I do not own FMA: B and Harry Potter
Mustang was considering slamming his head into the wall until all memories of the last week faded away like a bad dream. No one knew anything about the little girl who'd used Water Alchemy and to make things worse it had been raining when she broke Crimson out of prison. Of course, the very world would conspire to make the military look like fools. He'd been useless to stop her due to the downpour and Fullmetal had gotten his ass kicked by Crimson. Given that the Combustion Alchemist was two times the age of the blonde it wasn't all that shocking, but now the blonde was pouting. Worse, their fight had destroyed almost a mile of the wall surrounding Central and because Fullmetal was under his command he was blamed for the damages.
He'd had to listen to a two hour debrief about how given the girl had black hair and blue eyes she was suspected to be Crimson's daughter. The girl's eyes were a more electric color than Crimson's dark blue and her hair was a bit darker but that could have come from the mother's side. That was too easy an answer but everyone was scrambling to find some reason that a little girl would break Crimson out of prison. According to Hawkeye, Crimson had protected the girl during their escape giving support to this theory, but he still doubted it. During the Ishvalan war, Crimson had said nothing about having a child or lover; he'd been completely absorbed by his role as a State Alchemist. Also, the man was a psychopath, no sane woman would go near him. He supposed that Crimson could have gotten a prostitute pregnant and their child came to find him. In truth, the idea of Crimson having a child was nothing short of terrifying.
Then there was the fact that the girl had used Water Alchemy; the Freezing Alchemist's specialty. Admittedly it had worked extremely well in the rain, much to his annoyance. If it had been raining when Freezer attacked he doubted that they would have been able to stop him from icing over Central. Given that none of them had seen a transmutation circle on her it was rumored she was like Fullmetal. He still protested that they hadn't seen her well enough to assume something like that but he was ignored. If she was Crimson's daughter then why had she been trained in Ice Alchemy and by the Freezer of all people? That question had led to reports from the war detailing how well Crimson and Freezer had worked together. The reports also made him glad that Crimson had refused to help Freezer during the attack on Central or they would have if he hadn't thought of another reason that Freezer could have broken into the prison.
What if instead of asking for help as Crimson had stated, the Freezer had simply gone to give him a message? If that was the case then Crimson would have been waiting on his daughter to arrive and break him out. That would mean that Freezer had never intended for Crimson to help him in the first place but that the two men had planned this. And now Mustang was starting to believe the 'she's his daughter' theory. He really needed more coffee or a vacation. There was even a poll going around Central on if the theory was true or not.
Putting aside questions of the girl's origins, the official report was that she'd broken into the prison to release Crimson, however, according to the guards they'd been chased by someone. A lean young man with an ouroboros marking had been sighted chasing the girl into the prison and then both her and Crimson out of it. The description matched the one given by Fullmetal after the incident at the fifth laboratory; a Homunculus had been after the girl. Only no one knew where he was now. The entire situation was starting to sound more like a ghost story than anything else.
What could a Homunculus want with a little girl? It was true that they'd seemed interested in Fullmetal enough to speak to him at the Fifth Laboratory and he was sure one had killed Hugues. However, a little girl couldn't have done much to draw their attention unless she was like Fullmetal. It gave credit to the idea she could do Alchemy without a Circle. To do that she'd have had to do Human Transmutation; he was slightly put off by the idea of another child doing something so reckless.
The thing that bothered him the most however was that no one was being sent to recover Crimson. The Bradley had stated that he had people working on it, but no one had been seen going after them. It was unsettling; did the man mean for Crimson to escape? If not then why was no one chasing after them? Or had the man sent assets after the two that were classified. In truth, the situation rose far too many questions and not enough answers, but he supposed the only thing he could do was wait. And maybe have Hawkeye shoot Fullmetal to make the brat stop pouting.
(Greed)
He was getting tired of staying on this island waiting for Aria to return to him; it had already been two and a half weeks since she left for Central. Two and a half weeks of simply sitting on this island fighting off ants and boredom; the ants were the worst part. He was starting to think it was time to go and find the girl before she got herself killed or captured. She was still alive he knew that; he would feel it if she was dead just like he felt his chimeras die. Before he could look for Aria like he'd been considering, he felt a chill go through the air the same one that accompanied Aria's Alchemy. Moving toward the edge of the island, he wasn't surprised to see his Alchemist step off a walkway of ice, however, he was surprised to see the tall black-haired man follow after her onto the island. He hadn't expected for Aria to bring home a stray that was more Dolcetto's thing. And even then it was with puppies, not humans.
Eyeing the man, he frowned for a moment but said nothing as Aria rushed toward him like a child seeing their parent for the first time in weeks. It was easy to ignore the voice in his mind that said that he was her parent; he wasn't prepared to be a father. The obvious excitement was easy to see in her eyes despite the apathetic expression on her face. Opening his arms he caught the girl easily as she leaped at him; hugging her tightly, he sighed in relief. The second she reached him he knew that she was alright, safe and that he still had his Alchemist. Deciding to ignore the stray for the moment he pulled away from the girl, before looking her over for any injuries. Not finding any he felt relieved; she hadn't been visibly hurt during her infiltration of Central.
"Were you injured," he asked. Although he could see no wounds, he knew that she would hide them from him unless directly asked. It was a trait that he couldn't tolerate but she refused to abandon it; Martel had once voiced the theory that Aria was too afraid of being a burden to voice her injuries. The only sign of her being hurt was the bandages under her gloves however he knew that was from her tattoos. He really hoped that she'd had the sense to change those during her time away.
"No, although I did encounter Envy. He noticed me and I was forced to find help in order to escape Central," she explained. Seeing him frown, she tilted her head.
His brother had tried to harm her. Envy had tried to steal something that belonged to him; the idea was enough to make him grit his teeth. He wanted to burn the other man until there was nothing left of him but ashes. Aria belonged to him, no one was allowed to take away his Alchemist. More than that, however, Aria was a child. Had his siblings fallen so far that they would attack a child? Such an idea was horrifying but unsurprising; things had been getting worse when he left. He'd always been the most resistant to Father's plots, without him around he doubted the others would embrace any fondness for humanity.
"Hence Me," Kimblee said brightly although there was nothing bright about his expression. The man just looked smug; like a cat sunning itself in the window. Waving at the Homunculus, he wasn't at all surprised when Greed frowned at him looking like a protective father.
He might've been wrong about the Homunculus using the girl. From what he could see it was obvious that he genuinely cared for the small girl; even if it was just as a cute pet. How unusual for an immortal being to find some sense of satisfaction in caring for a human. Envy would never show fondness for a human and even Lust seemed to show disdain for humans. He'd never seen such a show of emotion from a Homunculus; did that make the girl his weakness? If he attacked her would the Homunculus protect her?
"Aria who is he," Greed asked without taking his eyes off the man. He could see the mischief in the man's eyes. Feeling Aria move away from him slightly he cut his eyes back to his Alchemist. She didn't seem at all bothered by the question nor did she notice his wariness toward the man.
Kimblee stilled his eyes going to the girl as he finally got her name; one thing that he'd been curious about since they met. Aria suited her. He'd spent almost a week and a half with the girl but she hadn't talked unless necessary, mostly to give him directions. Instead, she'd been a silent companion although he was starting to think that was just her personality rather than anything else. She hadn't seemed to be ignoring him and she'd always been polite when they spoke, even when she'd been begging him to save her. What he'd also noticed was that when he asked a question she'd answered him with as much detail as possible; it was most likely Greed that taught her that.
"Solf J. Kimblee, the Crimson Lotus Alchemist, Issac told me about him," she said softly; she noticed Greed tense at the memory of Issac. It was likely he also remembered the stories that Issac had told her of Ishval and Kimblee. While she was still unsure of her choice to recruit Kimblee, she didn't regret it, in the end, he'd saved her and gotten her back to Greed. She honestly didn't know if she'd have been able to escape Central without him. Also, she found him interesting especially his ability to cause explosions.
"A former State Alchemist… Aria," Greed said her name with exhaustion as if he'd just realized what kind of trouble she'd caused during their time apart. Watching him begin to pace and mutter under his breath she tilted her head in slight curiosity before remembering the reason she'd gone to Central in the first place. Unzipping her jacket, she pulled out the small bag of Philosopher Stones and gave them to him without hesitation. For a moment he stared down at the bag as if confused then his eyes widened.
"Here take these," she ordered. Glancing back at Kimblee who was studying their interactions closely, she said, "Kimblee still has the one I gave to him in order for us to escape Central."
"You just tell him everything, don't you Aria," Kimblee asked. The way he said her name was strange. It sounded like a cross between him mocking her and amusement, but she didn't mind it.
"Of course, is there something wrong with that," she asked with confusion in her voice.
Kimblee froze at the inquisitive expression on her face. She honestly had no idea what was wrong with her actions much to his own disbelief. Either she was a fool or their relationship was deeper than he knew. What reason could she possibly have for trusting the Homunculus so completely? Such an action was entirely too foolish to be well thought out; he would never do something so idiotic. Greed could attack her at any moment and Kimblee was willing to bet she would thank him.
"That amount of trust is dangerous," he warned. Anyone could betray someone. Even a father would betray his child if he thought it would help him survive; if she put too much trust in Greed she would get hurt.
Instead of arguing, Aria considered his words despite the urge to immediately reject his claim. She could agree that trusting someone completely was dangerous but Greed had never done anything to prove that he would harm her. There was no doubt that people were cruel, and it was human nature to betray others in order to survive or protect people close to them. That idea didn't bother her, it was just the way the world worked. However, she did notice that Kimblee seemed concerned about her or perhaps he was curious about the amount of loyalty she had to Greed.
"I don't disagree with that statement. Trusting in anyone no matter how much is dangerous, however, I trust him," she said. Neither noticed Greed glance between them as he dropped four of the Philosopher Stones into his mouth like popcorn. If Kimblee wanted to discuss philosophy with Aria then he would be entertained with the girl. She didn't think the same way normal people would; it would be fun to watch them and maybe next time he would have actual popcorn when they debated.
"I guess we will have to wait and see if that trust is misplaced," Kimblee admitted. Feeling his hand twitch he glanced around the island with searching eyes. He really hoped that there was somewhere for him to take a shower. After spending so many years in prison and then on the road he really needed to scrub down his skin just to get rid of the feeling of dirt. He was willing to bet the girl did too.
"Kitten, take these," Greed ordered. Grabbing her hand he placed two of the Philosopher Stones on her palm.
Staring down at the stones, Aria could feel Kimblee's shocked expression on her back and she felt the same. She'd gotten the stones for Greed; he'd needed them, so why was he giving her two of them? If it was a reward for pulling off her self appointed mission then she didn't need one. She'd done this to help Greed, not for some kind of reward; she was just happy that he was still here. Frowning she looked up at him with a mild glare that almost made him smile.
"But t-"
"Aria," he warned. Watching her fall silent, he smirked. His little Alchemist was extremely loyal and most of the time he wouldn't mind her putting him first but he wanted her to have more firepower if his siblings came after her. Also, her confused expression was completely adorable. Ignoring the glances that Kimblee gave them he said, "you are an amazing Alchemist, but you're still young and inexperienced. Those are a good back up plan for you."
Flushing bright red at the praise, she looked away from him but did put the stones into her jacket pocket. Chuckling he patted her head before turning his attention to Kimblee. If the man was going to stay, then he needed to find out as much about the man as he could. He didn't want someone horrible around Aria but he could tell she was already fond of the man. It was easy to see in the way she kept glancing at the Alchemist.
He'd heard stories about the Crimson alchemist from Martel and the others. From what they'd said, he was a dangerous Alchemist, most likely a psychopath. The man also now had a Philosopher Stone and he was willing to bet Kimblee knew how to use it. That was a combination that he didn't know if he liked, however, Aria did like him. The fact she was even talking to the man was enough proof that she favored him; given how skittish she was around others he had to wonder if there was something she wasn't telling him. Either way with the loss of the chimeras, he needed someone around that would help him protect Aria, Kimblee could be that person. That didn't mean he was going to trust the man; if Kimblee made one move to harm his Alchemist he would destroy the man. It didn't matter how attractive he found the Former State Alchemist's blue eyes.
"So what now? I don't suppose you have a shower on this island," Kimblee asked. When Greed twitched at the question he frowned a bit.
"No, I've been bathing in the lake and sleeping in a tree," the Homunculus admitted with a tone of discomfort. Feeling Aria shift next to him he looked down noticing her thinly veiled amusement.
"Really," she asked with just a hint of sarcasm in her voice.
"Yes, Kitten," he said. Patting her head he noticed the horror crossing Kimblee's eyes at the very idea of spending a day without a bed. Wasn't the man supposed to have lived through a war? Resisting the urge to roll his eyes he said, "now since you two are Alchemists why don't you do something about our situation."
"Any requests," Kimblee asked. Glancing around eagerly he barely noticed how Aria bounced beside him as he followed Greed toward where he wanted the house. Even prison had a shower, but he would be solving that issue soon.
With Aria watching eagerly, Kimblee created a wooden cabin with three levels much to Greed's amusement. There were two levels above ground, and one below ground; he was vaguely sure the one bellow ground was Kimblee being an overachiever. The man had literally dug a small tunnel out into the lake creating an underground bathing area that reminded Green of a Xing hot spring. There were little mushroom clouds indented on the stone surrounding the bathing area. He'd also created shelves in the stone walls and seats in the bathing area. It was deep enough that Aria could swim around if she wanted too as well. Given it was the only thing the girl had asked for he was happy the man had agreed. There were also spots to add torches to the wall; Greed had requested those always stay lit, mainly because he knew Aria was afraid of the dark. Not that she would ever admit that.
The first above-ground floor was a common area, kitchen, and a storage area that connected to a wide-open porch. It was amusing that Kimblee had to add personal touches to almost every room of the house. Especially the porch railings that had a small crackling pattern on the wood. Despite how much the man complained out the outdoors, he'd created a seat on the porch just so he could sit outside. How did Greed know it was his seat? Because the man had imprinted his name onto the back of it and thrown in little mushroom clouds on the wood. Aria had made a matching chair that was a bit smaller except her's had little icicles on it; she'd only done so once she realized what Kimblee had done. It was adorable and he had no doubt the man had noticed her copying him.
The second floor was their bedrooms. Each one had a personal touch and he most certainly did not stand over Kimblee ordering the man how to create his room. That didn't happen no matter what Aria said. It helped that he now had the most luxurious room that Kimblee could make much to the man's annoyance. Still, the Alchemist had gotten the last laugh by giving himself a balcony. The action had caused Greed's eye to twitch for five minutes before he left to sulk in his room. He said he was going to take a nap but they all knew he was sulking like a five-year-old.
Unlike Greed, Aria had simply requested a bed, desk, and dresser along with a lot of shelves on one wall. Her room was fairly spartan with plenty of room on the walls for her to create murals; not that Kimblee knew about that part. He'd been amused by how different their requests were although by the time he figured out why she'd wanted such a plain room the Homunculus had been laughing at him. How had he figured it out? He'd walked in on her indenting a frozen lake onto the wall. She, a thirteen-year-old, was better at art than he was. As such, she was now creating a burning cityscape on his wall while he took a nice long bath to wash away the years sent in prison. He'd even convinced her to add little screaming civilians and an image of himself setting the city on fire. It hadn't taken much nor did she find his request strange.
Had he used his Philosopher Stone to create the house? Yes, he had. Did any of them care or think that it was an odd use of such a powerful thing? Not at all. None of them batted an eye at his action, however, he did notice Aria watch him with curiosity. It was almost cute that she tracked him with her eyes. Another thing Kimblee had noticed was that Aria followed him around although she was subtle about it and that Greed kept glancing between them with both with amusement. He tried to ignore the Homunculus, it wasn't worth the annoyance of understanding the other man.
Walking up the stairs to the common room after his bath, he found Aria tugging at her bandages with tense shoulders. Meeting her eyes when she glanced up at him, he frowned slightly before walking over to her spot on the couch. He hadn't thought to ask about her hands while they were traveling. It wasn't important at the time and by the time he'd noticed the fact her hands were even bandaged in the first place they were halfway to the island. She most likely would have told him if he'd asked.
Tugging at the bandages on her hand, she watched Kimblee with slight curiosity. He looked much happier now that he'd spent over two hours soaking in the bath. The fact he was simply wearing a pair of pants reminded her that they would need to go into Dublith to get new clothes or just maybe fabric. They were Alchemists, after all, it would be easy for them to make new clothes. His hair was wet too although it didn't look bad. Seeing the curious expression on his face she shifted to make room on the couch for him.
"I got a tattoo before going to Central," she said softly. Hearing him make a knowing sound as he sat down, she tilted her head slightly.
"Transmutation circles," he mused seeing her nod, he glanced down at his own hands. He'd had his tattoo simply because he kept forgetting his gloves when he went into battle. She seemed more like the type to want multiple backup plans. It was likely that her backup plans had backup plans. Issac had been almost exactly the same although he'd gotten much more reckless during the Ishvalan war. Shifting he reached out for her hand and was slightly surprised when she didn't pull away from him. She did however give him a slightly confused look; chuckling softly he said, "let me see."
Gently unwrapping the bandages from her hand, which was something that he doubted anyone would expect, he noticed the bracelets on her wrists. They too had transmutation circles much to his amusement; he'd been right about her backup plans. Dropping the bandages onto the floor, he realized instantly that the ink used in her tattoo was the same color as Greed's eyes. Issac's Water Alchemy circle was on both her hands showing that if it came down to using her third backup that she had no plans to hold back. It was a subtle silent battle cry that Issac would have approved of.
Standing on the stairs to the second level, Greed watched their interaction closely. Sitting beside one another, he could see the similarities in their appearance. Both had long black hair, pale skin, and blue eyes. It wasn't all that uncommon in Amestris but he also noticed that she seemed comfortable with Kimblee. It might be because he'd saved her from Envy, however, if not for the fact she'd said she had no family he would think they were related. He had no issue with his Alchemist growing close to Kimblee; the man was smart enough not to tick him off by hurting her.
Tightening his grip on Aria's bag and hoodie he shook off the thought before moving to hand them back to her. They would need to go into Dublith and get supplies soon; probably after they all got finished bathing. Going at night would make them less likely to be found by the military, and give him time to talk to his contacts. Now that he had recovered, he needed to think about how he was going to get back at Wrath for stealing from him. There was also the fact Envy had seen Aria; it was likely they were going to try and find her again. Especially since she took seven Philosopher Stones. It sent a quiet message that she was calling out Father and the other Homunculi. He had no doubt she'd known exactly what she'd been doing. When had she gotten bold enough to do something like that?
"Kitten did you pick the same ink color as my eyes," he asked when he spotted the tattoos.
"Yep," she said brightly. There wasn't even a bit of shame in her tone nor was there embarrassment. Seeing her bag, she grinned and reached out for it as she said, "Samson took pictures."
Pulling out the photos Samson had taken, she passed them to Greed who chuckled as he looked through them. Feeling his lips twitch downward, Kimblee kept a gentle grip on her other hand as she ran a hand over the fabric of her hoodie with a sad smile. Deciding to distract her he went with the first topic that he thought about asking, "have you figured out what you're going to do with your Philosopher Stone's yet,"
"Jewelry," she said simply. She hadn't really thought about what she was going to do beyond that.
"Show me when you get done," Greed ordered as he patted her on the head. Nodding immediately she didn't notice the wary glance passed between the two men. Handing back the photos, Greed motioned to the stairs saying, "go take a bath, once you get done we'll head into town."
Nodding she instantly moved to follow his order leaving the two men alone for the first time since they'd met. Stiffening under the Homunuclus's gaze, he put a mocking smile on his face as Greed huffed. He could tell that the man was different from the Homunculi in Central but he had no idea how different he was. It was easy to see that he cared about Aria but there was a difference between being fond of a single human and tolerant of others. The fact was Greed could very well decide he didn't like having a random Alchemist around the girl and get rid of him.
"Wh-"
"Aria is mine," Greed stated simply. She was his from now until the day she died. No one would ever change his mind.
"Staking your claim a little early," Kimblee said, keeping his tone completely serious. Disgust flashed through the Homunculus's purple eyes almost making the Combustion Alchemist laugh. However, that did put him at ease.
"I'm going to ignore that," Greed mumbled. The mere idea was horrifying and Aria didn't even know what sex was. He hated to think about what would happen once she started noticing other people or her hormones began causing a problem. What was he supposed to do when she started dating? He hadn't even given her the talk yet. Feeling horrified he decided to power through instead of panicking. Resisting the urge to go back to his room he said, "she's fond of you. I don't know why but she is, so work for me."
Raising an eyebrow at the order, Kimblee leaned back with a smug expression on his face. He'd been awaiting the order for the last few hours; it was obvious that Greed was doing this for Aria, however, the man must have also realized how much a boon it would be to have a former State Alchemist work for him. Especially one with Kimblee's level of skill, he was a veteran of the Ishvalan massacre after all. He was good at killing and had no issue proving that fact so he was quite a catch for any looking to strike back against their enemy.
"What's in it for me," he asked. The smug tone caused Greed's eye to twitch even as his grin widened. He could definitely work with this man, greed was a good quality as far as he was concerned. Even Aria probably wanted something although that something was most likely simply to stay with him.
"What do you want."
"Freedom to work my art," Kimblee stated, his face turning serious. Looking up at the Homunculus he noticed the confusion in Greed's eyes for a moment before he explained, "my explosions. Death chaos, whatever you want to call it. I want the freedom to kill who I want when I want."
"Fine with me, unless it puts Aria in danger," Greed said. The wicked smirk on his face was matched by Kimblee. He had a feeling this would be the start of a wonderful friendship or they would crash and burn. At least Aria would be happy they were getting along.
(Envy)
Dublith was annoying as hell. No one would tell them anything about Greed or the girl; Kimblee hadn't been sighted by anyone either. They'd started at the Devils Nest where Wrath had found Greed in the first place only to learn the local Military had burned the place to the ground. Apparently there had been too many dead bodies to simply bury them. They could understand the reasoning but it still ticked them off. How were they supposed to find the girl and avoid another punishment if they had no idea where to start?
Speaking of punishment, they'd been left at the mercy of Pride for a day and now he had to track down the Philosopher Stones the girl had stolen. Father also wanted to know if the girl was a possible sacrifice. The only good part of the assignment was that Greed was currently weaker than usual. This was the only chance they would get to both deal with their brother and fix their mistake. Still, they were slightly afraid of what would happen if they didn't find the girl before she got to Greed.
In a fight between them, Greed would win. There was not a doubt in their mind that their brother was stronger than they were. Their job was to scout and spy not fight. Unless they found the girl before she found Greed they would have to retreat. It wasn't a truth that they liked but it was the only option they would have besides death. The only thing they could do at that point would be spying on them, however, Greed would be angry if he found out.
What they couldn't figure out was why Kimblee decided to help the girl, it didn't make sense that he would throw away a chance to work for them just for a little girl. The Kimblee they knew from Ishval would never make such a choice, however, that man had been imprisoned for years. It slightly freaked them out that Kimblee had chosen a little girl over working with immortals. Even Lust had no idea why he'd done it.
So, here they were wandering around Dublith in the form of a cat and hoping to see the girl when they got lucky. There was the girl wearing a cat-eared hoodie with her arms loaded with fabric. They would have cheered for joy if not for the fact both Greed and Kimblee stood behind her bickering with each other. Well, there went their ideas of stopping the girl, now they would have to follow them around like a stalker. Lust and Gluttony were going to have a field day with this when they returned to Central. They were willing to bet even Wrath as going to be amused.
Hi, chapter 5 yay.
What do you guys think of Kimblee's meeting with Greed? Did I write Envy well? In your opinion how did you like this chapter?
Anyway thanks for the praise on the last chapter; it really warmed my heart (seriously). Well, it at least made me feel better before my Chemistry Final. Also and this is big...I got an 85 on my Final. I literally hugged my cat the second I learned my grade (Domino didn't approve).
Stay safe and have a good day
- Shyla