Who Needs a Brother Like You?
Chapter Nine – Painful Memories
Edward Elric was dead inside completely. He hadn't moved and had been staring down at the floor for hours. He hadn't spoken to anyone; he hadn't eaten anything even though the homunculi had been sliding plates of food to him and he hadn't even blinked. He looked dead...but yet they were pretty much aware that he was still alive...but barely.
Envy and Gluttony had been watching him while Lust and Evillie were away visiting the Master. Envy was growing very impatient because they had been gone for hours and he had been told to stay put. It was always "Envy do this!" and "Envy! Stop it!" and he was getting sick of it. It was his plan...not Lust's...not Evillie's...and especially not Dante's!
He looked over at Gluttony who was happily eating a large chicken bone and completely occupied. He wished that he was that stupid so he wouldn't be bored all the time. Frustrated, he growled and walked over to the Fullmetal Runt. He was quiet and like before he was starring at the ground with his dead fish eyes. "Aren't you even going to say hi to me?" Envy teased. No response.
Envy stopped smiling and glared down at him once more. The more he thought about it the more he realized that this was the runt's fault. If he had just walked into the room when he heard them talking he could have avoided the "Venllie Act". Then Envy would've gotten credit for everything. If only he had come in that room...
"Damn you...damn you Edward Elric!" he gripped the collar of his red jacket and looked into his eyes. Right as he was about to punch him the boy spoke.
"Alphonse Elric. Why do I...still...remember...him...t-tell me...I don't want to remember him...he hates me..."
Envy's face twisted into confusion and he backed his face away from him. Evillie really had erased every positive memory from the pipsqueak's brain. The boy only remembered the negatives, losing their mother, and losing his arm and leg along with his brother's whole body. Oh and let's not forget the words his brother and meddling friends said behind the door.
"Please...just...kill me. I don't want to be in this much pa-pain anymore..."
Envy gasped a little trying not to show emotions. The boy was begging him to take his life away? This made him furious for some reason. With almost all of his strength he threw him to the ground and slammed his foot into Edward's face. He lifelessly fell over, the expression on his face blanker than before. His eyes were wide open but his mouth was shut tight. He was paler than a ghost.
"You make me sick! Because of you, those two bastards are getting the credit for everything!" he screamed and slammed his fist into the ground which was only a few inches from his face. Even though it had left a huge hole in the ground it still didn't make Edward panic.
Behind the two, Gluttony was cowering from behind a large crate. He was afraid of the enraged Envy. Just as he was about to run off the doors to the warehouse opened and Lust along with Evillie came inside. "My Lust! You have returned!" Gluttony cheered and ran beside her.
"Envy, what have you been doing?" she asked. At that very moment she saw that Edward was lying on the ground more lifeless than before. "Did you have fun torturing the idiot?!" Evillie laughed. Envy growled and turned away "Whatever..."
She smiled and ran in front of him before he could retreat "So guess what master Dante wants us to do?" she asked. Envy rolled his eyes and flipped his hair trying not to pay attention. "She's ready for us to perform the final task."
Envy tensed up "My final plan...that was...making the..."
Lust smiled "Yes Envy...she's ready for us to make the stone."
"But how are we going to get him to respond? He just begged me to kill him!"
Lust walked over to Edward and broke the metal chains that were holding his hands apart with her long fingers. "Edward...I think it's time we go and see your brother." That triggered something inside him immediately. He looked up at her, sweat began pouring down his pale face and his heart started to race, "Alphonse?"
"That's right Edward...let's go see him!" Evillie smiled as he eyes flashed red. She held out her hand and instantly her age changed. She was a little girl once more. "Come on Crybaby! Let's go see your little brother!"
~ Clarkerston Residents ~
Colonel Mustang and Lieutenant Hawkeye both sat down on the soft love seat, their eyes still on the small lady that was fixing them a cup of tea. "Ah yes...my son...and his wife...and my granddaughter. It's not easy being alone in the world." She said as she placed two cups of hot tea on the small table.
"Please help yourself to some cookies as well."
"No thank you ma'am. We're not really hung-..." before Hawkeye could even finish Mustang quickly reached over and grabbed multiple cookies and began munching away. Hawkeye sighed but then realized that the woman was pulling out an old photo book out from an old shelf. Mustang stopped eating as Claire handed him the book. Hawkeye sighed once more and took it from him due to the fact that his hands were covered with cookie crumbs.
She slowly opened up to the first page and Claire began explaining each picture. "Ah yes...that's my son...Kirkting...Kirk...we used to call him. He always wanted to help the mentally sick and disordered...so he began studying the brain and how it worked. Before Venllie died she would also sit in their study with him and look through different books about the human brain."
The first picture showed Venllie and her father sitting at their study smiling at each other. Claire sighed with grief and turned the page once more. This time it was a young woman with a baby girl.
"That is Venallea, my daughter-in-law. She was a special one." Claire wiped away her tears knowing that she would have to tell them everything so she continued "That girl could never get her nose out of an Alchemy book."
Hawkeye and Mustang gasped trying to take in what they had just heard. Even though he was choking on air and a few cookie crumbs Mustang was the first to get words out.
"You mean...this girl could use Alchemy? But what kind?"
Claire smiled, "Not only did she know how to use Alchemy, but Venllie did as well. She used what was called `Mind Bending' while Venallea used the type of Alchemy to make people see their desires or nightmares. But they had to be inside a transmutation circle."
Mustang looked at Hawkeye, his eyes wider than before. "Ms. Clarkerston...could you tell us...how they..." Hawkeye's voice trailed off along with her eyes. She knew that she would have to ask that hard question. However, they didn't know if they would receive an answer or not.
Claire closed the photo album and placed it on the table. The room went dead silent. Her dog, Rugen, came from the kitchen and to her side. She looked at him with a soft smile and began petting him on head.
"Human Transmutation."
"What?!" Both the Colonel and Lieutenant with shock shooting down their spines.
"The only family I had left...they were all killed by performing Human Transmutation. About nine weeks ago Venllie died from an unknown illness. It started in her chest. Then within a few more weeks spread through her body. She talked about how she couldn't move or breathe. And one morning...they went into her room and found her. Dead...on the floor. She had tried to get to them but couldn't even m-move..." the tears began rolling in.
There was a pause of silence as Claire grabbed her handkerchief from her apron pocket and cleaned her face.
"Then...right after she died...a week later...Kirk and Venallea took her body and went north. I reported to the police that they went missing after they had been gone for three days. And that's when the police found them. That circle was around their shredded bodies and Venllie's body was nowhere to be found."
Mustang stood up and looked at the woman, "Ma'am. I hate to drag you into a dangerous situation, but your granddaughter as been reborn as a homunculus. Since your family was very much involved with alchemy you should know what that is correct?"
Claire nodded, "Could you take me to her...please take me to Venllie!"
"You don't have to beg. We're taking you with us. We need your help to save another alchemist that is in danger. He's the same age as her and he's been missing for three days now. But he was spotted just yesterday morning with her..."
Claire stood up, headed into the kitchen and grabbed her small brown trench coat off a chair and put it on. "Alright, let's go save your friend!"
~ Central Downtown in the Market Area ~
All was quiet. There weren't a lot of people shopping and buying fresh fruits from the farmer's market. Usually this place was booming with people. "We've been (yawn) looking for Edward for at least five hours straight and still we've found no clues or anything." Winry said.
She was right, Alphonse was emotionally starting to break, but for some strange reason Major Armstrong...still...remained...strong. Apparently, his strength and stamina had been passed down from generation to generation.
Armstrong looked at the two "Maybe, we should go back to Headquarters and rest for a while."
"No!" Alphonse stopped walking and looked back at the two "We have to keep looking f-for Brother! I know he has to be here! What if he's still in Central? What if he didn't stay in Resembool? Don't you think Granny Pinako would have informed us if he did?"
The boy had a point. Armstrong nodded. "Miss Rockbell if you need me to carry you I will be glad to help you."
Winry smiled and thanked the Major. But suddenly, there was a large explosion on a nearby rooftop just a few feet from them. Alphonse gasped and quickly ran towards it, the others trailing behind him.
They all came to a halt when they saw a wall of gray smoke in the air. Two figures could be seen coming out of the smoke.
"Hello, you must be Alphonse Elric~! It's an honor to finally meet the younger brother of the Fullmetal Alchemist." A girl strolled out of the thick smoke. Her eyes were purple and she had on a long black dress similar to Lust's. And speaking of her she too appeared from behind.
"Who are you? Why are you with the homunculi?!" Alphonse yelled. He starred at her for a minute but then he realized...it was the girl from the report...it was Venllie Clarkerston!
"My name is Venllie. But I preferred to be called Evillie." She smiled. Lust decided that it was her turn to step in. "It seems that Envy came to visit you earlier. Am I correct?" she asked. Alphonse tensed giving Armstrong a sign to move Winry back.
"Where is he?" Alphonse clapped his hands and pulled a large spear from the ground. Similar to the one Edward had shown off at his State Alchemist exam.
"Oh you mean Crybaby?" Evillie laughed and turned her head while yelling for Envy. At first no one responded or appeared from behind the smoke wall. But then Alphonse saw two more figures about to come out. Then he saw them.
Winry and Armstrong felt their hearts drop instantly. But Alphonse...he completely lost it. It was like his metal body had turned into jelly. "Br-brother!" he screamed.
Right in front of him was Edward Elric and Envy.
Oh snap! Things just got real! XD So anyway how was that long four days? Well it wasn't long for me at all! I only had to go two days because I was sick and we got a snow day today! Alright, so right now I'm about to start editing chapter 10 and then I'll put it up. I'm actually pretty happy that I made this one longer than the others! It adds more suspense and drama to the story! Oh and there...is...a...slight...reason to why I'm not making this a...tragedy...story... o.o"
Colonelduckie: I know right! I'm so pumped and I'm the one writing it! XD
Dreamstar14: I believe this chapter just pushed you off the edge of your seat completely! ;3
FallBender3405: Thanks Bendy~! You're such a good friend! Sorry they made you cry!
JadeFowl: How ironic...I get tackle glomped all the time by my friends at school...now I'm getting tackle glomped by your review too! XD LOL!
Victorious-Mind: Hmmm temporary huh? Also...I made it to where the Mind Break thing wasn't pointless. He doesn't remember all the good things that happened in his life...only the bad. And as you can see that's only made him more unstable. And yes, they're going to make IT!
Amabee30: Yeah, I think that he needed to at least hold onto something. I kind of hate that I made her that way. But like I said before it just had to be done!
Clair Aragon: I just enjoyed the conversation between Venllie and Edward! I don't enjoy giving my Eddy pain! I'm not that heartless! D'X
Claire Elric: I was saying the same thing as I typed this! LOL XD
Alright guys next chappie will be up soon so please be prepared! I'm leaving soon anyway to go visit family that live deep in the country so I'll go ahead and update...but I'm so sleepy! -.- zzz
Kok0roxGuardian
To Be Continued...