"What do you mean they're not answering?" Ed asked in Breda's voice.

Time to go, Breda thought in his direction.

Wha—

A second later, Ed faceplanted on the cobblestoned street. He lifted himself up to his elbows, much lighter and much more annoyed. "Breda!" he protested, even though no one could hear him anymore.

Breda looked to the Warrant Officer behind him. "Come on, Falman, we gotta . . . Falman?"

Falman wasn't looking at Breda.

Both Ed and Breda turned, following the older man's eyeline, and the hair on Ed's neck pricked.

In the middle of the square stood a figure that was vaguely humanoid in shape, the moon shining off of his bald head and a feeling of just plain wrongness roiling off of him in waves. He had a short, round body, and a pair of enormous arms hanging from his enormous shoulders, leaving his knuckles to almost drag the ground. A vacant stare completed the whole creepy ensemble, and a disquieting grin split the creature's face, sending alarm bells ringing in Ed's head.

"Homunculus," Al said, coming to stand next to Falman.

The homunculus sniffed the air. "Something smells good," he said, a childlike quality in his voice that was a sharp contrast to the evil oozing from his being.

Breda spat a curse. "This is one of them?" he asked Al, pulling his firearm from its holster.

"It has to be," Al confirmed.

"I'm going to eat you now," the monster said, the same earie grin frozen on his face.

Then he moved forward with more speed and grace than anything his size should allow. His jaws parted, an unnaturally large tongue lolling out to the side, ropes of saliva trailing behind as he flew at them.

And if there had been doubt of his identity before, the red circular tattoo on his tongue spoke for itself.

Falman and Breda let loose a salvo of fire, but the assault had about the same effect as a swarm of gnats, the wounds sparking red and closing an instant later. Ed scrambled up off the floor, briefly wondering if he could possess the homunculus' body, but Al had it covered.

Alphonse clapped his hands, slamming them to the ground and sending a stone column straight into the creature's face. The homunculus hit it like a train, rock shrieking on impact as he was driven back across the square.

Ed craned his neck to look up at his younger brother, but as he did, movement caught his eye and he glanced up.

There, up on the rooftop, he saw the familiar slope of Mustang's shoulders against the night sky, his back turned to the square and his brown hair billowing in the wind. Why wasn't he facing the square, and why was he exposing his back like that? Where was Hughes?

Unless . . .

Unless this homunculus wasn't here alone.

Well, of course he wasn't there alone. This was Ed's sort of luck, after all.

Ed looked between his brother, Falman and Breda, and the slobbering, snarling monster that had recovered and was once again coming at them full force.

Then he looked back up at Mustang on the rooftop, alone.

Ed trusted his little brother. Al could handle himself, and with Breda and Falman, there was no way they would lose to a third-rate homunculus like this.

And Truth curse him for it, he made a decision.

A body would have been really helpful right about now, but he couldn't compromise the current battle unfolding by swiping Breda, and Falman wouldn't accept him anyway. He'd just have to figure it out when he got back up to the rooftop.

Besides, having an actual "plan" sounded a bit too much like Mustang for Ed's taste. So, Ed turned, throwing himself between two buildings with only a prayer and his immaterial spirit, heading to the back of the building and up the fire escape.

A shadow moved two flights above him, and he could just discern Hughes making his way slowly up the stairs, his footfalls soft on the metal steps, gun drawn and catching menacingly in the faint light.

Ed didn't make a sound even though he traveled much faster. He caught up easily, standing behind the older man and following his gaze up to the lip of the rooftop. They couldn't see Mustang at this angle, or anyone for that matter. "What's going on up there?" he asked, his brain irritably reminding him for the tenth time that no one could hear him. It seemed he got a little too used to having an actual voice for someone to respond to every time he got a body.

Hughes, predictably, didn't acknowledge him in the slightest, taking a few more quiet steps then halting, cocking his head like he was listening hard.

Perturbed and wanting to get eyes on Mustang, Ed stepped through the outstretched arm Hughes held against the railing, earning him a shiver from the older man and an electric rush to his middle that was uncomfortable to say the least.

"Ed? Is that you?" Hughes whispered, and if Ed hadn't been trying so hard to hear what was going on up above them, he might have missed it.

Ed turned to see Hughes staring vaguely in his direction. Instead of responding verbally, Ed passed a slightly transparent hand through Hughes' shoulder.

Hughes shivered again. "Must be," he grunted. "One of those things is up there with Roy," he said. "A woman with dark hair."

Lust.

Coldness seeped into Ed's bones. She wasn't quite as bloodthirsty as Envy, but she was more than capable of killing Mustang, especially in his condition.

"She's got him pinned down with some freaky claws to his neck," Hughes continued. "I'm going to distract her, and I want you to grab Roy, do some of your alchemy mumbo-jumbo and get him space to blow her away. If you can handle that, freak me out once for yes."

Well, that sounded about as good of an idea as any.

Ed ran his hand through Hughes' neck.

Hughes' shiver this time was both silent and spectacular. "Great," he hissed through gritted teeth. "Let's go."

Hughes passed him with another shiver and Ed followed him up to the rooftop.

And that's when things completely fell apart.

XxXxX

Roy may not have been a genius like Ed, but it didn't take much to deduce that the woman standing before him was the dark haired, dark eyed woman Victor had referred to.

Roy swallowed hard, feeling the woman's claws brush against his jaw.

"Who are you?" Roy asked, voice brittle, fear coiling in his gut like a snake. Roy had encountered monsters before, but this woman . . . there was something otherworldly about her, inhuman and dangerous, attractive and repulsive, her gaze sending a sharp rush of primal fear down his spine that had nothing to do with the claws at his throat. Had this woman done something with Riza? With Fuery, Havoc?

Her smile, alluring in its own way, never wavered as her violet eyes narrowed in amusement. "Surely you've heard of me? My name is Lust, but Jean would know me as Solaris."

His mouth went dry. "Jean?"

"Your handsome blond friend, of course," she purred, her free hand moving to rest on a voluptuous hip. "Not much going on underneath that hair, but you would be proud, Colonel. He's a loyal dog. He wouldn't say a word about you, despite how persuasive—" she shifted her generous bosom "—I can be."

This was the date Havoc had cancelled on, the very woman that wanted them dead? She had been seeing Havoc just to keep tabs on him and his team?

That meant she had followed them here from East City.

"Why do you want me dead?"

She tilted her head thoughtfully, a move that made her collarbone do interesting things—how was it that she could be so distracting and terrifying at the same time?! "You want some closure before you die?" A claw scraped against the apple of his throat and Roy flinched, feeling a slow warmth swell and drip down his neck. "How can I resist a request like that, coming from a man like you?"

Roy wasn't sure how to answer that. He glanced to the side, some small part of him hoping Hughes would appear from the shadows, but no one was there.

"I came to your office to gather Jean for lunch a few months ago," she began. "When I arrived, your office was empty, and I took the opportunity go through your paperwork as I always do."

As she always did?

"You've been in my office before." It was more of an accusation than a question.

Her laugh was sultry and smooth, like poisoned honey. "Don't think someone like you can escape our notice, Colonel Mustang. I've been watching you for a long time. You are a very interesting man. Strong, intelligent, ambitious, attractive," the same claw moved to caress his cheek, it's touch as familiar as it was alien, sharp like a razor. "I like that in a man."

He hobbled back a step, his back pressing against the concrete wall behind him. He could hear the sounds of battle down below, but he didn't have the attention to spare to make out details. Roy only hoped that someone would look up, notice his position, then come to his aide. He needed a distraction if he was going to set this woman on fire, or else she would cut his throat before he made so much as a spark.

"So shy," she laughed again, deep in her throat. "This is not at all how I imagined our first meeting would go." Her gaze was predatory, and Roy felt his pulse tick up a notch. "Can you guess what I found on your desk?"

"A map."

"Bingo. And I am very interested in knowing who sent it to you."

Years of chess and politics had made Roy a very good liar. "If you found the map, I'm sure you saw the envelope as well. There was no name."

"Yes, but it is not a stretch to assume you have in informant in Briggs. One that might send you interesting maps with dangerous information."

"I don't know."

Her ruby lips turned down into a pout. "Pity. I suppose once you're out of the picture, I will have to pay a visit to Briggs and find out myself."

At least Hughes would be safe then. Hopefully.

Roy took a steadying breath. "What is so important about that map that people need to die?"

"I'm afraid that isn't something I'm allowed to discuss, no matter how imminent your death."

He locked eyes with her, as commanding as he knew how. He wanted confirmation.

Then he would do something reckless.

"You sent Michael and Victor after me. You killed Edward Elric."

Something like regret flickered underneath her thick lashes. "Yes. The Fullmetal boy. Unfortunate, because he was one of our perfect sacrifices. I suppose we will just have to find a replacement. Don't worry though, the man that killed your precious subordinate has been taken care of. I do not tolerate sloppiness."

He was dead? Did that mean . . . how would Ed find his killer if he was already dead?

Did that mean Ed was trapped, a spirit without a body?

No.

No, because Roy wouldn't allow that to happen. He couldn't think about that now, though.

Roy dreaded his last question, but he needed to know.

"Where are my people?"

Her lips twisted into a smile that was as stunning as it was terrible. "I'm afraid I don't know about your dear First Lieutenant and the little scrap, Kain. Gluttony was sent to deal with them, but Jean . . . well," she raised her free hand to her lips, and for the first time, Roy caught sight of something glistening from the pointed ends of her fingers. She ran her tongue over the pinky, slow and sensuous, and Roy could finally make out what it was glinting in the moonlight.

The air left Roy's lungs in a rush.

Blood.

Roy's fingers pressed together, ready to turn this woman into a human torch, and he only hesitated when movement behind Lust caught his eye.

A black figure emerged from the shadows, only the moon on his glasses giving away Hughes' identity. Gunfire cracked three times, the flash enough to temporarily blind Roy in the dimness, and the sound close enough to leave his ears ringing.

Instead of collapsing on the ground with blood pooling around her dying body, Lust just smiled.

Then two things happened at once.

Edward appeared out of nowhere, throwing himself at Hughes with a strangled cry.

And Lust turned and ran two clawed fingers through Hughes' chest.

*hides behind a rock*

I mean, he's not dead, right? There's still time for a miracle! :'D

I am not ashamed.

. . . Okay, maybe a little ashamed.

Marginally.

Wohoo, so anyways, any of you digital artists ever take a stab at traditional painting after not even touching a paintbrush in months? I started painting a canvas for my office, accidentally colored outside of the lines, then moved my hand down TO TRY TO CTRL+Z MY WAY OUT OF IT. Wouldn't life be so much easier if we could ctrl+z our way out of things? There are so many life choices I would like to undo xD

Welp, I'm out. Please drop a review if you have the time, and know that I respond 99% of the time to all signed reviews when I update :') I know ff has been a bit glitchy on sending emails here recently. Reviews give me life! I'll see you next time :)

God Bless,

-RainFlame