I don't own FMA or Harry Potter

Leading the group through the back alley's Greed almost didn't notice the Full Metal Pipsqueak pulling Aria aside. While he doubted that the boy would hurt Aria he didn't want her alone with anyone he didn't trust; he sent Envy to watch them. The shapeshifter found them in a darkened with Edward talking at Aria who didn't seem very interested in his words. Not that they could blame her considering he was simply saying the same things over and over again about how wrong it was to use a Philosopher Stone.

"I don't know what Greed's told you but a Philosopher Stone has to be made with human souls," Edward snapped after realizing she wasn't paying attention to him. Anyone normal would be a little bit shocked at the words instead she simply raised an eyebrow.

"That is true," she stated with no emotion in her voice.

"How can you use other people like that?"

How? Was this boy really asking her that question? Wasn't he a dog of the military?

She'd been used since she was born by her relatives. Greed used her as his Alchemist while Envy had been used by the original Homunculus. Everyone in the world was used by someone why should the dead be any different. Was this blonde so childish that he could not realize such a simple truth?

"Would you rather I have left you at the mercy of the Homunculi," she asked keeping her thoughts to herself.

"That's not the point," he snapped beginning to pace.

"Then what is the point," she asked. It was hard to keep from snapping at someone who didn't seem to be willing to believe others had different perspectives than him. It was true that the stones were made from human souls but what did she care for those she didn't know; no one but Greed and the chimeras had ever cared for her.

"How can you use their souls as if they belonged to you? It's wrong! They were human, they don't deserve to be used like this," he said as if she was a child.

Looking into his golden eyes she could see that arguing with him would get her nowhere. He was too stubborn to understand her point of view but more than that he was so set in his mindset that he would never condone someone having a different opinion than him. She didn't like him.

"Everyone is used by someone. I would have thought one of the Militaries dogs understood that fact."

"That-"

"Try to find someone else to force your philosophy on. I have no desire to entertain you," she said keeping her voice level as he stared at her in shock. Turning away from him, she moved to catch up with the others while he was distracted. She really didn't like him at all.

(Kimblee)

The warehouse they'd assigned as their meeting point was so tacky that Kimblee had to physically resist the urge to redecorate. There was nothing lavish about plain walls and concrete floors. His mission to steal the stones had gone well hence the bag of them in his pocket. He'd also personally blown apart every one of the white puppets. Aria had been right about them being creepy. At the moment he had thirty Philosopher Stones all of varying sizes but still pretty small. Someone was going to be very angry when they found out another thief had broken in, however, he had no pity for the poor fool. Well, not just a thief; he had killed all the scientists too.

Before he could redecorate the warehouse, Envy threw open the door as he shouted back at someone. Raising an eyebrow, he watched the group enter with thinly veiled amusement, before spotting the Envy who looked mentally exhausted, it would be so much fun to tease him but not right now. Instead, he ran his eyes over the group until he spotted Aria; she was exactly where he guessed she would be, by Greed's side. The Homunculus looked positively smug with himself if the large grin was anything to go by.

"I take it your part of the plan went well," he said. Pushing off the wall, he ignored the gaping from the blonde boy who stared at him in shock.

"Kimblee!"

"Of course," Greed said as if the suit of armor hadn't just screeched. Walking past the stunned human's he looked over the Combustion Alchemist with a keen eye. He couldn't see any injuries but that didn't mean they didn't exist.

"Mine did too Greed. Don't worry," Kimblee said. Smirking he gave a small nod to the other man as he patted his pocket. The subtle gesture caused Greed to return his smirk before looking around the warehouse with a disgusted expression. The way the Homunculus wrinkled his nose caused Kimblee to chuckle. Turning his attention to Aria he asked, "And how is our little Freezing Alchemist?"

"Tired," she admitted.

Watching her smile softly he frowned before snapping his fingers. Despite her hand twitching in annoyance she moved to stand in front of him allowing him to look her over. He didn't see any injuries beyond the disheveled state of her clothing. Narrowing his eyes as she reached up to stifle a yawn, he relaxed. She was just tired from their long trip and the fight. Allowing his lips to pull into a slow smile he ignored the knowing glance that Greed gave him. He didn't need glances from a man that couldn't even admit when he saw someone as a daughter rather than a pet.

"It is past your bedtime," he stated. When she nodded in agreement he watched Greed start walking over. Knowing that the man was about to start ordering him to turn the warehouse into a five-star hotel he turned to mock Envy by saying, "Envy's too."

"Fuck you Crimson!"

Wincing a bit at the loudness, Aria glanced around the warehouse before wondering toward a corner, she was far too tired to watch them argue. Part of her was just happy the Ishvalan had parted ways the moment they left the underground; his passive-aggressive staring was unsettling. Unzipping her jacket she pulled a piece of blue chalk from the inside pocket before kneeling. It would take a while before the two stopped trying to insult each other. She could already hear Greed snapping at them to knock it off not that they would listen.

"Was that an offer?"

Feeling her brows furrow, she wondered what they were talking about before shrugging it off and returning her attention to the Transmutation Circle she was drawing. Footsteps sounded beside her but she only spared a glance at the teen who'd come to stand beside her. Her movements were slow and careful as she sketched the circle with a steady hand. It wasn't the most complicated but it would be enough to turn her corner into something better than concrete. She wasn't as good as Kimblee when it came to designing areas either.

"I hate you!"

That wasn't true, even she knew it. The high pitch of Envy's voice dripped with embarrassment causing her to smile. This was them getting along although she didn't ever think that Envy would be able to hold back from starting arguments. She didn't mind his habit of turning any conversation into a verbal sparring match. It was amusing. Much more amusing than when he'd been chasing her around Central.

"What the hell is going on here?"

Keeping her eyes on the floor she tensed at the angered tone. It was the blonde that had followed them back and he sounded murderous. Adding another line to her circle she almost jumped out of her skin when the dark-haired teen kneeled down beside her to get a closer look. Hand stilling she stared at him with widened eyes as he studied her work. He didn't seem to be an Alchemist but he did seem interested in the circle she was drawing. Just like he'd been interested in the Philosopher Stone.

Reaching up to grab her necklace on instinct she quickly dropped her hand once she realized what she was doing. He knew that she had a stone but she didn't need to point out where it was. The raised tones of Greed explaining everything in the background were tuned out as she stared at the teen. His dark hair was flowing over his shoulder to lay against his chest, it looked soft, but more than that his eyes were sharp. The keen intelligence in his eyes caught her attention far more than the way he shifted closer to her. He was like a panther watching his prey.

Flushing she looked down and continued her sketch the second he glanced at her. Why did it feel as if she'd just been caught doing something? Her heartbeat sped up as her hand moved faster, his eyes were warm on her skin as he watched her. It was only years of practice that kept her from shifting nervously, instead, she finished the circle. Flipping the piece of chalk in her hand as she drew the final line, she hummed softly. Running her eyes over her work to make sure she didn't turn the warehouse corner into a birdbath, she nodded to herself before slipping the chalk into her pocket.

Laying her hands on the circle she drew just a bit from the stone around her neck as she turned the corner into a smaller version of her bedroom. Three walls rose to enclose her space, while a bed took up space on one of the walls. The door leading back to the warehouse was covered in small snowflakes indentations, just like the couch and chair she'd created to take up space. There was also a nightstand and coffee table although those were layered with little bumps that reminded her of fresh snow.

"Impressive," he said. He actually sounded as if he meant the praise. Standing, she shook her head softly. Compared to Kimblee this was nothing special. He was the one with all the experience; she was simply trying to make a quick place to sleep. If Kimblee wanted he could turn this entire warehouse into a lavish apartment.

"Kimblee can do better," she said softly. Walking to the bed she sat down and began to unlace her boots. The simple statement of fact caused him to raise an eyebrow, something like this was amazing. He'd never seen Alchemy used for anything other than battle; Edward's strange type of transmutation didn't count.

"It's still amazing," he said.

Dropping her boot, she looked up at him with her head tilted to the side. Grinning at her, he watched as she considered his words. Taking a moment to study her as she did, he noticed that she was shorter than Edward. It was only by a small amount but he knew it was something that the other teen would take and run with. That also meant she was probably younger than them too unless she was also a midget like Ed; not that he would ever say something like that to the blonde.

Her skin tone was pale almost matching the tone of the man who'd checked on her when they'd arrived. It was possible they were related, but he wouldn't assume that they were. If he did that then he would have assumed that Ed and Al were related to the guy underneath Central. What he did linger on was the electric blue hue of her eyes; they were pretty. They reminded him of gemstones for both the color and coldness. Her hair was dark, like that of people found in Xing, and held in a high ponytail by a blue ribbon.

There were Transmutation circles on her gloves and on the bracelets she wore, however, what drew his eyes was the silver pendant she was wearing. It was shaped like a snowflake, and she'd reached for it earlier when he first came to observe her. Due to the fact he hadn't seen a stone in her hand when she was fighting earlier, he was willing to bet it was in her necklace. It was the only solution that made sense. Usually, he would take the stone and return to Xing to save his people, however, he owed her his life. His honor demanded that he settle that debt; it would be better to have her give him the stone then return to Lan Fan and Fu.

"Thank you," she said breaking the silence. Watching her shrug off her jacket, he held out a hand like he'd seen Edward do.

"I'm Ling Yao, twelfth crown prince of Xing," he announced. She'd been right about him being foreign, but she hadn't expected him to be a prince.

"I'm Aria, Greed's pet Alchemist," she said. Reaching out to shake his hand she wasn't expecting him to lay a quick kiss to the back of her hand instead. Blushing she pulled her hand out of his grip and tried to ignore the way her ears burned.

"Your name means lioness," he stated proudly. Her flustered expression caused his grin to soften just a bit.

"You can sleep on the couch if you want. I made it soft enough," she said quickly. Folding her jacket into a pillow, laid down and rolled to face away from him.

"Thank you."

(Greed)

He suddenly felt the urge to murder someone. Glancing toward the room Aria had made he knew that she could deal with the teen if he got out of control; still, he didn't like the idea of a boy being around his Alchemist. The knowing glances from Kimblee were really starting to get annoying. To make matters worse the pipsqueak had decided to go contact his superior officer who would be here soon. Groaning he spread out on the couch Kimblee had created with an annoyed glance at the steaming blonde. Apparently, the kid had been ordered not to say anything until his superior arrived. He would rather kick the kid out of the warehouse than deal with this.

"Greed, how did Aria perform," Kimblee asked from his white armchair. Why did he have to make everything white? Not that he looked bad in the color but it simply wasn't very practical. He did have to admit that it looked good on the man.

"She turned Gluttony into a hedgehog twice, and froze my dad," he said pride in his tone. The parental tone caused Edward to twitch as he narrowed his gaze.

"The circle was strong enough then," Kimblee mused. The smug smirk on his lips caused the Homunculus to shift turning all his attention on the other man. Watching Kimblee lean back with a satisfied glow in his eyes, he eyed the other man closely. There was nothing subtle about the glee in Kimblee's eyes. The confidence and pride were enough to make him grin.

"I'm loving the smugness," he said drawing the man's attention. Shifting to face the Homunculus, he crossed one leg over the other as he considered the words. Finally, he nodded in agreement.

"I think it looks good on me as well," he stated. If possible Greed's grin widened showing his almost fanged teeth. Smugness certainly did look good on the other man.

"Please stop flirting," Envy said. The horrified expression on their face was the same as a child walking into a haunted house for the first time.

"Jealous Envy," Greed teased although he didn't take his eyes away from Kimblee.

"No, it's fucking weird," Envy snapped. Crossing their arms the Homunculus shifted further away from the two men. If this continued they would go and hang around Aria even if she was asleep. Come to think about it, she was alone in a room with a boy. A human boy. Eye twitching Envy shot a glance at the room.

"Yeah like watching parents kiss or something," Edward said backing up the Homunculus. That drew Greeds attention away from Kimblee. Staring at the blonde in shock, he twitched as his grin sank down into a heavy frown.

"Brother!"

"What?"

"Exactly, they're totally boning with their eyes," Envy shouted throwing their hands in the air. They completely ignored the exchange between the two brothers in favor of watching Greed twitch as if caught with his hand in a cookie jar.

"I have no idea what you're talking about," he snapped. Sitting up he crossed his arms daring Envy to continue. He desperately ignored the Crimson Lotus Alchemist who was watching him closely. As usual, Envy rose to the challenge.

"Of course not. Just like Aria isn't your daughter or the fact you don't have a crush on Kimblee," they stated in a less than impressed tone. Eyes widening Greed couldn't stop his arm from jolting under his grip.

That wasn't true. Aria was his possession; his Alchemist. He couldn't consider her his daughter because he would never treat her the same way Father treated them. There was no way she was his daughter just like there was no way he had a crush on Kimblee. The man was also his possession. He just liked the smug pride the alchemist had; nothing else, right? The logic couldn't be faulted could it?

"Envy…"

"Fine," they said quickly. The dull-eyed expression of their sibling was enough to be worrying. If this was what talking about caring did to their brother then they wouldn't bring it up. They could accept that Greed was unwilling to admit the truth however catching the slow-spreading smirk on Kimblee's face they didn't know how long his denial would last. Pushing off the crate they'd been sitting on they ignored the tensing of the pipsqueak as they said, "I'm going to hang out with the brat."

Watching him stalk into Aria's room, Greed twitched when a knock sounded not even a minute later. Of course, Envy would run away seconds before someone arrived, it was just like his sibling to avoid confrontation. Motioning fo the blonde to open the door, he hid whatever annoyance he felt behind a smug smirk as Kimblee did the same. Watching Fullmetal open the door, he was intrigued by the stern man that entered the warehouse. Noticing Kimblee's grin turn amused, he tilted his head back confidently.

His ouroboros marking was on full display from the way he was sitting and it was interesting to see the man's frown grow darker. The blonde woman trailing behind him also seemed to know exactly what the marking meant from the way she stiffened. Baring his teeth in a grin, he motioned to the couch offering them a seat even as the man glared at Kimblee. He'd never thought that the man in charge of Fullmetal would be so stern. He'd imagined a chaotic man endorsing their every troublesome action.

"Hey, Mustang how have you been," Kimblee said. Waving at the black-haired man, he was rewarded by a disgusted expression. Mustang was still as amusing as always although the woman behind him had grown up just a bit. He could tell from the hardened glint in her eyes; she was no longer the little girl who shrank away from war.

"Crimson," the man growled out. His hand trembled as he kept from setting the man on fire.

"I'm Greed, Kimblee belongs to me," he snapped seeing the angered expression. He dared the man to do anything toward his possessions; one move and he would beat the human into the floor. He ignored the way Fullmetal stiffened at the words.

"He's a wanted criminal," the woman stated. The emotionless tone would have made lesser men cower; too bad for her he was a Homunculus, not a mere man.

"So," he asked with a shrug. When neither of them went to confront him, he sent a glance toward Kimblee who raised an eyebrow. He could tell the man didn't mind being called a criminal, but he hated the amount of disrespect toward something that belonged to him. Kimblee was an amazing Alchemist he deserved praise, not ridicule. Seeing the man's lips twitch upward, he relaxed and turned his attention back to the pair saying, "now I heard from the pipsqueak you had some questions for me."

"Who killed Maes Hugues," the man asked. There was a deadly calm in his tone as the woman beside him laid a hand on her gun.

"Who?"

His confusion was genuine, however, the human reacted with rage. The snap sounded in the air seconds before there was an arc of fire heading in his direction. Flipping over the couch he winced as an explosive bang echoed in the warehouse. That would no doubt wake up Aria and he'd wanted her to sleep for at least the rest of the night. Standing slowly, he couldn't keep his lips from pulling back in a snarl as Fullmetal moved to try and talk the man down. Too bad he wasn't in a talking mood.

"Stop! He broke from the other Homunculi h-"

Standing from his chair, Kimblee raised an eyebrow at Hawkeye as she leveled her gun in his direction. He wasn't the one she had to worry about; turning away from her he moved to fix the couch as Greed lunged past him. Grabbing Mustang by the neck, the Homunculus snarled as he held the man above the ground. Just one move and he could snap the man's neck. It would be so easy, and none of his possessions would blame him one bit for the action. Aria's door slammed against the wall as it opened; the sound was enough to keep him from making a move he would regret.

"Greed!"

Looking toward the blonde Alchemist, he found an expression of desperation on the boy's face. It was obvious that he cared about the man as more than a superior. Raising an eyebrow he loosened his hand just enough for the man to breathe and motioned for the boy to continue. Taking a look around the room, Aria nodded to herself, before turning around. Heading back into her room to grab her boots and jacket.

"Please, he didn't mean to-"

"What will you give me in exchange," Greed asked, cutting the boy off. Back in Dublith, the boy would have attacked rather than even try to negotiate. Seeing something desperate flicker through the blonde's eyes, he felt a slow smirk spread across his face. This promised to be interesting.

"Whatever you want," the boy said while shaking off his brother's hand.

Dropping the dark-haired man, Greed nodded in agreement to the deal before turning his attention to Aria; she was all dressed and ready to leave. Frowning he reached out laying a gentle hand on her head. Brightening under his hand despite the darkening circles under her eyes, she smiled. Envy was curled up in her arms but still pinning Mustang with a dark glare that could have melted a glacier. Barely holding back a hiss, they sneered at the man as much as their cat body allowed.

"Sorry, we woke you."

"It's alright," she said instantly. Beside her, Ling glanced between them as he remembered how she'd jolted out of bed with a startled expression.

"He's the one who killed Lust," Envy snarled.

Clenching his fist, Greed frowned but pushed down the urge to turn around and murder the human. Instead, he laid a hand on his sibling's back. The fur bristled under his touch but it still calmed the younger Homunculus enough that they looked away from Mustang. One day he would let Envy have a shot at Mustang, but not before he dealt with Wrath and Father. They were the biggest threat and needed to be taken out before anything else. Even if the idea of letting the annoying human live even a day longer made him feel ill.

"Save it for Wrath, we need to leave Central tonight," he announced. As usual, Aria nodded intently while Envy took a moment to calm before agreeing. Letting Kimblee take over herding Aria out of the warehouse he glanced at the dark-haired teen who nodded in confirmation. It looked as if he had a new possession. Waving at Fullmetal he turned to leave saying, "I look forward to cashing in that debt."

"Ling…"

Stilling at Ed's voice, Ling's heart sank but he still turned to face the other teen. This was for his people, and for them, he would do anything. Forcing a smile he said, "Tell Lan Fan and Fu to find me once she's able to."

Watching him follow Greed, the blonde couldn't help but frown, why did he feel that Mustand had just cost them a powerful ally? Oh right, because he did.

Hi, guys sorry I missed my last update; my power went out.

Anyway, what did you think of Aria's first real interaction with Ling.

-Stay safe and have a good day

-Shyla