Yo again, all! Here is the third chapter to a Familiar Sin I finished writing this on an 8 hour trip to a friend's house ; But at long last it is here I hope you all get a kick out of it. I tried to make this chapter longer than the others… but... meh. Here's to another chappie of blood, manipulation and the introduction of an old 'nemesis' XP and btw there is a reason why the title is called what it is. X3
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Disclaimer: I do not own FMA or any of the characters ((if I did I'd probly own Ed and Al XD such cuties. And if I failed to mention it… in this story, Ed is about 18-19; Al is about 14-15... Which means... yes... this is after the movie XP :P I'll give a full back-story on this whole story later XD for now, read away ))
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Chapter 3 – Changes
Recovering from the momentary pain of being knocked off his feet and onto hard cement, Ed turned his blood-red eyes on Winry, scowling at her, as she'd landed on him when they'd fallen.
His eyes narrowed and he grabbed a handful of her blonde locks and pulled her up enough so now he was sitting up and she was now eye to eye with him, wincing in undeniable agony, only able to watch as he formed his one arm into a blade, that he put right against her neck. "That... hurt you know…AND… I was busy… so…" he paused. Screw dealing with the brat… you're first." He snarled, his crimson eyes narrowed darkly as he looked at her.
Dante, meanwhile, simply watched in amusement. Ed was falling right into her trap, and the other two had been winded beyond being able to do anything… She loved this, manipulating him... watching him torment the one he called a friend and the boy he had once called a little brother.
A dark smirk soon came onto the blonde homunculi's features as he watched Winry suffering so... "So… Winry… want to say anything before you die?" he asked coolly, truthfully not caring but having a lot of fun with this as it was, his arm-blame dangerously close to slicing open her neck.
Wincing painfully and pushing aside his fear, watching this go on, completely motionless for the time being, having been weakened to that state, pain welled up in the form of tears in Al's brown eyes, wishing he could help his friend before she was killed… though... one thing hit the young Elric – since when did 'this' Ed call Winry by her real name?
After a moment, having glanced to Al, Winry forced herself to glance up at Ed... or what she called Ed anyway. "Yeah… just one thing…" she whispered, in a tone only he could hear. "You're.a.fool."
Dante looked over at the two and sighed. "Hurry up, Edward… I don't have all day…" she said smoothly, hoping he would hurry up so he could finish off Al and she would no longer have any distractions.
For merely a moment or two, he frowned at her words, before his eyes narrowed, though as he moved to slice open her neck, he found he couldn't, and Dante was DEFINITELY not helping... He frowned icily, willing his arm to move to finish her, but a part of him was stopping him, almost…. as if he didn't want her dead, "I know" he snarled, the strangest thing happening a second later, as a few tears rolled down his cheeks against his will and onto the ground.
Closing his blood-red eyes, Ed withdrew his blade, and stabbed Winry in the stomach... not deep enough for it to be fatal, just cause a lot of blood.. Leaning in beside her ear, he whispered, "just play along... act dead... if you want to still be alive later…" so only she could hear, and simply dropped her to the ground like a used rag doll, turning to Al, and moving over to him, whispered the same thing and did to him what he did to Winry….
As he too fell to the ground, supposedly dead and bleeding, Ed stood and faced Dante. "There. Happy? I killed them… Though you shouldn't have rushed me… you know how I love to play with them before they die..." he said with a sinister grin
Shocked as she was, Winry now let herself just lie there like 'Ed' had instructed, hoping what he had planned out, would work…. She hoped Al would be okay, even as she heard the sound of him falling to the ground, but didn't dare move.
Dante smiled and looked on in satisfaction after seeing Ed 'kill' his friend and brother, amused by that and the blonde's words. "Hmm, yes…. Very nice, Edward..." she said softly, walking over to him.
'…I have so much more for him to do… I guess I can give him just a taste of his memories' she thought, clapping her hands together and placing her fingers onto the Ouroboros symbol on Ed's neck, activating it with a bright, red flash, sending him memories… childhood memories of him, Al and Winry..
Ed closed his eyes, letting the old memories start flashing across his mind in a blur. Happy, sad, and even funny memories flashed across his mind, but the one that stood out, was his mother's death… and the human transmutation that followed… cringing a little, he involuntarily took a step back as a result of the memories flooding his mind, and after a moment, eyes wide, a hand went to his right arm, almost as if it were paining him, at the mere thought of the human transmutation.
He stared at Dante for a moment or two, trying to recover from what he had seen only mere moments ago. "I… was… was that really a part of my… life… what you showed me?"
"Yes. Did you enjoy it?" the darker haired woman asked, the same, malicious smirk on her face as she looked at him.
"If you want more, however… you'll have to work for them". She smiled at the thought of having a new sin on her side
Ed seemed to pause in thought, and looked over to the two 'dead' bodies near him, and then back to Dante without hesitation, and nodded, tilting his head to the side a little as he stared at her.
"Work for them? Like… working for you and do your bidding?" he asked, his crimson orbs never leaving her.
Sure, he was willing to, for now… but as soon as he figured out more on why he couldn't force himself to kill Winry and Al... he was gone... he wouldn't be anyone's lapdog… especially Dante.
Somehow, even if he did work for her, a part of him kept telling him not to trust her and that he sure as hell shouldn't be getting played with like this.
"Of course that's what she means..." said a voice, as a figure stepped out from the shadows of the broken down building. Stepping beside Dante, one could see that the figure had long, dark green hair, amethyst eyes, and a smirk to match Dante's.
"This… is Envy." Dante said, pointing towards the new comer. "You'd be working with him. But there is one thing you would have to agree with" A sinister smile crept across her features upon this statement.
Looking over hesitantly at Envy, somehow already having a slight dislike for him for an unknown reason, he sighed and looked back to Dante coolly, and crossed his arms over his chest, sighing again. "..and… what would that be, exactly?" he asked after a moment, already not liking where this was headed, even by his standards...
"Once you're in.. you can't get out" she said simply, making it so that the blonde couldn't leave or back out, as he was probably planning to once he received all of his former memories of his past.
Ed contemplated this for a moment or two, clenching his hands into fists, before he smirked a little at a thought that crossed his mind. "Hmm… is that so? And what if I later tried to get out of it? Would you send 'palm-tree' boy after me to finish me off?" he said mockingly with a smirk.
Envy growled, but as he made to step towards Ed, Dante placed her arm in front of him as a signal to stop. "Actually, yes... I would. Not to mention your little friends over there… who are still alive…" she said in an all-knowing tone.
"What do you take me for Edward? You know you can't trick me that easily."
His amusement of Envy's reaction was stopped instantaneously as she mentioned the fact she knew his 'friends' were alive, and he forced a dark glare onto his features, before looking down at his feet, his golden blonde hair, specked with dried blood, falling in front of his eyes, over-shadowing them. 'Damn it all… I work for her… and she doesn't hurt them… though… I don't see why I should care… but I guess I don't have a choice... for now' he thought miserably before he looked up, a seemingly bored look in his crimson eyes.
"You're smarter than you look, Dante…" he sighed. "Fine… whatever… I'll work for you… and take whatever good and bad comes with it" he added hesitantly. "Just leave the two mortals to suffer... I'll come back later and finish them off..." he glanced over at the two in question, sighing inwardly, starting to wonder why he even gave a damn about them anyway…
"Wise choice" the older woman murmured, motioning for him to leave the building. "Now let's go." She added smoothly as her and Envy started out the building and heading for the outskirts of the destroyed city.
Nodding, he followed after them, but before leaving the building, in just barely a whisper, he mumbled "Alphonse... Winry… I'll be back…" just loud enough for the two to hear, no malice, anger or hatred in his tone, before leaving, catching up with Envy and Dante.
In what seemed like hours, the three of them reached the well-known, underground city underneath Central, and now, they all stood in the main room of the large mansion, the bright lights of it almost blinding to the blonde homunculus, every spot of blood on his clothes and body were visible.
'Why... does this place seem so familiar to me? I've never been here before… but I just feel like I have….' He thought shortly, shaken from his brief train of thought at the sound of someone talking to him.
"Edward… your new name… it is Pride..." the voice belonged to Dante, her purplish eyes fixed on Ed as she spoke, noting how out of it the boy seemed to be. 'Hmm… is he remembering something? If he is then I must get him from this room and keep him preoccupied… if he remembers who he was… Edward Elric... things could become hazardous...' she thought, giving an inward sigh.
Ed blinked a little in consideration before sighing a little and nodding. "Pride?" he repeated, before smirking. "I like it…" he added after a moment or two, looking around at the place they were in once again in mild curiosity. "Nice place you've got here…"
"Hm... yes... indeed..." she said lightly, before she turned and started walking out of the room. "Envy will show you to your room… I, however will be back later..." she called back before she left, leaving Envy and Pride alone.
"I... I don't see why I have to show a shrimp like you around…"Envy snarled, obviously still mad about the earlier 'palm-tree' comment.
'Pride' nodded and looked from Dante's retreating form to Envy, and at the other's sharp remark, he glared daggers at him before sighing hesitantly., not yet knowing why being called a 'shrimp' bothered him in the slightest.
"Lighten up, Envy…I only called you that name earlier for fun… I didn't mean it…" he said slowly. "and… you should really consider controlling your temper if we're going to work together… just a suggestion…" he added shortly, taking a few steps away from the green-haired homunculi.
"Whatever. Just remember… you're nowhere near me... you're just here for the heck of it… don't ever get the thought that you're better in any way or form" Envy said in an icy tone, showing his distaste and anger as he headed out of the room. "..and hurry up, will ya?"
Pride let out a bored sigh at the other's words and he shook his head a bit. 'Hmm… he really is hot-headed... more than I thought… I try to be nice, and... go figure... he acts all high and mighty... not to mention he's full of himself...' he thought shortly, catching up to the other in about a split second, thanks to his new speed.
"You don't have to act so snippy towards me palm-tree boy... I never ever thought that I was better than you... never will… not until you give me a reason to" he said with a smirk. "and secondly… don't get the idea that you run my life and can tell me what I can and can't do…" he added in a more serious tone of voice, his blood-red eyes flaring up with a ferocious sort of silent anger, though he knew Envy would likely lash back at him for the palm-tree comment.
Envy turned and glared at Pride with more hatred and anger than ever before. "Don't ever call me a palm tree again!" he snapped, as he turned back and kept on walking, barely able to stop himself from turning around and punching Pride firmly.
Pride smirked at Envy's anger, more so at his words, biting back a small laugh. Somehow, it oddly amused him to call Envy that name and see him almost explode with anger.
After a second or two of walking in silence, Envy stopped and opened the door nearest to him, revealing a large, but simple room. "There!" Envy growled, then turned and walked away.
'Despite even Dante's commands… I'm still going to go have some fun with the brat and Pride's little girl…' he thought in amusement, a cruel smirk plastered onto his face.
Nodding boredly, he looked at the room, then at Envy's retreating form, biting back a rather nasty comment, and walked into the room, sitting down onto the plush bed, already deathly bored out of his mind and craving something to do to keep him preoccupied.
Though one thing bothered him aside his boredness. The fact that he actually was worried for the two he had left behind in the destroyed city. 'Damn those two… why do I even give a damn about them or their stupid lives... it's probably those memories... they're doing something to me... making me think things that aren't real…' He thought sourly, flopping back onto the bed carelessly.
'Or… maybe it's that… they are…..real... damn it all… now I'll have to later go back and ask them why… and if those two lie to me.. or I've been played… someone is going to die….'
Meanwhile…
Alphonse, who had gotten up, a hand over his bloody wound, now stood near the window, looking out it at the demolished, bloodied city... if it could even be called that anymore, a distant look in his brown orbs, not caring about his wounds or anything else right now… heck… he couldn't even cry, no matter how hard he wanted to..
'Brother….'
----End of Chapter 3---
A/N: Poor Al and Ed, hey? Bet you all are starting to wonder just what is happening with 'Pride', hmm? Lol btw I got the reference for the name from the made-up game BBI any who, Sorry again for not updating until now In the future I hope to have more chapters up and sooner...
Please review! Reviews keep me 'a writin :P