Yu-Gi-Oh! Fan Fiction / Fullmetal Alchemist Fan Fiction ❯ The Unforgivable Sin ❯ Chapter 16 ( Chapter 16 )

Chapter 16

 

“Wake up!” Malik hissed three days later, whacking at my head with a pillow. “I swear, you can be incredibly lazy when you're not off fighting bad guys.”

 

“Leave me alone,” I grumbled, pulling my pillow over my head. I had been having a rather nice dream, and I didn't appreciate the blonde's interruption.

 

Malik wasn't one to be deterred, however, and he yanked my pillow away and hit me with his own. “Nope, sorry. His Royal Shortness is downstairs; he says he's gotta talk to you.”

 

I rolled over and opened one eye, rubbing the sleep away so I could peer out the window. “This early? The sun's not even up yet. Couldn't he have just sent a message or something? And what're you doing up this early?”

 

“I've gotta take the morning train down to Youswell, remember? There's a dig near the coal mines. And as for Ed coming here in person, I couldn't tell you why. I know nothing about his super-important `Official Military Business,' but I'd guess it has something to do with the Homunculi.” Malik kicked the bed. “So up and at `em.”

 

“Fine, fine,” I grumbled, sitting up reluctantly and pushing the covers away. “I'm up now.”

 

“If you're not downstairs in ten minutes, I'm coming back up and dragging you down by the ankles,” the blond threatened over his shoulder as he walked out.

 

“Right, right,” I mumbled to myself as I reached for my nearby robe and flung it around my shoulders. Stupid Colonel. Couldn't he wait at least until daylight?

 

Malik was waiting at the bottom of the staircase as I shuffled down, still half-asleep. “Good thing,” he said as I walked past him and turned towards the sitting room. “You're too heavy to drag anywhere at five o'clock in the morning.”

 

“Shut up, Malik.” I tightened my robe a little and saluted as I entered the sitting room.

 

Ed was sitting in the chair closest to the fireplace, and the fire crackling within it cast strange, dancing shadows across his face. “Major,” he said, saluting in turn. “You're out of uniform.”

 

“As is usual at this time in the morning,” I answered pointedly as I took the seat across from him.

 

“Yeah, I apologize for waking you up, but it's urgent.” Ed paused and scowled in the door's direction. “Don't you have a train to catch?”

 

“Before I say good-bye?” asked Malik's too-innocent voice as he poked his head into the opening.

 

“Then say good-bye and stop eavesdropping!” the Colonel snapped. “This is classified information.”

 

“I'll see you later, Malik,” I told him with a nod, hoping he'd catch my real meaning. I'll tell you about it later, okay?

 

He made a face, but his answering nod told me that he understood. “See ya,” he said with a small wave as he disappeared from the doorway. A few seconds later, the sound of the main entrance opening and closing reached our ears.

 

Ed got up and walked over to check that he was gone anyways. “You haven't been telling him everything that's happened, have you?” he asked me, a suspicious look on his face as he walked back to his chair.

 

“N-no, sir,” I answered. “Not everything. But he was there the first time I saw Greed, and I told him a little about what happened back then. Nothing important, though.” I pulled my chair a little closer to the fire. “So what's happened now?”

 

“Well, I would tell you, but it's probably best to show you.” Ed stared at me, his face unreadable through the firelight shadows that danced across it. “You'd better get dressed, Major; we have a little trip to take.”

 

* * *

 

Half an hour later, the official military vehicle pulled up in front of a downtown grocery store, which was already surrounded by a dozen or more police and military cars. Two soldiers stood on either side of the door, and its large display window had been busted. As I pushed open the door and climbed out of the car, an uneasy feeling began to creep into my stomach. “What happened here?” I asked as Ed came around the car and joined me.

 

“Robbery,” the Colonel replied as we walked together to the door. “Sometime last night. A passing citizen saw the mess and reported it just a couple hours ago.” He stopped and nodded at the open door. “You might be interested in what we found inside.”

 

I frowned at him and then stared into the store, my apprehension growing with every second. The soft glow of lamps broke through the shadows within, and the sound of voices drifted out to me, indicating that the scene's investigation was still ongoing. Taking a deep breath, I stepped through the door.

 

The scene within was one of utmost upheaval. Most of the shelves and stands had been knocked over, spilling their contents across the floor. Fruit squished and glass crunched under foot as I picked my way among the wreckage to the back of the store, towards the lampglow and the voices.

 

A door stood open at the back, leading to the stockroom, and it was in front of it that two sleepy-looking investigators stood, comparing their notes on the scene. One looked up as I approached. “What're you doing here, kid?” he demanded. “How did you get past the guards?”

 

“They let me through,” I answered with a sigh as I pulled my silver watch out of my pocket.

 

The men's eyes widened at the sight, and both instantly straightened and attempted to appear more polite. “Forgive me, sir,” the first said. “I didn't know who you were. Ah, if you're here to examine the circle, it's on the wall to the right in the stock room.” He gestured at the open door. “The body has already been taken away.”

 

Body? I turned to look at Ed, who had followed me in, but he only nodded towards the stock room. So I took a deep breath, grabbed one of the investigators' lamps, and stepped into the room.

 

The stock room was in similar disarray as the store front, with one very noticeable difference: instead of food and glass, the floor was strewn with food and blood. The smell of it filled the small room, sharp spices competing with metallic blood-scent in the thick, stifling air. I put my free hand over my mouth and nose and tried hard not to throw up.

 

“Over here,” Ed said, gesturing to the right. Following his lead, I carried the lamp over to the wall. The shelves and boxes that had once lined it had been torn away and thrown aside, and once again I had to pick my away through the debris. When I got close enough for the meager lamp light to reveal the wall, I gasped, the apprehension in my stomach hardening into ice-cold dread.

 

Written on the wall in dark red-brown smears that could only be blood was a transmutation circle. Not just any circle, either… “It's the same,” I whispered, reaching out but stopping just short of touching it. “It's the same as the one in Lior. The one he used to pattern the robberies there.” I looked back at Ed. “Greed did this.”

 

“That's most likely the case, yes,” he replied. “Not many would know what the Ouroboros circle looks like.”

 

“Ouroboros?”

 

He nodded. “That's the Ouroboros circle. It's used to make the Philosopher's Stone, but only those who've seen beyond the Gate know of it. Them and the Homunculi.”

 

“Well, that certainly narrows down the field of suspects,” I said dryly. Not that that mattered much; I already knew it was Greed. He was sending me a message. But what?

 

“Strange that he would bust out the window, though, instead of simply walking through the door. Perhaps he wanted to make sure someone would see the mess before the daily crowd began to show up.”

 

“That or he just felt like robbing this place the hard way,” I interjected. “There's no telling what he thinks.”

 

“Uh, right. Anyways, the cash drawer was emptied, and the store manager was stabbed to death back here, and you can see. He was probably doing inventory.”

 

Ed continued to talk, but I tuned him out. I didn't need to know the useless specifics of the investigation; all I needed to know was on the wall in front of me. Bending closer, I studied the circle with a frown. It was imperfect to be sure; the lines were too thick in some spots and too thin in others, and in several places drops of blood had run down the wall, further marring the image. Yet there was something else as well, a jagged line that cut through the right side of the circle. A line that looked strangely familiar.

 

“Colonel?”

 

“Eh?” Ed blinked, looking slightly perturbed at being interrupted. “What is it?”

 

“This,” I answered, pointing out the line. “It's not supposed to be there.”

 

He walked over to join me. “You're right,” he said as he stared at it. “It's not. Strange, it looks almost like the railway path between Central and East City.”

 

Several things clicked in my mind at his words. The Ouroboros circle…East City…he's still waiting for me. He still wants me to make him human. And he's getting impatient.

 

“Colonel,” I said, turning to face him. “When is the next available time that I can go to East City?”

 

“Later this morning,” Ed replied, and I looked at him in surprise. “I've already received permission from the Fuhrer,” he continued as he beckoned me out of the stock room. “I guessed after you came back reporting that Wrath was there that I was wrong about them moving their base to Central; it was just Greed who came. At any rate, we've got tickets for the eight o'clock train.”

 

I followed him back through the store and to vehicle waiting for us outside. “That's sudden. What happened to that plan you were supposed to come up with?”

 

“Looks like we'll have to improvise,” he returned dryly, walking around the car and opening its door. “Thankfully, my brother has good timing.” He climbed in.

 

“What do you mean?” I asked as I also got in and closed the door.

 

Ed sighed wearily. “Take us back to the Ishtar residence,” he told the driver, and he turned back to me as the car started moving. “He came to town last night,” he explained. “The Walkers, a couple back in Rizenbul, were recently killed in a farming accident, and Al brought their baby to Central City to give to an adoption agency.”

 

“…Oh.” I didn't have to ask what that meant. I didn't even want to think about it. Yet we had no other options; too many innocent, uninvolved people had died in this strange war, and that child was our only hope of ending it. I could only pray that it didn't get hurt.

 

* * *

 

The next few hours passed by in a blur; I returned home to get a couple more hours of sleep and to pack a few things for the day-and-a-half train ride, and Ed went off to do whatever Colonels do before big missions.

 

We met again at the train station at 7:45 and lingered on the platform a while before boarding the train, which sat puffing merrily on its track nearby. Fuhrer Mustang was there to see us off, and Alphonse as well. The kind-faced man still held the year-old child, seemingly reluctant to let it go.

 

“I don't feel right about doing this, Nii-san,” he complained to the Colonel. “Are you sure he won't get hurt?”

 

Ed shifted uncomfortably. “I can't promise that, and you know it, Al. But this is our only option if we want to get rid of Wrath. And right now we don't have a choice about that; he and Greed have killed too many people.”

 

Al bit his lip, but he didn't protest further as he handed the child to his brother. “Take care of him. And don't forget to feed him, Nii-san.”

 

“I'm not gonna forget to feed him!” Ed snapped indignantly, drawing chuckles from the rest of us.

 

The final boarding call from the conductor sounded behind, and Mustang nodded towards the train. “You'd better go before it leaves without you,” he said. “I'll be expecting your report on my desk within a week.”

 

“You'll get your report, Fuhrer, don't worry about it,” Ed replied with a dismissive wave as he turned and boarded the train. I saluted and followed him.

 

“Good luck!” Al called to us through the open window as we seated ourselves in the carriage. “I'll still be here when you get back, brother, so I'll see you then!”

 

“Yeah!” Ed agreed as the whistle blew and the train began moving with a jolt. “We can all go out for dinner then! And Mustang can pay!”

 

“Or not!” Mustang retorted. “Take care of your subordinate, Colonel.”

 

“I'll be fine, Fuhrer!” I replied, hanging half out the window to wave one last time. The train was speeding up, though, and Fuhrer Mustang and Al disappeared quickly as the platform was left behind. With a sigh, I pulled myself back into the carriage and sat down. “You think we really will be fine, sir?” I asked. “Will this really work?”

 

“It should,” Ed said. “It's too late to second-guess ourselves anyways. Better settle down, Major; we've got a few long days ahead of us.”

 

* * *

 

I saw him when we got off the train at the East City station the next evening. He was standing near the door to the station building, and when I stepped off the train he smirked, raised a hand as if in greeting, and disappeared into the building. Behind me, Ed hopped out of the carriage with the baby, whom we had taken to calling Joshua, in tow.

 

“Something the matter, Major?” he asked as he looked at me.

 

“I-it's nothing, sir,” I replied as my hand drifted automatically to my pocket. “I'm just a little nervous.” I should have expected Greed to be here, after all; he had sent that message to me, and he wanted to be sure that I came. Now he knew I was here, and he would make his move soon.

 

That was okay. I had a little surprise for him this time.

 

“Try not to worry too much, Major,” Ed said as he brushed past and headed towards the street exit. “We'll pull through; we've got a couple of aces of our sleeves, after all.”

 

“R-right.” I followed him out.

 

The sun was setting, so we went straight to our hotel for the night. Both of us were worn out from the long trip, and Joshua was already asleep. The night passed uneventfully, and when the sun rose again I was the first to awaken.

 

I stayed in bed for a while, staring at the ceiling and listening to the Colonel's snores from across the room. He had yet to tell me exactly where the Homunculi had been hiding, but that didn't matter much. Greed already knew we were here, which meant that Wrath probably knew as well. More than likely, they would find us long before we found them.

 

With a sigh, I surmised that Ed probably wasn't going to wake up any time soon, and I crawled out of bed and pulled my pants on, deciding to get the day started without him. He'd probably appreciate a little impromptu room service anyways.

 

Joshua cooed as I was pulling on my vest and jacket, and I went over to his makeshift crib in the corner. “Good morning,” I told him with a sad smile, rubbing his head with one hand. “I hope you're feeling well today.”

 

The baby laughed in response, and I sighed. “Me too, though I doubt I will be for long. I'll be back soon.” I slipped out the door and walked through the hotel to the street outside.

 

The city was just coming to life with the new day, people crowding the sidewalks and cars slowing passing by on the streets as everyone made their way to work. Vendors hawked their wares to passersby, and many shops had their doors wide open, signaling that they were open. I smiled as I spotted one particular shop with an open door; I had noticed in passing last evening that it sold cream puffs, and I was eager to buy a few for breakfast.

 

The shopkeeper called a jovial greeting as I entered, and I nodded my head in response as I wandered over to the pastry display. A couple of cream puffs for myself, maybe a steamed bun or two for the Colonel…

 

Someone bumped into me from behind, and before I could turn around to admonish the person, an arm slung itself around my shoulders, and something sharp poked into my ribs. “Yo, brother,” a voice said in my ear. “You got my message, I see. It's about time you came to town.”

 

I froze, ice trickling down my spine. He shouldn't be able to get this close…should he? My hand slapped at the pocket that had contained that package, only to find it gone. Terror overwhelmed me at this realization. It must have fallen out at the hotel. Oh God, what do I do now?

 

“Come on, Ryou, surely by now you've gotten used to me,” Greed continued, oblivious to the reason for my panic. “Don't you have something to say to me? A simple hello, perhaps?”

 

“Let me go!” I hissed in response.

 

“So sorry, but I can't do that.” I could hear the smirk in his voice. “We're going to take a little walk, you and I.” He turned around, forcing me to turn with him by keeping his arm around my shoulder, and walked out the shop door, dragging me along beside him. He turned left and continued down the street, and as we neared the hotel, I glanced up, praying that Ed had woken up by now.

 

He had. My heart soared with hope as I saw him in our room's window, seeming mildly annoyed as he stared down at the street. Please see me, I prayed as Greed led me onward. Please, please, look at me.

 

Apparently, two people with white hair weren't hard to miss, for our eyes connected within seconds, and he bent forward suddenly, pressing both palms against the glass. His expression was hard to read from that distance, but I could see his hand clearly as he dropped it and patted his pocket. I shook my head fractionally. No, I don't have it. It has fallen out; it's in the room. Please, please find it!

 

I could only hope he understood what that shake of my head meant, for the knife Greed held poked through my clothes, biting painfully into my side. “You stop communicating with him,” he snarled in my ear. “Or you're gonna end up with a punctured lung, and that wouldn't be good for you, now would it?”

 

“You wouldn't dare,” I snapped back. “Not here, with all these people around.”

 

The knife dug a little deeper, and I couldn't help but wince. “Don't presume to know what I would and wouldn't dare,” he said. “You've tried my patience long enough; I have half a mind to go ahead and kill you.”

 

I wasn't about to argue with a threat like that, so I kept my mouth shut from that point on as Greed continued to walk me through the streets of East City. I had only been to the city once before, when I had come a few days ago searching for Ed, so I had no clue where he might be leading me, but I got the sense that we were heading into the heart of the city, where the major businesses and the local military headquarters were located.

 

“Almost there now, brother,” Greed said gleefully as he steered me towards a derelict building. It was condemned, surrounded by a fence to keep people away. A sign on the gate noted that it was scheduled for demolition in a couple of weeks.

 

“I'm not your brother!” I snapped as Greed pushed aside a few boards to reveal a hole in the fence and pulled me through.

 

“Oh, but you soon will be, eh?” He grinned at me, a sadistic expression that sent a shudder coursing through me. “Come on,” he said, grabbing my arm and keeping the dagger against my side as he led me into the building.

 

The door he led me through opened into a stairwell. On the left hand, it led up to the second floor; on the right, it led down into the basement. Greed took the right, dragging me into the darkness as he snickered insanely. “Soon, soon,” he crowed as he jerked me through the door at the bottom. “You'll be able to make the Philosopher's Stone, and I can become human!”

 

“N-no,” I whispered as I took in the large, almost empty basement. Steel and wood girders were scattered across the room, supporting the building above. In the farthest corner, barely visible in the dim light provided by a few overhead electric lamps, were some boxes, a few chairs, and a couple of beds. So this was where the Homunculi had been hiding.

 

“What did you say?” Greed asked, whirling to face me and losing the jubilant ring in his voice.

 

“I said no,” I answered, my voice growing stronger with every word. So he might kill me; so what? Better that than risk the lives of the people who walked the streets above us in a near-hopeless effort to make the Philosopher's Stone. “I'm not making the Stone.”

 

“Oh, come now, Ryou,” he sneered, stepping closer. “Use a little sense, why don't you? You want your brother back, right?”

 

“I…I do,” I admitted, dropping my gaze to the floor. “But…but he's dead. He's not coming back, no matter what I do.” I raised my head again, looking him squarely in the eye. “You could never be my brother, Greed. Akira would never kill anyone, not the way you did. And even if I could bring him back, he would only be sad that I sacrificed so many for his sake. I won't do that to him, I won't!”

 

Greed's face was a study in growing rage as I said this, but before he could do anything, a new voice cut in from behind me.

 

“Very, very good, Godplayer,” Wrath said, clapping as I whirled around in shock. “A nice speech indeed. You see, Greed? These humans, they don't think the way you'd expect them to. Better just to do away with them so they don't cause trouble.” He walked forward, grin widening as he raised a gun and pointed it at me.

 

“No!” Greed snarled. “He's mine to kill!”

 

I whirled back around in a panic, only to find Greed already charging at me with his blood-tipped knife.

 

* * *

 

Hee, I wasn't too late this time. The final showdown has begun; stay tuned for the next update!