Fullmetal Alchemist Fan Fiction ❯ Faces of Hatred ❯ The Wrong Love ( Chapter 5 )

[ T - Teen: Not suitable for readers under 13 ]

Chapter 6: The Wrong Love

Hate's grasp around me wasn't that of a captor. It was more like a hug. It confused me. I almost felt like I should hug him back, but I fought the urge.

"What do you want with me?" I demanded. He pulled away, as if hurt.

"I'm sorry we had to meet like this, but I couldn't think of another way to get close to you."

"If you're not here to kill me then..."

"Kill you! Never! If anyone ever even thought about it I'd rip them from their insides out!" He seemed angry, but not at me.

"But, at the house, when you took me & Ed. You threatened to poison me!"

"Only to convince Elric to come with me. You were never in any real danger. I'd never hurt you. I came here to tell you that. I... I love you." I suddenly felt very dizzy. "There I said it. And that's more than I can say for Elric."

Had he just said what I thought he said? I didn't know how to react. No one had ever said that to me before. Wait a minute, what had he said about Ed? "What do you mean Elric. Are you implying that I..."

"I'm sorry! I didn't mean to offend you. Your feelings for Elric are your business."

"But how did you..."

"It's kind of obvious." He seemed to fight it, but a smirk somehow managed to work its way onto his face.

I decided to change the subject. I thought this was the perfect opportunity to get some information out of him. I considered using my psych (as I referred to my powers) on him, but I didn't know how well it worked on homunculi. Back in Amestris, Lust had once shown surprising resistance to it.

Luckily, Hate seemed very open to me. "How do you know so much about our life in Amestris? Lust said you were created after everything happened with the Philosophers Stone, yet you know more about us than she does. How? Did Dante tell you? Does she really know that much?" I think I sounded a little more demanding than I had intended, but he seemed to admire it, if anything.

"Actually, Dante didn't have to. I was born with Elric's memories. It's weird though. They're not my memories. It's like I'm watching them in third person mode."

"How is that possible though? I thought homunculi had no memories of their past. Lust said some were triggered for her, but that took years! And even then she didn't have them all."

"I wish I could answer that, but I don't even know. I was hoping you could help me find out somehow." The way he spoke was almost enough to make me feel sorry for him. Almost.

"Why should I help you. You claim you won't hurt me, but you seem pretty hostile towards Ed. And why are you helping Dante." Okay, maybe not the smartest thing to say to an extremely dangerous homunculus. I seriously hoped my luck would hold out with this guy.

I started to have doubts as an angry heat seemed to surge into his ice-cold blue eyes "You think I obey Dante by choice! I hate that woman more than Elric! And as for Edward, He deserves hostility for everything he put you through!"

I tried to calm him down. Any information I could get out of him was useless if I ended up dead. "You sure hate a lot of people. I guess it's not just a name."

He seemed to lighten up a little. "You have no idea." I didn't care if he said he wouldn't hurt me, I wasn't taking any chances. I readied my knives, just in case.

I continued my investigation. "If you hate Dante so much, then why do you work for her?"

He raised his hand to his throat, which was adorned with a chain collar. "Despite her attempts to manipulate me, and bribe me with the red stones, I've made several attempts to turn on her. She used alchemy to create this collar. It's bolted into my oroboorus." He turned around and pushed aside his dark braid.

Sure enough, in the back of his neck, in the very center of his oroboorus was a bolt. It was driven its entire length through the collar and into his neck. A transmutation circle was etched onto its head. He tapped it with his finger. "Dante can trigger a circle from a distance, without actually touching it. If I do anything against her, she uses it to send shockwaves through my entire body. And trust me when I say that it hurts like hell."

"Have you tried taking it out?"

He looked at me like I had just asked if squirrels climb trees. "Dante's a bitch, but she's thorough I'll give her that. I've tried, but, well look." He put his hand to the collar, but it morphed into that black stuff, and recoiled away from it. "Dante can do things with alchemy that even Roy Mustang would call magic. That happens every time I try to touch it." He pulled his hand away.

I must have either really trusted him all of a sudden, or I completely lost it. "Let me try." I put my hand to the bolt, attempting to pull it out, but my hand went numb. I pulled my hand away. It went limp. "I guess that doesn't work either."

"I could have told you that. I once tried to talk Gluttony into getting rid of it for a stack of pies."

"Well it was still worth a...wait a minute did you say Gluttony?"

"Dammit, I shouldn't have said that. Don't tell Lust. I can't risk what might happen if she tries to free him, or how she might react to his `condition'."

So Gluttony was here. Than was that dream I had the other day real? Well, after I had thrown a bowl at Winry's head with my mind when we were eight, nothing surprised me anymore. I can't even remember what we were fighting about. We were usually such good friends. Luckily, she didn't see it fly through the air, and by the time she woke up she didn't remember a thing.

"Sharee, you alright?" I snapped out of my trance

"Yeah, fine. I was just thinking of something weird that happened a few days ago. Listen I wish I could help you, but I don't know what I can do. Maybe it's not such a good idea for me to be here in the first place. I mean, no offense, but who's to say Dante won't show up right now and order you to kill me? And you'd be powerless to stop her right?"

He frowned. "I hadn't thought of that." He put his hand to his face, as if deep in thought. "Well, when's the next time we can meet?" What, you mean he wanted to meet me again?! I thought this first encounter was dangerous. But what could I do?

"I think I can arrange another meeting. I promise to help you, if you promise me two things."

"Name `em"

"First of which is, don't kill Ed. Or Lust for that matter." He grimaced. I thought for a moment. Maybe I could let him kill Lust. I chuckled at my sadistic joke.

"Second, I need you to give me as much information on what Dante has you doing here, and what her next move is. Do we have a deal?"

"If it means I can see you, and get this collar off, I'll do anything." I felt strangely flattered that he enjoyed my company so much.

"Good, meet me in two days in the woods behind Anderson Ranch. I think it's called the Bavarian forest. We'll talk more then." He smiled.

"It's a date." He seemed to grow slightly embarrassed. "I mean deal. I tensed. His attraction to me was proving useful, but that didn't mean I had to like it.

"I'll see you then." I tried my best to smile, but it came out weak.

"Count on it." and with that, he quite literally melted into the shadows. What had I gotten myself into?

I went back to the ranch, each step feeling like weights had been strapped to my feet. I walked through the door, not even bothering to call to see if anyone was home. I tossed the basket of fruit (whose contents had taken a great deal of effort to recover) carelessly onto the table. I cradled the handless blade in my arms until I got to my room.

It was a small room, much like the barracks I had slept in when I was in the military, at least before Maes let me live in his house. I hid the blade underneath my pillow, then I threw myself on my bed.

I ran today's events through my mind, becoming more dizzy and sick with each passing second. Hate had said he loved me. No one had ever told me that before. I suppose I had felt it before. A fatherly kind, from Maes, but not even he had said it to me.

This must have been what Iole felt like. Trapped between her love for Hercules, and a monster's love for her. And Dante was the evil goddess, controlling his every move.

But could Hate really be called a monster. I knew he had done terrible things, but he had seemed so kind to me.

I tried to think of something else.

Flashback

"Sharee, You've put in a good day's work. You've been looking at those case files for hours. It's late."

I shot a sarcastic glare at the bespectacled man standing behind me. "It's barely quarter to nine."

He tried to look embarrassed. "Alright you caught me. The truth is, I promised Gracia I'd take her for a night on the town. She's been dying to get out of the house."

"Go home if you want then. I'll get back to my barrack when I'm ready."

He put his hand behind his head. "I would, but I'd be up all night worrying that I'd left a defenseless girl alone in the dark." He jumped as three of my throwing knives flew just over his hair. "That's right I forgot you could throw three now. You know, you learned astonishingly fast."

"Nah, I just had a great teacher." I was trying not to make such a big deal about my fast learning. I had actually taught myself to use my psyche to direct the knives. It took a lot of energy and concentration at first, but it got easier as I practiced more. Later I was going to see just how many I could throw.

"Well I'll call my wife then." He ruffled my hair in that way that was annoying, yet I wanted him to do it again.

I turned my gaze back to the open case files in front of me. Since we had run out of leads, and the face slasher hadn't claimed another victim, the case had come to a stand-still. Maes and I were very worried. If something didn't turn up real soon, the only way we were going to catch him is if he claimed another victim.

The injuries left on the victims made us certain that he was either male, or a very masculine woman. He was familiar with rope work, and favored knives. One thing we couldn't figure out was his motive.

"What! The Thompsons can't make it?" Maes' exclamation into the phone tore me from my thoughts of the case. "This is the third time they've canceled on us. . ." I could almost hear the comical tears that welled up in his eyes as he said "Who in their right minds would pass up an evening taking care of our darling Alicia! Yes I know they have a daughter to look after, but have you seen her? She's nowhere near as cute as ours!"

I got a sick feeling, as his voice turned sneaky. "No, don't worry, I'm sure I can find a replacement. You just worry about that sexy evening gown you bought last week." I made a note to remind him to keep his love life to himself from now on.

Long story short, I ended up being tricked into babysitting, as you've probably guessed. After a quick briefing of all the details like what she ate for dinner, when her bedtime was, and of course, I was entitled to anything in the Kitchen.

With Maes and Gracia gone, I was left all alone with my commanding officers pride and joy who, being almost three, had serious trouble pronouncing my name. Thus was I dubbed simply as Ree.

Sadly, I had already read most of the books around the house, and I didn't have much experience with kids, so I was left with nothing to do. I could always practice using my pyche, but Alicia was watching. Then again, she seemed pretty bored with her otherwise dull babysitter. I bent down so that my face was level with hers. "Alicia, can you keep a secret?"

She nodded. "Uh-huh."

"Cross your heart?" She did so. Maes was right, she was smart. "Alright then. Watch this." I reached my arm out towards the nearest object, which in this case was a lamp. Alicia clapped as I levitated it into the air.

I set it down. "Do me, do me!" she cried. Hmm, I thought to myself. I had never tried it on a person before.

“Alright, alright. Settle down. I need to concentrate” She sat back down and kept perfectly still. I could tell she was having a hard time containing her excitement.

I pointed my arm at her and she slowly began to rise into the air. She squealed with delight. I Floated her all around the room, making her do back flips, and somersaults, being careful not to overdo it and make her sick.

I plopped her back down on the couch. “Remember Alicia, you can't tell anyone about that. Not even Mommy or Daddy.”

“Okay Ree.” She smiled. She seemed ecstatic that an adult (well a teen anyway) was trusting her with such an important secret, and I immediately knew I had nothing to worry about.

* Maes *

It was almost one in the morning when Maes and Gracia pulled up to their house. He felt a little guilty for making Sharee watch Alicia for so long. He'd have to double her pay for that.

He & his wife walked up the drive laughing & joking about the evening until they reached the door. “Shush Maes. Alicia is probably asleep by now.” His wife reminded as they walked into the living room.

He smiled at what he found on the couch “She's not the only one dear.”

“What do you… oh how sweet.” Sure enough, Alicia lay on the couch, with her thumb in her mouth. And laying next to her was Sharee, sound asleep with Alicia's favorite storybook in her hand. “Maes, lets not wake her. Let her stay here tonight. I'll take Alicia to bed, and you can get Sharee some blankets.”

Maes smiled at her. “It would be better than those military bunks.” He whispered as he removed the children's book.

She kissed him on the cheek. “I knew you'd understand.”

Maes took a quilt from the hall closet and lay it across her. He ran his fingers through her hair, and admired how peaceful she looked.

She reminded him of Gracia when they had first met. Instinctively, and without thinking, he kissed her forehead.

From then on Sharee was part of the family.

End Of Flashback

I awoke with tears running down my face as I remembered that time in my life when I really felt wanted. I pulled out two pictures I carried with me everywhere.

One was a photograph of Maes, Gracia, Me, Alicia, Ed and Al. We had it taken to celebrate closing the Face-Slasher case.

The other was a crayon drawing of Alicia and I. We were both floating in the air over a flower filled meadow.

My thoughts were broken by voices downstairs, followed by footsteps toward my room. There was a brief knock, and then Lust let herself in.

I don't care if she was a reformed human now. To me she would always be Lust.

“Come downstairs. I have someone I want you to meet.”