Disclaimer: I do not own any copyright to plots and characters from Fullmetal Alchemist anime/manga/games, so pls don't sue me!
WARNING: FMA anime, manga & game spoilers! Rating will probably go up as the story progresses.
Characters: Al, Ed, Chang Mei, Winry, Sophie, Armony, Scar, Lust, 'Father', Envy, Leonardo, Triffany, Godoa, Archer
AU: There is no made-up character in this fic though there's a lot of characters crossover for FMA manga/anime/games. I'm getting tired of doing multi-chap fanfic. Hope my interest won't extinguish before I complete this fic. Sigh... Please read and review!
Refer to image of FMA Manga/game casts at: http:(slash slash)i14(dot)photobucket(dot)com(slash)albums(slash)a333(slash)lysergkun(slash)othercast(dot)jpg
Hi Renneh: glad u like my fic… arigato!
Chapter 07: Realisation
The underground subway was dark and wet when Winry made her way down after losing sight of Al and Ed while they were running in the fog. Just then, she caught sight of a familiar person.
"Scar?" Winry's eyes widened with shock.
"The daughter of the doctor couple?" said Scar. There was a lady in black standing besides him. "She's a friend of the Elric brothers, Lust." Scar explained to the lady.
"Why are you here?" Winry asked suspiciously. She did not forget how he had fought with the Elric brothers years ago and how she got to learn of his involvement in the murder of her parents during the Isabal war. "Were you the one who attack us earlier?"
"What are you talking about?" wondered Lust: "We were here all along to investigate a matter."
"Someone has attacked us on the ground. Ed and Al should be somewhere in this place by now." Winry almost muttered worriedly to herself.
"The Elric brothers are here?" echoed Scar. He started to make his way along the creepy passageway. Lust followed. Winry noticed human skulls lying in some dark areas and ran up to them quickly.
Afar, they could hear someone talking. As they neared, they heard a child-like voice echoing: "...Open the gate of Transmutation for you?"
"Al!" Winry whispered.
"There's someone else, we'll better be quiet." whispered Lust.
"Yes." came a low deep voice: "I've heard that you have been interested in doing that so that you can talk to a person named 'Truth', but you were hindered."
'That man... He's trying to get Al to sacrifice for him in human transmutation?' thought Winry angrily.
"How did you know that?" came Al's voice in surprise: "So, you were the one who eavesdropped on me when I was in the underground city."
"Well, it's a fair deal, isn't it?" came Envy's voice, indirectly admitting that they were the ones who had listened to Al and Wrath's conversation in the underground city.
"Well..." Al said, deep in thoughts.
'I believe Fullmetal alchemist's younger brother will not be dumb as to...' thought Scar when Al suddenly said: "Alright, but I need the Philosopher's stone in order to work."
Scar and Winry almost toppled in shock. Lust went bean-eyed.
'What is that little brat up to??!!' Winry thought angrily and made her attempt to dive out of the hiding place, but Lust pulled her back: "Wait a moment, that little boy probably has something else on his mind."
"That is not a problem." The man said.
"..And my alchemy is not working." added Al.
"Alright, I'll give you a Philosopher's stone and I'll restore your alchemy ability." The man said. Envy muttered something in disbelief.
An opening suddenly gapped on 'Father''s forehead like an eye and a red stone dropped out of it. He stamped a foot, radiating a force past Al. Al fingered the stone; it was much larger than what he could remember. Envy seemed to see the confusion in his face and said: "This stone was created from the souls of the entire Drachma."
"Can I do it now?" Al asked, trying to hide his shock at the recent fate of the people in Drachma.
'Father' smiled and nodded.
"Isn't the entire process far too smooth?" Envy asked aloud and tilted his head trying to look at Al from a different point of view.
Al pulled out his gloves with transmutation circle.
"Why don't you try without using it?" suggested 'Father'.
"Why? Oh!" Al suddenly remembered he had seen and opened the gate before.
Al put the stone on the ground and clapped his hands without the gloves. Stone figures suddenly protruded out of the ground and attacked 'Father' and Envy. Al took the opportunity to pocket the stone and ran for his life.
"I just know it's too good to be true to get someone to open the gate, Father." Envy said as he kicked off the figures, but there were too many as Al had used the stone to intensified the effect. "Cunning little brat!" scolded Envy.
'Father' sighed: "This boy truly has seen and opened the gate, Envy. Besides, his body has been staying in the gate before for years. He is too precious to be lost." Without any movement, he crushed all the stone figures around him like sand.
Envy turned into his monster form and ran after Al: "I'll get him back, father!"
Al panted heavily as he ran along the dark passageway. He looked back to see a lizard like creature running after him. On its body were heads of various sizes, which cried out on their own.
"Mama, where's mama?"
"Give my child back to me!"
"Where am I? I want to live! I don't want to die!"
The voices itself was unnerving.
The main head of the creature called out in Envy's voice: "Heeheehee, come back here, Armor-boy, we can talk this over!"
"First thing, I'm no longer a suit of armor!" panted Al, trying to keep his sanity at the sight of the monster darting behind him: "Secondly, I'll not stop, so save your breath!" He clapped his hand and hit the wall, but his alchemy was malfunctioning again. "Damnit!" Al spat irritated. Just then, some chimeras that were obstructing Al's path flew on top of Envy, followed by a travelling force along the wall, causing it to crumple and fall over Envy and the chimeras.
"Run ahead, Alphonse." Scar said as he suddenly appeared besides him with Lust and Winry: "I'll stop him."
"You're frightening me out of my wits, Al!" screamed Winry: "Where's Ed?"
"Envy has disguised as nii-san to lure me here." Al explained: "Look, we need to get out of here before that 'Father' figure and Envy catch up."
Winry turned to the front to see chimeras emerging out of their hiding places and started attacking them. Some were enormous like elephants, completed with fangs of tigers while others protruded more than one head from unthinkable areas of their bodies. At the same time, Envy climbed out of the debris and moved swiftly towards them.
Out in the open, Ed faced off with Godoa while Sophie and Chang Mei fought Leonardo. Ran Fan fought with Triffany. Armony was not trained in either alchemy or combate so she had to stay off from the fighting ground.
"CHANG MEI!" yelled Ed: "You go ahead and help Al! We'll deal with these people!"
"Alright, bean-sized brat!" Chang Mei shouted back and ran off before Ed retorted back in protest. But in his anxiety for Al and Winry's safety, he did not hear Chang Mei's words.
"Why are you attacking us for?" Sophie demanded as she fought with Leonardo: "Who do you want to revive this time?"
"No one." Leonardo grinned: "We're just bored." He fired ice along the ground, attacking Sophie and Ed at the same time.
"I think it must be something to do with Al-kun or Winry-san," Armony said from the safety of a building: "Why do you want them for?" She yelped as Triffany suddenly scooped down at her. Ran Fan fought her off: "Armony, are you alright?" Armony nodded shakingly.
"Damnit, you people are really irritating!" snarled Ed and he suddenly ran towards the direction which Ran Fan had pointed earlier. Sophie, Ran Fan and Armony followed suit. Godoa banged the ground, causing cracks to form after them. They yelled as they fell through the cracks.
"Oops," Godoa said: "I think I did something wrong."
"You're giving them a short-cut, Godoa." Triffany said.
"Well, that's not our business. I believe they can handle these people." Leonardo said.
In the subway passage, Lust was fighting with Envy.
"Hi, Lust, I can't imagine seeing you here again and moreover, fighting against me!" grinned monster!Envy: "You better be careful not to get hurt, I know you are no longer a homunculus anymore."
"Looks like you've noticed that I do not have that tattoo on my body, don't you?" smiled Lust who was fighting using her glove that protruded long blades.
"Don't worry. Father has already found a replacement for your position." Envy smirked.
"Let me guess. The Xing emperor is Pride, King Bradley is Wrath, Sloth is still working somewhere underground, Glutton is still dead, Greed is Yao Ling, am I correct?" Lust said: "Oh, and a new Lust is lurking somewhere else."
"You've done your homework well, Lust." Envy praised: "It's a pity you've turned into a human being."
"W-what? King Bradley is Wrath?!" Al exclaimed on the other side as he fought with the chimeras using physical strength, thinking that Lust was referring Wrath as the same kid who was currently child of his sensei.
"In the terms of the seven sins, she's not referring to the kid Wrath you've known." Scar said as he assisted Winry out of some difficult position by killing the chimeras that attacked her.
Winry glared: "Don't expect me to forgive you because of that."
"Don't worry, I don't want your forgiveness." Scar said coldly and looked up. The chimeras were increasing in number as time passed.
"How is it getting on, Envy?" came 'Father''s voice from behind.
"Oh dear." Al groaned inwardly and pressed back to back with Scar: "Scar-san, sorry to bother you, but can you help me get Winry out of here first?"
"After what that man has done to my clan and after we are being stuck in this position?" Scar asked: "You are asking for the impossible, Alphonse."
'Father' glanced around and stone hands flew from the ground hitting Lust from Envy and Scar into the hungry chimeras. Winry screamed as a stone pole stabbed into her waist.
"WINRY!!" Al screamed and pulled her into his embrace. She opened her eyes weakly: "Get out of here, Al." Other side, Al could see Scar and Lust were struggling by killing the approaching chimeras, but Al knew their endurance level was reaching a limit due to blood loss and wounds.
"He won't hurt me because he needs me to help him with something!" Al cried: "Nii-san needs you. Do you know, he has not been marry with anyone when we were staying in the other world. He must have loved you too much to remain single for years!"
"Really?" Winry asked, bewildered. She had never asked them about their life in the other world before ever since their return and it was the first time Al told her about Ed's life over the other side. She felt her vision blurred and passed out.
"Winry!" Al shook her and turned to 'Father': "Let them go, I'll go back with you!"
"I suggest we take all of them back, father." Envy said as he reverted back to his human form: "Before this brat tries some other tricks again."
A circle of knives stabbed between the walls dividing 'Father' and Envy from Al and the rest. A line of force shot along the ground, igniting the rocks to collapse on them.
"Alphonse-sama, are you alright? ... Xiao Mei!" Chang Mei asked and exclaimed at the sight of her little panda as she ran towards them. Xiao Mei leaped from Al's shoulder onto Chang Mei's in joy.
"Winry is hurt!" Al said and carried her on his back.
"Are you alright, Scar-san?" Chang Mei asked as she assisted him and Lust to eliminate the surviving chimeras.
"Thanks, now we're even." smiled Lust. They started running off as 'Father' blew up the obstructing rocks behind them. More chimeras emerged along the subway.
"Can we make it alive?" Chang Mei asked fearfully.
"We will. Thanks, Mei-chan." Al said anxiously. He could feel Winry's blood dripping down his back.
A few more chimeras were crushed in front of them.
"AL, ARE YOU THERE?!" came Ed's voice.
"NII-SAN!" Al cried: "WINRY IS HURT!"
"What?!" retorted Ed. Behind him followed Sophie and Armony. Ran Fan had vanished elsewhere after they fell into the underground subway.
Al looked back. 'Father' and Envy did not seen to catch up with them.
"Is that alright, father?" Envy asked as he watched their preys climbing out of the tunnels.
"We can do that later." 'Father' said: "There's always time."
Scar and Lust had parted with Ed and the rest shortly after they left the subway. In the hospital, Cony was helping healing Winry using her alchemy.
"Will she be alright?" Ed asked anxiously in the room for the 100th times.
"If you leave me alone to heal her, she will." Cony replied irritated: "And please get out before the doctors and nurses found us sneaking into the room without their permission."
"Ed, Al has told me all about it. Is it true that you have been staying single throughout the time when you were on the other world?" Winry asked weakly with a smile.
"Hm, ah, well... It's true, but..." Ed stammered awkwardly, scratching his head.
"It's alright, I'll understand." Winry closed her eyes to rest. There was a satisfied smile on her lips.
"Whom have you been facing?" asked Maria as she ran outside the ward with Falman.
"Envy and his father with the few people you've fought in the battle." Sophie said, helping to look out for the medical people who might be passing by Winry's ward so that Cony could reduce the extent of Winry's wound before it was too late. Sophie turned to look at Armony who overheard Ed and Winry's conversation in the ward. There were tears in her eyes.
Seeing that Winry was in stable condition, Al decided to leave them alone and walked off. Chang Mei followed closely behind him. Shortly after Al and Chang Mei left, Ed ran out of the room to grab Falman's uniform: "Do you know where Colonel Mustang is? I need to talk to him! It's urgent!"
"Alright, I'll give you his home number." Falman pulled out his notebook and pen.
"Hurry! It's life and death matter!" rushed Ed.
Out on the street, Chang Mei asked: "Where are you going?"
"I'm worried for Ran Fan. Will she be alright?" Al asked distractedly.
"You aren't feeling depressed because of Winry-san's injury, are you?" Chang Mei asked.
"Hm, I will be lying if I said no." Al said, dejected: "She was injured because of my carelessness after all."
"You do loved Winry-san, don't you?" pressed Chang Mei.
"I did wish she could be my bride when I was younger, but not anymore, not when she's treating me like her younger brother." Al sighed: "I just hope she'll be happy with nii-san."
He looked back to see Chang Mei splashing her tears like a fountain: "Don't act so emotional. It's not like some romance storyline you've probably read!"
"Can't I vent my emotion?" Chang Mei protested. Her Xiao Mei hopped onto her shoulder showing the same expression.
The battle site had been condoned by the military when they reached there. Chunks of rocks protruded from the ground like statues and severed corpses of all kinds littered the scene.
"Sorry, kids, this place is out of bound." An officer said.
"Is there any corpse found or any injured person?" Al asked: "I'm a state alchemist." He showed his pocket watch.
"Not in the meantime. We only found corpses of chimeras. No human being is found, unless you include human skulls which had been there since long time ago." An officer said.
"Oh." Al said.
"Let's go." Chang Mei pulled his sleeve.
At an area, they caught sight of Scar and Lust. Remembering Lust's words, Chang Mei suddenly ran up to them: "Are you all still investigating the homunculus matter?" Scar nodded.
"Can I join in too?" She beamed happily when Lust looked at Scar and smiled warmly with a nod.
"No problem."
"See you around next time, Alphonse-sama!" Chang Mei waved. Al waved back. He watched till the three figures disappeared into the darkness, then he made his way towards the hospital where Winry was sent. Somehow, he had a strange sense of loss after having gone through several battles along side with Chang Mei during the journey.
"Got to pull myself together, what am I thinking now?" Al hit his own head. Haze started to obscure the early winter street as he made his way back to the hospital. Someone was standing in the haze, apparently, waiting for him. Al looked up in surprise.
It was Frank Archer. He gave a mysterious smile and raised his fingers. Long lance-like blades began to grow from his hands like roots. Before Al could react, Archer swept towards him in the speed of lightning. There was a sickened slashing sound of cloth and flesh as a high scream rose in the cold air.
Warm blood criss-crossed the gaps between the floor tiles, turning the cement red. Under the soft lonely light, a silhouette of the tall man knelt down to scoop the unconscious boy into his arms and kissed him tenderly on his forehead.
"Goodnight, Soul Alchemist."
TBC
AUTHOR NOTE:
To be honest, I don't like writing about a group of youngsters walking and having adventures together, it's boring me. Got to find ways to spilt them up..Grrr...yawn... Frankly speaking, I completely suck in romance fic. Honestly, my motivation to continue this fic is diminishing since no one bother to review my most recent chap, so my current aim is to end this fic soonest possible, hopefully before mid February. I've already ended my YnM and Weiss incompleted and I don't want to see this fic ends up in the same fate.
MANGA SPOILER:
The 'Father' figure had ability to do alchemy without clapping his hands or using transmutation circle in the manga. Moreover, he could freeze Ed and Al's alchemy ability. Only Scar and Chang Mei were not affected because they learnt different types of alchemy from the Elric brothers. In the manga, 'Father' was the one who initiated Envy to create the tension between Ishbal and Amestris. As a result, most of Scar's clan people were eliminated in the cleanse operation.
Anime!Sloth and Manga!Sloth are 2 completely different people. King Bradley was Wrath in manga while he was Pride in anime. Anime!Wrath did not exist in the manga at all.
Winry's parents were killed by Scar in manga while in anime; they were killed by Roy Mustang. In this fic, I'll follow the manga content.