Author's Note: Wow... interesting reviews... XD Enjoy! Man this arc climaxes pretty quickly, doesn't it?

JuniperScaymoore: Ooh, watchin One Piece always makes me happy Woah, you're in Irland? WHY DIDN'T YOU TAKE ME WITH YOU!? I've always wanted to go to Europe!

EdwardElricsFan4Ever: Computers saying bye bye are never good... Did I ever tell you about the time I was almost finished an English essay that I had been working an hour on, then my computer got a bug and shut down just as I was about to finish it... and I lost it... T-T

kyoskitten14: Heh... well, lots of that'll be going on... probably ending in painful experiences for Ed...

Princesa de la Luna: Thanks! I have to say reading fifty chapters probably isn't a small feat... I thank you for reading it!

YourFavouritePlushie: Yeah... I sort of feel sorry for Ed. Saya's temper is going to fall on him alot... that's going to hurt.

kyyrin allorma part faerie: Meh, Saya hates OJ... well, I can't say the same. I like both milk and OJ.

Diminia (anon): Awesome party!! Jeez, you should write some of this stuff in an actual story, like a drabble collection or something. I'd read it, though I still say your mind is strange...

TheCrazyScotswomanOfDOOM: I can't wait to read your story! Write it up soon and send it to me!

Disclaimer: I don't own FMA

Chapter Fifty-One: A Snake's Sacrifice

Martel wrapped her arms around Kimbley and tried to bring her knife don on his throat, but Kimbley grabbed her hand. "Oh? What's this?" he asked mockingly.

"I'll make you pay for the deaths of Greed and my comrades!" Martel growled.

"Kimbley-san! Why are you here?!" Al exclaimed.

"You don't find it odd? After all, I am a State Alchemist."

"You sold us all out and ran back to the military, you son of a bitch!" Martel roared.

Kimbley glanced at Al. "You sure it's alright for her to kill me like this?"

Al grabbed Martel's arms and pulled her off him.

Kimbley rubbed his neck as the two argued ferociously. He turned to the soldier standing there. "You okay?"

"Y… yes…"

Kimbley grinned at him. "You'll make a nice bomb."

"Huh?"

Martel and Al both turned at the sound of the man gasping. His face had turned an ashen-grey. "Kimbley-san!" Al yelled. "What are you doing to him?!"

"I am a soldier," Kimbley replied evenly. "Those who I've killed have no right to hold grudges against me."

Martel broke out of Al's grip and charged towards Kimbley, but he placed the soldier in her way.

"Martel-san!"

Al grabbed her just before the man exploded, jumping out of the second-story hallway into the courtyard. Martel was okay, but knocked unconscious as Kimbley stared down in distaste. "Jeez, and here I thought I'd get to enjoy a nice explosion…" he said, jumping down and putting his foot on Al, "but you had to go and get in the way."

He kicked her off of Martel and reached down for the unconscious woman…

Al stood. "Keep your hands off Martel-san!"

Kimbley grinned. "By 'Martel', surely you don't mean this snake here, do you?"

"Martel-san is a human!"

"That's not what I heard. She's a chimera, barely human or living at all. Same goes for you."

Al charged. "Keep your hands off Martel-san!" Punching, he said, "I won't give you time to transmute!"

Kimbley suddenly faltered under the steady rain of blows. Al seized the opportunity and drew a transmutation circle on the ground, sending rocks blasting towards the sky.

Kimbley smiled. He clapped his hands and put his hand on one of the rocks. "Thanks for providing me with the ingredients," he said mockingly. All of the confidence faded when he suddenly found himself trapped in a stone prison with the rocks that he himself had just transmuted into explosive material…

There was a muffled boom. Al stood. Martel stood behind him, but suddenly one wall caved in and Kimbley, looking worse for the wear, stumbled out. Al glanced at Martel. "Martel-san."

Martel understood. She ran to find a place to hide.

Kimbley fell over. "You little shit…"

Soldiers came marching in, Mustang at their head. Al relaxed. "Colonel…"

Mustang walked up to Archer. "Both Al and his brother are under my command. If you have a complaint, address it to me in writing," he snapped coldly.

"I'm going to blow up that damned armor, I swear I will," was Kimbley's only response.


General Hakuro stared at his superior. "You're going to the front lines Fuhrer?"

The Fuhrer nodded gravely. "I cannot let Lior turn into another Ishbal. We must put an end to it quickly, with as little casualties as possible."

Hakuro looked uncomfortable. "But still-"

"I'd like you to act as Lieutenant Fuhrer while I'm gone," the Fuhrer smiled.

Hakuro's mouth fell open. "M-me, sir?!"

"Yes, you."

Hakuro saluted. "Yes sir!" he said.

Douglas held the door open for the Fuhrer as he walked out, then she followed him. The door closed. Hakuro started doing a little dance. "Lieutenant Fuhrer, Lieutenant Fuhrer!" he crowed.

The door opened again. "Oh, and send my wife a gift. She'll be lonely without me."

Abashed, Hakuro saluted. "Y… yes sir…"

Pride and Sloth walked down the hallway. Wrath emerged from Sloth. "Another city will be annihilated for the sake of the one who seeks the Philosopher's Stone," Pride murmured.


Ed ran down an alleyway, trying to get away from Scar. A red light flashed, and a gas pipe broke in front of him, cutting off his exit.

"If you've come all the way here, then you must know what I'm after," Scar said.

"Yeah," Ed retorted. "You're planning on something stupid like creating the Philosopher's Stone, aren't you?"

Scar glared. "I won't let you get in my way."

Lust watched, and narrowed her eyes. "The Philosopher's Stone…"

Ed stiffened. "There's been something I've been wanting to ask you… four years ago, there was a chimera dog in Central…"

"I sent it to the Kingdom of God," Scar answered.

Ed's eyes widened. "Why did you do that?!"

"What else could you have done for it?"

"That's not something for us to decide!"

Scar regarded Ed for a moment. "Is that all you have to say?"

Ed clenched his fists. "Are you going to kill Rose and the people of this town with that messed-up logic?"

Something like the faintest hint of surprise showed on Scar's face. "You know Rose?"

Ed just glared at Scar as he charged. "I'm going to wake you up!"

Scar grabbed Ed's arm and grabbed his hair with the other hand. Ed ducked out of his wig and took two steps backwards. He charged, slashing with his transmuted arm. Scar grabbed the arm. Red light flared, but nothing happened.

Ed wrenched his arm out of Scar's grip and kicked with his left leg. Scar grabbed it and red light flared again, but nothing happened. His eyes widened in shock and he stepped backwards. "What the hell is going on?"

"You don't understand, even though you're an alchemist?" Ed asked.

"You think I'm an alchemist?!"

"The three steps in alchemy are comprehension, decomposition, and reassembly. You unconsciously figure out the metals used in your opponents, and then fine-tune your technique to destroy them." Ed clapped his hands together. "So I've been replacing my automail with metals other than steel… but doing that screws up the subtle texture of my automail, so I'm going to make this quick!" Ed charged.

He knocked Scar down with a tremendous leap and kicked him in the face. Then he punched Scar twice before picking him up by the collar of his robes. "You idiot! Sacrificing the lives of an entire town just to create the Philosopher's Stone will make you the one people will want revenge on!"

Scar grabbed Ed's arm. "Have you forgotten? I can destroy flesh as well."

Ed's eyes widened. He brought his arm up…

And two black claws impaled it, pinning it to the wall. Lust, Vanity, and Gluttony stood there. "The Homunculi!"

Lust smiled. "You can call me Lust."

"I'm Gluttony."

"Vanity."

Lust's smile grew even sweeter. "Do you understand why we're telling you our names?"

Ed growled. "Because we won't be meeting each other after today!" He clapped his hands together and freed his automail, and broke some gas pipes that opened directly onto them, engulfing them in a cloud of boiling steam.

As the cloud cleared, they stood, burn marks fading from their faces.

Gluttony laughed. "Wow, that was hot."

Vanity tilted her head and looked at Ed reproachfully. "You can't kill us like that, not like you did with Greed," she said teasingly. "Bean."

Ed was struck dumb by Vanity, her appearance, her voice, her manner... A thought too horrible for him to comprehend was forming in his mind… Saya had been one of the Homunculi all along, some sort of double-crosser… His eyes were wide with shock, he fell to his knees.

Scar, ignoring him, stepped forward and glared at Lust. "I am your enemy."

Lust smiled. "As long as you strive to create the Philosopher's Stone, we will protect you. We won't let the boy stop us either."

Scar reached into the folds of his robes and took out a necklace, on which a small charm hung. "Does this bring back any memories? It's something you gave to my brother."

Lust frowned. "What are you talking about?"

Scar thrust his arm forward. "Remember it!"

Lust's eyes suddenly widened as a flood of images broke free in her mind… She fainted.

"Lust!" Gluttony grabbed her. He jumped onto the wall of the building, carrying her. "I hate you! I hate you all!" He ate a hole in the stone and disappeared.

Vanity sighed. "Oh dear…" She waved at Ed. "Perhaps we'll meet again sometime." She followed Gluttony.

Ed was still in shock. "Saya…" he whispered.

Neither of them was expecting a small figure to come hurtling down from the rooftops. Saya flew down from a rooftop, two daggers in her hands as she slashed at Scar's head, who only stepped back just in time. Coming up, she punched Scar in the face. "I'll never forgive you," she growled. "Hurting the people I care about… I'm going to make you pay!"

Ed stared. "Saya… where were you just now?" he asked, his voice shaking.

"The hell you talking about?! I've been running all over the city looking for you! You just disappeared after dear Rose and I couldn't find you anywhere," she growled.

It suddenly occurred to Ed that he had seen Vanity before, in South Headquarters as Izumi was attacking it. Saya had been there with him at the same time he had seen Vanity… Hot relief suddenly rushed through him, making his body tremble for a moment.

Saya was raising her fist to strike Scar again when a voice yelled, "Stop!"

Everyone turned towards the voice. Ed stood. "Rose… and Lyra too?"

"'Listen to him, Ed, Saya,'" Lyra said. She gestured at Rose. "I think that's what Rose-san is trying to say."

Ed's eyes widened. "Rose… you can't speak?"

Rose smiled sadly and shook her head.


They went to a small building that used to be an inn. Rose disappeared upstairs, but Lyra stayed. Scar sat at a table and began to speak…

"A long time ago, when Ishbal was still peaceful, I had an older brother. An intelligent and respectable brother whom I was proud of. He had a beautiful lover. She died from a disease and was all too early given to the God of Ishbal. Overcome by grief, he turned to alchemy to try to bring her back to life, but even after he lost a part of his body… she didn't come back. My brother was exiled. But had my brother succeeded?" Scar clenched the charm in one fist. "That woman named Lust…"

Ed peered at him. "Do you know how the Homunculi are born?" His face darkened. "When someone fails Human Transmutation."

Scar and Lyra gasped. "That reminds me of something Dante told me once," Lyra said. "She said that she created a Homunculus…"

"That was probably Greed. But at that state, they shouldn't survive for long. Someone must be collecting Homunculi like Lust or Envy and giving them multiple lives to control them…"

Scar frowned. "Then it was my brother who created Lust…"

"She has no soul," Saya said bluntly. "She's just someone who looks like the person who failed to come back to life. There's nothing else to it."

Ed went to Scar and opened his hand, taking the charm. "Lust hates this keepsake," he said, opening it. A lock of hair was concealed in it. "Homunculi are paralyzed against parts of their original bodies."

Scar looked down. "Soon after my brother left, we were invaded. We were angered by the sudden attack and retaliated… and then the long, exhausting battle began. My brother returned, saying he could create the Philosopher's Stone, and because we were besieged by war, no one objected. However, my brother abruptly abandoned the research a short time afterwards when he came close to completing it… and now I can understand why."

"At Kisshua, an exiled Ishbalite told me that even in the Great Art, creating the Philosopher's Stone requires a great number of human lives," Ed said.

"That's true," Scar confirmed. "It would require the death of a whole city, or even an entire race. The sorrow, the hate, the anger that is created by all those deaths… when they become one, the Philosopher's Stone is created. The Philosopher's Stone was necessary in order to save Ishbal… but for that to be created, Ishbal had to be destroyed."

Saya involuntarily shivered in repulsion.

Ed glanced at her, then turned his attention back to Scar. "Your brother attempted to transmute the Philosopher's Stone inside his own body…

"The Philosopher's Stone in itself has power," Scar said, clenching his hand. "That's how I managed to survive."

"I see… so that arm in itself is the incomplete Philosopher's Stone."

"In order to complete it, I need more lives."

Ed snapped. "That's no reason to set up Rose as a source of charisma to control the people-"

"Wait," Lyra said. "He isn't going to sacrifice the people of Lior."

"What are you even doing here Lyra?" Ed demanded.

Lyra looked away. "After Dante-san died, I was looking for a place to put my alchemy to good use. Then I came here and learned of Scar-san's plans. Before the fighting begins, the people will escape through a pathway built below the old church. Then the soldiers that will be lured into the town will be…"

Saya stood violently. "There would still be victims!" she snapped. "And not all people in the military deserve to die!" A vivid picture was in her mind… Mustang, Hawkeye, Havoc, Fury, Breda, Falman, those who had cared for her for as long as she could remember. Then others, Ross, Bloch, Armstrong, Hughes… The dream she had once came back to her, an empty town, full of the empty shells of everyone she cared about…

Rose came down the stairs, holding a small infant. He began to cry. Rose rocked him up and down and took him into a small antechamber off the main room.

Scar glared at Saya. "Do you have any idea what they did in this city?"

"What did the military do to Rose?!" Ed demanded.

Scar answered the question, though his gaze remained on Saya, on whose face was a growing horror. She fell to her knees, shaking. She had never liked Rose, but for something like this to happen to her...

Scar confirmed what she had already guessed. "She was captured, and by the time she was returned, she had lost her voice."

Ed suddenly understood. Horror equal to Saya's grew in his face.

"Do you still ask us to forgive the military?" Scar asked bitterly.

Saya slowly got up and walked into the room where Rose was. She tapped her hands together and put a hand on Rose's shoulder. She squeezed it. Rose looked up from feeding the baby, surprised by this act of kindness. She and Saya had not exactly parted on good terms, after all.

Saya smiled gently, squarely meeting Rose's eyes. She kneeled down and touched the baby's feathery black hair. "He'll turn out to be a good man," she said after a moment. She grinned at Rose. "I mean, with such a strong mother to look up to and be proud of, how could he not?"

Tears filled Rose's eyes in gratitude, and she nodded.


After being led to the room they had been given in to sleep, Saya glanced at Ed who had just laid down on his bed the moment they had come in, his back to her. "Things have gotten quite complicated, haven't they?" she said.

Ed didn't answer, though she knew he had heard.

Saya sat on his bed and wordlessly put a hand on his shoulder. Ed stiffened a little, but didn't do anything else.

After a minute, Saya spoke. "Whatever happens, we'll get through it," she said. "I've said it before, haven't I? As long as we keep living, good times will come again."

Ed relaxed, just a little. "Saya…" He sat up, still not facing her. A horrible thought had been forming in his mind ever since he had seen what had happened to Rose. "I was thinking…"

Saya didn't press him. She stayed silent.

"We need to stop Scar. You're right, not everyone in the military deserves to die. But… if I was in the position to create it by doing what he's doing…"

Saya's face darkened. "Ed… you know that I wouldn't let you do that."

"But if it had been you…" He couldn't continue.

Saya sat in shock for a second, before she very slowly and deliberately rounded the bed. She raised her arm and slapped him across the face... hard. "Snap out of it," she ordered. "You can 'what if' and 'but if' yourself to death, that doesn't change the facts."

Without another word, she flicked off the light and lay down on her bed.

A few hours passed, but neither of them could sleep.

Saya finally spoke again. "Ed?"

"What?"

"We could die here, couldn't we?"

Ed sat up. "What's this? This is coming from the one who's always saying we could live through anything."

"I'm not saying we can't," Saya turned to lie on her back. "It's just…" The empty city, the streets lined with bodies, Mustang, Hawkeye, Breda, Falman, Fury, Havoc, Winry, Schezka, the old man who sold her bombs, Al... her mother... and Ed… all of them were...

"What is it? If something's bothering you, hurry up and say it."

Saya sighed. "Never mind. Just try not to die. I've put in way too much time with you to let you go and do something stupid like that."

Ed blinked in surprise, then smiled a little. "Got it. Same goes for you."

"Deal. G'night bean."

"I'm not a bean."

"Whatever... bean."


Al looked through the night and well into the next morning, but he couldn't find Martel anywhere. He groaned. "Ah jeez… I'm getting worried. I want to go pick up Nii-san and Saya-san but I can't just leave Martel here…"

Coming out of the utility closet he had finished searching, Havoc ran past. Al blinked. "Havoc-san!"

Havoc stopped in his tracks. "Oh, Al! Sorry, but I'm in a rush."

"What's wrong? Is there a battle?"

Havoc grimaced. "I have no idea what's going on, but they said the Fuhrer's just arrived."

The whole base had come out to greet the Fuhrer, lined up by rank. They saluted the Fuhrer as he walked into the building. Mustang didn't turn his head, but watched him suspiciously as he entered.

Martel was crawling through the ventilation, army style, when she heard a voice. "The Fuhrer himself coming to see me," Kimbley drawled. "How flattering."

"I want you two to cooperate with me in secret," said the Fuhrer. "Lieutenant Colonel Kimbley, take Tucker-san's chimeras and find your way into Lior."

Kimbley nodded. "I see. So I just do enough damage until they're forced to attack. It's the same strategy we used in Ishbal."

"But there shouldn't be any need to cause that much trouble," Tucker rasped.

"After all, we stand for peace," the Fuhrer reprimanded. "We can explain things better if they attack first. There is also a State Alchemist in Lior, is there not?"

Tucker's eyes widened. "Edward Elric…"

"He's probably been killed. Find his corpse."

Kimbley shrugged. "And if there isn't one, I'll make one."

"It's really too bad," the Fuhrer sighed. "He was promising."

Martel shook with anger as she watched this scene from the opening in the ventilation. If Ed was killed, she knew that Saya would have never allowed that, so if they were planning to kill Ed, that would mean…

The blue-eyed girl shone vividly in her mind, asking for help on her love life, slipping her food, kicking the brothers out of the cart, laughing and smiling…

As the Fuhrer made his way into the hallway again, she dropped down on him and held a knife to his throat. "I won't let you do such a thing," she growled. "You're not going to get away with it like you did in Ishbal. I won't let you kill Ed and Saya either! Now, rescind your order!"

Martel wasn't exactly sure how it happened, but suddenly her knife was knocked out of her hand onto the floor. She scowled and attacked the Fuhrer… but nothing happened. He dodged all her moves just as easily as he had been swaying in the breeze. He suddenly moved in front of her, his eyepatch flying off. "Your agile moves won't work against me… because I have the Ultimate Eye."

The Fuhrer's left eye opened… to reveal the tattoo of Ouroboros where his iris should have been. Martel gasped in horror, then ran for her life. Ed… Al… Saya!!

He followed her at his leisure, drawing his sword as he went.

Al was in the courtyard when Martel found him. "Al, you must tell Ed!"

Al took off his head. "Hurry up and get in!"

Martel wasted no time. She slithered in. "Al, listen to me."

"What's going on?"

"Lior's going to end up just like Ishbal!"

"What?!"

"That man… the Fuhrer… he's a Homunculus!"

Al gasped and whirled to face… the Fuhrer. With a smile, he pointed his sword down Al's throat and stabbed. Blood gushed out and hit the inside of his body with a sickening splashing noise. The Fuhrer withdrew his sword. "Hello Alphonse. I have just executed the poor chimera who was threatening you," he said kindly, before walking away.

Al stared at the blood staining his apron and leaking out through his joints. He knelt over, hugging his chestplate, head bent, not making a single sound.

Next: Sloth openly confronts Ed and Saya, Al tries to make Scar and Kimbley stop fighting (fat chance...) with disasterous results...