Halfmetal Alchemist: Chapter 37

Splitting

"What kind of sick joke is this?" Roy growled, turning on his heel. The lion growled in turn and whipped out a hind leg, tripping up Roy and landing him on his behind on the ground.The lion towered over him, a stern expression on his face. "What kind of joke is this?" Roy groaned. Anri shook his head slowly from side to side. "This is Leroy, Roy. This is what the military did to your old man."

Roy got up and continued walking. "My father is dead; dead for more than twenty years. I saw him die."

Faris's lip trembled. "Ask him a question, Fuhrer. Ask him a question only your father would know and I'll tell you how he answers..." Roy paused in midstride and looked over his shoulder slowly. He searched his mindthoroughly, thoughtfully. "When... no... where was I born?" The chimera cocked it's head and the fox jumped up and down on it's back yipping shrilly.

"He says... he says 'In the family mansion on the third floor, one o' five in the morning, in what was eventually turned into a family room." Roy cursed softly. "I-I still... I don't believe it!" he yelled, turning his back again.

" 'You were ten when you first had a crush on Hawkeye's granddaughter, Riza.' " Faris intoned. Roy shut his ears and shook his head. "Stop it! Stop it!"

" 'When you were nine you got lost in a busy crowd in Central. You sat in the middle of the crowd and cried until I found you, remember? You were a crybaby... but that was okay, I was too.' " The lion rubbed his head, embarassed. Roy's head went down and his shoulders shook. "So what happened, huh? You just let them take you and leave us alone?" The fox whined.

"She says that they couldn't help it. They tried to get away, but Leroy was injured too badly. They don't really remember when they were turned into chimeras."

"Well then you owe me something, Dad!" Roy cried, jolting the lion from it's stupor. "You need to help us save Terra! You have to!" The lion growled as another roar ripped across the plain.

" 'We have other problems.' "

Anri took the opportunity to throw a shield of light in front of them. He looked back over his shoulder at his brother, then at his nephew. "I don't know how long I can keep this up; it'll help against detection, so I suggest you make your heart-to-heart conversation quick!"

Roy nodded. "Let me fill you in then. Terra was abducted roughly twelve years ago by homunculi, we don't know where she is now. Right now, however, we have to deal with this new form of Ultimus. The plan of action is to split into two groups." he turned to the rest of the group. "We need ateam of two to infiltrate the actual mountain itself, I have a feeling that it's more than just a mountain. The rest of us will stay and distract Ultimus and the other homunculi. Any questions?"

No one offered a question and Faris looked at one of her stones. It was pulsing a faint purple and the chimera padded over to paw at it. The pulsing intensified and he recoiled, then tapped it again. Faris clenched it in her hand and looked at Roy slowly.

"Fuhrer... I think this stone... it reverses... the effects of chimera mutation."

"How many times?" Roy demanded gruffly.

"I'm not sure... maybe once."

"Try it then!"

Leroy's lion ears sunk to the sides of his head, entirely unsure of being exposed to a foreign form of alchemy. Anri put a hand on his head and Leroy growled at him. "Don't worry bro... Rivant alchemy is pretty reliable."

Leroy got up and paced in a circle before sitting down again and grunting sourly. Faris held the stone out over his head and called, "I need a transmutation circle, the circle for chimera synthesis." Roy burned the circle into the ground around them and the stone glowed again, enveloping the lion in light. The fox yipped worriedly and buried its claws into Roy's shoe, and Roy's eye narrowed.

"Did it work..."

"Aagh! Oh my God, that was even worse than being turned into a chimera in the first place! Uugh... I think I'm going to hurl..." Anri covered his mouth and tried to stifle laughter. "T-There's plenty of room for you to hurl Big Brother." And with this note, Leroy Mustang threw up.

He shot an ugly look at Anri. "Look at you! My innards are turned to mush and all you can do is laugh! I think I just threw up an intestine! What did I do to deserve my lot in life anyhow...?"

He surveyed Anri for a minute and grinned. "Heeeey... you got taller, shrimp!" A vein bulged in Anri's temple. "Just because I was shorter than you doesn't mean I'ma shrimp!" Leroy felt his throat for a minute. "I can actually talk now too! Man, this is better than I thought!" He turned and looked at Roy, embarrassed.

"Well... uh... hey kiddo."

Roy raised a hand halfheartedly. "Hey."

They stared at each other for a while, each not knowing what to say to the other. Leroy fumbled for something to say. "You... you're all grown up now huh?"

"I was grown up a long time ago... Dad."

"Ah." Leroy shuffled uncomfortably, then clenched his teeth and bolted forward.

"Ah who am I kidding! I missed you, you little runt!" He grabbed Roy in a headlock. "C'mon, didn't you miss me at all?" Roy laughed, his dam of self-control finally bursting. "Of course I did, it was never the same without you!" Tears rolled down his face and Leroy noogied him. "Aw come on, Roy, don't be such a crybaby," he said, sniffing as tears flowed from his eyes as well. They pulled apart for a second and Roy wiped his eye with a sleeve.

"And you're Fuhrer now too... that's my boy..."

"Hold on Dad... I'll have to introduce you to some people now." He ushered little Leroy and Ilia forward. "These are your grandkids... Leroy and Ilia." Leroy the elder beamed. "Named after me? You shouldn't have! He looks just like you though. And this little beauty must look like her mother," he said ruffling their hair. "I never thought you would have settled down though."

He looked over at his brother. "Glenn! You gotten any stronger while I was waltzing around as alion?" Glenn crossed his arms over his chest. "We'll see once we start fighting, now won't we?" The light barrier came down at last and another roar ripped across the plain. Roy spun around. "Which two are headed for the mountain?" he asked.

Fullmetal and Ed stood up. "We'll go, we'll find Terra in that mountain," Fullmetal said, hand on Ed's shoulder. Roy nodded and smirked. "Good. Hurry up and good luck... bean sprout." A vein bulged in Fullmetal's head and he stalked off in the general direction of the mountain. "You shouldn't walk, bean, or you'll get cooked by Ultimus!" Roy called after him. Fullmetal spun around, fists swinging. "Ooooh! You just wait till I get back, Colonel Sparky!"

"That's Fuhrer Sparky to you, you dime-sized midget!"

"AAAAAAAGH!" Ed grabbed his father's arms and dragged him off at a sprint towards the mountain. Roy smirked again. "Now that that problem is taken care of, get ready, because Ultimus is coming this way!" Ultimatum was pounding across the plain and the rest of the party struck off at a run. "Glenn, get ahead of us and meet it halfway, distract it until we get there!" Leroy said, and Anri nodded and clapped, speeding forward tomeet Ultimatum. There was a bright flash of light and Ultimatum roared, swinging paws down at Anri to crush him where he stood. "Tch, they're fast!" Anri muttered to himself as another crushed the earth right beside him. He fired another blast of light at Ultimatum and Ultimatum jumped back, turned and lashed out with a tail swathed in darkness. It crashed into Anri and he was thrown back just as the others caught up to him. He staggered back onto his feet, holding his chest. "Watch out for those tails... it's got different elements on them!" Vergo tapped the transmutation circle on his metal arm and threw a shield around Anri so he could catch his breath, and both Leroy and Roy enflamed their gauntlets, Leroy II in snapping position. Alphonse was ready, his fist glowing a pale white, and Faris ready to give assistance any way she could. Ilia and Al were back at the camp with Lira and Riza getting their firearms ready.

Fullmetal and Ed were still heading for themountain, and Ed started to wheeze just as they touched it."Ah! Finally!" he panted. Fullmetal ignored him briefly and touched the rock. "There's a hole here, it's hollow!" he exclaimed.

"Yes, and it's so unfortunate that we have to meet here, Fullmetal Alchemist," Lust laughed, a pale hand covering her mouth.