Kitsune here with your newest chapter! (and yeah it's a bit longer, they always look bigger in word...5 pages, I mean seriously, here it looks like nothing.) Trying something different with the POV switches and such, let me know if you prefer this.
Lots of love to all you who have added this to your alerts and faves, and of course my reviewers! This is getting popular enough that I'm starting to worry about disappointing people...my phone goes "You have mail! _has added Story "Truth bites" to their alert list" and "_has added you to their favs" like 4 times a day! I feel so loved. Seriously, I've been down recently, and all your support makes me feel better about things in general.
So, I'll keep plowing ahead. Feedback is always welcome. We will be seeing a lot more FMA people in coming chapters. As usual, next chapter is already started, and more are being planned out. And hey, if this gives you an idea for your own story, run with it! That's the great thing about fanfiction, isn't it? You read or see something and think, "Wouldn't it be great if...?" and a story is born...
anyway, enough with the crappy author-talk, on to the story!
POOFT!
Naruto sighed from his spot behind the rubble. It had been a simple thing to use substitution and swap out some of the debris from his earlier restraints, but it left him feeling very drained. He rose to his feet, feeling dizzy and lightheaded. "Can't just sit around here. Need to get out of this room..." he muttered to himself as he stood. He made it a few steps before the world spun around him and went dark, leaving him crumpled on the floor.
Naruto woke hours later, feeling feverish and weak. His internal clock told him it was sometime after midnight. No sounds were coming from outside the cell, making it the perfect time to escape, but he couldn't even get the energy to stand. "What the hell is going on here? I feel like I'm going to pass out if I even move..."
_FLASHBACK_
Naruto had finished his training early and was a little bored. His attempts to get Sai out of the library met with failure, so he decided to go see if Sakura would be willing to go get something to eat with him. Not as a date-date, but as friends. He'd heard she'd been helping out at the hospital recently. Something about an accident involving a group of people needing emergency care...he wasn't sure of the details, but he was sure she could use a break at this point. What he was when he got there worried him greatly. Sakura was sitting on a chair, head between her knees, breathing heavily. "Yo, Sakura-chan, what's wrong?"
When she looked up at him, her face was pale and drawn, "Nothing's wrong, Naruto. I'll be fine. Just need to sit and rest for a second."
"You don't look fine..." He worriedly looked around for someone to help, spotting Tsuande approaching fast.
"Of course she doesn't, you dolt! She's pushed herself too far." Tsunade sounded pissed, but she was gentle as she checked her apprentice's pulse.
"Baa-chan, what's wrong with her?"
Startled by the panic in his voice, Tsunade looked up. She saw fear and worry etched in every line of his body and relented, "It's nothing to worry about, she's just suffering from Chakra exhaustion. She should have stopped before it got so bad, but she's in no danger at this level."
"Chakra exhaustion? So she's gonna be ok?"
"Yes, Naruto, she''ll be alright as long as she sits and rests for a bit... But if she had kept working, she could have passed out, or even died." She turned her attention back to the pink-haired teen, "I want you to promise you'll never do something that stupid again!"
"Yes, Hokage-sama..."
"Naruto, I order you to make sure Sakura eats something." She stood, "I have more patients to attend to right now, but we'll discuss this later, Sakura."
_End Flashback_
With a sinking feeling that he was suffering from chakra exhaustion, the shinobi reached inside. He felt a flicker of his normal chakra right before the Kyuubi's chakra smashed into him, leaving his breathless for a moment as he fought it off. "This sucks!" Weighing his options, the blond decided to wait it out and rest while he could. After all, chakra replenished itself, and he was known for having insane amounts. He crawled over to the statue the bald-sparkly guy had made, cursing the fox the whole time. Taking off what was left of his jacket, Naruto propped the makeshift pillow against the rock and was quickly asleep.
_POV ROY_
It had to be the longest, hardest morning Roy had dealt with since Edward left the military. With bleary eyes, he downed his third mug of coffee, glaring at the stack of folders in front of him. Folders that he had been hoping would be thicker. A lot thicker. In truth, he knew that the information Riza had gathered was quite extensive, considering she'd had less then twenty-four hours to find out everything she could about this mysterious homunculus and document it. Unfortunately, none of the information before him told him anything particularly useful. It looked like he'd have to go to the source.
The problem was, the source was yet another pain-in-the-ass blond.
I wonder if that was deliberate? There was a knock on the door, "Come in." He poured another cup of coffee for himself, and raised an empty mug to his visitor.
"Yes, Thanks."
"Glad you could make it so quickly. We've got a bit of a situation here."
The visitor took the offered mug and settled in a chair, taking a long sip before replying, "I noticed some construction going on by the west wing. Your situation got anything to do with that?"
"You could say that." Roy paused, trying to think of the best way to present his Ishbalan comrade with the information. He knew it wasn't something the man was going to take particularly well. With a sigh, he shoved the stack of folders over to the other man. He was silent as he watched the other page through the reports and eye witness accounts.
"A new Chimera?" Red eyes furrowed in annoyance, "Don't you alchemists ever learn?" Mustang split the last of the coffee between their mugs, stalling as the other continued to read. "Where did it come from?" The man looked at the Brigadier General, "Wait. You wouldn't call me here just because of some...rouge chimera. What aren't you telling me, Flame Alchemist?"
Still sharp as ever, I see. There's no point in dragging this out. "It's not a chimera. For a while we thought...but no, it's defiantly not a chimera."
The other man ran a hand down one of the numerous scars on his body, eyes cold and calculating. "Who made it?"
"That's what I'd like to know."
"I see. I take it you've captured the creature?" at the incredulous look he received he went on, "So, how can I help?"
"By getting me some God damn answers, for starters."
_TIME SKIP_
Roy was trying very hard not to think about how much paperwork his plan was going to incur if it worked, let alone if it failed. Bringing in a civilian was a risky move, particular considering how this could be a danger to the state. The higher-ups might suggest he was trying to start a panic. At least, those who were not aware of this particular civilian's...qualifications.
He looked at his silent companion as they made the long walk to the holding cell. The plan was simple, get into the room, prevent the monster's escape, and force the information out of him by whatever means necessary. "You do realize if the others are any indication, this is going to be far from simple, right?"
"That's just the way I like it. We need to show these homoculi that we will do whatever it takes to protect that which is precious to us."
Armstrong was waiting for them in the hall, "Mustang, I shall wait outside to offer support if you should need it. I do not like the idea of letting you two in there alone with that monster."
"I was just going to ask you to, Alex. To be honest, I didn't like how quickly it got out of the bonds last time. Hawkeye, Havoc, Fuery, get ready, I'm opening the door. Once we enter, I want you to guard the room with Major Armstrong. I'll let you know when we're coming out." He slapped his hands against the sealed door, opening it once more.
The sight that greeted them was defiantly not what the group had expected. Roy had been prepared for the homunculus still being restrained, however unlikely it was. He'd defiantly been prepared for the creature to rush him, be it in it's human form or it's monster-shape (he still wasn't sure what the hell it was supposed to be). Mustang was even prepared for the monster to be gone.
The homunculus was free, which was to be expected. It wasn't rushing them, which wasn't expected. It was apparently napping. The restraint of earth that Armstrong had created was completely intact, leaving no clues to as to how the blond escaped. "So, is that the homunculus?" The Ishbalan asked, pushing past his associates, eyes firmly on the blond who just yawned. "It doesn't look like a monster to me. Are you sure?"
"Positive. I saw it transform with my own eyes." With a frown, Mustang waved the others away and closed up the doorway again.
_ POV Naruto_
Naruto had considered moving when he heard people approach from down the hall. He'd awoken some time ago and still his chakra levels were pathetic, which meant that his brilliant plan of getting captured and then later escaping fell as flat as one of Sai's jokes. His options were defiantly limited, unless he could talk them in to just...letting him go. Yeah, THAT'LL happen..."Gee, Mr. Snappy-fire, can you please let me go?" PSHHHH! BANG! Toasted Shinobe on a stick. "So. Give them what they want is out, since I've got no clue what the hell he's asking. Besides, it could be a trick, these guys would definitely be a threat to the village if they found it." Naruto grinned, rolling into a more comfortable position as the footsteps drew closer, "Guess I'll just wing it."
With the crackle of blue electricity, the door appeared one again. Naruto continued to lay there, arms propped on his jacket-turned-pillow eyes closed. He ignored the idiots at the door as the group split and he was once again locked into the room, this time with two others. The moment dragged on as the two additions to the room just stared at him. He could feel the hostility coming off them, and he knew that one was his 'friend' Mr. Snappy-fire. I need to come up with a better name for him...Toaster-man?The other he wasn't sure of.
"What are you doing?"
"Napping, what does it look like?" Still he didn't bother to move, "You guys could've given me a pillow or a bed or something, you know. It's so boring in here."
"So sorry you don't like your accommodations." The man sighed, "This is the homunculus, I've been calling him 'Stupid' since he won't give me his name. I know he doesn't look like much, but be careful. He's fast, and we don't really know what he's capable of."
"Which one is he?"
"You know I can hear you right?"
"I'm not sure, but I suspect Wrath."
"Seriously, I can hear you. Stop talking about me like I'm not here." Naruto sat up, glaring at the two as he put on the remains of his jacket. "Stupid jerks, did you interrupt my nap just to piss me off?" Dusting himself off he leaned against the statue, radiating annoyance. He got his first good look at the new person. He was big and well muscled with shocking white hair that stood out all the more with his darker completion. "Who's the buff-geezer?"
"Buff Geezer? Are you trying to piss me off?" The new guy asked stomping up to within an arm's reach of Naruto. It was then the blond noticed the man's face. First thing he noticed was the bright-blood red eyes, which he immediately looked away from. Sharringon? He then noticed the cross shaped scar on the man's face and was a little surprised he didn't notice sooner.
"Geez. Sorry, Scar-face. Didn't know you were so sensitive about you age. But with hair like that..."
The man growled, "I'm Ishballan."
"I see." Naruto slapped a fist into his palm, "And Ishballan is someone who's young but looks really old. Yosh!"
"...I see why you call him stupid." The strange new man grabbed Naruto's coat, ignoring the yelp of protest, "Mustang asked me to come and speak with you."
"Well, I don't want to speak with you." Things were defiantly going from bad to really bad in Naruto's mind. He had a sinking feeling about where this was going, and he didn't wanna go there with it.
The man gave Naruto a good shake, "Too bad. I'm here to get answers from you," the man smirked for some reason, "you may call me 'Scar'."
"Do you know why I asked Scar to come and help?" The darker-haired man, Mustang, asked as he came up next to Scar. "I asked him because he has certain skills to insure your cooperation." I really seriously do not like where this is going! "We're going to ask you some questions, and you're going to answer them. If you don't, Scar is going to give you some encouragement. Do you understand?"
He swung a fist at the Mustang's face, "I'm not telling you anything."
Scar caught the fist easily, "Tell me, why won't you look at me?"
"Because I think you're butt ugly. Now let go, Asshole!"
"Wrong answer." Blue lightening danced around Naruto's fist, followed by pain. It felt like his whole arm was on fire. Suddenly he felt the Kyuubi's chakra rush forward. His arm felt momentary better before it exploded in pain once again. Blood splashed to the floor as he kicked off his captor with all his might, propelling himself across the room where he landed unsteadily.
His eyes widened as he looked down at the mess that was formally a fist. It was quickly healing, faster then he was used to seeing, the kyuubi's cakra raced though his system. KILL THEM! Kill them now, brat! NO! Even if I kill them, I won't make it out of this room alive, you stupid fox.He watched as bones formed out of nothing, muscles racing up the framework and skin slowly regrowing. That is seriously creepy...I am so glad I'm usually out cold when I heal from something this bad...I think I might be sick. He glared daggers at the man who had pulped his fist, "That fucking hurt, you know."
"Good. Every time you don't answer, or answer with a lie, I'm going to make you hurt."
"I'll die before I tell you anything."
"Then I'll just wait till you regenerate and start again." Seriously? How the hell do they think I'm going to come back from dead?...ok there was that one time...and then that other time...GAH! They can't possibly know that, they've got to be bluffing!
Mustang smirked darkly, "So, are you going to answer our questions the easy way?"