I don't own Fullmetal Alchemist. I own my OC, Avis. And Leigh and Anabelle are owned by my you notice any spelling, grammar, plot issues (especially plot issues), OOC, or anything else please let me know. Reviews are always nice.
.-.
Greed settles beside me on the floor of our latest shelter. Leigh and Ed are outside working on fighting in low light. I don't need to since I can sense people with the thing that Ling taught me. I want to try it out sometime but it has to be pitch black for it to work. Heinkel and Darius disappeared a while ago, leaving us all on our own, I've been searching every other minute for anybody approaching. Greed and I are silent for a while before I turn towards him and set my head on his shoulder. Even with Ling's body he smells the same, like home. I turn my nose into his black jacket and breath deeply.
"When night falls can we see how good I've gotten at sensing people?"
"Sure kiddo." He says softly.
So we wait until every last person has gone to bed and it's completely dark. I close my eyes and sense, even walls have this energy and using that I can walk my way out of the building.
"Alright!" Ling's voice sounds in the darkness. "Let's try this." I spot his energy quickly, he's steps away, we pause and he runs forward. I lift my hands to block the oncoming punch. Half my mind focuses on his entire body, where his arms and legs are in particular, while the other half relies on instinct to fight back. Ling kicks high, I duck, and kick my foot into his stomach, without the ultimate shield my shin doesn't ache on contact. We fight back in forth in utter darkness, it's easy to sense things in the darkness. Knowing I'm never fully blind is perfect. Eventually I catch his fists in mine. "Thank you so much Ling."
"Hey, no problem. You're good at this." His wrists twist out of my grasp and he gives me a hug. "I'll be back soon ok? Greed doesn't like it when I take over," the prince chuckles, "jealous much?" Just like that the lighthearted personality is gone and hands claw into my hips.
"Damn." He growls. "He needs to keep his mouth shut."
I hug Greed tightly, "What are you jealous about?"
"Something."
"Is that a lie?"
"No. I'm just avoiding your question."
"Please tell me." I murmur softly, is he jealous of Ling? Why?
"It's late. Let's go back." He removes my hands and stumbles away. He trips and swears and I rush to his side.
"I can help." I tell him as he stands up slowly. He grunts but allows me to take his hand and lead him slowly back into the building. We both curl up on the ground, his arms wind around me, holding me close to his chest.
"Hey, why do you let me sleep beside you now? But when we first met… you pushed me out of bed." I snicker at the memory. "That did hurt by the way." "Don't be a baby. I guess…" I don't want to tell him I've grown to like his company, "I'm not sure." Greed laughs softly in my ear, trying not to wake the others up. "Good night Greed."
"Night Avis." He sighs and I let myself drift in the darkness.
.-.
By morning on the nth day we reach Risembool. The air feels warming, more birds have been chirping, and the grass seems to glow. It's officially spring. The baas of sheep greet us as we head to towards the town. Our blond companion explains it's the Annual Sheep Festival and with a deep breath inhaling manure and other farm smells you can tell he's telling the truth. Still, it feels good to smell something other than ground, water, and the smell of all six of us from running and fighting all the time.
Ed stretches his hands above his head as we walk down a dirt road together. We left the cover of the forest a while ago and had been walking by rolling fields. A breeze picks up as Leigh and I run ahead of the group, hands together, giggling in the soft feeling of the wind. A cow in the distance moos and a few people stand off in the distance working the field, I've been trying to sense people without focusing as hard. Ed eventually runs by us towards a house on the top of a small hill, it looks quiet and empty. Darius and Heinkel enter, guns at the ready, and hunt for anyone in the house. A quick scan tells me the place is empty or I'm really bad at sensing things.
"Where are we?" Leigh asks as we walk through the dark house, automail pieces lay about and the whole plays smells like oil and grease. Josh's place smelled like this. I have to leave the room full of half finished automail limbs to find Greed heading to the kitchen, I take his hand in my own and frown.
"What kid?"
"Josh." I murmur as he drags me through the kitchen.
"When people die they die, that's the way of life. As an alchemist you should know that." Purple eyes meet mine and I look to the hardwood floor as we exit the kitchen. Yet again Greed's right, people don't come back, Greed is merely an exception not the rule.
.-.
Leigh and I sit in a corner, Ed disappeared long ago, Greed and the other two were talking in another room. I sigh and wrap my arms around my legs, pulling them to my chest. The brunette beside me does the same. We'll be heading back to Central soon, if that's where Father is that's where we'll be going. Greed had explained Father on one of our late-night-everyone-else-is-asleep conversations. Father is this dude that creates the homunculus, he's been causing all sorts of havoc so he can get a whole lot of power by opening this portal, obviously we're going to stop him before any of that can happen. We have until the Day of Reckoning, or the Promised Day, to prepare ourselves.
A loud scream pierces the silence of the house. I jump to my feet and start up the stairs with Leigh on my heels. A dog starts barking. At the top of the stairs I find two men with guns, Darius and Heinkel behind them with guns, and Greed behind them holding a dog that was barking. Everyone's yelling, Greed looks pissed, Leigh stops beside me and we watch as a woman screams again, "Get out of my room!", and all the men are thrown out of the doorway. Leigh starts up the stairs but I hold her back, whoever this woman is she just threw two beefy men out of a door as if they were pieces of paper. I'd let her cool down. A small elderly woman climbs up the stairs beside us, she gives us a look before continuing on her way.
Eventually we all end up downstairs, the two soldiers, the old woman, a blond girl, and my crew. "So, who are these hooligans you brought with you?" The old woman asks Ed and the blond.
"I'm really sorry about all the chaos earlier," the older of the two soldiers says, "Liam and I are both soldiers from Briggs." Briggs is way up north isn't it? They're a long way from home.
"We've been acting as Miss Winry's bodyguards." So the blond is named Winry, how does Ed know her then?
Said blond woman walks forward to Greed, who stands in front of Leigh and I and looks up at him with large blue eyes. "Hey Ling, you remember me?"
Greed cocks his head to the side, "What? Oh, right, I guess you know this guy." Greed points to himself and smirks. "The name's Greed. Pleasure to meet you." Winry cocks her head to the side and get's a confused look on her face.
The old woman, Pinako Ed said earlier, decides to cook us a meal. While we wait Greed explains everything, who he is, who Leigh and I were, why we were together and our whole life story. Pinako sat us down at a long table and dished out huge plates of food as Greed talked. Everything looked delicious, warm and filling. I dig in, listening to everyone chew and rip at the pieces of meat before them.
"And after all that went down," Greed chews loudly, "these guys signed up to work for me."
"We didn't sign up to work for you." Leigh mutters beside Edward.
Greed ignores her.
"Why did you come to our house?" Winry asks.
"We're trying to get prepared." Greed explains. "His automail is in serious need of maintenance," I frown, "and I need him in peek condition."
"Give him a look-see after dinner. It is your craftsmanship after all, I'm not really comfortable tinkering with it."
"Uh, yea, of course." Winry says.
"I would have fixed it if I could," I say gently, peering at the blond from under my bangs, "but I didn't know what it was made of and I didn't want to touch it."
"It's northern automail." She explains, "Do you know about automail?"
Leigh's green eyes dart to mine. Greed explained we knew him before and just ended up running into him again. "Well yea, for a while we worked in Rush Valley." Winry smiles. Everyone finishes eating and Winry takes Edward upstairs to work on his arm. I start to pick up all the dishes on the table, following the short lady into the kitchen so she can wash them.
"Oh, you don't need to help me dear." She says.
"It's no problem." I tell her as I head back to pick up more plates. Greed's purple eyes watch me as I slide around Heinkel and Darius and the two Briggs men to get their dirty plates. Leigh had left, probably to watch how Winry fixes Ed's automail, she was always more into automail than I was. I help wash and put away the dishes and then Pinako leads me into the bathroom and offers me a hot bath.
My body soaks up the warmth, and dirt drifts off my body as I sink into the water. Baths are a marvelous thing. I rub my hands over my body, bruises of all shapes and colors line my body, fighting is painful, still my body feels stronger. Not wanting to take too much time I scrub my hair free of dirt and leaves and taking note of how long it had grown during my adventures, Leigh had always made sure to cut her hair when it got the slightest length on it.
With my hair sleek down my back I get out of the tub and towel myself off before changing. I rub my hair with the towel as I exit the bathroom, just as I do I overhear a conversation that makes my heart stop. "She's my kind of girl." Greed's voice echoes through the stairwell. As he talks to what I assume is Edward I get the point that he's not talking about me but Winry. Tears fill in my eyes at the idea of Greed liking Winry. "You humans think greed is just for money and power but everyone wants something they don't have." It's true. I want someone who will never be mine. Thumps on the wood tell me Ed left and I stand at the top of the staircase looking down at Greed. His purple eyes find me and the corners of his eyes soften. "Hey babe." My heart clenches tight inside my chest, images of Greed and Winry standing side by side talking and laughing flash by my eyes.
"Hey." I say softly, my heart still hurts and I don't want my voice to give my discomfort away. My boots thunk against the wood as I take each step on the stairs with purpose. Greed leans on the wall and watches me as I approach him, when I get to his side I can't look at him, he likes Winry… am I his kind of girl?
"Hey." His hand touches my shoulder and something breaks inside me. I spin on my heel and slap his cheek. "What the hell!" He shouts grabbing his cheek, his narrow eyes narrowing further into a dark glare.
"Am I your kind of girl?" I demand, hands on my hips.
"What the hell are you talking about?"
"Am I your kind of girl?" I restate.
"Where the hell did this come from?"
"Do you like Winry?" The black fabric of Greed's jacket bunches easily in my fists. Greed's eyes widen and I push him back into the wall. "I hate you! I hope you know how much I hate you!" Just like that I storm down the stairs and out of the house.
It's close to dusk when I find myself a perch on the corner of the porch. My legs pull close to my chest as I stare out at the rolling hills. Tears pool in the corners of my eyes. He just stood there, looking dumbstruck, he wouldn't answer me, that bastard. I bury my face into my knees and let out a soft sob. After everything we've been through together… after all the times I wished he were near… I almost told him how I felt about him, stupid, stupid, stupid! He never loved me! He doesn't love anyone! I'm just a stupid, pathetic possession.
Hands rest softly on my shoulders and a low voice murmurs, "Avis.", into my ear. My shoulders instinctively jerk back to roll the hands off my shoulders, "Leave me alone." I snap. Sharp nails dig into my shoulders and hold me in place. "Listen to me! You didn't let me explain idiot." My shoulders droop, I owe him that much I suppose. "God." His hand digs into my hair and I can't resist him. "Winry is my kind of girl. I am in no way attracted to her other than the fact that she's greedy."
"But-"
"I'm not done." Greed's hand starts to pull through my damp hair. He doesn't talk anymore as his hand sooths me by petting my hair. I close my eyes, at least he doesn't like her. "You're not my typical type." He says gently and my fists bunch up the fabric of my pants. "You're not a whore, obviously… and you don't seem greedy for anything, not in the way the idiot prince, the kid, and Winry are… you're different." The door opens and Darius and Heinkel exit with Leigh and Ed behind.
"We're heading out." Darius says to us, Leigh's hair is damp telling me she just took a bath too. I stand, ignoring Greed for the moment, and head down the stairs. While I know he doesn't like Winry, he still left how he feels about me up in the air. Back turned, I wipe tears from my eye before I hear Winry behind us, "You're leaving in the middle of the night?"
"We were actually planning on leaving earlier today and then we ran into you." Ed says, "It was good to see you again. And thanks for the tune up Winry." The porch creeks as Ed and Leigh walk down the steps. I turn and the blond woman smiles softly at us, I narrow my eyes and frown. It's not her fault she's greedy for things that will never happen.
"If you happen to run into Hohenheim, you make sure to give him that message from your mother alright?" Pinako calls.
"I will, I will." Ed waves his arms dismissively.
"Wait, Ed I need to-" Winry starts down the stairs towards Edward.
"Lay low until the Promised Day passes… we're going to stop them Winry… and Al and I will be home before you know it." He turns towards her, Leigh frowns, "And have an apple pie waiting for us ok?" The way Ed talks to Winry… it's so close and informal. Winry nods and Greed turns and starts to walk by me, his eyes meet mine and I drop mine to the ground. Just like that, we're walking off in the darkness.
.-.A/N: I hate writing word for word… it's such a pain… but I did it! (and I continue to do it in the next few chapters). Oddly enough this story is coming close to the ending, I find it rather surprising.