Chapter 10
Asuka prowled the empty streets of Central in the night. Ed was away in Risembool, saying that he had something to do. So while her hair dried after her bath, Asuka decided to explore Central.
"Hello there," Asuka whipped her head around, and came face to face with a... woman? And she somehow, vaguely looked familiar... "Please don't think bad about me kid, but I just heard from Father that you're not going to be a sacrifice, and you have such talents, I can see a so much easier path if we just eliminate you..." Asuka caught sight of the Uroboros tattoo on her chest and remembered, that was the woman at laboratory 5! Asuka, sensing that her life was in danger, pulled out a coin from her skirt pocket, held it like she was going to flip it, took aim, and...nothing happened? Asuka then felt her wet hair and remembered that she took her synchro clips off before she took her bath. Without them, she would produce just as much electricity as the pebble on the ground beside her. She was screwed... So it was either fight or flight, and taking the only sensible option, Asuka broke into a run in the opposite direction.
Lust aimed her fingernails at Asuka's back, but they missed Asuka by only a few inches, and had she not dodged at the last moment, she would have been shish kabobed. The fingernails buried themselves, instead, into a window displaying a new sword model, which Asuka recognized as a Scottish Claymore. Cracks in the window immediately appeared, making spider web designs that centred around Lust's fingernails, but the glass shattered after she raked her fingernails down, causing the sword on display, it's name tag, and info sheet, and everything else behind the used to be window to clatter onto the street. Asuka picked up the sword. Perhaps it would help her in getting away... Lust chased after her, laughing, fingernails at the ready, as Asuka ran down an alley, sword in her right hand, but soon stopped as she came to a dead end. Lust aimed, once again at Asuka, but Asuka dodged again, and tried to cut off a part of the fingernail by swinging the claymore against it. But the claymore didn't even make a scratch! Instead, Lust aimed another fingernail, and the sword clattered to the ground, Asuka's entire right arm with it. Pain shot up her shoulder as she ripped a piece off her shirt and tied it around her new stump, trying to stop the bleeding. But surprisingly, it didn't hurt. Not at all. It just felt weird.
"Your right arm was your dominate one, right?" Lust asked. Asuka's pulse suddenly seemed like it was beating in her stump, rather than her chest. Her heart was trying to pump the blood into her limb, trying close the wound. There was only one way out now... And that was past Lust. So she picked up the claymore with her weaker, but only arm left and attacked Lust. Asuka made desperate swings, but Lust kept on blocking her with her fingernails.
"Resistance is futile" Lust pointed out. "You should have realized it by now" And she disappeared, only to reappear behind Asuka, and sliced a large cut across Asuka's back, making her drop her sword in pain and kneel to the ground. "Wow, you're trying so hard... Is it a promise you made with that Fullmetal boy? Or are you telling me you have a vengeance to carry out?" Asuka didn't answer, instead, she reached for her sword, but Lust extended her fingernail and Asuka's only hand disattached from her wrist and fell onto the ground. "There, now, you can't even hold a sword..." Asuka knew this battle was lost. That this was the end, and started trembling with fear like a rabbit cornered by a wolf. I am going to die... I am going to die... constantly ran threw her head, distracting her from thinking of any greater plan than to just sit there and wait to be killed. I am going to die... But if her mind was clear, the only option left helpless, weaponless, handless Asuka was still to just sit there and wait to be killed. I am going to die... "Because there's something you have to protect..." Lust continued "...Or because there's a reason you can't die that enables you to live on..." She aimed her fingernail at Asuka's forehead. I am going to die... "...Those are all foolish fantasies of the weak." I AM GOING TO DIE...! "It was rather fun, while it lasted..." But she stopped when she noticed the presence of a dark skinned man, with white hair
"Those who defy the word of God... must be punished, and the innocent must be rescued" he said
"Who the hell are you?" Lust asked
"Run!" Asuka tried to warn him "She's dangerous! Hurry up and run!" but he did the opposite. He charged into Lust, dodging the fingernails she tried to fire into him. He grabbed her arm with his right hand, and preformed his decomposing alchemy, causing it to shatter. Having experience with homunculi, he decided against battling her, grabbed Asuka and her limbs, and made a run for it while Lust was still regenerating. By a stroke of luck, the man managed to rescue her without getting a scratch. It was then and there that Asuka fainted, once again from blood loss
Asuka's eyes snapped open. She sat up, looked around and saw it was still night outside her hotel window. She wiped the cold sweat off her forehead, feeling that her arm and hand were still attached and covered with sweat. So, it was only just a nightmare? She sat there, on her soft bed and panted, trying to calm her breathing and heartbeat.
And she collapsed on her bed again, exhaustion taking her energy away, where she buried her face into her pillow and grieved for her loss. How did she allow herself to get beaten half to death?! Even if it was just a dream, how could she allow herself to be defeated and utterly mocked like that, even without her synchro clips?!
"Urgh... I must really be going soft..."