Hey-ho! So, this has continued to be a craptastic week. Broke stuff at work every day, plus other unpleasant work related things. BUT! Got my computer fixed. So, things are starting to look up, right? All the positive support was a big help, thanks to you guys.
And to the anonymous Reviewer "Why" who wants to know why my chapters are not longer (and I guess anyone else...) I spend at least five hours typing the chapters. Then I go back the next day, edit, then I retype the parts I need to. I have a full time job with 9 to 10 hour shifts five days a week, many animals to care for, and I'll admit, anime to watch. My chapters are a few thousand words for the most part (never under a thousand) and five pages long, minimum. That's a lot, considering I post at least twice a week, and only type this at home. I know you guys want more, and I really, really want to give you more. I am trying. But, I doubt you'd want chapters filled with fluff to up the wordage.
Anyway, AGAIN thanks to all! No notes at the end, this chapter takes care of itself in explaining stuff once again. As usual if you have a question, drop a PM, message, or email and I'll try and get back to you. I am usually very good about it. Next chapter is not started, but the first page is very fully planned in my head... so it's as good as started.
_*&*&*&_POV MUSTANG_*&*&*&_
The news had not been good. Winry had not heard from Ed in almost a year. Alphonse had been a wreck all night. Mustang, naturally, had done his best to assure the younger Elric that it was probably just all in their heads. Unfortunately, they knew so little about this new threat. For all they knew, Ed had been the first target. After all, he had been the one to deal the finishing blow to Father.
This morning he'd dropped Al off with Ling, May, and Lan Fan, telling them that he better not see them till noon. He would be lucky if they made it till ten, but it still gave him time to hopefully get some things done. He'd been grateful when Armstrong and Hawkeye had offered to check on their prisoner first thing. It had allowed him the time to get cleaned up, even if it was a sink-bath… Hopefully they'd still be there, and he wouldn't be tempted to do something foolish before Scar joined him.
With that thought in mind, Mustang completely bypassed his office when he got to work, heading instead towards the bigger headache. He couldn't help the grin when he saw the empty tray in the hallway.Good, so they're still in there. Well, let's go see how our little friend is doing...With ease he clapped his hands together and placed them on the wall, opening the door once more. As the room was revealed he plastered his cocky smirk on his face.
"So how's our..." He stopped dead in his tracks. Before him were two bodies. One was smashed up against the wall, its face turned away. His ears were filled with a roaring sound as he stared at the gauntleted hand that was wrenched backwards. "Alex...?" There was a moan at his feet as he stumbled forward. With dread, he looked down. A woman lay there, bleeding profusely. His mind refused to process what he was seeing as he dropped to the floor. Gently, he rolled her on her side, "R...Riza?" He shook her gently, eliciting another moan.
Mustang's military training kicked in. His eyes quickly surveyed the room, revealing nothing else in the room except for his two fallen comrades.SHIT! He's escaped... No time for that now. Have to get help. Alex isn't moving, that's not good. I should...He looked down at Riza, pale and bleeding in his arms.How did he... not important...Got to get help!"Riza, just hold on. I'm going to go get help, ok?"
As he stood, he felt a tug on his pants. Brown eyes looked up at him, full of pain, "Mustang..." she moaned.
Quickly the man knelt by his friend. "It's all right, Hawkeye. We'll catch him again. You just need to stay still while I get help." I can't lose her. "That's an order." He said as he gripped her cold hand in his. As he rose, her hand tightened, pulling her up a bit, head lulling forward. "Let go, Lieutenant. I'll be right..." She pulled hard, catching him off balance. Desperately trying not to land on his injured subordinate, he twisted and banged his head on the floor.
"Why don't you stay here, and I'll go get help?" Riza asked, slamming two knives that looked at lot like Lan Fan's into the cuffs of his shirt, pinning his arms to the ground at an awkward angle.
"Hawkeye?" How could only gape at her as she grinned.
PUFFT!
He whipped his head around to stare at where Armstrong's body had been. All that he could see was a quickly dissipating ball of smoke. When the haze faded Roy realized what a fool he'd been. That bastard...It was a trap. "You little..."
PUFFT!
With a swirl of smoke, Riza turned into a slightly shorter blond with spiky hair. "I'll just be taking these..." The blond said, yanking Mustang's gloves off.
"YOU LITTLE SHIT! What did you do to them?"
"What are you, an idiot?" The blond retorted, making some weird gesture with his hands.
PUFFT!
Mustang found himself looking at his double, who just shook his head, "Locked room, idiot. They came and left like forever ago." The fake Mustang turned and left the room, pulling on his stolen gloves, "Why don't you make yourself comfortable? I'm sure someone will be along soon to let you up... in a few hours."
The flame alchemist could do nothing as he watched his doppelganger stride out of the room. The way his body was positioned made it impossible for any normal human to get up. Lucky, Roy knew a few tricks. It would take time though, time he didn't think he had before they lost the homunculus forever.
_*&*&*&_POV NARUTO_*&*&*&_
Naruto quickly strode down the halls with the Fire-butt's confidence. All he had to do now was head back the way he had come in. It was so simple, but he still had to hurry. He couldn't chance that someone would discover his trick before he got out. The few people he passed in the halls saluted smartly and got out of his way. Guess I was right, this guy's some big shot. With a smirk, he started to walk a little faster. He could almost taste the fresh air.
Someone waved at him, "HEY! Mustang!"
Shit. Just keep walking.
"I'm talking to you!" The person followed him. Naruto eyed the person without slowing down. The young man was shorter than Mustang, though the shinobi had to admit they were the same height. His hair was a golden blond, pulled back in a ponytail. Gold eyes threatened to murder him as the interloper stomped in front of 'Mustang' and stopped, hands on his hips.
"Sorry, I didn't see you there," tried Naruto, "If you'll excuse me, I'm in a bit of a hurry... "
"Who are you calling so small you'd step on them?" The other shouted, stomping. "Mustang, you asshole! What did you do to Al? He called Winry yesterday and when I showed up to surprise her she smacked me with a wrench! What the hell is your problem?"
"Nothing. Nothing at all. Now if you'll excuse me…"
"Don't you give me that crap, General. I didn't just spend all night on the express train from Risembool to this hellhole just for you to blow me off. I'm exhausted, and frankly I don't give a damn if you think you've got something better to do. Explain yourself!"
Naruto tried repeatedly to get past the irate blond with absolutely no luck.Dammit! I'm running out of time! Who the hell is this guy...? I can't risk saying anything without blowing my cover...He tugged on his stolen gloves, feeling the last kunai stashed in his sleeve. "Listen, kid, I don't have time for this."
"Oh, going to pretend you don't know me?" The blond shoved a pocket watch into Naruto's face. "How about now?"
"Get...Out...Of...My...WAY!" He roared, quickly clamping down on his chakra as he put a hand to his head.Shit! I'm starting to run low. Not now, not NOW! Damn it you stupid fox, leave me alone!
The blond quickly stuck his watch back into his pants pocket, "Whoa, Roy, you ok?" he reached out.
"Get away from him, Fullmetal!"
Busted. Naruto didn't even bother to turn as he heard his captor running down the hall. "I really thought that would take longer," he sighed, "man my luck sucks."
"Mustang... and... CRAP!" The blond in front of him attempted to leap back. Naruto shot out a hand and caught him, spinning around so the golden eyed youth was between him and his follower. "Well, I guess that answers which one is the real you."
"You think, Ed?"
"Shut up, Roy! This is your fault!"
"How the hell is it my fault that you're being held hostage?"
"Because you made Al call Winry, who hit me with a wrench! You asshole, what the hell have you been doing while I was away?"
"Brother!"
Naruto moaned, "Could this get any worse?" as Scar, Ling, the ANBU-fake, Hawkeye, Armstrong, and two others arrived. Armstrong was holding back one of them, a sandy-blond guy with gray, worried eyes.
The other, a young teen with long black hair done up in pig-tail buns grimaced, "No, Alphonse-san! It's the homunculus!"
"WHAT? You're a homunculus?" The blond in Naruto's arm squirmed, looking at him out of the corner of his eye, "Envy?" Naruto just growled; yanking on his arms to get him to hold still, he pulled out his last kunai. "What the hell, Al, this is what you called about? WHY DIDN'T YOU SAY SO IN YOUR MESSAGE?"
The ANBU gasped, "How did you get that?"
"What message, Brother?"
"The one you left with..."
"Winry, who hit you with a wrench when you showed up," Naruto interrupted. "Then you were on a train all night to get here and Mustang's an asshole. I KNOW already! GEESH!" With aPUFFT!he released his jutsu. It was pointless at this point anyway. "And I took this kunai and two others off of you when we fought yesterday, that's how I got this."
"Wait..." The blond in his arms squirmed again, trying to look at him, "You don't sound anything like him. Who the hell are you?"
"Not Envy, apparently. I'm not telling you guys shit." He reached a hand up, lucking his captive's arm in place and grabbed his hair, pulling in down and baring his neck. Inwardly cringing, he rested the kunai's blade against the throat. "Now let me go, or I kill him."
Mustang just smirked, "I wouldn't do that if I were you."
"Screw you. I'm walking out that door."
"You hurt one hair on Edward's head..." Armstrong threatened, "And you won't make it out of this hall alive, homunculus or no."
"So you're really a homunculus? I thought we killed Father."
"Listen, golden eyes, I've got no fucking clue what you're talking about. And you need to shut up." Naruto hissed. His implied threat only worked for a moment, however.
"Hey, he says he's got no clue what you're talking about, guys."
"He's lying."
"Yeah, well, his knife is a pretty convincing argument."
"He turns into a giant nine-tailed fox with rabbit ears."
"It does not have rabbit ears." Naruto gripped, "And I do not."
"Anything else?"
"Other than the whole impossible-to-kill thing?"
"You know, I think that their argument's a bit more convincing than yours." The blond in Naruto's arms pointed out.
"Would you shut up? What kind of guy lights someone on fire to test if you can kill them anyway? That's messed up! Sasu...this guy I used to know did that too. Sick. And why am I even talking to you?" Naruto started to drag his hostage backwards towards the exit.
"Hey, Ed." The fire-ass called as the group slowly followed.
"Yeah, Mustang?"
"Ling say's he's one."
"Oh?" Ed stopped moving, "Well, that's different then." With a deft twist he freed one of his arms and quickly locked his hand around the base of the kunai, fighting Naruto for control of it. "In that case," He dropped his whole body down and twisted so he was facing the whiskered shinobi, hands locked together now.Oh, this can't be good.Blue surprised eyes met gold determined ones, "You're not going anywhere!" He swung around, dragging Naruto with him before bringing up his left leg and slamming it right into his stomach.
Naruto went flying, slamming into a wall. Ed stood smirking down at Naruto, "Name's Edward Elric, Fullmetal Alchemist, and hero of the people. You're not going anywhere."
Let me take care of this, brat. "No! Dammit, I can't let you do that."
"Well, I just did."
I wasn't asking. The fox chuckled, its chakra racing though Naruto. "I SAID NO!"
"Uh...is he supposed to glow?"
"No it's a first!" Mustang snapped his fingers, only to remember that Naruto had his gloves, "Scar, Armstrong!"
"On it!"
"Yes sir!"
The two rushed him, Armstrong shooting a rock bullet at his face. Naruto quickly blocked it with his arm, unfazed thanks to the red chakra coating him. Desperately he fought down the Kyuubi as the demonic beast tried to wrest control away. He didn't see Scar's approach, but he did notice as the man let out a shout as the poisonous chakra burned him.
"Don't let it touch you!" The dark haired girl called out.
"Would you guys stop that?" He growled out, his voice rough from the partial transformation, "I'm a little busy right now..." Give up, you know I'll win."STOP IT!" With a final push Naruto shoved the Kyuubi's chakra back beyond the seal, "Stupid.....going to get..." he panted as his body returned to normal.
CLICK
Looking up he saw Hawkeye, gun inches away from his face. "Don't move."
"Fu..." blue eyes rolled back as his body gave in to chakra exhaustion. The last thing he thought was I hope she doesn't shoot me for falling.