Roy took a punch to his solar plexus and whirled in pain. It hadn't been the automail hand, fortunately, but Ed still packed a decent wallop. Roy cursed and stood wobbly, brandishing a glove. He was still drenched and snapped a few times uselessly, wiping rain out of his face as he tried to control himself. Rain landed in his face and soaked the ground beneath him. It made it difficult to find purchase and he slipped before forcing himself into a steady, upright position.
"Why do I have to attack, anyway? It's not like you're completely useless!" Roy yelled, grabbing Ed and thrusting the boy further into the mud. His golden ears were soaked and one flicked, trying to expel water.
"It's part of the rules here!" Ed yelled, his eyes still burning. "The Gate makes all the fucking rules, don't look at me. It's not my fault you're a one-trick pony."
Glaring, Roy lifted his hand to snap and teach this small fry a lesson. Concentrating, Roy heated the air around him, drying the gloves slightly. He snapped again but the gloves were quickly dampened by the continuing downpour. Goddammit, he needed more heat.
"Put your hand down, you shit Colonel," Ed said offhandedly, staring at Roy from the muddy ground.
Roy found himself, almost against his will, putting the gloved hand down. He glanced at the hand and found that he'd lost any and all will to raise it. What in the world was going on? Edward looked at him strangely. One of the kitten-ears on his head twitched and the tail squirmed in the mud. It was an odd look, but then, Roy had seen chimeras before.
"Why'd you stop?" Ed asked softly, looking confused.
"I don't know," Roy responded. He felt as though he'd been kicked and smiled weakly. Ed was surprised and almost disappointed that he'd stopped, but then, he had told him to stop. Why did this contradiction make him feel like a beaten dog? Mustang's hand still burned beneath his glove. He peeled off the cloth and stared at the words written across his skin. Scar tissue declared 'FAITHLESS' in an angry white that flared blue for a moment and then died down.
Roy stood, soaked, feeling the rain washing the mud from his uniform. "What's going on?" he asked forcefully of the figures standing across from him. "I demand to know what's going on. Who are you?"
"Soubi," the taller man said. "My name is Agatsuma Soubi." The glasses the man wore hadn't been touched by the rain. A small field seemed to protect him and his charge from it. Roy watched as the rain was deflected by the shield and analyzed the people in it. Soubi, as he called himself, was tall. He had no ears like Ed and the boy. The boy was small and cowered, eyes closed, around the tall fighter.
Actually, Roy noted, he himself didn't grow any cat-ears either. Why Edward and not him? Did it have something to do with their age?
"What's going on here?" the Colonel repeated, his hands at his side. One glove slipped from his fingers and fell into the mud. His hair clung to his head and he shivered slightly. Bending, he grabbed the glove and righted himself, almost slipping again in the process.
"Aren't you going to protect your Sacrifice?" Soubi asked curiously. The man lifted a finger and pointed in the direction of Ed, beyond Roy's shoulder.
"What?" Roy questioned.
"Look," Soubi said, still pointing. Roy turned. Chains had snaked their way across Edward's neck and hands. The boy fought them for a moment, tried to transmute them, and tested his automail against them. The chains wouldn't be destroyed. Roy grabbed one and yanked at it. They seemed to come from all directions, vanishing a few feet from the source. Roy tugged again and jerked back suddenly. Oh, they hurt; the things hurt. How could Ed stand that?
Gasping, Ed turned. There was a pained look on his face as he dragged air forcibly into his lungs. The knowledge the Gate had given him was limited but, somehow, this felt right, to take this pain and watch Roy shrink away from it as if he wasn't entitled to share it. "What's going on?" Ed asked.
"I don't know," Roy responded. He sat up, looking in the direction of Soubi. "What the hell is going on? You know, you should pick on someone more your size."
Soubi looked amused as Ed's struggles renewed after the comment. Ed grit his teeth and screamed, "WHO ARE YOU CALLING A SUPER HYPER CHIBI MIDGET NOT WORTH FIGHTING!"
Pushing his glasses up his nose, Soubi laughed at Roy, tilting his head slightly. A smile played on his face as he said quietly, "I thought I was fighting someone my own size." Then, something occurred to the blond man and he laughed. "You're doing all of this on instinct! You've never fought before."
"Undo whatever you did," Roy repeated, ignoring the fighter's statement. "Or I will fight you seriously." He pulled a gun from the holster at his back and cocked it, aiming it in Soubi's direction. "If I can't burn you, I'll kill you to protect him."
"Fire it," Soubi challenged. "The chains wrapped around your Sacrifice are called Restriction. They cause pain and inhibit movement to indicate that you have taken damage in the fight." Roy's fingers shook. Behind him, Ed made a pained noise as the rain continued to fall. Thunder struck overhead and each strike lit up the chains of the Restriction. Ed didn't scream but Roy could hear him jerk in the mud. "Lower your weapon and forfeit the fight," Soubi continued, "and the Restrictions will be removed. Then, I will explain what you want to know."
"Tell me how to end the fight," Roy demanded.
Ed looked up. "I know how," he said, struggling to breathe. He paused, gathering strength and then mumbled, "I forfeit this battle of spells as the Sacrifice." Roy felt the symbol on his hand heat again. It wasn't painful this time and suddenly the blackness around him drained away, pooling into nothingness. They were in the park again and the birds sang. The rain stopped. The chains vanished. Ed's neck, again, was clean.
Roy slid the gun back into its hiding place and turned to look at Ed. Fullmetal took a deep breath and stood wobbly. "I'm going to fall," he said and Roy found himself moving immediately to catch him, almost at the unspoken command. He picked Ed up and watched as the boy's eyes closed.
"Come on," Soubi said, looking at Edward curiously. "I have somewhere for you to take him."
Roy stepped out of the shower, a towel loose around his waist and decided that a shower had never felt so good. His skin felt clean and free of rain and mud. It was a good feeling. He closed the door quietly behind him and shook his head slightly to free it of rain. Then, he started down the hallway, his feet sticking slightly to the wood floor. He left footprints.
"I took the liberty of washing your… outfit," came Soubi's voice from the living room. "I'm sure you will be alright here, until we find a more suitable place for you to be. After college, I found that a large place was more suited the strays that Ritsuka seems to pick up."
"Ritsuka," Roy said, settling on one of the leather couches across from Soubi. "Is that the kid's name?"
"Yes," Soubi said. "Aoyagi Ristuka." The fighter reached for the cup of coffee in front of him and lifted it to his lips, taking a sip. He set it back down onto the coffee table and then reclined against a pillow. "Edward told me where you both came from. He told me a very interesting story. He called you Roy… Colonel Roy Mustang. I find it amusing that you used to command him."
"I can see that one of us is caught up," Roy said tersely. He finished drying his hair and leaned back, the towel covering where it needed to cover. It felt good to let the warm summer air dry the water on his skin. "Enlighten me," Roy added after a moment. Mustang could hear Ed snoring in the other room. That was comforting. Still, what was so odd about he being Ed's superior officer? He was older and more experienced. This world had odd rules.
"In this world, people are tied together with names," Soubi said slowly, pushing blonde hair over his shoulders. "They're tied together. You're Faithless."
Roy eyed the mark on his hand. It said 'Faithless.' He didn't feel faithless. Ed, he knew for a fact, was. Still, he supposed that losing faith in the goodness of mankind could count as a loss of faith. Scratching the mark idly, Roy frowned. "Ed is the same."
"Yes," Soubi said. "You're tied to Edward."
"Then, you're tied to Ritsuka? He's Beloved as well?" Roy asked. He could remember when, during the battle, Soubi's neck had lit up with the words. Leaning forward suddenly, Roy started to get himself some coffee but was interrupted by Soubi's barely uttered 'No.' One slender, black eyebrow lifted.
"It's not tonight's story," Soubi said firmly with a pleasant smile. "Another time." He offered Roy sugar, pushing the small glass cases across the table. "You've been chosen as the 'Sentouki.' It means that you're the Fighter. Ed has been chosen to be the 'Sacrifice.' Essentially, you must fight for him and protect him during a battle of spells. This will be hard, Ed believes, for you to accept because of the nature of a Sentouki."
The man took another sip. Roy couldn't quite see Soubi perfectly in the darkness but he tensed slightly, waiting for the news to fall.
"Do you remember when Ed said you were to drop your hands and suddenly your will to lift them drained from you?" Soubi asked. He waited for Roy's nod, barely perceptible in the darkness, and then continued. "It will always be like that now. You will have your will, but he can alter it. All of the commands that leave his mouth, you will feel compelled to obey. If he says you won't fight, you won't want to lift your hands. If he says he never wants to see you again, you will hide around the corners, praying that he doesn't see you but needing him to be near just the same. You will start to crave his presence, beg for his affection and desire his orders."
Soubi paused, for effect, and then continued. "That is just how the world is here. You fight to protect him and obey him. He takes your pain and gives you meaning."
Roy laughed in the darkness. "You can't be serious."
"Test it," Soubi responded. "I'm not saying an order is faultless. You'll just find it very… uncomfortable to disobey your namesake."
Roy figured it was time for a change in subject. "Explain the ears," he barked. It felt military and that calmed him. The idea that he would obey Edward unconditionally like some kind of guard dog was obscene. Edward was his dog, not the other way around. Mustang took a sip of the coffee.
"Virgins have cat ears and a tail here," Soubi said.
Roy touched his head, running fingers through short strands of black hair, and smirked wickedly. "Now, that explains a lot."
Soubi quietly observed the man sitting across from him on the couch. Now that he was out of that outlandish uniform, he could see that he was actually quite good looking. Droplets of water clung to his pale skin as he lounged there, one arm up on the back of the sofa, the other lifting the cup of tea to his lips, clearly very comfortable with himself… either that, or he was trying very hard to create that impression. He exuded a kind of raw, intense energy that was palpable, almost visible at times. It was as if he were constantly on a slow boil; calm on the surface, but with flames licking just under the skin, ready to leap out a moment's notice.
He certainly flared up when I mentioned allegiance to his Sacrifice, Soubi thought. No doubt about it, they were one of the most unusual pairs that he and Ritsuka had met so far.
There was something else Soubi was curious about, however, and that was the smug look on Roy's face after he had explained about the cat ears and tail. A smirk, he thought, could mean a lot of things. A bit more information from the Colonel might prove useful. He leaned over to pick up his pack of cigarettes from the coffee table. Grabbing his small plastic lighter, he fumbled it between his long fingers thoughtfully. Damned thing never did work properly. Flick. Flick. Flick.
In two strides, Roy was over the table and directly in front of him. Slipping on one white glove, he thrust his hand in front of Soubi's face, bending down so that they were eye to eye. Soubi blinked, once.Snap. A small flame wavered above Roy's thumb and index finger. It was reflected in his dark eyes. Soubi lit his cigarette. Snap. The flame went out. Roy stood up. He was wearing the very same smirk on his face.
"Thank you," Soubi murmured over his cigarette, taking a slow drag. Hmmm. Seems we play for the same team, after all.
"My pleasure," Roy answered, running his gloved hand through his still-wet hair and looking away, as if suddenly embarrassed.
Soubi leaned back on the couch. Exhaling, he crossed his legs and gazed up at his flustered new acquaintance. He tugged at his hair, which he had tied up earlier, and shook it out, letting it fall lightly over his shoulders. Sensing that Roy was taking in all of his movements out of the corner of his eye, he slowly smiled. This could be interesting…
A cry from the back room shattered the mood. "Al...! Alphonse! No… NOOOOOOO!"
"Ed!" Roy snapped to attention and flew into the back room, Soubi on his heels. He had to smile when they opened the door, despite the clearly worried look on Mustang's face. Ritsuka and Edward had fallen asleep side by side, and Ed, in the middle of his nightmares, was unknowingly clinging to the dark haired boy. His face was pressed closely to the other boy's back; he gripped Ritsuka's shirt with white knuckled and metal fists. Ritsuka was completely oblivious to the entire affair; he lay curled up in the other direction, breathing gently, the twitching of his ears implying unrelated dreams.
"Don't… Don't hurt him! I wont let you take him, I wont, I… Al! AL!!"
Roy immediately got down on the bed next to Ed and started shaking him. "Ed! Edward! Damn it, Fullmetal, I'm talking to you! Wake up; do you hear me?"
Ed's cries only became louder, and he started kicking, which woke Ritsuka up in a hurry. Soubi hurried over to Ritsuka's side of the bed and gathered him up in his arms, pulling him out of harm's way as he untangled him from the thrashing blond boy. Meanwhile Roy had climbed on top of Ed and was yelling in his face. Soubi couldn't imagine this was doing much besides frightening poor Ritsuka even further, who was now clinging to Soubi and trembling. He was about to carry Ritsuka out of the room, when Ed suddenly awoke.
"Colonel… Mustang." He stared up at Roy, relief spreading across his face like cool water after a drought. "Al…! Al… Colonel, they've got Al, we've got to do something, we've got to…" He was still hyperventilating; his eyes were huge golden saucers. Roy was smoothing the hair out of Ed's face, willing him to calm down.
"Edward, it's okay, it's all right, it was just a nightmare. You were dreaming. Get a hold of yourself. It's going to be okay." Ed was starting to shake uncontrollably; Roy pulled him into his arms and held him very tightly. The blond boy took a couple of deep breaths and closed his eyes. When he pulled away and reopened them, they were burning with determination.
"Colonel. We need to help Al. This is serious. Not a dream. A message. Help him. That's an order."
Roy looked as if he were about to argue, but then thought better of it and nodded his head. Ah, the burden of being the Sentouki is finally starting to sink in, Soubi thought, watching them. Better to leave them to it. He picked up Ritsuka and headed for the door. Behind him, Edward had clearly become fully awake.
"Colonel! What the hell are you doing in bed with me? And where the hell are your clothes?? And what the fuck with the one glove? You trying to be some kind of demented pop star or something??"
Roy laughed slightly under his breath and leaned closer, breathing in deeply and pressing his face against Edward's neck. Somehow, being closer to the other alchemist made him feel better. There had been an ache inside of him that was eased and he brushed his hand against Ed. Ed struggled against him and pushed him away.
How would he ever make his Sacrifice happy and follow that order?
"You idiot," Ed said angrily, shoving Roy off the bed. "You idiot. Get out. I don't want to see you. I order you to get out."
Ed was slinging orders with an eagerness that made Roy flinch. He found himself standing outside the bedroom door a moment later, staring mournfully at the wood. Inside, he could hear Ed sobbing, calling out his brother's name, and the sound of things being thrown. The sobs were dry and tearless. Roy found the sound familiar.
"He ordered you out then?" Soubi asked and Roy jerked, turning to find the Fighter lounging against a nearby wall. There was a cigarette in the man's fingers and he brought it to his lips, inhaling. "Then you might as well go and take care of the other order. You can't go in."
"This is ridiculous," Roy said firmly. "He asks the impossible." He placed his single gloved hand on the door and tried to turn it. It felt wrong though, so wrong that he almost felt sick. The door knob wouldn't turn. He couldn't turn it. He didn't want to turn it, did he? Edward didn't want him in there. Edward wanted him out here. So why did he want to be in there if Edward didn't want him?
The feeling of abandonment was heady and he felt pain in his chest. The idea he'd come up with, that he couldn't be close to his Sacrifice, hurt with a cutting pain. Roy felt warm arms wrap around him and suddenly, Soubi was pulling him from the door. The fur of the man's coat felt smooth against Roy's bare skin and the Colonel shook slightly, mumbling something under his breath.
How had he become this dependent?
"Come on," Soubi whispered and Roy could smell tobacco on the man's breath. From around the corner, he could see Ritsuka watching him with a curious expression. The boy's ears drooped slightly and Roy wondered what he was thinking. Then Ritsuka met his eyes and scurried off into the kitchen.
Soubi ignored his Sacrifice's disappearance, pulling Roy into his guest bedroom. He reached into a drawer and pulled out some clothes, beginning to dress the other man. Roy felt numb all over and unable to move. Ed had ordered him to find Al. He couldn't do that. He didn't know anything about human transmutation. It wasn't in his power. In addition, Ed didn't want him nearby. Ed had ordered him away. It made him feel frozen.
"Lift your arms," Soubi said and Roy was jerked out of his reverie to find that he was suddenly wearing pants. The other Sentouki had dressed him carefully and the touches were methodical and passionless this time. Roy lifted his arms and Soubi slipped a shirt over his head, finishing and then pushing Roy down into a chair. Soubi himself sat on the edge of the bed.
"Cigarette?" the Sentouki asked.
"No thank you," Roy responded.
Moving, Soubi pushed Roy over in the chair slightly and eased himself into Roy's lap. The man settled and Roy looked at him, waiting. He wasn't a stranger to these kind of advances. Soubi's hair fell against Roy's collarbone and Roy could feel it tickle slightly. He reached up and touched the side of Soubi's face.
"What are you doing?" Roy asked.
"Distracting you from the pain," Soubi responded. "Heartache is the only pain you'll ever feel again, after all."
Roy had been analyzed by Soubi earlier and took the opportunity now to eye the other man. Soubi felt lean in Roy's hands, hiding some kind of tensile strength that Roy couldn't quite understand. Every movement the man made felt darkened, driven by some need for pain or punishment. Roy could sense jealousy in the man's gaze, even though circular lenses mostly hid the stare. Soubi was coiled sexuality, frustration and a tense bundle of emotions that he only seemed to bother to hide around Ritsuka. It was hard for Roy to put a finger on Soubi and the moment he thought that he had, it went up in smoke.
The kiss came in the middle of reflection, Soubi's lips brushing gently against Roy's and Roy groaned, opening his mouth willingly. Soubi wasted no time, his tongue sliding inside and Roy grabbed the older Sentouki's shoulders hard.
Ed would kiss differently, Roy thought. Ed would kiss with passion and strength. He would take what he wanted and make no apologies.
Why was Roy thinking about Ed at a time like this? Here he had a gorgeous man curled on his lap like a kitten and he thought of an underage subordinate? It was wrong and Roy shivered. Soubi wrapped his fingers through Roy's hair and parted from the kiss enough to whisper, "You have no choice but to love him. So want me but don't love me."
Then, Soubi pulled away suddenly and the heat from the man's body faded sharply. "Sleep," Soubi said, standing. He moved to the door and rested a hand on it. "Ritsuka went to talk to your Sacrifice." The door closed and Roy sat in the chair in the darkness until he fell asleep.