Chapter Nineteen:
Kat awaits to hear from her cousin, or pretty much anyone at that moment. The only ones to have visited her were the doctors. Over the past few hours her worry for her beloved has grown greatly knowing that the military would need some time to get a search party started, only seemed to make her worry all the more. Her visit from her cousin, it was so strange he came she forgot half the things that happened between them but still somewhere in her mind she knew it wasn't about how she and the baby were doing. Hearing the clanking of armor, she knew who'd be coming to visit her.
"Kat may I come in?" Comes the wary Al.
Kat smiles, "Yes come right in." Kat watches him walk into her room and find a seat that will take his weight. "I'm sorry about Ed…"
Al becomes very still, Kat suddenly knew that he didn't know. "Oh right about his wounds, I thought you were talking about something else!" Al waves away the thought that it could have been something else. 'I feel silly why would I be something else?'
"Yea…" Looking down at her covers her voice seemed filled with sorrow and unconvincing.
Al slowly turns to Kat his quietness his slow turns. All these small motions were enough to tell that Alphonse did not like that response, he speaks up low his voice almost threatening, "It's more isn't it?" He watches Kat nod slowly rubbing her lower abdomen slowly, refusing to remove her gaze from her covers, "I knew I should have gone with you guys!" Al's shoulders slump as he looks to the ground, some how feeling responsible for his brothers disappearance. 'I told him to go alone… I'm so stupid!'
Kat sighs feeling just as much responsible for her lovers disappearance as Al does, "There's nothing you could have done! He was taken in the night even the officers couldn't stop it-"
"Wait? You mean? He's not dead?" Al's body motions more than obviously showed that the thought of his brother still being alive made him worlds happier, still nothing could truly make him happier if his brother were in his own room healing.
Kat looks at Al for a moment, she looks to him lost not knowing why he would even consider the thought, still the people that took him made it seem very possible. Her lower lip trembles lightly as tears fight to set themselves free as she whimpers out, "I hope not…" She unconsciously rubs her lower abdomen begging that her child will at least have a father.
"Kat what's wrong? Does your stomach hurt?" Al looks around for a nurse's button.
Almost on cue one of the nurses comes in, "Well miss Mustang lets see how you are doing!" She smiles at the young woman and whispers, "he's not bein' mean is he?" Kat smiles and shakes her head. The nurse thinks for a moment then remembers the young man she came in with, "Don't worry sweet heart, I'm sure everything will turn out just fine." She smiles and checks Kats vitals writing down what she needs to. "So have you been feelin' any pains anywhere miss?"
"I… I've been getting terribly stomach cramps lately." Kat does her best to sound happier, rubbing her belly once more.
The nurse smiles, and pats the young woman's hand, "Well that's expected in your condition, your bodies changing around to get itself ready. I know they say it's unlikely but ladies just like yourself have babies all the time even if they go through such terrible things. Well I'll leave you two alone!" She smiles at Al and Kat leaving the room.
Kat smiles to herself knowing the look at Al would give her if he were human, "You're expecting?" Al sounds excited.
Kat gives all a sad smile, rubbing her stomach, "Yea…"
"Who's the father?" Al teases knowing quite well who the father is.
Kat blinks and smiles, "Who's the only person I've been spending all my time with?" Kat pouts.
Al smiles and scratches the back of his head nervously, "I know, I know…. Though…." Al sits up strait, "It is a nice thought…. I get to be an uncle and all." The happiness in his voice spoke worlds for what his face would look like, happy and content, pleased with the current situation between Kat and Ed. Though his body seemed to show grimmer thoughts.
Kat looks to her dear friend and to be brother in law, she does what she can to sound brave for him as tears roll down her cheeks, "They didn't tell you anything did they?" Kat quickly wipes away at her tears.
"Tell me what?" Al speaks up rather confused, worry sneaking into his voice as well.
"Ed's been taken prisoner by the same people that took me!" Kat hugs her shoulders the matter truly sinking into her head how serious the matter could truly become, "I'm worried Al…. I'm worried… that this baby… wont have a father… that I…. And…" Her words slowly fade out as whimpers and tears form in their wake.
'So… this is why the colonel wants me to watch her…' Al lowers his head, and lowers a little more at the thoughts of what they could very well do to his older brother. He wanted the ability to shiver, all those bruises, lacerations that were on Kat, could very well go on his older brother if and when they find him.
"Roy… I know he says he's going to look for Ed… but… it'll take much too long just to request a squad to look for him." Kat gets out rubbing her eyes. "I feel so useless!"
Al lifts up his head to look to Kat sounding completely serious, "Well does he know where to go?"
Kat nods slowly, she knew what the darkness was for, that darkness that she sees when Katherine appears, the darkness that she hated so much, "I told them…"
"Well then lets get going!" The certainty and determinedness in his voice made it obvious that if he had his true body, he'd be smiling one of the Elric brothers mischievous smiles.
Kat blinks wiping away at her tears, looking at the uniform that Al's pulling from his armor and the gloves, she looks to him confused, "Why'd you bring those if you didn't-"
"I had a feeling that you'd need them, everyone's been avoided talking about Ed way to much for my taste!" His voice sure and confident in why everyone would do such a thing, he knew why the would, even though he truly wouldn't harm anyone, still people didn't want to take the risk of provoking him to consider other wise.
Kat smiles, shaking her head, "You knew I'd tell you."
"I knew that you'd tell me what has happened to my nii-san, because like him you don't keep secrets from me. That I'm grateful for." Al points out the facts happily, while handing over Kat's uniform.
Kat looks at him for a moment taking in what he just said and looks back down smiling, "Thanks Al."
"Of course nee-chan." Al 'smiles' again handing her, her uniform, he turns to the window, to let her change into some appropriate attire.
Kat smiles at him, blushing madly, "You don't have to call me that you know…"
"But I want to, since you are going to have nii-san's baby right?" Al speaks up from the corner.
"Right." Kat slowly gets dressed, putting on her pants and socks, and moves to her strapless bra, and puts the straps on. Turning off the machines she takes off all the medical devises and takes out the needles. "Hand me some of the gauze from in that drawer." Kat points to the one in the bathroom, Al moves to get some, "And some of the dressings and medical tape I need a new bandage. Can you help me Al…?" Kat winces as she slowly removes the bandage.
Al puts one of the dressings on her wound until the bleeding stops and puts about three on each sowed hole, tapping them together. He quickly puts on the gauze around her stomach until non-is left. Kat pus on some tags to keep them in place, "Lets get out of here!" Kat throws on her shirt and her uniform jacket. "But how are you going to get me out of here?" Kat looks to Al curious as she puts on her gloves.
"Don't worry nee-chan!" Al opens his chest plate showing empty space. "Climb in!"
"You're a genius Al!" Kat climbs into his chest plate seeing that there's a place for her to sit on, "Planning this much, hmmm?" She gives him a questioning look he just giggles nervously. Sighing Kat smiles, "Ready."
Al leaves the room waving to the nurses like he always does when he comes to visit his brother. Leaving the hospital he walks toward the places where Kat tells him to go.
(SC)
Roy stares at his paper work sighing, "How boring… We need those answers from the furher!"
"But until then sir you have work to do!" Risa points out.
Roy grumbles giving Risa a small glare. "Right, right."
Roy looks up at the door hearing fast footsteps, a little light for most of the guys, guessing it's Fury, "What do you wa-"
"SIR IT'S THE HOSPITAL ON THE PHONE!" Fury gets out with what breath he has left.
"What?" Roy stands up straight worried for his cousin, he looks at the phone on his desk, sighing he grabs it putting the phone to his ear. "This is Mustang." Roy speaks up very stoically.
"Sir I regret to report that your cousin has run off, she has left a note saying for you not to worry about her an-" Roy slams the phone down growling loudly. "DAMN IT!"
Roy grabs his coat and heads out the door, "Hawkeye, Havoc, come with me, we have to retrieve my baka of a cousin!"
"Sir!" Both soldiers salute the colonel and walk with him.
"Sir do you know how long she might have been gone?" Hawkeye asks, remembering that the nurse hadn't exactly finished her sentence.
"It doesn't matter, I know where she's headed, and most likely has Al with her as well." Roy leads them to one of the cars.
(SC)
After reaching the city limits Kat gets out of Al's suit of armor and gets down on the ground. "Thanks Al" Kat smiles. "Now it shoULD! AL!" Kat looks up at Al seeing that he's holding her bridal style.
"You shouldn't be running around a lot with that wound!" Al points out.
Kat grumbles and simply holds onto him. "Alright." Kat sighs and looks around, "Lets go into the forest, but not too far in. We wanna be far in enough to were now one can see us but also so we can at least see the road."
"Right!" Al begins running to the forest, "But wont someone see us if we can see the road?"
"Not if we stop when we see them first. Wait I got an idea! Put me down for a second." She puts some seeds on the ground slamming her hands to the ground, using the water in the soil and the nutrition from with in the soil, making large vines and small bushes. "This should keep you covered, just put it in your suit of armor for now and when we see someone I'll put it on you and hide behind a tree."
"Sounds good!" putting the plants in Al's metallic belly, he picks up Kat once more running to the forest once more.
(SC)
Ed breathes heavily, knowing that the film is still rolling, he still wouldn't say who it was they wanted, and what they wanted. They'd been beating for the past hour and a half, feeling their blows just made everything worse. Saying it would be easier, but that didn't mean it would pass his lips.
"Well my good boy, ready to say anything yet?" Vincent speaks up, Ed could just feel that terrible grin on the bastards face. He didn't need to see him again, he'd seen enough when he saw the tape of Kat. Though the sound of something hitting Vincent's palm suddenly made him worry what he'd be planning to do next. "Well?"
"No you dumb old perverted retard!" Ed spits out, feeling the ground on his chest and stomach, he knew all too well that he was in a bad position.
"Really? Well there are ways to make you change your mind. Shall we play with the nerves inside the metal? Or just take your eye balls out?" Vincent's venomous voice speaks up. "I want her, you know her the person you spent the last few hours with? Also what WAS!" Vincent stabs a static rod into the joint where Ed's Auto-Mail should be electrocuting his nerves. Ed lowers his head into the ground screaming from the pain. Stopping it he smiles at Ed, "It that you two did? Did you have fun with her?"
Ed tries moving his left arm, suddenly remembering that he can, since it is tied to his belt. Breathing heavily, sweat rolling down his face and down onto the ground. "Nah…."
"What was that Little man?" Vincent gets closer to Ed awaiting his answer.
"Stop it Vince, as much as I love watching Chibi-chan being tortured to death, we can't kill him yet." Envy speaks up. Ed rolls more of his forehead onto the ground, causing his hair to drag.
"Do you want to try this?" Vincent speaks up, the sound of something metallic, lighter than auto mail but still metallic all the same, clang together.
"Well I have my own ways of getting my chibi-chan to speak for me." Ed growls to himself hating the blind fold all the more, he may not be able to see them but he knew by their voices what they were thinking. Hearing footsteps growing louder, he could tell that Envy is walking up to him. Pulling on Ed's blind fold he forces Ed to sit on his knee. "Chibi-chan can you hear me?"
"Go screw yourself!" Ed blurts out angrily.
Envy smiles with a snort, "Well it's nice to know you have your spunk." Envy feels Ed's chest slowly, and in a caressing manner. "Now tell the lovely people who we want, or I will force myself on you in front of your precious little flower!"
Ed gulps, now with Envy he WOULD do it.
"It's only a name." Envy whispers.
"I won't!" Ed pales up as he feels Envy's hand lowering slowly. "I won't, not to please your sick fetish!" Ed slams his head back hearing a crack he knows he's broken something. He pounces up and quickly falls down forgetting that he doesn't have his auto mail leg. Both men laugh at him, Envy pulls Ed back with his own leg.
"That was humorous, now a name!" Envy speaks strictly, yanking on Ed's hair.
"Y…"
"Hmmm?"
"YOUR MOTHER!" Ed knew he had struck a nerve with that one, since Envy wasn't really saying or doing much.
"Turn off the camera." Envy speaks very coldly.
"What why?"
"Do it!" Envy's voice grows all the colder, as he slams Ed's face into the ground, hearing a crack, they quickly knew what he'd be doing.
"Right sorry!" they turn it off and run off.
Ed tries to keep from moaning about his nose, and how much pain he's in with it being broken. Hearing nothing and feeling Envy doing nothing he was obviously waiting for someone to leave.
"I want to learn, if I am to truly grow better at my hobby that is I need to know how to do it to everyone right?" Comes Vincent's cool collected voice of snake venom.
"Very well…" Envy speaks up.
Feeling Envy lay his weight on Ed, he feels the heat of his breath on his ear, "You'll learn your lesson little boy."
"Stop calling me that!" Ed had already hurt his throat earlier from yelling at them not to call him little.
"But I can't…"
Ed grits his teeth trying to get up only to feel a terribly force against his back, "No! You're not to move unless I tell you, you need to start listening to your new masters now!" Envy speaks up sounding angry, ripping apart the young man's shirt and working on his pants.
(SC)
For all the time Al had been running day had slowly turned into night and both were surprised that they had yet to be met up with any of the other officers. Al looks down at Kat seeing her sleeping body, 'Nii-san I hope you're doing ok!'
Seeing the cemetery up ahead, Al looks down once more, "Kat! We're here!"
Kat slowly opens her eyes and looks ahead, seeing the cemetery, "Oh good! You don't have to carry me anyone Al."
"Alright!" Al stops and puts Kat down both running into the cemetery, Kat leads Al to the tomb which Katherine had told them about earlier.
"This is it!" Kat pushes a certain stone to the right, the door slowly opens, leading them down to unknown depths. Kat leaves the door open so that anyone that's following them, namely Mustang, to let them in.
"It's so dark…" Al whispers.
"It'll light up soon enough…" Kat could tell that this whole thing had been making Al nervous, she couldn't lie to herself either she'd been nervous about this whole ordeal as well. 'But we still have to save Ed!' Kat stops Al for a moment hearing sounds in the halls. Almost like screams of pain.
"Ed!" Al whispers.
"SHH!" Kat jabs Al, "We wont be able to help Ed if we get caught." Kat swallows down hard on her nerves feeling them slowly rise to her throat over and over again. 'I can't let this place get to me!' Images of what had happened in this hellhole quickly flash through Kat's mind, closing her eyes Flower shudders. 'Think of Ed!' Kat glares into the darkness, remembering Ed's little nickname for her. 'Beloved flower…'
"Kat…?" Al whispers questioningly.
Kat sighs feeling the life that slowly grows in her womb. "Lets go." Grabbing Al's leather hand she presses on moving slowly, looking around to see what they can see.
The two stop in their tracks knowing well that they could easily get caught in their situation. Kat holds a finger up to her mouth as the sound of footsteps can be heard from the entrance of the hallway. Kat holds Al still, or was it Al holding her still, she couldn't tell, her heart so high in her throat made it feel so hard to breath, so close to the light but they couldn't go into it. Not until they knew what is going on around them. Kat slowly moves around the corner to see three people in the room, one on the ground bloody and a complete mess, the other two talking and laughing with one another. 'No one else is there…' Kat quickly pulls back into the shadows trying not to be seen. "I saw him." Kat whispers.
"Is he ok!" Al whispers back excitedly.
She looks to her to be brother in law, with a terribly sad face, shaking her head. She does what she can to keep her breath under control as tears roll down her cheeks, "We… need to wait…. Till they put him in a cell…"
Al tries moving around to see his older brother only to be stopped by Kat, "I want to see him!" Al whispers a little too loudly.
"We're talking way too loud… If they find us, Ed is dead!" Kat hisses at Al.
"Who could be in here?" Comes a cool collected voice of venom.
"Vincent!" Kat whispers clinging to Al, as though the man could really see her through the thickness of black.
"Well who ever it is, maybe we should bring our show to them." Comes the second man's voice prideful and watchful.
Al looks around trying to find whoever it is that has Ed. "Where's-"
The sight of a terribly beaten Edward, being slammed into a wall, and quickly falling to the floor moaning from the sudden force quickly silences both. Kat holds her mouth in utter shock. His hair clumped from dried blood, the wounds on his right chest slowly reopening, most of his clothes having been ripped off. Just by the sit of Ed Kat knew all too well what they've already done. "Ed…" Kat starts running to him only to find Al holding her.
"Al let me go!" Kat mumbles as tears fall for her love.
"N-not till they… p-put him in his cell." Al gets out, Kat knew that if Al had a face he'd be crying too for his older brother.
"So who's hiding? Who is in the shadows?" Vincent speaks up walking to the strairs.
Envy grabs Ed by the hair, forcing him against the pillar, forcing his head to look at them showing the white blind fold, blood having been splattered on it and run through the dirt. "Who's here Chibi-chan?" Envy whispers into Ed's ear, quickly punching Ed in the gut.
"No… No one that would want to see you nasty faces…" Ed gets out.
Envy half laughs, "Really? Nasty faces? Well I guess I'll just have to do something about that now wont I?"
"I'd rather die here, alone and in the dark than put any person in the military in danger!" Ed points his head to Envy spitting his general direction.
"I love it when you tease me." Envy smiles at the young man dropping him. "No one there, just leave it me. Do what you want with him, I'm going up to bed it's getting early." Envy walks off for the night.
Al and Kat watch as Vincent vanishes to the left, possibly getting something, "Jackson, get the rope I'm going to do this kid a favor."
"I don't need favors from asses like you!" Ed yells out slowly moving around with his one leg, slowly trying to sit up.
"But I thought you said you wanted to die in the dark, and alone, isn't that correct." Vincents cheerful voice comes up.
"He's going to use that thing! I can't remember what it's called but basically rips your eyes right out from your sockets!" Kat gets out slowly. Hearing Al gasp, "I saw him demonstrate it for me… nastiest thing I've ever seen!"
A tall man walks into their sight obviously not Vincent, The man leans down untying Ed's arm from his own body and to the pillar that he's been leaning against. His brown hair shakes a little as he moves around. His clothes dark like everyone else's in the place, a black muscle shirt and black jeans. Getting up he walks off, "Done sir."
"Good…" Vincent walks back up to Ed smiling at him, "At least I'll be the last one to look into those pretty yellow eyes of yours. Vincent holds the device erect, showing a silver machine a handle at one end with a trigger to squeeze, the other end four slightly large right angled blades, and four small little claws meant to wrap itself around the eyeball itself. "Jackson hold him in place." The man from before walks behind Ed holding his head in place, taking off the head band, Ed slowly opens his eyes, he looks to the device in Vincents hand. Ed quickly tries to move away from the man holding the machine, only to be held in place, closing his eyes, Jackson quickly opens his right eyeball.
"Ready sir."
Kat becomes frantic trying to get to Ed, "NMMMPH!" Kat hisses out as Al tries holding her in place. Her tears slowly wetting his leather hands.
Vincent pauses for a moment, "Don't you want to ask your friends to come and save you?"
"THEY'RE NOT HERE!" Ed spits out.
"True, why would they want to save you? You truly will become useless after I take your eyes all for myself!" Vincent smiles cruelly at Ed. Moving the devices closer to Ed's face, "They're not here, they wont come to save you, just," Moves it a little closer pausing for a moment, "Like…" He moves it a little closer, "K-"
"KAT NO!" Al gets out as Kat finally sets herself free.
"NOOOOOOOO!" Kat yells slamming herself into Vincent, causing him to hit the floor. Jackson lets go of the completely shocked Ed.
Kat reaches for something in her pockets pouring water all over the man as he tackles her. She slams her hands into the man, causing a seed to transform into several dandelions, though quickly turn from yellow to orange to red in certain area's of the man's body.
Jackson hacks up some of his own blood falling to the ground. Kat moves away from the man to the nearly completely naked Ed. "ED!"
"Kat!" Ed tries moving around, "How'd?" Ed looks to his right to see Al slowly making his way down. Glaring at them both he looks at Kat, "You shouldn't be here!"
"But… Ed…" Kat whispers.
"GO NOW!"
"Kat and I came here to rescue you." Al gets out.
"AL! You should have stayed back in East City! Protected Kat something!" Ed glares, "No go!"
Kat slaps Ed right across the face tears slowly falling down her face. Ed keeps his head looking away from her, knowing he deserved it some how. "I don't want to here you telling us to leave when…" Kat starts choking up seeing Ed in the state he's in. "And they were about to… OH ED!" Kat hugs Ed crying into his shoulder.
Al rips the ropes apart, "Come on!"
"YOU WONT BE LEAVING!" Vincent yells with a terrible grin on his face, gripping Kat by the hair, pulling her back. Ed reaches for Kat only to fall on the ground. Vincent stands up and pulls Kat up with him. Rubbing his cheek against hers he smiles. "Oh Katherine, I knew you couldn't resist me."
"STAY AWAY FROM ME YOU FREAK!" Kat tries moving around, away from his grip.
"But I can't do that, you see I've missed you so much recently…" Vincent feels Kat's neck slowly moving down, "I don't know what I would have done if I had to go much further with out you." Ed glares at the man watching him touch HIS woman.
"Do something about this!" Kat squirts some water on his side, slamming one of her hands into his side making clover flowers of red, as the roots work their way into his body.
"AaaaAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAGH!" Vincent let's go of Kat's hair and tries ripping her hand away from his side as dark clovers grow from his weakening body. His eyes grow wide as the red clover flowers grow tall. "You bitch!" Glaring and almost in a complete panic he smacks Kat right across the face with enough force to send her falling to the floor.
Kat crawls her way closer to Ed and Al, Al quickly pulls her closer to himself. "Are you alright?" Kat holds her lower stomach, nodding slowly. "Do you think the baby's going to be ok?"
"WHAT!" Both Ed and Vincent look to Al and Kat only glares at Al, who only scratches his head.
"What baby, Katherine?" Vincent hisses.
"Not yours!" Kat spits back.
"Who's then!" Vincent grins.
"Why do you want to know?" Kat hisses glaring right back at her lovers captor.
"So I can kill the father! For getting my woman pregnant!" Vincent hisses slamming his fist to the ground.
"She's not yours!" Ed hisses right back.
Vincent glares, "So is this child yours then?"
Ed blinks and quickly blushes, "So what if it IS my baby!" Ed growls.
"Then we'll just take the baby then Chibi-chan!" Comes a terribly cold voice from behind.
"Well Katherine? Who does this baby belong to!" Vincent gets out, glaring his voice dangerously calm.
"How far along are you?" Comes a woman's voice this time.
"Al… We need to get out of here…" Kat clings closer to her protective men.
"But there's someone in the way." Al gets out.
Kat puts her hand into her pocket for something, "Head for him, he's one of those homunculus things. He wont die… Just grab Ed and me and run." Kat grips a larger seed this time, in fact to Ed's eyes it looks like an acorn.
'An acorn? She's going to turn him into an acorn tree?' Ed grips tightly to Al, "Come on Al lets go."
"Not till you answer our questions." Envy speaks up happily.
"You just stay away from us!" Kat growls at Envy, putting the stem of the acorn in her mouth. 'please let this work!' Kat slams her hands onto the ground only causing the ground to crack a little. 'Shit… we're too far down and too much concrete.'
Vincent grins, "Where you planning on doing something?"
(TBC)
I know I'm not supposed to respond to the comments but sometimes a response is needed.
Darth Hello kitty: I know I'm not the worlds greatest speller, still I'm not getting rid of the merry sue, if you have a problem with her, then who says you have to read the story. No one's making you read it. Stop wasting my time, if you want to leave helpful critic then give me some helpful critic don't growl and bitch about things you don't like that's in the story itself, and isn't harming anyone. If you've forgotten critic is supposed to be helpful to the writer. The spelling I can fix… the merry sue, you'll just have to deal with her.
Samara: Yea I'm sorry about the pregnant thing after two days. I kind of pulled a bit of a holly wood didn't I? Still this story is rather old and I'm trying to make as much sense of it as I can now and save as much of it as I can ;. It wont happen again in later stories I can promise that much . Thank you for the constructive criticism :D I know I need it ;.
Also thank you to everyone that enjoyed the last chapter :D I'm glad you all like it so much.
Japanese words:
Nii-san: big brother
Gomen: Sorry
(I don't think there are too many in this chapter.)