Greed opened his eyes with a start, loudly gasping for air and trying to sit up.
This wasn't the lair. Rays of moonlight were shining silvery through an open window. He could hear the wind brushing against leaves and branches, while crickets and birds, and all sorts of damned critters were making noise in the forests outside. When he moved, the wooden floor beneath him squeaked and Greed winced involuntarily.
Where the hell was he?
"I thought you'd be awake sooner or later," a gruff voice that carried the same foreign accent as Ling's spoke up and Greed turned to its source.
It turned out to be a short man dressed in loose black clothes that didn't look Amestrian at all. If Greed was to judge, this guy was sort of old, his hair and mustache turned grey, but his black eyes were still fierce and bright. A fighter, Greed decided.
Not that this was any answer.
What had happened? The last thing he remembered was him getting his head slowly crushed in by Sloth as Father watched from his underground throne. There had to be an explanation about getting from there to here, and Greed wanted to hear it.
"Where are we?" he asked, just to see exactly how sincere and forthcoming this new guy was gonna be.
"The young lord brought us here," the old man measured Greed with his slanted, piercing eyes. "He claims it's safe."
"The young lord, huh?"
"Greed!" Ling's voice rang behind him and he turned to look at the princeling as he rushed into the room.
He was accompanied by another human, a girl dressed somewhat similarly to the old man. She eyed Greed with open suspicion.
Then it finally dawned on him.
"So those two are your friends, huh? Lan Fan and Fu, right?" Greed shook his head. "What happened, kid?"
"I saw the military carry your body away when I neared the hotel," Ling shrugged, "My retainers had already found me... and yes, I told you so," he smirked briefly at Greed who just narrowed his purple eyes in response, "It took some time to track down your signature. That lair of yours is quite the maze. Once we got in and reached the big hall, we saw your brothers torturing you. Luckily," Ling grinned, "they weren't expecting us at all. A bag full of smoke grenades was enough to disorient them for a few seconds so we can get to you and get out. Well," he tilted his head sideways and gave Greed a sly look, "the fact that we could sense them from afar also helped to keep away once we were above ground."
Greed just listened. He wasn't about to admit it, but he was a little impressed. Finally, as Ling finished, he threw his head back and laughed, "Well done, kid! Kind of foolish," he winked at Ling, "but I ain't about to complain."
"So, remind me again, what did you say before? About future Emperors being in your debt? It seems that the tables have turned a little, yes?"
Greed laughed again and clapped the smiling Ling on the shoulder. "Don't worry, kid," he gave him a predatory grin, "I'm sure you'll rack up a score the moment we get close to a restaurant. You still owe me a few dinners."
Ling merely chuckled but the girl next to him, Lan Fan, bristled with indignation at the Homunculus' words.
"Show Master Ling more respect, monster!" She growled at him, her young face scowling up at Greed.
It was almost... cute.
But it was better to set her straight from the start.
"I am showing him respect, darlin'," Greed looked down at her, hamming up the patronizing voice. "I rarely make the effort to treat humans like you as if they're my buddies. You have to be exceptional to catch my eye. If Greed likes ya, kid," he grinned, his shark-like fangs shining in the dark, "you got it made. Think on that for a little while," he added as he walked past her and Ling and stepped outside.
He was determined to see where had the Xingese brought him.
The irony nearly made him laugh out loud.
They were at the cabin, the same half-destroyed one where Gluttony had swallowed them. And there, parked in the meadow next to the house...
"What have you done to my car?!" Greed's jaw dropped in dismay.
"Oh, that?" Ling stepped beside him. "Fu and Lan Fan used it to get to Xing and back after she lost her arm," the kid apparently noticed Greed's confused look – the girl back in the cabin had all her limbs, after all – because he added, "She was fitted with automail back home and they returned here to help me."
"Did they drive through a desert or something?" Greed walked towards his car and looked in horror at the ruined paintjob and the grimy wheels.
"Yes, actually," Ling whistled behind him, completely oblivious. Then his voice turned louder and happier, "Oh! Hello, Ed! When did you get back from the North?"
"Ed? Wha-" Greed frowned and whirled around.
The Fullmetal Alchemist was standing there, accompanied by two burly guys that had the dim-witted look of soldiers.
It was a really annoying habit of his, to sneak up on people like that.
"Wait, so you've joined up with him now?" Fullmetal sounded amusingly shrilly as he pointed an automail finger in Greed's direction.
"He agreed to help and he's not with the other Homunculi anymore," Ling shrugged.
"And you believe him?!" Elric's voice suggested that, clearly, he didn't.
"I don't have to believe him," the prince answered seriously. "I saw it."
"Not that I don't enjoy listening to you two talk about me as if I'm not in the room," Greed interrupted them, vaguely annoyed, "But can we cut the crap?"
"What do you mean?" Edward Elric squinted suspiciously at him.
Greed smirked, "I already know what Ling wants," he said and leaned back against the wooden wall, "But what about you, Fullmetal?" He didn't bother to hide the mocking edge of his voice. The more irritated Elric got, the more hotheaded he became, and that was exactly what Greed wanted. He only had to be careful not to overdo it and send the boy into the other extreme – that disgusting stubborn streak of his. He had to maintain a fine balance here, "Back in Dublith, I thought that you and your brother wanted to get your bodies back. But it's not just that, is it? At least, not anymore," he chuckled, "If I were to guess, I'd say that your hero complex has kicked in already and you have gotten it in your head that you must save this country from my dad. Am I right, huh?"
Edward took a deep breath. "And what if you are?" He answered Greed's question with a question of his own.
Greed tsk ed with his tongue and casually said, "I can help you with that." He saw the boy's amber-colored eyes widen and he laughed, "It doesn't come for free, though."
"What the hell do you want?" Edward snarled at him.
"From you? Only a few things," Greed lifted up two fingers, "First, I get to be in charge. I won't work for either of you, kids, but feel free to join my team. If not, me and all the information in my head will just take a stroll out into the woods and vanish. But believe me, you better decide now because you won't have much time to chase me around and tell me you've reconsidered if you want to save Amestris."
"Are you serious?!" Edward sounded outraged. "This is what a two centuries old creature demands? This is about saving millions of lives, it's not about who's in charge!"
"I'm Greed, kid. Who's in charge is everything to me," Greed said softly. "I won't make the same mistake for a third time and let someone else boss me around."
"You know what?! Fine!" Fullmetal scowled. "What's the second condition?"
Greed's mouth suddenly felt dry and he gulped. "I," he began slowly, "am going to ask you a question. You will tell me the truth. I will know if you lie. If you do," Greed held his gaze in his own, "the deal is off and you, and your whole country, can fuck off to Hell for all I care. Agreed?"
Edward just narrowed his eyes. "Ask," he simply said.
Odd, now that he had the answers within his reach, Greed felt weak.
But he had to continue.
He had to know.
"Soon after you and your brother went to Briggs, Envy was sent to the North too," Greed said, staring at the old gas lamp that bathed the ruined innards of the cabin in a murky, yellow glow. "They had orders to kill Scar and capture Dr. Marcoh. Pride thought that you and Alphonse were a part of the mess there. So, what I'm going to ask you is this: How did Envy die and who killed them?"
"You never mentioned anything about Envy to me," Ling observed.
"Yeah, well, it wasn't any of your business, was it?" Greed shot back at him without turning.
His eyes shifted and locked in with Edward's. Greed studied his face, noticing the emotions that chased across it. Shock. Confusion. Relief. Determination.
"I don't know," he finally said. "I didn't even know that Envy was there. We did fight one of your siblings at the fort, but it was Sloth, I think. And we didn't kill him."
"I don't care about Sloth," Greed said hastily and sighed, "Fine. Alright. You didn't lie," then he suddenly remembered and his eyes narrowed at Edward. "What about your brother? Or Scar? You said that you were separated from them. Could they have done it?"
"I don't know," Edward repeated and frowned. "I haven't seen any of them in weeks. I actually hoped I'd find Al here instead of you, Greed. If Envy attacked them, they probably tried to protect themselves," he added, a little more fire in his voice.
Greed remained silent for a while, staring at Edward with an impassive face.
"Alright," he eventually said and clasped his hands. "I will ask your brother the same question if we ever see him again, and then we'll see what happens, but for now you, kids, are in. Let's get this show on the road."
"So this is your hometown, huh?" Greed looked around. Dawn was still a few hours away and the little village was asleep. "Quaint. I suppose?"
Resembool was... well, it was pretty much a whole lot of nothing. Greed wasn't even sure that he could find it on a map. Nobody cared about a bunch of shepherds and their tiny town.
Which made it a decent hiding place, if nor for the fact that Wrath probably knew perfectly well about the birthplace of his Fullmetal Alchemist... but then again, he wasn't aware that Ed was back from the North, so Greed supposed that it all evened out somehow.
The home of the Rockbells was a two-story house that seemed nicer than some of the hovels they had passed by on their way. As far as Greed was able to understand from Ed's stingy explanations, this family had taken in the Elrics after their mother's death, and they had been the ones to fit him with his automail limbs after the human transmutation that got them in this whole mess in the first place.
So, he was close to these people.
Good to know.
A dog started barking from inside the house when their group approached the porch. Animals didn't react well to the presence of the Homunculi.
Then again, it could have been the soldiers.
Darius and Heinkel, the two men who shadowed Ed, were actually chimeras. An ape and a lion.
Whenever Greed looked at them, he remembered Bido, his chest impaled on his brother's sword and breathing his last.
Heinkel sniffed the air. "Two people," he claimed, "And the dog, obviously. Should be clear."
"Okay," Greed shrugged, "Go ahead," he nodded to Elric.
Fullmetal raised a hand to knock, but then the door opened to reveal a diminutive old woman.
"Ed?" She smiled, then her weary eyes looked at the rest of them. "And a lot of friends of yours, I see. Come in," she opened the door wide and stepped aside.
Greed had to admit that their group was quite the sight. The Xingese princeling and his two bodyguards, then Darius and Heinkel... and, of course, Greed himself.
If they were to lay low in Resembool until it was time to stop the Promised Day, they would absolutely have to stay in-doors, he decided.
"Winry came home just last night," the old woman said to Ed as he took off his traveler's coat.
"She's alright?" Fullmetal's voice sounded softer than it usually did.
Greed made a mental note to learn more about these people.
"You know her," the grandma grinned. "Never lets danger stop her. Like some other kids I know..."
"Ed? ED!" A young woman's voice rang from the staircase and Greed saw a slender, blonde-haired girl rushing out to give Fullmetal an affectionate hug. "Thank God you're okay! We were so worried!"
The dumb kid looked embarrassed as he disentangled himself from the girl (that had to be Winry, right?) and cleared his throat.
She apparently knew Ling and his buddies, as well as two other soldiers that Heinkel and Darius seemed to know, and she greeted them all heartily.
Then she stopped in front of Greed and for a moment appeared a little startled.
"This is Greed," Fullmetal said gruffly. "He used to be one of the bad guys but he seems to have had a change of heart."
She looked at him, flanked by the large bodies of Darius and Heinkel. Greed smirked down at her, noticing the odd look in her blue eyes.
"See anything interesting, little girl?" he chuckled.
"Your name is... Greed?" she asked softly.
"Yeah, that's what the kid said," Greed shrugged and raised an eyebrow. He kind of hoped this girl wasn't slow in the head. Would make camping out here with these clowns even harder than it was.
"Yeah, no, sorry, it's just..." Winry hesitated, "Do you happen to know a person named Envy?"
Greed suddenly felt like his whole being had been doused in icy water. Without even thinking clearly, he rushed forward and grabbed her by the shoulders.
"What did you just say?!" He all but shouted, "How do you know Envy? When did you see them? Are they still alive?" His hands clenched but he didn't notice, nor did he really hear the pained gasp that escaped Winry's lips. "Is Envy hurt? Where are they? Tell me, dammit!"
"Stop it, you're hurting me!" Winry winced and tried to move away from him, but Greed was literally incapable of listening. Everything she said that wasn't about Envy was less than background noise to him. He could feel the Stone inside him pulsing madly, almost like a heart, and for the first time in weeks... months... he felt a shred of hope.
It took an automail fist smashing into his jaw to bring him back to the world of rational thinking.
Somehow he had ended up sitting on the wooden floor, his face throbbing painfully. He rubbed his sore jaw with the back of his hand and he glanced up at Fullmetal. The alchemist was standing in front of Winry, his posture protective and his mouth a hard line. He seemed pissed off.
Huh.
So that's how it was?
"Sorry," Greed mumbled, looking up at Ed. "Really," he raised his hands in a placating gesture. "Didn't mean to go crazy on your girl. It's just... I thought Envy was dead," he finished, his voice quiet and hoarse. He looked past Ed's shoulders, staring at Winry's eyes. "Look," he sighed. "I didn't mean to scare you. I don't... I try not to hurt girls whenever I can. Ask your alchemist here if you don't believe me. I allowed his teacher to kick my ass once and didn't lift a finger just cause she's a woman," he ignored Fullmetal's snort, "Just... tell me about Envy," Greed swallowed heavily, "Please."
Up until now, as you, dear readers may have noticed, I have rotated the POV chapters between Greed and Envy. This one is a little different. It's a second Greed chapter in a row, but this was the only proper way to go about it. This fic still follows a basic, already-set-up-by-the-show timeline (and when it doesn't, chalk it up to the AU or to me being a buffoon, whichever works best), and the Envy chapter that is due next time I update couldn't really be done chronologically before this one.
Speaking of chronology and inconsistencies, Winry got to Resembool before Ed instead of vice-versa. It was merely for my convenience, as her personal moments with Ed are kind of wasted in a Homunculi-POV story so there was no point in keeping the (otherwise awesome and very cute) scene where she finds him in her room eating a sandwich :D
Peace!