Author's Note: Sorry to leave that at a cliffy last time. Yeah, they meet a new member of their team in this chapter… in all there will be four of them. I can't give away anything about the story line but keep an eye on one the two new team mates… that's it…

Disclaimer: I do not own FullMetal Alchemist or Trigun or anything that has to do with those two shows other than paraphernalia and the DVDS! The only thing I own in this story is the story line and Sora Sinclair.

Chapter Three- Avarice and Darkness…

Last Time:

"Get out of town as soon as you can." She murmured and walked back into the back room.

"That was strange." Ed looked up at Vash curiously who shrugged. Suddenly an alarm sounded as they walked out and everyone in the town spilled out into the street and lined up shoulder to shoulder. Ed and Vash looked at each other seriously and nodded, getting into line.

Ed frowned as others joined them, standing at military attention. His looked darkened more as a tall thin man walked down the aisle of people, followed by a group of what looked like bandits with M16's. Behind them two men, one on either side, led a girl whose hands were bound together and a piece of cloth pulled through her teeth to keep her from talking. She was being dragged in as she was hanging limply, her knees dragging on the ground. Her hair was short white, almost like silver feathers caressing her face. She was wearing a tan cloak, under which she appeared to have on a pair of tight blue jean short shorts, her calves were covered with black leg warmers, bunched up over her shoes, her shirt was a tight black tube top. On her left hand was an arm warmer that ran up to her elbow, on her right was a brown leather glove. Strapped around her hips was an ammunition belt complete with holster. Around her neck was a black scarf that hung down on the right side to her knees and on the left to the ground.

"Looks like some kind of sacrifice or something…" Vash murmured to Ed out of the corner of his mouth and Ed nodded, pressing his hands together under the cloak, changing his arm into a blade again.

"We can't let that happen." Edward growled. "It's useless to sacrifice someone to a god that doesn't exist." Vash nodded just slightly as suddenly what appeared to be the leader turned towards them.

"Who are you? I haven't seen you around here before." Sykes asked them walking over. Vash had his hand on his gun and silently clicked the safety off.

"No I guess not." Ed scowled.

"What are your names?" He looked down at Edward.

"Edward Elric, the FullMetal Alchemist."

"Vash, Vash the Stampede."

"Fancy titles, but do they mean anything?" Sykes smirked.

"They mean I'm better than a piece of trash like you." Ed spat.

"Don't question those you don't know." Vash scowled. "What are you going to do with that girl?"

"She disobeyed the rules and tried to run away… we can't have that… now can we?" He turned to the rest of the people. They all shook their heads. "You may stay for the night then you must leave town and never return. That is all." He turned and quick as lightning Vash slipped his gun out of his holster and trained the weapon on Sykes, firing and hitting him squarely in the shoulder. Ed pulled his hands out from under the cloak as the bandit crew behind Sykes fired a rain of bullets down upon them. The crowd of people ran, screaming into their homes. Ed twisted back and kicked the gun out of one man's hand and swung his left foot up into his face. The man flew back and hit the wall and Ed flipped backwards, using his left hand only.

Vash dashed to the side, training the gun on the men. Four shots blew one man's chest open, blood splattering all over the rest. He jumped up as one of them swung his gun at him like a bat. Vash swung around, slamming his heel into his jaw and he hit the ground. The others lifted their leader and ran off. Ed finished one of them off by slicing his blade into his stomach, the blade severing his spinal cord.

"Not bad." Vash told him.

"Not bad yourself." Ed replied, transmuting his hand back to normal. He walked over to where the girl had been abandoned. "Think they'll let us stay here for a night?" As he spoke a roaring cheer came from the people in the homes. Ed and Vash looked around as the people of the village poured out of their homes and lifted them onto their shoulders.

Ed relaxed into a soft easy chair in the home of one of the villagers, her name was Sara. Vash was also relaxing in a cushy chair. He looked over at Ed with a serious look on his face.

"They're going to come back, with more force than before." Vash spoke, the soft firelight playing across his face. Ed nodded.

"I know." Ed replied, looking deep into the fire. Sara had gone to sleep long before. Both young men looked up as they heard foot steps in the hallway. The girl appeared before them, her forehead bandaged and her hands, wrists and lower arms wrapped up. She put two fingers to her forehead.

"I'm sorry… I didn't get your names." She looked at them both, her cloak was off as were her boots, her scarf still hung down and they both noticed that her hair was longer than it looked, the right side of her hair was short and feathery, it gradually got longer to the left and was pulled up in a side pony, then it grew shorter and feathery again as it reached her face. Silver hoop earrings hung from her ears.

"I'm Ed."

"I'm Vash." She sat down on the couch.

"I'm Sora. Thank you for rescuing me… but I would have gotten myself out of it."

"Sora… what's going on here?" Ed asked her.

Her face grew grave, "Alright, 15 years ago we were a peaceful village that prospered greatly in harvesting fruits and creating silphene, the fabric that your cloaks are made out of. Then one day these men came, claiming that they were sent to protect us, so, blindly my people agreed. They soon began creating rules that were meant to "protect" us," She looked into the fire, "We were to give them all our goods and wares so that others couldn't steal them, we were supposed to be in by 8 PM, we couldn't have animals in the village and we weren't supposed to help strangers." She sighed and ran her hand through her hair, "If you noticed, all the people in this village are women, the men were caged in a single boarding house, none of them have exited them, we are not allowed to talk to them or even walk by there for our "protection". Our people have been slowly dying off the only children in the village are those of us that were born or procreated just before they came… I am one of the only ones left here, there were no other females born after me, I was the only female in my generation. And now, the boys have been locked up with the men."

"You carry a gun… do you not?" Vash noted.

"Yes, after my older brother was taken I committed myself to traveling the world, trying to find some way to free my people from this place, I took up lessons with a teacher and he taught me the ways of the world, and how to get things done properly. I just came back a few years ago and I have stayed since then but I was discovered so I fled. They found me and that's where you come in. I will ask you now… will you help me save my town… I know it may be trivial to you but I will do whatever you want me to if you help me." She pleaded with them. Ed looked at Vash.

"They've all been so nice to us… everything was either free or discounted." Vash told Ed.

"Because they're all hoping you're here to help us… they're women, they aren't fighters." Sora said.

"What does that make you then?" Ed looked over at her.

"I'm just Sora… I fight for what is good in this world, or what is left of it."

"So then are you a woman? A man? Or just gender confused?" Ed laughed.

"I am a particularly hard headed and sturdy young woman who just happens to be pleading with you." She lowered her head. "I will do anything you ask… anything… just please help us."

"I don't know… that's a very tempting offer… what do you think Vash?" Ed looked over and Vash shrugged.

"I don't fancy the way that they're treating those men."

"Yeah… we'll help you… on one condition…" Sora looked up at him.

"What?"

"You have to give me a kiss." Ed laughed. With much more force than he had imagined she was in his lap, her hands on either side of his face, lifting his lips to hers. Vash had hardly blinked as this had happened, she was fast. He clasped his lips over hers forcefully; there was a hunger, a lust in this heated kiss that was radiating from his body. She pulled away, breathless. Ed seemed to ponder this for a moment and Vash rubbed his eyes in disbelief that this girl had moved so quickly. "Hmm… not bad… alright… we'll help…" He smiled at her and just as fast as her first moments she was on the stairs.

"Great, I'll see you guys in the morning." She walked up the stairs.

"Did you see that?" Ed asked.

"It's what I didn't see that amazed me… I barely blinked and she was on top of you… Faster than the blinking eye… huh…" Vash put a hand beneath his chin.

Alright, chapter three and we get to see both Vash and Ed in action… and a nice juicy smooch… heehee… alright, read and Review please… I beg you! gets down on knees and begs