Fullmetal Alchemist: The Midnight Eclipse

"They piss everyone off." Xioimara growled as the two left. She looked like she had just eaten something that tasted absolutley awful. "I'm concerned." Xioimara voiced to everyone. She didn't like the idea of the brothers wandering off like that. Something just wasn't settling correctly with her. "I don't care if they're strong, we're a pack now." Xioimara said, looking back outside. She stretched out her arms and tried to get used to the new tightness in her skin.

"They have a very high respect for you." Armstrong said to Izumi. He looked at Xioimara as she spoke. "You're in no shape to move around." He told her. "If you are that concerned I can go look after them." Armstrong said.

"I don't know. Seems kinda futile to put more people in danger..." She was busy thinking over the days events. "May I ask what you did to make them so..." Xioimara waited for the word to come to her. "Uh, I guess, bent on trying to get you to accept them?" Xioimara was trying to connect why it was this that set Edward off. Xioimara did mean this question in the nicest way possible, she even went through the trouble of making sure she looked smaller to Izumi. Xioimara was fully aware this woman had power that could kick Xioimara's ass over the moon. She could feel bigger anxiety bubbling up inside her the more she thought about the Elric brothers wandering off.

"Brother," Alphonse started. He wasn't quite sure how to put his words together but he had a high respect for Edward. He did make bad decisions at times but he was good at heart, Alphonse knew. "Whatever you decide is right. Everything always works out in the end." He finally ended up saying.

Lust felt a smile come over her face. "Agreed."

 

"You just keep saying that but I know you don't mean it. You hate me for putting you in there, I know it..." Ed said.
"You go first," Sloth told Lust.

"Good." izumi said.

 

"Don't hold back, darling." Lust told Sloth and made her way through the darkness to meet the Elric brothers. "Didn't your mother ever teach you not to enter without knocking?" She cracked as she appeared through the shadows in front of the Elric brothers.

"What has gotten into you, Brother...?" Alphonse started. He hated to see his brother so depressed. He didn't hate his brother for doing "this" to him. He would like his normal back but he was content enough to just have his brother with him still. Alphonse looked at Lust as she herself up. "We're sorry-" Alphonse started to say. Alphonse jumped out of the way as her nails suddenly shot for him. "You're the one that attacked Xioimara!" Alphonse quickly concluded.

"Aren't you a fast learner?"

Xioimara looked back outside. "Let's go." Xioimara ordered. She forced herself to stand up tall and resumed her rare aura of dominance and power. "We can't be going around getting split up all the time over words." Xioimara snapped. She looked over at Armstrong for his word on this.

Armstrong was a little taken aback at this sudden attitude change. "For one thing, we don't know where they went." He tried to excuse.

Xioimara indicated her nose. "Maybe not you. I do." She told him. "You're not going to pussy out, are you?" She taunted, resorting to childish tactics to persaude the Strong Arm Alchemist.

 

Ed clapped his hands together and transmuted part of his Automail arm into a long blade. "I told you I did everything wrong!" Ed told Alphonse.
Sloth walked behind the boys. "Edward, Alphonse..." she said gently.
Ed turned to see Sloth. He gasped. "The Fuhrer's secretary?" he asked with surprise in his voice.

"Let me go with you, those boys are like family to me." Izumi said.

 

"Of course." Xioimara welcomed Izumi and whether or not Armstrong approved she left to follow their trail. It wasn't long before she caught onto one other familiar scent. "This isn't good." Xioimara murmured and opened the door to the warehouse. "Still not giving up?" Xioimara smirked as she caught eyes with Lust. She felt her body flood with adrenaline and hatred. "Whore." Xioimara said casually. She was horrible when it came to picking her fights. She didn't care how weak she was or how strong they were.
"Xioimara, you're in no shape to fight." Armstrong warned her as he entered the warehouse as well. It just seemed like one fight after another. He reached out a hand to hold Xioimara back but was too late.

Lust's eyes flicked over at the familiar figure of the Wild Wolf of the East. "What a trooper." She noted sarcastically. She became increasingly annoyed with the fact that more people would show up as soon as they were about to kill someone. Lust kept her eyes on Xioimara and quickly flicked her hand and shot her nails towards Ed.
Xioimara shot forward at Lust as the woman went to attack Ed. "Back off!" She snarled and leaped at Lust. She felt the tightness of her stitches pull and perhaps even tear a tiny bit, but ignored it. Her only focus was to leave Lust with no blood in her veins.

'Why is he acting like this...' Alphonse wondered."She sounds like mom too..." Alphonse quietly said as Sloth entered the picture. He heard Xioimara taunt Lust from behind them. She was followed in by the Major. This was a relief. They might just leave again, Alphonse hoped. "Brother, watch out!"

 

Izumi watched as Sloth talked to the boys. "She looks just like their mother.." she thought.
Ed went to attack Sloth. He missed and Sloth urned into water and the Woman shape reappeared behind him.
"It hurts Edward," she said.

 

Xioimara caught Lust by the throat. "I'll leave you once you're dead and cold." She growled as she bit down. Xioimara felt a huge force hit her in the stomach and was thrown away from Lust. She landed harshly on the ground and barely caught herself. Xioimara stumbled and bared her teeth at Lust. Her eyes flared with rage as she stared down the woman.

Lust grinned as Sloth started a simply battle of psychological warfare with the boys. She felt Xioimara's teeth sink into her throat. Lust fell back and threw Xioimara off of her. "You should be dead!" Lust became more angry with the teenager as her throat healed over. She darted forward at the wolf and slashed at her.

Xioimara darted backwards as Lust came at her. Xioimara jumped back as a tear echoed through her chest. She flinched in pain as she was cut thinly across the stomach. 'I should've sparred more on my time off...' Xioimara regretted. 'Pay attention!' Too late. She was hit across the face. Xioimara stumbled again and fell back. "Shit!" She cursed herself and looked up as Lust jumped at her. "You're open!" She caught Lust and kicked the woman in the stomach.

"She's going to get murdered." Armstrong said as he found himself simply staring back and forth between Edward and Sloth, then Xioimara and Lust. He prepared himself to fight when the time came. He did know Xioimara wanted to get back at that woman and knew better than to come between them, at least for right now.

Alphonse watched as Sloth pulled away into a water mass and recollected herself behind Edward. "Ed, it's mom!" Alphonse cried once realization came to him.

 

Ed turned to look at Alphonse. "Mom?" he asked.
Sloth saw her chance. She turned her arms into Water Whips and started whipping Ed rapidly.

 

Lust fell back and was pinned down by Xioimara. She had her arms pinned by Xiomara's knees. She was hit across the face by Xioimara. She was then hit again. And again. Then Lust became fed up with this childs play. She threw Xioimara off of her and into the wall of the warehouse. "Be a good dog and stay." She taunted as she stood up. Lust was caught off guard once more and beaten back onto the ground with one punch from the Strong Arm Alchemist. "You can't hit me! I'm a woman!" Lust screamed at Armstrong as she wiped blood from her mouth.

Xioimara hit the wall and felt the air in her lungs get sucked from her. She fell to the ground and lay there.

"I cannot hit a woman, but I can hit a monster." Armstrong said back at Lust. He could see quite easily that she didn't take that insult lightly.

Alphonse wasn't sure what to do. He was nervous of getting his bloodseal wet if he went to go defend his brother. They were brothers after all though. The only thing they were binded together by was blood. Alphonse reached forward through the onslaught of water to retrieve his brother.

 

A lance flew through the air and went through Lust's middle. "I know you guys don't want us around anymore but someone's gotta save your asses right?" Xoram asked.
Ling went and got Edward out of the trouble he was in. "Don't try Al. If your seal gets wet, we're screwed." He told him.
"Ling? Xoram?" Ed asked in bewilderment.
Sloth looked at the two boys disdainfully. They had prevented her from killing Edward Elric.

 

Lust stepped back as his abdomen was punctured in and out by a lance. She furiously threw a look at Xoram, and Ling. She had become overly angry. "This is impossible!" She screamed angrily. They were never going to get to killing them if more people kept appearing. The spear was pulled out of her from behind. Lust whipped around and was pierced through the shoulder, in the same spot she had hit Xioimara.

"Hows it feel now?" Xioimara pushed the lance further into Lust until it passed out of her. The wound on Lust's stomach had healed over and so would this one. At least she still felt the pain. "Go away!" Xioimara pulled the spear back out and held it ready to attack again if needed.

Armstrong glanced at Xoram and Ling as they showed themselves. Alphonse and Edward were safe now at least. He turned his eyes back towards Lust to see Xioimara had gotten back up and taken the fight back into her own hands.

Alphonse nodded. "Thank you." He said. Alphonse was happy the two had returned. They owed their lives to them.

Lust slashed at Xioimara but missed. She was hit again this time, cut across the face with the spear. "You're nothing but a brat!" Lust concluded and lashed out at Xioimara, hitting the wolf this time.

Xioimara lost her grip on Xoram's lance as Lust's hand closed on her throat. "How can you be so strong...?!" Xioimara choked and kicked Lust in the chest. She was dropped to the ground. Xioimara caught herself and lunged forward at Lust in a heartbeat. She threw her frame into Lust and managed to tackle her to the ground a second time. Xioimara stood over Lust and bared her teeth at the woman. "I don't care how many times I'll have to murder you. I will win."

 

"In the flesh, Fullmetal." Xoram said to Ed.
"Why do these women wanna kill you guys so badly?" Ling asked.
"Considering one looks like our mother, I have no idea." Ed said matter-of-factly.
Izumi was ready for anything. The two Xingenese people had come back.
"Now what Lust?" Sloth asked.

 

Lust sulked as she was slammed into the ground. 'What now?' Lust rolled her eyes. 'Gee, I don't know. Escape again?' She whipped her arm out from under Xioimara and slashed the wolf across the eye. "Let's go." Lust ordered once the wolf stepped off to nurse her eye. Lust darted from the room and away from the warehouse.

Xioimara cried out and stepped back. She pawed her eye as she wiped the blood from it. "Why am I always the one to get hurt?!" She cried out. Her stomach was cut open, thankfull it was a shallow wound, some of her stitches tore open, her ribs ached from hitting the wall, her leg was cut, and now so was her left eye and cheek.

Armstrong decided to let the woman leave. Her went over to Xioimara. "Let's go." He said keeping a careful eye on Sloth.

Alphonse didn't say much after that. He saw Xioimara get swiped across the face before Lust disappeared. He watched his mother's look-a-like, trying to pull two and two together.

 

"Xioimara!" Ed cried. He ran up to her. "You ok?" he asked his friend.
Sloth darted off with Lust.
"Young Lord! Ms. Izumi! Let's go after them!" Xoram said as he followed the two women.
Ling followed Xoram.
"Good luck boys." Izumi said to the Elrics before she followed Ling and Xoram.

 

"Yeah..." Xioimara said with some hesitance as she rubbed her eye. "God I hate that monster..." She muttered as the bleeding from the cut above her eye finally stopped. Her shirt was torn at the stomach and by her shoulder, her jeans were torn at the outer thigh. "I'm gonna need to replace these clothes..." Xioimara told herself and focused on making the cut on her cheek cease to bleed. "Are you okay?" She asked looking at Ed, Al, as well as Armstrong.

Lust looked back as the small group was on their trail. "Where should we go?" Lust asked her accomplice.

Alphonse nodded. "I'm fine." He watched as Izumi, Xoram, and Ling left. "What is with those two women and attacking us?"

 

"Bradley's office?" Sloth suggested. She was Fuhrer Bradley's secretary so that seemed logical.

"Yeah, sure." Ed Clapped his hands together and touched Xioimara's clothes. The clothes sewed back together and were good as new. He turned to Al. "That's a good question."

 

Xioimara looked at her shirt. "Nice. I need one of you around all the time." She commented as she inspected her shirt. "And what do we do now?" Were they supposed to wait around until the others returned or leave? Xioimara sure didn't want to stick around the warehouse. "This place gives me the creeps."

"Sounds good to me."

 

Ed understood what she meant. The warehouse was cold and dark. "Let's go back to Teacher's. We can regroup there and make a plan." he said.

"Lust and Mommy have left Mr. Father." Wrath told Father.

"I do hope the boys stay out of trouble.." Sloth said as Trisha Elric's memories came rushing to her.

 

"Sloth," Lust started as she quickly made her way through the streets. "Stop acting so concerned." She said. "Deep down you don't really care."

"That sounds like a good idea."

Xioimara nodded. She started back for the safety of the house. She felt groggy and tired quite suddenly. This has been a bad night.

Armstrong followed next to Xioimara.

 

Sloth just ignored Lust's remark. "Let's just go to Reole first." she said.
"We should head to Reole in the morning." Ed said.