Chapter 7
MH: Maiwyn here after two chapters of great Roy-ness! Now on to Ed. I'm sorry Soluna but I had to put some uh, ((coughcough)) language in it. Well, the rating is 'T', after all, but I don't think uh, 'Listerine Thursday' would appreciate that…
Disclaimer: If I owned FullMetal Alchemist, I'd dress Winry in a 'Mythbusters' (I don't own) shirt that says 'Plausible', knee-length black lace-up boots, and black pants and armed with 'Twilight' and 'New Moon' (I don't own) books. ((snickers)) And as for Ed… refer to chapter 1, I think. ((snickers))
Soluna: First of all, I don't really care about the language. Second, my boots are not knee-length. They only reach about half-way up my calf.
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"You're going to be our new assassin!"
Ed heard the words, but they didn't register.
"You actually think… that I'd actually kill people for you!?" Edward whispered incredulously.
Artemis nodded with a beaming smile.
"And which whack-job came up with that load of crap!?!?" Ed jolted up from the bed, bringing a throbbing pain to his wounded shoulder. Artemis looked puzzled.
"Why, my dearest Harmony, of course."
"Oh, so that crazed rapier wielding bitch thinks she can tell me what to do-" He was suddenly cut off from his rant by Artemis who had put a razor-sharp blade to his throat. His green eyes were cold.
"Don't you ever," Artemis growled, pressing the knife against the vulnerable skin," call Harmony such a despicable, un-fitting word ever again!" Edward felt the sharp edge break his skin, a thin red line appeared on his throat.
"Now, now, Arty. Be good." The woman known as Harmony strode into the room, her long red-brown hair tied back behind her head. Artemis' cold green eyes turned back into the innocent grass-green color they were a moment before.
"B-but dearest! He called you a-"
"I know, Arty, but you must be kind to our guest."
Artemis grumbled. "Yes, my love." Harmony stepped over to where Ed was.
"Now, what do you have to say for what you've said about me, Edward Elric?" Harmony asked, smirking.
Edward grimaced, and then smirked just as arrogantly as the woman's had been. "I meant every word."
Harmony struck him across the face. Her face was a stone mask.
The state alchemist rubbed his sore cheek. "You don't hold back, do you?" He asked, still smirking.
"Hmph." Then she smiled an emotion-less smile that sent shivers down Edward's spine.
"Artemis," She said, turning her back on Edward," get him ready. I'll be waiting in the arena."
Half an hour later, Artemis had gotten Edward dressed in brand new clothing (which he despised, coming from the fact that they were from 'Arty' and Harmony.), and had put fresh bandages on his shoulder.
"You're going to need them." Artemis had said.
Two minutes later, he was in the 'arena', a large round room devoid of any decorations save for a large window letting in light from the ceiling. Harmony stood in the center, a long and thin rapier already in her hand. Edward realized what he was going to be doing.
Fighting a half-crazy rapier wielding maniac in a room with no escape.
Damn.
Harmony then pointed the silver rapier at him. Edward himself transmuted his auto-mail arm into its usual blade.
"You do know this is where I'll convince you that there is no argument, right?" Harmony asked, swishing her rapier around in the air, a painful reminder of what had happened to Edward's shoulder not too long ago.
"You do know this is where I'll kick your insane ass, right?" Ed asked right back, bracing himself for any type of impact.
Harmony charged forward, slashing her deadly rapier towards Edward with blinding speed. The blond alchemist dodged too late, and the tip of the weapon scratched the cloth of his shirt apart.
'Damn, my reflexes are too slow!' He thought, gritting his teeth and blocking his enemy's next blow. Each hit from Harmony's rapier that was deflected off of Edward's right arm made vibrating clinging sounds as the diabolical woman landed her tool of pain down on the auto-mail again and again.
After a while, Harmony jumped back. Ed was puzzled as to why, but when he saw the fractured surface of the rapier, he grinned.
"Looks like auto-mail wins, huh?" Ed asked triumphantly. Harmony only frowned and threw the weapon aside.
"That's enough for now. You'll make a nice assassin." That's when Edward glared.
"I'm not going to be anyone's assassin, especially not yours." He growled.
"We'll see about that." Harmony sniffed, and strode over to the door. Edward unwillingly followed, as he was poked in the back by Artemis.
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Harmony sat down in the plush chair in the room that she had led Edward to, and gestured to the much plainer chair across from her. Edward didn't take a seat.
"Very well, then." Harmony said. Artemis brought his love a cup of tea.
"Thank you, dearest." She purred. The woman took a sip of the brew and gave the cup back to Artemis to hold.
"Now, there is the matter of persuading you to join the J.A.S.P.E.R's cause." Harmony began.
"No way in hell."
"Ah, you speak too soon, state alchemist."
Edward knew she had some kind of plan behind her eyes. "Really?"
"Yes. I do know about your friend, Winry Rockbell."
Edward stiffened. He had heard this kind of threat many times, but hearing it once more still made his heart clench in fear. "Wh-what about her?"
"She is living in Rush Valley, is she not? It would be all too easy to stage an, an accident, if you will. She does, after all, work in an auto-mail workshop with potentially dangerous equipment all around her-"
"Shut up!" Edward was trying to keep his cool, but the thought of Winry dead was a hard scenario to keep bottled up.
Harmony looked mildly surprised. "Hmm… Ah! There is also your brother, Alphonse."
"So?"
"My dearest Arty is a master marksman, correct?" Artemis grinned childishly and blushed. "It would be a simple task to fire the shot that would enter an empty spot in his armor and scratch that frail blood seal, if not tear a hole clear through it. I can have the town of Risembool turned into a bloody smear on the map. I can destroy all you have dear to you in a matter of hours, Edward Elric."
Edward stood in his spot, unable to move or think. She knew everything about him, from Risembool to Alphonse's blood seal. He summoned up the strength to look at her in the eye. "Why me?"
"Hmm?"
"If you have all these resources to wipe out the opposition, why do you need me?"
Harmony paused. She tapped a finger on her chin. "That's a very good question, Edward. I'll tell you why," She took the cup of tea from Artemis and took a sip, then gave the cup back to him, "we need someone in the military to continue our operations. We need someone who has expert alchemical skills and knowledge of how the inner workings of the government function."
Edward took a shaky breath. "And what makes you think that I'd join your stupid cause?"
"Why, I'd think the answer is obvious." Harmony tapped the Philosopher's Stone around her neck, glistening vibrantly. "I gathered this from an old friend. He owns mines in the south. It's easy enough to make it look like a cave-in. Oh yes, this stone would definitely be enough to restore your limbs and your brother's body."
He didn't know what to do. He had what he had been searching for right in front of him. But he'd have to kill people for it. But if he didn't… Al, Winry, and Risembool would be…
Was there a choice? Of course there was, there was always a choice, right?
Edward's eyes widened, and inside, half of him grinned, half of him grimaced.
With a shaking voice, he finally spoke. "I…I'll do it."
Harmony was ecstatic. "Brilliant!!! Artemis, please show him the way to his new quarters. I'll brief him on his mark later." The woman practically squealed with joy. Artemis almost did the same.
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"Here's your new room! There are clothes in that cabinet over there." Artemis chirped gleefully. The room was luxurious, with a bed with plush covers and pillows that looked almost painfully fluffy. A large window overlooked the glacial mountains of the Briggs mountain range.
After Artemis left, Ed practically fell onto the bed, staring up at the ceiling with a sigh. After about five minutes, Ed decided to change the ripped shirt he currently had on. Inside the cabinet that Artemis had referred to were extra shirts, jackets, pant. Inside the bottom drawer was an extra pair of boots.
Edward didn't want to accept any kind of hospitality offered, and so he grabbed a black sweater from the top drawer and replaced his ripped shirt with the new sweater.
Almost immediately after, the state alchemist heard a rap on the door.
"We're ready to tell you about your first job!" Artemis said enthusiastically. Edward kept his face expressionless as he followed the black-haired man to another room in the fortress.
Harmony waited inside the chamber that Artemis had led Edward to. She slid a picture on the small table in front of her.
"I thought we'd start you out easy. He isn't a General, Colonel, state alchemist, or anything important, so no one will suspect you."
Edward stood there silently. He didn't say a word.
"I'll arrange for transportation to Central in the morning, so you'd better rest up."
Edward turned to leave, when-
"Edward, the picture. It would be rather embarrassing if you killed the wrong person." Ed took the picture wordlessly and left.
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MH: It may have been too hasty an ending… ah well. I still can't believe I have to do another chapter after this.
…This agreement still is worth something…((coughcough))
Solunaterr: I have put a little bit of extra information about Rhina on my profile page. Go check it out. It's at the very bottom of the page.
