Ace: The number of reviews doesn't scare me today.

Lela: Well that's a relief. We'll start with Furorensu-Chan first, then. Yes, Ace is currently a fast updater, so long as she's interested in the story like she is now, and as you can also see, she updated yet again. I agree with you on not wanting Envy. He does smell rather suspicious, though that could be because I'm a cat chimera with a sensitive nose...

Kayla: Your turn, Sonya.

Sonya: OH COME ON! DarkVampirePrincess8 again? I hate you so much right now, Kayla. Of course I'm going to go be badass with Greed the badass. Us badass people have to stick together in these difficult, badass-less times. And you should be concerned about Kayla. The girl reveals her strangest occasion, the one that always makes me think she's been put on something, in the very next chapter.

Lela: Oh, and thanks for the wish. I don't think luck is going to help me with my master though. *sighs and makes face as she plays with collar*

Ace: Kayla, would you-

Kayla: Course! Ace5980 does not own FullMetal Alchemist. Now, enjoy!

6: Year of Changing Methods

(1 year later)

Lela had found a box of abandoned kittens yesterday, finding an instant attraction to them, a need to protect and nurture them. Unfortunately, Gluttony made the same discovery about an hour later when Lela forced to shower, and he didn't feel the same desires as Lela had upon seeing them. In fact, when Lela had come out and couldn't find them anywhere, she had completely broken down.

Then Gluttony had come in with his patented sad face while bearing another stray kitten he'd found as an apology, which instantly made Lela forgive him. Lela fell in love the instant she saw the cute little black kitten with green eyes. She gave it no reason to be even remotely hostile to her, keeping it in a constant state of lazy purring kitten. She fed it from her own bowl, which, sadly enough, Envy had provided instead of normal plates and cutlery, and let it play with her tail with its unremoved claws and sharp pointy little kitten teeth, which were more than enough to break through her skin, but she didn't mind. As day turned to night and Lela settled herself down in a nest of blankets in Envy's bed, her only concern was as to where the homunculus had been all day before she shrugged it off and cuddled with the kitten.

The next morning, she lost the kitten but gained the answer. She awoke to find, rather than a cute, fluffy little kitten cradled to her chest, her master's head buried in the crook of her neck. "What?" he asked innocently when her body froze and her pulse picked up. He smirked slightly, eying her through a light scattering of his hair. "Did you not like the kitten?"

Sonya really liked working for Greed. She liked being treated the exact same way as everyone else, recieving no allowances for being blind. She liked feeling as if she belonged to a group, a coven almost, for the first time in her life.

"Hey Sonya," Greed said, instantly catching the bat girl's attention, "there's some guys looking for you in town; they're asking a lot of questions about you specifically this time."

"So?"

"Are you going to do something about it?"

Sonya thought for a moment. "Yep, I guess." Then she walked out as though absolutely nothing had occurred out of the ordinary.

If only she hadn't gone solo. She was ambushed the instant she left the Devil's Nest, wrapped in heavy chains, and forced to inhale some kind of new, more effective sedative tranquilizer that was not chloroform, which she'd built up a tolerance to after being exposed to it for so long. As she grew steadily more woozy trying to find her attacker's identity or identities, a cold, cruel voice spoke up. "Don't worry, little Sonya Animalia. We're only taking you from your infernal older sisters to finish your modifications. You're going home, little Sonya-bat."

Ice water flew through Sonya's veins as she weakly attempted to struggle. In her mind, going to this home was worse than death. Unfortunately for her, all it took was another dose of sedative to render her completely and totally incapacitated. She was no longer a threat in any way possible.

It was official; Kayla was moping. It wasn't that she disliked Winry, Pinako, and Den, far from it, but more that she liked Edward and her sisters, none of whom she had the slightest inkling of where they could possibly be, more. Then she sensed something, her ears twitching and head jerking up. "Edward!" she cried upon recognition, running out to tackle the alchemist with his malfunctioning arm and unintentionally rescuing him form yet another wrench to the head. Tail wagging excitedly, she licked his nose.

"Kayla, get off!" Grinning, the chimera listened to the alchemist, choosing to solicit attention from Al instead. Once they stepped inside, however, Kayla stuck close to Ed, whining and leaning against him affectionately when he was getting his arm fixed, before, as usual, the Elric brothers gathered themselves up to leave. Then came the touchy part.

"Hey Ed, Al, have you guys found anything on Lela or Sonya?"

"No."

"Sorry, Kayla."

"Oh," she murmured, tail and ears drooping. "Thanks for trying anyway though." With all the people she loved most leaving her, she felt more depressed than ever.

"Kayla," Ed said slowly, "how would you like to come traveling with us?"

There was a shocked silence. Then she squealed, "Thank you, thank you, thank you!" while she hugged him, her tail spazzing before she ran off to grab her people clothes. This was what she'd really wanted all along.

Kayla: OMG, we've gotten a year older!

Ace: Meh, sorta kinda. You still have another two years to go before we really get back into it again.

Sonya: And you include a decent description of us.

Ace: Exactly.

Lela: This time, let's offer up Dorochet as a reward. *pales* He probably won't get us a lot of reviews though.

Sonya: I'm okay with that.

Kayla: I'm not. REVIEW, REVIEW, REVIEW!