CM: Okay, I left the structure of this chapter to popular vote, but it was so close, so I created a happy medium. There was a lot that got cut out so I hope I did an okay job. Enjoy!

Chapter Eighteen: The Ultimatum

Far down below, in a dark underground area, a door creaked open and several figures walked in. The room was dark, but far from silent. Eerie noises could be heard making the darkness all the more foreboding. Haku repressed a shiver when she heard the sound of snarling following by the sound of tearing flesh and crunching bones. The stench did not help matters either. She was grateful she had skipped out on dinner before coming here.

"I found a switch," Bido's voice called out and suddenly the lights flickered on, forcing Haku to squint in order to allow her eyes to adjust.

Once they had, she let out a startled gasp. "This is… insane," Haku whispered as her eyes drank in the sights, unable to look away. The room was filled with cages of deformed looking creatures of the most gruesome nature; humans with animal parts, animals with human parts, and animals that looked like they had ascended from hell itself. Apart from this, the walls and floors were splattered with blood and rotting flesh causing the overpowering stench.

"Charming, right? "she heard Dorchette say in distaste. "Believe it or not, this is a step up from the conditions we had."

A whining noise reached Haku's ears and she glanced over to see something small lying in one of the cages. She went closer and saw that it was a child with pale sickly looking skin and raggedy silver hair. Haku was less than a few feet away when the child lifted its head and she took a step back. Half of the child face was engulf in scales and its eyes moved this way and that haphazardly. "M-mommy?"

Bido grabbed a hold of Haku's shirt to keep her from trying to get too close to the child. "Unfortunately not all chimeras have as much control over themselves like we do," he told her sadly.

"But… it's just a child," Haku said.

"It is rather strange," Martel said crouching down beside her to get a look at the creature. "Not many child chimeras survive. Though chances of them being feral are higher."

Suddenly the child chimera cringed away from the bars before vanishing. Haku gasped in surprise. After getting a sniff, Dorchette stated it was a chameleon fusion. After coming back into view, they were able to determine the child was Ishbalen. It was possible it took a liking to Haku because of her hair color. Making a decision Haku reached forward and using the little bit of moisture inside the lock to blow it off.

"What are you doing?" Bido asked in apprehension.

"He said bring back anyone who's functioning properly, right?" Haku said reaching into the cage and carefully lifting the small girl into her arms. The child didn't resist, rather, it clung to Haku, burying its face in her shoulder.

"That seems to be the only one," Roa stated from across the room. His words seemed to hold some truth. Many of the chimeras in the room held hardly any trace of humanity in their eyes.

"It's a shame, but if we tried to take back any of the others our lives would end as well as theirs," Martel stated.

Suddenly the door slammed shut as an alarm sounded. Haku clutched the child close to her as the doors to all the cages slid open.

"Shit! They know we're here!"

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Several hours later, Haku walked into a room with a tray of food and the chameleon child riding on her back like a baby monkey. "Feeling any better, Dorchette?" she asked as she approached the bed he was resting on.

"You idiot," Dorchette grumbled. "Greed would've killed us if you died on our watch, even if it was through your own stupidity."

Haku laughed. "Yeah right, I'm just a sex toy. He could find a replacement for me in no time. You're one of his most trusted subordinates."

"I wouldn't have been any longer if you had died," Dorchette argued. "And what's the deal with the kid?"

"She's been clinging to me ever since we got back," Haku explained as the child hid her head from Dorochette before tentatively peaking out over Haku's shoulder. "I think she's cute."

"You must have a huge thing for animals don't you?" Dorchette said with a shake of his head.

"Way to diss yourself, but yes, I do," Haku said placing the food tray next to his bed. "I hope the blood transfusion wasn't too painful. To be honest it was my first time attempting something like that. I'm just glad Roa's blood collaborated with yours."

"It didn't hurt as bad as you might think," Dorchette told her bluntly. "Just don't go attempting to bleed yourself to save someone else."

"Heh…me and my bleeding heart," Haku chuckled.

"That's not funny," Bido said walking into the room. "I'd hate to see your heart bleeding."

"That's not what she meant, Bido," Martel said walking in after him.

"And let me guess, Roa's with you too?" Haku asked.

"I'm right here," a voice rumbled from behind her causing her to jump.

"By the way everyone, this is Cammy," Haku indicated the child on her back. "Cammy these people are all friends, especially the puppy here."

"A…a puppy?" Cammy asked timidly glancing over at Dorchette.

"I may have been merged with a dog," Dorchette barked. "But I'm not a puppy."

"He really likes it when you scratch him behind the ears," Haku continued. "Wanna give it a try?"

"Try it and I'll bite your hand off," Dorchette threatened.

"That doesn't make you sound puppish at all," Martel quipped.

"You stay out of this," Dorchette said before turning to Haku. "And you quit telling her stuff like that."

"Miss Haku… Mr. Greed might get really angry," Bido said becoming more and more nervous.

"Don't worry, I'll make sure none of you are held responsible," Haku said. "But I could care less if he gets mad or not. If anything it'd be an improvement."

"Really…and why is that?" Martel asked getting a strange look in her eye. "In fact why don't you tell us what you really think of Greed?"

"What do I think of him?" Haku repeated suddenly feeling uncomfortable with all eyes in the room on her now. "I honestly don't know what to think. I guess over all he's a cool guy… but by the same token, I've never wanted to hit anyone more than I do him when he starts talking. And I don't know what it is he wants from me. It's like he's waiting for something."

"You're probably not too far off," Dorchette muttered.

"Be honest, do you like Greed?" Martel asked.

"What kind of question is that? You do realize that you're asking me how I feel about your boss and my warden." Haku said flushing pink. "Anyway… it's way too soon to make that kind of verdict. But… I know that I don't WANT to like him. It's just too soon."

"And that's the reason you're so desperate to leave," Roa speculated.

"One of the many," Haku sighed.

She already saw this place almost like a second home. And the people here were comrades that she wouldn't give a second thought to protect. She was very aware of the debt she owed to all of these people, especially to Greed. When she had hit rock bottom where the bottom was about to fall through, he had saved her, given her shelter, and had healed her in more ways than one. But she didn't want that kind of pain again. She didn't want the pain of failing to protect a loved one, nor did she want the pain of devoting herself to someone, only to find it was all for naught. She never even received the joyous relief of closure.

Suddenly Haku felt a tug on the hem of her shirt and looked to see Cammy staring up at her. "Mommy… please don't leave."

"Ah… so cute," Haku thought in dismay. "I get attached waaaaaaaay too easily."

"Maybe that's why it was so hard for you to lose me," Hughes voice echoed in her ear. "But it's better to have had and lost than to not have had anything at all, right?"

"Bro…"

Haku patted the girl on the head. "I'm not going anywhere soon, so don't worry." Cammy seemed very pleased by this news because her face spread into a wide, smile of childlike innocence. "Anyway, mommy's going to go get some rest, so why don't you stay here and play with the nice people?" Cammy glanced around at Roa, scary, and then Bido, even scarier, and then at Marta who sighed.

"Fine, I'll take care of the kid," she conceded. "Even though I'm sure the puppy wouldn't mind."

"I'm not a puppy!" Dorchette growled.

"Hehe… you guys… aren't making this any easier on me, you know that?" Haku said with a laugh before giving them all a small wave and heading out of the room.

Everyone watched her go with a solemn expression. "That's because… we don't want you to go either," Bido stated softly. Though they didn't voice it, everyone agreed…. Even Dorchette.

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"Yo, bartender, hook me up with a daiquiri," Haku said sitting down at the counter.

"Be right with you," he said as he finished cleaning the glasses.

Well, at least Haku didn't have to worry about anyone asking questions. Around here, no one seemed to care who you were or where you came from. She let out a long breath, wondering what she was going to do.

"Hey, you're new around here, aren't you?" a guy said sitting down beside her.

"I've been around," Haku replied not looking at him.

"Is that so?" Another said sitting on Haku's opposite side. "I think we'd remember a cute face and silver mane like yours."

"Not necessarily," Haku stated staring fixedly at the counter. "From what I hear, alcoholics don't have very good memories. And you two reek of booze."

"What did you say, you little tramp?" One of the men said grabbing a handful of the front of her shirt. Haku wasn't phased by this at all. Rather, she looked bored.

"How about we just cut your tongue out?" his friend suggested.

"Actually I happen to have use for it, so how about I remove yours instead?" A voice asked and suddenly a hand came out of nowhere and grabbed the second man's head before smashing his face into the counter top. There was a crunch as his nose broke and he collapsed onto the floor unconscious. Both Haku and the man holding her looked to see Greed in all his homunculi glory. "You might want to let her go before you join your buddy there."

"G-Greed-sama!" The man stuttered and quickly released Haku. "Forgive me… I didn't know she was your woman"

"I am NOT HIS WOMAN," Haku stated blatantly.

Her comment went by unnoticed however as Greed slipped his arm around her waist. "Come on, doll. You're coming with me."

"I haven't even gotten my drink yet," Haku complained.

"You won't be needing it," he said before easily tossing her over his shoulder and carrying her out of the barroom despite her loud protesting.

"Can't I have just one moment of peace?" Haku demanded. "Why the heck did you have to interfere back there? I would have been fine on my own."

"Easy…I can't let anyone mess with you," Greed answered. "Even if you can take care of yourself."

"I've already told you, I'm not a piece of property," Haku muttered.

"Until you manage to defeat me you are mine," Greed told her. "And I make sure that I take very good care of my things. As such, we're gonna have a drink to celebrate your first mission."

Hake grudgingly accepted his offer and he carried her to his room where he made her a coke and rum from some bacardi he had picked up while he was out. Once the drinks were made and the two were settled down on the couch a somewhat awkward silence followed… at least on Haku's end. She supposed it was just the company she was keeping, but she couldn't help but envision the silence as a monster creeping up on her ready to pounce at a moments notice. Fact was though… Haku was too stubborn to want break the silence herself. Good thing she had alcohol to help her along.

"I never thought it'd turn out like this… me running from the military," she said out of the blue. "I've always wanted to be a state alchemist ever since I was little." And before she knew it she was spouting out practically her whole life story to this man whom she must have punched through at least seven different walls by now. What surprised Haku was that Greed stayed silent the whole time, watching her intently. She half expected him to get fed up and yell at her to shut up but he never did. "Then after my brother died, I thought I could go to him for help but… he shoved me away and locked me out."

"Hmm…so that's why you took off," Greed said taking a large swig from his glass. "He ditched you the moment you needed him the most. No wonder you were such a train wreck when I first picked you up." He took a deep breath and chuckled a bit. "The guy sounds like a real dirt bag…but for some reason you stuck with him no matter what until now. Was it really worth leaving him?"

"I doubt he even notices I'm gone… no that's probably untrue. He's more likely rejoicing my absence," Haku stated bitterly.

"Somehow I doubt that," Greed stated taking another drink. "If anyone was as worried about you as he sounded…I'm sure the moment you left he sent out several search parties." Then after that he laughed out loud. "…course even if there was…the chances of it being to save you and not arrest you are very slim."

"Yep, no doubt by now I'm a wanted fugitive," Haku sighed.

"Then why not just stay with me?" Greed asked slipping his arm around her shoulder. "At least then you'd never have to worry about him or the military again."

Haku felt her heart give an unexpected, painful throb, whether of fear or excitement, she knew not, nor was she sure she wanted to. She stared down at her drink in thought. She could very well stay here and call this place home, but really, could she make such a grand dedication? There was no guarantee that things would work out. There was no guarantee that Greed would continue to have any interest in her.

"When did you start caring about that?" an evil little voice inside her head whispered.

"I don't," Haku thought back immediately.

"Liar. You want him to look at you. You want him to see you as special. Something he never did."

"No I don't!" Haku thought again.

"I don't think I could do that," Haku told him honestly.

"And why is that?" Greed asked pulling her closer.

"Because you're the same," Haku murmured softly. "It's almost impossible for me to hate you."

"We're the same huh," Greed said looking up at the ceiling as he pulled her head into his chest. "In that case I'd say you can't hate us…because we won't let you."

Haku's started feeling weird again as her heart began throbbing painfully once more. The glass, still half full, slipped out of her hands and tumbled to the floor with a muffled clatter as the glass hit the carpet and staining it with coke. "Ah… I should probably…" she started.

"Leave it," he ordered.

Haku didn't know what to think. Why did she feel strangely at peace with herself? She hadn't realized how tense she was and she let out a long breath, allowing her body to become relaxed. As she did so, she couldn't help but feel just how well-built the homunculus was. Every lean inch of him seemed to ripple with nothing but pure muscle. He was anything but cushy, though somehow the stiff firmness of it just made it all the more comforting. "I probably shouldn't…" she thought. "But I just… don't want to fight anymore."

"It still doesn't make any sense," Haku murmured softly. "Why go through all this trouble? Why not just do what you want with me and be done with it?"

Greed smiled as he felt her relax in his arms. "My avarice runs deep. Your loyalty, your spirit, your body, I want it all. But as of now, I still get the feeling it belongs to someone else, am I right?"

Another painful throb as she remembered eyes dark as coal, but still carried a burning light inside of them.

"How many times are you going to keep reminding me of that?"

"Until you realize that he couldn't have been that important. And then you can forget him and focus only on me," he said slowly removing his sunglasses and turning her face so that his eyes were looking directly into hers. "I may not be able to care for you the way you want, but I won't let you suffer either."

Haku wanted to look away but she found she couldn't. Her heart was starting to act weird again, beating as if she had just jogged a mile. What was going on with her?

They each drew closer, but before they could join together, Haku felt a tug on her pant leg. At first she didn't realize it was there, but then after a couple seconds she tore her eyes away from a confused Greed to look down at an empty space. "Mommy Haku," a little voice said in an almost whisper, before the small form of a little girl appeared. She looked up at Greed in confusion. "Who's that?"

"You never told me you had a kid," Greed said with a deadpan expression.

"This, Cammy, is a cockroach," Haku told her, sitting up so that she was no longer leaning against the homunculus. She should really stay away from alcohol if this is what it was going to do to her. She was almost getting.... comfortable. Haku easily lifted the chameleon girl into her lap. "We found her in the labs at Southern HQ."

"Huh, so this is all you guys could come back with?" Greed asked her, staring down at the small child who looked rather nervous.

"Yes, she was the only one we could find that was... sane," Haku said hugging her gently.

"Well, I suppose one is better than nothing," Greed said reaching over and ruffling the kid's hair. "She'll grow." The girl gave a tiny giggle at what she saw to be an affectionate gesture before sliding off Haku's lap and running off again, possibly to go explore."By the way, I hear it was you I have to thank for one of my subordinates coming back alive," Greed addressed the older female.

"I.... really didn't do much," Haku replied humbly. "I only did what anyone else would have done."

"Somehow I don't think anyone else would have sliced themselves open for what most would consider to be a lab rat," Greed pointed out to her.

"They're still human," Haku stated matter-of-factly.

"You know what, that's why I like you," Greed chuckled. "Because your ideas are so much different from everyone else's. And just to show you my appreciation, I've decided to allow a few freebies."

"Okay," Haku said, immediately jumping on the idea. "How were you created?"

"You really like to pry into the gritty info, don't you?" When Haku just sat there, staring at him expectantly, he knew she wasn't going to take it back. "Well, a deal's a deal. But this will be your one and only for the day."

"That's fine," Haku replied undeterred.

"Well, there's really only one way for me to explain that one," Greed said before pulling his shirt off over his head and setting it down. At Haku's questioning look he chuckled. "I don't want to tear my shirt," he said. "Don't look away now, or you might miss it."

Haku watched as Greed reached up with both hands and began pulling open the area between his clavicles. Haku stared in both horror and amazement as he pulled his chest open and she saw, nestled within, a small red stone that glowed with a life of its own.

"Is that...?" Haku breathed.

"A philosopher's stone?" Greed finished, amused by her surprise. "Yes, yes it is."

Haku couldn't believe it. The legendary stone, the one that hundreds, possibly thousand have spent their lives researching and attempting to find, was now sitting right in front of her, staring her in the face. As she stared into it, she almost thought she could hear voices coming from it, calling out to her. Absentmindedly, not really knowing why, she reached out to touched it.

Suddenly, the hole started to close as Greed let it go and grabbed a hold of her wrist. "Now that's one thing you really don't want to do," Greed murmured. "As I'm sure you don't want to get your hand stuck in there." Haku muttered in apology, but Greed said, "No need to apologize. But if you still want to get a feel of something," then placed her hand against his rock hard chest. "Be my guest."

Haku quickly tore her hand away, flushing all the while. "I wholeheartedly decline."

"Anyway, this stone is my core," Greed continued with a chuckle as he put his shirt back on. "It's one of those things that you see and don't touch. But I can make an exception if you gave me something in return."

"No thanks, I have a feeling that offer comes with a price that I would be unable to pay," Haku said holding her hands up warily. "Still, now it makes more sense why you're so... long-wearing. I don't suppose the same applies to the rest of your family?"

"I already told you, didn't I?" Greed said with a tilt of his head. "That last question was your one freebie."

Haku huffed. "Fine, don't tell me."

"I still can, as the price for that answer isn't much," Greed told her with a smile.

Haku gave a small shake of her head. "No, it's fine, I think I can guess on my own. Besides, I think I've learned all I wanted for today."

"Are you scared of me yet?" Greed asked watching her closely. "Now that you know what I am?"

Haku looked at him and a small smile appeared of its own accord. "Nah, as near as I can tell. You're just as human as I am."

Greed threw back his head in laughter before getting up from his seat and ruffling her hair. "You really are one bizarre kid," he told her before leaving the room.

Haku watched him go with a small pout as she tried to smooth down her mussed up hair. "Well if that isn't the pot calling the kettle black."

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The next day....

"That should do it," the doc said as he finished removing the last of the sutures from Haku's skin. He reminded her once again to avoid any strenuous activity that could agitate the sensitive areas.

"Thanks, Doc, for everything," Haku said, not ever having properly thanked him before.

"Just doing my job," he replied. "Just do me a favor and don't do anything that will land you on my ER table again."

Haku laughed and thanked him again before leaving the room. As she walked back to her room, she tenderly rubbed the healing lacerations that were visible on her arms. Just a few more battle scars.

Without warning, a hot puff of air flowed over Haku's ear as she felt her shirt lifted up and a hand skirting over one of said battle wounds. "Looks like you're healing up nicely." Haku whirled around, impulsively smacking the person across the face, or at least she would have had it not been intercepted. "Relax," Greed snickered. "I'm not going to bite. But man, I almost forgot how badly my sister cut you up."

"Yeah, I bet you never have to worry about getting scars," Haku murmured.

"Nope. One of the benefits of having a body such as mine," Greed said staring down at the imperfections. "So what'd the doc say?"

"Don't do anything that might agitate the wounds. They should be fully okay after a couple weeks though," Haku replied.

"Well then, guess I'll just have to be extra gentle until then, won't I?" Greed said, tracing one of the scars before lightly kissing it. Haku made a face before pulling her arm out of his grip and she continued to her room. She heard him sighed behind her. "You know, that therapy was supposed to help you with your trust issues."

"You may not have to worry about scars, but I do," Haku said wrapping her arms around herself as if she was cold. "I don't mind giving you payment when asking you for information, but that's all I can or want to give."

"Is that it...or is it that's all you're brave enough to give?" Greed asked calmly. "You're still afraid aren't you...of letting someone get closer to you."

"Yeah, you think your sister hurt me?" Haku asked rubbing the marred skin. "This was nothing compared to what he was capable of." She didn't want to give Greed, or any other man, that kind of power over her again.

"I may have several tendencies that are similar to his...but have I ever allowed you to go off angry?" he asked wrapping his arms around her. "I will never do anything to make you cry."

Haku felt her heart give an excited jitter, but she tried to ignore it. "You can't… promise something like that."

"I can promise it," Greed murmured softly. "As long as I say...I'll try to never let you cry...especially not alone." Haku did not fight the embrace, even though a part of her wanted to leave it, more of her wanted to be wrapped forever in its safe haven. "But if you insist on keeping it strictly business, then why don't you ask me something?" Greed suggested.

Haku thought for a few moments, and she settled on the one that had been tugging at her mind of late. "Could you show me what you really look like?"

Greed was a little stunned by the question. He figured it would come up eventually, but not this soon. "You really are a strange one. Alright, I'll show you...but no screaming on your part...got it?"

Haku nodded, now very curious. And when he showed her she had to admit, it was freaky... but not scary, and it didn't change her opinion of him at all. When she told him this he just laughed.

After he regained his formal appearance, he took Haku's arm and pulled her close to him. "And now it's time for you to pay up."

"Hold up," Haku said quickly, already beginning to feel a little anxious. "There's something else I'm curious about."

"I suppose I shouldn't even bother asking you if you're sure," Greed said with a shake of his head, trailing a finger over the curve of her ear before asking, "What else would you like to know?"

Haku asked him if his siblings had other forms and he replied some of them did, and that a detailed description of each would cost more than seeing his. Haku thought about it. It was possible that this information could be useful. "Mmm, I think I'll stop here for the day. But rest assured I still have plenty to ask," Haku told him.

"Alright then," he murmured putting a hand against her cheek. He began kissing her softly and commandingly, moistening her lips with his eager tongue. "Are you ready to bake a cake?" he asked, a smile spreading across his face. Then he flipped out the lights and moved to claim his prize.

Later…..

"Cake's ready!" Haku called out, pulling the hot pan out of the oven, and she served it to the hungry chimeras. (Not what you were expecting was it? XP)

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"Stupid kid!" Kat whimpered as once more a powerful fist backhanded her in the face. "Why do I even bother keeping you around? All you ever cause is trouble."

"I'm sorry, dad," Kat mumbled.

He hit her again. "Sorry?" And again. "You think sorry is gonna make up for what you did?" And again. The hitting didn't stop.

"Brother! Please make him stop!" Kat wailed as she tried to shield herself from the blows.

"I'm sorry, Kat, "she heard her brother say and she looked around to see him standing there in his military uniform. "But how can I protect you when you couldn't even protect me?" He opened his coat to show a gun wound right over his heart that was pouring out blood and suddenly he collapsed.

"Bro!" She ran over to him, kneeling down and trying to sit him up.

"How could you do this?" Another voice asked and Kat looked up to see Gracia and Elicia. "We trusted you! How could you let him die?"

"Daddy gone?" Elicia asked softly. "Foever?"

"Why didn't you save him?" Gracia demanded through her tears.

"Yes, Kat," She heard her brother whisper and looked down to see the face of Envy. "Why couldn't you save me?" As he asked this, his hand transformed into a blade and Kat could only watch as it plunged into her abdomen.


Haku sat up breathing heavily wondering where she was, and remembering she was still in her room in the Devil's Nest. She lifted up her shirt to look at her abdomen and saw that it was completely hole free. She let the hem drop back down and sighed with relief. She reached up to brush the bangs out of her face and found that her cheeks were wet. That had been the second nightmare she woke up from that very same night. The one before had been just as bad, if not worse, where Lust had stabbed her first, then killed each person she loved right before her eyes as she slowly bled to death. She had woken up and tried to go back to sleep, only to drift into the nightmare she just experienced.

Sitting alone in the dark wasn't helping and she began to imagine the shadows on her walls moving, readying to attack her the moment her guard was down. She sat wondering what to do. She was scared to go back to sleep and see those horrible visions again, but she didn't feel like sitting up alone all night. Well, there was one other option.... After much debate with herself, she finally crawled out of bed and left her room, quietly making her way through the halls so as not to disturb anyone. Half way to her destination, as she rounded a corner she smacked into a large body and looking up saw that it was Roa.

"Why are you out so late?" he asked.

"Um, well," Haku rubbed the back of her head in embarrassment. "I promise, I wasn't escaping. I just had a bad dream and..."

Roa stared down at her for a moment before nodding. "Understood," he said before stepping aside.

She nodded in thanks before continuing on her way. Not much longer afterwards she reached the room she was destined for. She very slowly turned the knob and pushed the door open with little noise, not wanting to disturb the person inside, and quietly crept into the room. She saw an outline of a person sprawled out on the bed, ciuld just faintly hear their breathing, and she wondered if maybe she shouldn't rethink this. But she could back out though the figure she had thought was asleep spoke to her.

"Everything alright?"

Haku grabbed a fistful of her own hair, thankful for the darkness so that he couldn't see her expression... or could he? Could he see in the dark? Okay... now she was getting paranoid. "Ehm... I was just out and about," she excused lamely.

"I know you'd never come to my room unless you had a reason to," Greed replied sitting up in his bed. "So what made you visit this time of night?"

"Trouble sleeping," Haku said quickly losing face and thinking maybe this was a bad idea and wondering what possessed her to come here in the first place. "But it's nothing. Sorry to bother you."

"Another nightmare?" Greed guessed. She paused at the door. How did he know? She heard the bed squeak and saw the figure shift over to the left side. "Here, sometimes it helps to have something there to drive off the nightmare," he said calmly. "Why don't you try sleeping in here, I'll keep you safe." Haku chewed on her lip dithering for a moment more before meandering over to the foot of the bed. When she crawled on, lean, muscular arms were there to meet her. "You wanna talk about it?" he asked her.

"Just another dream about your siblings," Haku mumbled.

"I can understand why you'd be scared...they are quite the frightening bunch," Greed chuckled. "But there's no way they'll find you here...trust me, you're safe." As he spoke Haku turned away from him, and he pulled her into his chest tightly. He then proceeded to nuzzle her back a bit before loosening his grip. "Now get some sleep...you sound tired."

"Mmm, yeah," Haku murmured, as she closed her eyes. At least she didn't have to worry anymore, why would she when she had the ultimate shield protecting her?


When Haku awoke the next morning she at first wasn't sure where she was and was confused when her room suddenly looked different. Then the previous night came back to her and she calmed down a little. She turned over to see Greed snoozing beside her. Perhaps if she left carefully and quietly she could get away without notice.

As if sensing her very intentions, the electric blue eyes opened and without warning he moved forward and kissed her full on the mouth. "Morning," he greeted.

"What was that for?" Haku demanded.

"That's how you're supposed to greet someone after spending the night with them," Greed told her as if it was common knowledge.

"Can't you find some OTHER way?" Haku muttered.

"Then how's this?" he asked pinching her rump and causing her to yelp. "Better?"

"I'm gonna go hide somewhere and hold a funeral for my self respect now," Haku grumbled.

"Your self respect is still in tact," Greed told her hugging her close. "There's no shame in finding comfort with someone else." He gently kissed her cheek before adding, "You fell asleep almost instantly last night...and you slept really peacefully. Did your nightmare come back?"

"Not... exactly..." Haku faltered. She did have another dream with Lust and Envy, only this time she had felt arms wrap around her and a voice telling her it was going to be okay. But instead of it being the Colonel as she first thought it would be, it was Greed.

"He left you, but I won't."

"You... promise?" she had asked.

"Promise."

Haku covered her face. No way she was sharing THAT with ANYONE.

"Well, as long as you were able to sleep better, that's fine with me," Greed murmured kissing her cheek again. "Now let's get up, I'm sure the others have breakfast ready...and I'm starving. Unless you can satiate my hunger a different way."

Haku groaned. "Shut up," she said before grabbing one the the pillows and shoving it in his face before escaping from the room.

"Heh, she's almost there," he murmured to himself. "It's only a matter of time now." Then he too got up and headed for the main bar.

When Haku finally made it, the gang and Cammy were all having breakfast and Bido and Dorchette were seeing who could eat the fastest. "Feeling better?" Roa asked from behind her. He had an uncanny knack for always managing to get in that spot without her realizing it.

"Uh, yeah, thanks for asking," Haku replied with an awkward smile. Martel and Dorchette began teasing her about Greed because apparently his scent was all over her, and Haku profusely denied that she and Greed were dating when Bido asked about it. It didn't help, however when Greed show up and kissed her on passing.

"Daddy Greed?" Cammy asked.

"That's right, kiddo," Greed said ruffling the small girl's hair.

The four others didn't even bother to try to hold back their laughter.

"Cammy, I'm begging you, please don't ever say that again," Haku implored.

"Why not?"

"Because... it's just wrong," Haku explained.

"But, my mommy and daddy would always do that...when they were still here," Cammy murmured sadly.

Haku felt herself weaken under the cuteness of the small child.

"Hey, why not play along?" Greed suggested. "It makes the kid happy, right, Mommy?"

"I will kill you," Haku hissed.

"Many have tried, doll," Greed said with a chuckle.

Cammy climbed up onto Haku's lap and snuggled against her. "It's nice, Mommy."

Haku crumbled. She really did have her brother's heart inside of her. She sighed before resigning to play along with it."The sad part is, I'm the oddball of this family," Haku said with a small laugh. It was true, she was the only pure blooded human there.

"Yeah, well someone's gotta be the oddball," Dorchette pointed out.

"So does that mean Miss Haku will stay?" Bido asked anxiously.

Haku felt awkward when everyone stared at her expectantly. "No worries, I'm not going anywhere soon," she said finally.

"Good to hear you finally made up your mind," Roa grunted.

"Welcome home, Haku," Martel said with a smile.

"Home..." Haku thought with a smile as she hugged Cammy. "Yeah... I think I could call this home."

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When Greed pushed open the door to his bedroom, he immediately leapt to the side when he sensed that something was amiss. Sure enough, a bucket full of water that had been meant for him tumbled earthwards. But before it even had a chance to hit the floor, before Greed's feet managed to touch back down from his jump, Haku leapt from her hiding spot behind the door and closed lined the homunculus, flipping him onto his back and pinning him down to the floor with a booming crash accompanied by the clattering of the water pail.

"Ha… got you on your back," Haku said with a triumphant smile. "That's my win."

Greed was a little surprised by her attack but quickly turned the tables by grabbing her arm and pulling her over before pinning her to the floor with all of her limbs. "I don't think so."

(well........dang) "No fair.... I had you," Haku complained, scowling up at him in dissatisfaction. "That should count as my win."

"It's only a win, if you can keep it," Greed told her with a smile.

Haku sighed. "Fine, please get off so you can take your prize and I can ask you some things."

Greed grinned and then let her up, but made sure he was right there just in case she decided not to follow through. As Haku got to her feet, Greed wrapped an arm around her waist and led her over to the bed where the two of them laid down. Then Greed pulled her into him and started to nibble on her neck. "So...what's your inquiry this time?" he asked affably.

With determination, Haku asked several highly priced questions... what his family's plan were, what a sacrifice was -through this she deduced that the Elric brothers and even her teacher were in deep water they didn't even know about-, about his creator/the homunculi's leader, and finally.... "Greed, is your family the ones responsible for all the fighting? All the wars?"

He nodded solemnly. "Yeah, cuz ol' daddy-o is the one really in charge. Course, most just call him 'father'."

Haku frowned for a moment, confused at first. Then for some reason unbeknownst to her, she remembered when she first walked into the Fuhrer's office asking to take the state alchemist exam. Before she had left with her brother, she had heard Bradley mutter the word 'father'. Could it be just coincidence? Before she might have thought so, but not now. Chances were, the Fuhrer, the one man everyone looked up to, was in league with the ones who were aiming to bring the country to ruin.

Hake groaned; her head was beginning to hurt, as well as the rest of her.

"This is why I wanted to wait," Greed told her, breaking through her fog of panic. "You are unbelievably tense now."

"I'll be fine," Haku muttered shaking her head. "It's just…" she shook it again. "I don't know."

"It's hard to learn that everything you knew to be true was only a cover," Greed murmured as his hands began to stray from her back. "The fact that you've been able to move, act, and live as you please is in itself a grand feat. But now that you know, what will you do?"

Haku thought for a moment. What COULD she do? If she tried to stand up to these people, she and possibly people she cared about would get killed. And if she told any of them then the very same thing could possibly happen. Wasn't there anything she could do? She rested her throbbing head against the homunculus's solid torso, trying to calm herself down. "It's times like this where I really do feel like an insignificant human being." Then her voice hardened, along with her resolve. "But I'm not giving up... I'll figure out something… somehow."

After all.... even ants found way to protect their nest from giants.

Greed was pleased by her reaction and by her taking comfort in resting her head against him. What pleased him more, however, was the thought that the payment this time would be much more enjoyable. "Are there any more questions you have for me this time?" he asked moving his hands into a position that would allow him to start easier and quicker.

Haku moved her head from side to side in answer. "Thanks but… I think if I learned anything else I might go into shock."

Almost as soon as she said this, her mind emptied all of its fears and questions as Greed began to take his payment. Whiteness filled her mind's eye making her completely focus on the pleasure that was coursing through her body. And she knew only one thing, she didn't want it to stop...ever.

Suddenly, without any warning, Greed stopped. "Ah… shoot," he muttered. "Looks like we have some company."

Haku glanced around, wondering what great force could possibly be powerful enough to stop Greed from taking his payment. She scanned the room a few times before something materialize at the foot of the bed. "Cammy?" Haku said in surprise, completely forgetting about what she had just been doing a few seconds ago. "What's wrong?"

Cammy sniffled. "I had a nightmare," she said, her lip trembling. "Can I sleep with you tonight, Mommy Haku?"

Haku smiled, sitting all the way up. "Of course you can. It's not like we were doing anything important."

"Hey now," Greed said looking just the slightest bit perturbed by the interruption.

Cammy happily crawled onto the bed, getting between Greed and the alchemist before attaching herself to Haku and effectively becoming a child barrier. "It's no problem, right, Daddy Greed?" Haku asked him, her smile taking a near-evil tilt. With Cammy there Haku had no problems putting the payment on stand still. Hooray for ADD. There was no mistake that inside her head she was bwahaha-ing at the situation.

Greed stared at the little girl in between him and his prize but smiled all the same. "Alright, have your little girl party, but I'm still going to get my payment. I'll just be sure to add this to your bill." Greed chuckled before settling down and holding onto the little girl. "So, why is it you needed to come sleep with us?" he asked her amusedly.

"Because Mommy and Daddy used to lay like this all the time," Cammy answered. "And it was always safe with them. I feel the same here...with Mommy Haku and Daddy Greed."

"You say you had a bad dream?" Haku asked her.

Cammy nodded. "I had a bad dream. It was full of scary men wearing white. They were hurting me, and mommy and daddy were gone."

"You don't have to worry, Cammy," Haku told her kissing her on the top of her head. "We're here now. Both of us. We're not going anywhere."

Cammy smiled, and she easily fell asleep pressed snugly in between the two of them.

"We'll sleep without anything big for tonight," Greed told Haku. "But tomorrow I will be taking my payment, with interest."

"Just try not to break me," Haku joked.

"I've told you before," Greed murmured stroking her cheek with one hand. "I take very good care of my possessions."

Haku's cheeks heated a little bit and she didn't shy away as he carefully leaned over to kiss her goodnight, mainly cause she didn't want to accidentally wake Cammy, and also, because it was something small and comforting that was welcomed. Slowly but surely she was beginning to realize... she could be interested someone like him.

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The morning that followed, Haku quickly found that Greed hadn't been kidding when he said he'd taken his payment with interest. He started as soon as he sent Cammy away to breakfast and by the time he was through with her, she could barely form a coherent thought.

"I think you've learned your lesson," Greed chuckled, smoothing her hair out. "Now lets get some food."

"Wait a sec," Haku groaned sitting up. "Before I forget... I have one last question."

"You just can't get enough of me, can you?" Greed asked with a smirk. "Well, not that I'm complaining. I could go for a little more before breakfast. What's your question?"

Haku ignored his comments and took a deep breath, knowing that this one would not come easy. She had asked about nearly everything there was to ask about. Now there was only one thing left. "Where is their strong hold?"

Greed stopped for a moment. "Sorry, Sweetheart, but that is one that I can't tell," he muttered rubbing the back of his head.

"Huh... why not?" Haku asked. With all of her previous questions, Greed had just taken something in accordance with the severity of the question, but he had never once refused to answer outright before.

"Because knowing you, the moment you find out you'll waltz right in and get yourself killed," Greed answered.

"I would not," Haku said with a frown. "Besides, this is kind of important."

"Info that you really don't need to know," Greed replied.

"If these guys aren't stopped, lots of people are going to die. I've already figured out that much," Haku said now starting to get frustrated. "People at least need to know so that they can do something about it. It's better than just sitting back and letting them do as they please."

"So you really think that anyone you know could take on three or four homunculi at once when you had trouble with one?" Greed asked curiously.

Haku faltered. She couldn't think of any ONE person able to do that. But still... if people knew... if Roy knew... She didn't want to see anyone else get destroyed by these people. And at least if they knew, they could be prepared for the worst. They could have a better chance. "Please... isn't there anything?" Haku pleaded softly.

"Alright, I can tell you," Greed finally sighed. "But the toll for this little question, is that you have to give up everything."

"What do you mean everything?" Haku asked nervously.

"I mean, you'll stay here for the remainder of your natural life," Greed replied, and for once, he was deadly serious. "And you'll give me all of you."

Haku felt as if someone had just knocked the wind from her lungs. Stay there.... forever? "So.. I'd never see my family... or my friends again?"

"No, you wouldn't," he told her. "You will have to leave your old life behind. And there will be no going back once you make this decision."

Haku couldn't help but feel scared. The thought of never seeing anyone ever again made her gut wrench. But still... what was her freedom in comparison to thousands of lives that could possibly be saved?

"I'll give you time to think on it," Greed said getting up and stretching. "Just remember, once the decision's made, that's final. Oh and by the way... if you decide to leave, don't even think about coming back."

Haku listened to him leave, her mind in a whirl of conflict. She clutched her head between her hands in agony. "Bro.... what should I do?"

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CM: What WILL Haku do? Will she give herself away in order to obtain information to save her country? Or will she leave and lose everything she's gained? Stay tuned to find out!

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Roy was sitting in his office staring lazily out the window. He had long given up trying to finish his paperwork and was debating on either finishing it later that evening or just giving it to one of his men to finish. He heard the door to his office open and spoke to the reflection in the window. "Ah, good timing. I have some extra paper work that needs…" he stopped when he took a closer look at the reflection and spun around in his chair to verify the person's identity.

"Kathleen?" The name was almost lost in the spacious room.

Lt. Ice Cold stood sheepishly in the doorway, hands behind her back looking apologetic. Roy quickly stood up from his chair and was prepared to walk over to her, but he held up a hand, effectively stopping him. Roy watched as she steadily approached him, the guilty smile slowly turning… mischievous? She made her way around his desk until she stood before him, blue eyes just as bright and vivid as he remembered them.

"There's no need to get up, Colonel," Kat murmured placing a hand on his cheek. "You just take a seat...I'll finish this up." He slowly sat down, slightly unnerved by her sudden tenderness. As he did so, she moved even closer to him and leaned over. "I'm really sorry for just disappearing, Roy, but I plan on making it up to you."

He didn't have long to wonder about what she meant, when suddenly he felt teeth lightly nibbling his ear accompanied by a rough tongue. "Lieutenant… what…?" Roy was completely baffled by Kat's unseemly actions, but he had to admit… he couldn't complain either.

The nibbling on his ear continued and he was slowly losing any sense of thought to it. He was really surprised when she suddenly moved from his ear to licking his nose. "Uh...Lieutenant...what are you?" he started to ask, but the licking continued and he reached up to bat her away.

A hiss escaped her lips and she bit him on the nose. Sitting bolt upright, he discovered that he'd been sleeping, and it was the kitten that had been licking him.

He gave a grumbling sigh and he pulled his bangs out of his eyes and glared down at the kitten who was staring innocently up at him. "Meow," went Koko.

Roy was so filled with disappointment he couldn't even retain his anger towards the kitten. He got up and poured Koko some kitten food and then made himself some coffee. While sipping on the hot beverage that was going to help him get through the day, he was reading another one of Kat's books. He had managed to dig them out of the moving boxes, and to this point he was STILL trying to decode her interest in the things. The one he was reading that morning was the very same one he had confiscated from her before she left.

In short, it was a story about a girl who's twin brother served in the military, but he died so in order to uphold the family name, she took his place. Only her commanding officer, a young Major, given his rank because of his prestigious father's reputation, knew of her true identity. In the volume Roy was currently on, the Major had just, quite heatedly and forcefully, declared his love for her after cornering her in the empty military rec room after she had beaten him in a game of ping pong.

The only problem with this was that she had a childhood friend, a rebel leader opposed to the military, also showing potential interest in her.

("Of course I'd let you win," the soldier exclaimed slamming his hand against the wall and getting closer. "After all I...I love you.") "What? No, no, there's no way a military man would declare that to a fellow soldier...he'd be risking giving up his position," Roy exclaimed as he continued reading. ("You...love me?" the trapped soldier murmured nervously. "You really mean that?") "Of course he means it, or else he'd never say it," Roy muttered flipping the page over. "I swear, this whole thing is completely unrealistic."

As he was reading he felt Koko jump into his lap and curl up there. He absentmindedly scratched her head with one hand while he continued reading. ("Major…" the younger soldier looked away. "I… you can't be serious… what about your position?")

("I don't care, as long as I'm with you I don't care what happens to me," he said putting his face inches from the other.) "What a moron, he should know that just by admitting it out loud puts them both in trouble," Roy grumbled. ("I'm sorry, but I don't think I can accept it," the pinned soldier replied. "I don't want to get in your way from rising in the ranks...and I can't forget about...him.")

"And of course she's being stupid, any smart female would realize he would be a better choice," Roy continued ranting to himself. His reading was interrupted when Koko began kneading into his leg.

"Ack, will you stop that?" Roy exclaimed jumping as the claws scraped across his legs. "Alright, I'll play with you before work...honestly, I'm never going to finish this with you around."

Setting the book aside, he searched around until he found the stick with a string attached to it that Fury had given to him to entertain the cat. Sitting back down, he lounged back and moved the stick back and forth. The kitten lunged at the moving string, attacking it ferociously as if it had somehow personally offended the kitten. "How an animal can be so entertained by this is beyond me," Roy muttered, but a smile tugged at his lips.

"I know she once was," he thought remembering when Kat was still a child. "Anyway...I should get to work, you stay here this time." He got up and tossed the toy a ways away from the kitten, watched it run after the toy, and headed for the door. "Kat...come back soon… if nothing else to take the furball off my hands."