A/N This is the first story I've updated in several weeks, but I have a valid excuse. I've been in Japan, just got back quite recently actually. So, as I'm quite fond of this story personally, it was first to be updated. It was a really nice break, and I needed it, but now I'm back and ready to type. This was a fun chapter to type, originally I was against a Lust Envy pairing, but it worked its way in… guess you'll all see. Well, here you go, and because of your patience you get an extra long chapter!
Disclaimer: I don't own FMA.
It wasn't until late that night, around midnight that Winry was finished docking. Ed wiped the sweat from his forehead and sat back. "I'd almost forgotten how hard it is to initially get automail," Ed said plainly, reminiscing over his own first mechanical limbs. "I've got to go see Hughes, can you take care of him for me?" He asked Winry, who was busy cleaning up. She nodded, wiping the blood from her tools as Ed walked out. His boots squelched on the blood covering the floor, which he wiped off at the door before continuing. He'd never liked Roy, hell, until recently he'd hated the colonel, but to see him there… to see him crying from pain, yelling for Riza… it hurt. And what really killed him was that Ed could relate, he knew the pain Roy was going through, and this all made it that much harder to go on hating the colonel.
Ed knocked on the office door, letting himself in after a moment. "It's done."
"He's got the automail?" Hughes asked, looking up from a folder of papers, "You look exhausted Ed, what's up?"
"I had to hold him down," Ed replied, sitting down next to Hughes, "My ears are still ringing from the screams. So how's it going?"
Hughes nodded, picking up the pictures of Riza's corpse he'd been looking over. "Either she's somehow not dead in these pictures, or that's not her," he said, "And I seriously doubt she can live without a pulse. I was one of the first ones on the scene after she was found and she was dead as a doorknob. And then there's the question of what happened to the body."
"Hughes, there's something I have to tell you," Ed said after a moment. "It's about the homunculi. I think they may be involved with this."
"How so?" Hughes asked. "Though that would explain a lot of the otherwise unexplainable things. So tell me Ed; why?"
"Hughes, I don't want Roy to know yet, but I think he may have created a homunculus," Ed said, holding his head with his hand. "Homunculi, the way they're created… it's through failed human transmutations. It's the aftermath you could say, and they take the form of the person who was attempted to be brought back to life. But if Riza still is really alive, I don't know what would happen." Hughes sat I slight shock for several seconds, trying to comprehend what had just been said.
"So you're saying that, that out there somewhere… is a new homunculus, a Riza look alike?" Ed paused, before nodding. "Ok, let's assume Riza's still alive," Hughes continued, "And this homunculus was brought to life. And, lets also assume that the homunculi were behind this all for some unknown motive. What we need to look out for now is where they all are, and why this is all happening. Any ideas?"
"Maybe they simply wanted a new homunculus," Ed replied, "A replacement for one of the ones that died. That's a possible explanation isn't it?"
"We're using guesswork right now, but I'd have to agree that'd fit. But then why keep Riza alive? And after that, there's the latter matter," Hughes said, "Of who or what it was that took her place, and where she is now."
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Riza ran through the flowers, tripping over a false footing and falling face first in a lush patch of grass. It felt like landing on clouds, or a thick, soft blanket. Riza got up, stopping as she saw Roy suddenly standing before her. "Roy, where are we? Why am I here?" She asked, brushing the dust off of her clothes. She was in a white sundress.
"We're dreaming Riza," He said blandly, "You'll wake up soon."
"But, but why've I been asleep so long? It feels like years I've been here," Riza replied, "Where were you all of this time?"
"How should I know?" He replied, rubbing the back of his neck exasperatedly, "But I won't be here long." Riza ran up towards him, kicking off white high-heeled shoes she didn't even remember putting on as her eyes watered. She fell into a hug with him, crying. Roy hugged her back, whispering words of comfort to her as he stroked her hair.
"Roy, I want to wake up, I don't want to be here anymore," Riza cried, "I want to see you again, the real you!" Roy smiled softly, hugging her tightly. So tightly that he began to melt away, his body becoming smoke, drifting away on the wind bit by bit. "Don't leave me here!" Riza yelled as he broke apart completely and she fell crying on the ground.
Roy's eyes snapped open in bed; he was covered in a cold sweat. Roy lay there, basking in the pain of the automail attachment, before sitting up and drinking a glass of cold water beside his bed. Then he lay down to go back to sleep. He couldn't remember any of his dream.
Riza sat on the ground cradling her weary body, alone once again. "I want to wake up," she whispered, "I can't live like this. Why can't I wake up!" And she felt blackness consume her, and she felt the world reborn as she truly began to wake up.
Riza opened her eyes blearily, looking around slowly. And then she looked down, and she screamed.
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Lust's head was aching at four that morning; if this noise kept up she'd have to find another flat to stay in. Everyone had been woken up quite a bit earlier by the awakening of Riza and the inevitable screaming that followed. Sloth's bedroom door swung open and she trudged out hatefully. "Why couldn't he wait until the morning?" She asked, rubbing her eyes and ears.
"I think I'd like to go and see this new homunculus," Lust said after a moment. "It'll give me a chance to get out of here before I go deaf." Sloth nodded, walking over to the stove and putting on a pot of coffee. Lust walked out of the door, strolling down the staircase and off towards Dante's, enjoying the fresh air and the quiet. Her ears burned, god that woman could scream good.
She was walking down a winding staircase about half of an hour later, carrying a brightly lit candelabrum. It looked like no one was awake she thought to herself dully, turning on the lights and walking through the rooms. They were all magnificently lit and decorated, in an old, but beautiful style. Wrath ran out, seeing Lust and bouncing over in that ADD fashion of his. "Lust, Lust, want to play?" He yelled, grinning, "Did you come to see me? Did you? Where's mommy?" Lust glared at the youth, trying to comprehend what he was saying as it was all slurred together in a hyper yelp.
"I'm here to see the new homunculus, where is it?" Lust asked. Wrath looked slightly downcast, but quickly regained his vigor and agreed to take Lust to it.
"Is that all Lusty Lust Lust?" he asked, leading her through a maze of doorways, "You never want to come down here, we never see you."
"Well, Envy's been keeping me up all night so I thought this'd be a good way to get away from all of the noise," she replied, following as Wrath drug her behind him, clutching her hand.
"Mommy comes down here lots but you don't. Don't you like it with us?" He asked.
A ghost of a smile flicked across Lust's face before she replied. "Yes Wrath, of course I do. Lust just gets very busy," she said. That, and the fact she avidly avoided any contact whatsoever with Dante, but that was for her to know.
Wrath pondered his thoughts for a moment, picking up an earlier subject. "What's Envy doing? How's it keeping you awake, huh? Is he yelling?" Lust paused at this, a seldom seen flush of light pink crossing her face, before she decided what to say.
"It's something like that. Listen, I'll tell you what Envy does when you get older," Lust said carefully. "You wouldn't understand anyways." Wrath stopped, pouting and folding his arms.
"What is it? You never tell me anything," He complained. "You yell lots when you're alone with Envy. What are you doing? Does it hurt?" At this, Lust's face really did flush.
"Wrath," She said gently, struggling for words as she smiled, "Never mention this again, ok? Because if you ever say anything about Lust's alone time with Envy again, she may just have to lock you in a closet." Wrath weighed his options for a moment before he finally gave in, sighing as he turned to lead Lust through another door.
"Here she is," he said, turning on a light. Lust walked forward, stopping at the bed where the newest homunculus lay. "Dante's decided she's the new Greed you know." Lust pulled down the blankets that covered her sleeping body to see her face.
"What?" she said in shock, "But she's only been here a matter of days, it should take more than a month on the red stone for her to fully develop her form." Wrath shrugged, walking up beside Lust.
"She doesn't talk," Wrath said, "It's no fun being with someone who never talks."
"She's mute?" Wrath nodded his head.
"Yep. She hasn't said anything since she's been here." Lust looked at a clock, it was getting early.
"I'd better be getting back, it's almost 8," Lust frowned, "But before I forget, where is the new Greed's oroborus tattoo?"
"I dunno," Wrath replied. Lust paused.
Lust paused. "Guess I'll ask Sloth when I get back," Lust said, "ok Wrath, lead the way out of here."
A/N I got a lot of the Fullmetal Alchemist manga while in Japan, it was really cheap so I got up to book 13. I really like Envy in the manga, he's just so wonderfully insane looking so very often... I ate okonomiyaki while there, it was really good, I've been craving it like crazy... Ok then, five reviews at least, later!