"WHAT?!" the demon king screeched, "SHE BROKE IT?!" Pride didn't even flinch as the demon shouted at him. However, Envy did from where he had been sitting on a pipe, far away. Wrath moved back defensively as well, but Gluttony was to distraught at the loss of his Lust to be able to do or say much.

"L-Lust…"he whimpered pathetically, wrapping his arms around himself, "I want my Lust…"

Envy looked away from him, once again focusing on the scene before him. He was glad he hadn't been the one to deliver the news to the demon.

"Yes. Unfortunately, the sword had been damaged in his battle between Lust and the son of Satan," he repeated grimly, "they managed to leave with the remains of it."

Astaroth roared in fury, grabbing Pride by the shirt and holding his small form up. He glared daggers at the homunculus. "You little runt!" he snarled, "WHY DIDN'T YOU DO ANYTHING?! YOU COULD HAVE STOPPED THEM!" Astaroth wanted to rip his head off. He and his father had waited for centuries to find this kind of opportunity to enter the mortal realm...and these imbeciles ruined everything! He wanted to see them suffer...he wanted to see them all screaming as their insides were turned to soup and their bodies rotted away before their very eyes. He had half a mind to do that to the homunculus in his hands at this very moment, but he was stopped as he was suddenly pierced with a spike through his shoulder.

"That's enough, Astaroth," Father said, narrowing his eyes at him, "You are here to serve me, and I do not appreciate you manhandling one of my strongest children. Now let go of Pride and let him finish explaining."

Astaroth gritted his teeth. He was sick of this. He was sick of playing servant. Oh how he longed to rip the man's face off. However, he had to keep up appearances. If there was any chance he could still use them to reach their goal, he needed to restrain himself. Besides...father was a formidable opponent. More than a match for him anyways. "I apologize, Father, sir," Astaroth said in the most humble voice he could manage, while releasing the smaller homunculus, "Please, do continue…"

Pride glared at him before dusting off his shirt. "As I was about to say," he said, "I couldn't interfere without revealing myself. Then we would lose our best form of reconnaissance on them. Speaking of which, although the sword has been damaged, I heard Mustang say he was going to fix the sword. Although he may not have the means himself, he may have outside help from the one that brought the boys here in the first place."

Astaroth nodded, still glaring at the homunculi, but ultimately relieved. They still had a chance. their plan could still work. He just had to keep his temper under control...

….

Riza sat next to Roy who was lying in a hospital bed. Her leg was crossed and she was reading a book, but every so often she would glance over to him impatiently and he foot twitched rhythmically. They met Yukio once they arrived at the hospital and they got Rin into a special room where Yukio prepared some kind of circle on the floor beneath Rin's bed. He explained that it was some kind of containment circle incase he went berserk again. It wouldn't hold him indefinitely, but it would give them more than enough time to knock him out again. Riza gain some comfort in that, enough to leave him alone while she waited for Roy to wake up.

She had already had the basics of the situation explained to her by Yukio. She was pleased to find the truth of their lives wasn't too far off from what she had been told: their father was a monster and they were given to Roy to escape persecution. However, some key details had been left out. For instance, their father was literally a monster, and they hadn't just hopped over to another country, but a different dimension. She had also learned why Roy wouldn't think she would have believed him: up until hours ago, she wouldn't have been able to see any of these demon creatures. Yukio proved this by showing her Kuro.

To say that she had been stunned would be a bit of an understatement, but in truth, she supposed it all made sense. Why Roy would sometimes glance around a room warily, why Hayate was absolutely petrified of the cat, and so on. But she still had questions for the man, and so she sat beside him, waiting for him to wake up.

She heard a light groan as he stirred. She closed her book and turned to him as he slowly woke up.

He blinked awake and looked up at her. "Riza?" he questioned, blinking blearily, "Where…" He trailed off as he slowly sat up.

"You passed out as we got out of the basement, Sir," she explained, "You were brought here via ambulance."

Roy nodded before his eyes widened. "Where's Rin?" he questioned.

"Still unconscious and currently locked up in a room in some kind of barrier circle," she said. Roy nodded. There was a momentary pause before anyone spoke again.

"So...I assume you're here for more than just to check up on me…" Roy said, preparing himself for what she was going to say.

"Yes, although Maes and Yukio explained most of it, I still have some questions for you...along with some other strong words," she said.

Roy sighed and looked away. "Alright…" he said, "Let's get the worst part over with first…"

Riza glared at him. "I don't appreciate you treating this with such little care, Sir," she said, crossing her arms as he turned to him, "You've been lying to me about these boy for years, this isn't some simple matter!"

"I know," Roy said, "But you wouldn't have understood-"

"I could have if you had shown me," she said, "You could have let Kuro scratch me or something if you needed! I could have helped you, or least have been better equipped to protect myself. If you knew we were fighting demons, you should have explained this all to us, first thing! What if one of those things goes after Breda, Havock, Fuery, or Falman? How are they going to defend themselves?"

"I didn't want to give you a temptant for several reasons," Roy said, "First of all, a temptant is more than just a flesh wound. There can be all sorts of side effects depending on the demon. With certain fire demons the feeling of burning won't stop until specially treated. With the wound you received, it will almost immediately become infected unless you're given holy water like I did for you." "And secondly…" he said, "Demons are more attracted to those with temptants. I didn't want you or the others becoming targets."

Riza's eyes softened slightly, but she didn't immediately forgive him. "Well, we're targets now, so there's no point in hiding anything," she said, "Besides…We promised to watch each other's backs. I can't do that if I can't see the danger coming."

Roy looked up into her eyes. They held each other's gaze for a moment. He then smiled. "I'm sorry, lieutenant," he said, "I won't keep you from keeping your promise in the future."

She nodded in response. "So now I have a few more questions for you," she said, "That 'experiment' that attacked us, what was it really?"

Roy looked down. "It's a creature called a neberious," he explained, "It's an artificial demon created by sewing different parts of other demons together. I believe Shou was the one that made it, but the designs aren't originally his."

"How fitting," Riza muttered, "And what of Tucker? What is he actually?"

"He's being possessed by a powerful demon called Astaroth," he explained, "Astaroth is the demon king of Rot. There are eight in total."

Riza furrowed her brow but nodded. "And what of the person that attacked and captured Rin and Edward?" she questioned, "Did you know who he was?"

Roy sighed. "Sort of…" he admitted, "That was Amaimon, the demon king of Earth."

Riza's eyes widened slightly. "Sir how many of these kings are we fighting?" she questioned.

"Only one so far," he assured, "From what I understand, Amaimon isn't something we have to worry about. He was just retrieving Rin and Edward for his brother. Fullmetal apparently owed him a favor."

Riza raised her eyebrow. "And who is this brother?" she asked, "Do I need to worry about him?"

"I don't think so," Roy said, "His name is Mephisto Pheles, a demon who rules over time and space. He can be a real pain in the ass at times, but he has also been very helpful."

"I think Yukio mentioned him…" Riza noted, "Wasn't he the one who brought the two over the through the gate in the first place?" Roy nodded. "Does that mean he's on our side?" she questioned.

"I'm afraid I don't know that," Roy responded with a sigh, "From what I understand of demons, they never do things out of the goodness of their heart. He wouldn't be helping us if he didn't have something to gain. Due to his recent actions, I'm thinking he's got a separate agenda."

Riza frowned and looked away for a second before her last question came to mind. "What was the favor he had Ed perform?" she asked.

"Apparently, Mephisto brought more people through the gate and he's looking after them," Roy explained.

Riza's eyebrows touched her forehead. "How many?" she questioned.

Roy shook his head and shrugged. "Can't say. I do know they're exorcists, though whether they're here to help us specifically I don't know. For all I know he could just be having him teach them alchemy so he has access to it back in Assiah."

Riza nodded. There was a pause before she spoke again. "There was another reason why I was waiting for you to wake up," she admitted, "Rin's sword. It still needs to be fixed. We were waiting for you because you know the most about it. Do you think you can stand and walk around?"

Roy grimaced but nodded. He didn't know how helpful he could be, but he had to at least try. He bit his lip as he got up, still very sore despite being healed with alkahestry, and Riza helped him to the door. He walked on his own from then on, his steps filled with both a purpose and apprehension. If there was a god out there, he hoped he was listening, because despite his calm demeanor, Roy was desperately praying that they could fix this.

…

Yukio tapped his fingers on his desk as he filled out paperwork. He glanced to the side every s often to look nervously back at his brother, who was still lying unconscious in the hospital bed. Al was sitting silently beside him. Rin hadn't even twitched once. The only indication he was even alive was his shallow breathing. That was never a good sign. It made him more worried that he wouldn't wake up rather than what would happen if he did.

Although he was able to keep up a calm presence, on the inside he was terrified by this whole situation. He rubbed his eyes with his gloved hand as he felt the weight of his tiredness take hold. He didn't know how much longer he could keep this up. He had no idea what was going to happen. The sword wasn't just a method of reigning in Rin's powers, but a part of his being. If it was damaged beyond repair, what did that mean for Rin? He didn't want to think about it, but it was all he was capable of thinking about at the moment.

He remembered how he felt when he first came in. He had frozen in shock when he saw Rin's limp form. Though he peaceful in this state, it was disturbing to see his brother so...inhuman. And that chi he emitted...it had been unsettling before but now...just standing close to him made him feel like running away and hiding, even when passed out.

Yukio finally gave up trying to distract himself. He turned in his swivel chair to look at his brother, resting his chin on his folded hands, as he did so, he went over all their options in his head. There weren't many, as he didn't even know where to begin to start with this. However, he knew which option they had to avoid at all cost...killing him. Yukio didn't know what he would do if it came to that. At the same time he didn't know how he could let him live in such a state. Beyond him being dangerous, there was no telling how the damage to the sword was affecting him otherwise. Who knows what pain he was in.

All of a sudden there was a click as the door opened Yukio turned to it and smiled for the first time in a while as he saw his father step through the door. "Dad," he breathed, "You have no idea how happy I am that you're finally awake…" He had been terrified when he had found out that Roy had been stabbed. Thankfully his wound had been an easy fix, but it still had given him quite the scare.

"I agree," he said, "I don't know how long I was out, but I hope nothing happened during that time."

"Rin hasn't moved an inch if that's what you're wondering," Yukio explained, though his look was concerning, "His breathing has been shallow and he hasn't moved a muscle."

Roy frowned, concern deep in his eyes. "Then we better get started on figuring this out…" he muttered, "What ideas do you have so far?"

"Not many I'm afraid," he said, "But we do understand that if we want to fix the sword we'd have to completely remake it, correct?"

Roy nodded grimly. "We'd have to melt it down and reshape it," he said.

Riza folded her arms. "I don't suppose you know a reliable blacksmith…" she thought aloud.

"I don't think there's a blacksmith in the world who could help us…" Roy said, "Beyond trust, I don't know if there's a special process that goes into making a demon slaying sword."

They all stood around in silence, trying to contemplate what to do next. Do they try to get in touch with Mephisto? Do they have a regular blacksmith take a look? Or do they just give up and leave Rin like this, hoping for the best? To be honest, not of their options looked good. The situation seemed desperate. That is until Al spoke up.

"Hey…" he said, "I know this may sound stupid, but…" he started, "What if we put it back together using alchemy?" They were all quiet as the realization dawned on them. Why hadn't they thought of that? Al took their silence as disbelief at his suggestion and bowed his head. "I know it's a little too simple..," he said, "But I know how to transmute without a circle now, so I might be able to fix it…Plus we have all the pieces..."

"It's not stupid Alphonse…" Roy interjected, "It's just none of us had thought of that yet...surprisingly…" He brought a hand to his chin. "I suppose it could work…" he thought aloud, "At least we could keep it from getting any worse…"

"It's worth a try," Riza said with a shrug, "It can't exactly make things worse."

Yukio and Al nodded before Yukio brought the sword out from where it had been hidden and set it on the floor. "Whenever you're ready Al," Yukio said.

Al knelt down in front of it, hesitating slightly. He really hoped this would work. He wanted Rin back to normal. He never wanted to see Rin like how he had been ever again. He had been terrifying...like a monster. Even when Roy had calmed him down it had felt like he could snap again at any second. All he wanted was to see Rin smile again and joke around like a normal person. And so he steeled himself as he clapped his hands, hoping for the best as he touched the sword.

Alchemic lighting sprung forth from it, and the sword melded back together into its original shape. As soon as it finished stitching itself back together, it suddenly burst into blue flames. Al reflexively jumped back. Small embers emerged from Rin's form and grew slightly. For the first time for the past eight hours, he groaned in his sleep and his eyes fluttered for a moment. Everyone present in the room sucked in a breath and slowly released it afterwards as they watched Rin's breathing become more regular.

"Well that means it at least helped…" Roy sighed.

"Now to see if it worked completely," Yukio said as he picked up the sheath and slowly slid the sword inside. As he did so, the flames dispersed and Rin's ears and fangs shortened considerably. Roy, Al, and Yukio sighed in relief.

"Thank God," Yukio said, "It worked…"

Riza frowned. "No it didn't…" she said, "His ears, tail and fangs are still there…just less prominent…"

"Don't worry, those don't go away," Yukio explained, "They've been there since Rin first opened the sword and will still be there for a long time. They're permanent." Riza nodded in understanding. Then Yukio frowned. "Speaking of permanent…" he said quietly as he cupped his elbows with his hands, "I'm afraid Uncle Jean may not be able to return to service…"

Roy's brow furrowed as he looked at him in confusion. "What are you talking about?" he questioned.

"His stab wound…" Yukio elaborated, "It shattered a vertebrae and cut right through his spinal cord…It is highly unlikely he'll be able to walk again." Everyone in the room's eyes were filled with disbelief, particularly Roy.

"Wait," he said, stepping forward, "Can't you use your alkahestry to heal him?"

Yukio shook his head sadly. "With alkahestry, I can do a lot, but I have no idea how to fix nerves. Something like that would take decades of practice and research," he said sadly, "I'm sorry…"

Roy looked down at the ground, guilt filling him. "No," he said, "Don't apologize. It's not your fault. If it's anyone's, it's mine. If he hadn't come with me this wouldn't have happened, and when he wakes up I'll be the one to tell him. It's the least I can do."

Yukio looked surprised but Riza wasn't. "You sure you want to do that Dad?" he questioned.

Roy nodded. "He's one of my men. I lead him into battle. It's my responsibility," he explained.

Yukio nodded. "Alright," he said, "I don't think he's awake yet. I'll let you know when he or Rin wakes up." With that, the two headed out the door and down the hall.

Yukio and Al were left alone in the room. They stood in awkward silence for a moments before Yukio spoke again. "You're still worried, aren't you?" he questioned.

Al turned to him for a second before looking down and nodding.

"Yukio...what if this happens to him again? What if we can't calm him down?" Al questioned, clenching his fists. "What are we going to do?" he asked looking up at the twin.

Yukio sighed, his eyes weary. "I don't know, Alphonse," he said, "I don't know how we could go about preventing something like this from happening...but I don't believe we'll be unable to stop it." "We know what to do next time, and we can be prepared…" Yukio said, "We just have to remember that Rin cares for us as much as we do for him, no matter what. We can't judge him by this."

Al nodded. "I know...and I care about him too. I know he would never knowingly attack us like that. To be honest, I know he would even risk his life for Ed and me," he said, "...but I still feel scared."

Yukio placed a sympathetic hand on Al's shoulder. "Trust me Al," he said, "you aren't the only one who's worried…"

….

Envy walked down the hall grumbling to himself. Stupid Wrath...he wouldn't even punish them for sneaking into the lab. He knew they had to keep them alive, but it was like he didn't even care that the brat killed Lust! Envy clenched his fists. While he had never been very mushy gushy close with any of his family members, he and Lust were fairly close. He genuinely enjoyed her company. She understood him better than even father. But now she was gone. That brat burned her alive, and Wrath wouldn't even let him off one of the kid's friends as just desserts. Seriously, how bad would it really be if he killed the Havock guy under the cover of night? He would be in and out in a matter of minutes and then get to enjoy their sorrow the next morning, but nooooo….

Envy continued to brood as he skulked through the labyrinth they called home. As he passed one room he heard a loud thunk and gluttony yelp in pain. Envy paused mid step in confusion. He backed up slightly and peered into the room just in time to see the demon king throw Gluttony across the room. He could see Pride watching the interaction lazily, legs hanging over the side of one of the pipes, but he didn't look apt to move from his spot to break it up. "You will not touch either of them!" the demon king growled as he approached them, "You can eat any other sacrifice, but if you take one bite out of those boys I will make sure you wished you were never born!"

Gluttony crawled up, hurt, anger, and confusion clear in his beady eyes. "But...he killed Lust!" the homunculus protested, "He took my Lust from me! Can't I hurt him a little bit?"

"NO!" he growled forcing Gluttony to the ground with the back of the homunculus's neck beneath his boot. He then lowered himself down close to the homunculus's ear. "You listen here and you listen good," Astaroth snarled, "The blood of those boys is worth ten times more than every soul in your stone combined! If you even think about eating either of them again, I will dice you up and feed you your own entrails until you choke on them, is that understood?" Gluttony whimpered in response and Envy's brow furrowed. While he was never really close with the larger homunculus, he understood that Lust had meant more to him than any of them. And even if he was upset, he could still follow orders, or at least he could make sure he did. He didn't need to be doing this. Envy was tempted to step it when Pride suddenly spoke up.

"That's enough, Astaroth," he said, although it was clear from his tone that he didn't care if he continued or not, "I believe he's gotten the message."

Astaroth release the hold his foot had on the back of the homunculus's neck. Gluttony got up and crawled away. As he did so, Pride got down from his perch and began to leave. Envy moved to continue his way down the hall as he saw Pride heading for the exit.

As the oldest homunculus did so, he saw Envy's retreating form. "Hello Envy," he said in his usual cold tone, causing the other homunculus to stop, "Why were you snooping around like a common thief?"

"I live here, I have a right to go where I please," Envy responded, "I should be asking you why you let him do that to Gluttony. You are Pride after all. You'd think you of all people would let him get away with that."

Pride shrugged. "Gluttony needed to remember his place," he responded simply, "His mind is weak and clouded by emotions not unlike humans. And Astaroth is right. We came close to losing the boy and his sword thanks to Lust. We could have even lost two of our sacrifices thanks to her, so we need to be more careful to keep them intact. Gluttony in his current state needed that reminder the most, wouldn't you agree?"

Envy's jaw moved back and forth as he mulled this over. "I guess you're right," he said, "But aren't you a little worried about how he thinks he can boss us around? Doesn't that irk you?"

Pride chuckled slightly. "He may think he has control, but he doesn't," Pride said, "He may be a demon king, but he's no match for father and myself. He doesn't have the same power to touch my shadows, as that anomaly is able to. If he thinks he can act against us, he will be sorely disappointed."

Envy huffed slightly. "Then get him to get off my back," he huffed, "I have a feeling he's only going to get more annoying as time goes on…"

"Yes…" Pride responded, "But once Father has the power of both God and this Satan, we can easily rid ourselves of Astaroth and his master. Even if he does take on one of those boy's bodies, it will still be the body of a human child. Place him at the center of a transmutation circle and we won't have to worry about him anymore."

Envy smirked slightly. It had always been in the plan to eventually turn the tables on the demon, but it was good to get a reminder every once in awhile. It made dealing with him worth it.

Thank you for your patience, you guys. I'm glad to be done with this chapter. Next chapter is going to be fun, hopefully. Depends on whether I intend on cutting it into two parts or not.

Anyways, I hope you enjoyed this chapter! Let me know what you think!