The Vacuous Heart of Blood

Author: MoonStarDutchess

Chapter 6: Wanted

Disclaimer: I claim no ownership of Fullmetal Alchemist but I do own my plot.

AN: Warning slightly sexual but not vivid enough to be M related in the slightest. Nothing more than you would see in a PG-13 movie though. There's also a mention of assault. As there will be later in the story. If this is a possible trigger, you may not want to continue.

Wanted

(Don't Forget to Read AN)

"What in the hell do you think you are doing?" Riza forced herself to stand her ground and steeled her voice against any fear that threatened to expose itself through her tone.

She couldn't keep her body from jumping in surprise and fright when he slammed his hands on the door at both sides of her head. The bang of the contact against the wood broke through the silence of the cellar, sounding like someone had slammed a heavy item down on the wooden tables situated in the environment.

He leaned toward her and rested his forehead against hers, pressing them together firmly enough that if it stayed there long, it would leave a red mar upon her skin. Every aspect she saw of his personality and actions was like an indistinguishable line between two opposing forces. Direct opposites that worked together to create him.

Riza lowered her arms to her sides and flattened her palms against the door. Splinters from the old wood dug into her skin, turning it red from the force of her hand's pressing. She tensed when he gazed directly into her eyes. She was paralyzed; part of her out of fear, the other part stemming from an insalubrious and imbecilic curiosity about his further intentions.

"What's your name?" he questioned, his breath hitting her face, bringing with it an odd, familiar yet not unpleasant, smell. Her body relaxed slightly for an instant before she forced herself to tense up once again. The second time was not a tense initiating from nervousness, but one of preparedness to react if he tried to hurt her.

"Elizabeth," she said, giving her formal name, even if it was rarely used.

"Such an elegant name doesn't suit you," he whispered, trailing his hand to her neck, and then proceeding to run his knuckles slowly up and down its smooth length.

Chills dispersed through her body and she had to withhold a shudder thanks to his gentle as a breeze touch.

"Riza," she said after swallowing the saliva that had built up in her mouth.

The man moved his forehead an inch away from hers but kept his hands where they were. He grinned, a slight glimpse of his white teeth revealing through the minuscule slit between his two lips. "Riza is better."

He slowly leaned toward her neck and placed a light kiss at the junction between it and her shoulder. Her mind was shocked at the affectionate gesture, but her body was thrilled with it, as evident from the heat that it developed following the contact.

"What's your name?" she questioned, her voice much steadier than it would be for most women in the situation she was in.

"It doesn't matter," he said. His tongue darted out of his mouth, traced along her skin, and finally up to the vein on her neck. He pressed his lips tightly against it, feeling her pulse against them, so alive and forging with her blood. He kissed it again.

"Yes it..." She tried to stop a groan from leaving her but the feel of what he was doing to her skin was growing too much for her to take. She felt like he was controlling her body. "Yes ...it does." she finally managed out, her voice shuddering as she spoke.

The speed of her breathing and the beating of her heart increased the more he adorned her neck with licks, kisses, nibbles and . . . she yelled slightly as he took her skin between his teeth and bit down. Riza bit her lip at the sharp prick she felt but didn't make any protests to the tough actions he was taking. It felt wonderful to have his attentions.

Roy didn't expect what would happen next when her blood hit his tongue. He would not get a chance to bite into her neck deeply, nor did he want to after the taste. His tongue felt like it had licked up battery acid and it was spreading through his entire body in punches of bitterness and pungency.

He jerked away from her and grabbed his throat, gagging and coughing as if he'd drunk poison. Falling to his knees, he reached up from his throat to clinch at the sides of his head as it protested to what he'd just consumed in the form of bolts of pain. His eyes burned as if they were out in the bright sun and they watered like he was chopping onions. "Why in the hell does it hurt? It isn't supposed to hurt!" His pain-filled voice echoed through the cellar, confusion evident in his tone. He had a distant thought saying that not only was the woman plain, she didn't taste good either.

Riza reached up to her neck and felt something wet. She raised the hand in front of her face so she could look at it, and saw a bit of blood staining her palm. She gasped and rushed away from Roy, putting a table between the two of them as he leaned forward and groaned out again. She turned to leave the cellar and get someone, but paused. It was likely that if she alerted anyone to him being there, Archer would take him…and get glory for it. Even if the man did injure her, it wasn't bad enough that she thought he was trying to kill her. She just knew that he wasn't a bad guy, no matter how much he wanted her to believe he was.

She frowned, turned back around, and walked over to him. Kneeling on the floor beside him, she placed her right hand on his back, and began rubbing it gently. Then, she leaned forward, trying to see his face.

"Are you alright? What can I do to help?" She knew she should have ran or at least screamed after what he was trying to do, but the experience of having someone so close to her had been extremely pleasant. The feeling of being wanted for a change was a foreign experience even if what he was about to do was dangerous or improper. "Hey, answer me," she said gently.

"Why aren't you running," he gasped out. "Get the bloody hell away from me you ugly woman."

"No, not until I know you are alright," she protested, ignoring the fact he'd called her ugly. She knew she would never be a prized beauty, and wouldn't hold any false beliefs that she would ever be one.

He waited for a few minutes until the pain dimmed slightly and then looked up at her. "You are an idiot," he growled.

"No, I'm a good human being who isn't going to leave someone who is in pain, no matter what a prick he is."

"Even though I tried to bi...kill you?"

Riza blushed and looked away slightly. "It certainly didn't feel like you were trying to kill me."

He stayed quiet for a minute before bursting out into laughter. He smirked sadistically at her. "So, the little virgin liked the attention?"

Riza's gaze shot back to look at him. Her face clearly displaying surprise at his words: her mouth was open slightly and her eyes staring into his. After a moment, she closed her mouth and looked down at her lap. One hand was at her side, her fingertips touching the floor so she wouldn't fall to the right, while her other was resting on her lap.

"Maybe I did, but most women would. It's not like I did just because I'm a virgin," she said. She stood up and stared down at him. Being a virgin was nothing to be ashamed of; neither was not being one. As long as someone was true to themselves, it didn't matter. At least not to her.

"A whore then," he said. He started to stand up and swayed on his feet.

"You know, if I was a mean person I could knock you over," she said, then quickly moved toward him so that he wouldn't falter to the right.

"Then why don't you?"

"It wouldn't matter how I answered why I don't. You'd just come up with an answer that satisfied you."

"Because you are an idiot."

"Yes, you go ahead and call me that," she said, moving him over to lean against a table. "You've made it clear you find me an idiot, virgin whore who can't find a husband because she's so plain."

"Virgin whore? That's a contradiction."

"You are the one that used all those words, not me." She pulled away from him and folded her arms across her chest. "Now, do you have something to add to all of that or are you running out of negative words to use? Considering that seems to be all your vocabulary is made up of, and your only ability is to insult, probably not."

He smirked at her, "You are a smart ass too."

"Knew you had another one in there somewhere," she replied, and brought her arms down to her sides, she walked over to the table across from him and jumped to sit upon it.

He clicked his tongue. "Not very ladylike at all. Jumping to sit on a table, you should be ashamed. Oh, and aren't you supposed to call me sir?"

"Only if I hold respect for you. Which I don't... I would call you by your name but you have yet to tell me that," she said.

"Roy," he said.

"Roy? That's won't do, that's your first name. I wouldn't call anyone I was unfamiliar with by their first name."

"You are rude already, what's the point in being formal with names," he said, folding his arms in front of his chest, mimicking her previous posture. He squeezed his eyes shut for a moment, relieving some stress they were feeling, then opened them again.

"I'm trying to be a lady for once by asking your last name so I may address you as such. Besides, I'm not the one that started being rude. A gentleman, if he dislikes something about a woman, tends to stay quiet. You haven't done that."

"Who said I was a gentleman?"

"Your name," she said, not bothering to respond to his question.

"Mustang," he said finally.

"Mister Mustang."

"In my country, it would be Mustang-san," he said.

"Too bad, we aren't in Xing."

Roy looked surprised at her recognizing his country.

"I recognized the use of the San," she elaborated.

"Yes, I know that but," he laughed, "Nevermind then. At least you are partially intelligent even if you are an idiot when it comes to common sense."

"Whatever you say," she said.

"What's wrong with you?"

"What do you mean?"

"You are just taking my insults."

"I counter to them."

"Yes, but they aren't caustic in the slightest," he said

"They were earlier."

"No, they weren't. I could tell you were a bit annoyed but there was no hate or outrage in your demeanor or tone."

Riza shrugged, "You have a right to your opinion, whether they be insults to me or not. You just choose to voice them to me."

Roy took a step toward her, his body only wavering a bit from the after effects of tasting her blood. He tilted his head to the side and his stomach tingled when her smell hit him again. It was annoying because he knew if he'd bite her he'd go through all that pain again, but if he didn't he would never be able to sate his thirst with anyone else.

"You shouldn't just take it," he said, "If you do, people will walk all over you."

"If I don't want to do something, I won't. You are a stranger and will be gone soon. I'll never see you again and so I let you have your view. If you were to try to make me do something against my will, I'd fight back."

Roy was even further intrigued by her. He walked over to stand in front of her, only a foot away.

"You'd better not try what you did before again. I have this," she said, holding up a long sharp knife. "If you touch me you'll regret it."

He stared at the long blade watching as the glow from the lamp beside it cast flickering shines upon its silver surface. It was then he noticed that her hand holding the knife was wrapped tightly: a possible reason why her blood tasted so vile when it smelled so good. He step forward and grabbed her wrist. "How old is this injury?"

She reached around him and grabbed the knife out of that hand, switching it to the other so she could get in a good stab if he tried anything. "I got it today. This morning to be exact."

Roy gazed at the pinkish color soaking the bandage at her palm. He brought it to his nose and sniffed it, her blood smelled delicious despite it leaking out."I may be plain but you are just odd," she said. He gazed into her eyes.

"I don't understand," he said.

"You don't understand why I said you were odd? You are sniffing my palm!"

"No...I don't understand why I want you."

Her eyes widened. "You," her eyebrows furrowed, "...you want me?"

His hand slowly slid from her wrist down her arm until it came to her elbow, he then let go of her and moved his arm around her waist and pulled her against him. "Yes," he said, as he moved his lips up and his tongue darted out to lick her ear.

Riza bit back a groan as his other hand slowly slipped under her dress and trailed up her shin, then her knee then rested on her thigh. It was like his hands were trailing energies with them, sending unfamiliar feelings through her, making her heart beat quicken and her body feel like its internal temperature was rising. There were also other parts of her body, parts that weren't supposed to be spoken of, that seemed to be crying out for his attention.

He was a stranger, she shouldn't be enjoying the closeness of him and the way his smelled hugged her. Archer tried a sexual advance toward her, and she'd instantly rebuked and injured him. And Archer wasn't even a stranger! What was it about this man with her now that made her want to allow him to touch her?

She bit her lip as his hand came closer and closer to her center and his lips kissed the line of her jaw. When he finally touched her, she pushed him back. He hit his lower back on the table then quickly righted himself.

As soon as he turned forward, he found a knife pointing at his throat. "Don't ever try that again," she growled.

"Oh? So you'll kill me if I do?"

"Yes," she said, "And no one will blame me for it since you tried to despoil me."

"Yeah, that's really smart. You are alone with a man down here. Possibly a killer. Therefore, that would come into question and ruin your reputation even more. Besides, it's not despoiling you unless you say no. I didn't hear any complaints and I..." He let a laugh leave his body.

"What's so funny," she said.

"I certainly didn't smell any complaints. If anything you wanted me there."

Riza took a step away from him. "Smell? What is it with you and smell?"

Roy smirked. "You want me just as much as I want you," he said. "Admit it."

Riza stared at him for a long while, before nodding. "I suppose I did. However, we can't always get what we want. I can't, never could."

"You want me, you've got me."

"For one time, that's it. I don't even know why I want you. Do you have some sort of physical attraction magnet, maybe magic?"

"Magic?" Roy laughed. "Some say I attract people but I don't have any sort of...power... to do that. I'm just me. Don't believe the books you read about anything. I don't have a magical gaze that draws innocent women in. I don't have anything that draws in people except my wonderful personality."

Riza tilted her head to the side. "Books? You mean about people from Xing?"

"Yeah, sure," he said, laughing to himself. He was lucky that his kind were believed to be mythical creatures to most humans. There were still some of those annoying hunters in existence but they weren't much of a hindrance since they believed in all the old folklore, and that Dracula killed people. If anything, Dracula was a vampire who listened to everything his wives said. He was clearly warped in the mind for always looking for brides. One wife would be bad enough for a man. "Xingese people are attractive. Every single one of us," he said, teasing her further.

Riza cast him a suspicious look. "Right..."

"So, we've established I have no magical powers," he said taking a step in her direction. "And that I want you and you obviously want me..."

"Yes, so we have. So what? I couldn't give you anything even though I do want to," she said. "It would ruin my reputation and break any chances of me gettin..." she trailed off when a thought came to her. If she let this man have her, then marriage wouldn't be an option. To the rest of society she would be damaged goods. Her father might even send her out of the country. If that happened, she could die in peace. Perhaps she could do something that she wanted, become what she wanted, not what people were trying to mold her into.

She let go of the knife in her grasp, letting the blade tumble to the floor, the click seemingly echoing through the room, representing the dramatic scene that was playing out like a movie. She felt Roy's arms slide around her and his hands moved to tilt her head up slightly. His lips slowly covered hers, slipping his tongue past her lips to taste her. She closed her eyes and kissed him back. Kissing had been the closest thing she ever come to doing with any man. And even then, she'd been a teenager with no experience when it came to displays of affection of any type.

Riza pushed her body against him and entangled her hands in his hair, wanting him. Longing for the attention and starving for just a moment of affection, no matter how false it was, from someone. Just to be held in an embrace that didn't feel cold or required made her feel so much better. To know that she was wanted in some manner made her feel useful. Even if it was for a sexual release, she was getting something out of it too after all.

The man that was doing this to her, this Lord Mustang, was indescribable. He wasn't pressuring her and he didn't force himself. He merely took advantage gently and she didn't deny him. However before she went on with what was happening, she had to do something.

She pulled away from the kiss, breathlessly. "If I told you to stop, if I said no," she asked, as she felt his hands trail down to her hips, "would you stop?"

Roy nodded. "Yes."

She stared into his eyes for a moment, seeing no lies in them.

"Good," she said, satisfied that he wasn't lying to her. She pressed her lips upon his, initiating the kiss.

"Stop."

He pulled away and it surprised her. She wrapped her arms back around his neck and pulled him into another kiss. If she continued with the course of action, she would be a most unsuitable wife for any man that wanted to be the first man that slept with his woman. And that was the kind of bride the majority of the men in society wanted. They needed to lay claim to their property after all.

Roy's hands moved to her waist and lifted her up to sit her on the table. His hands slid under her dress once again and this time she let him have whatever he wanted, and he gave as good as he got. He gently pushed her to lie back on the table and soon was inside her, giving her the most pleasurable experience she'd ever had. Not just the sex but also, the feelings of being wanted.

Both of them were so engulfed in the timeless dance that they didn't see the two people watching from a darker part of the cellar.

Thank you to Ginger for all the support.