let it fall to the floor. She had never slept in silk sheets before. She stripped the rest of her clothes off until she was just wearing her red tube top and panties. She lifted the covers and shook them in the air. The dust all blew away and Kitten held her breath until it was gone. Now the bed looked ready to be used. Kitten slipped under the silk sheets and let out a happy moan. They were so soft and felt so nice against her skin. Kitten wiggled around under the covers and smiled. She could get used to sleeping in a bed like this. Kitten rolled over and closed her eyes. Tomorrow they would reach the library and she would be able to find about all that she needed to know. At least she hoped she would be able to. Kitten heard footsteps and opened her eyes. She sat up in the bed and looked across the room. Moonlight shined through the window and lit up the room in a blue glow. Greed was standing in front of the desk holding the picture in his hands. Kitten couldn't read the expression on his face as he looked at the painting in the small frame. The sheets slipped from her when she sat up. Greed turned and looked over at her. He sat the frame back down and walked across the room towards the bed. Kitten followed him with her eyes. As he walked across the room he began pulling off his clothes. When he reached the bed he was only wearing boxers. Kitten adverted her gaze and looked over at the window.
"This is my bed you know." He stated. Kitten scooted over and made room, she still didn't look over at him. Greed got into the bed and pulled the covers up. He reached out and grabbed Kitten, pulling her down against him. Her cheek slammed into his chest and he wrapped his arm around her shoulders, holding her there. He didn't say anything. Kitten didn't want to say anything either. Suddenly his voice broke through the silence.
"You know there were a lot of other rooms to choose from, some a lot nicer than this." Greed stated flatly. Kitten blinked. 'He's so right about that. Why did I choose this room, I mean I knew it was his too. What's wrong with me? Sakura's words keep coming into my mind! Let him save me? How could he even save me in the first place? I don't need saving! And what she said about him, being almost as immortal as me. I don't even want this body anymore! I don't want to be immortal and that's all he wants! Like he even cares about me as a person! All he wants is my body and my secret! How can a self-centered greedy ass hole save me? Why am I even thinking about this now?' Kitten thought to herself. She realized she never answered his question.
"I know." Kitten snapped. She wondered if he was smiling, she couldn't see his face.
"Then why did you choose this room?" He asked. Greed moved his hand and ran it up and down her arm. Kitten flushed from where her face was pressed against his chest. She didn't know how to answer that question. Why did he have to ask that?
"This was the first room I went into. I didn't look at the other ones." Kitten lied.
"Don't lie to me Kitty. You saw the master bedroom and—" He paused for a moment. "My little brother's room as well." Greed finished. Kitten bit her lip. She had hoped maybe he hadn't seen that, but she should have figured he knew.
"I-I don't know why." Kitten stammered. She mentally slapped herself so letting herself stutter like that.
"Maybe you did it for me? Hmm I wonder." Greed said. His voice drew out and he squeezed her tighter against him. "You didn't even fight it when I joined you." He added. Kitten flushed even more when he said that. She hadn't meant to. It was just the way he had looked. 'After seeing all those paintings now I can see a little bit of human in him. Sometimes I can see that boy in the paintings in him. I know that's not true though, it just can't be. Homunculi aren't humans, not by a long shot.' Kitten thought.
"No, that's not it." Kitten stated. She barely even believed her own words.
"Really?" He asked. His voice was softer now. Kitten clenched her hand into a fist at her side. Kitten was about to reply but Greed rolled over on top of her, pinning her there. His face was only inches away from hers. Kitten gulped and looked up into his eyes. Kitten adverted her gaze and looked over at the wall.
"I don't know." Kitten stated. She looked at the wall and couldn't get her thoughts together. She had been thinking about things for a while. The fact that she wasn't completely a human was always in the back of her mind. In fact she was about as human as a homunculus. That thought made her stomach flip. She had been trying for the past few years to be a human but deep down inside she knew she couldn't be a human again.
"You lie." Greed breathed. Kitten still didn't look up at him. He laid down on top of her, pressing his body against her. Kitten's breath was caught in her throat. Greed kissed her neck and rang his tongue up her jaw line. Kitten shivered from under him and closed her eyes. He moved his hand up into her hair and rolled off of her. He wrapped his arms around her and pulled her against him, resting his chin on the top of her head. Kitten opened her eyes in shock. She had expected something different. He was more docile now, was it because he was surrounded by memories of his human life? Kitten didn't know, but she didn't mind. She could tolerate him like this. Something in her reached out towards him now. It reminded her of all those years ago at her old house. Kitten closed her eyes and reached up, resting her hand on his arm. In a way he was just like her. His whole family was gone and he was alone, he didn't even have his teammates anymore. 'He comforted me two years ago when I needed it. I guess I could call this my payback.' Kitten thought. She didn't move or speak. She let herself slip into sleep in his arms. Her breathing slowed and became more relaxed. Greed was slightly surprised that she had let him hold her. 'What am I doing? This isn't how I'm supposed to act at all. It's this god damn house.' He thought to himself. His human life was all around him. The person whose place he was supposed to take. Although, there was no place to fill since everyone was dead. The haunting memories that had long since faded away were now right in front of him.
--
Greed is soooo OOC in this I feel, but alas, what can I do? I DO WHAT I WANT! THAT'S WHAT! Sorry…hee hee! I hope you don't mind the OOC-ness or whatever! Forgive me! Well, in the first season of FMA is kinda nice to Ed right at the end before he dies soooo maybe he has that semi-sweet side under it all? Oh I'm just a hopeless romantic I suppose! Hee hee