A/N Sorry for taking so long to update, but this chapter is really good so you must forgive me. Also, Scarface, please don't shoot me! Though I must admit that threat got me writing. Nonetheless, lots of stuff happens in this chapter, and in the end, a secret is revealed that I've been keeping from you all for a long time. Ok. Well, without further ado, here you go!
Disclaimer: I do not own FMA. I merely fantasize about it 24/7…
Roy stared at the pile of raw materials, centered in an intricate alchemy circle. It was all there, it made book sense, but it didn't count in the energy needed to then attach the soul. Roy had come prepared for that. He took out a small ring from his pocket, a red jewel placed perhaps not beautifully, but firmly in the center. The incomplete philosopher's stone he'd used in the war, it was unstable, but it was the best he could think of. It still had a good amount of energy left in it, it should be good enough. Roy slid it on his index finger gingerly; it's blood red substance gleaming in the lamplight.
Roy knew if he didn't do it now, he wouldn't be able to. And so he came to his knees on the floor, and placed his hands on the circle. Golden rays of light engulfed the room as Roy looked up, so far so good. But in an instant, the light darkened, a sickening purple glow emanating from the circle. The philosopher's stone glowed brightly, before finally cracking under the pressure. Not good. Roy watched fearfully as a window in the room began to crack, shattering and sending splinters of glass flying everywhere, the lights were the next to go.
Roy felt blackness consume his vision, falling face forward onto the ground. When he came too, he knew something was different. It was white, everything was, as though an unfinished drawing. And in the center of the nothingness that consumed everything in sight, there stood an enormous doorway, opening and letting him see what many call the truth. The facts of alchemy.
Then he saw them. The homunculi, black bodies standing in the darkness, watching him avidly, wrapping their tiny hands around him. Their eyes gleamed malevolently, as they exacted equivalency, taking the remainders of the ring and the fake philosopher's stone.
And as Roy felt what they took leave him, he knew what he'd done, and he felt blackness once again consume him as the gateway swung closed, the eyes disappearing behind it once again.
IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII
"Ed, I need you to get over here and take a look at these pictures," Hughes said over the phone. Ed yawned, pulling on his coat.
"What is it now Hughes?" he replied dismissively, it was some time past midnight.
"Riza, it's weird, just get over here," Hughes said hurriedly, "I'm in Roy's office." Click. Ed hung up the phone after Hughes, rubbing the sleep from his eyes as he left his room.
"What the hell is it that can't wait until the morning?" Ed muttered exasperatedly to himself, clicking open his pocket watch to check the time. One o' clock, right on the dot. Ed found the office, walking in with an already prepared rant on how early it was, and how Hughes could have waited until morning, but stopped as he saw the expression on his face. Hughes gestured for Ed to come over to the table where he had several files laid out in front of him. "Hughes, what is it?" Ed asked, sitting down next to him.
"Ed, over there are the pictures taken of Riza when she was first found dead in the rain, then in the middle are pictures of her while they searched for cause of death, and on the far left are ones taken of her at the funeral. Look closely at them all and tell me what you see," Hughes replied, his brow furrowed in concentration.
Ed looked them over, "I don't see anything." Then he paused, looking back over them. "The eyes, they're different…"
"Yeah, I noticed that too. To examine her they didn't touch her face at all, so how can that be?" Hughes asked. In the first pictures, her eyes were closed lightly, as though asleep. And from then on, they went from being entirely open in a blank, mindless stare into nothingness to being closed tightly enough for small wrinkles to form. In pictures taken in darkness, the pupils were dilated, and in bright light the irises showed up small as ever, like tiny black beads. "So, what do you think? How can something dead react to darkness and light?" Hughes said coldly, pilling the pictures back into their respective folders. Ed frowned.
"What now?" he asked after a moment.
"Hmm, see, that's where you come in. I can't think of what to do, we could call up Roy," Hughes said, "But he's had t rough enough lately."
"Well then, we're left with only one choice," Ed replied, getting up suddenly. "Time to go pay Riza a visit."
IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII
Roy woke up, covered in a cold sweat. He got up, trying to remember what had happened. The gateway, the alchemy, it all came rushing back in a flash, as the memories hit him like a brick. Roy saw something as the smoke cleared. "Riza?" He asked uncertainly, seeing it move. Then he fell back in horror. It was not human to say the least. A pile of flesh and organs pulsed as a heart buried somewhere deep within it beat. Skin covered most of it, showing the occasional bit of raw muscle and veins. It had no face, and few recognizable limbs, all in the wrong places. It was horrifying.
Roy watched as it began to bleed though it continued pulsing rhythmically. It's abnormal body unable to keep its shape, or live for very long. And he felt the gateway in his mind once again, and knew what he had to do.
IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII
"Where's Envy, I thought you were bringing him back with you," Sloth questioned, as Lust reentered the flat late that night.
"He's watching Mustang, I told him to come back once it's over so that gives us an hour or two I'd say," Lust replied, "I figure that'll be enough time to think up a way to tell him what we did to his room without his killing us again. Such a temper."
IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII
Ed shoveled up the last bit of dirt in the grave, prying open the door of the casket with relative ease. The two men gasped at what they saw, horror struck at the sight that awaited them. It was empty. "Not good."
IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII
Roy cradled the stump where his left hand had been. Guess the stone on his finger hadn't been enough for them. "Ed," He smiled to himself, gritting his teeth in pain as he ripped his shirt into strips to try and stem the flow of blood, "I hope this automail mechanic of yours is as good as you say she is."
IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII
"Sloth, I'll take care of Envy and everything tonight okay? You can go get some sleep, for going to see Dante for me," Lust said plainly, leaning against a couch in the room.
"Alright," Sloth smiled lightly, getting up to go to her room, "They're in the drawer, should be stronger, but if it's really getting less effective. We can't keep this up for long." Lust nodded, watching Sloth go into her room and close the door. Rusty bed springs squeaked as Sloth went to sleep.
"Ok, how about this, 'Envy, I know you're tired, but you can't go in your room, Dante's using it for an experiment'?" Lust said to herself, sighing. "That'll never work. Guess we'll just have to see how this all plays out I guess, but he'll be pissed off."
Lust stopped, hearing movement behind Envy's door. She got up, opening up a drawer and pulling out a bottle filled with a light, transparent liquid. "This stuff had better work better than the last, we really can only keep it like this for another day or two," Lust frowned, using a needle to draw out a selected amount, before putting the bottle back. She opened the door unceremoniously, walking into the darkness and turning on a light. "We can't have you waking up, now can we?" She asked, bending down next to the bed. Riza tossed about on it, sweating and crying out in her sleep. She struggled more than usual; the drugs really were having less affect. Riza's eyes opened up for the first time in the past few days, dilated from the sleep, but staring wildly about.
She cried out in fear, as Lust grabbed her arm and inserted the needle, pouring the green liquid into Riza's bloodstream. "Goodnight Riza," Lust said quietly, closing her eyes and laying her back down beneath the blankets as the drugs began to take effect. "Sweet dreams."
A/N Gasp. Extra long and awesome chapter since we got to 55 reviews, my next goal is 75. I've been working on my 'my space' account a lot lately, it's got me addicted to adding stuff to it… read and review, I'll update next week or the week after that. Yes, Roy must get automail, because everyone knows automail is super sexy. Yay!