OBSERVER01: Thank you. Your oneshot is nearly finished.
Shade the Hero: Yes, he did. The haircut from R2 doesn't help.
Edward already has alchemy clap-activated powers; he doesn't need the power of the king.
Fireminer: Thank you.
AnimeAvarice: Yes, LL is beginning to use that brain of his :)
Actually, I most got it from Attack on titan chapter 55 and Rurouni Kenshin during Hojis' punishment after the Rangoko was blown up via Sanosuke.
Avatar of Wurms: I cannot answer due to spoiler reasons. But you'll see in due time.
Yes, Halliburton.
nickz24: Thank you, I shall.
httpkirby: I'm glad it made your day :)
Seiphiroth Crescent-Valentine: Oh wow, I didn't think of that 0_0
"Where are we going?" Gracia had asked.
She and Elicia had been approached by Officers Falman and Breda during the night, wearing warm clothing and serious expressions, the bulges in their belts clearly holding guns.
"Bring only what you can carry," Officer Breda instructed her. "Your lives are in danger."
Now, both she and Elicia were outside at night, bundled in warm clothing with only their clothes, shoes and some money on their backs. They were escorted into a small car and driven away to an alleyway where Officer Havoc met them.
"What's going on, mama?" Elicia asked, clutching her mothers' coat like a koala cub.
"We're going on a little trip is all," she said, as it wasn't a lie.
"Is papa coming with?"
Gracia swallowed back the lump in her throat at that, unable to answer.
"Name."
"Lin Yao."
"Location of Birth."
"East Xing."
"Age."
"15."
"Don't play fucking dumb!"
"But it's true..."
Lin could have been more careful. However, he had gone too long without food and he had needed it, even if it meant groveling. Unfortunately, a police officer had asked too many questions ("If you're from Xing, where's your passport?") and ended up dragging him to jail.
Still though, he succeeded in ending up where he needed to be all the same.
"How many more of you are here?" the officer asked, before Lin heard some sort of commotion going on.
"What's going on?!"
"There's a man in armor coming in!" the other guard exclaimed. "We need back-up-"
Just then, the door slammed open. The guards opened fire but they all just bounced off the steel as the man-
No, not a man. Lins' eyes narrowed as he felt the presence similar to Alphonse inside the armor.
"I'll blow his head off!" the guard proclaimed as he took his rifle and blasted the helmet off. However, the man was up seconds later, as it was now revealed that the armor was empty and the man yanked his skull helmet back onto his shoulders, barking with glee, "Close but no cigar!"
This freaked the guards out enough that they began to yell before the man knocked them out with the flat of his blade, all the while grumbling about not being able to chop them up, but Lin didn't really care. He knew a prison raid when he saw one.
"Hello there!" he chirped to the man. "Would you be so kind as to let me out?"
"And who the hell are you?"
"An illegal immigrant from Xing."
"Huh, you've got balls to travel that far here. But I ain't got time t' waste with you."
"but you must! At this rate, I'll be deported! I know I can help you if you give me your time."
"Not my pro- Wait."
The man turned back to Lin as he was walking away. "What part of Xing do you come from again?"
"Eastern Xing," Ling said, staring at his escape.
Maes looked down at his hands where the dog-tags hanged from his wrist.
They've already decided I'm a lost cause, he thought. Convicting me for the murder of two good soldiers must have been the easiest way to deal with me.
Maes stared in horror as the grenade rolled in before he realized that the pin was still attached.
Then, he saw the two figures in the shadows.
"You're quite a perceptive man, Maes Hughes," the first said, a male voice with a sneering edge. "It really is a shame you have to die. Not! I haven't even started yet but I know yous is gonna be fun!"
Maes withdrew his knives before the second figure moved and he felt something sharp slice through his palm and yank it up high into the air. It was a black spike on closer inspection.
The two figures revealed themselves a moment later; the first was a woman with black wavy hair and full lipsticked lips and a black dress showcasing her cleavage. The second was an androgynous teen with hair like a palm tree, a tanktop with a turtleneck and midriff exposed, and a black tunic over shorts.
"You monsters-!" Maes rasped.
"How cruel," the woman remarked. "We have the same senses as humans, the same looks. We hold the same love for our loved ones, especially those who gave birth to us."
"Hey, don't speak for me, okay?" the teen scowled at that. "I don't need shit like 'love'- that's for weaklings who aren't strong enough to fight for themselves so they depend on others."
Maes gave a hissing chuckle. "Kid, you're a terrible liar."
The teen scowled before red crackled over his body as he walked closer to the officer and by the time he held a gun to his head, Maes was looking at Gracia.
"See?" the teens' voice was coming out of his wifes' mouth with a laugh. "You know it's not her, but you just can't bring yourself to attack your beloved wife, can you?! That's what a weakling is- you're a perfect example!"
"Now now Envy," the woman chided him. "We were sent to make sure that our little secret stays that way. But you know that if an officer goes missing or ends up dead, questions will be asked and comrades, friends and family will be suspicious."
"Oh please," Envy sneered. "It'll be just like Ishval-"
"It might not be," the woman cut him off with a stern look. "Father told us not to leave any traces behind and that's what we'll do. What better way than to erase suspicion than to instill a pawn and keep ourselves secret?"
"... whatever," Envy finally groused. "If we're leaving this guy alive, then try not to break him too much, Lust; I want my turn."
The woman, Lust, smirked as she walked by Envy and up to Maes. "You understand, don't you?" she crooned. "We will know if you breath a word of what you've found to anyone and you know how we'll punish you."
Maes felt cold fear ripple in his stomach. His family, his friends- they would die- but what he found was too important to just keep secret- they need to know- they need to know-
"... you said your name is Envy?" Maes said to the teen.
"What of it, human?" he said, crossing his arms.
"I was just thinking how much you suit it," he replied. "It's the ones who long for what they sneer at the most. For all of your bravado, you really want to be coddled and loved, don't you?"
A scowl crossed Envys' face. "You shut your mouth-"
"Also- envy is considered the ugliest of the Seven Sins for the sheer lack of joy surrounding those who have it and those who are affected by it. I'd say you're like it but- not even 'envy' is as grotesque as you are."
A roar came from Envys' mouth as he lunged for Maes, only for the man to duck and use its' momentum to kick it in the belly, smashing him into the bookcase. Lust shot forward to restrain him but Maes had already grabbed the grenade and pulled the pin before throwing himself beneath the table and knocking it sideways to cover himself.
The blast engulfed the room and Maes would have died if he didn't have a barrier, no matter how sparse. But as the blast usbsided and flames licked the room, he was horrified to see the two standing above him, their faces burned away but slowly and surely regenerating.
"That's strike one, Maes Hughes."
His expression turned to a pained grimace. What would Gracia and Elicia think of him? His wife and daughter had been condemned to be related to a murderer, even if he truly didn't commit the crime.
Then, he heard a crash and the guard outside of his cell fell on the ground, out cold. Then, a shadowy figure loomed over Maes from behind the bars. "'Sup?" he greeted him.
The man was wearing a suit of armor like Alphonse and Maes tentatively rapped his knuckle on the steel, his thoughts confirmed as he heard the sound reverberate. The man brought his sword down on the lock and broke it before opening the door.
"Mustang sent me to get you," he said. "Name's Barry the Chopper."
"I've never heard of you."
Barry twitched at that. "Bu- how-"
?
"Well- Do you wanna get outta here or not?!" Barry snapped flustered by the mans' complete lack of fear of him. "Your pal Mustang's got everything set up for you and yer family."
"Wha-"
"Excuse me," a young man with black hair tied in a ponytail and strange clothes and pants poked his head inside, "but we must keep going or else we'll be caught. Also, there seems to be someone that smells of rotting meat is blocking our way."
Maes and Barry looked around to see just who he was talking about and saw a man with posture like an ape, a steel mask, long blond hair and ragged clothes.
"Not another one!" one of the guards cried at the sight of the man. "I won't let you escape!"
He fired at the man, but he let out a guteral snarl as he shot at the man, the bullet grazing the mask. Some of the metal was chipped off, revealing part of the mans' face. Barry stopped still as he stared in shock. "That-that face-"
"Do you know him?" the young man, Lin as he introduced himself, asked.
"Know him?! That's my body!" Barry exclaimed. "Those bastards must have bound some animal to it- that's why it's freaking out like that!"
"I see; this would be the perfect opportunity to get your body back then!" Maes yelled over the bullets missing Barrys' body.
"Are you kidding me?! What this is a perfect opportunity to do is to cut up MY OWN BODY! HOW MANY PEOPLE CAN SAY THEY CAN HAVE THAT CHANCE?! HYA-HA-HA-HA-HA-HA-HA!"
Maes, Lin and the other guards stared at the serial killer with incredulous expressions. Just then, Barrys' body jumped out of the window and out into the streets.
"Hey get back here!" Barry bellowed as he leaped after him.
As the guards yelled orders to pursuit them both, Lin and Maes swiftly escaped their attention and got outside. As they turned to an alleyway, Maes saw Roy standing before them, his uniform and black coat in place.
"Roy..." Maes said in a low, shocked voice.
His friend didn't reply but fixed him with an unwavering expression. "Maes Hughes..."
Just then, Roy took the bag he had been carrying over his shoulder and opened it up, startling Maes by dumping out a bone-thin, white rubber and roughly humanoid thing onto the ground.
"After tonight, you're a dead man," Roy stated before he snapped his fingers over the dummy.
Orange, red and yellow light flashed before them and Maes covered his eyes briefly before it cleared away, the scent of ash heavy in the air and the dummy had been charred to a crisp. Roy then opened the dumpster by them, nodding Maes forward. He obeyed and saw that a hole had been transmuted in the wall.
"Lt. Col. Hughes," Alphonse' voice came from the other side.
Maes stared back at Roy and he looked back at him. "Stay alive," he said, but the jet black irises told Maes all he needed.
Breda went off from where he and Roy had been walking, the list tucked safely away.
If all went well, Maes Hughes and his family would be safe and they would get their information from him as well. He remembered how upset M. Armstrong had been when he had heard of his two subordinates being killed, even if it was uncertain where they were.
"What do you think, Fullmetal?" Roy said, knowing full well that the blond alchemist had been tailing him for the entire conversation.
"If this leads us to whoever's behind whatever the hell's going on," he said with a determined voice, "I want in."
"And what makes you think I'll let a short-tempered squirt like you perform in such a delicate operation?"
"Because I'll still trail after you anyways. At least if you give me orders I won't cause too much chaos."
Ed quickly transmuted the dogtags off of Maes' wrist and handed them back up to the raven-haired Col. and he draped them over the dummys' wrist.
"You just have to go that way and we should meet up with an old man named Fuu who wears a weird mask," Ed instructed him. "He'll take us outside the city to where you'll meet up with Gracia and Elicia. I'm coming along with to be back-up."
Maes nodded, barely able to fight back tears of relief as he looked up at Roy. "Thanks. Thanks for everything. You're the best friend I could ever ask for."
Roy nodded back. "Stay safe. You can't serve under me if you're dead."
"Yes sir!" Maes grinned with a mock salute.
Lin looked back at Roy with a serious expression. "I'm going back to aid Lanfan. I have a feeling something else might go awry."
"All right then," Roy nodded. "Thank you, Lin Yao."
"It was my pleasure, Col. Roy Mustang."
Riza watched from where she was positioned, her earpiece in her ear, her guns loaded and propped on her shoulder and her beloved dog, Black Hayate keeping watch. Fury was in the other room, keeping an eye on communications. She watched as Mrs. Hughes and her daughter were waiting in the car for when Maes and Havoc would rendezvous with them.
Ever since Maes Hughes had found guilty of murder, Col. Mustang immediately smelled a rat- he knew that his old friend wouldn't lash out like that at him without a purpose and he cursed himself for thinking otherwise and having so little faith in him.
Enlisting Barry had been surprisingly easy; for all the man boasted of his kills and his sociopathic nature (an incensed Edward had been the one who remembered this the most and all but killed Barry when he saw him again), he was remarkably carefree. If it wasn't for his spree of murders-
No, Riza doubted she would have liked him then either. But the plan was in place and if all went well that night, then a good man and his family would be safe.
As she thought this, Riza heard someone step in behind her with heavy footfalls. It seemed one of her regulars had arrived.
"Gracia?"
She looked up to see her husband running towards her. A startled sob came from her throat as she went towards him before she noticed he was alone.
"Wh-where's Edward and that boy Lin?" she asked.
"They went back with Roy," he explained. "They'll be meeting with us soon."
"Y-you mean they changed their plans?"
"E- Unfortunately."
That's when Gracia fired the gun Breda had given her. Envy stared in disbelief as he reverted to his old form and healed the damage. He tried to lunge at her only for Falman to fire his own gun.
"It just goes to show how well a wife knows her husband," he remarked, firing a bullet directly into Envys' left eye.
"Ma-?" Elicia began, only for Breda to tuck her into his arms to shield her from the sight. "Mommy's just helping Mr. Falman deal with some bad guys," Breda said to her, cocking his own gun for protection.
Gracia was no stranger to guns, as Maes had taught her how to use one in case she was ever attacked. Envy screeched as he tried to get closer but the two of them kept firing until their guns clicked and nothing happened. A sneer of triumph flashed on Envys' face and he made his arm extend like a tentacle and wrapped it around Gracia and Falmans' necks before smacking them into the ground just as Elicia glanced behind Breda.
"Mama!" she cried out in fear, reaching towards her.
Envy heard the little girl and glanced over to her. Elicia shivered in fear as the sneer crossed the Homunculus' face and he walked toward the car. Gracia let out a hoarse cry as she tried to get free but Envy only tightened his hold on her neck as Breda pointed his own gun at Envy, his arm tightening around the little girl protectively. He fired a few shots at Envy, but without the extra support from his other hand and said appendage shaking, he couldn't get a clear shot.
"Stop it!" Elicia shrieked at Envy. "Stop hurting mama and my papas' friends!"
"But little girl," Envy fake-pouted before his mouth drew back in a teeth-filled sneer, "I like killing stupid people."
"As do I," Lanfan said as her kunai flew into his throat.
Envy let out a garbled rasp of confusion before Lanfans' heel landed on the protruding handle of the knife and sent it through the skin completely, tearing his throat out along with his vocal cords. This caused the tentacles to evaporate around Gracia and Falmans' throats and they coughed, struggling to breath properly before Falman grabbed her arm and ushered them both over to the vehicle.
"Elicia!" she rasped her daughters' name, Breda allowing her to hug her daughter close. "It's okay now-"
But Elicia wasn't listening, her eyes locked on how Lanfan jerked another Kunia knife into Envys' mouth when he flew at her and forced him to swallow said knife as Breda slammed the car doors shut and started the engine up.
"Elicia?" Gracia whispered, fearing for her daughter.
"... that lady is my hero," Elicia said with a soft voice as the car drove away.
Envy was seeing red as Lanfans' next kunai buried itself into his forehead and he ripped out out, uncaring for the pain that he was not accustomed to. "You bitch! That's three times you killed me!" he rasped.
He had lost sight of the car, and he was beyond pissed. This shouldn't be happening
He ran through the slums, morphing to look just like the dwellers down there. He could play pretend all too easily. There she was, looking for him and with her back conveniently facing him. A sneer crossed his face as he brandished the kunai knife, only for her to stare right back at his face and another knife to stick into his chest.
HOW?!
Riza grimaced as she struggled in the fat mans' grip. Bullet after bullet she lodged in his skull but he would not die.
"There, you're out bullets now aren't you?" he said with a grin as he opened his mouth. "Then it's time to eeeaaaat~"
Then, Black Hayate let out an enraged bark as he leaped at Gluttony and sank his teeth into his neck, allowing his master to escape.
"Lt.!" Fury shouted as he threw her a gun.
As Hayate was knocked aside by Gluttony, Fury and Riza opened fire, bullets lodging themselves into his flesh until he had been knocked against the wall. However, it was at that moment they had used their last bullets. Luckily, they didn't panic long (though Fury nearly shat a small mansion) before a snap of fingers later and Gluttony was sent flying out of the building via a fire blast.
At that very moment, Envy landed near the base of the building, trying to regain his balance when he noticed the fat Homunculus coming down. "Oi, what the hell're you doing, Gluttony?! Get over here and give me a-"
"- hand," the Jealous being squeaked out as he realized that the Voracious being was plummeting right down to him and he had no room to-
"NOOOO-OOOOOO!" Envy screeched as Gluttony landed on his person with a loud crash.
"Get off of me, you oaf!" Envy screeched as he struggled to get Gluttony off of him from where he was blasted out and onto him. "This is no time to let yourself get barbecued!"
Acting quickly, Envy shifted into a white dog with plans of escape racing in his mind before Lanfan appeared right in front of him. "It's no use changing your form," she informed him.
Envy backtracked a little, shocked and confused. How the hell did she know-?!
However, even his backwards path was cut off as Lin and Al appeared behind him. Lanfan took this opportunity to throw two Kunai knives into his left eye and his head, forcing Envy out of his disguise to heal. That was when the armored boy saw the Ouroboros tattoo.
"You bastards-" Envy rasped in fury. "I'll fucking raze you all-!"
"Geez, these guys are seriously strange," Lin remarked, looking over Envys' shoulder. "Just how on earth were you made?"
"Great, they're multiplying," Envy groused as he healed completely and Gluttony joined him again. "Can I eat them?!" he asked eagerly.
"Yeah, have a feast!" Envy said with a grin.
"Oh dear," Lin said with a worried tone, "it seems we're going to have to fight."
"My lord, he's the same as they are," Lanfan informed him. "No matter how many hits I landed, he would not die."
"No kidding?" Lin said. "Does that mean he's-"
At that, a shark-like face flashed on Lins' face as he and Lanfan looked at Gluttony coming onto them (not like that, you).
IMMORTAL?!
"I made it," Col. Mustang muttered with relief while Fury slumped with a sigh.
Riza however, was not so pleased.
"Why did you come here, sir- what the hell were you thinking leaving behind Lt. Col. Hughes?!" she shouted at him. "Whether or not we died, you could still have kept your involvement a secret- that was the whole point of our plan! Yet you come here in a blaze of glory that's couldn't more blatant than a giant brick wall! Are you a complete idiot?!"
"Yeah fine, I'm an idiot," Col. Mustang groused, putting a finger in his ear to clean the wax out nonchalantly before becoming more serious. "What's the situation?"
"Before I was interrupted, Gracia Hughes and Falman were attacking one of the strangers that appeared," Riza explained. "But no matter how many times they shot him, he wouldn't die and somehow, he was able to take the form of Maes Hughes."
Col. Mustangs' eyes narrowed. "Is that so..."
"Sir, I just got word from Officer Breda!" Fury reported. "Mrs. Hughes and her daughter are being driven to safety on the outskirts of town."
"Good; now if we can get them out of Amestris, it'll be harder for whoever's targeting them to look," Col. Mustang said.
"Also, Barry's begun chasing his own body which has some sort of animals' soul branded to it."
This set an intrigued light in Col. Mustangs' eyes. "It could lead us straight to their hideout while they lost their hostages."
He turned to the warrant officer. "Clean up this place, Fury- and don't leave so much as a candy wrapper behind!"
"Yes sir!"
"Hayate, you stay right by side," the blonde Lt. told her faithful dog, who stood up straighter before the two officers hurried down the stairs.
"I'm glad you're alive," Col. Mustang told Lt. Hawkeye. "I'm sorry I worried you."
"It's all right, sir," she replied back.
They got down to where the car was parked with Havoc waiting for them. "Breda and Falman got Hughes' family outside of the city and they're heading to the East right now and Barry's chasing after the target as we speak."
"Col. Mustang!"
The raven-haired officer looked back to see Al running over to them. "Lin and Lanfan are taking care of the other two right now!" Al told them. "He said that I needed to get to your group!"
"Why would he-?!" Havoc began.
"Lt. Col. Hughes is our friend too," Al said with a stern voice. "If this leads to the people who're trying to hurt him..."
"... Are you coming?"
The armored boy clamored into the car, though he smooshed Lt. Havoc against the door in his attempts. Col. Mustang swiftly caught up with Barry, barking, "Don't lose sight of him!"
"You don't have to tell me twice!" Barry barked back. before he chuckled. "My soul's tingling with excitement- just like before when I was on the hunt-"
"Hey Barry!" Al yelled from inside the car, the memory from three years ago still fresh in his mind. "If you even think about trying to kill anyone, my brother'll kick your ass again!"
"Er- got it!" the armored man squeaked in fear as he kept on his bodys' trail.
"It's heading towards the city," Lt. Hawkeye remarked. "It won't do to draw attention to ourselves."
"Those are the people that brother saw in Lab no. 5," Al explained, "and LL was abducted by another guy with the same tattoo named Greed in Dublith."
"He was a Homunculus, and I think it's a safe bet that the ones that blackmailed Mr. Hughes are also Homunculi."
This was enough to distract Col. Mustang and he accidentally smashed into Barry from the side, who gave a shriek of surprise before yelling with incredulity, "What're you trying to do, kill me?! I'm walkin' here!"
"Sorry!" the officer snapped back before turning back to the conversation, "You say they're Homunculi?! That's impossi-"
"'Nothing's impossible'," Al said in a low voice. "LL told me Greed said that back in Dublith."
"The one named Envy transformed from a dog into his humanoid form right in front of us, even healing wounds that would have killed a normal person. I thought it was impossible as well, yet it happened right in front of us both. Though I'm sure you'll believe us-"
"I believe you," Lt. Hawkeye told him. "That fat man- I plugged him with as many shots as I could, yet it didn't faze him."
"Well, what can I say?" Col. Mustang asked with a wry grin. "There's so much happening and so many freaks showing up, I don't know what to think!"
Fuu, Ed and Maes walked through the darkness of the outskirts of the city carefully, packs of clothing, food and money of their backs.
They kept going in silence until they saw the car parked near them. Breda and Falman both saluted them before Maes saw Gracia and Elicia sitting side the car. A shaking sob came from his throat and he rushed to them both, scooping his wife and child into his embrace.
"Papa!" Elicia said joyfully as she placed a kiss on his cheek, giggling as the beard tickled her lips.
"Maes... Maes!" Gracia choked, tears falling down her face as she pulled her husband into a kiss.
"I'm so sorry for worrying you both," the bespectacled man got out, tears falling down his face as well.
Ed smiled at the scene, so utterly relieved and Fuus' lips twitched softly. What would have happened if that man had died before?
"Look, I really don't mean to cut the scene off," Breda said, looking honestly reluctant, "but we need to get going right now. I'll be driving you to the border while Falman backtracks back to Central to play the victim of Barrys'."
"I have a friend who will help you over the border when we meet him," Fuu told them.
"Don't worry; we won't let anything happen to you," Ed promised.
"Thank you so much," Gracia said with a grateful smile.
With that, they piled into the car with Breda at the steering wheel and Ed in front while Fuu was in the back seat to watch over Maes, Gracia and Elicia.
"Mama, papa," the little girl mumbled sleepily, "I'm happy."
Both parents felt tears rise into their eyes and hugged their daughter close to them as the car drove away.
"Wait a minute!" Falman shrieked after them. "How the hell am I gonna get back there myself?!"
They had had arrived at the lab and their group was ready to call it a night. However, Barry had other ideas.
"GWA-HA-HA-HA-HA-HA! UWA-HA-HA-HA-HA-HA-HA-HA!" he cackled as he raced through the building, heedless of the shrieks of surprise and confusion.
"Outta my way!" Barry snapped at a man as he barely avoided his blade. "I ain't interested in chopping your meat!"
Where're you, ol' meat of mine? You can't hide from me, not when my soul's leading me right to you.
"An armed killer has entered the building! He has been identified as the homicidal maniac who broke into the west detention facility!" Col. Mustang barked as he led his group inside. "I'll take care of him- security officers, block all of the entrances and exits! Reinforcements are on their way!"
"When did you call the reinforcements?" Al asked the officer.
"I lied," the man said matter-of-factly.
They went further down into the building until they came across a barbed wire double-gate with chains fastened tightly around the links, holding the doors locked. Als' alchemy made quick work and they went through the doors.
"Don't wander in too far," Col. Mustang told them. "Once you've gathered enough information, retreat immediately."
"Understood."
With that, Col. Mustang and Lt. Havoc went in one direction, while Al and Lt. Hawkeye went in another. As the two men ventured further down, the dank smell that had been barely noticeable was now clouding both mens' nostrils.
"Geez, it's like a prison down here," Lt. Havoc remarked as he took off his ski mask before noticing Col. Mustang looking inside a room.
It was similar to a lab, the equipment inside smashed and broken beyond repair, debris littering the floor. A bed with straps and bits of blood beneath it showed that whatever had happened was neither legal nor ethical.
"Not only did they allow Maes Hughes to die but they even allowed intruders to get in this far," a smooth female voice remarked. "What on earth were Gluttony and Envy doing? It seems we've clearly underestimated you lot."
The two men quickly slipped into a fighting stance, both clutching their guns.
"How could you? First you stand me up on our date and then I come to find you down here?"
The same woman LL saw on the train and the same woman who was seen by Russel and Fletcher stood before the two men with a little smirk. "I thought we really had something, Jean."
"Solaris, what're you doing here?!" Lt. Havoc exclaimed, startled that his girlfriend was down there in that too-hot dress.
"You know here?" Col. Mustang said with incredulity.
"But of course," Lust said with a little smile. "Jean and I are dating."
"I don't suppose you knew about that tattoo?" Col. Mustang asked, eyes locked on the tail-eating serpent.
"This is a first for me too, sir."
"I suppose I should apologize for deceiving you," Lust remarked, "though you understand that it's all apart of espionage."
"Well, I can see how she tricked you so easily," the raven-haired officer deadpanned. "You've always been a sucker for big boobs."
Lt. Havoc flinched in shame before a spotlight fell upon him, tears streaming down his face and sparkling in the light as he proclaimed tearfully, "I can't help it- I love 'em!"
"Did you tell her anything at all?" Col. Mustang asked, breaking the moment apart.
"Nothing about work."
"That's right," Lust affirmed. "Your lips were so tightly sealed."
"I'm competent enough to at least keep my work life and private life separate," Lt. Havoc replied.
"... Solaris, right?"
"Merely an alias."
Lt. Havoc didn't miss how Col. Mustangs' expression darkened as he asked, "Did you know Maes Hughes?"
"I did; he was quite a smart man- too smart for his own good," Lust replied, a gleam in her eyes. "I only wish you hadn't stolen the chance to kill him away from me."
A bullet lodged itself into her leg, making her stumble.
"On your knees." Col. Mustang ordered. "Tell me everything you know."
"... I don't think I will," Lust said back, healing the wound and stood up straighter. "It'll take more than that to get me on my knees."
The raven-haired officers' reply to that was to fire again, this time two bullets into her chest and another into her forehead. It drove her back but she still kept on her feet, her head bowed before her body began to heal.
"You're merciless," Lust chuckled as she licked at the blood trickling down her face. "You aren't called 'The Hero of Ishval' for nothing."
Lt. Hacovs' eyes were wide in shock. "You really are a Homunculus-!"
"My, you did your homework, Jean," Lust said with a smile. "As a reward for your hard work, I'll show you something interesting."
At that, her clawed hands went to her chest just underneath the Ouroboros tattoo and ripped the flesh open. Nestled in the sinew and muscle, was a gleaming, bright blood red, stone.
"The Philosophers' stone; the ultimate amplifier of alchemy, a legendary item," Lust said before letting the flesh heal over. "This stone is my heart- that is how the Homunculi came into being!"
"You monster-!" Col. Mustang hissed.
"How rude; you know Maes Hughes called us the same thing," Lust said. "We have the same body and anatomy, the same five senses and emotions as you do. We hold the same love for the parents who gave birth to us."
"We are human."
Lt. Havoc gulped, sweat trickling down his forehead.
"Considering you just showcased your ultimate secret and weakness," Col. Mustang said with a wry smile, "you're not letting us leave here alive, obviously, much less get by you to the next room. Havoc, I know this is sudden, but you're gonna have to dump another one!"
"Geez, I have the worst luck with women," Lt. Havoc muttered, his grip on the gun becoming tighter.
Lust however, sliced apart the firearm Col. Mustang held, barely missing the skin of his neck and side. This didn't deter the raven-haired officer as he slipped on his flame-alchemy glove, barking, "Havoc, cover me!"
"Too slow!" Lust declared as her spear-like fingers slashed apart the pipes and water burst forth, completely soaking the two men. "Now, what will you do with your gloves all wet, hm?"
They ran, with all their might to the door, barely avoiding Lusts' attacks before they both threw themselves against the walls on either side of the door.
"Great, now what?!" Lt. Havoc snapped. "At this rate, those freaky fingers'll slice us up like a loaf of bread!"
"That woman underestimates me- on the contrary, this water is a boon," Col. Mustang said with a calculating look. "Within it, is a supply of hydrogen that I convert to as much flammable gas as I need- not to mention nearly all of it is inside a closed space..."
Lt. Havoc immediately understood what the officer was planned and as Col. Mustang transmuted the hydrogen in the water in the room, the blond tossed his lighter inside with a flicker of flame. A second later, an explosion shook the vicinity- Lt. Havoc nearly being blown off his feet with a startled look and grinding teeth, while Col. Mustang calmly covered his ears and closed his eyes as if he was listening to music.
"Aw man, it won't light- this even a gift from one of my exs," Lt. Havoc griped as he tried to ignite the fluid before turning to Col. Mustang, "Hey could you give me a spark-"
The raven-haired officers' deadpan frown of "Really?" cut him off and made Lt. Havoc remark, "Oh right- can't exactly do even that, can you?"
"Shut up, those things'll kill you!"
The two men went back inside the room, now torched and pretty much every item had been reduced to ash or charred into coal. "Think she burned to death?" Lt. Havoc wondered.
"She was either incinerated or blown to bits," Col. Mustang said before his lips moved against each other and he added, "Definitely incinerated."
"How can you tell?"
"When a human body is burned, the fat dispenses into the air," the flame alchemist explained, his finger ghosting over his lips. "I can tell if there's a freshly burnt body nearby because my lips get sticky from the fat."
"Ew..." Lt. Havoc muttered. "Something you learned in Ishval?"
"Her body must be close- don't underestimate her regenerative abilities," Col. Mustang told him. "Stay sharp."
Lt. Havoc nodded. He never tried to wonder just what kind of hell his superior officer went through on the battlefield. What he knew was that he was one of , if not the, youngest state alchemist there and was one of the lead campaigners. Sometimes, he wondered why he had chosen to follow the man- besides the record of so many kills under his belt, Roy Mustang was a lazy, womanizing, arrogant and ambitious man.
But before he could think of the obvious answer, two spear-like fingers shot out from the debris and pierced Lt. Havocs' torso, leaving behind two imprints and blood trickling out at a rapid pace.
"HAVOC!" Col. Mustang yelled, Lusts' body beginning to regenerate from the ashes.
He reached to his subordinate as he fell to his knees, blood hacked from his throat. "HAVOC!"
"I really have-"
"SNAP OUT OF IT!"
"- the worst luck with women-"
"It's no good," Lust sneered as she was nearly finished. "you're talking to a dead man."
"Shut up!" Col. Mustang snapped as he grabbed the firearms and fired shot over shot into her body, the Homunculi laughing all the meanwhile. "Oh just give up already!" she cackled, even as a bullet lodging into her eye. "It'll take more than anything you can dish out to kill me!"
The raven-haired officer would not be deterred as he smashed his foot down on her arm as Lust pitched backwards onto her back. "The way to save Havoc," he spat as he smashed his hand into her chest where the skin was starting to heal over her Philosophers' stone, "is right here!"
He yanked the blood-red stone from her, the body disintegrating thanks to its' absence and Col. Mustang rushed over his blond subordinate. "Hang in there," he told him, clenching the stone. "I know healing isn't my area of expertise but its' still an alchemy amplifier so-"
His sentence was cut off as something vice-like gripped his arm in place and Col. Mustang was startled to see Lust beginning to regenerate around the stone, her bone and muscle tissue clearly visible.
"Don't you think it's a little rude to a grope a woman you just met," she rasped, "Col. Mustang?"
The next moment, her spear-like fingers slid right through Col. Mustangs' side. He let out a hoarse choke as he felt them inside of him, blood pooling down his side.
"I told you, didn't I?" Lust sneered as she came closer to him all the while sliding her fingers in deeper. "The stone is my heart. We are far closer to the truth than you humans can ever hope to be. In which sense, we are a newly evolved but superior breed of humanity."
As the raven-haired officer slumped to the ground, Lust held the arm she had grabbed from before up and slipped off his flame-alchemy glove. "Don't misunderstand- while you are a prime human sacrifice," she said as she shredded the glove apart, "you can't be allowed to live. Now if you'll excuse me, I'll take care of the other intruders."
"Damn you..." Col. Mustang rasped, his head starting to feel light.
"In the meantime," Lust said, sparing one last look at the two men, "enjoy watching your subordinate die in front of you before you join him."
As her footsteps echoed outside, Col. Mustang tried to reach out to the blond soldier. "Hey Lt- Jean, can you hear me? Come on, answer me" he rasped before his voice got louder in desperation. "Dammit, dammit, I won't let- not before I change this country, not before I get answers! You can't just go and die before I do, dammit!"
"JEAN!"
Before the two, were two gates with an array of transmutation circles on them, with the sun and moon pictured with them. Barry stood over his own body, a rancid smell in the air.
"What is this stench-?" Lt. Hawkeye hissed, covering her nose and mouth. "Rotting meat-?!"
"Heh- sorry you had to see me like this," Barry chuckled before his voice became more morose. "My body's rotting away right in front of me, thanks to those bastards who put a foreign soul in my body and causing two entirely different individuals to conflict with one another; it's only natural."
If Al still has eyes, they'd be wide as dinner plates. His soul was bound to a suit of armor- while inanimate, it was still a foreign object with a foreign soul attached to it!
There's no guarantee that we'll reach our goal before then... Brother, LL-!
Lanfan looked startled as the Homunculi grabbed a hold of her sash to keep her in place. "Tsk-!"
"About time!" Envy grinned with triumph. "Gotcha!"
The next moment, Lins' sword came flying and slammed into Envys' rib cage from the side. Lanfan took his opportunity to grab the handle and slash out his entrails. Envy gave a hoarse cough as blood was hacked through his mouth.
"Lanfan!" Lin yelled at her as he frantically ran away from Gluttony. "Toss me my sword! Please!"
"My lord!" Lanfan exclaimed before throwing the blade to him, the Xingese prince catching the weapon and lashing it through Gluttony and cutting him in half, only for the Homunculi to immediately put himself together again and regenerate.
"This is starting to get really old," Lin said with a sweat-drop as the two Homunculi tried to recover. "Look, just surrender, okay? I promise we'll treat you kindly."
Envy spat out the blood in his mouth before noticing a few people had begun to gather around them, carious at the spectacle. "Well lookee here, Gluttony- we've got ourselves an audience."
"Can I eat them?" the Voracious being asked eagerly.
"No. You can swallow them whole."
Gluttony blinked at that before his expression became twisted in an eager and malevolent sneer. "The on-lookers..."
Lin and Lanfan shivered at the presence. "These two brain surgeons..."
Envys' eyes gleamed and a grin spread on his face as red crackled around him. "Anyone else who lays eyes on us," he proclaimed, "devour them all!"
WHAT DO YOU THINK YOU ARE DOING?!
The four stopped as they heard the voice echoing, though normal humans couldn't hear such a voice. "Pride?!" Envy exclaimed in disbelief. "Why're you here?!"
Not only have you failed to complete your mission and oust yourself in a pathetic display for all to see, the voice said, but you even allowed trespassers into our hideout!
Envys' eyes widened. "Wha- people- in our home-?!"
You have been too careless, the voice continued. You and Gluttony will retreat for now.
"But-"
Silence, you impudent brat! the voice spat in contempt. Or would you rather make yourself into an even more pathetic sight?
The Jealous being grimaced but knew he had lost for now. "Come on Gluttony," he said to the other before turning back to Lin. "You got lucky- if I wasn't being called back, I'd have killed both of you."
"Really now," Lin said with a smirk. "I beg to differ."
Envy didn't reply but left the scene with Gluttony, leaving behind several very confused on-lookers and two serious Xingese. Lanfan noticed nothing different about her lord until she saw a bead of sweat trickle down. "Prince-?"
"GAH!" the prince exclaimed, his face broken in a sweat. "WHAT THE HECK WAS THAT?!"
"F-forgive me, my prince!" Lanfan apologized. "I allowed the secret of immortality to escape our grasp."
"We'll have another chance soon enough- I don't know about you, but those guys are definitely hiding something," Lin told her with a wry grin. "There was definitely more of them as well."
He wiped some of the sweat away. "As I thought- this country is just full of interesting people!"
Another pair of footsteps echoed in the space, and Al, Lt. Hawkeye and Barry turned to see Lust enter the room.
"Heh- you finally show up, eh Lusty?" the armored man sneered.
A scowl crossed Lusts' face. "I see now- this was all a trap, wasn't it? But why would you cooperate with Col. Mustang?"
"Heh, you still don't get it do you? There's no way I'd be content to stay working as you guys' underling. But just being on the streets sure doesn't make me breathe any easier if I know you guys exist," Barry explained, pointing his cleaver at the Homunculus. "So the only way to get back what I have of my life left, you all have to disappear. That, and just really want to shop you to pieces!"
The Lascivious being sighed. "You are so troublesome. You are as well, armored boy. I can't believe we have to kill two human sacrifices in one night- how annoying."
"'Human sacrifice'? 'Candidates'?"
"Indeed- you and another."
"Quit actin' like I ain't here!" Barry yelled as he shot over to Lust. "I wanna here your death cry- don't be shy now!"
But he wouldn't be able to come even close to her as Lusts' fingers sliced apart Barry and sent his armor clattering against the floor in pieces. "I hate annoying men," she remarked. "So, who wants to be first? The armored boy, or the Lt.? You seem like a good, loyal dog and you'd be joining your superior too."
"... wait a minute."
Lt. Hawkeyes' expression was still the same but there was tremor in her voice that startled Al. "When you said you had killed two more of them-"
Lust kept walking forward, past Barrys' ruined armor, her footsteps never faltering.
"It can't be- He- You couldn't have-"
A sneering smirk graced Lusts' lips in response. Al didn't know whether or not to believe the Homunculus in front of him but at the same time, she wasn't a pushover either. But he wasn't able to analyze any further because of what broke the silence.
"YOU BITCH!" Lt. Hawkeye screamed and grabbed her gun, firing into Lusts' body.
She kept going until the gun had run out of bullets and pulled out one her firearms and continued firing. Al could only watch as the normally stoic officer kept firing, her shouts of grief and rage barely audible over the guns. His body and his mind felt oddly detached and his stomach was curling cold as Lt. Hawkeye kept going until her last gun clicked with no bullets left.
Lusts' body healed all the same and she asked in a bored tone, "Are you done?"
Lt. Hawkeyes' angry expression trembled as she realized the utter pointlessness of the situation but even more bearing on her back, was that her officer, Col. Roy Mustang, was gone. With that fresh in her mind, her expression morphed into one grief and tears slid down her face. The blonde slumped to her knees, sobbing weakly.
"Such a sad and weak creature," Lust remarked as she stepped forward. "Another typical human."
She walked towards the blonde with all intent to kill but Al stepped between them. "Stand up, Lt. Hawkeye. You need to get out of here."
"Do you want me to kill you first?" Lust sneered, only for her to gasp in surprise as Al clapped his hands and formed a spear.
"I see- so you opened the Gate," she remarked. "Such a shame to kill off such a perfect candidate though."
At that, her fingers sliced through Als' spear and then pierced his jaw. He quickly grabbed a hold of the fingers to hold her in place. "Lt., go!"
"Stand back, boy!" Lust spat as her fingers dragged on the ground towards them. "That woman wants to die!"
However, Al was right in front of them again and used his arm to catch the spear and his other arm to hold Lust in place.
"Listen to me, Alphonse," Lt. Hawkeye choked. "Just get out of here and save yourselves."
"No."
"Please run from here."
"I won't!"
"Just go!" Lt. Hawkeye begged them both, tears running down her face.
"I WON'T LEAVE YOU! If you think you can just collapse on the ground and throw everything away when there's still people who need you, thes you're wrong! I won't just stand aside and let someone get killed not if I can protect them!" Al proclaimed, even as Lusts' spear like fingers ended up slicing apart his jaw and right arm.
"I like what you said- I couldn't agree more."
The four occupants' eyes widened in simultaneous surprise and shock before Al moved first by clapping his hands as he threw himself in front of Lt. Hawkeye and created a circled wall around them right before flames billowed inside the room, Lusts' startled screams echoing as she was burned to a crisp.
"All war is deception. Think your enemy has a weakness and it becomes his strength. Remember that," Roy Mustang spat from where he stood, the hand with the flame transmutation circle carved onto his skin brandishing Lt. Havocs' lighter."You're finally on your knees, Homunculus!"
"Col.-" Lt. Hawkeye choked as she tried to reach for him.
"NO!" Al shrieked at that, holding the blonde woman to them as Col. Mustang let out another sheet of flames and smashed Lust into the ground.
"How?!" she rasped in anger and pain and disbelief. "You should have bled to death-"
"I came close to passing out two or three times from the pain, but I successfully sealed the wound closed," Col. Mustang spat, his hand resting on the burn scars on his side.
Lust was about to snarl but Col. Mustang cut her off with another attack, making her scream in agony.
"You said that it would take more than what we can dish out to kill you," Col. Mustang remarked before his gaze and face became colder than ice and harder than steel. "So in that case, I'll just keep killing you until you stay dead."
If Al still had his body he would be shivering at that, now understanding just how he came to have the title of "The Hero of Ishval". The next minute seemed to pass like an eternity, the armored boy not able to block out Lusts' screams of agony and it only became worse when she was flattened against the wall, her fingers scraping at it like a deranged cat and the billows of the flames.
Then, Lust gave an enraged scream and threw herself at Col. Mustang. But the mans' expression never wavered as he sent one more bust of flames at her, consuming the Homunculus one last time. Ed, Al and Lt. Hawkeye peaked out to see that Lusts' body was beginning to disintegrate.
"You win," she rasped, a smile on her face. "I never enjoyed losing, but there are worse ways to die."
"Your eyes of ice and steel- I love them," she whispered, almost as if she was speaking to a lover- Col. Mustang was unmoved. "I can't wait to see them become clouded with anguish and suffering."
"That day... will come... very... soon."
Her body turned to ash and even then it disappeared, her philosophers' stone clinked against the ground and disappeared. Col. Mustang then fell to his side with a hiss of pain and broke the spell.
"Col.!" Lt. Hawkeye cried out as she rushed to his side, Al right behind her.
"Are- are you all right?" Col. Mustang rasped as he looked up at her.
"Forget about me, sir- we need to get you help!"
The raven-haired officer looked up at the armored boy with a tired but grateful smile. "Thank you, Alphonse. Thank you for protecting my subordinate."
"It's fine, really- we'll get you a doctor as soon as possible!" Al promised.
"Oh right," Col. Mustang said, his eyes closing in pain and his expression becoming pleading. "Please- get Havoc a doctor. Hurry."
Barry gives a sigh of relief from where he was on the floor. He may be in a tight spot, what with him in pieces. But if someone would find him and put him back together, then he'd be right as rain!
"Oog- Oog!"
Barry freezes as he hears the strangled rasps coming from his own mouth and sees his body dragging itself over to him. Wait, what the hell is he even doing? He should be dead, that soul isn't stable enough-
He sees his own tear-stricken face with a happy smile on his lips as he is picked up. Stop, what is he doing?! Doesn't he know who he's dealing with?! He's Barry the Chopper, the terror on Central!
He feels claws on the metal, coming closer to his soul-
Then a sword goes through his bodys' head before slicing off the top part. Fuehrer King Bradley looms above him, his single eye gleaming and Barry wishes wholeheartedly that he was dead.
Scrape. Scrape. Scrape.
Nina perked up at the sounds near the stairs. It was nearing midnight of the fourth night she was waiting for LL. She was on her last bits of stamina for the day, as the time she was spending to meet him was taking its' toll on her. However, she snapped with full awareness when she heard the scraping footsteps getting closer and closer.
When the person who was walking held that familiar silhouette, an excited grin spread on Ninas' face and she hollered into the house, "Everyone, come quick! LL's back! Come down, everyone! Hurry!"
By the time that Izumi, Sid, Mason and three sleepy chimera came out, LL was nearly to the door, his footsteps dragging. That was when Ninas' grin faltered as she realized something was wrong. LL was walking like someone who was dead on their feet, she had heard enough of her fathers' half/ full asleep walking to tell otherwise.
When LL stepped into the porch light, Ninas' concern was confirmed, as LL looked downright exhausted, but everyones' eyes fell to where his left arm used to be, his clothing covered in blood. The little girl immediately ran to the older male despite the others' protects and clutched at his clothing, heedless of the caked blood beneath her hands or the revolting smell of said blood, putrid flesh and other bodily fluids.
However, LL wordlessly set her to the side with a gentle hand of her head (leaving behind some bits of blood on her hair) as he kept going forward until he was in front of Izumi.
"All is the world... one is me."
Izumi was silent, staring at LL in silent shock before the ravenet fell forward. Nina and Martel both quickly set out an arm to catch LL, whose eyes had rolled into the back of his head before closing.
"Get him inside, now!" the housewife barked.
Loa quickly went over to the ravenet and scooped LL up into his arms effortlessly. Dorchet was still sleep deprived and nearly knocked backwards when everyone came rushing back in.
"Mason, get any bandages and cloth you can find. Martel, start boiling water- we need to clean this wound and him as fast as possible. Sig, bring out the medical kit and our sharpest knife; this isn't a clean cut! Nina, bring a blanket to keep him going into shock!" Izumi barked out to each person as Loa set LL on the table while Dorchet began to pull off his bloodied clothes.
Nina raced upstairs into the room that LL used to occupy and grabbed the blanket on the bed before racing back down. The dog-chimera felt bile rise into her throat as she surveyed the damage of her friends' arm as Dorchet pulled off his shirt and began working on his pants. LLs' arm was gone, the cut off of the stump was badly damaged, putrid skin visible beneath badly wrapped bandages.
"What the hell did you do to yourself," Dorchet growled as he fought not to look at the sickly black and brown skin, blood and pus that had stained the bandages before he successfully stripped LL down, "you damned fool?"
Martel, Mason and Sig quickly brought back the supplies while Izumi checked out his arm before setting a wooden kitchen knife handle between LLs' teeth, draping the blanket Nina gave her over his naked body as Sig gave her the knife. "The skin's becoming infected; at this rate, I'll have to take off the rest of the arm. Hold his arm, legs and head down.
Dorchet gripped LLs' remaining arm, Mason and Sig gripped his legs and Martel kept his head in place as Izumi set the knife onto LLs' skin and began to cut inside. Nina flinched as LL let out a low, stiffed sob of pain through the wooden handle as the steel slid through muscle, sinew and the bit of bone.
Click. Clack. Click. Clack.
LL stood around the gears once more. He still didn't remember when he came to this place, when he allowed himself to fall unconscious or if he had even been moving or not when came to his sight.
He looked back at the space where his arm used to be. "It really is gone," he said softly.
"Don't worry- it will come back in time, but only if you wish it to."
LLs' eyes widened at the voice. It sounded like his but smoother, calmer and held power his did not and he knew who he would face as he whirled around. It was as if he was staring in a mirror- if his reflection was wearing a black turtleneck tanktop, red jacket that came to his midriff, grey slacks and black shoes and his hair wasn't tied back.
"I've wanted to meet you for so long, LL," Lelouch vi Britannia said with a soft smile.
He couldn't believe his own eyes. LL had so many questions- one of them being how the hell he was able to see his own double- but nothing came out, it was as if his voice had been locked away due to shock.
"Do you want to move elsewhere?" Lelouch vi Britannia asked.
"Er- we can?" LL got out.
"If you want to."
"Well, where can I move?"
"That depends; where would you like to be at this very moment?"
LL thought about the places he had seen so far in Amestris but the one that stuck in his mind the most was-
The next moment, the gears became muddled and LL was amazed to see the scene morphing into something else. About a minute later, the countryside of Resembool appeared all around them.
"Say, do you really want to look like that when the others come around?" Lelouch vi Britannia asked, eyeing LLs' bloodied and ragged coat and clothing.
LL frowned at "others" but nonetheless closed his eyes in concentration and the next moment he was wearing just the black turtleneck, dark green jacket, grey pants and bark brown lace-up boots he wore underneath his coat. However, his arm still remained missing as his empty sleeve proved.
"This must be a dream," LL said softly. "That's the only way this could possibly be happening."
"It is and it isn't," Lelouch vi Britannia explained. "While you are unconscious at the moment thanks to that suicidal trick you pulled in the Briggs Mountain, your soul is elsewhere- Right now, you are inside the World of C, the worlds' consciousness. Think of it similar to a giant Philosophers' stone, if you will."
LL blinked, wondering where he had heard that before he remembered. "You- I talked about it with him, that Suzaku person!" he realized. "We were discussing Zero Requiem-"
Lelouch vi Britannia shook his head. "LL, you never talked with Suzaku. I was the one who spoke of it with him."
"But- my memories were wiped away!" the raven-haired teen exclaimed. "I've been receiving flashes of when I was Lelouch vi Britannia-"
He shook his head again. "LL, listen to me."
"You were never Lelouch vi Britannia. From the moment you arrived in Amestris, before you met Edward Elric, you were always LL. Always."
I'm so sorry these chapters took so long to get out. For the past month and a half, I've been adjusting to my job and my work is the type you have to bring home with you.
Also "don't play fucking dumb" and "great, they're multiplying" was borrowed from None Piece episode 7. PurpleyzedWTF is an interesting person.
I am so sorry about any of you who were confused when you read this chapter- I don't know how, but some of the edits didn't stick when I saved it and some of the original plot were still left over. Originally, Ed and Al would accompany Lt. Hawkeye before I had him join Maes. I'm so sorry :(
