Disclaimer: I don't own FMA.
I woke up to Al's voice. I was laying on something big and green, so I was guessing Envy changed forms. I looked around for the safe, which I found laying by Ed and Ling.
"Brother!" Al exclaimed, pulling Ed up into a big hug.
"Careful, Al! I just treated his injuries a while ago!" I warned Al, who let his older brother go. I crawled over Envy and got to my safe, hugging it desperately.
Thing was, the safe was incredible heavy, with the books and the safes weight combined.
As I tried to lift it, Ed got up.
"I have to wonder where we are though." Ed said. I sighed in relief. We were in the right place. I guess we blew up Gluttony, too.
"This is a surprise." Father's voice echoed slightly as I spun around to find him behind Ed and I. I was a few feet away from Ed, and I hid myself behind the safe, peeking over the top to watch what was happening.
"People, coming out of his belly." Father said, stepping out of the shadows. Ed gasped.
"Hohenhiem...?" He questioned, takin a step back in front of Al.
"A steel arm and leg... Armor... Ohhh..." Father said, stepping closer to the brothers. Surprised at his speed, Ed stumbled slightly and Father leaned in to curiously observe Ed.
"Are you the Elric brothers?" He asked.
"You're... Not him?" Ed said, slightly confused and surprised.
"Have you mistaken me for someone? Hold on..." Father absently stroked his beard while he thought for a moment.
"Hohen-" Father abruptly turned to the brothers, "By any chance, do you mean Van Hohenhiem? What is your connection to him?" Startled, the brothers glanced at each other before looking back at Father.
"He's our father." Al said bluntly. Father glanced back and forth between Ed and Al.
"Father?! This is a surprise! He went and had children?" Father quickly grabbed Ed's face, turning it left and right, scrutinizing him, surprised. Father laughed as he let go of Ed, patting his head, still laughing. Al and I sweat dropped.
"But, as I understood it, your last name was Elric." Father said. Slapping Father's hands away from him in irritation, Ed yelled, "Elric was our mother's last name!" A slight awkward moment followed, but Father didn't seem to mind.
"I see. So where is he now?" Father asked.
"I don't know! Never mind him, who are you?!" Ed exclaimed, clearly irritated now. Father thought a bit, mumbling to himself, while Ed tried to get his attention. Before Ed could touch Father, Al grabbed his injured arm to stop him.
"AL! I JUST TENDED TO THAT!" I yelled as Ed winced. Startled, Al let go.
"Oh, are you injured?" Father asked, looking at Ed, then glancing at Al, "And you don't have your left hand." Touching the stump of Al's left hand, Father easily remade the hand with a flash of red lightning. "There, how is that?" Father asked. He then grabbed Ed's arm, making him wince in pain as Father pulled him over to him.
"It's broken." Father acertained, and touching Ed's arm with his other hand, he healed the injury in a flash of red lighting.
I had tended Ed and Ling's injuries earlier with more modern medicine, painkillers and such, so the injuries were harmless over in my world. But I guess they had worn off, and the makeshift casts I made them were still fine.
Ed jumped away, feeling his arm. He ripped the cast of, only to find his arm perfectly fine.
"It's better." He said, amazed. Father approached him again, patting him down. When Ed gasped in pain when Father reached his ribs, Father fixed those, too.
"Some broken ribs." He said. He stepped back as Ed felt his now-healed injuries.
"Lynette." Father's voice reached me, "Come here. You look pretty beaten up yourself." With a unsure glance at my safe, I scuttled over to Father and stood in front of him.
"You've got the worst injuries." He mumbled, setting both hands on my shoulders. My whole body was enveloped in red lightning, and, a moment later, he let me go and I looked at my arm with the cast. I had replaced all the weapons, and given people theirs back, so I had my cast. I slipped it off and ripped my bandage off to find my arm was perfectly healed, without a scar. I lifted my shirt up to glance at my stomach, which was previously decorated with burns and scrapes.
Nothing.
Not even my old scars. My eyes widened as I looked up at Father.
"Ed! Al! LOOK MY SCARS ARE GONE! THEY'RE GONE! HOLY SHIT! IT'S MAGIC!" I squealed in excitement, showing Ed and Al my stomach. Even though my shirt wasn't lifted all the way, they blushed, but for the most part, they were also shocked.
"You are all precious resources to me. You have to look after yourselves." Father said, his intimidating serious expression on his face. I put my shirt down and strode over to stand next to Father.
"He performed alchemy with no motion at all." Ed said quietly to Al.
"What's more, he didn't thin out my armor." Al noticed.
"In other words, no equivalent exchange!" The said simultaneously, narrowing their eyes at Father.
"Who are you?" Ling asked, and I saw him standing in an offensive position, his sword drawn and pointed at Father, "This is impossible! What have you got going on inside you?" A scary look appeared on Father's face, and the hair on my arms stood on end.
"I'll ask you the same thing. Who are you?" Father said. A chill ran down my spine, and Father glanced at Gluttony, who had apparently healed.
"You can eat him." Father said emotionlessly, and Gluttony's face lit up.
"YAY!" Gluttony started toward Ling. Ed and Al ran over to Ling, standing in front of him.
"J-just a minute! He's a friend of ours!" Ed said frantically, "And out of consideration of us being your sacrifices, can't you, you know..."
"It is none of my affair. He is useless to me." Father said, walking away. I fidgeted as I scrambled over to my safe, which held the manga books. A modern safe may be fire proof, water proof, and hack proof, but there was nothing that said "homunculus proof". I was worried Envy was going to step on it.
I ignored the conversation as I fixed a reasonably thick steel barrier around the safe, making sure it was secure.
That's when the fighting started.
Being careful not to get hit by rock pillars the Elric brothers conjured up, I stumbled my way over to Father.
"This is a waste of time." I heard Father mutter. Alarmed, my eyes widened as he set his foot down with a "thump", sending a tremor through the floor.
I tripped and fell on my face. I looked up to see the Elric brothers clap their hands to the ground in a futile attempt to create an alchemic reaction. I pushed myself up, brushing off the dust on my clothing and dashing to Father's side as Envy held down the Elric brothers while Gluttony pinned Ling down.
"Why can't we use our alchemy?" Ed growled in frustration. Al looked at me in shock.
I winced as Envy laughed.
"Really, I can't get over you lower life forms!" He said, amused, "As soon as you gain a great power, you get carried away with it, not even knowing what it is!" At Envy's words, my lips curled in disgust as I suddenly recalled the source of alchemy in Amestris.
"What is this? You promised me that once we got back, you'd tell me everything!" Ed exclaimed. I sighed. So smart, trusting a homunculus to keep their promise. Envy, specifically. And people tell me I lack common sense.
"What? I don't remember promising you anything!" Envy said tauntingly. Ed growled and cursed under his breath.
"You talk too much, Envy." Father said.
"Okay, okay." Envy said obediently. I poked Father's shoulder, gaining his attention.
"I have a suggestion!" I announced. He narrowed his eyes at me, and I stood on my tippy toes to whisper something in Father's ear.
With my words, Father took another glance at Ling, who was pinned under Gluttony.
"You may not be such bad material." Father said, touching the middle of his own forehead, "I may be able to increase the number of pawns I can use." An eye opened on Father's forehead, where he had touched, and a glowing red liquid welled up.
"A... Philosophers stone?" Al said, surprised.
"Oh, you're planning to do that... Interesting idea, Lynette." Envy said, and I could feel the grin in his voice.
"'That' what?" Ed asked, confused.
"Create a homunculus." I stated bluntly to Ed, Al, and Ling's shock. "A philosophers stone is poured in, and if all goes accordingly, a human-based homunculus is created."
"Although," Envy said, "They are usually unable to withstand the stone's power, and end up dying."
"I won't let you do that!" Ed yelled as he and Al started to struggle under Envy's grip.
"Let us go, Envy!" Al demanded furiously. I turned away from the brothers as they protested and struggled.
"Stop!" Ling's voice paused their uprising, "Don't try to pull anything! This is what I want!"
"What?" Ed was shocked.
"I came to this country to find a philosophers stone! He's just going to give one to me! I couldn't ask for anything more!" Ling said, determination clear in his eyes.
"What are you talking about?!" Ed exclaimed.
"Oh, this is interesting." Father said, "So, as you wish, I shall give it to you." Father tipped his hand, letting the red liquid flow off and land on Ling's cheek, right on a cut. It was quickly absorbed into his bloodstream, and he lit up with crackling red lightning.
Ling's cries were audible through the otherwise silent atmosphere as he writhed in pain, his body pulsing with each flash and crackle of red lightning.
"LING!" Ed shouted desperately.
"I-I told you... Not to... Interfere!" He gasped as his face contorted in pain. He glanced at the brothers, holding up a finger, "It's all right... Just sit still..." He coughed up blood before continuing in a pained voice, "I'm the man who will be the emperor of Xing, Ling Yao..." He coughed up more blood before letting out another yell in pain. A hand covered my mouth as regret and fear creeped into my heart.
But the transformation was soon complete. After a large pulse of energy disturbed the air, Ling's body twitched a bit before he drew himself up and rubbed his head, with a groan of irritation.
"Ling?" Ed asked hesitantly. Ling looked over at him.
"Huh? Ah, you mean the owner of this body? Sorry." A vicious grin overtook Ling's face as his eyes opened to reveal they were a stunning violet, different from his usual brown, "Greed has taken over this container." The bandage on Ling's hand slipped off to reveal an ouroboros tattoo, the symbol of a homunculus.
I glanced at my feet, somewhat ashamed. Even though I knew it was going to turn of fine in the end, that still didn't stop me from feeling like I betrayed someone close to me. A friend.
Picking myself up, I absentmindedly distanced myself from the group, looking for Shao May. I found her lying unconscious next to my safe. I gently picked her up as I heard the door creak open. I saw a chimera, which soon exploded, shedding quite some blood.
And, in the doorway, stood Scar, and by his side, May.
May gasped and stepped back, hiding behind Scar.
"What's wrong?" He asked.
"I don't like him..." She said, and I knew she was referring to Father, "He's a person, and yet he isn't..."
"Indeed, many people here aren't people." Scar said, stepping into an offensive position. I poked Shao May, waking her up. She drowsily teetered on my palm as I strode over to Scar and May, who looked at me in surprise.
"You're... That Lynette girl!" May said, pointing to me. I nodded, and looked at Scar innocently.
"I have a feeling you're missing your darling panda." I said, holding out my hands. May took Shao May, looking at me graciously.
I've been making all sorts of friends, haven't I? I thought to myself as I hurriedly stumbled back.
And so, I dove for my steel covered safe, and I watched as people conversed, and which Ed revealed to Scar the truth about the Ishvalan war. And so, the fighting began.
When Scar destroyed the floor, he sent me flying along with my safe. I landed hard on the ground, barely avoiding the safe as it landed heavily next to me.
I coughed, spitting up blood. I had bit my tongue, but luckily not hard enough to bite it off. I shook myself as I pushed myself off the floor and stagger to my feet.
The next thing I knew, May was flung into a big chunk of cement next to me, with Gluttony ready to pounce on her.
"You're mine!" Gluttony yelled as he sprung toward her. In the blink of an eye, I shot Gluttony in the head with both guns I held in my hands, throwing him away from May as Al skidded in front of her.
"Get her out of here!" I yelled at him, hurriedly reloading my guns. Al obliged and carried May away, but was soon chased after by Scar, followed by Envy and Gluttony.
And so, that left Greed, Ed, Father and I. Father and I watched as Ed fought Greed, arguing with him.
But the fight soon ended with Ed pinned under Greed.
"Caught him!" Greed called. Father looked at me.
"Upstairs. Take them to Wrath." Father said. I clenched my teeth, but didn't protest.
I seemed a dog to them now, but I knew that if I really tried, I would be able to bring them all down. I have the knowledge, the power. But then, there wouldn't be a story, now would there?
I had the time. I had the resources.
I just needed the experience.
Hey guys! OHH SO THEY ARE BACK! Everything returns. The former tranquility faded.
Sadly, I have caught a bad cold, so I haven't been able to update in a while! SORRY!
Check out my Christmas special, a oneshot based off "The Game Has Begun"! It's called, "Chaotic Christmas"!
My lovely readers, please review~
Thanks!