Chapter 3 - The infected warrior, glutton, and emerald seeker

Glad to see you have returned to hear another chapter of my tale good friend. Now as you can tell I introduced a few familier faces to you. One being new considering I own the character. Don't fret though I have more to introduce who will play important roles in this tale I weave. Now let's continue where we left off, Edward was returning to the bar/ex orphanege him and his brother Alphonse reside at with their friend Tifa that looks after them. Little does he know he is about to meet more creatures that go bump in the night.

A dark ravan haired male with red streaks through the spikes of his hair watched quietly from his perch on a rooftop as the blonde alchemist ran past down below with suitcase over his head to avoid getting wet. The man looked in his mid to late twenties at latest and wore a black hoodie with torn off sleeves, the hood having white fluff around it while wearing what appeared to be white wrist cuffs. His pants being of black leather with matching boots and his eyes dark as blood.

"Heh, alittle late today isent he? Wonder if she's following him...as if I have to ask." The male muttered while watching Edward run off none the wiser. A fat very familier looking tan male with white pupil-less eyes and clad in black too sat next to the other.

"Can I eat him tonight?" He asked while sucking on his finger like a child, the other man chuckled.

"No; doubt he would fill you up Gluttony. Besides there probly wont be anything left of him when I tear him to peices." The man replied as Gluttony let out a soft whine.

"Ey Shadow! There you are, you two have to stop disappearing on me like that! I have some good stuff worth selling yo, one of the items might peek your interest." Another male called out as he came onto the rooftop beind the males revealed to be Shadow and Gluttony while both turned to the newcomer. He wore a dark hoodie too, the hood being down at the moment to reveal long sleek shoulder length black hair and dark eyes. His skin was fair and he wore peices of duct tape under both his eyes, why I shall reveal later. The males age was somewhat misleading, he looked to be around Shadow's age, however was abit shorter and had a muscular build that was the same as his comrads. His pants were tattered and ripped in the knees and baggy, no doubt on purpose.

"What you got Louis?" Shadow asked boredly while the other male known as Louis grinned and dumped his sack of stolen goods out. He rummaged abit though the combination of jewels, cds, wrist watches, and rings before holding up an emerald the size of a golf ball.

"This is what you are looking for right?" Louis asked while Shadow twitched in annoyance, whacking the other upside the head as he yelped while Gluttony snickered.

"Idiot, the emerald I am searching for is MUCH bigger than this. Plus this is just a peice of costume jewelry, not even real." Shadow muttered, flicking the jem at Louis's forehead while the male yelped and glared.

"Well jeez give me a break holmes! Do I look like some kinda jewelist to you? Ah maybe I can fool the pawnshop owner again. I need some dough after all." Louis said with a sigh, gathering up the items back into his bag, swatting Gluttony's hand away when the homunculus tried to grab at something that looked tasty to him. "By the way, when we casing that bar? Bet they got some good shoot in there." he then asked while looking to Shadow again, as he slung the bag over his shoulder once more.

"Tonight, I've waited long enough. And I won't be intimidated by that ice brat...besides, she's hardly fed for a good while and that means she'll be a sitting duck and won't be able to protect him." Shadow said with a smirk while he looked off in the distance, smirking as lightening flashed through the skies, making his expression all the more eerie.

Meanwhile; Tifa and Alphonse looked up from their conversation as Ed came walking in. "Hey Tifa, what's you got for eats im starving!" Edward exclaimed happily while Tifa just laughed some.

"Well hello to you too Ed. I got some steaks cooking, going to take awhile though so I hope you don't mind waiting." she replied while Ed waved a dismissive hand.

"No worries I got plenty of time. I can just go through my paperwork abit while I wait." the blonde responded before he took a seat near the back, pulling open his suitcase giving out a sigh. "Damn this is going to take months. Damn bastard just loves making me do his paperwork for him doesnt he?" Ed stated to himself. He suddendly felt as if he was being watched and got chills. After a few more good minutes of this he then glanced up from his writing, spotting a man that was farther in the back, adorned in a cloak of black with red clouds outlined in white, shade hat atop his head while onyx hues watched Edward calmly. From what Ed could tell he had lines under his eyes despite his young age, and his hair was a glossy brownish black. The alchemist only sent a glare back towards him while the man then returned his dark eyes to the book infront of him. "Neh...freak." Ed muttered, getting up after Tifa called him up to the bar to eat while he took a spot next to Alphonse who was skimming through an alchemy book. "Say Al....who's that guy in the back with the jellyfish looking hat?" Ed whispered to his younger brother while Al stole a small glance to who Edward was speaking of.

"Oh...that's just one of the patrons Tifa serves. He usually pops up when we are upstairs or sleeping late at night though which is why we rarely see him from what she has told me. He also comes in early near dawn too but all he does is read. Only thing he'll drink when he feels like it is red wine." Alphonse replied back softly before something struck him when he recognized the coat and hat. It was the same type of outfit those other males were wearing at the train station. "Brother...do you think there is some sort of club or organization around here?" Al then asked Ed, his brother swallowing a peice of his steak before thinking.

"Why is that?" Edward asked, looking to Al curiously now while Alphonse shrugged.

"Well...I saw two guys earlier in the train station wearing the same outfit as that man brother. They were really creepy." Alphonse whispered while Ed then murred.

"I dont know, bah it's probly nothing for us to worry about. Don't read too much into it, last thing we need is some jellyfish hat wearing weirdos chasing us for putting our noses where they don't belong. Bad enough we had those homunculi freaks after us for awhile." Edward replied as he returned to eating, Alphonse giving a light nod as he stole one more glance towards the male in the back before returning to reading his book to further his knowledge on alchemy. Unaware that the male was now smirking in amusement towards them.

Once night had come to rape the daylight, and cover the landscape in it's cloak, the time came to close up the bar, two a.m. as with every other bar. Edward by this time had fallen asleep at his desk again due to exhausting himself over the paperwork Mustang had givin him. His dreams once more were confusing yet interesting. He found himself in tonight's dream walking through a misty landscape, ruins of ancient buildings lay around him as he passed. He was literally walking on water, but as he walked his feet made no sound as the water let small ripples pass through it, or even when it splashed.

"This place again..." Ed muttered. For the past year he had been visiting withen this realm at night, walking endlessly it seemed. He would never get to see why he was here before he would wake...that was until now. He squinted when he saw a figure in the distance sitting with their back to him. Edward could make out what sounded like weeping.

"It's...not fair." The figure whispered, though he was far away he could hear her clear as a bell as her voice echoed through the area. When he got closer he saw that the girl had flowing long back hair that layed around her pale form, covering her legs while she gazed downwards, her hands resting out infront of her as her tears caused small ripples, the only source besides her voice and shaking shoulders to hint she was forlorn.

"Hey you alright...?" Ed said, concerned for the girl while he stood ten or twenty feet behind her, talking loud enough for her to hear him as he reached out, taking a few more apprehensive steps foreward.

"Stay away!" The girl yelled out, covering her face while she turned her back further to him. But Ed continued moving forward, determined to know why she was here. However the ripples in the water began to increase and rise as the area began to shake and suddendly a huge beast rose out of the water behind the girl. Huge wings unfurled as a beast of silverish white with gleaming blue eyes, draconic in nature flew at at Edward as it roared, jaws opening to swallow Edward hole as he screamed in terror.

A loud crash was heard downstairs as Edward's eyes snapped open, head jerking up as he then rubbed at his face. "The hell was that?!" he said getting to his feet quickly while he ran out into the hall, soon joined by Alphonse.

"Brother....someone's breaking in!" Alphonse whispered while Ed snorted.

"No duh, but who?" Edward stated, only to jump a few good feet when a gloved hand wrapped around his mouth.

"Be quiet both of you." Tifa muttered in annoyance, she too having been woken by the rude intruder. "Come with me." She whispered then, creeping along the hallway quietly while the two followed close behind, Ed getting his automail ready while eyes glared with determination despite the fact he was shaking some from his previous nightmare.

"Who was that girl?" Edward thought to himself as they moved along, heading now towards the downstairs ready to face whoever dared break into Tifa's bar...however unbeknownst to him he would be getting an answer to that question, and a few others along the way.

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