With a completely demented smile staring directly at her face, Hikaru couldn't move. She was frozen at her spot. She didn't fear the doll-like girl that stands before her, but feared the feeling of familiarity of her. Hikaru began to tremble, as different jolts of pain pieced through her chest. The little girl grabbed Hikaru by her bare neck and held the alchemist up to her height level.
"Who…the hell…are you?" Hikaru softly spoke with a couple pauses.
The small homunculus was instantly infuriated at Hikaru's question. She slammed her into the wall in front of her and then dropped her to the ground to breath the smoke of debris in the surrounding air.
"Hikaru!" Ed shouted loudly in concern for his friend. He managed to get up and run over to her, but the little girl won't let him make another move.
"This is between me and her." She angrily said to him. "If you get in my way, I'll kill you."
"What do you want with Hikaru?! Just who the hell are you?!"
"If you must know," she irritably replied, "I am known as Ira among the homunculi. Ira is Latin for anger, hatred, or more literally, wrath. My relationship with Hikaru is completely none of your business, so just get lost."
"Hikaru's my friend! I have the right to be concerned about her!" Ed fought back.
"What are you to Hikaru, anyway?"
"Wha-?!" Ed was surprised at the comment Ira argued with.
"That's right, Fullmetal! What are you to Hikaru?!"
"Like I said before, I'm her friend!"
"Is that it?! What kind of friend? Simple friend? Best friend? Boyfriend?"
"We're allies. We're comrades that fight alongside each other, no matter how dangerous the situation is. She's the kind of friend who has my complete trust, and I will never, ever, betray her in my life!"
Ira merely laughed at Ed's answer and replied, "Well said." She then turned towards Envy and Lust. "Envy, hold Fullmetal at bay for a moment. I can't have him interfere with me any longer. I had my share of laughs for today. Lust, get rid of these foolish guards. They're useless and just another nuisance to me."
"Do we have to follow her orders?" Envy complained to Lust.
"Just do as she says." Lust answered. "It's better than having her torture us later."
"For the love of God, why does Pride have to spoil her so much?"
Lust sliced the helmet she had in her needle-like fingers through the center of the blood rune, thus killing the elder Slicer brother.
"Big Brother!" The younger Slicer cried. "Big Brother! BIG BROTHER!!" Ed was disgusted by the cruelty these homunculi had. The Slicer brothers are humans, even if they no longer possess a body. The Alchemist felt a pain in his heart. He didn't want to imagine a situation like this with him and Al. Ed got off the floor and tried to rush over and help, but was suddenly pulled back.
"Where do you think you're going?" Envy playfully said, tugging on Ed's braid. He was too weak to fight back, but also the teasing homunculus had a tight grip on his hair. He completely was helpless. Hikaru managed to lift her upper body off the floor with a stream of blood sliding down the right side of her face. Ira noticed Hikaru trying to get back on her feet and slammed her foot into her stomach. The crimson-eyed Alchemist fell back to the ground while coughing up some blood.
"I need you to stay here while I take care of some quick business." Ira said as she grabbed the thin samurai sword the younger Slicer had dropped. She slowly walked over to his fallen body and forcefully pierced through the center of his blood rune with anger and rage in her strength.
"JUST SHUT UP!" She furiously shouted at the armor. "You really get on my nerves. Going on and on about your stupid, dead brother! YOU'RE SO ANNOYING! DIE! DIE! DIE!" Ira continuously stabbed the blood rune over and over again. Lust had to grab the little girl's arms and restrain her back before she goes crazy.
"Calm down, Ira," Lust soothed and patted her head softly. "He's already dead. There's no point in killing him again."
"I can't help it. I never liked that guy. He always goes on and on about him and his big brother. That's what really makes me mad!"
"It's ok. Now go finish off what you need to say to Hikaru."
Ira listened and turned her sights on Hikaru. She walked over and kneeled down close to her. She then asked the Alchemist.
"Can you remember me?"
Hikaru spit off some blood to the side and then answered, "I'm sorry. You're so familiar to me, but I don't know who you are, Ira."
Acting without control, Ira instantly grabbed Hikaru off the ground and smashed her against the wall. "WHY CAN'T YOU REMEMBER ME?!" She shouted furiously. "I REMEMBER YOU!"
"Then…who am I?" Hikaru faintly replied. "I awoke only about a year ago…I can't…remember anything…before that."
"LOOK AT ME! LOOK AT WHAT YOU DID TO ME! I'M A HOMUNCULUS NOW! DO YOU THINK I LIKE LIVING LIKE THIS?! ALWAYS ACTING OFF ANGER AND HATRED?! YOU'RE MY BIG SISTER! YOU CAN'T LET ME LIVE LIKE THIS!"
With nothing but rage clouding her mind, Ira consistently slammed Hikaru against the wall, as if trying to kill her. She then forcefully threw her to the ground and watched as her older sister hurl out a large amount of blood.
"Hikaru! HIKARU!!" Ed shouted and shouted, but was held back by Envy. He knows Hikaru won't last much longer. She lost too much blood. There were literally small pools of blood around her. He watched helplessly as Hikaru was continuously being stabbed in the back by the blade Ira took from the Slicer brothers. But it was rather strange. Anyone would already be dead that many consecutive stabs, even if it was in the back.
Ira lifted the blade up once, but this time the damage will be far greater. The blade speedily fell towards Hikaru, but right before it hits, the blade was suddenly knocked out of the child's grasp. There stood in her way was the being Hikaru gave a body to, L. Ed remembered fighting L back in Hikaru forest mansion in Elendia. What's she doing here at a time like this?
"Why did you get in my way?" Ira irritably asked.
"You were going to kill her." L calmly answered.
"Why shouldn't I?! She no longer remembers us!"
"It's all right for me. I don't care if she remembers me or not. I can never hate my big sister."
"You people sicken me."
"Ira, that's enough now." Lust called out. "You got an answer from her. You're done. Don't go and have your anger kill everyone here. We still need Hikaru and Fullmetal to be alive."
"Whatever, Lust." Ira responded. "There was no way I can kill Hikaru anyway. Something was keeping me from doing it, no matter how many times I stabbed her."
"Good. Then let's get going."
Envy was just about to follow his comrades when a sudden elbow strike smashed into his torso. Ed broke free of Envy's grip on his hair and got into fighting pose, ready to battle once more.
"Hey, the little guy still has some fight left in him." Envy teasingly said.
"QUIT CALLING ME SMALL!" Ed shouted angrily at the homunculus and clapped his hands together, performing a transmutation. However, a large crack sound creaked from his auto-mail arm and it quickly fell limp. "Oh shit! At a time like this?!"
"Lucky!" Envy happily cheered as he kneed Ed in his stomach. Before Ed can fall towards the floor, Envy grabbed onto his braid again. "You should be glad that your arm broke or else I would've beaten the crap out of you."
"C'mon Envy, "Lust called out, "We're finished here. We can't kill Fullmetal or else Pride would furious with us."
"That's fine with me." Envy laughed and turned his sights back on Ed. "Just remember, runt, we let you live." He then dropped Ed back on the ground. The Alchemist turned his head to get a glimpse of his comrade. His heart ached to see her motionless on the floor in a lake of her own blood.
"Do you guys want this place destroyed?" Ira asked before she left the scene.
"We no longer have a use for it and it can cover up all the evidence." Lust planned out. "Just save that one special room I mentioned to you before coming here and you have my permission to detonate this place."
"That's perfect. I already set up the bombs earlier, just in case we needed to blow something up, and I marked out that room you spoke of." Ira replied and then placed her hand on a giant lever on the wall. "One of the things I don't hate is causing explosions. This is going to be fun." She pulled it down, and instantly, chains of explosions occurred around the entire laboratory. The walls in the room began to rumble as rocks began to fall from the ceiling. As Ira and Lust were about to make their leave, Ira turned around and faced her older sister. She then declared, "I don't care how much pain I make you suffer, sister. I will force you to remember me and remember what you did to me. Soon I shall have my revenge on you!"
--------------
Outside of Laboratory 5 swarms of military soldiers began to rush over to the area from the sound of the explosion. Outside was where Al was doing battle against another armored soul, Barry the Chopper. Their match was cut short when Second Lieutenant Ross and Sergeant Brosh enter the scene and fired their guns at Barry.
With the explosion there was only little time to escape. Even Barry the Chopper quickly fled from the crumbling area. Ross knew that it was best for them to hurry up and leave, but Al wouldn't move.
"What're you doing, Al?" Ross loudly questioned. "We have to leave now!"
"My brother!" He shouted. "My brother's still inside!"
"Right now, just worry about saving yourself!"
Suddenly a figured appeared from the smoke of dust before them. It was Envy carrying both Ed and Hikaru on each of his shoulders.
"Hello there," he greeted, "I've come to deliver a package."
"Big brother! Hikaru!" Al cried.
Envy dropped Ed off first and explained, "His wounds aren't that bad, but he's lost a lot of blood." He then dropped Hikaru next. "However, her wounds are more severe and she's lost more blood than him. Better hurry and get them to a hospital. It's a shame to see people with such talent dying like this. We can't afford to lose them."
"Second Lieutenant Ross!" Brosh interrupted. "We have to move! Everything's crumbling faster!"
"All right, Sergeant!" Ross replied. "But give me a hand here!"
"Ed?! Hikaru?! What happened to them?!"
"I'll explain it later." Ross answered him and turned around towards Envy, saying, "You should run, too-" However, the sly homunculus was nowhere to be found. "Hey, where'd he go?"
"Ross, what're you doing?" Brosh called out, as he started to hurry off, carrying Ed on his back. "Let's go!" The second lieutenant threw Hikaru on her back, and then she and Al followed Brosh, fleeing from the crumbling scene.
------------------
Ed suddenly awoke to find himself hospitalized with bandages covering all his wounds. He looked outside and was at least bit happy to see the morning light. He tried to sit up, but his stomach wound still caused him a great amount of pain. Soon the door to his room opened and in came Sergeant Brosh and Second Lieutenant Ross.
"Good to see you awake, Edward." Brosh said.
"Where am I?" Ed curiously asked.
"This is a clinic run by my friend." Ross answered. "We thought it would be better off to take you here, since at the military hospital, the upper rank soldiers may start asking you questions about what you saw. Anyway, please feel free to stay here until you're well, sir."
"Dammit," the Fulmetal Alchemist cursed, "I was so close to find out the truth. This is no time for me to be stuck in a hospital."
Both Brosh and Ross looked at each other and gave each other a head-nodding signal. "Fullmetal Alchemist, sir!" they both shouted. "Please allow us to apologize in advance for our rudeness!" Ed had a questioned look on his face and wondered what they meant. But then Ross raised her hand high in the air and came down like lighting, smacking Ed in the face. The Alchemist was dazed about what just happened. His cheek was completely red from the second lieutenant's strike.
"Major Armstrong specifically told you not to go off on your own!" Ross scolded. "You disobeyed a direct order! He knew that it was going to be dangerous and that's he told you to stay put! And since you defied his orders, you almost got yourself killed! You may be talented, sir, but remember, you're still a child! And you can't always act on your own. You need to trust the people around you. It's ok to trust adults sometimes."
Ed gave it a thought as both Brosh and Ross apologized once more. "You guys don't have to apologize. I'm the one who needs to apologize. I'm sorry."
"Will you reprimand us for slapping you?" Brosh asked as they both waited for his answer.
"Nah, I had it coming." Ed answered. The two military soldiers were both very relieved at his response. "Why are you guys so polite to me?"
"Although you're not a standard soldier, your rank is equivalent to that of a Major." Ross explained.
"One word from you and we could be discharged." Brosh added.
"There's no need for you guys to be nervous around me." Ed avowed. "After all, I didn't take the State Alchemist test for the rank. And you don't always have to be so polite. I'm just a child, right?"
"Nah, seriously?" Ross said sarcastically.
"Thank God!" Brosh laughed. "You have no idea how hard it was for me to be so polite to someone younger!"
They're so quick to adapt. The Alchemist irritably thought and then asked, "By the way, where's Al?"
"I punched him and gave him the same lecture as you." Brosh explained. "But I nearly broke my hand in the process."
"My brother's got a hard head, huh?" Ed laughed, watching the sergeant stare at his almost-broken hand. "That reminds me, where's Hikaru? Is she all right?"
"I'm afraid this is where the laughter ends, Edward." Ross stated.
"Why?" he questioned. "Is there something wrong with Hikaru?"
"Her wounds were far greater than yours." Brosh solemnly continued for his partner. "When we brought her in the doctors told us to take her to the emergency room, since she was in really critical condition. We were asked to give medics some room to treat her wounds, so we're not sure of what condition she's in now."
Ed silently held his head low, but then shouted, "Why are we sitting here talking about it?! Take me to her!!"
Ed hurried and stood up, but his wounds continued to pain him. However he wasn't going to let that stop him from seeing Hikaru. Ross brought in a wheel chair and placed his on the seat. Brosh to the handle and, as fast as possible, they took Ed to the emergency room.
There a giant red sign hung from above, reading "EMERGENCY ROOM". Ross opened the two large doors before them and Brosh and Ed followed her inside the dark room. Barely any light illuminated the room, and it was difficult to tell where anything was.
"Why's it so dark in here?" Ed curiously questioned.
"It's hard for one to sleep with the lights on, right?" A voice came and startled the trio, as the lights suddenly flicked on. There stood a woman with long, orange hair wearing a nurse uniform.
"Ayumi?!" Ed exclaimed. "What're you doing here? Shouldn't you be working at the military hospital?"
"Keep your voice down." Ayumi whispered, putting her index finger on his lips. "You know your comrade's in here sleeping. I can answer some of your questions later, but right now I can tell that you want to see her, right?"
"Of course! Please take me to her!"
"Ed, please learn to keep quiet."
"Oh, sorry. I can't help it."
Ayumi then took control of Ed's wheelchair and pushed him forward deeper into the room. As Ed's bodyguards, both Ross and Brosh had to follow. Soon they came upon a huge hospital bed where Hikaru laid asleep.
"It took a while for us to stop the bleeding, since her wounds were much deeper than they appear." Ayumi explained. "I hate saying this, but she suffered from external and internal bleeding wounds from all over her body, especially her back and her stomach. However, fortunately for her, none of her internal organs were seriously damaged, and her body should carry out its regular functions once she's fully recovered."
"That's good to hear." Ed softly spoke as he stared Hikaru. "Can I have a moment alone with her?" he requested.
"We were instructed not to-" Ross began but Ayumi hushed her and turned the two soldiers around.
"Can't you tell how much he really cares for her?" Ayumi said. "It's best for us to be polite and leave them alone. Besides this room is secure enough that nothing will happen." She then escorted them out of the Emergency Room. Both Brosh and Ross agreed that maybe it was best to leave them alone for a while.
When Ed knew that the room was securely locked he got up from his wheelchair and somberly gazed at his fallen comrade. He gently placed his left hand on her forehead and was glad to feel her warmth. He let his hand slide down to her cheek, and to his surprise, he never knew how soft and tender her face was. He then tightly held on to her hand, again astonished to feel how smooth and gentle her hand is.
Hoping that she could hear him, Ed pleaded, "Hikaru, can you please forgive me? I'm really sorry. It's all my fault that you're in here like this, almost dead and with a long recovery waiting ahead. If I weren't so weak, we wouldn't be hospitalized like this. I felt useless back at that stupid lab. I was the one who wanted to find the information on the Philosopher's Stone, but instead of me getting severely beaten, it was you. It's not you're fault that you have amnesia. You shouldn't have been almost killed for it. Damn that Ira. I promise I'll become stronger and hunt down those homunculi for you. I don't want to always depend on you. It makes me feel really pathetic. Please get better soon, Hikaru. To Al and me, you're more than just our companion."
Just then, Ed heard the door opened and in came Ayumi. She could tell by his look that he seems to be satisfied and was able to let out everything that troubled his mind.
"Better let her get some rest, Ed." She said.
"That's fine with me." He agreed. "Just tell me when she wakes up."
"All right. You'll be the first to know." She escorted him out of the room and turned the lights back off. Outside Sergeant Brosh and Second Lieutenant Ross were happy to see that Ed returned safely. "I'll leave him with you guys." Ayumi said and walked off down the hallway.
She soon came across a phone booth and carefully examined her surroundings. When she knew that the coast was clear, she quickly dialed the numbers on the rotary phone. They need to seriously come up with a faster way to dial. She thought. I really hate spinning this stupid wheel.
After a couple rings, someone answered on the other side. "Hello? Xing Long Distance Travel Agency." Came a young female voice.
"Hey Hana," Ayumi replied, "No need for the Travel Agency cover. It's me Ayumi."
"Good to hear word from you, Ayumi." Hana happily said. "It's so lonely working here with the others busy working on the Project over in Ametris."
"Look Hana, I have to make this quick. I'm in public area so I might not be sure if there's an eavesdropper."
"That's fine with me."
"After you I tell you this, forward it over to Namine."
"Understood."
"You know how I have the power to feel the presence of a high, destructive energy level, right? That's obviously why I was hired for this Project. Well, this is what you should forward over: We already have suspicions on Hikaru being a part of the Project, but I feel that this way may be heading towards a path junction. I felt another strong presence from the Fullmetal Alchemist. However he's emitting more of a stronger vibe. I would suggest keeping an eye on him as well."
"Is that everything you need to tell me?"
"Pretty much. I hope you got all that."
"Don't worry about it. You know my skill as a messenger."
"Good, then I'll stay here and keep an eye on him and Hikaru while their hospitalized. You and the others can continue on the Project research. I bid you farewell, Hana."
"Same to you, Ayumi." The two then hung up the phone. Ayumi was glad to pass on her information before anyone came across the hall. However she knew that the more in depth she and her teammates dig deeper into the mystery of Tsubasa, the more dangerous it'd become. Just finding out that their Project is breaking in a crossroad just makes things more complicated.
Damn. Ayumi thought. This Project is going to be more difficult that I thought. I just happen to be at the closest range to them. This means I have to hurry and make the decision of who to follow, since I can't be in two places at once. So which path down this crossroad should I take?