Hello everyone thank you for reading and/or sticking by my story. I believe that you would rather get to the chapter rather than hear about my sad excuses on being so late. So without further ado here is chapter seven. Enjoy.
Chapter 7: The Missing Burden (Part 2)
Darkness.
All darkness.
It was so dark that it was suffocating.
Suddenly breathing became a struggle.
Everything felt stiff, unmovable.
A small groan was all that broke the still silence as something stirred in the gloom.
'What…what happened?'
August blinked groggily as she came into consciousness once more from her slumber. The girl gritted her teeth as she quickly felt a sudden throbbing sensation grip her head. With a shaking hand she gingerly touched her temple. Immediately something wet and sticky slid over her fingertips as the little girl winced and probed her injured head further.
"Oowww" August moaned loudly as she opened her eyes, only to be meet with darkness. A chill suddenly crept up her spine as August shivered and hugged herself, all the while as goose bumps prickled her numbing arms.
"Where am I?" She wondered as she slowly sat up.
"And why is it so dark?" The little alchemist mumbled tiredly as she nursed her injured head in her small lap. August suppressed a yawn as she stretched lazily, the fatigue refusing to leave her exhausted form. She blinked a few more times as she tried in vain to chase away her clouded thoughts. Everything still felt too muddled and disoriented to her fog shrouded brain. August swayed from side-to-side, as she felt slightly sick.
Suddenly something moved from the corner of the shadows.
She froze, her heart beating loud and fast in her eardrums as all traces of fatigue were washed away and a tidal wave of realization crashed over her unsuspecting head. August gasped before clasping her hands around her obnoxiously loud mouth.
'That's right! Those two men, they kidnapped me!' The little girl gave a quick glance around her surroundings.
She wasn't in that alley anymore, or that terribly itching and stuffy sack.
'They took me and now I'm somewhere else' She realized as she slowly uncovered her mouth.
"But where…?" She pondered as she stared into the inky blackness curiously.
Abruptly, the sound of footsteps sounded off behind her and the girl whirled around.
August held her breath as her heart had practically leapt into her throat.
Was it the men from before?
What where they going to do to her now? Where they going to kill her?
Should she run? Should she hide?
'Hide where' August thought dryly as she braced herself for whatever would spring from the shadows.
She waited.
She strained her ears.
After a couple of minutes of nothing she relaxed slightly and scratched her head in confusion.
'Did I really just imagined all that?' August wondered as she took a cautious step forward. She frowned.
She swore she could feel a gaze watching her from the shadows.
'Guess not…'
August looked around cautiously as she squared her shoulders and took a deep breath.
"Come out here and face me you bunch of pansies," August hissed after another eerie moment of silence.
Yes, pansies. She refused to curse unnecessarily as much as possible, not wanting to follow the bad habits of a certain sin.
She glared into the shadows.
Patience really wasn't one of her strong suits.
After waiting again for another moment she moved towards where she thought she had heard the source of the noise.
Fine, if they wouldn't come to her, she would go to them.
August huffed as she stumbled through the darkness. She wouldn't let them surprise her again!
After blindly bumping into many walls and gracelessly tripping over nothing half a dozen times, August finally found the disturbance. She held in her gasp of surprise.
There, a few feet in front of her was the similar outline of another child, though slightly smaller. The other figure was huddled against the wall and watched August with a wary gaze.
August remained still for a moment, both shocked and embarrassed that someone else had been here the whole time to witness all of her blunders, before speaking in a flurry of words.
"Hey, who are you? What's going on? Do you know where we are?" She pushed urgently as her fear and dread gnarled at her stomach. She needed answers. Now.
The smaller figure huddled deeper into the wall as they shielded themselves from her with a large, ragged, blanket. August was given no answer.
She sighed irritably as she too plopped onto the cold ground, a few feet away from the mystery figure. August openly stared at the other child for a moment before twirling her thumbs. She realized with a jolt, that they were terrified of her. August felt terrible.
She hadn't meant to frighten the poor thing; and judging by the look she was currently given, it seemed as if the other child was two steps away from having a full out panic attack.
She held her head in her hands as she felt a wave of guilt and sympathy cloud her conscious. She had seen that look for too many times on her own face before.
"Hey…Um, I'm sorry. I'm kind of scared too, you know, what with the kidnappings and all that stuff. I'm sorry and I didn't mean to scare you, it just when I get scared… I get confused too, and when I'm confused I can be a little mean, and when I am mean its because I'm usually nervous, and when I get nervous people tell me I tend to ramble on and on-"
August paused before slumping her shoulders in a defeated expression as it dawned on her. Her attempts at beginning a normal conversation had just blown up in her face.
"I'm doing it again…" She griped to herself. She could feel her cheeks rowing warm in embarrassment. Of all the things to do when being kidnapped, she goes ahead and makes a fool out of herself. Great. Just great.
A sudden, hoarse, but girlish giggle broke the uncomfortable silence that lingered between the two as the stranger to her right began to shake slightly. August snapped her head up and gave a small grin.
'So it is a girl!'
But wait… was she laughing at her? Her face fell at that and then reddened further as August flushed in pure embarrassment.
It was one thing to act like an idiot, but to open your mouth and prove it was another thing entirely, and someone laughing at your idiocy just made it ten times worse.
August turned away as her face burned like the sun.
It wasn't her fault that she just got nervous around other people so easily.
She frowned thoughtfully.
Then again it wasn't like she had much social interaction where she had previously been held hostage either. August blinked.
Wait…had she even had any interaction between children near her own age since then? August's head swam as she tried to remember one single friend she had ever had with little to no success.
'Wow…I'm deprived.'
"Oh…" a voice trialed off. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to embarrass you"
August blinked again.
'Huh?'
"What?" Both body and mind answered distractedly. August turned to stare at this new comer.
With a start, she quickly realized that her eyes had already adjusted to the gloom, as she was able to observe the other girl carefully. She had sun-kissed skin, a blue colored sundress, and long, dark, hair crafted into a two long braids that were tied off with white ribbons and hung loosely over her small shoulders. Fearful, dark, brown, eyes observed her as well with an equal mix of child like curiosity and tested wariness. August studied her well. She was kind of familiar.
"Oh…um, I meant that you didn't. I always do stuff like that. It's kind of annoying." August grumbled the last part. The unknown girl's mouth twitched in a slow, shy, smile.
"Well I thought it was funny."
"Funny huh? Thanks then" August chuckled as she scratched the back of her head sheepishly. August abruptly frowned.
"Hey, can I ask you something?" The mystery girl shuffled uneasily for a minute before nodding her head.
"How long have I been down here?" The other girl blinked in surprise and scratched her chin thoughtfully. August bit her lip anxiously.
"Well… meal time came around two times since they put you down here with me. So I think um…around two days-"
'"Oh that's not so-WAIT WHAT!? TWO DAYS!" August suddenly yelled in alarm and dread.
Oh man, oh man, was she going to get it. The old woman would be fuming for sure!
"…M-maybe less" The other girl finished as she shrank away from August, a little frightened by her panicked outbursts again. August didn't hear her.
"Oh boy, she is going to kill me! I know it! I can feel it in my bones…" She muttered ominously as she hugged herself and shivered. A dark cloud of foreboding doom hovered over her small frame.
The other girl stared oddly at her as August continued muttering under her breathe.
"She'll skin my alive with alchemy…no wait- she'll let Envy do it…and maybe let Gluttony have my legs as a treat, I don't need them to do alchemy. Oh boy…"
She inwardly groaned at her stupidity before hitting her head in exasperation. Why did she get kidnapped in the first place?
Why did she have to be so stupid!
Why her!
Why!
'It's all my fault!'
"Um…" The little girl blinked, unsure about what was happening to her new cellmate as she watched her repeatedly hit her head against the wall.
August groaned as she finally stopped hitting her head.
"Well, that did nothing to help my headache" She muttered crossly as she glared at the wall. She quickly turned towards the mystery girl and waited a moment before practically leaping at her side.
"Please, please, please, I'm real sorry about scaring you but you need to tell me what's going on!" August begged as she shook the little figure next to her. The little girl's expression fell.
"I-I don't really know, I haven't been outside in a long time. I-I think we're in a big city though, I can hear a lot of city noise outside when it's supposed to be day time…" The little girl shrugged helplessly as she shyly hugged herself.
"A big city…" August muttered as she stood and leaned against the wall. "That sounds familiar somehow."
She rubbed her temples as something prickled the back of her mind. Maybe hitting her head against the wall did do something for her.
Big city, Big city, Big city….
Green eyes snapped open as she grinned.
"Central! That's it we're in the city Central!" August beamed as she pumped her fist into the air excitedly. A pair of small hands suddenly clamped over her mouth.
"Shhh! You're being too loud, you don't want them to come down here." The little girl shivered, clearly terrified of the prospect. August frowned.
"Sorry…" She whispered sheepishly as she pried away the other girl's hands. August narrowed her eyes determinedly.
"But this is a start! I remember those men talking about going back to Central, and from what I know, Central is the biggest city there is around here." August concluded quietly before she bit her lip.
"What is it?" The little girl asked.
"Nothing. I'm just trying to figure out what this place is" She gestured to the empty room they we standing in.
"Oh? I know that one!" The mystery girl answered brightly, finally glad to be of some use.
"I heard two of the big, scary, men yelling at each other earlier today over who was going to feed the 'brats' in the cellar. So we must be in the cellar…what's a brat?" The little girl abruptly asked curiously. August tried not to flinch at the term. She had been called that one too many times by one to many people.
"Eh? Oh, um, I'll tell you later…But first lets get out of here" August smiled to herself as she began hunting around the room.
"W-what?" The girl choked out. "No, we can't get out the door is locked and even if we did how would we get pass those scary men…" She trailed off as she watched August continue running about the room. "What are you trying to do?"
August paused.
"I'm trying to find a little light so I can see what I'm doing. Help out here would you?"
The girl paused for minute beyond garbing August's hand and guiding her towards a corner in the back of the room, hidden by a few crates filled with unknown cargo.
"Sometimes there is a little bit of moonlight that leaks down here from there," The little girl pointed to a small, gated, window directly above them. August squinted as she looked up.
It really was impossible to reach, even by a normal man's standards, let alone to two little children. August grinned.
Not for her it wasn't!
"Perfect! Now, stand back I'm going to try something" August trialed off as she sank to her knees. The other little girl peered over her shoulder in curiously and stared the drawings scribbled in the thick dust.
"Um. What are you doing?" The brunette questioned as she watched August continue drawing in the large dirt circle. August smiled slightly as she kept working.
"I'm going to make an alchemic reaction. Simply put, I'm going to do some simple alchemy."
"Al-chem-y?" The little girl tried to pronounce the word as she rolled around with it on her tongue. "It sounds funny. What does it do?"
August's eyes brightened as she immediately launched into teaching mood.
"Well…this circle is called a 'transmutation' circle. It helps with harnessing and directing the flow of energy that makes the whole transmutation happen" August tapped the circle around her with her foot.
"And these are alchemic runes that can mean a lot of things-" She pointed to the simple design she had drawn in the circle.
"Like elemental components or symbols that represent certain concepts that are crucial to know, because in order to preform an act of alchemy you have to understand all the physics and chemistry behind that act. That's called analyzing. Every time someone does alchemy, they also need to know how to deconstruct the stuff they are working with by deconstructing the molecular chains and rearranging the bonds between them in order to reconstruct something totally different from what you originally had. What? Why are you looking at me that way?" August asked innocently as her new friend stared wide-eyed at her.
"…What?" She asked, completely at a loss for the knowledge that August had just unleashed upon her.
August sighed heavily. And here she thought that she would finally be able to teach something cool to someone.
'Well she did get lost after trying to pronounce the word alchemy' She thought dully to herself. August sighed again as she finished and stood.
'Guess I'm doomed to be strange forever. Oh well…'
"Basically…" She chuckled and then smirked as she walked casually out of the circle, while quickly ushered the girl away from the line of fire.
"…I can make things go BOOM!"
August cackled evilly as she clapped her hands together loudly and slammed onto the earth.
Immediately the circle lit up in a fiery flash of blue. With a sound much too loud for her liking the ground within the circle gave way and plummeted into the sewer below.
"Opps."
Suddenly the sound of heavy, running, footfalls and startled male voices could be heard from above.
"Oh no, oh no! They heard us! They're coming!" The pigtails girl panicked as she looked up at the creaking floorboards in terror. August whirled around in alarm.
"Quick, run!" She commanded, grabbing the girl by the arm and flinging her towards the hole.
"But what do I do?" The girl cried out in fear and terror.
"Run and find a ladder or something leading up and out of the sewer, then get help!" August stepped over and quickly shook the girl's shoulders firmly but gently.
"Come on, you got to go. Now!"
The mummer of voices had grown steadily louder as they spoke and had alerted August that the men were getting closer.
"Wait, but what about you? You have to come! They'll kill you!" The little girl shouted in dismay. August smirked briefly.
"I doubt that, besides I can't. I need to seal this hole so that they can't follow you" Her smirk widened and she winked.
"Besides, I've faced much scarier people before. I can handle these chumps." August flashed the girl a victory pose before smiling warily, unable to keep the fear in her eyes contained any longer. The girl nodded sadly at August and then began carefully climbing down the mountain of rubble and into the sewers.
August watched her go for a moment before bending down to pick up a piece of sharp rubble, and with a loud grunt of pain she sliced open the three first fingers of her left hand. Blood streamed from the open wound as she gritted her teeth in pain before getting back to the task at hand.
The little girl gasped in shock and she felt her tears flowed down her face as she watched her new friend run towards the two wooden doors and quickly drew a couple simple circles with her bloodied hand to alchemize them shut.
August had to concentrate for a long, crucial, moment before nodding at her success in merging the woodened panels together and running off to find anything she could barricade the door with. Her wounds stung. She could hear the men in the hall now.
August immediately ran back over to the manhole. The little girl had finally made it down at the bottom and was staring fearfully up at her.
"Are you alright!?" August fought the urge to smile and reassure the kind-hearted girl about her injury. Instead she shook her head and kept the serious glare plastered over her tense face.
"Alright, I got blow this thing up again, but this time I'm going to close it. Start running as fast as you can and remember to get help. Quick!" August stressed as she peered down at the girl. The other girl simply nodded as her tears streamed down her face.
"O-Ok-k" She cried. "S-stay safe. P-please?" She whimpered despairingly. August felt her resolve crumble and she gave her a crooked smile of reassurance.
"I will, so stop crying and run home as fast as you can. I'll be fine." The little girl sniffed and quickly wiped her nose. Her big, brown, doe eyes were still moist with unshed tears.
"P-promise?" She squeaked. August smiled determinedly. Inwardly she just had to wonder how much younger this girl was compared to her if she was the one comforting her.
"I promise you, now run!" She urged as a loud banging suddenly erupted from the blocked doorway. Based on the amount of cursing August could hear from her vantage point from the way across the room, they were mad, extremely so when they realized the doors had somehow been barred.
With one final glance at her new friend and savior the little girl ran off into the dark tunnel, crying soundlessly as she searched for an exit. She didn't have to run long before discovering a ladder that led upwards into the street. Rays weak of morning light could be seen shining through the cracks from above.
Suddenly, the sewer erupted in noise as ear-splitting echoes bounded off the trembling walls.
The last thing the little girl heard was a tremendous explosion, that shook the very walls, and a terrifying roar followed by a loud, high pitched, scream that would haunt her for years to come.
…
The moon had come and gone as the first rays of sunlight began to spill onto Central Command.
Führer King Bradley stood as he observed the peaceful morning from his large private office. The sound of birds chirping and the scent of the city life pervaded his senses as he calmly slipped at his herbal tea.
He always relished these small moments of solitude, before those bumbling humans would begin shuffling around his Headquarters again.
The King sighed.
Such foolish and imprudent little creatures they were, he mused as he stared impassively out of the window.
A little, brown, songbird suddenly appeared beside the windowsill, chirping to its hearts content. He stared at the creature for a minute as he took another thoughtful sip of his tea.
What a truly insignificant thing life was…
The abrupt slamming of doors cut through the soft silence like a knife as someone rudely invaded his office space. The sudden explosion of noise frightened the little bird as it quickly took off back into the sky and disappeared into the endless blue.
Pride resisted another sigh as he watched it go.
"Envy…and to what do I owe the pleasure?" He questioned indifferently as he watched the visibly annoyed shape shifter from the corner of his unclothed eye. Envy's eyes narrowed as he stalked in uninvited, while Lust and Gluttony trailed in behind him. Pride simple raised an eyebrow at the unusual intrusion.
"Skip the theatrics you damn puppet" Envy scowled as he glared at Pride with distaste. He leaned with his palms braced against the wooden desk.
"Recent multiple child abductions. Heard about them lately?" The sin sneered.
Pride's eyebrow rose even higher.
"Perhaps...Why the sudden interest Envy?" Envy had to bite his tongue from growling out another snide, biting, remark that was perched at the tip of his tongue. Before he could open his mouth however, Lust cut him off.
"He lost his charge, the young human child that has recently become the master's new alchemy pet. We believe that she was abducted by the same group that have been behind the recent child abductions across the country." Pride looked towards her and before chuckling slightly.
"What the hell are laughing about?" Envy hissed as he took a threating step toward the pretend Führer. Bradley smirked.
"Ah yes, that's right how could I forget about the master's new little protégé. What an interesting little creature. Perhaps I should go and see her for myself sometime." He mused as he rubbed his chin in thought.
Now it was Envy's turn to raise an eyebrow.
The Führer's passive façade suddenly disappeared as his expression darkened.
"And yet here you lost her to a bunch of human traffickers, is that correct? Honestly Envy is it so difficult to keep tabs on such a small child that it is simply to much for you?" Quickly losing his temper, Envy created a nice sized crater into the Führer's new, polished, oak, desk. The sturdy wood groaned and cracked underneath his fist.
"I didn't come here for a lecture, from of all things, you." He spat as his glared increased ten-fold.
"So you do know who they are" Lust interrupted yet again as she crossed her arms under her ample chest. Pride spared her another glance as he began to move around his damaged office space.
"These kidnappings are a part of a newly formed underground system of human trafficking, they began their regime some six odd months ago. The humans responsible have been at large for quite some time, though only recently have they begun targeting young children as potential products." Pride spoke aloofly. He turned towards Envy.
"Has the Master been informed of this little incident?" Pride looked pointedly at him. Said shape shifter ignored the indirect accusation.
"Where are they?" He spoke as he crossed his arms impatiently. Pride simply smirked condescendingly.
"If had known that Envy, do you still believe they would be at large right now?"
Envy leveled him with a poisoned stare.
"Cut the crap Pride, I know you know something. Or do you not even know what goes on right under your nose? What a pathetic puppet Führer" Pride glared menacingly. His namesake sin flared at the insult.
"Such insolence. Alright, I will tell you want to know, but know this, if you honestly believe that the master will not find out and punish you for your little blunder, you are sorely mistaken." Envy brought a whole now meaning to the phrase 'killer stares' as he glared dangerously at Pride. He was beside himself in rage that this puppet would dare try and sell him out.
"In the downtown district, close to the outskirts of Central, those believed to be linked to the abductions were last reported being sighted."
Envy temporarily postponed his rage as he sneered in triumph.
"Finally something useful comes out of your mouth for once" He spat as he turned to leave. Lust sighed in annoyance as she followed. She patted her chubby companion briefly on top of his bare head.
"Come Gluttony"
Gluttony nodded as he obediently followed the attractive sin as she in turn followed the temperamental shape shifter. Pride watched as they disappeared from his office, presumably towards the false lead he had given them.
King Bradley scoffed.
"All this nonsense for such a foolish and imprudent little creature, how pathetic." King Bradley sighed as picked up his discarded teacup and turned to gaze out the window once more. His tea had gone cold during Envy's recent intrusion and the dawn sky had lightened considerably from the short amount of time that he was distracted.
"Its a wonder how the life of one measly human can be so truly insignificant, and yet, can be so beneficial to the greater scheme of things." Pride mused aloud as continued to gaze impassively out at his capital city.
"I wonder how this little rescue will fair. Hopefully this won't stir up too much trouble…" The King chuckled darkly and took another small sip of chilled herbal tea.
…
The usual hustle and bustle of Central quickly began to escalate as the morning sun rose higher in the azure sky. It was an unusually hot day for such an early spring as hoards of people began to wander the streets. With bleary faces and heavy feet, many of the day's workforce trudged along as their sleepy minds considered nothing but their destination before them and perhaps a cup of coffee along the way. It was a wonder at all that no really took any notice of the crying, filthy, child that pushed in between crowds of hardhearted stares and ran past them.
The little girl huffed and panted as the air rushed past her dirty face and burned her raw throat.
But she didn't dare stop.
She had been running like this for as long as it had been light out. Her bare feet throbbed from running all morning and her body protested from the sudden abuse of her fragile body. Regardless of the pain, for the first time in her life, the little girl felt something greater then her pain that drove her to continue picking up her legs.
It was fear.
But more than just the fear for herself, there was the fear for her the girl whose scream still rang in her ears.
The alchemist.
The immense concern she felt in her heart for her savior and new friend only rose with every step she took as she raced across the city. The child's burning resolve to find help for them both overshadowed the burning in her lungs, legs, and eyes as she ran blindly through the streets.
Suddenly the child crashed hard into something.
She felt arms grab her before she could topple to the ground.
Or someone.
"Whoa! Hey there kid you're sure in a hurry." A cheerful voice spoke with a hint of surprise coloring their tone.
The nameless child glanced up as she watched the stranger she had collided into quickly bend down next to her. A flash of blue alerted her to the stranger's uniform. The next thing she knew she had thrown her arms around him and had started to cry even harder into a warm shoulder.
Maes Hughes blinked in stunned surprise as the child that had suddenly tackled him and began crying into his chest. After a minute he held her out at arm's length and frowned as he observed the shaking and crying child before him.
"Hey now, don't be afraid. It's all right" He soothed to the best of his ability. The sobbing child sniffed and clenched her fists at the man's reassurance.
"N-no its not!" She sobbed as she abruptly grabbed his jacket sleeve. "I need h-help! She is in trouble. I need help!"
Hughes made a sound of surprise in the back of his throat, at a lost for what this little girl was talking about.
"Slow down kid," He instructed with surprising gentleness. "Now, tell me who is in trouble"
The pigtailed girl sniffed and wiped at her tears with the same hand before pointing back the way she had come.
"Please I need help…they kidnapped us" She replied.
Hughes hazel eyes widened in realization and shock. He had been looking into the mysterious country wide kidnapping cases for weeks and here comes along the perfect clue that had just fallen into his lap, ready to bust the whole thing wide open. His eyes suddenly flashed in grim understanding.
"Us? How many more were there with you? Shhh, don't cry. Come on kiddo I need you to think for me." He urged.
Wide, brown, doe-like eyes stared into his soul and he resisted the urge to melt on the spot. This kid was too cute.
"She's still back there, she is still back there with them Mr. they're going to kill her!" The wild child shouted as she struggled, cried, and twisted to point frantically behind her in his arms. Hughes sighed and stuffed the hyperventilating child into his chest as he tried desperately to calm her down. She was making too much of a scene.
Many people had begun to stare at the odd scene of what appeared to be a military officer comforting and holding a distressed street urchin. Hughes frowned at the bewildered and slightly repugnant stares he was receiving. He hummed thoughtfully as they all quickly glanced away and shuffled back towards their own business.
It seemed as if no one had truly paid any mind towards the whimpering child in his arms until she had managed to distract a military personal. Pity.
Maes quickly fixed his glasses as he scooped up the exhausted and frightened little girl to his chest before turning and jogging towards his original destination. The ominous structure of Central Command was a welcome sight for the anxious officer as Hughes as he crept through a private side entrance, being careful to avoid any unwanted stares, and began trekking towards the superior offices upstairs.
Maes chuckled as he ran up the stairs towards Roy's office. No doubt he would be surprised by the earlier than usual visit. After all, he himself liked to draw out his visits with the younger commanding officer into the later hours of the day, when he was just that much more irritated and prone to snapping his fingers. It always made him that much more exciting and funnier to annoy.
Despite the desperate situation he now found himself in Hughes grinned widely as he burst through the door with the little girl in tow.
Oh well, no time like the present.
"Hey Roy look, it's a miracle! I found your long lost daughter!"
…
The familiar stench of pollution and waste clogged the city air of Central's capital as the sun rose higher into the sky. The normally baby blue sky was obscured by a thin sheen of murky brown from the air pollution emanating from the various major factories strewn across the outskirts of Central City's downtown district. Their enormous black silhouettes stood out against the merciless sun beat down upon them.
Despite these unsavory conditions, many factories workers still continued to wander aimlessly with their daily rituals and tasks, as if the nearly toxic atmosphere and sordid living spaces all around them were of little to no consequence. Their sullen faces showed a mixture of different cultures and backgrounds with the majority composed of illegal immigrants, uprooted refugees, and escaped convicts from near and far. They all hurried along, minding their business, and never daring to stare one another in the eye, fearing meddling social interactions, unless already premeditated or preordained.
Thus, it was quite easy for the three darkly dressed figures to slip and slid through the thongs of unseeing citizens, shaded allies, and unguarded rooftops for the most part virtually undetected. They were surprisingly quick, as they seemed to glide effortlessly passed the unobservant humans and almost create phantom images in their wake.
"Pathetic, measly, human scum" A raspy voice scowled superiorly as its owner fought to control their hatred unnoticeably amongst the sea of people.
Under normal circumstances Envy would never voluntarily merge amongst the humans he deemed so pathetically inferior in such close proximity. Then again this wasn't what he considered to be normal circumstances and thus suffered the exception this once.
After two days their trail had gone cold and a steady downpour from the nights prior had washed most traces of the girl's scent away. After an hour of searching for any leads Lust had began arguing with Envy, as he been ready to go back and rip the country's so-called Führer in half for tricking him with a false trial when Gluttony interrupted them both.
"I smell him. I smell the dog man!" He sniffed the air quizzically and then grinned excitedly. Envy and Lust quickly whipped around from their argument and stared at the chubby sin in surprise.
"Find him Gluttony" Lust suddenly commanded. Immediately Gluttony jumped up and pointed over the rooftop they had been on.
"There. He's right there" They now all peered down at the shady man that Gluttony had referred to.
A tall, broad shouldered, human male wearing a large, dark, coat stood at the street corner of a busy market intersection with his arms crossed over his chest. A hat hide the sharp, dark, eyes that watched everything happening around them with an almost predatory gaze as the odd man stood there, slightly blended by the shadows of the alley he stood in.
"Interesting" Lust drawled. "Still scouting for prey"
Envy rolled his eyes.
"This is pathetic", he griped before cracking his knuckles.
"Follow him fatso" He directed at Gluttony nonchalantly. The hungry sin nodded compliantly before jumping off the hotel rooftop and landing soundlessly in a deserted alley next to the building. His two companions followed suit.
"I swear when I find that brat I'm going to break every bone in her body for this" He growled as he silently stalked after the man Gluttony had recognized as the dog scented man from the crime scene. Envy moved swiftly through the streets as he followed after his prey.
Suddenly the man stiffened and stopped. He turned slightly to glance behind him at the crowd swarming around him, as he seemed to analyzing the horde of faces that rushed past him all at once.
Envy eyed him dangerously. If this bastard was doing what he thought he was going to do…
Without any warning the dog-man bolted down the street as fast as he could. Envy watched him go and resisted the urge to roll his eyes again.
So he knew he was being followed already.
This really was pathetic.
Envy casually strolled to the nearest shaded alleyway as he switched forms in a hiss of light and quickly scaled the walls. The green haired homunculus tracked his unsuspecting prey from the rooftops through the slums of the factory district. The cloaked man continued in his mad dash through the better part of the outskirts before ducking into a maze of alleys. Suddenly he skidded to a halt and let out a growl, as a shadowed figure appeared to bar his way. The large moved man surprisingly gracefully as he swiftly dodged and back-flipped the handful of sharp spears that whipped past where he had stood only a second ago.
"My my, your quicker than I expected" A silky voice smirked as Lust stepped out from the shadows. The mystery man smirked as well when he caught sight of the lascivious woman.
"Well, well, who would have expected to have such a beauty following me", He chuckled as he flashed her a predatory grin before dodging another spear.
"That's quite a talent you have there babe" He threw in as an afterthought as he glance with mild curiosity towards the elongated fingers that served as her current weapon of offense.
"You're quite the charmer" Lust mused as she took another swipe at the agile man. "It makes me wonder then why such a chimera as yourself would be working to kidnap little girls off the streets" At this the man's smirk fell as his gaze hardened.
"How do you know about me", He snapped coolly. Suddenly his smirk returned with full force.
"Are you with the military, is that why you chased me down here? Because if it is babe I going to have to rip that pretty face of yours to pieces" He finished with an inhuman snarl as his eyes narrowed further and his face and limbs began to elongate.
Lust continued calmly smirking as she slowly raised a delicate eyebrow.
"Following you, now why would I do that?" She questioned innocently as she stared indifferently at him. He growled further.
"Don't play dumb with me you bitch." He snarled as his arms and hind legs finished expanding to ridiculous proportions and he fell onto all fours.
"Why else would you be here! I only smelled one person chasing me, so who else would be following me other than you!" Lust's continued smirking as she ignored his questions.
"Tell me one more thing chimera. Have you kidnapped a little girl recently, perhaps from around Dublith?" The chimera twitched slightly from the transformation or from remembering something unpleasant Lust couldn't be too sure. Suddenly he growled like a beast and snapped his jaws at the air before opening them again and laughing in a mangled, twisted, voice.
"That brat!" He sneered unpleasantly as he began to rant.
"Oh yes, I know that little demon. Gave me trouble constantly from the moment I grabbed her and smashed her head in back in that alley in Dublith. Damn that little shit, she even helped some other little bitch escape. Blew up the floor with alchemy and everything." He snorted as fur finally began to cover the last of his body and face, finishing his transformation. With that finished the wolf dog hybrid chimera grinned wickedly, his tongue lolling to one side to hang out of his mouth, exposing his glistening canines.
"Now then sweetie, I think we chatted for long enough don't you think?" He laughed as he lunged. Lust sighed as she crossed her arms under her large bosom and smiled secretively.
"I agree, we've wasted enough time. He is all yours Envy."
Before the chimera could even react he felt a flash of a dangerously murderous aura, that far surpassed his own, behind him and he suddenly found himself at the receiving end of a powerful roundhouse kick that had him colliding with a brick wall in something less then a second.
Lust watched as the chimera was sent flying away from her and into the building to her right. Well…Envy certainly wasn't holding back. The crater in the side of the building was a testament to that.
The chimera groaned as he fell to the floor in a heap and then barked in pain as a bare clad foot began slamming down repeatedly onto his chest with all the force of a dozen sledgehammers, effectively crushing many of the chimera's ribs. The chimera grunted as the wind was knocked out of his bleeding lungs as he look up at the figure blocking the entrance to the alleyway.
The violet eyes of his attacker were staring menacingly down at him. The chimera resisted the urge to gulp as his gaze fell on the youth's arm that had broken off from flesh at the middle of the shoulder and had somehow became a solid, black, steel knife. He felt his eyes widened as he broke out in a sweat.
What were these people?!
Envy scowled down at the easily beaten chimera in disgust and irritation.
"How annoying, you're nothing but all bark and no bite." The chimera snarled at the insult but then quieted down as Envy's grounded his foot deeper into the creature's chest. The satisfying sound of bones cracking and a whimper of pain almost made the malicious sin smirk. He leaned down closer to the bloodied pulp under his foot.
"Well, are you going to tell me where they are? Or am I going to beat it out of you?" He added to the later question with another bone shattering kick. The chimera's groaned in pain.
"Its no use…" The wolf dog hybrid answered before coughing up some blood. His breathing had become labored as he fought for air to enter his punctured lungs.
"Its no use" He repeated with an added growl. Envy glared down darkly at the chimera pinned under his foot.
"Why?" He asked irritably as he brought his bladed arm closer, the sunlight glinted ominously off the carbonized metal.
"The other one got away because of that damn brat so the buyers got impatient…"The chimera coughed again, the blood was darker and thicker this time.
"So we substituted with the alchemy brat and it was a hit. She was sold off to the highest bidder."
Envy was silent for a brief moment as he registered the information. Suddenly he lunged and an earsplitting howl of pain rang out into the alley as he imbedded his arm deeply in the chimera's massive shoulder.
"You. Sold. Her." He spoke murderously, puncturing every word with a stab. The chimera's screams turned to gurgles as more blood flowed from his mouth.
"Please…" He trailed off as he chocked on his own blood.
"Who?" He hissed dementedly as he loomed over his dying captive. His eyes nearly glowed with frustration and were glazed with bloodlust; the chimera's dark eyes suddenly widened in terror as he realized he knocking on death's door.
"I-I don't know. We never met the buyer; we don't get any contacts or names. They come in a dark room, get some one to pay for them, and then we give them the kid and t-that's it! I swear-"
The chimera's words died on his lips as the sword was imbedded into his skull. Blood gushed and spurted from the clean slice in the center of the creature's forehead as its head fell backwards.
The sound of bones breaking and the hiss of burning fur waffled through the stagnate air as the dead chimera's massive furry body suddenly contorted and shifted back into its original human form.
Envy sighed.
"Well that was disappointing." He grumbled as he stood and shifted his armed knife to normal. He the telltale click of heels as Lust came up behind him.
"What a waste. All the information and for nothing" She huffed as she glance down at the mutilated chimera's corpse.
She watched Envy from the corner of her eye. He had crossed his arms and appeared to be thinking, while vehemently glaring at the mangled body before him. Though his expression was guarded the expression in his violet gaze made it obvious that he was mulling something over in his mind. Lust raised an eyebrow in mild curiosity.
"What will you do now Envy?" She asked nonchalantly as she inspected her long, sharp, nails.
Envy said nothing as he continued scowling at the corpse, occasionally kicking it with brutal ferocity. He acted as if he hadn't heard her question.
Lust sighed slightly in exasperation before turning to leave.
"Isn't it obvious…" The sudden offhand statement from him made Lust stop and turn her head slightly to look at the oddly calm figure. A coy smirk flittered across her alluring features as she studied him, though it was gone as fast as it had appeared.
"Of course, its obvious that you plan on killing them all regardless" She stated as if it were the most predictable concept imaginable.
Deep green, almost black, hair parted even so slightly to reveal a devilish grin that bared all of his shark-like canines in a twisted rendition of a wide smile, and violet psychopathic orbs were aglow with sick glee, that would have terrorized even the most intimidating of men and sent them screaming to their insanity. Bloodthirsty violet pupils met darkly amused maroon, and Envy's grin widened as he held Lust's unwavering gaze.
"Oh no, no, no. Not just killing, butchering, slaughtering, exterminating- "
He chuckled good-naturedly and shook his head as if he had told the funniest joke he knew. Lust continued to maintain her cool composer as she watched the eldest homunculus's bizarre actions, though she was inwardly startled. She couldn't seem to remember a time when Envy had become so dangerously bloodthirsty that he had began to act giddy. It was actually quite horrifying.
Though Lust considered the homunculi to be the ultimate predators in every sense of the word, she included, it was still impossible for her to ignore the almost overpowering and treacherous predatory aura that Envy had begun to emanate.
Lust shook herself as broke eye contact and began walking away, leaving the older being to himself for now.
"We will be waiting for you in the underground city when you are finished with your little tirade" She called back apathetically. The sounds of her polished heels clicking on cobblestones and Gluttony's heavy footfalls were the only sounds the greeted her ears when she received no response in reply. Lust gave no indication of repeating herself, knowing that the unstable sin had heard her clearly enough as she left the already deserted alleyway.
As she walked through the still crowded slums Lust couldn't help but wonder what had possibly pushed Envy into such a fit of rage.
She frowned as she mused on his recent fighting style.
No insults, no taunting, no mocking composed demeanor, just a clipped conversation, cold fury, and a quick and brutal punishment.
'How very unlike him' She mused silently as she wove herself through the crowd of humans without effort with Gluttony trailed loyally behind her.
Still, he had been angered many times before, whether from insult, injury, or punishments from the master, and he had rarely reacted as he just had. It left the female sin to ponder.
'It couldn't possibly be from expecting an insulting punishment from the master, after all that's what this whole ordeal was to begin with. Does he really believe that the master would erase him completely if he should fail this ridiculous task? No, he is too valuable of an asset, as well as being her right hand informer. Was this about his ridiculous pride again? Perhaps, but its highly doubtful he would react that strongly to something he experiences so frequently. So what was it then?' Lust couldn't fathom it, as she talked herself in circles.
Suddenly a thought jumped out at her that was so inexplicability absurd that it made her pause in midstride as she unconsciously contemplated its credibility. Gluttony looked up as his beloved partner suddenly came to an abrupt halt in the middle of the street. He came up behind her and worriedly tugged on her emerald dress after a moments pause. This seemed to snap the female homunculus out of her stupor as she pulled away from Gluttony's grasp on her skirt and continued walking towards their destination.
No. That was the only word for it. Just no. It was grossly impossible and so ridiculous that Lust wondered why on earth she had even contemplated it for being the reason behind Envy's odd behavior.
She narrowed her eyes thoughtfully as the previous suspicion still lingered before huffing in irritation.
This mild curiosity was pointless. It would get her nowhere, and she knew it. Thinking about it only caused her to have an unwanted headache.
It was, and always would be, beyond her what the envious sin's true motives where for his constantly bizarre actions. She would just have to leave it be for now.
Even she knew her limits and when it was best not to not provoke him. After all, next to Pride, Envy was the strongest of the homunculi, angering him too much would not be pleasant for her.
The sound of thunder suddenly rocketed through the air and brought Lust crashing back to earth again as she tore herself from her pointless thoughts. She gently swiveled her body towards the source of the noise, her long raven locks following her, and was hardly surprised at finding an enormous dust cloud, not to far from them, rising from the heart of the slums.
"It seems Pride finally took some action." She mused as she crossed her arms under her large chest and watched along side Gluttony as various humans began running frantically in different directions, like spooked livestock.
Lust smirked cruelly as she gazed nonchalantly at the scene unfolding a few blocks away before turning back to her original destination, patting Gluttony on top of his head as she did so.
"Let's go Gluttony. Master is waiting."
…
The stench of blood, metal bullets, and gunpowder were the first things that pervaded Lt. Colonel Roy Mustang's sense of smell as he step into the wreckage of the dilapidated abandoned warehouse. He held his gloved hand over his mouth as he struggled to breathe through the nearly blinding dust cloud.
"Damn it Hughes I thought you said this was the place" Mustang coughed as he swatted away at the dust. A dark outline suddenly appeared behind him.
"Without a doubt Roy, I traced that little girl's steps back to here so don't worry about it." Maes Hughes coughed as he swatted at the air as well.
"I hope you right." Roy grumbled under his breath as he stepped further into the building. "Or else this entire emergency rescue mission will be coming out of my paycheck."
"Or you'll rank. But hey what do I know?" Hughes laughed while giving his younger friend a thumbs up. Mustang glared darkly at him as his fingers began to twitch dangerously.
"Like I said Hughes, you better be right about this" He growled out angrily.
"Of course I am Roy my boy! Now, lets hurry up and find that missing girl." Hughes smiled briefly before nodding in all seriousness towards his friend as he raised his throwing knives and took off down the hallways. Mustang followed behind him begrudgingly.
The duo ran down many different halls and rooms in their search, oddly finding nothing but random blood splatters along the walls.
"She had said they where being held in the basement right?" Mustang questioned as he ran next to Hughes.
"Ya it was the basement but..." Hughes paused as he began to slow down into a brisk walk.
"But what?" Mustang wondered as he matched his friend's slower stride.
"Don't you think its odd that we haven't found any of the kidnappers yet? I mean if this was the their main base of operations wouldn't we have caught someone here on the inside yet?" Hughes pondered aloud as he strolled through the darken tunnels.
"We already captured the men that were guarding this place outside with the rest of the troops, and they already gave us the whereabouts least of a dozen of the missing children when we 'questioned' them…" At this Mustang smirked at Hughes emphasis on the word 'questioning'. Knowing his friend the interrogation would probably have involved a dark room, a dartboard, his classic push knifes, a perhaps torturing them with pictures of him and his wife again. After seeing the glimmer in his friend's eye Mustang figured he probably had it close to the truth.
"…So we know now that this was at least one of their hideouts. Maybe they turned tail and fled when that little girl got loose. They were probably afraid of this very outcome" The wheels in his head where turning as Hughes's glasses flashed under the flickering lights.
Mustang dropped the smirk and frowned thoughtfully as he kept looking on straight ahead for any incoming danger.
"Perhaps the guards outside were a decoy for something then?" Roy ventured as he cautiously crept around a corner, trigger fingers at the ready.
"What would be the point? If they had all escaped before we got here then there would be no need for the guards outside, if anything they would draw suspicion to their former base rather then leaving it be as under the guise of an old abandoned factory workhouse."
"You're right that would be highly suspicious, especially with the amount of illegal firepower they were carrying" Mustang smirked.
"Oh yeah, almost forgot about that. Man, that flame alchemy of yours is real convenient. Turned those bullets to ash before they even touched us and scorched those guys' hands so badly that I'll surprised if they can ever hold up a spoon again." Maes laughed as he pulled open another door and peered inside.
"They pulled out their guns, I pulled out my gloves. It was simple retaliation." Mustang rolled his eyes and he crossed his arms as his partner continued to giggle.
"You don't realize how funny that sounds," Hughes laughed teasingly.
"Shut up" Mustang growled as a vein in his forehead began twitching.
Suddenly Hughes ceased his chuckling and Roy stiffened in alert. He turned and glanced over Hughes's hunched shoulder to see a dark, rickety, staircase leading down into an endless black void. Hughes stood up as he gripped the door handle and took a deep breath.
"I take it that's it then?" Mustang mused as he stared at the darkened basement below.
"Yep" Hughes responded causally. "Hey Roy my Boy, you wouldn't happen to have a lighter would you? After all you are a human lighter." Mustang sighed in irritation as he picked up a large piece of what was once a wooden door and lit it fire. He led the way as they began their descent into the darkness. The shuddering wood below them gave out a loud groan and a few shrieks in protest of the added weight. Roy gritted his teeth as he carefully ambled down the creaking steps.
'If anyone was down here they would have heard us by now' He thought as he strained his ears, listening for any little sound that could warn him of possible danger. He could hear nothing but Hughes taunt breathing behind him and his own heartbeat pounding in his ears, but otherwise not a creature stirred from the darkness. Finally they reached the bottom and cautiously began their search.
After another moment of still silence Hughes sighed.
"There's no one down here either" He remarked somewhat bothered. Hughes squinted into the darkness before frowning.
"Hey you smell that?" Mustang sniffed the stall, musky, air before scrunching his nose at the faint but unmistakable metallic scent.
"Yes" It was blood, and lots of it.
This time it was Mustang's turn to frown thoughtfully. There something else besides the coppery scent of blood that smelled strong.
"Wet dog?" He puzzled under his breath as Hughes suddenly called him over.
"Yo Roy, come look at this" His voice echoed around the desolate room as he stood over something large. Roy raised an eyebrow as he observed the crater of rubble before him. It looked as an explosion had happened and caused the floor to give out and drop into the sewers before another explosion had destroyed the same entrance.
"You called me over here to look at a pile of rubble?" He questioned coolly as he looked disbelievingly at his comrade. Hughes waved away his friend's comment as he sighed dramatically.
"No, no, no. Look down, at the edges of the hole" He instructed.
Roy felt his eyes widened as he did as he was told. The flame commander dropped to one knee as he examined the remnants of the ruined circle.
"Alchemy…" Mustang muttered as he traced the smeared circle before him before rubbing the substance between his fingers. His gloved fingers came away stained in red.
"And made in blood too" He mused as Hughes leaned over his shoulder. Maes let out a low whistle.
"Wow, you don't see that every day. Do you really think that kid the little girl was talking about did this?" Mustang slowly stood as brushed the dust from his uniform.
"I'm not sure Hughes. But one I do know is that the situation must have been pretty desperate for a little kid to have to resort to something like this." He gestured to the blackened, charred, patches on the ground and the large claw marks along the walls. Hughes strolled casually over to the wall and ran his finger over the markings.
"What ever made this must have been pretty big. But why would national kidnappers have big animals lying around? " He trialed off thoughtfully before glancing back pointedly at his friend.
"They wouldn't. It would only be a hindrance not to mention completely unnecessary." Dark eyes analyzed the large gash marks along the brick walls curiously.
"If not an animal then something close to it made those markings…you already have guessed it haven't you?" The latter accusation was directed towards the smirking, dark haired, detective in the corner.
"Yep!" He agreed too cheerfully for the somber expression in his hazel eyes. Mustang resisted rolling his eyes at Hughes antics.
"But why would kidnappers have a chimera running around with them, let alone where did they find it and what were they using it for? Dogs work just as well, so why a chimera?" Mustang sighed before rubbing his eyes tiredly. "This only leaves us with more questions then answers." He growled angrily as he threw his torch to the ground. It hit the ground with a hiss before rolling a few feet away.
Hughes nodded as he watched his friend grit his teeth in frustration. He stopped to fix his glasses momentarily before pushing off the wall and striding towards Mustang.
"You can't save them all Roy. We may not know just what the hell happened down here, but one things for sure, that little girl is gone and so are her kidnappers." He spoke grimly as he put a hand on the shorter man's shoulder. "There is nothing else we can do down here, so lets go back up and question the ones we did managed to catch. Maybe they know something-" Hughes cut himself off. Mild confusion swept over his face as Roy glanced up to see Maes staring off into the distance behind him.
"Hughes…Hughes?!" Mustang shouted his name after a moment of uncanny silence from the normally unfazed officer. The grip on his shoulder tightened, almost painfully, as he heard Hughes swallow hard.
"Hey Roy…stir this place up a bit. I think we could use some more light" Hughes joked with an anxious look in his eye.
Roy turned slowly to face in the same direction as his troubled friend. He stared into the darkness briefly as he tried to make out what had bothered Maes so much that he would ask him to torch the place.
"Sure thing…"
The firelight from their previous torch sputtered and gave out one last dying hiss as it died and extinguished the only light source in the blackened basement.
A soft 'snap' echoed around the room as a fireball suddenly illuminated the room for a few brief seconds before plunging it back into darkness. With another snap of his fingers the flame alchemist lit up a few otherwise empty crates he ad seen prior and ignited the room.
Disfigured and mutilated bodies suddenly littered the ground before them in a massive pile that had been pushed against a blood soaked wall. Many had been sliced to pieces or had various appendages torn off while others had been craved into with brutal ferocity, leaving their glistening innards exposed to the world.
The two commanding officers could only stare in shock at the gruesome scene that had been hiding in the shadows right in front of them the whole time.
"This is…"
Time seemed to stop for Mustang and Hughes as they tried to fathom what kind monster could have done such a thing.
"…Do you think it was the chimera?" Mustang spoke, feeling somewhat disturbed as brutal memories of the hordes brutalized corpses from the Ishvalan civil war tried to claw their way to the forefront of his mind.
"No. Look at the wounds, they're too clean and cut, and there are no bite or claw marks on any of them" Hughes looked ill as he moved closer to the bodies and bent over to examine one.
"Besides, what kind of animal could sneak past the guards, butcher all of these men without alerting somebody, and instead of just killing and eating their prey where they found it, leave the bodies in a nice neat little pile? A regular chimera couldn't have done this, but whoever did, wanted us to find these bodies." He turned to his partner grimly.
"So what now, we still have a possible child prodigy missing, a possible chimera running around loose, and a potential serial killer thrown into the mix. Just what the hell is going on here Hughes?!" Mustang snapped frustrated.
"Hell if I know Roy, but I think we just stepped into something far bigger than a simple kidnapping case." Hughes slowly shook his head as he stood up.
Mustang sighed before turning towards the steps.
"Alright let's go back up, there is nothing else down here for us then."
"Oh I wouldn't be to sure about that" The flame colonel sent the head detective a questioning look. "What do you mean?"
"What I mean is that you should char these bodies Roy. Burn them till there is barely anything left" Hughes spoke seriously as he finally pocketed his knifes. Mustang gaped disbelievingly at his friend. Maes paid this no mind as he turned back and gestured to the bloody pile of corpses.
"It would only cause more panic if it were discovered that was a serial killer that had done away with a few people, criminals or not, a mutated monster running around, and that not all of the children have been found."
"So you're telling me to ignore the fact that there is a deranged psycho killer, a child alchemist that's critically injured, and possibly a chimera, all out on the same streets."
"No, I'm not telling you to ignore anything. I'm simply telling you to put this under wraps for a while. If news of this gets out then things will get more hairy and cause mass hysteria in the public. Not to mention it will be a lot harder to find you're killers if they read in the newspapers that you are looking for them." Mustang said nothing for a long moment as he stared at him with a calculating look in his dark eyes.
"And what excuse would I use for turning these bodies into a crisp?"
"Self-defense man. I mean they were criminals and they had the weapons to prove it." He responded as he kicked the bullet shells strewed around his feet for emphasis. "Plus you're a national war hero, a state alchemist, and a Colonel on top of that, so none of the small fries in the military are going to even try and question you or your authority." Hughes smirked knowingly as he waved a teasing finger in Roy's direction. Roy couldn't resist the small prideful smirk that wormed itself onto his face.
"Always trying to help me get to the top I see." Mustang chuckled knowingly as he readied himself.
"Alright then" He spoke with a feverish fervor in his voice as small sparks of flames began to dance around his fingertips. An instant later the mound of carcasses were lit ablaze in a fiery inferno. The two men held their breath as the overpowering scent of ozone and burned flesh clashed together in the sudden rush of air that resulted from the closely concentrated blast. After a moment of sweltering heat the fire was extinguished, leaving nothing but charred teeth and blackened ash behind.
"Burned the bones to ash, impressive job. " Hughes nodded in grim satisfaction. Mustang smirked darkly as he stared at the all too familiar scene.
"I had plenty of time to practice" He bit out as he turned sharply from the ash pile and strolled back up the stairs. Hughes sighed as he watched him go. He paused and turned slightly to give one long last parting glance at the smoldering ashes and bloody basement.
"Lieutenant Hughes, are you coming!" Mustang shouted.
"Yes" He called back halfheartedly as he came back up the staircase. Roy gave him an odd look.
"You look like you have something on you're mind. Having second thoughts about letting me burn those bodies" Mustang spoke suspiciously.
"No, it's not that. I just hoping that little girl will be alright…"
He spoke gravely. Mustang frowned again as he stalked off without another word.
Hughes sighed in vexation once more before leaving to follow his silently sulking friend back to Headquarters.
Sigh.
Guess I have to keep splitting this episode up even more. But in my defense, I felt so guilty for just letting this story hang in my doc. folder for so long when it was finished up to this point alright.
Don't worry though for all the lovely readers I haven't lost yet, more is coming. I actually have the next, I wanna say, five chapters planned out nicely. Now I just got to flush out the plot and add more details.
Again, thank you for reading my story. Your reviews, thoughts, comments, and critiques are welcome with open arms. Thank you all again for those that have already reviewed, followed, and favorited this story. It makes my days so worth while.
-Sincerely, Mara Gin
