Spirit Animals

by TheFullmetalBitch

This is my retelling of FMA where every character has a Spirit Animal. Major canon divergence. Please give it a go and R&R! I do not own FMA or it's characters. *Art by Procastinagoat* This story will be updated every Sunday, Eastern Australia time

33. Chapter 33

Chapter 33 –

The walk back to Central seemed to take hours. Gluttony was more than happy to continue the walk in silence while Ed, Al and the Animals had murmured conversations with one another about what their plan would be. The biggest obstacle, of course, was the fact that none of them knew what they were heading into with any certainty. All they knew was that they would be meeting this 'Father' and that he would look like Hohenheim, something Ed made sure Al understood. He needed to be certain that Al wouldn't slip and think of this homunculous as their dad. After the third reminder, Chester politely asked Ed to knock it off before his youngest brother lost his patience.

"Ed, I need you to sight-link with me," Nala asked, her voice sounding just as they approached the outer-city limits.

"What? Why?" Ed asked. His shock, curiosity and worry caught the attention of Ayala and Chester and Chester's attention to Ed caught Al's. He shook his head at them, telling them not to worry for the moment.

"Roy's decided he's going to confront the Fuhrer about everything," Nala told him. "I can't talk him out of it. We're on our way up to see him now," Nala said, sounding slightly hysterical.

"And he calls me reckless," Ed muttered. "Give me a moment and I'll request the link," Ed promised and Nala agreed, though a little reluctantly, like she was worried he'd change his mind if he got a moment to think.

"What's going on, Ed?" Ayala asked.

"Mustang's decided to talk to Wrath about what's going on," Ed told her and Chester, knowing the leopard would immediately tell Al. "Nala wants me to sight-link," Ed revealed.

"Is that wise?" Ayala asked. "I know the Fuhrer doesn't have an Animal but he'll know all about the bond and what it can do. What happens if he notices Nala's eyes are ringed with blue but Mustang's aren't?" Ayala fretted slightly.

"I'll ask Nala to make sure her eyes aren't noticed by the Fuhrer and get her to agree to end the link if we think he's about to notice," Ed offered as a compromise.

"You have to be so careful. Both of you. Remember what Ling said about Bradley's eye? He's not visually impaired in it at all," Ayala reminded him and Ed nodded, suppressing the urge to tell her to knock off the mothering.

"I'll link with Nala now," Ed said. "Make sure I don't run into anything." Ed grinned as Chester pretended to consider his request before he tuned them out and focused on Nala. "Nala, sight!"

Ed felt Nala's acceptance before his vision wavered and his stomach lurched as his mind struggled to adjust itself to the fact that he was walking on a poorly lit street one moment then he was seeing the inside of Central Command, walking next to a uniformed figure as they approached an area of the building he'd only ever been once; Fuhrer Bradley's office. Nala looked up as Ed felt a light hand on the middle of his back, gently guiding him while his sight was predominantly occupied with what Nala was seeing, which at the moment was Mustang.

"Did you really link vision with Fullmetal?" Mustang asked out of the corner of his mouth when he caught sight of Nala's eyes. Ed felt himself grin as Nala glared at him.

"Since you won't listen to me or reason, I'm having Ed help me monitor this stupid interaction since he's the expert in reckless decisions and might be able to help me get you out safely when this goes pear-shaped," Nala told him haughtily. Ed was torn between amusement at Nala's attitude towards Mustang and irritation at what she'd said about him.

"Your abundance of faith in me is astounding," Mustang drawled. "I can't order either of you to stop the link but be careful. I don't need the added hassle of trying to explain how my Animal is able to sight-share with someone who isn't me," Mustang said flatly.

"We're being more careful than you are at the moment," Nala bit back and Mustang sighed.

"Just keep your eyes hidden," Mustang said, sounding resigned to his youngest subordinate and Animal plotting to spy on him.

Mustang entered the large outer office where Bradley's secretary – a civilian, not military – was situated. The woman, a brunette with her hair tied back in a military-approved bun and glasses resting on the bridge of her nose, looked up at his entrance and stood immediately. "Colonel Mustang, may I ask what business you have with Fuhrer Bradley?" She asked.

"Tell him that I'd like to speak to him about his brother and father," Mustang requested.

"Sir, I'm sure you're aware that His Excellency has no family, aside from his wife and child," the secretary gently reminded him. Her blue budgerigar sat perched on her shoulder, its feathers standing out against the military blue, and chirped disapprovingly at Mustang.

"I know," Mustang told her, a touch impatiently. "Please pass along the message," he requested once more.

The secretary gave him a look that told him she thought he'd gone off the deep end but was too polite to tell him so but she picked up the phone and dialled the number she needed. "My apologies for interrupting your evening, Your Excellency," she said when the phone was picked up. Because of his closer than usual connection with Nala, Ed could make out what the Fuhrer was saying, thanks to Nala's superior hearing.

"What is it, Kate?" The Fuhrer asked, a touch of impatience in his voice.

"Colonel Mustang has requested an immediate meeting," she told him.

"Is there a reason Colonel Mustang cannot schedule a meeting like everyone else?" Bradley asked.

"He said to tell you that it has something to do with your father and brother," Kate told him. "I informed him, of course, that you have no remaining family, outside of your wife and child, but he was insistent," Kate said, giving Mustang a look Ed thought might've been smug? He wasn't certain though since Nala was keeping her eyes averted as much as possible.

There were a few beats of silence before Bradley answered. "Send him in please, Kate," he said and Kate's jaw dropped.

"I apologise, Fuhrer Bradley, but are you – " Kate started asking but was cut off.

"Now, Kate," Bradley said sternly before there was a click, indicating he'd hung up the phone.

Kate placed the phone back on the hook and stood up. "If you'll please follow me, Colonel Mustang, I'll show you into Fuhrer Bradley's office," she told him, sweeping out from behind her desk and walking over to impressive set of doors that held the office of the Fuhrer on the other side of it.

"Is it bad that I really wish the Fuhrer had denied Roy the chance to confront him?" Nala asked as she and Mustang followed Kate.

"No," Ed said, surprised at his own answer. "I have a bad feeling about this," Ed told her.

He wasn't lying to try and make her feel as though she wasn't alone in her thoughts; he genuinely had a bad feeling about this. There was no good reason for Wrath to let Mustang confront him and it wasn't like the Fuhrer could eliminate Mustang since he didn't know if Kate was the only one who knew he was here and Mustang was (hopefully) not stupid enough to tell Bradley he hadn't told anyone else in an attempt to get the homunculous to reveal more. Nala didn't seem overly happy with the fact that Ed agreed with her.

Kate knocked on the door and swung it open after the call came for them to enter. "Colonel Mustang, Your Excellency," Kate announced and both Ed and Nala wondered if anyone else picked up the slight sulkiness in Kate's tone as she made the announcement.

"Thank you, Kate. You may leave for the night," Bradley said, acting and looking for all intents and purposes like the human he pretended to be, even dismissing the salute Mustang gave with a friendly smile.

"Thank you, Sir. Shall I finish the filing I was completing?" Kate asked and Bradley nodded.

"Yes, you may," Bradley said. "Once you're done with that, you may leave for the night," he told her.

"Thank you, Your Excellency," Kate said, giving a small bow and causing her Animal to flap to keep its own balance, before she left, shutting the doors behind her. Nala's ears flickered backwards as she registered the sound of Kate's footsteps receding.

"So," Bradley started saying, "you wish to speak to me about my father and brother. Considering I have no family – discounting my wife and child – I must wonder who you're talking about," Bradley said. "Unless, of course," he said before Mustang could say anything, "you're speaking of my fellow homunculi." Silence rang out in the inner office and, for a few moments, the two men stared at each other from where they stood. Bradley gestured for Mustang to take a seat, which he did, though the Fuhrer himself decided to stand next to his window.

"I am," Mustang finally confirmed. Since Nala was hiding her eyes from Bradley, so as to not give away Ed's secret, Ed and Nala couldn't see the Fuhrer's reaction.

"I'm curious, Colonel Mustang, but how did you figure out I wasn't human?" Bradley asked, certainly sounding curious and Ed could feel Nala's unease. "No one outside of those in the military I've told have managed to figure it out," Bradley said casually.

"You've told people in the military that you aren't human?" Mustang asked, unable to keep his shock out of his voice or off his face. Ed knew that his face likely showed his own shock and he could feel both Ayala and Chester brush against his mind. He felt Al's hand press tighter against his back and knew his little brother was also worried.

"Well, no," Bradley told him. "I suppose I should've made myself a little clearer. The generals are under the impression that I'm as human as the rest of you but that there is a secret plot being led by myself to gain immortality by sacrificing the entirety of Amestris. In exchange for their silence and help, they have been promised to be infused with a stone – not unlike myself – in order to give them a prolonged life as well as command over an immortal army," Bradley explained. "But since you couldn't have found out I was a homunculous from a general, this is a moot topic. I'll ask once more; how did you find out?"

"Make sure he doesn't say shit about Ling," Ed hissed and Nala passed along the message.

"Fullmetal's wolf sensed there was something different about you the first time they met you at his entrance exam. It wasn't until Fullmetal and his brother had investigated the Fifth Laboratory and encountered the two homunculi that she realised what you were and warned him. In turn, he warned me," Mustang told him.

"Fascinating," Bradley murmured. "I knew the young man knew more than he should've. In fact, I've been meaning to summon him and his brother for a meeting to find out just how much they knew but I haven't managed to yet. I had no clue that their Animals could scent homunculi. No other Animal has," Bradley mused.

Mustang didn't say anything in response to that but Ed had a feeling that Bradley wasn't really expecting him too. Bradley seemed to come back to the situation at hand and glanced back at Mustang and Nala. Nala was quick to avert her eyes, making sure she did so in a way that wouldn't draw the Fuhrer's interest and have the homunculous question her movements. "How many other people know about myself and whatever else you've discovered? Aside, of course, from the Elrics and Lieutenant-Colonel Hughes?" Bradley asked and Ed felt his heart clench in fear at the mention of Hughes.

"Several others," Mustang admitted. Bradley raised a brow slightly, obviously asking for more information but Mustang pretended not to notice. Rather, the alchemist decided to try and change the conversation course in order to move the Fuhrer's focus from who knows to something else. "How long has all of this been going on?"

"I'm surprised you or your youngest subordinate haven't figured that out, especially after what Lieutenant-Colonel Hughes has uncovered," Bradley said, giving Mustang a look that had the man realise the homunculous knew exactly what he was doing. "However, in answer to your question, the homunculi have been controlling this entire country since its inception."

"What are your plans for me, now that you know how much I know?" Mustang asked. Ed felt Nala's concern and protective instincts flare as if they were his own.

"I'm not going to order someone to kill you on your way home, if that's what you're worried about," Bradley told him, a hint of amusement in his voice. Nala glanced at her human in time for Ed to see the flash of surprise and relief cross Mustang's face.

"Why are you letting me live when I know what you are?" Mustang asked. Ed and Nala could hear the underlying shock and suspicion in his voice.

"Because you wouldn't learn your lesson if you're dead," Bradley said simply. Ed saw Mustang's slight recoil at the unexpected reason.

"How would Selim feel about finding out that his father is a homunculous?" Mustang asked unexpectedly, obviously trying to garner a reaction from the question that would give them a bit more information.

"Remind me to murder Roy later for trying to bait a homunculous," Nala growled in Ed's head.

"I will," Ed snorted.

"Ah," Bradley said. For some reason Ed and Nala couldn't figure out, Bradley looked almost amused at Mustang's question. "Trying to find if I have a weak spot are you? You'll have to do better than that," Bradley informed him. Mustang didn't say anything in response and Bradley finally sat back at his desk. "Your team can expect to receive new orders tomorrow morning when they report for duty. Warrant Officer Falman is to report to the Northern Command Centre, where he will be assigned to Fort Briggs. Master Sergeant Fuery will be sent to the Western Command Centre and receive further orders there. 2nd Lieutenant Havoc is to return to the Eastern Command Centre while 2nd Lieutenant Breda is to report to the Southern Command Centre. As for yourself and 1st Lieutenant Hawkeye," Bradley paused, seemingly in thought but Ed was almost certain the homunculous was relishing Mustang's shock, even if the flame alchemist was doing a phenomenal job masking it.

"You will remain here in Central, as will Lieutenant Hawkeye, however I am in need of a new secretary and have decided Lieutenant Hawkeye is just what I'm looking for. She will report to my office as soon as she has completed any remaining duties she has with your office," Bradley informed Mustang. "You will be assigned a new team of my choosing. They will be chosen and sent to your office by the end of the business day tomorrow."

"And what of Fullmetal?" Mustang asked, voice forcibly neutral. Ed didn't need to be linked to Nala so closely to tell that the removal and dismantling of his team had affected Mustang to the core. Ed was actually a little surprised that Mustang was even asking about him. He would've thought the loss of his team would've overshadowed literally everything else, including him.

Bradley hummed for a moment. "I see no reason for him to be removed from under your command at this time," Bradley said. "He, his brother and their Animals will be watched carefully, of course. We can't have two of our sacrifices getting themselves killed before we need them," Bradley said, a glint of humour in his eyes, like he was sharing a private joke with Mustang. Ed felt Nala's bite back her urge to snarl at the Fuhrer.

"Why has your father chosen those two as sacrifices? Out of all the alchemists out there, why is your father so determined to have them as sacrifices?" Mustang asked.

Bradley leaned back in his chair as he considered Mustang and his question. "I'm sure you and the Elrics have already figured out the answer to that question so why are you asking? Seeking confirmation, perhaps?" Bradley asked but Mustang didn't say or do anything. "They were chosen because they've met and survived Truth and their trip through their Gates, as well as the price Truth received as payment."

"How many sacrifices does your father need?" Mustang asked and Bradley quirked a brow.

"Five, at least," Bradley told him.

"When will your father's plan be put into affect?" Mustang asked but this time, all Bradley gave him a condescending smile.

"I truly hope you weren't expecting an answer to that," Bradley said, a touch patronisingly. A small flash of disappointment crossed Mustang's face that had Bradley clenching his jaw and anger flaring in his eyes. "Now, leave my office and if you value the lives of those you care about, you'll keep the reasons for your subordinates being reassigned and the details of this meeting to yourself. Do not speak of any of this with your subordinates either," Bradley ordered.

Mustang grit his teeth but gave a short, sharp nod. "Yes, Fuhrer Bradley," he said and Ed honestly thought Mustang would crack a tooth if he clenched his jaw any harder.

Ed thought he glimpsed Bradley looking down at Nala and dread set in his gut. If he saw Bradley looking down at Nala, that meant… "order your Animal to look at me." Ed heard Bradley instruct Mustang and he wasn't sure who was more surprised and worried in that moment; him or Nala.

"Sir?" Mustang asked, obviously not expecting the question.

"End sight!" Ed gasped just as Bradley repeated his order. The disconnection from Nala was just as disconcerting as the connection had been and he almost went stumbling as the darkened alley he, Al, Gluttony and the Animals were walking down came into view.

"Ed!" Ayala cried as Al steadied Ed. Gluttony looked on with a confused frown, his finger back in his mouth.

"Are you alright, Brother?" Al asked and Ed nodded.

"Yeah. Must've tripped on a cracked stone or something," Ed said, giving Al a self-deprecating smile. "I'll tell you what happened later," Ed said to Chester and Ayala, taking advantage of their bonds.

"You should be more careful, Brother," Al chided and Ed nodded in agreement.

"Father's this way," Gluttony said, making them startle slightly.

"Right," Ed said. "Let's keep going."

Gluttony nodded and continued down the path they'd been on before Ed came back to himself without another word. Ed could feel Chester and Ayala's curiosity but he was focusing back on Nala. Now that they weren't connected as closely, Ed was only getting her feelings rather than her thoughts and seeing everything. A big wave of relief rolled through the lioness and Ed exhaled sharply through his nose as his own relief overtook him.

"Let me know what happened once you sense I've got a few minutes," Ed said to Nala and felt her agreement.

The group remained silent, even though Ed could the burning curiosity coming from the Animals and Al, up until they rounded a corner and Gluttony froze. "I can smell the Ishvalen ahead. There's someone else with him," Gluttony told them. "Can I eat them?" He asked, looking imploringly at the brothers.

"No, let me go and tell them to leave. We don't have the time to wait for you to eat anyone," Ed told him, feeling sick as he did so. Gluttony's face fell but he nodded. "Al, give me the panda," Ed instructed quietly.

"Why?" Al asked, even as he followed Ed's order. Ed took the snarling panda from Al, making sure to use his right arm to so. It was a move that proved clever as the panda immediately started gnawing on his metal finger.

"I think that little Xingese girl is with Scar. If I have the panda, I can make them listen to me instead of attacking me right off," Ed said. He knew his brother wasn't impressed that he was basically using the panda as a hostage but he was beyond caring right now. "I'll be back in a few minutes. Just hang out here until I am," Ed said. He didn't bother waiting for a reply as he and Ayala headed around the corner, the panda he was clutching growling ferociously as he walked.

"-feel something wrong with this country when I first stepped foot in it and this place is the centre of it. Can't you feel it?" Ed heard a young, girlish voice asking as he headed down the alley and he quickly found who he'd been looking for. He was a little surprised at how far away he was from the group. Gluttony's sense of smell must be phenomenal.

"Oi," Ed called as he stepped closer. Both the girl and Scar spun to face him but neither looked shocked to see him there. "I need to talk to the two of you," he said, walking forward as though he wasn't approaching a serial killer he'd fought only hours earlier and a girl who could wield alkahestry, something he had no clue how to fight.

"You're one of the people who attacked the servant of the Mr. Yoki!" The girl exclaimed once she saw his face. Ed saw Scar tense up but he wasn't sure if it had been because Ed standing there or the girl's words.

"I'm not here for a fight," Ed said, raising his left hand in a peaceful gesture. "From either of you," Ed added, looking directly at Scar. The Ishvalen man didn't react in the slightest.

"Then why are you here?" The girl demanded, cheeks puffing out in anger and suspicion.

"Two reasons," Ed said. "Firstly, I'm returning this to you," Ed told her, holding up the enraged panda.

The girl audibly gasped once she spotted it. "Xao-Mei!" She exclaimed and the panda squealed in excitement.

"If I put the panda on the ground, will it go to you?" Ed asked and the girl nodded violently enough that one of her braids hit Scar. "Alright," Ed said, crouching down and placing it on the ground. The panda didn't look back as it raced for the delighted Xingese girl.

Scar watched as his companion scooped up the panda they had spent most of the afternoon searching for and started cooing at it while he watched Edward and Ayala. "What was the second thing?" Scar rumbled, bringing the girl's attention back to the situation.

"You need to get out of here," Ed said while Ayala watched them steadily. "We're with the homunculous we captured and its creator's lair is nearby. We need to get in there and talk with it but we can't do that while you're here. The homunculous can smell you, which is how it knew you were nearby," Ed explained.

"You told me that these homunculi are the ones truly behind why our countries went to war," Scar said.

"They could be," Ed corrected, interrupting the Ishvalen. "I'm hoping to find out whether my suspicions are right when I talk to this homunculous but I can't do that if the two of you stay here. The homunculous we captured won't take us to its creator if you're here," Ed told them.

Scar and the girl exchanged a look. "We'll leave," the girl finally said. "Before we do though," the girl said before lowering herself in a deep bow, "my name is Mei Chang, princess of Xing and I'd like to offer my deepest gratitude to you for returning Xao-Mei to me," the girl – Mei – said.

"No problems," Ed said with a small shrug. "If you could leave now…" Ed trailed off pointedly.

"Of course," Mei said, exchanging another look with Scar and Ed had a feeling it wouldn't be the last time he saw the pair tonight. He watched as the trio – Xao-Mei firmly on the princess' shoulder once more – left the alley before he glanced at Ayala.

"I'd bet they'll follow us the moment we're in the building," Ayala said and Ed snorted.

"I'm not gonna take that bet," Ed told her as they started heading back. Again, it took them a few moments and Ed was sure he spotted a glimpse of Ling crossing rooftops as they walked. Finally, they rounded a corner and came face to face with Gluttony, Al and Chester. "They're gone," Ed told them.

Gluttony inhaled deeply before nodding. "This way. It's not long now," Gluttony told them before he headed down the alley Ed had just appeared from.

"Everything okay?" Al asked as the followed the massive homunculous.

"Yeah," Ed said. "Tell Al not to be surprised if we have two extra visitors during this talk," Ed instructed Chester.

"You think Scar and the girl will gatecrash?" Chester asked and Ed nodded.

"The girl – Mei, by the way – probably wouldn't on her own but Scar wants to know about Ishval and I did tell him I thought the homunculi might be behind the slaughter of his people," Ed told him.

"In here," Gluttony said, pointing to a door.

"Ready?" Al asked, sounding a little apprehensive himself.

"Let's get this done," Ed said, steeling his resolve and feeling the Animals do the same as Gluttony pushed the door open and went inside.

They followed the homunculous inside and Gluttony led them down some stairs. There was barely any light, only what the streetlights outside managed to get through the sewer grates that sat alongside the gutters of the road above them. "I didn't know there were tunnels like this under Central," Al couldn't help but say as he took in their surroundings with some awe. At least, he did until he spotted some remains on the walkway next to them. To his shock, he even saw some human skulls amongst them. "Why are there human remains down here?" Al asked, voice rising a few octaves. He looked over at his brother and was a little surprised to see that Ed was paling slightly and that the Animals had their hackles raised.

"Oh, the gatekeepers did that," Gluttony commented, barely sparing the bones a glance.

"'Gatekeepers'?" Ed repeated, looking a little worried.

"They won't rip you up as long as you're with me," Gluttony assured them.

"They're using chimeras as gatekeepers," Chester told Al. "We can sense them nearby. Keep your eyes peeled," Chester warned him and Al nodded. He could've sworn he saw a pair of red, glowing eyes just as Chester finished speaking, which didn't help him stay calm.

Al glanced at Ed, who gave him a small smile that Al thought was supposed to be reassuring but Al could tell his brother was scared as well. Gripping Ed's forearm and squeezing it lightly, Al hoped he was reminding Ed that he was there as well and that the four of them could take on anything together. Ed's answering smile was a little stronger this time and his expression became determined. Seeing his brother looking ready to face whatever lay ahead had Al's own resolve harden as the followed Gluttony further underneath Central.

---

"So this is it?" Al asked as they stood facing a massive set of stone doors. "Your Father is on the other side of these doors?"

"Uh huh," Gluttony confirmed. Before Ed or Al could say anything, Gluttony pushed open the doors with far more ease than the boys thought they would've used.

The room the five of them entered was enormous. On the far wall was a set of stairs that led to a platform that likely had doors that led to rooms they couldn't see. There were pipes of various sizes covering the entirety of the walls of the room that Ed could not figure out the purpose for. As his eyes followed the pipes down the wall, he noticed that several seemed to converge into one pipe that then ran along the floor and connected to a large stone throne that sat in the middle of the room.

"This place couldn't get creepier if it tried," Al muttered and both Ed and the Animals nodded in agreement. Gluttony strode into the room with no hesitation.

"Hello, Father!" Gluttony called gleefully. "I brought you two human sacrifices!"

Movement above them drew their attention to a figure that was standing on the ledge Ed had noticed before. As the figure moved into the dull light that shone into the room, Ed couldn't help but order Chester to warn Al once more that it wasn't Hohenheim. He didn't feel the irritation he'd expected from the leopard but he knew the message had been passed along by the subtle shifting of Al's armour.

"And who are they?" Hohenheim's doppelgänger asked, sounding vaguely curious. The moment the homunculous stood under the light, Ed was hit by the urge to punch him in the face however, after a moment of Ayala lightly gripping his sleeve to stop him if he did give in to the urge, he noticed several differences between their father and this homunculous. He had a more washed out appearance than Hohenheim did, obviously no Calix, he looked older than Hohenheim and he wore white robes and no glasses. His hair was tied back in a half-ponytail whereas Hohenheim wore his in a full ponytail and Ed was quick to notice that his hair and eye colour were a lot lighter than Hohenheim's. If Ed hadn't recently seen Hohenheim, he might've thought this homunculous was him.

"They're the Elric brothers, Father," Gluttony told him, a pleased expression on his face.

"There you are, Gluttony," a sultry voice sounded from the bottom of the stairs and everyone who wasn't a homunculous were startled to see a woman with luscious, long, black hair seemingly appear right out of the shadows before she walked towards the obese homunculous, ignoring the rest of them. Both Chester and Ed stiffened as they recognised the woman from the Fifth Laboratory. "Where have you been?"

"Lust!" Gluttony exclaimed delightedly as the women pet the top of his bald head. "I got captured by them and their friends," he told her.

Lust's face pinched in displeasure. "What have I told you about keeping out of sight?" She scolded and Gluttony's face fell.

"I tried, Lust, but the Xingese could sense me," Gluttony warbled, bottom lip trembling slightly. "Wrath tried to save me though but then he told me to go eat the Ishvalen while he dealt with the Xingese but one of them escaped him and those two helped him catch me," Gluttony told her, pointing to the brothers.

Lust's cold eyes turned to the four Elrics and a quiet rage filled them. "I didn't think the two of you would be the kind of humans who would exploit someone of Gluttony's intelligence level," she hissed and Ed felt both Ayala and Chester's hackles rise. A quick glance at the two Animals confirmed his suspicions that they were silently snarling at the woman.

"You're one to talk considering you and Palm-Tree attacked me and Ches when we were already injured," Ed snapped and Lust scoffed.

"You were sticking your noses into something you had no business knowing about. You're lucky Envy and I spared your lives," Lust informed him.

"Yeah, we're really grateful you decided to save our lives so you can murder us in the future," Ed snarked.

"You should show us more respect," Lust snapped. "Without us, you would be dead numerous times over."

"I consider the two of you to be vital resources," Father said, speaking up for the first time since Lust appeared and cutting off any biting retort Ed would've said back. "Both of you must remain healthy and alive until I require otherwise so you really should take more care. It's starting to get irritating hearing my children report back to me with new stories of you two almost getting yourselves killed for no good reason."

A noise from behind the Elrics caught everyone's attention and Ed looked over in time to see Ling appearing through the massive stone doors. He didn't see any sign of Mei or Scar but he knew they were there somewhere, or they would be soon. Ling was splattered with blood and other things that Ed refused to think about, telling the blonde that the prince obviously ran into some of the gatekeepers Gluttony had told them about. Laika's fur hadn't been spared the gory spray and there was a feral look in the marten's eye. "So this is the homunculous you told me about?" Ling asked and Ed nodded.

"I would ask who you are but I assume you're the Xingese who attacked Gluttony here," Father said, looking slightly bored. Lust and Gluttony had made no move in reaction to Ling's sudden appearance. "Gluttony, you can eat him and his Animal," Father said.

"No, wait!" Ed ordered when Gluttony made an excited noise and took a step forward. Ed was quick to place himself between Ling and the homunculi and Ayala was quick to place herself between Ed and the homunculi while Al and Chester readied themselves for a fight. "This guy's our friend. You wanna keep us happy right? So don't kill him. Please." Ed hated himself slightly for the slight begging he'd done but he quickly dismissed that feeling. If it kept his friends alive, he'd beg if necessary.

"But I have no need for him or for the others," Father told him. "Your friendship with him doesn't make him any less useless to me." Ed heard Ling's offended gasp as he stared incredulously.

"What the fuck did you just say?" Ed asked and Father gave him a slightly pitying look.

"I don't like him," Ling said from behind him as the prince drew level with Ed. Laika came to a stop next to Ayala, puffing himself up to look a bit more threatening. "I can tell he looks down on humans and calls us fools."

"When you notice an insect on the ground, do you stop and consider it a fool?" Father asked, sounding almost like a lecturer. "Or is the life of an insect so far beneath you that you don't even notice it? That would be an accurate summation of my feelings towards humans."

Though he'd figured the homunculi had no positive feelings towards humanity, Ed was appalled to realise that this homunculous thought so little of humanity that they didn't even register as living creatures to him. It did answer why Father hadn't asked about Ed's colouring or why he resembled Hohenheim. The homunculous had likely not even noticed or, if he had, didn't think the familiar gold of his hair and eyes were important enough to comment on. Knowing Hohenheim's plan to talk to this homunculous hadn't been enacted on since Calix hadn't told him and now knowing that Father hadn't figured out his lineage, Ed decided to keep it a secret.

"It's pretty apparent you're the root of all this evil and I'm gonna bring you down!" Ed declared, clapping his hands together as Ayala and Chester took up defensive stances, ready to protect their humans. "I don't care how many goons you've got!" Ed slammed his hands onto a nearby cable and blue energy raced towards Father.

The ancient homunculous looked unfazed by the cables Ed had transmuted to wrap around him and to Ed and everyone else's shock – minus the two homunculi – the cables Ed was manipulating were destroyed in a flash of red alchemic energy. Ed stared at the debris that fell from his defeated transmutation in shock.

"He can use alchemy?!" Chester and Ayala both exclaimed in shock and their voices brought Ed back to the situation at hand.

"Ling!" Al cried and Ed watched as the prince flung himself to the side to avoid Lust's extended fingers. "What's going on here?" Al asked, a touch hysterically as his own transmutation was defeated by Father as easily as Ed's had been.

"How is he doing that?" Ed growled as another alchemic attack of his was countered effortlessly by Father. Ayala and Chester were doing their best to try and protect their humans and help Laika protect his from Lust and Gluttony. "It's like he can transmute just by thinking about it!"

"This is a waste of time," Father declared as he blocked another attack from the brothers.

"Ed! Transmute your blade!" Ayala suddenly ordered.

Ed didn't question her, just obeyed. In the moment his transmutation finished and his familiar blade ready to be used, Father stepped forward and a massive wave of red energy washed over them. When it dissipated, Ed felt… off. He glanced at Al and the Animals before he clapped – careful of his blade – and slammed his left hand to the ground. Instead of the stone spike he'd intended to send towards Father, there was absolutely nothing.

"What's going on?" Ed asked as he tried again and watched as Al's sketched array failed to so much as spark. "I can't transmute!"

"Ed! Al!" Ling's fearful voice called and Ed spun in time to see Lust pierce him through the shoulder and pin him to the wall.

"Ling!" Ed called only to find himself grabbed by Gluttony and jerked back by the firm grip the homunculous had on his arm. Al was given the same treatment. Laika, Chester and Ayala were being held at bay by Lust's other hand. "What did he do to us?" Ed asked as he tried to process the fact that his alchemy – his main and most efficient weapon; something he'd always been able to rely on – was gone.

"I don't know," Al whimpered. "Why can't we transmute?"

"What are you bastards planning?" Ed growled, glaring at the cause of everything: Father.

"This one shows spirit, Father," Lust said, extracting her extended finger from Ling's shoulder and stroking his cheek. "We might be able to use him," she purred.

Ed started struggling against the hold Gluttony had on him. "Leave him alone!"

"I believe Lust is correct. You may prove to be rather useful to me after all," Father mused. "I can, after all, always use a new pawn in the rotation." The moment he finished talking, a vertical slit appeared in his forehead. To Ed's disgusted shock, that slit widened to reveal a third eye that then cried something thick and red. At first, Ed thought it was blood but he quickly realised what it was.

"Is that a stone?" Al was the one to ask and the question got Ling's attention.

"Really?" He asked, looking fascinated before his expression turned to one of apprehension as Father approached him. "What are you doing?"

"I'm going to make a new homunculous," Father told him. "When a liquid stone is added to the bloodstream and successfully merges, a new human-based homunculous is born. Admittedly, it is more common for the stone to overpower and kill the human," Father explained, sounding completely unconcerned about the price of failure.

"I'm not gonna let you do that to him!" Ed shouted, renewing his struggle ten-fold against Gluttony's hold. He spared a moment to be grateful it was his automail Gluttony had hold of, even if it meant he couldn't use his blade because he was certain his arm would've broken with how much he struggled. "You bearded bastard, let him go! He's got people waiting for him to come back!" Ed had never wanted to see Scar's face more in his life but the serial killer wasn't anywhere to be seen and Ed mentally cursed him out. A look at Laika told him the Animal was trembling but he couldn't do anything to come to the aid of his human. The tip of Lust's finger was right at his throat and any move meant death.

"This is exactly what I want so stay out of it!" Ling ordered and Ed was shocked enough to cease his struggles for a moment.

"Seriously?" Ed asked incredulously.

"I came to your land to find the Philosopher's Stone and this guy's just gonna hand it over," Ling told him. "I'm not gonna turn this down." The absolution in Ling's voice should've had Ed back off but he couldn't.

"Think about what you're doing! Think about Laika!" Ed pleaded and saw a guilty look flash through the prince's eyes before stubborn resolution set in and Ed knew nothing would change Ling's mind.

"Well, this is a surprise but let's see if your body is as willing as your mind," Father said, nodding to Lust.

Taking the cue she was given, Lust used her finger to cut a small gash into Ling's cheek, causing the prince to flinch slightly. Father approached, holding the stone and grasped Ling's chin, forcibly tilting his head so the prince was looking away. "No, don't! Ling!" Ed tried again, his pleads joined by Al as Father pushed the liquid stone into the cut and stepped back with Lust, who had a smug smirk on her face.

"Don't interfere!" Ling snapped as dropped to the ground and Ed felt his heart clench as Laika dropped with him. Though Ling only grunted and groaned in pain, Laika screamed. "Stay back! I know what I'm doing! You're dealing with the future leader of Xing!"

Ed watched helplessly as Ling continued to writhe and groan in pain as the stone wormed its way through his body. Laika was still in a heap on the floor, trembling so violently that Ed was worried he'd hurt himself. Ayala and Chester were watching on in horror, unable to comfort the marten in fear of Lust staking them. Ed was still struggling against Gluttony, even though he knew it was too late to do anything, but now Al had redoubled his own efforts, making Gluttony's job even more difficult.

Suddenly, Laika stopped shaking and Ling grew quiet. Ed watched with bated breath as Ling got to his feet and scrutinised his body. "Ling?" Ed called, hoping his friend hadn't been overtaken by the stone.

Ling's eyes snapped to his and Ed that it wasn't Ling looking back him. Before, Ling's eyes had been black but now they were purple with slit pupils and he didn't even spare Laika a glance. "Oh, you mean the guy I took this body from?" Not-Ling asked, grinning cruelly. "Sorry but your friend just checked out and left Greed in charge." A stab of fear lanced its way through Ed's heart.

"Laika is still alive. I can sense his vitals and they're steady. He's in no danger of dying soon which mean Ling still lives somehow," Ayala soothed and Ed let his fear calm down.

"So you're not Ling?" Al asked, confusion in his voice and something clicked for Ed.

"Wait, didn't Gluttony say that Greed was destroyed because he kidnapped you and Ches?" Ed asked and Al nodded.

"So are you the same Greed than?" Al asked and Greed gave them a confused but bored look.

"What are you talking about?" He asked.

"From Dublith," Al said, trying to jog Greed's memory but there was no recognition in his eyes.

"You must've met some other Greed," he told them, shrugging a shoulder carelessly.

"He was my pawn before," Father said, apparently feeling the need to explain the confusion. It obviously worked because all confusion cleared from Greed's face.

"Oh, I got you. That makes sense," Greed said before looking at the two brothers once more. "No, I'm not the Greed you know," he told them.

"So, Ling?" Ed asked, a touch hopefully. If Laika was alive, that meant Ling was as well, at least in spirit.

Greed shrugged a shoulder, looking immensely bored with the whole conversation. "Well, he was an interesting kid. He gave up his body without any fight after all," Greed told them and Ed frowned.

"You're making it sound like he's dead," Ed commented and Greed nodded. "Well he can't be. Laika's still alive." Immediately, Ed regretted drawing attention to the weakened Animal.

"That could prove to be an annoyance," Father commented. "Kill it," he ordered Greed, who – to Ed's horror – nodded and headed straight for Laika.

"No!" Ed shouted, rushing forward only to be yanked back by Gluttony's grip on his arm, as the confused and terrified Animal curled away from Greed. Ed and Al fought with renewed energy, desperate to get to Laika first.

Chester and Ayala acted first. Chester, in a move that Al would likely yell at him later for, darted around an unprepared Lust's fingers and sank his teeth into whatever fingers he could grab, snapping them off and causing the enraged homunculous to shriek in pain and anger. With Lust occupied by Chester, who was now doing his best to dodge her retaliating strikes, Ayala didn't hesitate. She grabbed Greed by his arm as he stalked towards Laika and pulled him away from the trembling Animal. She immediately released him once he was pulled off balance and sprinted for Laika, hauling the Animal up by the back of his neck and heading back for Ed, dodging the angered Greed until she and Laika were behind Ed.

"Help Chester," Ed ordered and Ayala took off, arriving at the leopard's aide just in time to push him out of the way of a blow he hadn't seen coming. A flash of pain lanced up Ed's right side and he knew Ayala had been hit but it didn't feel overly painful.

"Lust!" Gluttony whimpered, fearful for his sister as he watched her trying to fend off the two Animals at the same time. Father was watching the scene with mild intrigue while Greed eyed up the Animal hiding behind Ed's legs.

"You can cut that out," Greed snapped at Laika. "He's not going to respond to your pitiful pleading. His soul might not be destroyed yet but it will be soon," Greed told him.

"Don't listen to him, Laika. Ling's strong and stubborn," Ed told the Animal, staring defiantly at the homunculous wearing his friend's face. "He wouldn't let some homunculous destroy him and his plans to save your clan." Greed's face twisted in a mock-pitying expression as he regarded Ed and Laika.

Before he could say anything, there was a commotion at the doors once more. Chester and Ayala took the opportunity that Lust's distraction gave them to retreat back to their humans. Ed twisted in Gluttony's hold and watched as Mei and Scar burst through the door. Like Ling, Scar was covered in blood and gore but, surprisingly, Mei's pink robes only had a few spots of blood on them. Xao-Mei was seated firmly on Mei's shoulder, snarling as ferociously as she could manage.

"That man is the source of evil I can sense," Mei said, tugging on Scar's arm and pointing at Father. "He's human but also not." She sounded a little confused and Ed wanted to roll his eyes.

"He's not," Scar rumbled, looking at everyone. "It doesn't look like any of them are human."

"They're homunculi!" Ed shouted. "All of them are!"

"That's the Ishvalen I never got to eat," Gluttony told Father, sounding mournful.

"So this is the insubordinate human who has been so carelessly interfering with our plans," Father murmured as he looked Scar over. "Go ahead and eat him. He doesn't have his alchemy," Father told Gluttony.

Gluttony grinned, tongue licking his chops as he let go of Ed and Al before he launched himself at the serial killer. Scar didn't do anything to defend himself. Instead, he twitched his fingers and – to everyone's surprise – alchemic energy sparked as he grabbed the entirety of Gluttony's face and activated his array. The whole of Gluttony's head exploded with a wet noise, sending blood, brains and bone shards flying everywhere. The mammoth homunculous' headless body collapsed to the floor as Scar and Mei walked further into the room though Scar was careful to keep Gluttony's body in view.

Ed and Al had used Gluttony's failed attack to move so they were no longer in between the two parties. Ed scooped Laika up, being careful with his blade, and was saddened that the Animal put up no struggle. "I know you're in shock but you need to keep it together. Ling isn't completely lost to us," Ed said, speaking directly to Laika.

"You can speak to other Animals?" Laika asked and Ed mentally congratulated himself for distracting the Animal.

"Yes but don't try and tell Ling," Ed asked. "You heard Greed. Ling's not in control right now so all you'll do is tell the homunculi about my secret," Ed explained.

"I'll tell Ling when we get him back," Laika said, determination written on his face and Ed nodded.

"Looking forward to seeing his reaction to that," Ed said with a small grin. "Will you help us fight if need be?" Ed asked.

Laika looked at Greed, whose arm was now healed where Ayala had bit it. "I won't fight Greed. I can't fight him," Laika told him and Ed nodded.

"That's fine. Just keep yourself safe," Ed said and Laika gave him an affirmative hum.

"How can you use your alchemy here?" Father's voice interrupted Ed and Laika's conversation. A look at Al – who shook his head slightly – and the array sketched at his brother's feet told him their alchemy still wasn't working.

"What do you mean?" Scar asked as the newly reformed Gluttony whimpered next to Lust. Greed was still watching everything as though it was the most interesting thing he'd scene lately.

"This doesn't make sense," Al muttered. "Why can they use alchemy but we can't?" Ed shrugged.

"The girl uses alkahestry. Maybe it's different enough to alchemy so it's not affected by that array?" Ed whispered. "I don't know about Scar though. Maybe Ishvalens have different alchemy to us?" Ed suggested. "It doesn't matter either way. This could be what we need to turn this fight around," Ed said. "Scar!" He called out, gaining the attention of Scar and the homunculi. "You wanted to know about what really started the war in Ishval, right? Ask Father how he knew that soldier would shoot the child," Ed suggested and Scar turned to face Father, who looked as uncaring of the Ishvalen Civil War as he had with everything else.

"I sent Envy disguised as a soldier to start the uprising so we could bleed Ishval to further our plans," Father told him, looking unfazed by Scar's snarl.

"They orchestrated the entire war! The Fuhrer's one of them! He ordered the State Alchemists to attack to further Father's plan!" Ed shouted.

"I'd like to know more details about this," Scar growled but Father regarded him disdainfully.

"Greed, take care of the outsiders," Father ordered as he walked towards the staircase.

"Sure," Greed agreed easily and started for Scar. However, he found himself facing off against Edward as the blonde launched an attack to draw the newest homunculous away from his target.

"I know Ling's still in there. Give him back," Ed ordered as they exchanged blows. As he hadn't been in Dublith with Al and Teacher when they faced off against the original Greed, all the information Ed had to help him in this fight came second-hand from Al, Chester, Izumi and Koda.

"Not for long," Greed said easily as he countered every blow Ed and Ayala hit him with. His ultimate shield – as Al said the original Greed called it – was obviously an ability that had been transferred to Ling's body but Ed had no way to counter it without access to alchemy.

Ed could hear the sounds of alchemy in use and knew Scar must've been drawn into a fight of his own but Ed paid no attention. Laika was helping Chester and Al against Lust, something Ed saw out of the corner of his eye as he dodged a blow from Greed, which meant Scar was against Gluttony or Father himself. Ayala had found herself struggling to land a blow and after she nearly snapped a claw on Greed's ultimate shield, she had to start being more careful. Even the two of them trying to land a hit at the same time had no effect on Greed's ability to get his shield in place. In fact, the only time Ed seemed to hit a blow was when his blade managed to graze Greed's cheek. Of course, it was healed immediately but it gave Ed a new surge of energy.

"Mr. Scar!" The sudden cry for help from Mei caught Ed's attention and saw Gluttony approach the down and obviously injured girl but before he could move to help, Greed landed a heavy hit to his left arm and Ed was drawn back into the fight.

---

"Mr. Scar!" The cry from Mei caught Al's attention and he watched as Gluttony approached the young girl, a hungry look in his beady eyes. "No, Xao-Mei!" Al saw the tiny panda stand in front of its owner, snarling a warning that had no effect. Lust's next attack barely missed him and Al took a page out of Chester's book. He grabbed the fingers and snapped them off, causing the homunculous to let out another shriek of pain.

"Go. I'll hold her back," Chester ordered and Al nodded, leaving the homunculous to Chester and Laika.

"I'm going to eat you," Gluttony said, drooling slightly only to go flying as Al slammed into him.

"Take her and get out of here, Al!" Ed's shout got Al's attention and he watched as Ed struggled to keep Greed busy with Ayala's help.

"Brother…" Al said as Ed threw a punch with his right arm strong enough to send Greed back a couple of steps. Ed's previous wounds had reopened and he'd accumulated new ones.

"Get out of here!" Ed ordered, dodging a retaliatory punch from Greed.

Al hesitated for only one more moment before he scooped the injured girl up. "Chester, stay and help Ed," he told his Animal.

"Laika will. I'm coming with you," Chester argued. Behind him, the marten dug its claws into Lust's leg and nodded to Al while the homunculous was distracted.

"Alright," Al said as he took off out of the room, Mei and Xao-Mei clutched in his arms. "You okay?" He asked the young girl.

"I never asked for your help," Mei scowled and Al wanted to roll his eyes.

"Save the stubborn pride for later," he snapped and the girl looked shocked. "Those things back there kill anyone they don't have a use for and in case you haven't figured it out, that includes you. I'm getting you out of here before you're killed," Al informed her before suddenly skidding to a stop. In front of him were dozens of chimera. All of them looked malnourished and starving and when he and Chester went to double back, they found even more waiting. "There's too many of them!" Al cried. A sudden, small explosion behind him had him turn around and he was greeted with the sight of a dozen destroyed chimera and a freshly-bloodied Scar standing there.

"You two," Scar said, looking a little confused. "I thought you made it outside."

"Scar, can you make it to the surface with Mei? I can give you the address of a doctor who will help and stay silent," Al said.

"You would allow me to escape even after I've almost killed your brother?" Scar asked and Al felt irritation flare at time they were wasting.

"Yeah, I'd rather beat you to a pulp and drag you to the authorities than ask for your help but right now we need to save Mei's life," Al told him bluntly. Scar looked at the barely-conscious girl in his metal arms and nodded.

"What's your plan to survive this?" Scar asked, gesturing to the chimera.

"I'm important to the homunculi. They need me alive so they won't kill me," Al said. Movement behind Scar got both their attention and they watched as Gluttony stalked towards them his presence caused the remaining chimera to flee.

"I doubt I can get her to the surface in the condition I'm in," Scar said and Al finally noticed that not all of the blood that covered Scar belonged to the chimeras, "and I have no intention of turning my back on this place just yet," Scar informed him.

"I'm going to eat you this time, Ishvalen!" Gluttony claimed, an angry look in his eye but Scar didn't care.

He raced forward and deconstructed Gluttony's neck, getting coated in more blood, before moving back to Al. He considered the young alchemist before he deconstructed some nearby pipes just as Gluttony started healing himself. Gas hissed from the pipes, rapidly growing the longer it was left and Scar snatched Al's helmet. "Hey! What are you doing?" Al demanded just as Gluttony got to his feet. Scar ignored him and struck the helmet against the pipes as Gluttony walked into the vapour. The resulting explosion sent Al, Chester, Mei and Scar backwards as it wiped out Gluttony and any chimera foolish enough to have been lingering. Scar tossed the helmet back and Al placed it back on.

"Get out of here," Scar ordered. "Get her to the doctor you told me about. I'll deal with this," Scar said, turning his back on them.

"Let's do as he says," Chester said. "Ed will be fine. He has Ayala and Laika with him and I told him to meet us at Doctor Knox's," Chester told him.

Al was going to refuse, saying they needed to go back and help Ed but a small moan of pain slipped past Mei's lips and Xao-Mei started becoming more frantic. After a moment, Al decided to place his trust in his brother and Ayala. "Don't get yourself killed, Scar. You need to pay for your crimes," Al said before he and Chester raced for the exit.

---

"That was a good, solid kick!" Greed praised Ed even as he blocked the blow as if Ed hadn't put all his weight behind his left leg.

"Wake up, Ling!" Ed ordered even as he aimed a punch for Greed's temple.

"The name's Greed," the homunculous said as he deflected the blow.

"Shut up and give Ling his body back!" Ed demanded. Al and Scar had disappeared only a few minutes ago, Scar having left after Al only seconds later. Chester had sent him a message a couple of minutes after that, explaining quickly what had happened and that Al and he had made it to the surface. Lust had been sent to collect Gluttony by Father and she'd done so with only a small scowl to show her displeasure at having to find her brother.

"Sorry, can't do that!" Greed told him as he tried to kick Ed's sternum only to be stopped by Ayala throwing herself bodily against the raised leg and forcing the homunculous to do a half-pirouette as his balance was compromised.

"Give up already, you idiot!" Ed snapped, using his blade in a slashing motion against Greed's chest only for nothing but sparks to be made as it met the ultimate shield once more. "Come on, Ling! What about your country? Have you forgotten all about Lan Fan? Laika?" Ed tried every weak spot he could think of but there was no reaction except a snarl.

"Ed, watch out!" Ayala cried but it was too late. Greed managed to slip through Ed's defences and grab him by the throat, constricting his airways but not enough that Ed couldn't breathe at all.

"Got him for you, pops!" Greed declared victoriously. Ayala snarled and Greed turned to her, waggling a finger. "Unless you want me to hurt him," Greed demonstrated by squeezing tighter and Ed choked as his air intake was restricted even further. His own scrabbling at Greed's hand did nothing as he'd covered it with his shield, "you'll back off," Greed finished, completely unaffected by Ed's attempts to free himself. He did loosen his grip when Ayala stopped and Ed could breathe once more, though a bit more painfully than before. He could already feel the bruises forming.

"Take him downstairs," Father ordered. "I want him taken directly to Wrath." Father watched uncaringly Greed started hauling Ed forward by his throat. Ed dug his heels in, struggling against being taken anywhere but Greed was unaffected by his efforts.

They made it the doors, both Ayala and Laika following as Ed continued trying to fight his way out, when a tanned hand shot out from nowhere and grabbed the wrist belonging to the hand Greed had wrapped around Ed's throat. Alchemic energy crackled as Scar's red eyes glared at Greed and Greed's wrist exploded, splattering hot blood and gore on Ed, Ayala, Laika, Scar and Greed himself. The part of the hand that survived the deconstruction thudded wetly to the ground as Ed hit his knees, coughing as he struggled to control his breathing now that he could draw in a full breath.

"Ling!" Laika cried as the homunculous was sent stumbling back but before Ed could comfort the Animal, he found himself being hauled roughly to his feet and pulled forward, despite Ayala's growls.

It wasn't until he was partway down the sewer line that it even registered that it was Scar who had just rescued him. His throat ached and swallowing hurt in a way that he'd never felt before but he could breathe again. Ayala was running next to him with Laika on her back, something that would've been hilarious at any other time. Scar still had a grip on his left arm but it took a few moments for Ed to remember that he should shake it off. When he did so, the three of them slowed to a stop.

"Why?" Ed rasped slightly and Scar considered him for a moment.

"Because they started the war. They killed my people by using your people as the weapons and they killed your people by using us as weapons. Your Fuhrer has been manipulating everyone to further their plans. My need for vengeance against State Alchemists is still there but these homunculi are what truly deserve my wrath right now," Scar told him. Ed knew his surprise shone on his face and the unintentional gasp he inhaled aggravated his bruised throat enough that he couldn't suppress the resulting coughing fit. "Your brother saved Mei's life and he would've let me escape to do so. I owe Mei myself for healing me when I've been injured. That means I owed your brother for saving her. Do not think that just because I saved you this time, that my anger towards State Alchemists and their heretics alchemy has dissipated any," Scar warned.

"No chance I can talk you into a truce until all this shit is over? At least between you, me, Al, Mustang, Hughes, Armstrong and their teams? It'd be nice if we could try and come up with a plan to defeat the homunculi and save everyone – Amestrian and Ishvalen alike – from whatever Father has planned without worrying if you're gonna attack us," Ed said, voice still rasping slightly.

"The Flame Alchemist was one of those who fought against my people. His alchemy was one of the most destructive and devastating alchemies used against our warriors. Why should I agree to spare him for now?" Scar asked.

"You saw him using his alchemy in Ishval?" Ed asked and Scar nodded. "That's why," Ed said. "We'll likely need that kind of firepower against the homunculi and honestly, if you kill him, I'll be placed under someone else's command and they won't give me the same freedom Mustang does to investigate shit like this," Ed told him, gesturing towards where they'd just run from.

Scar considered him for a few moments before nodding. "I'm willing to extend a temporary truce until the homunculi are dealt with. After that though, we will be enemies once more," Scar said.

"Awesome," Ed said, extending his left hand since his blade was still formed. "Truce until this is dealt with." Scar grasped his hand and they shook just before the sound of footsteps could be heard echoing behind them.

"Get outside and meet up with your brother," Scar ordered. "I'm not finished down here yet."

Unlike Al, Ed didn't argue. "Don't get yourself killed, Scar. We might need you in the upcoming fight," Ed said before turning Ayala. "Laika, let me take you so Ayala can lead the way," Ed instructed. The marten didn't argue with him, just climbed up the extended arm and Ayala rolled her shoulders, adjusting to the weight loss. "Let's go," Ed said once Laika was situated. "Don't forget what I said!" Ed shouted as best he could over his shoulder as they ran away from Scar. The Ishvalen didn't acknowledge his words and Ed didn't look back.

---

"Ed?" Ayala asked as they made their way to Doctor Knox's home-turned-temporary-practice. She sounded a little hesitant, which piqued Ed's curiosity.

"Yeah, Aya?" Ed asked as he hoisted Laika more securely on his back. The Animal had been extremely weak ever since they'd escaped the sewers. Ed suspected that it was a mixture of exhaustion from the fight, shock from what happened to Ling and mental and physical shock from whatever happened to their actual bond but he didn't want to ask right now. They'd only just forged their own bond and it had been made out of necessity so he didn't think it was his place to ask how Laika was feeling right now. Ed was also certain it was a stupid question.

"I think you need to tell Calix and Hohenheim that Father can block alchemy," Ayala said. Ed mentally groaned but had to admit she was right. However, her mentioning alchemy jolted him as he realised he hadn't checked to see if his alchemy was back yet.

"Laika? You holding on?" Ed asked, not using the bond.

"Yeah, I've got a good grip," Laika told him. Ed felt his claws dig in a little tighter, likely breaking skin slightly but after every injury he'd suffered that day, Ed barely noticed it.

Letting go of the supporting grip he had on Laika, Ed brought his hands together and nearly melted in relief when he heard the familiar echoing ring his clap made. Placing his left hand on his automail blade, Ed transmuted the metal back into its original form before he went back to holding Laika in place. He felt the marten loosen his grip slightly, offering small apology as his claws pulled out of Ed's skin.

"You're right, Aya. I'll contact Calix now," Ed told her, sounding completely unenthusiastic about the whole idea.

"If you do it now, you won't have Al asking to pass on any messages later," Ayala told him and Ed rolled his eyes.

"I was gonna do it. It's important information that bastard needs to know and even I don't hate him enough to hold that kind of information from him so there was no need to try and bribe me," Ed informed her. He did not appreciate the sarcastic 'sure you were' he got from her. Ignoring his wolf, he searched for his bond with Calix that was buried deep. "Calix?" Ed called through the bond and the stallion answered immediately.

"Ed? Is everything alright?" Calix asked, sounding deeply concerned.

"Everything's fine. Tell Hohenheim that we beat him to the original homunculous," Ed said.

"Are you alright?!" Calix asked before Ed could explain any further. "Did he hurt you?"

"If you would let me talk," Ed snapped. Considering the shit he'd been through day, he felt his loss of patience at the interruption was excusable. Judging from what he felt from Ayala, she wasn't as agreeable. He felt Calix calm down, a strum of apology running through their bond. "As I was saying, we met the original homunculous. He's calling himself 'Father' now. We'd captured one of his homunculi – the one called 'Gluttony' – and he introduced us to Father and Lust. One of our friends," Ed choked on the word before clearing his throat – wincing as the action aggravated the injury – and continued, "he let Father introduce a liquid stone into his bloodstream. There was a fight but we got out of there with minimal injuries." Ed sighed slightly. "But that's not why I contacted you. You need to tell Hohenheim that not only can Father transmute with barely a thought but he is somehow able to turn off alchemy," Ed told him.

"What do you mean by 'turn off alchemy'?" Calix asked perplexed.

"I mean that he unleashed this wave of red energy and then neither Al nor I could transmute any more," Ed told him. "I just tried my alchemy again and it's working so he mustn't be able to hold the array for long. Maybe half an hour? 40 minutes? It could've come back earlier than that but circumstances had my attention away from that particular issue," Ed told Calix.

"What circumstances?" Calix asked curiously.

"Nothing that's any of yours or Hohenheim's business," Ed told him snappishly.

He felt Calix sigh. "I'm asking for me because I'm worried about what kind of circumstances would distract you from the fact that your alchemy wasn't working," Calix told him gently.

Ayala gave him a look that had Ed rolling his eyes as he adjusted Laika a little. "The friend-turned-homunculous, now known as Greed, had no clue who we were," Ed told him. "He was ordered to kill his Animal and he fully intended too but Ayala and Chester got in the way. When a couple of temporary allies made an appearance, we learned that alkahestry isn't affected by whatever Father did. Also, whatever alchemy the serial killer hunting State Alchemists uses wasn't affected either," Ed told Calix, figuring Hohenheim should probably know about that too.

"Greed and I fought while Al took on Gluttony and helped the Animals with Lust. One of our allies, a Xingese princess named Mei, got injured and I made Al and Chester leave to get her medical aid. Greed and I continued fighting but he eventually slipped past my defences and got me by the throat." Ed heard Calix mentally inhale a concerned gasp and worry he felt flooded through their bond, almost overwhelming Ed. "The aforementioned serial killer rescued me from Greed and Ayala, Ling's Animal and I escaped and are heading to our rendezvous point with Al. Ayala suggested I use this opportunity to tell you what happened so you could tell Hohenheim," Ed finished saying, trying not to squirm at the intensity of Calix's concern for him.

"We appreciate the heads up," Calix told him. "And we're both glad you're alive." Calix didn't give Ed the chance to completely process what he said, let alone respond as he continued talking. "Van and I haven't uncovered anything useful on our side. We're still heading to where we need to set up the next lot of countermeasures but what you just told us will help. We'll try and figure out how he's able to turn off alchemy. Actually," Calix paused for a moment, "it would be extremely helpful if you'd allow me to see the memory you have of him performing that feat. Not the whole memory," Calix hastened to add when Ed bristled, "just that particular snippet."

Ed sighed through his nose. "Fine," Ed agreed tersely just as Knox's house came into view. "I'm nearly at my meeting point with Al. Let me know what you and Hohenheim think," Ed ordered. Once he got Calix's agreement, Ed shared the bit of memory the stallion had requested before disconnecting from the bond.

"I wonder if Hohenheim will figure out how Father managed to do what he did. It would be nice to be able to come up with a counter attack for that," Ayala said and Ed nodded.

"I think I definitely would prefer to be able to use alchemy against that homunculous bastard the next time we go up against him. Maybe if I get close enough, I can just use the stone destroying array on him and end this whole thing," Ed mused.

"That would be nice and easy. Which, of course, means we won't win like that," Ayala said, a large grin on her face and Ed couldn't help but chuckle.

"Yeah, that sounds about right," Ed laughed.

---

Ed could feel the morning sun on his face, pleasantly warm as it started to rise over Amestris, signalling the start of a new day. Thankfully it was still early enough in the morning that most people were either only just starting their day or were still in bed. Apparently no one on Knox's street started work at this time as Ed didn't see anyone and neither Ayala nor Laika warned him that someone was watching and Ed was grateful. He didn't think it would be fair to the irritable doctor to have his neighbours ask why exactly a teenager who resembled the Fullmetal Alchemist covered in blood and other muck and someone else's Animal on their back while his equally filthy wolf walked beside them was knocking on his door at such a ridiculous hour in the morning.

"Who the bloody hell – oh, it's you," Knox said blandly once he recognised who was standing at his door. "You better come inside. I don't need the neighbours getting curious and coming over to try and talk to me," Knox grumbled as he stepped aside. Brian was standing next to his human and moved with him.

"Thanks, Doc." The rasp in Ed's voice must've been more pronounced than he thought because Knox's eyes immediately fell to his throat. It was either that or Knox was far more observant than Ed had given him credit for.

"Your brother's looking after the other Xingese girl the two of you decided to drop on me," Knox said before looking at him contemplatively. "Down the hall and the first door on the left is my bathroom. Get your shoes off and get yourself cleaned up. I'll give you a look over once you're done. Of course, since the chances of you already having picked an infection from who knows what in those sewers are probably high, it'll probably be a waste of my supplies but whatever," Knox muttered then looked at Ayala. "You might as well give her a bath. I don't need any of you infecting someone in this house."

"I appreciate it, Doc, but where's Lan Fan and Fu? I need to talk to them first," Ed said, kicking his shoes off and toeing them so they sat neatly and tilting his head back slightly to gesture to Laika. Recognition of the Animal flickered in Knox's eyes before he sighed.

"First door on the right," was all Knox said before he headed up the hallway himself, disappearing into the second room on the left with Brian right behind him.

Ed followed the doctor's instructions and knocked lightly on the door. Fu was the one to call for to enter and Ed did so. Lan Fan was bandaged around her missing arm and the top of her torso and her hair was loose around her shoulders as she lay propped up on a pillow. Fu was seated on her right, lightly grasping her remaining arm and Onyx was draped across her lap. Ed noted that she looked like she wasn't in much pain and wondered if it was because Knox had drugged her, if she was able to hide her pain well or a mixture of both.

"Edward," Fu greeted, looking over his shoulder, obviously expecting Ling to walk through the door after him. "Where is the young lord?" Fu asked when Ling didn't appear.

Ed shuffled his feet, felling a little uncomfortable under Fu and Lan Fan's intense gazes. "Before I tell you what happened, just remember he is alive," Ed told them. Though he'd held a slight hope this would relax them, he was completely unsurprised when they tensed even further. "He followed us to the original homunculous' lair – he's known as Father, by the way – and invited himself inside. Father ordered Gluttony to kill him but Lust – another homunculous – stopped Gluttony when Ling showed 'spirit', according to her. Father decided to introduce a liquid stone into his bloodstream and turn him into a homunculous, assuming he survived the procedure," Ed told them dully. "Father was able to do something that rendered me and Al unable to perform alchemy. We fought as hard as we could to try and stop Father but Ling told us to stay out of it; that he wanted this to happen so he could save your clan." Ed paused for a moment as he felt Laika shift slightly and offered the marten some reassurance and comfort through their bond before continuing.

"But something happened when his body didn't reject the stone. The homunculous the stone had originally belonged to, Greed, overtook Ling's mind or something. He didn't remember us or Laika and he didn't remember Al from when the original Greed kidnapped him a couple of months ago. Father ordered Greed to kill Laika since his still being alive meant Ling was as well and potentially fight for control of his body if he wanted to. Greed obeyed," Ed told them.

"The young lord would never try to harm Laika. You must've mistaken the situation," Fu told him and Ed nodded.

"Ling would never hurt Laika but Ling isn't in charge of his body, the homunculous is. Greed doesn't care about Laika or us or the two of you. He was more than happy to try and kill Laika and drag me by my throat once he managed to capture me," Ed snapped, regretting it a moment later as both Lan Fan and Fu looked shocked to their cores.

"Prince Ling dragged you by your throat?" Lan Fan asked, looking aghast with what she was hearing. Both her and Fu were now looking at Ed's neck and really regretted letting that slip out. "Prince Ling is a formidable warrior and strong leader but he doe not partake in unnecessary cruelty."

"Greed did that. Not Ling," Ed said firmly. "Once that stone entered his bloodstream and he didn't reject it, Ling stopped being in control. Greed is the one calling all of the shots with Ling's body now," Ed reiterated.

"What about Laika?" Lan Fan asked, eyeing the Animal who was still attached to Ed's back with a saddened look. "You said that he is alive but he hasn't moved. Laika has never been still unless he was asleep or unconscious," Lan Fan stated.

"He's in shock. Or he feels like he's in shock. I've never actually felt an Animal go into shock before," Ed told them and then proceeded to mentally curse himself.

"He feels like he's in shock? How would you know that?" Fu asked and Ed sighed.

"I can bond with, talk to and sight-share with any Spirit Animal I want. I gained the knowledge from my father," Ed told them. Technically it wasn't a lie because Hohenheim claimed that he would've taught Ed and Al how to talk to Spirit Animals using the technique he'd helped develop when Xerxes still stood. "When Ayala managed to get Laika away from Greed before he could be killed, she brought him to me. Once I was out of Gluttony's hold, I bonded with Laika to make sure he was alright and see if he would help us fight," Ed explained.

"I see," Fu said after a few moments of silence. The old man stood from his chair and Ed felt a moments panic. He knew how protective the two were of Ling and right now he didn't have the energy or will to fight back if they attacked him. Ayala snarled lightly next to him, warning Fu that she would not hesitate if he attacked her human but Fu did no such thing. Instead, he bowed. "Thank you for protecting Laika and keeping him safe so that we get our young lord back, he still has his Animal there for him. We apologise for the distress you have suffered by the hands of our prince, even though he wasn't in control of his body at the time."

"You don't have to apologise to me. I only did what anyone would've done," Ed said, shifting a little uncomfortably with the amount of gratitude the two were showing.

"Be that as it may, we are still thankful," Fu told him.

"What do you wish to do with Laika?" Lan Fan asked. Her grandfather hissed something in Xingese but she ignored him.

"Well, Doc has offered his bathroom to us to get cleaned up so I was gonna do that but then I was hoping he could stay with you guys?" Ed suggested. "I can't guarantee he'd be safe with me and I don't know what effects, if any, he'll suffer the longer Ling isn't in control. Plus, I'm still practically a stranger to him so I figure he'd be more comfortable with you guys. He can keep me updated with everything that happens to him or you that way as well," Ed said, a touch hastily.

"We would be honoured to look after our young lord's Animal," Fu assured him. "If you're agreeable, I can take him from you and clean him up while Doctor Knox examines you," Fu offered.

"You alright with that?" Ed asked Laika.

"Yes," he answered. "Thank you for everything, Edward."

"Don't worry about it," Ed told him after nodding to Fu.

The old man took the cue given and walked behind Ed, helping Laika extract his claws as gently as possible from what remained of Ed's red coat. Though the yellow-throated marten truly wasn't heavy – maybe five kilograms, six at the most – Ed still felt relief at having him off his back, literally. Even five kilos seemed like a tonne after almost an hour of it clinging to you, especially after such an exhausting fight.

"Thanks," Ed said. "Ayala and I'll go get cleaned up now. Shouldn't take us long but I'll let you know when the bathroom's free before we go and check on Al, Ches and Mei," Ed told them, rolling his shoulders back to loosen them up while Fu placed Laika on the second chair in the room. The marten immediately curled up and fell into a deep sleep that Ed was a little jealous of.

"'Mei'?" Lan Fan asked and Ed nodded.

"A little Xingese girl who was with Scar for some reason. She lost her panda during the fight where Ling captured Gluttony and we found it. We ran into her outside the building that hid the entrance to Father's lair and reunited the two. She introduced herself as Mei Chang, a princess of Xing," Ed told them.

"The Chang girl is here?" Lan Fan asked, looking at Fu. "We'd heard rumours that the Chang clan were also seeking immortality to win the Emperor's favour and assume the title when he passed but we had no idea their princess would come up with the same idea to seek answers in Amestris. I'm surprised she survived crossing the great desert."

"How come? You guys did," Ed asked and Fu nodded.

"Yes, we did but we had each other and were able to carry enough supplies to last us, as well as bit extra in case of emergency. The Chang clan however would not have been able to afford to sent Mei with guards and she would not have been strong enough to carry a surplus of supplies, even if her clan could have afforded to spare her more food than she'd need. She would've only taken the bare minimum to sustain herself for however long she thought the journey would take her," Fu told him.

"Huh," Ed said. "She did say something about Scar being the servant of the man who saved her life. Perhaps that's how she survived the crossing," Ed said, recalling the comment the young princess had made while defending Scar from them.

"Perhaps," Fu echoed in agreement. "That is something we can ask the young lady when she's recovered a little more. You should get yourself cleaned up and let our host look you over before he retracts his offer," Fu suggested to Ed, who nodded.

"Yeah, I'll do that," Ed told him. "I'll let you know when the bathroom's free so you can use it," Ed said as he and Ayala headed for the door. "Thanks for agreeing to look after Laika."

"Thank you for saving him and trying to save our prince," Fu said, dipping into a deep bow.

"Yes, thank you, Edward," Lan Fan said, inclining her head since she couldn't exactly bow like her grandfather had.

"I'm sorry that I couldn't stop Ling from doing what he did," Ed told them, hand on the doorknob.

"I doubt anyone could've," Fu told him. "Our lord is a very stubborn man when his goal is within reach. However, you saving Laika has not only given us a way to know for certain that Prince Ling is alive but you have also have ensured that our prince would not have to suffer the loss of his Animal. That kind of pain may very well have killed his spirit and we could've lost him permanently." Ed was sure he didn't imagine how Fu's voice shook for a moment or the heartbreak that flashed in his eyes. The fact that Fu sounded horribly certain of just how agonising it would be for Ling to lose his Animal told Ed and Ayala that Fu had felt that pain first hand.

"I'm glad I could save Laika," was all Ed said, giving the still-sleeping marten a look before he looked back at the two Yao guards and gave them a nod. "I forgot to say before but I'm glad to see you're doing better, Lan Fan," he said, giving her a small smile.

"Thank you, Edward," Lan Fan said in response, giving him a small smile in response.

No more words were exchanged between the three of them as Ed and Ayala made their way into the hallway. Ed hesitated at the bathroom door for a moment, thinking he should go and check on Al and Mei first but Chester was in his mind a second later, informing him that he could smell the pair from where he was and that under no circumstances would he allow them into the room until they were clean. Ed mentally flipped the leopard off but didn't argue. To his surprise, neither did Ayala when he opened the bathroom door.

"Guess you're ready to get the stink off too, huh?" Ed commented as he followed his wolf into the bathroom.

"More than ready," Ayala said in agreement.

"Alright. Guess I'm cleaning you up first," Ed said. Ayala climbed into the bathtub without argument and Ed turned on the taps before using the hosed shower head attached to the spout to start washing her down. The blood mixed with slime and muck attached to her started to run down the drain as Ed soaked her fur. "How badly hurt are you? I'm sorry I didn't ask before," Ed said, trying to look through her wet fur himself for injuries.

"Many bruises and a few small cuts and punctures. Nothing that won't heal in a few days," Ayala assured him. "Don't worry about not asking before either. My injuries are minor so I'm not surprised you never noticed me getting them. How are you?" She asked him.

"Pretty much the same. I think I've sprained my left wrist and my throat's definitely bruised but that's it," Ed told her honestly.

"Good. At least you won't have to come up with a cover story for the hospital," Ayala said as Ed grabbed some shampoo from the little shelf.

"True," he agreed, squeezing some shampoo on to her.

Placing the bottle aside, he used both hands to scrub the shampoo in, taking care when he found an injury. Ayala closed her eyes in pleasure as he worked the suds through her fur, giving her a decent massage in his efforts to get her clean. It took three lots of shampoo to get her coat sparkling clean again and he let her jump out of the tub so he could dry her off. Once her golden fur was clean and dry, he inspected her wounds more closely. A couple were still bleeding sluggishly – both puncture wounds from Lust – so he healed them. The others, as Ayala had told him, were minor and since they weren't bleeding and Ed couldn't see any reason he'd have to heal them right now, so he left them alone to heal at a normal rate with Ayala's permission.

"I'll wait outside while you have a shower," Ayala told him once he'd finished checking her over. "I don't need my fur going all poofy because of the steam," she told him, tongue lolling out of mouth as she grinned at him.

Rolling his eyes, Ed opened the door. "See you in a few," he said, as she headed into the hallway before shutting the door on her.

---

As soon as he did, he stripped off his jackets, shirt and leather pants, leaving him standing there in his boxers. The skin underneath – for the most part – was clean but bruised. Every injury he suffered from his fight with Scar had reopened but he had a few new minor wounds to add to his collection. He looked in the mirror and noted some slight bruising around his neck. It wasn't dark enough that someone would notice from across a room but if they stood close to him, they'd see it. Shaking his head slightly, Ed unbraided what was left of his plait and finished getting undressed before he stepped into the shower, sighing as the hot water hit him, and started to clean himself up.

Once finished, Ed switched the water off and used the only dry towel in the bathroom. Wrapping the towel around his waist, Ed spread out his clothes and clapped. Using his cleaning array, Ed watched as the blue energy danced across his clothing with far more relish than the array actually deserved. He was never gonna take his alchemy for granted again now that he knew there was a way for someone to take it away from him, even if it had only been temporary. Once all of his clothing was clean and the dirt balls formed washed into the sink, Ed fixed any damage and pulled his boxers, pants and tank top on. He left his jackets and gloves off for the moment and, after debating for a moment, left his hair loose rather than braiding it. He stuffed his hair tie in a pocket and tidied up the bathroom, not wanting to irritate Knox any further, and joined Ayala in the hallway.

"All good?" He asked her and she nodded, pulling herself into a standing position. As promised, he rapped his knuckles against the door to Lan Fan's room before heading down to the room Knox had told him Mei and Al were in. Before he got there though, Knox intercepted him.

"Head to the lounge room so I can give you a look over," the doctor grumbled, moving past Ed and Ayala as he went into the living room himself. Brian gave them a look that told them not to keep Knox waiting before he followed suit. Ed and Ayala shared a look before Ed shrugged a shoulder and did as he was told. Ayala decided to follow him, wanting to make sure Knox treated her human right.

Ed took a seat on the couch Knox indicated to and removed his tank top at Knox's brusque command. Knox dug through his medical bag and pulled several bandages, alcohol wipes and some thread and a needle in case Ed needed stitches. "Alright. Don't move unless I tell you to," Knox ordered, eyes already locating his injuries and mentally cataloging them. He grabbed an alcohol swab and got to work.

---

It didn't take Knox long to finish treating Ed. Throughout the whole ordeal, Ed never so much as twitched though there had been a couple of close calls. Knox certainly hadn't been kidding when he'd warned Lan Fan that he would likely be a bit rough in treating her and Ed's respect for Lan Fan's pain tolerance ratcheted up another notch. He vividly remembered how much it had hurt having Granny treating him and she worked on living people all the time so the fact that Lan Fan had lasted as long as she had with someone who wasn't as used to living patients as Pinako was something to be in awe of.

"Try not to do anything with this wrist. If you do damage it more, go find another doctor to complain to," Knox said as he taped the end of the bandage he'd wrapped around Ed's left wrist to keep it in place. "Your throat should be fine in a few days. Try and refrain from yelling or getting choked again in the meantime," Knox ordered.

"Thanks, Doc. I'll do my best," Ed said as he pulled on his tank top and black jacket. "How are Mei and Lan Fan doing? Lan Fan looked like she wasn't in as much pain," Ed asked.

"Both of them will live. Lan Fan can get her automail installed whenever she wishes as soon as she's able to walk herself to the bathroom and back without collapsing," Knox told him as he cleaned up the rubbish. "Mei is still unconscious and likely will be for a couple more hours. She was hit pretty hard so I have to wait for her to wake up to see how much damage the little fool did to herself." Knox scowled at the idea of having someone else in his house for that long.

Ed didn't comment on his scowl. He just made a noise that told Knox he'd heard what he said. Ed actually went to say something back but a knock sounded at the door, causing all of them to jump. Both Ed and Knox looked at Knox's clock and saw that it was nearly six in the morning. Knox and Brian headed for the front door while Ed and Ayala slipped into the kitchen to avoid being seen and being asked awkward questions.

"There had better be a damned good – oh, it's just you. Get inside before someone sees you two. I've already got your youngest subordinate inside but he had the common decency to turn up before the rest of the street was awake," Knox told the person at the door.

Ed peeked around the corner to confirm his suspicions. "Mustang? Nala? What are you doing here?" He asked, coming out of the kitchen fully to find Mustang and Nala in the lounge room he'd just vacated. Knox didn't look impressed to have Mustang standing there but Ed figured Knox didn't look impressed about much to begin with.

"Ed! I felt what happened. Are you alright?" Nala fussed as she beeline for him.

"I'm fine. Quit your worrying," Ed scowled even as he dropped into a crouch so Nala could hug him.

Mustang watched as Ed crouched so that Nala wouldn't have to tackle him to the ground, something the lioness definitely would've done since Ed had told her he was fine. "She sensed that you were on the move and ordered me to bring her here so she could see you were alive with her own eyes once she figured out where you were hiding out," Mustang explained, shooting the lioness an annoyed look.

Despite his annoyed tone, Mustang was doing his best to try and find the injuries he knew Ed had suffered. He spotted the hint of white under his left sleeve and he saw the faint bruising on Ed's neck, feeling anger rise in him at the thought of someone holding Ed tight enough by the neck that the injury bruised. Mustang knew about the neck injury because Nala had almost bolted through their front door in an effort to get to Ed's side when she realised what was going on. It had taken a lot of effort and time to get her to calm down enough to tell him what had happened and to make her see that waiting to find out where Ed would end up was the smartest move. She hadn't been impressed and spent the next half an hour or so completely ignoring Mustang's presence until she'd figured out where Ed was heading.

"Colonel Mustang? How come you're here?" Al's voice sounded from the hallway, surprising most of them with how silently he approached.

"Nala sensed your brother was in danger and ordered me to bring her here so she could check on him," Mustang told him.

"Oh. That makes sense," Al said, nodding slightly as he moved over to where Ed was still crouching. "Are you alright, Brother?"

"Yeah, I'm good. Doc checked me over," Ed told him. Mustang gave Knox a surprised look that had the doctor scowling at him. "Worst injury is a sprained wrist," Ed reported, showing Al his bandaged wrist to prove he'd had it looked at.

"What about your neck? I can see the bruises. What happened?" Al asked, starting his mother-henning.

"Greed got a hold of me but I am fine," Ed emphasised, glaring a dare at his brother to ask again.

"You know he frets because he loves you and is worried about you," Chester told him, coming to sit next to where Ed was crouching so he was now surrounded by three large Animals.

Figuring he wouldn't be going anywhere anytime soon, Ed dropped the rest of the way to the ground, wrapping an arm around Ayala's neck and leaning against her. Knox sighed and waved at his couches, silently telling the others they could take a seat. He and Brian took up residence on the armchair while Mustang sat himself on the same couch Ed had been on. Al decided to sit himself down next to Ed and the Animals. Chester immediately draped himself across Al's lap and Nala herself over Ed's leg, something the blonde rolled his eyes at.

"So what with the two of you after I dropped my link with Nala?" Ed asked, scratching Nala's ears.

"Wait, Brother, you haven't told us what even happened while you were sight-linked with Nala," Al interrupted before Mustang could answer.

"Oh, right, I haven't," Ed said as he realised his brother was right. "Well, Mustang there decided to go confront the Fuhrer about his being a homunculous, ignoring Nala's advice to not do that," Ed told him. "This means that I better never hear you give me shit about being reckless again," Ed told Mustang.

"You confronted the Fuhrer?" Al gasped and Mustang nodded.

"Yes," Mustang said. "I decided to go and have a chat with the Fuhrer to see if I could learn anything from him." Mustang paused for a moment before continuing. "We should assume that all of the military higher ups are corrupted. The only exceptions I can think of are General Armstrong and General Grumman," Mustang told them.

"The military knows about the homunculi?" Al asked. Knox looked as angry as Al sounded.

Ed shook his head but Mustang was the one to verbally answer. "No, Alphonse. They believe the Fuhrer is human but that he's angling for immortality by sacrificing the whole of Amestris. In exchange for their silence and support, Bradley has promised them immortality and control of an immortal army," Mustang told him.

"'Immortal army'?" Al asked. "What did he mean by that?"

"I don't know. He never explained that any further and I didn't ask," Mustang told him. Al slumped slightly where he sat, disappointed in the lack of information. "I found out why the two of you were chosen as sacrifices and how many Father requires for his plan to go into effect," Mustang mentioned and that brought Al out of his slump.

"What did he say?" Al asked, a touch impatiently.

Mustang looked at Ed, who rolled his eyes but did as he was silently ordered. "Bradley told Mustang that we were chosen because we survived our visit and payment to Truth and they need at least five sacrifices," Ed told him.

"So we were right about Teacher and dad being possible sacrifices," Al said and, though his eye twitched, Ed nodded.

"Looks that way. We may get lucky and figure which poor bastard they've chosen as their fifth sacrifice and get them out of the country or something before this plan can get under way," Ed said, sounding somewhat optimistic that they might actually be able to do that.

"I doubt it'd be that easy," Mustang said dryly. Ed shot him a glare that told the older alchemist that he didn't appreciate the negative, if realistic, outlook.

"Let's back up for a moment," Knox interrupted. "How do you know what the Fuhrer told Mustang? And what link with Nala are you talking about?" Knox asked.

"Ah," Ed said eloquently. "Long story short, I can speak, sight-link and bond with other people's Animals. It's not a full bond, it's more of weakened version of it. I can sight-link and speak with Nala or Chester from nearly any distance because our bonds are stronger but with Animals like Laika or Mark, the ones whose bonds with me aren't as strong, we're more limited," Ed explained.

Knox gaped at him in disbelief. "That's bullshit," he told him before looking at Mustang. "It's bullshit, right? No one can bond with someone else's Animal. There's never been a reported or rumoured case of that happening," Knox exclaimed.

"Until now," Mustang said calmly. "You know I am not someone who would lie to you about something like this. Fullmetal can and has bonded with numerous other Animals, including Nala. Heaven knows why she's so attached to him though," Mustang said, sighing a little.

"You're just jealous she likes me more," Ed snapped back. However, the come down from the adrenaline high mixed with the physical and mental toll the last 16 or so hours had taken on him were catching up to Ed so rather than his voice being laced with venom like he'd intended, it was laced with exhaustion.

"A stellar comeback, Fullmetal," Mustang drawled. "As I was saying, Fullmetal certainly can and will bond with an Animal, if he wants to. Because of his ability to sight-link with the Animals he's bonded to, he and Nala linked last night when I decided to talk with Bradley. That's how he knew what Bradley and I spoke about," Mustang told Knox.

"Assuming I believe any of that, how did the Fuhrer not notice Nala's eyes? They would've been ringed with blue while yours weren't. Fuhrer Bradley's Animal may have died when he was young but he would still know all about the bond," Knox said.

"Nala kept her eyes averted, for the most part," Mustang told him, giving Nala an admonishing look.

"What do you mean by that?" Knox asked, his curiosity getting the better of him. The tale was doing the partially intended job of drawing both Brian and Knox out of their shock.

"Unfortunately, just as Bradley dismissed us, Nala accidentally caught his eye and he noticed. Even though she immediately averted her eyes and she and Fullmetal ended their link in mere moments, Bradley noticed and ordered me to have Nala look at him. I believe it was at that Fullmetal and Nala ended their link, yes?" Mustang asked Ed, who nodded. "When Bradley repeated the order, Nala did as she was asked and, obviously, didn't see anything. When I queried the order since it was a highly unusual order, he told me he thought he'd seen the sight-link blue in Nala's eyes. I suggested the idea that it was a trick of the light or something reflecting in them since we hadn't been sight-sharing and nothing else could cause that particular blue in her eyes."

"What did he say?" Ed asked, sharing a worried look with Ayala and Nala.

"He didn't say anything. He just nodded and repeated his order for us to leave," Mustang told him. "I don't think he suspects that you and Nala were sight-sharing. If I'm being honest, I'm not sure if he believes that he saw what he saw. Like Doctor Knox pointed out before, Bradley did have an Animal in his early years. He would know what is and shouldn't be possible with a bond so I believe he believed my cover," Mustang told Ed. "The two of you, however, shouldn't try something like that again. He won't believe me a second time," Mustang warned.

"Yeah, well, I wouldn't have linked with Nala if you hadn't decided to confront the one member of the military we should be avoiding about the fact that he's a frigging homunculous!" Ed informed him hotly. "He could've killed you!"

"I didn't know you cared, Fullmetal," Mustang smirked and Ed glared at him.

"If you die, I'll be transferred to someone else's command and I won't get time to try and reach our goal," Ed snapped gesturing between himself, Al and their Animals. He could feel how warm his cheeks were. "Plus, if you died, so would Nala and I don't want that to happen," Ed told him, giving Nala's ears a scratch.

"You say the sweetest things," Nala teased and Ed rolled his eyes at her.

"Damn right I do," he said with a grin.

"Actually, speaking of the Fuhrer not killing you," Knox said, bringing the attention back to himself, "why didn't he? By all accounts, we should've been hearing about how yours and Nala's bodies had been found in some dark alley and I should've been called in to perform your autopsy and her necropsy." Knox looked intently at Mustang for an answer.

"I had expected Bradley to inform me that he would be placing an order for my death within a few days however, according to Bradley, I wouldn't learn my lesson if I was dead," Mustang told them. His top lip curled slightly in displeasure at the answer Bradley had given him.

"So how does he expect you to learn your lesson?" Knox asked. "What?" He asked as Mustang raised a brow. "You can't expect me to believe that he just let you walk out of his office with no repercussions, can you?" Knox scoffed.

"No, he didn't," Mustang confirmed before sighing and running a hand through his hair. "Fuhrer Bradley will be issuing orders to my team this morning. Falman will be sent north to Fort Briggs, Havoc will report back to East City, Breda will be sent to the Southern Command Centre while Fuery goes to the Western Command Centre. Captain Hawkeye is to report to Fuhrer Bradley as his personal assistant as soon as she has finished any remaining duties I've assigned her. A new team will be assigned to me sometime this afternoon." Complete silence followed Mustang's revelation. The only ones in the room who weren't surprised were Ed, Nala and Ayala, since she'd been told everything as she, Ed and Laika headed for Knox's house.

"So he's taking away most of your support structure," Knox said. "That leaves you with Edward, Alphonse, Hughes and me in Central and not directly under Bradley's control. Not to mention your new team will likely be incompetent or acting as spies for Bradley or both. That's unfortunate." Ed almost snorted at how flat Knox's tone was.

"It's certainly inconvenient," Mustang agreed. "There are a couple of small silver linings to this situation though, so long as they prove fruitful," Mustang said. Ed glanced at him and silently wondered how long his boss had stayed up that night, trying to figure out a way to twist his teams dispersement to his advantage, no matter how slight.

"Are you gonna share or keep these ideas to yourself?" Knox asked impatiently.

"Well, with Falman heading to Fort Briggs, he might be able to talk to General Armstrong and convince her of the danger her fortress will be in," Mustang said, "and with Havoc going back east, he can rendezvous with General Grumman and start silently figuring out how they could help us if Central becomes a battlefield," Mustang told them. "We can utilise Fullmetal's ability to speak with Animals to pass along messages if time is of the essence or if whatever system Breda, Falman, Fuery and I come up with fails or isn't viable"

Ed scowled at the idea of being used as a messenger for everyone and Ayala showed verbally how she felt about her human being used like that with a snarl. "I better be a last resort. I don't need an Animal taking me by surprise when I'm in the middle of a fight or research to pass along something that could've been sent a different way," Ed informed him.

"I already said I wouldn't rely on your ability unless I had to," Mustang told him. "I'll use Nala before I use you," he told Ed and Nala snorted.

"If he asks nicely, I might consider it," Nala commented, a smirk on her lips. The scowl on Mustang's face told Ed that the flame alchemist had heard her as well.

Mustang went to say something but a small groan from one of the occupied bedrooms had Knox sighing and getting to his feet. "I suppose I should go and check on my patients and make sure they aren't dying," Knox grumbled as Brian joined him in standing.

"We should be heading into the office now anyway," Mustang said, giving Ed and Al pointed looks that had Ed rolling his eyes again before he climbed to his feet once Nala had gotten off his lap. "Thank you for your help, Knox."

Knox flapped his hand dismissively. "Don't bother thanking me. Just stop bringing me living patients. There's a reason I prefer working on corpses," Knox told him gruffly. He turned to Ed as the blonde pulled on his red jacket. "You," he said, pointing a stern finger at him, "better not come to me for any more patch-ups," Knox told him and Ed nodded.

"Have zero plans to, Doc," Ed told him. "Thanks for your help with Mei and Lan Fan, as well as for patching me up," Ed said and Knox muttered something under his breath.

"Like I said; don't thank me. Just don't come back for medical help unless you can't make it the hospital and even then, you'd better try getting there first," Knox told him.

"Will do," Ed agreed. "See you, Doc."

"I'll likely talk to you later, Doctor Knox," Mustang said once Al offered with own thanks and goodbye. "Have a pleasant day."

"It'll get better once you lot leave," Knox said in an unsubtle way to get them out of his home.

Mustang didn't look offended and offered Knox a nod before gesturing for Ed, Al, Ayala and Chester to follow him and Nala outside. A final goodbye was said but Knox's answer was to shut the door in their faces. Again, no offence was on Mustang's face and Ed was really curious about the kind of friendship the two had but figured it was a question for a later date. Mustang led them to where his car was waiting before he climbed into the driver's seat. After a moment of whispered arguments, Al shoved Ed at the front passenger seat while he and the Animals took the back seat. Ed glared at his younger brother before climbing into the front passenger seat.

"Why do we need to be at the office?" Ed asked as Mustang pulled away from Knox's house.

"Fuhrer Bradley's orders will affect the whole team and since you are part of it, you will be expected to be there," Mustang told him. Ed let out an annoyed sigh. "You can leave once the orders are issued and you've told us everything you've uncovered from your adventure last night," Mustang told him and Ed sighed again, though this one was one of resignation.

"Fine," Ed grumbled, sinking lower into the seat. "But we better stop for coffee and breakfast first."

A/N - Merry Christmas from those of us in Australia! Here's my Christmas present to you all! I hope you guys all have an awesome Christmas (whenever it is for you) or happy holidays if you don't celebrate Christmas! To those few of you who were kind enough to leave me a review on chapter 32, thank you so much and I will be replying to your reviews tonight. I'm sorry I haven't yet but it's been hectic the last couple of days and I only now have a couple of hours to myself before everything takes off again tomorrow XD The update schedule will return to normal after this so you will be getting an update on Sunday as well. I would love to know what ya'll thought to this chapter. I sure hope you guys like it more than the last one :) See you on Sunday and stay safe these holidays!