Chapter Four:
Hunted
Gun shots chased after her one hit her flank it wasn't hard to miss a target her size each bullet left inch size holes in her body. It didn't matter red sparks healed it they bit and healed as she raced down the beach at a mad run.
At first people stared freezing in their normally daily activity children pets all turned in her direction sand and screaming followed. People ran Alphonse followed her shooting all the way why didn't he use alchemy?
Picking up a near by chair she flung it at his direction funny no more shots she took this opportunity to storm down the beach at a run. The terrain made her sink in and slide she ran passed people making a mad dash up the beach.
Alphonse had no choice then but to use Alchemy she didn't see it but heard the familiar zap and crackle of it. This gave her the precious minuet she needed it to make it to the top of the hill she had increased in speed storming up the beach she knocked things over in her haste.
One being a basket another being a dog that had followed her until she roared at it then it had turned and fled she stopped once she reached the top of the hill. Panting and noticed a cluster of people had become trapped on the top of a rather large hill over looking the ocean.
Breathing heavily she hunched down claws digging on other side of her teeth bared as a low growl shuddered from inside of her. She wasn't thinking just acting a low grumble burned inside of her as a man stared at her open mouth.
"Please." he gasped he stood in front of a man who clung to a child. A child that had not been abandoned they had no where to go.
The man had white hair brown skin and red eyes. Hes an Ishvalan isn't he? Is her first thought a loud bang s gets her attention her pupils turn staring at Alphonse with a snarl.
"Run I'll cover you." Alphonse called after them people behind her took this opportunity to dash towards the building blocking her retreat. Its almost funny seeing him like that, it reminds her of Mustang.
She whipped about turning to face him he shot her once in the flank then clapped his hands together sparks forming as the sand turned into a hand.
It shot out towards her slamming into her stomach it knocked her back a tremor shook as the ground beneath her began to crack. A low wail broke from her throat as panic took over she clawed at the air as she and the man fell.
She had seen blue azure skies sand dirt and people standing in front of them a man shielding the child with strong arms. For a moment she sees nothing stunned her arms on either side of her face planted in the dirt. Dazed she dose not move not even when she feels something clinging onto her tail.
This is probably the only situation where extra hands and legs come in someones favor. Turning her eyes from the people in her way to Alphonse. The man backs up talking in a strange language clinging onto the brat in his arms.
Alphonse moves in front of them trained his weapon on her eyes a sneer burns on her throat eyes focused on him. He has abandoned the gun instead more hands of sand start bursting out around her climbing beneath her feet and lifting her and the man up.
With a single shake she could fling him onto the ground below. The man clawed at her for dear life staring into one of the many faces that talked he almost let go a few times. She noticed more then one sand hand wrap around him plucking him off of her.
"Move human," she didn't say it very nicely nor did he appear to be listening.
For a moment the two of them looked at one another her feet dangling off of the side of the cliff. "Let me evacuate the civilians first." he sounded so grown up like an officer.
She rolled her eyes he should be more concerned about his own safety. He moved back helping the man with his alchemy. He lands on his feet sounding relieved.
"Deal." she grunted trying to keep still if she moved an inch the entire surface shook. Alphonse moved back making sure the others were behind him once they were far enough to stand on the cement he smiled at her.
"Sorry but your not exactly trust worthy are you?" she didn't like that tone it wasn't a question but a statement of fact.
With a loud clap of his hands suddenly the sand hands were wrapping around her back legs. Turning her head she roar snarling and snapping at one that tried to wrap around her mouth. "Fuck," she cursed at a loud roar.
It splattered into thousands of tiny bits of sands. She let a roar swiping at it with her front arm making more cracks appear in the sand around her. She held her body up with the left side aware that he started to lift her until shes almost upside down.
A loud howl of protest burns in her throat. "Damn you! Not this again." she groaned in protest her chest began to tighten.
It had been bad enough fighting for Father now this. She struggled against the sand restraints snapping at the air now that she's completely upside down her entire body wrapped in giant hands. More then one alchemist had come to help him.
She should be able to change form with a single red spark that be it but for some reason its not working. Eyes fixated on the ground beneath her she swings her free arm into the long tower of sand but it barely shakes. More strands of sand wrap around it until it too is confined.
Leaving only her head poking out her pupils purple iris gleam furiously at the human whose
standing their with a grim look on his face. They had her trapped she couldn't move each time she did spikes inside of the sand would drive into her skin.
A low panting howl of pain radiated through the beach. "Curse you when I get out of here you-," she stopped noticing the gun being trained at her.
"Enough why have you come here? I thought you died." Alphonse snarled eyes never leaving her.
Her answer is a cry of rage from the pain and embarrassment from being in this situation. A low vibrating sound grew in her throat. Just why couldn't she shift? She could feel a burning feeling in her stomach.
The souls had gone quite lulled by the night inside of the sand. Watching him she sneered at him it wouldn't matter anyways. They'd still reacted this way either way.
"These bullets are specialty made to mess with your transformation skills." he smiles at her in a way that makes her stomach twist.
"Theirs been a lot of improvement to our defenses I wonder why you finally decided to cause trouble now I've been watching you for a while." He continued on but she had stopped listening wasn't he going to get it over with already?
Is that brat girl here? Chibi? The one with the bear? Is that why those bullet wounds healed slower? Her what ever you call it different type of alchemy could cause a lot of pain too. It all hurt the same she didn't need to remember the details.
What was she going to tell him that she had a dream and it caused her to shift? That she had been brought to this from fear and confusion. It didn't take much pain to snap her out of this instead she turned her eyes away from him and into the ocean.
Nothing like a giant green lizard could wreck a day like this right? A silent feeling at her own joke the truth is she hadn't been planning anything. A slight zap as a small hiss of pain ran up along side of her nodes. It felt like a numb feeling in her thigh.
She began to struggle she's award with a loud zap the buzz makes her scream in agony and she thrashes harder earning a large stabbing heat from her thigh. What is this? This is the reason she hates humans her heart beat begins to pound.
An angry loud cry as sand shakes from her container she won't be trapped not like this. She can hear the sound of tearing flesh. Her eyes become empty as she strains fighting her restraints the sand around her arm explodes she breaks free hitting the middle of the surface sending sprays of sand splattering everywhere.
Hate, it burns she's saying it in her mind alone and empty in the dark white figures of herself faceless and empty. "Hate." a small child like voice cries out in her mind.
A roar escapes her as she drops to her feet sand blood and torn body parts falling with her. Your going to pay for that one she thinks. If the others had been here they would have mocked her for this for weeks.
She's torn off one of her legs it doesn't matter it'll grow back anyways. It hits the ground after she dose falling heavily to its side evaporating. Like the piles of sand that fell around her it left stains of red spilling out all over the surface.
Did he really think that would work? Theirs a few spare sparks all and down her body but her body regenerates not at its normal speed about half. But it still forms a new leg for her to place down it burns where the sand thorns had cut it off.
The force of her landing knocked him clean off of his feet sending him back first into the sand behind him. Standing over him her eyes glowed watching him through heavy layered breathing the burning in her leg also subsides.
"It hurts doesn't it human?" she watches him with anger. This, this is the reason why she hates humanity turning away from him she makes her way up to the sand to concrete. Sparks zapping down her side with one foot after the other.
It gives her a strong high one of rightness this is how she should always feel. Why did it matter if humans suffered they deserve it.
With each step it causes sharp pain up her newly regenerated leg. But it dose not stop her pushing on she reaches a large amount of buildings. That's not the reason why she stops all around her is about twenty to thirty cars.
A lot of fire power is pointed in her direction theirs a blonde woman standing on top of one of the cars. A sword in hand and a smile on her face. "Just move an inch and we'll blast you their won't be anything left of you Homunculus."
It sounded as if she'd like nothing better then to blast her with that weapon. "What have you done with my trainee?" She demanded giving her a hard stare.
"Get out of my way human," she replied coldly but she didn't move. Watching the human walk across the hood of the car hop on the front of it then jump down to the pavement bellow. She smirked at smile at her drawing the long sword in front of her.
"Prepare your self Homunculus you will answer for all of your crimes." Oliver Armstrong that with a straight face. The very idea is amusing a smirk grew on her face she couldn't help it. Sense when did humanity have the right to govern her?
Her eyes gleamed with amusement, "Well see now won't we." all of her pupils watched her independent eyes moving in her single large one. Theirs too many of them herself told her.
Some have even started blocking her retreat. Alphonse is making his way closer he's slows his pace until he's stopped a few feet away nursing his arm. She should have given him more then a bruised arm lowering her head the women turns her head to one side.
A bored look on Olivers face. "I suppose its fine to initiate these problems and avoid responsibility for it, when your the one who started multiple large scale incidents." She lifted her sword right up and pointed it a inch away from her eyes.
Her teeth could swallow her whole in one gulp. But she doesn't moved impressed by the humans boldness. The two of them could talk politics all day her tail twitches this earns her a raised gun shot and the woman lifts her arm up.
"Aren't you curious what were going to do with you?" she brings the sword just under her throat. "Why we haven't killed you? We've been keeping tabs on you the entire time." the women watches her smirking triumphantly.
"It doesn't matter really dose it? You humans always talk and talk but it makes no difference to me its always the same," She lowers the sword from her throat and moves back. She could have knocked the women over.
But something about her seemed off she didn't seem the least bit concerned about her. The sword had strange markings on it. Someone had put some sort of Alchemy on it probably she sat down making several of the humans fall over.
Dangling the sword behind her back, "Their is a third option" scolded the woman watching her. A blonde woman with a sword, she'd heard of her before. She'd dealt with her before Oliver Armstrong wasn't it? A ridiculous name.
For a even more ridiculous woman who gave her a smile. It seemed as if she'd like nothing better then a fight.
"You could come along peacefully without further damage to the city, tell me are you curious now Homunculus or are we tiny humans beyond showing sympathy for." With each word her tone deepened and she walked sword behind her shoulders.
She hit it right on the head she'd been thinking about this sense her return that perhaps were not so different. Despite she naturally hated humans, she wanted everything they had. She wanted love, she wanted respect she wanted what they had.
She wanted the thought is like a whisper broken and cracked a pang grew inside of her. That's why it felt so good to take things from humans property love, their lives they made her suffer. Father had made her and she'd always been trapped in their shadow.
Envy had always been imagining what it would be like with a family to be free. But that type of thing would never happen to her. For her to call her out on it, "Don't you envy humanity Envy?" the play on her name made it sting deeper.
She wanted them to suffer for it and this woman she had eyes, "You had plenty of opportunities to kill us, plenty of time to do something and you haven't. Tell me Homunculus do you really want another war?"
"You sprout how horrible we humans are and yet you yourself never take responsibility." Her tone grew more colder. "Your the one who would destroy thousands of lives for your Father's goals." she let out a laugh one of pride for being a human she looked so strong so confident.
Oliver rose her sword moving to indicate an attack it's slow deliberate. Oliver takes her time Envy eyes look around her. Last she checked one individual did not make a war even if she wanted to fight humanity who would she fight with?
All these questions she had been thinking of for a moment the two of them just stand there. Beyond her she can see someone helping Alphonse closer. A flash of red, "What were thinking you should have waited until back up."
Those words she knew them the person they belonged to. Envy stopped and turned away from her freezing as Edward helped his younger brother. That human a look of defiance burned in her eyes he's the one whose created such doubt in her.
Ever sense she'd torn the life from her body the shame of being understood by a human of finding her true thoughts. That she wanted to be a human she craved for the closeness the bonds the life she could have if she'd been born human.
And there he was standing there with his brother arm in arm. He had a wide grin on his face he turned to look at her through narrowed eyes. He seemed so surprised and she couldn't move he seemed lost in thought.
"That wasn't nice hitting my brother like that." Edward watched her his voice seemed hesitant. No, no, no he's not suppose to be here. She lifts one leg up and backs up slowly.
"Stop don't move or we'll fire." Armstrong shouted snapping her fingers every gun is pointed and raised at her.
She lifts her head up in response eyes burning these humans they deserve everything what's coming to them don't they. Theirs no way she could admit that these new found emotions hurt her, that its happening to her.
Theirs no way she can surrender theirs no guarantee what they'd do with her. Trust isn't something earned in an instant. Trust isn't something she could give them either, it had been different with the other Homunculus.
They'd never accept her like they'd never accept each other Edward is living in a fantasy world these people have to hate each other. Homunculus have to hate humans because Father says so because her natural instincts told her to.
It has to be this way right? Their the ones responsible for her suffering they should suffer. She has to fight that's what she's made to do right. Why aren't they attacking her for? Lowering her head Oliver dose not move not even when their almost nose to nose.