Disclaimer: I don't own any of FullMetal Alchemist's ideas, characters, and themes. I do, however, own Ocs, made-up characters, and my own ideas and plots.


Chapter 28

For a time, I stayed with the Homunculi, until I was to get a better lead. Malice, for her punishment for 'disobedience', was going to be sent to keep the original Sloth company. It was a curious thing, because I had no idea who could possibly replace the image of the Erics' mother. Apparently he was working on some tunnel that roughly surrounded the perimeter of Amestris. At the time, I didn't know it was a perfect circle that met other areas, so the thought of a transmutation circle never crossed my mind. Anyway, right now, Malice had to put up with the presence of Envy for just a little longer.

She was given no tasks to do because of her upcoming punishment, which she found out was going to be even more boring than now. She did, however, change her outfit; it was looking mandatory, because everyone was in some sort of black attire. She was provided with a collection of articles of clothes, and she settled simply with a tank top, pants, and sneakers. All black, of course. The red nodes that patterned her as a homunculus were visible on her shoulderblades and wristbones now.

Lastly, Malice still couldn't see me. If I'd stand right in front of her, moving my hands about, she wouldn't be fazed, wouldn't even blink, looking at whatever she was looking at currently. She didn't look like she wondered where I went, either. It bothered me slightly, because it made me think that I had lost my body altogether... but I couldn't let that fact sink in as truth. I was going to get it back eventually, even if I didn't know how.

One day, before she left to find Sloth, she had joined the other homunculi consisting of Envy, Lust, and Gluttony. I suppose they were on break or something, and she had come back from sitting by Father. Envy gave her a rather nasty smirk.

"How're you feeling, Malice?" he asked sarcastically.

"Pleasantly morbid," she replied. "Mind if I take it out on you?"

"Oh, I dunno. You shouldn't be challenging your older brother like that."

"Don't call yourself my brother. Well, if I say so myself, a worm like you isn't much of a challenge. I remember the last time we met well."

"That's because I didn't put in my all," Envy grinned. "And besides, wouldn't your weak-as-hell heart interfere?"

Malice's nostrils flared. "I don't know what you mean."

Her 'brother' laughed. "You do know. I wonder how you took it when Greed was pronounced dead. How do you feel now, huh? Knowing that your friend was melted down?"

I was expecting Malice to slit Envy's throat. But her expression hardly changed.

"...I see. If you're thinking that my emotions will interfere, well... they're kind of gone."

Envy's smile disappeared. "What do you mean?"

"Our... leader eliminated the human's souls within me, including my human side," she said. My focus on the conversation sharpened up. "With her gone, I hardly remember how I felt in the last couple of weeks. I kind of remember what happened, but I can't remember their importance. Was Greed my friend? Because I don't recall too much of him."

Envy wasn't sure on what to say. He just stared at Malice stupidly. Lust was listening but, too, said nothing. Malice approached Gluttony.

"Here; I found this and thought you'd appreciate it," she said as she pulled a rat carcass from her pocket. That was beyond unsanitary... Gluttony beamed and took it from her, munching on it noisily. She patted him on the head with an indifferent smile on her face, like praising a mindless beast.

She no longer cared for Greed? What the hell was this? What had Father done to her? This was wrong on so many levels, and I found myself so angry. It was no wonder why she followed his command now. I used to hate Malice so much, but I couldn't help but feel pity for her. I couldn't even imagine myself remembering Edward and feeling nothing at the memory. Even though it was a painful yearning I felt, at least it was something!

Now that I thought about it, I really wanted to go see Edward. And... I realized with happiness that I was able to, without the chance of Malice killing him. I suppose some good came from being separated from my body. I don't need her to get there for me. I was very tempted to leave then and there to go see him, but I couldn't yet.

I knew something was happening underground. Father had a plan that devastated this country's people. Although those people have done nothing to help me —how could they help anyway, right?—, I didn't want anything bad to happen to them. I would stay for a little longer, to at least get a lead. Edward was safe in Dublith at the time, and I was sure he could take care of himself there.

Even though that was the case, I still worried for him.


Malice was finally leaving, with Lust guiding her to the entrance of the tunnel. By the look of things, the tunnel was pretty big, but it still held a containing vibe, one that could trigger fears of closed spaces. For miles, there were dots of lights that lined the walls; lanterns. Lust pointed down the way that Malice was to go.

"For a good mile or two, the lights are still lit," she informed my sin. "Beyond that, you'll have to light your own lantern and continue. Sloth often likes to work in the dark, and most likely to doze off in it, too."

Malice nodded, and she didn't say anything else, let alone a good-bye. She didn't seem as talkative as I had been with Lust — it was little, but still more than the few words she gave. She followed the older homunculus' pointing finger, alone. Her form became a simple silhouette after passing several lamps, but I heard her footsteps for a good deal longer than that. This was where she and I would part ways, and although it should have been settling, is was also unsettling. I wouldn't be there watching over her. Plus, it was my body walking away from me, for goodness sake.

For now, I had to stay. Maybe I'd hear something.

Of course, without a voice, I wasn't able to ask any of the homunculi directly, and there was no telling whether or not they were going to discuss a plan that they've already discussed to perfection. Right now they were simply biding their time, awaiting further commands from Father. He, too, bid his time. I grew more and more impatient as the days passed by, and even more helpless. Missing Edward was also the most painful.


"...and so, Sir Mustang has successfully avenged his best friend," Envy said many days after Malice left, with a piece of paper folded in his fingers. He lifted up his arms in childish victory. "What a happy ending!"

At first, this news didn't interest me at all, for I had no recollection of ever hearing about this 'Mustang' person. But all the same, it was something new and fresh in this dank underground, so I stayed.

"But it was unexpected that not only did she escape, but she was also killed by the target," Lust went on. "Were we being a bit loose?"

"Who cares; the dog ate the bait, no harm done. Maria Ross is dead."

Now that was something I recognized. I knew who Ross was, didn't I...? Yes, she was one of the ones assigned to look after the brothers when I met them, because someone wanted to kill them. The other one was Brosh if I remembered right. But that was beside the point... Ross was killed by this Mustang person. I couldn't help but feel sorry for her; she couldn't have done anything wrong.

Envy approached Lust and held up a piece of paper for her to take. She took it and looked at its cover as he continued: "We made some gain as well. That's the suspect who attacked the detention center."

"Oh my, my..."

I stepped up behind her and looked past her arm. I knew that person as well. There was Barry the Chopper drawn, armour and all.

"I thought he died when the fifth research institute was destroyed. Do you know where he ran off to?"

"Hell if I know."

"You're useless."

"Shut up, you hag. I need more helpers."

Lust started walking toward a set of titanium doors that I had explored at one point in my stay. That room was filled with monsters I couldn't explain, ones with anatomy far beyond any sense to me. Others had human shapes, but seemed far to animalistic. Their eyes had seen into my soul, and I concluded that animals could see me. They grew even more restless when I visited them.

Lust opened these doors and entered the gloom. The torn voices of the beasts rasped out. "This thing right here would be plenty of help," she said, and then I heard her whisper to a different address. Getting closer, I caught her words; "It's your turn. Come out... Barry the Chopper."

I got a glimpse of the man in the cage, and it was the one that had responded most violently to my visit. I was confused as to why she called him that, but then I got the picture. The Barry I knew was simply a soul in armour, and this mindless creature was simply a body without a soul... of course. One would think the body would try and regain its soul. So, like a dog, it would lead the homunculi to that armour. But what would that do...? Barry wasn't so much as a threat, was he?

As I was lost in thought, Envy turned to leave, but his route was directed through my space. At first I didn't think anything of it. I mean, he'd go right through me, like Malice, so why would I bother thinking about it?

The moment Envy passed through me, somewhere deep inside me, something growled. Before my mind's eye, I saw Winry. I had had a feeling of jealousy of her at one point, but the intense emotion that I felt now was nothing I experienced. It burned, and at the same time, it felt natural. I saw Edward behind her, and it just fed the blaze. She looked back at him and smiled as they joined hands. His returning smile was tender and endearing. How I wished he'd direct it at me like he used to. Now I was stuck like this, and she—!

And all at once I was me again. Wide-eyed, I looked down at my hands, which I saw were trembling. The furious jealousy left a foul after-taste. The thoughts I had before weren't mine. They were something that generated from the small envy I had...

Envy. I looked back and saw him behind me. He had momentarily stopped and scratched his head. Had he felt me when he walked through me? He rolled his shoulders as if shrugging off a strange sensation.

"That was queer," he muttered. "Why did that brat and his girlfriend come to mind...?"

Not only did he sense me, but my thoughts...!

Envy found an answer to his question rather quickly. He addressed Lust over his shoulder."Oh! That's probably why. Where are the Elric brothers now, huh?"

"I hear they've returned to Central."

I took that news with both dread and relief. I wanted to see them, but not here. Not so close to the enemy's base. Also, I couldn't see them yet. I just discovered something that I could possibly use.

I didn't quite catch what Envy said because I slipped into the room Lust was in. She just sliced the lock on Barry's cage with one of her Lance fingers. I took a deep breath, unsure with this extra experiment, because I didn't know exactly what to expect. I forced my foot forward and entered Lust's back.

Edward appeared before me, looking as natural and unwounded as I wanted him to be. But his eyes were smothering, gazing at me deeply. They were even more attractive than I thought possible. After getting lost in them for a moment, I found my eyes straying down to his chest. Another type of fire purred, and it was one I found myself enjoying. Just as I looked at a button of a shirt he never wore, he started undoing it. I closed my eyes, in what I hoped was embarrassment and respect, but within seconds I felt his lips graze my neck, beckoning. The passion grew hotter and more breathtaking, and his hands covered every inch of me...

I can't be distracted, I managed to tell myself. Lust didn't seem to hear me, so I guessed thoughts based on words weren't as strong as the images. I knew I was in Lust's domain, so I had to search for the stronghold. I tried breaking out of the sexually-desired fantasy, and it was very hard to do so with such a strong passion and temptation pulling my consciousness under. I eventually managed to keep the chemistry at bay, and thought my absolute hardest to try and...

It seemed trying to possess another homunculus was just not within my power, so I gave up. I withdrew from her entirely, and was somewhat glad. I felt filthy when I thought back to the imagery that sprouted from my venture. I saw Lust's face, and her lips and brows twitched. She was probably wondering why she was thinking of Edward, and with such pedophiliac feelings in her case. She said nothing, keeping it to herself, or perhaps thinking nothing of it. The sin of lust had many forms.

So. I could enter and feel the emotions of the homunculi, but I couldn't faze nor possess them. The only thing that I could influence them with were with image-based thoughts of my own. Maybe their sins were too overwhelming for a spirit like myself, one much more human-oriented. In response to that, I wondered how I would influence an animal, or a regular human...

But why didn't Malice and I have any reaction? Was that Father's doing, to prevent me from ever having any influence on her?

I was tempted to go test myself and see what Father was thinking, but I was intimidated by that idea. I had no idea what would happen, and for all I knew, it could destroy me... so I decided not to test it. Instead, I turned on the spot and left. Down the entangling tunnels, I was going to find my way out, and see the sun again.

The sun I thought of had golden eyes.


After what seemed like hours, I managed to get to the end of the tunnels. Where I was, there seemed to be a dead end. I didn't want to take this as a sign to turn back, and I had to remind myself that I could step through objects. I forced myself through, and when I passed through, I found myself blinded in a large white room. Turning back, I saw that the dead end before was actually a very large door, almost mimicking the Gate. Aside from that, the room was empty and had no other doors...

I stepped through the opposite wall and discovered myself to be in a scientific institute. People in lab coats roamed the halls, paying no heed to what they couldn't see. I was still getting used to how bright everything was, but I was welcoming the harsh light at the same time. Confused as I was, I kept going until I found the exit to the building altogether.

From then on, I wandered even more, in a city that I found at least a little more familiar. It was strange to walk with ordinary people, and even more strange to do so when they couldn't see me, but there was nothing I could do about that. I was pleased to find the Central Headquarters, where I had seen Edward and Alphonse for the first time. This was a sort of stepping stone, because if you know where one thing is, you vaguely know the direction to go in to find another stepping stone.

Later, I found the place I lost consciousness, when my regeneration capabilities weren't refined yet. The people walked on as I slipped into the dark alley. The end of it was what had stopped me before... the darkness that stained the bricks, I now realized, was a scene of a horrible murder. I felt compelled to go up to it and pay my respects. However, I realized that my reasoning was much more profound. I felt something powerful in that space, something similar to my existence, and I was attracted to it. I touched the surface with the whole of my hand.

It was just like passing through the Gate of Truth. All the images flashed by very fast, and yet I could remember them clearly, as if they were my own memories. I saw a little girl, only about four years old, and a large dog with beige fur. They played happily together, always. I saw armour, and a red cloak, and soon Edward's and Alphonse's visages beamed at me as they passed. Then I saw a man, who seemed friendly enough, but a dark desperation reached his eyes.

Electricity snapped in serpentine patterns, and a sad, pathetic creature looked sorrowfully at me. My spine chilled over, and I realized what that creature was. Some sick, cold-hearted experiment. The poor thing was the little girl and dog mixed together.

The creature managed to get into this alley, but... it wasn't alone. It drew closer to a man whose eyes were shrouded behind dark sunglasses, even though rain pelted down and no sun penetrated the shadows. He spoke to her, and suddenly, the creature exploded under his hand.

I yanked my hand from the wall and returned to reality. Again, my hands trembled, but much more fiercely in response to this miserable memory. Did I tune in to the past? This was what had happened long ago, but recent enough that the Elric brothers met her. There was a small girl named Nina, a dog named Alexander, Shou Tucker — The Life-Sewing Alchemist, whom my own creator worshipped —, and a man named Scar, the one who endangered the brothers as well. I knew their names as if I was there...

I really didn't want to be a spirit anymore after that. I couldn't believe that something so terrible could happen to someone. It just... I couldn't believe such a tragedy could... I was in a state where I'd forgotten what I was doing before, so it took me a few moments to recover.

A soft meow brought me back to my senses, though still shaken. I turned and saw a cat down at my feet, looking up at me curiously. It had an adorable spot near its right eye, a feature you wouldn't forget so easily. I stared back at it, questioning if it was actually staring at me or not. It meowed again. I eventually travelled down the wall, waiting for a response, and seeing its eyes following me, I lifted a hand above it. It looked up at it, went on its hind legs and tried to paw my palm. He couldn't quite reach, but it was proof; it could see me. After all, the creatures in Father's lair could see me, so the animals up here would too.

Hi, I greeted, smiling weakly. I reached to touch its fur, despite how pointless it was to try and pet it. The cat wasn't startled, and rather arched its body so to meet my hand faster.

Upon touching it fully, like the wall, I saw fast snippets of its past, one after the other. I saw the cat as a kitten, left in a litter on the streets. I saw the day of it wandering away from its birthplace, scavenging for food. For a split second, I saw a familiar figure and couldn't believe my eyes. Then the moments leading to our introduction followed, like déjà vu at a different perspective.

What I saw was Alphonse. Through the cat's eyes, I saw that the brother had bent down to pet it. The cat could sense that Alphonse wasn't normal, so that was what attracted it to him. Edward came by, looked at the cat — at me —, and smiled ruefully. Winry accompanied them. The older brother patted his Alphonse's shoulder, and with one last look from the younger brother, the both of them left.

I returned back from memory lane, looking off into the distance. This was a recent memory. The cat had seen them today, and that was my lead. I looked back down at her —she was female, I learned—, and I didn't expect her to understand what I wanted. I mean, she'd have to be an incredibly smart street cat to understand human speech.

Can you lead me to that boy?

The cat sat down and started to groom herself. My mouth tilted in an expected line and I sighed. Asking wasn't going to do it...

So maybe my thoughts would...?

The cat finished grooming and stood up. She stared at me for a few more moments, then turned around and started to leave. I felt perplexed on what to do, so I did the impulsive thing and dove at it, in hopes of stopping her so I could think a little longer on what to do. And yet, the original intention was of no use anymore, because I got my solution.

I never thought I would ever look at the world through the eyes of a small beast. It was so phenomenal to me that I got distracted and forgot my purpose again. I had entered the cat entirely, and everything entered my eyes in black and white. I was so much closer to the ground that I would've thought I was lying on my belly, but I was actually just small, and on four legs. I — or more appropriately, the cat—, was still walking down the path. I sighed.

Please, wait. Stop.

This time, it was different. Things in my vision stopped altogether, and that meant that the cat actually heard and understood me. She sat down and scratched behind her ear with her hind leg.

Within the cat's body, I felt the gnawing sensation of hunger.

There's food where the boy is, I'm sure, I insisted. As I negotiated, my being started to engulf the control center, but I didn't want to steal this body so rudely, even if it was a cat's. I'm just weird in that sense... He's a very compassionate boy. You saw how he approached you, a stray. He wouldn't be able to turn you away.

She took a moment of what I hoped was consideration, and even so, my consciousness overtook her. A cute meow echoed through my mind, and I could have smiled softly.

Entering the flesh of an animal was a strange but fresh sensation, and I had to get used to it. Scents I never would have caught before passed my nostrils and I could identify them rather easily; the sense of smell wasn't as acute as a dog's, but still better than what I could have accomplished.

Once I got used to walking on padded paws, I looked into the feline's memory and retraced its steps to the place where it had met the brothers. From there, we followed the scent and roamed the city in a different point of view.


Malice had been going through the tunnel for days and was tired of simply seeing darkness and nothing more. The lit lamps had run out long ago, and now she relied on a lantern she held in one hand and a maintaining kit she had strapped to her hip. She was running out for sure, but often she would find stores of supplies in the corner of a fork in the path. She had been going in strange turns, and only did she change her overall direction when she hit a curving wall. Here, she immediately knew this to be the outer circle. She of course knew that the tunnels were part of a transmutation circle, and she knew a little more of Father's plan than I did. She still didn't concern herself much of the idea, and instead daydreamed on how interesting the world would come out to be afterward.

Coming up, she heard the handling and digging of rocks with her keen hearing. It was still a long way ahead, but she was anticipating the confrontation with a 'brother' she hadn't seen yet. She wasn't sure what to expect.

All of a sudden, the digging stopped. Malice halted her progress down the tunnel to prick up her hearing more. For sure, the digging had stopped. Did Sloth grow lazy again and decide to doze off? Seemed reasonable. The only thing she found wrong with this picture was that she couldn't judge his distance now, and whether she should continue walking forward or call to him. She didn't feel like speaking out, so she continued walking.

Malice heard a slothful sigh, and a footfall that made the ground shudder. Whoever Sloth was, he was big. If that was the case, he'd be very slow, too. Malice, though slightly disturbed, held the lantern high.

She didn't see it coming at all. All she saw was a massive blur appear before her, a tremendous wind accompanying it. She only had enough time to sidestep, and even then she felt something wrong. In the next second, her shoulder erupted in a scarlet shower of blood. She whirled around to see where the beast went, letting the lantern hit the ground and roll. Her wound started knitting itself clean when the culprit turned around to look at her.

If anything, the thing that stood before her was simply a ton of muscle. The man hunched, for he was almost as tall and wide of the tunnel, and so Malice had no option to turn back the way she came. His dark hair was long and stringy, covering his broad face and lengthened to the middle of his huge shoulder blades. On one such shoulder, she saw the Ouroboros very clearly. The only thing that seemed small were his legs, supporting the rest of his body. His eye seemed simply white, and where his other one should have been was just a red node, one that defined the homunculi's body.

His expression didn't change at all from his natural daze. The only thing that offered a hint of mild surprise was the tilt of his head.

"You're... not... human..." he droned. The light-show from Malice's shoulder ceased and she stared at him with a serious look. "You... dodged, and you... healed..."

Dodged wasn't quite the right word, but she assumed he meant that he wasn't able to land a perfect KO on her. "Yeah, big guy. I'm a homunculus, just like you. Sloth, is it?"

He looked up at the ceiling only centimeters from his nose. "I'm... Sloth... yeah."

"The man you call Father sent me to keep you company," she said, lip curling displeasingly. "My name is Malice."

"Ma...lice... Malice."

"Yeah, Malice. Now, how much of the tunnel do you have to dig left?"

Upon the reminder, he cracked his neck. "How... lame..."

He started walking toward her, and she tensed. The chains that hung from his limbs clanked loudly as he walked, and they should have given his movement away before. It proved how truly fast he was... She stepped aside, picking up the lantern she abandoned, and tried to squeeze herself firmly against the wall. Sloth passed by, only slightly brushing his hip against her knee. Once he passed, she regained her footing again and stood up, watching him recede. Not so much as a 'Excuse me' from him. She sighed at his overall boring behaviour and wondered how she was going to survive boredom, simply watching him work.

"I thought there... were only... seven..."

She caught up with his figure, but cut her pace to match his saunter. This was a puzzling comment, for there were overall nine homunculi before she was even created. Perhaps he had no idea that another stole his name. The Sloth and Wrath Malice knew were human transmutation results such as herself, so they weren't always around. And this Sloth must have been gone working for many, many years.

"I wasn't born of Father, like you. I'm more of a... new addition."

As they continued on, Malice noted all of the rocks that grew larger in size the farther they went. Soon enough, the rocky wall Sloth was working on emerged, with the boulders he hacked off littering the ground. He stomped through them, breaking them pretty much to dust. Once arriving at the wall, he brought his massive fist back and let it plummet to the surface. He left impressive craters in it, and he continued doing so, making everything crumble down to underfoot.

"This work... very boring... dunno why... Father sent you. There's... nothing for... you... to do."

Malice's eyes looked up to the ceiling wearily. "I know."

"...well... maybe you... can go other way... and see... if anything fall into... tunnel."

"What, you mean like an intruder?"

Sloth grunted for the affirmative. "Animal, human... I think, in some places... ground very weak... if something fall... it could screw... tunnel up."

Malice blinked, swinging the lantern slightly in consideration. "If that was a possibility, wouldn't someone else be here patrolling?"

"Pride does... but he... has other things... to do, too."

She felt a strange sensation travel up her spine, like invisible fingers caressing it softly. She didn't like the feeling, and looked around. She saw nothing. She was half-expecting to see the Führer, but she had to remind herself that he was Wrath now, and probably was before the child Wrath was created. Why Father was so indecisive in naming, she had little clue.

"...well, I suppose it's a good idea," she sniffed as she turned on her heel. "Need me to leave a light?"

"Best... work in... the dark..."

"Alright. Later."

Sloth continued working as if she didn't exist. Malice left, walking until his work were mere echoes. In the chilling emptiness, she kept feeling that strange sensation she had, when Sloth mentioned Pride. She would look over shoulder often, even though it wasn't possible for something to slip by her vision and sneak up behind her. Paranoid, her senses grew tenfold.

She even thought her own shadow jumped out of place. That must have been just a trick of the light.


We found ourselves at the hotel residence the Elric brothers had stayed at before, when they found out the secret in Marcoh's notes. I don't know why I hadn't thought of coming here before, but I was still very grateful to the cat whom I borrowed a body. However, there were some problems I discovered on my way over there.

I didn't notice at first, but my better judgement recognized things that were out of place. We passed by places we remembered, and they had signs. And yet, in their place, there were scribbles we couldn't understand. I could've sworn it was writing, something I could read naturally when in spirit form. It seemed that overall, I was limited to the cat's understanding of things when in its body. Our eyes and mind weren't accustomed to reading.

We tried writing, seeing my disability as a big complication. We strayed from the streets and found a patch of dirt and sand. We sat down and concentrated. We tried with all our might to form a word into letters, but lines just mashed up against each other. We couldn't even recall on how to spell my name. Urami, Urami, Urami... there were the sounds, but the letters were unidentifiable. I thought perhaps using our paws might trigger some muscle memory... but alas, that, too, lead to a mess in the dirt.

So much for using an animal for communication. Perhaps some of my other spirit privileges would come in handy.

Back to the hotel situation. Finding it was a plus, and the only thing that was a problem was getting in, because a stray cat strolling through the front door was bound to be shooed out.

We lurked into the passage beside the hotel, seeing the gutter drains lining the wall to the ground. Certainly, we could use these to get up to the higher levels, but... we had to get used to scaling something so high and steep. I had seen cats do it all the time, or at least I thought I did.

We lowered our chest to the ground in preparation, legs ready to pounce. We mentally counted to three, then leapt up, claws spread wide. It was as hard as I originally thought... we screeched to the ground, nearly injuring ourselves. I didn't want to give the body of the cat back to it with a wound, but we had to keep trying. We tried again, more delicately and slowly. This was a good idea in its own part, because we learned quickly this way and managed to scale the wall pretty well. Now all that was left was searching for the right room.

We passed by windows, just poking our head in to see if we recognized anyone. Most were empty, and with those that were occupied with unknown people to us, we tried to get away as fast as we could, lest the person tried to swat us off. Our progress led us through the first floor, then the second, then the third. We were started to lose hope...

In the middle of searching the fourth floor, we poked our head around the edge and had our hairs stand on end. It was as if the persons we found before us were waiting for us, right at the windowsill. Two of them were armed with weapons we'd never seen before, but they were rather sharp. All three people at the window focussed on us, stiff. We were glad the armed ones didn't immediately attack when they saw us.

Staring at them, wide-eyed, we noticed that they looked different from what we was used to. The clothes of the armed ones were foreign uniforms, meant for stealth and quick movement. They were dark, too, like night shadow. One was an old man with hawk eyes, while the other watched through an oriental mask. We could tell it was a girl by her visible lips and gentle eyes. Finally, the third one present was a boy around my age, with narrow eyes — his eyelids were shorter, we guessed — and long, black hair tied back. He had his hand on a sword in its sheath, we noticed, but he loosened a little upon analyzing us.

That didn't mean he loosened up completely.

"...it's just a cat," he said, straightening up. When he did so, we caught a glimpse of the people behind him. We perked up and cried out, which came out as a pleased meow.

Alphonse turned his head, and we heard him gasp in both surprise and delight. He left Winry for a moment and made a beeline for us. I wanted to believe that he was happy to see me, but that wasn't the case. Our happiness in seeing him would make up for that.

The three people I knew nothing of stepped out of the way and let Alphonse through. He picked us up from under our front legs gently and held us up. We could sense his amusement, and we purred to him.

"You're the one we met yesterday, huh? You've got that spot, so you have to be... I wonder how you found me!"

We meowed again, and when we felt his grip loosen, we squeezed out, traveled along his arm, and nuzzled his helmet. He laughed, which made us very happy.

"You must be hungry, right? I bet we have something around here. Come on!"

I returned the cat back to its senses for its reward. Alphonse had turned and left for the kitchen, and the cat went with him without complaint. My feet met the ground once more, and I felt strange again. I guess I'd have to get used to changing my shape to fit animal anatomy, but that was old news right now. I looked around desperately, now at my destination.

...where was Edward?

Winry went to the kitchen with Alphonse, cooing at the cat. The washroom was vacant. The hallway outside held no one. The only other people with the two I knew were the three foreigners. I wasn'tcompletely rewarded with what I wanted. I smiled ruefully and envied the cat.

The armed foreigners didn't put their weapons away. I turned to them and quirked my brow. They were facing me, or at least in my general direction.

"You feel that, don't you?" the young boy whispered to his companions. He had a calm expression on his face, but his hand still touched the hilt of the sword.

"Yes. It's something we can't see, but I feel chi enough for one person," the old man returned. "Perhaps it's a demon, or unhappy spirit."

It took me a moment to realize that they were talking about me.

"Although, unhappy spirits often destroy things or cause disorder in their misery, so I may be wrong. At least, the old stories used to say such things."

The girl in the mask clenched her knife a little less. "So this isn't an Alkahestry matter. All in all, it's just a dead thing, then?"

In response to that, the boy frowned, then shook his head. "I don't know about that, Lan Fan... the dead don't carry such energy."

He moved a couple of steps away from his colleagues, and much closer to me. He looked straight through me, but I could tell he was searching for something. He sensed me.

"What I feel is very much alive."

Silence seemed to drown the last words, and I stared at him in wonder. Who were these people?

Can you hear me? I asked him on instinct. He didn't respond to me, so I guessed not. But I found the human I would test my abilities on anyway, so my experiment wasn't over yet. Perhaps he'd be able to help me make my presence known. I didn't know what help it'd bring them to know I still existed, but it was a start. Maybe things would flow along.

I stepped up to him, cautious. He simply blinked. I lifted up my hand and saw his body stiffen. I swallowed nervously, hesitating; I didn't want to see his memories, because that was none of my business. In reality, I had no choice in the matter... Making up my mind, I pressed my hand against his chest.

The images passed by. I tried to close my eyes, and yet I caught the glimpses whether I liked it or not. I saw an extravagant palace that ruled a powerful empire in a land far away. I saw a king with many women at his side, and even more sons and daughters. Assassination attempts, schemes and competitions followed, and I had a feeling it continued today. The two people who followed this boy were ninja warriors, and he himself was a prince. A prince of the country of Xing.

I knew his name, and I knew his purpose. A desire burned powerfully inside him, reminding me much of someone I once knew.

I entered Ling Yao's body, and unlike the cat, I looked through his eyes in full colour. What's more, my consciousness didn't overtake his, so I couldn't possess him. Another deduction done and over with. Perhaps our...'chi'... were of equal value, and I couldn't overpower his. Oh well. On to the next trial.

Can you hear me? I asked him again. He formed no reply, nor did he react any differently. I was growing aggravated. He couldn't even hear the thoughts channelled to him? Then again, Lust couldn't hear my thoughts, either. Envy wouldn't have either if I tried. All they saw were actual imaginings that their sins spawned.

That was it, then. I could only communicate through planting images. Sort of like dreams, I thought. But could a person have a dream occur in a completely alert condition? Before I could try it on him, Winry came back and smiled at us.

"Are you guys hungry too?"

Ling walked forward, immediately dispelling me without knowing it. He held a hand up to his temple jokingly, a sort of half-hearted salute. "Oh man, I'm famished! You don't mind if we call room service, do you? Don't mind if we do!"

I felt dizzy. I settled down for a few moments and decided to wait a little while. Perhaps I would confront the adolescent in slumber. I wanted to speak with Alphonse, but I knew fully well that he didn't sleep, and I feared that if I touched him, somehow I'd interfere with the blood seal holding him to this world. I could talk to Winry, but I didn't know on whether she'd believe my message as just a dream or not. Ling and his companions seemed the most preferable, as they believed in a plane that let them develop a sixth sense for. Out of the three, Ling was my best choice. I felt like I knew him, but that was because I meddled in his mind...

He seemed like a care-free person when it came to food, but I couldn't forget his collective expression from before. He was an interesting person, I gave him that much.

"You can stay with us for a little while." I turned my eyes to Alphonse, holding the replenished cat gently. Tickling it under its chin, he sighed. "I think I'll name you Urami."

I smiled hopelessly.

End of Chapter


A/N

Dear oh dear... I couldn't sleep at all. The night passed by and now it's morning. Well, at least there's this lovely, thick fog outside.

...JEEZ. There are 84 sets of ellipses in this chapter! But I guess most of them are due to Sloth...

Well, I have mixed feelings about this chapter. I feel as if I was writing something that had no connection to FMA. As you saw, it was more of a spiritual adventure, with discoveries that don't serve for the plot, but rather serve explaining Urami's experiences. The only thing that anchors this to be anything related to FMA are the characters and Malice's point of view at one part. Also, I was worried I wasn't explaining Urami's abilities clearly...

Overall though, I'm rather pleased with introducing and tying in Fu, Lan Fan, and Ling. I hope they can provide some epicness to make up for my inactiveness :P

So I hope you enjoyed the chapter, and I want you to know that your reviews are very muchly appreciated. Thank you to all who reviewed before; I enjoy conversing with you very much! :) If you're confused on what Urami can and can't do, it'll be explained next chapter, or at least summarized!

Have a nice day!

Vixen

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