SCARLETT
"How is that a Homunculus? They're supposed to be artificial humans!" Ling yelled.
"That doesn't mean they were always human!" she yelled back.
Envy's mid-section was covered in human souls!
"Oof!"
She ducked as Ed went sailing. Then went Ling, three seconds behind him. She spun around. Envy's tail was whipping towards her!
Catch it!
She put her hands out, and the tail smashed into her. "Gah!... I'm not... so easy... to break..." she grunted, gritting her teeth and twisting her feet to hold her ground better.
Using her distraction to his advantage, Envy twisted around and threw her the opposite direction. She landed face-down in the red sea.
Pulling herself up, she saw that Ed had come face-to-face with one of the souls on Envy's side. He was frozen, and Envy's tail was coming down.
"Oi! Ed! Move!" she yelled. She heaved a sigh of relief as Ling saved the young Alchemist.
But there was still work to be done...
Like a racer, almost, she crouched down and took off running, all of the blades she had melting down her body and onto her arms. She held them together, and the liquid titanium became one large blade, long, simple, sharp, and deadly. She raced past Envy's right flank.
"Hah! Is that all you got, hu- Aah!"
Envy's three right legs dissolved into dust, and he toppled. The blades ran back up to their original places. "Hah. Take that, freak!" she yelled, pointing triumphantly.
They began running around him in circles, nipping in and out. She saw Ed stop and stare, sadly and confused, into the writhing mass of souls on Envy's chest. "Look out!" she screamed.
"I'm tired of playing around!" Envy hissed, swatting Edward onto the stone they'd just rested on. A small red jet spurted out of his mouth.
"Ed! Get up, you pathetic shorty!" "Ed! Ed, wake up!"
She and Ling both yelled frantically as Envy's tongue picked Edward up. Then his mouth closed...
And Edward was gone...
LING
"Bastard!"
Envy had just swallowed Edward. Scarlett ran at the gargantuan monster, her arm-blades becoming larger and more lethal-looking. She darted around and around the Homunculus, tears streaming down her face. The one thing he could think of...
Wow, Scarlett is certainly and emotional woman.
He was still crouched down, trying to regain his breath and stop his nose from bleeding. Scarlett had a few small bruises, but she was working like a mad-woman to cut Envy up!
There was a loud crack...
And Edward's foot was sticking out of Envy's mouth.
"Hey! Lemme outta here, Envy! Your breath's killing me! I gotta figure a way to get us outta here!"
"What?" they all gasped.
SCAR
May was showing a picture of the panda to people. One man had just said he'd seen a man in armor with a cat just like the picture.
Yuuki... Where did she go?
May gasped, spotting something in an alley. He followed her gaze.
The young Elric brother was standing behind the fat Homunculus. On his shoulder was the panda.
"Shou May!" May tried to run to them, but he stopped her. "What's wrong?"
"The fat one. He and the Elric brothers are enemies. So why is he with him...?"
"What about him?"
"He's a Homunculus. They have regenerative abilities, making them almost immortal."
"All the more reason to go after him! Let's go!"
Before he could stop her, May ran after them.
ALPHONSE
"What's wrong? Are you cold?" he asked the shivering little panda. She clung to his finger.
Maybe she's like Scarlett and can sense bad things? That would explain a few things.
Something next to his foot rattled. He looked down and squealed.
The floor was littered with bones!
"G-Gluttony? What's all that about?"
"Hmm? Oh, the Gate-Keepers did that. But they won't rip you up 'cause you're with me!"
"Gate-Keepers...?" he asked, looking up. "Eep!"
Hundreds of evil-looking animal eyes glared down at them.
"Ju-just pretend they aren't there..." he whispered to the panda.
SCARLETT
Edward had drawn a trans-mutation circle using blood. Now he was going to open up the Gate.
A bright white light filled the air. She and Ling stepped into the circle, and she suddenly felt like she did the first time she'd come into contact with Alchemy.
She was falling through a void...
There was no end to it...
No bottom, no ground...
And then...
It was all dark...
There was ground beneath her...
She opened her eyes a crack. She was on one side of Ed, leaning up against Envy. She could see Ling on the other side of Ed.
"Brother!"
Al was right up against Ed. "Al? You're back in your armor... That means..."
"We're back in the real world." Ling said triumphantly.
She got up as Ed was taken into a death-hug by Al. She peered around.
These tubes contain... a Philosopher's Stone? Damn, this place isn't good, I'll say that...
While she wasn't paying attention, someone emerged. Now she whipped around.
Hohenheim? Ed's dad?
No... This isn't him...
She'd met Hohenheim in Resembool after she and Ed had visited Xerxes. He'd seemed like a nice man. But this... It shared some connection with him, but it wasn't him.
He healed Ed and reconstructed Al's missing hand, but didn't even glance at her or Ling. She decided he wasn't someone you were supposed to like.
'Heart' says protect Ed and Al...
She moved between the man and the brothers. Her face was stony, almost like his. "I don't know who the hell you are, but you aren't good. I can tell that much." she said.
"Scarlett? What can you tell us about him?" Ling gasped from the side.
"Hmm..."
She peered at the man, lowering her face slightly.
What the hell!
"What the hell!"
"What?" demanded Ed.
"He's not your old man, but he's got a blood-relationship and he... He's a Philosopher's Stone!"