Chapter 25: Tears and Questions

Princess Sango

Amethyst sleep on the floor that night, but she shivered from the cold. Everyone else wasn't shivering. Eventually, Wrath sat down next to her and laughed, "You're cold, and homunculi don't get cold. How are you cold?"

Amethyst looked at Wrath, who taunted her so care freely, but a smooth voice answered for her, "Wrath, it's not nice to go against one of your own, even if they are different. Here you go." She placed the heavy blanket around her and she instantly warmed.

"Thank-you…" she murmured and looked down at the blanket which had small baby patterns of animals on it.

"I hope you like it, it was Ed's when he was a kid," the smooth voice said again.

Amethyst looked at her, "Does that mean you're…?"

"I'm Ed's homunculi and mother, yes that's right. I've taken the alias Juliet Douglas, but my friends call me Sloth," Sloth told me softly. Wrath sat in her lap, and it looked like a mother and son meeting. "I also consider Wrath and Envy my children, also yours self."

Amethyst smiled, "I appreciate that, but my mom is Riza Hawkeye."

Sloth nodded, "I understand, but I must ask you, why do you get cold? You are the most interesting homunculi we've come across."

Amethyst shrugged, pulling the blanket tighter around her, "I don't know how to explain it. I just know that when my sensitive spot is brushed by alchemic power, it hurts, but I can still perform alchemy, and I feel every emotion as well as touch. When I went through from my hometown to my new one, it felt like being pulled, and passed out only to awaken. Somehow, I'm still alive, but not with out this." Amethyst patted her stomach gently.

Wrath touched it, a surge of alchemic power going through his fingers to her spot. Amethyst's stomach lurched and she felt like she was going to throw up. Sloth took hold of his fingers, "Now Wrath, that's a naughty thing to do! I told you to behave your self, and if you don't you get no food." Wrath looked at Sloth with puppy dog eyes, but she wouldn't give in, "Pride would be so mad at you if you tried anything like that."

Wrath nodded and hugged Sloth closer, before closing his eyes, looking like he was asleep. Amethyst thought the kid looked cute, and smiled softly, "So I'm one of the keys?"

Sloth sighed, "It would've been better if we had just let you be. I told Pride that you're only a girl, and that you wouldn't need to know such things yet. Pride said that was a silly notion, and laughed, but you're too young to be caught in the military's dark web, well from my point of view anyway. A homunculi that is happy, should remain happy. I mean, you act normal, like a human, I bet you could even reproduce."

Amethyst blushed, and looked away, "My parents, they were surprised to see me here, after so long. I came from a place where Japan, pilgrims, and Christopher Columbus were well known; here no one knows them here." Amethyst bit her lip, "Edward and I have had some time alone, when he comes to visit, and I tell him things, but Ed doesn't know I'm homunculi. It complicates everything. He tells me behind the gate, they have different everything, I think I came from beyond the gate."

Sloth's eyes widened, "That would me you became a human homunculi, depending on the seal to keep you here, I can't think of any other way."

Amethyst nodded and shivered slightly, "When will I get to go home?"

"You'll go home tomorrow, and you won't tell anyone what you've been doing, got that?" Pride commended Amethyst.

"Yes sir," she answered back obediently.

"Good girl, now Envy will bring you back," Pride commanded, and observed Envy closely, "Or maybe I should?"

Envy shook his head, getting ready to go, "Pride, you take her, it would look less suspicious if you did."

Pride nodded, "Guess you're right…" He smiled at Amethyst, "Will you accompany me Sloth?"

Sloth smiled at him and nodded, "I'll go."

Pride picked Amethyst up as if she were a feather, and then started walking. Sloth hugged Wrath goodbye and walked away with us. Amethyst looked up at Pride and he smiled, "You need to rest, you've had a rough day, besides homunculi don't betray homunculi." That set her mind at rest, and she fell asleep. Before they got there, she woke up again and noticed she was still being carried. Had she walked that far before yesterday?

It was already getting bright, but it was still quite dark. Pride sat down then, "I thought you'd like to see the sunrise. It's beautiful out here in the woods. I looked up with sleepy eyes, but saw only small shapes until it came into focus.

Sloth sat on the other side of me, "Isn't it beautiful?"

Amethyst nodded, but as soon as it was over, he started walking again. Amethyst had fallen asleep, and by the time she had woken up again, it was lunch time. Her stomach growled and Pride smiled, "You really are something Amethyst…by the way, you need a codename…"

Sloth smiled and looked at her long and hard, "She could be…Sin."

Pride laughed, "Yeah, I guess we already lost the rest of them anyway. Sin it is then."

Amethyst nodded and closed her eyes once more. By the time she had gotten to her doorstep, Pride had stopped right before reaching it. He placed her down on her own two feet, "You must be very worn out from the day you had yesterday. Your hair is a mess, and that dress has bloodstains and dirt marks. I guess I should carry you till we get to your parent's house." He picked her up again and Sloth knocked on the door to the house.

Riza answered it, clad in her black dress; she saluted to him, "King Bradley Sir, what a surprise."

"I found this child yesterday, she told me she lived here, is that true?" Pride asked Riza.

"Yes sir, I've been taking care of her for Colonel Mustang sir. This child is his niece," Riza explained, still in position.

Pride nodded, "She's tired from her ordeal I take it. Do you mind if I place her on the couch?"

"Not at all sir," Riza answered, moving out of the way. Being placed on the couch, Amethyst made sure she had a far away look in her eye. When she was safe on the couch, Pride excused Sloth and himself as they left. Once Riza was the two were gone, Riza raced to her daughter, suddenly concerned. "Amethyst!" she whispered, nudging her daughter.

Amethyst started to cry then, and hugged her mom close, "Mom, I couldn't get away from them. I had to stay with them, but Elicia was with me, and if she got hurt, it would be too much to bear!"

Riza stroked her daughter's back, "It's going to be alright Amethyst. Your father and I are in great shock. When we went to Elicia's house last night, Gracia was found dead, and in a phone booth somewhere, Hughes was found dead. I was so scared when I asked Elicia about it, but she was too traumatized. I'm just glad I didn't lose you forever."

Roy came in, and he was acting drunk slightly, "Reza, iz sheesh howmee yit?"

Riza walked up to Roy, taking his coat and throwing it on the chair, "She's home Roy, but I thought we agreed on not getting drunk?"

"I waz juz out wit da muh fwiends mornin'," he replied in his drunken state.

Riza sat him down on the couch and placed him on the opposite side of the couch. Amethyst moved closer to her dad before crawling on top of him and hugs him tight, "Daddy I'm so sorry!"

Tears were running freely down her cheeks, and Riza watched this from a distance. Roy didn't say anything but embraced his daughter and Elicia crept inside and hid behind Riza's leg, "Is Amethyst okay?"

Riza picked her up and hugged her close, "Yes, we're all going to be okay, but the tears will fall for awhile. Elicia?"

Elicia looked at Riza intently, "Yes?"

"Would you like to come live with me now?"

Elicia didn't reply, instead she hugged her closer. When Amethyst finally acknowledged Elicia's presence, "Elicia, I'm sorry." Elicia didn't respond, because all four of them were crying. They were all they've got, and all Amethyst had was useful information for the family. She could tell them, but that would be interfering with the homunculi, the question was: Who was more important?

TBC…