The door made a quiet creak as a few officers peeked in. Roy didn't turn his head as he sighed. "All of you were out there...And you didn't even try helping me?"
Fuery squeaked. "It looked like you had it under control..."
"Was that really the Fullmetal Alchemist and his girlfriend, chief?" Havoc muttered, a cigarette bobbing in the corner of his mouth.
Roy nodded, smiling. "Sure was." He smiled. "Now someone tell Riza to get in here to take care of my back!"
"Yes sir!" The men chimed, giving the Furhur a salute before filing out of the room.
Roy looked over his shoulder as Riza walked in a few minutes later, hesitant when she saw the blood on his back. "Sit." She said firmly.
"On what...? -The floor?"
She sighed, pushing him toward the couch as she pushed the man down roughly. "You're still like a child..." She hissed, getting the bandages that were left on Roy's desk. "I still don't see why you won't just go to the infirmary...They'd do a much better job at this." Roy wasn't listening, Hawkeye sighed as a few of the officers let out whistles and woots...Though it didn't take long for them to leave once Riza reached her hand in the same pocket her pistol was in. She turned back around. "Unbutton your shi- okay..." She sighed, seeing that the Furhur's bare back was already to her. She closed her eyes slightly and shook her head.
After Riza had managed to wrap the deep cuts on the Furhur's back, she stood up as she nudged Roy slightly to wake him up a bit. Startled, he looked up. "That was very noble of you sir." Riza whispered, lowering her head.
Mustang smiled slightly, turning back around as he leaned down to grab the torn and slightly bloody shirt on the ground. "I'm just doing my job." He smiled. "This doesn't mean we can let them get away with everything...And it doesn't mean we can take it easy on them. But with just a simple amount of trying to remind them of their former selves did alot...And it proves it's possible to bring them back." He whispered.
Riza lifted her head. "I agree sir...But how?"
Pride looked down on the way back to the abandoned building, skimming the buildings and jumping off each one and landing with ease. Star sighed quietly as the two dropped into the room of the building where they were staying, sitting down on the bed as she put her face in her hands. "What're we gonna do...?" She whispered.
Edward for the moment looked down, sitting beside Star. "If fate has it this way...Then so be it..." He whispered. "But I think we can mark the Furhur's words..."
"You really think we can get back to normal...?" She asked, lifting her face from her hands as she looked back up at the boy.
"It a million to one...But even there that's still a chance..." He said, smiling slightly.
She nodded slightly as her response, a small, weak smile now curling on her lips as she closed her eyes. "I guess there is a chance...Even though it is slim."
Edward nodded, "I still don't know how they're going to do it..."
"Me either..."
"They have a way to defeat us...Or...They'd have to make another philosophers stone like Lust once said..." He whispered.
"Which do you think it'll be..?" She whispered, laying a head on his shoulder.
"One or the other...But creating another philosophers stone involves a lot of lives...And right now...No one can afford it..." Ed whispered, laying his hand on hers gently.
She could only give a slight nod out of agreement, closing her eyes. "Especially not on our account..."
He nodded, sighing "That's something you and I can't help...I just wish...I just wonder how I got this way..." Edward looked down, slightly rubbing the side of his head with a fist. "I can now see...Why they wanted the stone..." He said painfully.
"Yeah...Me too..." She whispered. She bit her lower lip as her head dropped slightly, her eyes slightly drooped as a few warm tears started to form. "I'm sorry..."
He cocked his head, turning his head slightly as he wrapped his arm about her back. "It's not your fault this happened...It's mine for doing something God didn't like...And he still hasn't shown me mercy. I was just a child." He sighed. "But I guess a sin...Is a sin."
"No, that's not what I meant..." She whispered.
Edward cocked his head slightly as something began to build up in his stomach, Pride was screaming in his head, trying to claw his way back. He snorted through his nose slightly as he squinted. "W...What do you mean...?"
"I-I didn't know what else to do..." She stuttered slightly as she spoke, her bottom lip lightly began to quiver.
"...What are you talking about...?" He asked, a bit taken aback by how she was acting. "I know you can't control Wrath...It isn't your fault."
Star shook her head slightly as her response. "Ed, its not that..."
"W-What else could it be...?"
She didn't answer the boy right away, biting her lower lip as she felt something sink in the pit of her stomach. "...Remember when you mentioned to not attempt what you did if anything happened...?"
The boy's eyes widened as his pupils shrunk as small as a grain of sand, looking up at her. "Y...You didn't..." He said hoarsely as his heart began to beat rapidly in his chest. "Please...Tell me you didn't..."
"I'm so sorry..." She whispered, a lone tear had managed to fight its way down as it rolled down her cheek.
"S-Star...W-Why? After...All we went through...After all that happened with me and my brother...Why?" He asked, leaning back slightly. He lowered his face as he brought a hand to cover his eyes.
"I-I don't know...I just wasn't thinking clearly..." She whispered. Of course this was only half true...It was a fact that she was blind with grief as her mind was fogged and clouded over with devastation...But she knew what she was doing when she performed the act that night in a desperate attempt to bring Edward back. Even though that was her reason, to see the boy again...Another part of her just wanted to prove something, to prove that a perfect human transmutation was possible. Though like every other attempt that had been performed, the transmutation failed at a great personal cost to the person who was foolish enough to try and play God. To step on the forbidden boundaries of the thin line that crossed from life to death, to tread on God's territory...At a tremendous price.
"Star..." He whispered again, "Y-You died then...Didn't you?" Ed asked hoarsely, not lifting up his head. She didn't answer, biting her lip as she gave a slight nod as her only response. He ran his fingers down his face slightly as he looked up. "Don't be sorry..." He whispered, "I'm the one that should be sorry..." Star looked to the boy as her hand dropped back on her lap, a slight flicker of confusion was now evident on his face. Why would he be apologizing for something that she had caused? Her attempt at human alchemy was the catalyst that had resulted in both Pride and Wrath's creation...Sewing the threads for the web of deceit and death that Pride and Wrath created.
"It's my fault...I died that night..." He whispered quietly. "It's my fault...I wasn't ready for what Envy did...I was occupied and I wasn't ready." Edward muttered. "Maybe I deserve this...But I know for a fact you don't." He said quietly, letting his head fall on her shoulder.
She shook her head slightly, letting a hand rest on his. "No, it's not your fault..."
"No matter which way you look at it...I'm the cause of all of this...And now...Men are dead because of me..." He whispered. Star didn't say anything, only shaking her head slightly in a solemn sort of way. Ed rubbed his head, wincing. "Damn it...Not again..." He whimpered.
"What is it?" She asked, frowning.
"I hate this..." He hissed. "I feel used."
"What do ya mean?"
He looked up slightly, not responding right away. "What we've become..." He whispered, closing his eyes as they began to darken. She didn't answer as her eyes began to change as well, the warm, bright ones had changed back to cold, soulless ones.
Pride hissed slightly as his hands curled around the sheets under him. He then opened his eyes as the pupils became thin and dark. "What in hell happened...?" He asked, looking around the room.
She shook her head slightly, blowing her bangs out of her face as she looked around the room out of confusion. "Don't ask me, I have no clue."
Pride pushed himself up as he walked toward the window. "Weird things are happening." He muttered quietly.
"I agree with you on that...The flashbacks are hitting a lot more frequently..."
"Wh-What do you think they are...?" He asked, looking out the window.
"I really don't know...All I know is that they're damn annoying." Wrath murmured. "But for some reason, the main one I see in mine is some short blonde kid."
Pride turned his head suddenly, swallowing. "Y-Yeah." He whispered.
"You ok? Your acting weird."
Pride turned his head. "I see a woman." He whispered quietly, facing the window.
"Huh?" She asked, blinking a little out of confusion.
Pride shook his head. "Nevermind..." He whispered.
She cocked her head slightly out of confusion, looking over at Pride from her spot on the bed. "Really, what?" He remained silent, keeping his mouth closed as he placed his hand on the window sill. Wrath sighed, laying down on the bed as she rested the back of her head on her crossed arms. "What do you think they are...An' I'm surprised we haven't killed those bastards yet... Its weird, they act like they know something we don't."
"What will we do now...?"
She sighed. "I really don't know..." She muttered, looking up at the ceiling.
"Maybe leaving Envy and Dante wasn't a good idea at all..."
She shrugged, snorting slightly. "I was suffocating there..."
He turned his head, slightly chuckling. "I'm about to suffocate here."
She blinked, cocking her head. "Why?"
"This has been my only home for as long as I've lived...I'd like to get out of this city for a while..."
"Where're we gonna go then?"
"I don't suppose it matters..."
She nodded slightly, letting out a sigh. "Yeah, guess your right."
"Where will we go then..." Pride muttered, opening the window.
"I really have no idea, I don't know about any other place besides this trashy city." She said, shaking her head slightly. "I guess we can just deal with it in the morning."
Pride turned his head. "I guess you're right." He sighed, walking over toward the corner as his back touched the wall. She nodded slightly, sighing as she collapsed back on the bed. She looked up at the ceiling as her eyes slightly began to droop.
Pride turned his head. "You sure you're comfortable here...?"
She nodded slightly, keeping her gaze on the ceiling. "For some reason, this town is...Familiar."
"Everything's familiar...Tons of things...It's driving me insane." Pride hissed.
She gave a slight nod out of agreement. "Yeah...We'll deal with it in the morning..." She muttered, rolling so that her back was to Pride.
Pride looked down, nodding slightly. "That always the solution..." He whispered hoarsely, sighing as his back slid down the wall and he lowered his head. Pride shifted on the ground before he fell to his left, placing a hand under his chin to prevent him from the dusty floor.
She looked back at Pride, seeing he was asleep she pushed herself off the bed and snuck out the window. Jumping on the rooftop to rooftop, she didn't know where exactly where she was going. It felt as though something was guiding her movements, trying to lead her somewhere. Wrath jumped down from one of the rooftops when she was near the cemetery, blinking slightly as she pushed open the gate as they let out a loud screech. She closed an eye as she started to walk through the trails of headstones, letting her feet and the light from the full moon guide her way. She soon sat down on a particular headstone, not even bothering to read the description.
Beside the cemetery was a man. He wore a long, dark blue uniform and black boots. Ever since the arrival of the new threats in Central, there were officers practically stationed left and right. But the odd part was...Why was this man alone? Surely Furhur Mustang wouldn't station just one man at a post...Definitely with the criminals they had been dealing with. It was just dangling his life on a string to a bunch of hungry lions. He quickly turned his head at hearing the footsteps of someone approaching, his pupils dilating. "Halt!" He shouted, holding out his gun to the dark figure perched on the grave. "What business...D-Do you have here...?" He stuttered.
Wrath raised a brow slightly, looking back when she heard the voice. A sinister grin soon slithered on the girl's face as she drew a leg up to her chest. "Well, didn't think anyone would be stupid enough to be out. Guess I was wrong."
"W-Wh...What do you mean...?" He asked shakily, taking a step back as he pointed the gun to between the young homunculi's eyes. "I'm not afraid to do it...Please stand down!"
She closed an eye, smirking as she casually pushed herself off the tombstone. Wrath pulled a small knife out of her pocket, holding the tip in between two fingers. "Now, why would I do that?" She purred, slowly advancing toward the soldier.
"T-Think about what you're doing!" He shouted, backing away. "I haven't done any harm! Please!"
"Mmm, give me one good reason to spare your pathetic life."
"I-I didn't do anything wrong! I'm just a soldier trying to support a family!"
She raised a brow, leaping upward and landed so that she was behind the soldier. Grabbing his gun arm, she forced it roughly behind his back as she pressed the tip of the knife to the man's throat.. "And you think I actually care love?" She purred in his ear.
His eyes widened out of fear as the gun dropped and fell to his feet. "Please...Have mercy!" He cried, his eyes squeezing shut.. "I just wanted a few extra dollars to support my family...I can't support them when I'm gone...Please!" He shouted.
She smirked, pressing the knife even harder to his throat. "You humans are even more pathetic than I thought."
He let out cold shudder of pain and fear as he sat there helplessly with the blade pressed to his throat. "I can't die..."
She raised a brow. "Oh, and why can't you?"
"I've got a family damn it!" He shouted to the sky as he stomped his foot, trying to jerk out of the girl's firm grip.
"You actually think that I care?" She hissed.
"Please! Have mercy on me!"
She smirked, closing an eye. "It was your own foolish choice to be out here, and you'll suffer for it."
"It wasn't my choice! I was stationed here!"
"Oh really?" She asked, raising a brow. "But with the stupid choice of actually taking the assignment, you pay the price for it."
"I just wanted to help find the murderers...That've been killing our military." He shuddered, looking down at the gun that had fallen on the ground.
"Oh? You actually thought that you could take any of us on your own?" She asked tauntingly, a merciless grin was playing on her face as a maniacal glint was becoming present in her soulless eyes.
"Y-I mean no! I just...Wanted the extra money! Please!" He cried, wincing at the pain in his throat as he gagged slightly from her grip.
"Hmmm...I don't know if I should...Especially now that you've seen me." She purred, a wicked smirk was playing on her face as she took the blade away from his throat and started to tease his back and shoulders by making sharp, painful little knicks with the tip of the blade.
He let out a painful cry, arching his back. "Please...Stop..." He shuddered, closing his eyes tightly as hints of blood started to stain his uniform in the shoulder area.
"Mmmm, why should I? I haven't done this kind of thing in a while, lets just say I missed it." She purred, continuing with the slow, painful torture.
"Just kill me..." The man hissed through a harsh breath, his eyes watered and his back ached. "Please..."
"You don't have to tell me twice, I'll be seeing you in the fiery pits of hell." She whispered in his ear. All of the sudden her eyes shut tightly as she got back to her feet, putting her hands on her head as she dropped the knife. Dammit not again!
The man's eyes widened as he watched her stumble backward. His instincts were to grab the gun under his feet, which he did as he pointed it to the girl. She looked as if she were in pain, though he stepped back as much as he could, body trembling violently as he kept the gun pointed at her head...Waiting.
She shook her head slightly as she dropped her hands, opening her eyes again. They were no longer cold, but were warm with a hint of reflection in them. Star had managed to fight off Wrath if it was only for a short period of time. Frowning, she looked over to the soldier with a glazed and solemn expression.
The officer still held the gun to her face, visibly trembling. "P-Please...Stand down..." He whimpered, his face was very pale and his arms were trembling. "Don't come near me...I must take you into custody..."
She only shook her head, turning so that she faced the grave where she was sitting not a moment ago. "Whatever I did, I'm sorry I can promise you that it wasn't me persay." She murmured, looking at the grave infront of her with a solemn expression, bending down infront of it.
"I-I just saw you do it!" He shouted nervously, looking down to the grave. "W-Who are you...?"
She didn't answer right away, gently brushing the webs off the tombstone with a solemn expression on her face. "...That doesn't really matter anymore." She whispered.
The officer cocked his head. "Whose grave is that?"
"My parents..." She whispered, closing her eyes.
The officer still seemed a bit weary...He had almost been killed! How could he trust her? "Y-Your parents...But...Aren't you one of those monsters...? Homunculi?" He stuttered.
"I didn't used to be this way...I can't control the thing that you had just encountered...You really have no idea how homunculi are created...Do you?" She asked, her tone and expression weary.
The soldier shook his head from left to right. "W...W-What do you mean...?"
She shook her head slightly, not reverting her eyes from the grave as she drew a small circle in the dirt. Putting her hands on it, it activated as a small blue light emitted from the ground. After a minutes a few flowers were now on top of the grave. "Homunculi aren't things that are made naturally...They are made by humans, with alchemy..." She said, her tone quiet.
"Who made you ...I mean...Her then...?" He whispered faintly.
She shook her head slightly in response. "I really don't know, but now I have to deal with my sins...Both of them..." She whispered.
"What do you mean both...?"
"I know you've heard about the other one, Pride..." She whispered, not averting her gaze from the grave as she put a hand on it. Her fingers began to trace the lettering engraved on the headstone, shaking her head.
"The one that's usually with you...?" He whispered shakily.
She nodded slightly, closing her eyes. "I'm the one who created him before I became this way..."
"Y...Y-You created him...?" He stuttered. "Why?"
She sighed, shaking her head slightly. "At the time I had my reasons, I wasn't even thinking clearly...I wasn't in my right mind when I did it..." She sighed, cutting herself off as she opened her eyes and looked back at the soldier. "Give this message to Mustang from Star. Tell him that they need to find a way to get us back to normal soon or to just destroy us. We can't live this way anymore, we don't want to keep killing..." She murmured, looking back to the grave.
The officer lowered his head. "I will..." He whispered, lowering the gun.
She nodded slightly. "You better go now before Wrath takes over again... And you may want to go to the infirmary when you get there..." She whispered.
"What do you mean...?" The man asked, starting to feel oddly weak in the shoulders.
She frowned, looking over at the soldier with a stern look. "I mean it, go now or you'll die before you know it." She hissed firmly. He nodded and then weakly dropped his gun on the ground as he passed her, seeing spots in front of his eyes. She shook her head as the soldier left, dropping on her knees in front of the grave, closing her eyes as she lowered her head. "What are we gonna do...Even if we do get back to normal our hands have already been stained..." She whispered.