Chapter Text
-October XX 1900-
"After him, don't let him get away!"
A man was running through the street, two pairs of thundering footsteps at his heels.
"Damn it all to hell!", he shouted up at the heavens as he was running at breakneck speed, trying to shake off his pursuers, "Why in hell are Amestrian soldiers all the way out here?!", the man continued to shout his woes out to the sky, trying not to run over pedestrians in his mad dash-
*BANG*
He almost flinched and stumbled at the loud sound (as if his ears weren't sensitive enough damn it-) and slightly turned his head to glance behind him at the fucking idiot that shot a warning shot while running through a fricking densely crowded street, with Ishvalans mind you, since they were in Ishval duh, with whom Amestrian relations were already fucking strained-
And as expected, the whole scene turned into mass panic.
"Whoah-", the man came to a skidding halt when he was about to bowl over someone in the panic and, as he was starting to panic himself, since the assholes were right behind him and he was losing precious ground-
He glanced around quickly for the whereabouts of the soldiers only to find a sea of people all around him, pushing like a river's unstoppable current in their mindless scramble to safety-
And amidst the chaos around him, the man could do nothing but sigh in relief. 'Serves those idiots right, honestly what did they expect in a bazaar with unarmed citizens? But whatever, guess that was as much a lucky break as I'll ever get, better get outta here fast.', the man thought to himself as he kept near a building's walls so as to not be swept away by the fleeing masses. He took a step forward-
'Huh?', the man winced in surprise and brought a tattooed hand to his side, finding it slick with blood and, upon closer inspection, he noticed a gaping gunshot wound.
Now normally, a person would have noticed sooner. Normally the pain would have been so intense, that the person should have fallen on the ground on the spot, weak from blood loss and writhing in agony-
"Pfft- Gahahahaha!"
However, this man was not a normal person.
"Damn, and here I thought those guys weren't even good enough to play darts to save their lives, for fucks sake- hahahaha!", the man continued to laugh, almost in stitches, as red lifeblood continued to leave his body, sauntering without a care in the world, the fur of his sleeveless leather jacket swaying with his form as he laughed in incredulity. He turned and entered into a blessedly secluded alleyway, his steps never wavering.
No- this man was quite far from it actually, for he wasn't a man at all.
"Whew, alright, I think I'm done. Better take care of this real quick, wouldn't do to be found by something as stupid as a blood trail would it? Heh.", the man continued walking into the alley, his steps confident and his posture larger than life as he removed his sunglasses, revealing violet slitted eyes gleaming in the shadows.
The alley was suddenly illuminated by red crackling electricity which enveloped his wound into a crimson light-
The light died down in seconds and the wound vanished without the trace.
"Phew, what a workout today has been... How curious too, for there to be Amestrian soldiers in this place... I thought relations with the natives were turning murdery, heh, so it would be a good place to crash and lay low for a while. sigh Well, there goes that plan... Damned dear old dad's hunting dogs...", the man grumbled to himself, occasionally glancing back at the mouth of the alley, just in case he'd jinx his escape, as he leisurely walked further away.
No, this creature was something like a man, but in truth he was a byproduct of man's science, the greatest feat of alchemy in history-
A homunculus.
"Sigh, well no use whining about it. Hmm, actually, if I manage to be discreet in my escape, I could leave this hick town and start going the exact opposite direction to throw them off, which would meeaan... west for now. Where exactly to, though? Hmmm, preferably somewhere where those bozos won't be camping around waiting to bust my ass... What would be a good place..?", the homunculus cracked his neck absentmindedly as he distractedly mulled over his current dilemma, monologuing, because of course he very much liked the sound of his smooth voice, thank you very much-
But he suddenly came to an abrupt halt when a high pitched cry pierced his sensitive ears and his whole frame froze. He listened intently to his surroundings-
"Ssh, 安靜點，我的孩子，媽媽非常愛你，這只是一個噩夢，一切都會好起來的......" (hush now my child, mommy loves you very much, it's just a bad dream, everything will be alright...)
And found himself dumbfounded by a feminine voice's cooing tone, trying to hush the crying one, to no avail, as she spoke in a foreign and melodious language.
'What the hell..??', were his thoughts as he silently and slowly crept towards the sounds, exiting the alleyway he came from and turning towards another dead end one-
Only to freeze again at the sight of a petite woman covered in blood and cradling a smaller, squirming bundle close to her chest.
'Uuuuuuh', was the unintelligent consensus of his mind as he regarded the scene of an injured woman cradling her infant and swaying comfortingly, never wavering in her song to calm her child, even as her back was soaked in her own blood.
Unsure of how to proceed, the homunculus took a slight step forward-
"誰去那裡?!" (Who goes there?!)
Only to find himself halted yet again, as he came face to face with a very sharp point of a weird knife he'd never seen before, the previously assessed frail woman turning towards him lightning fast, her fair face twisted in a snarl.
"Whoa sweetheart, watch the face! You'd make a lot of ladies cry if you ruined this handsome mug of mine, it'd even be a crime -heh! So, can't we just, y'know, talk this out like civilized people before committing to the murder part of this exchange?", the homunculus word-vomited in a rush and threw his hands up in a harmless gesture, nervous at the sudden situation he found himself in, though he wasn't worried about himself-
No, in fact, now that he could see the woman up close, with her breathing raggedly, her mouth speckled with blood, her long dark hair in complete disarray and matted with sweat, coughing more blood as the movement aggravated her wounds, he was worried about her. She looked ready to keel over and die any minute now and that just wouldn't do-
After all, despite her dire situation, this lady was looking ready to wrestle with a bear and win. Her gaze a steely dark gray with unyielding determination. Brimming with passionate will to live. And he could respect that enough that he decided he'd like to keep this one-
Not that she wasn't already his either way. After all, he was Greed the Avaricious and the whole world was his for the taking.
Including this random dying lady in a dead end alley of course.
As the homunculus spoke, it was the woman's turn to be dumbfounded. And not because she couldn't understand this man's words.
No- it was because this wasn't a man at all. This creature looked like a normal young adult man, but the things she could sense through the Dragon's Pulse inside it were- terrifying, abhorrent-
Like thousands of voices screaming in torment.
It felt like defeat was creeping upon her, the shadow of death above her, but she held her kunai steady, even as she felt like her veins were filled with broken glass, she was unyielding in her resolve to protect-
A tiny sniffle came from behind her which solidified her resolve to save her son from fate's cruel clutches. Even if she had to fight a hellish creature, she would see this through.
'I cannot fail now, not after coming this far...'
---------------------------------
-Several minutes earlier-
"追她！別讓她跑了!" (After her! Don't let her get away!)
A woman was running through the street, two pairs of almost wraith-like silent footsteps above her in hot pursuit, running on the rooftops of buildings she passed by in her mad scramble to get away.
As she ran, she heard a tiny upset cry from the bundle in her arms and she tightened her hold on her son, calculatedly regarding the confused pedestrians in her way and weaving around them expertly with the help of the Dragon's Pulse.
'Curses, I thought the crowd would deter the assassins, but they seem to be able to read the Dragon's Pulse to some degree.', were the woman's frantic but calculating thoughts as she expertly avoided passerbys while still tracking her pursuers' locations up above.
While the crowd did give the advantage of her adversaries not being able to throw projectiles at her, it couldn't provide for the escape she had in mind, what with the assassins' skillset. It also backfired, since she had to get out of the street eventually and it would make her pursuers' job easier if she were to end up in an alleyway-
She cursed again at her situation, but she couldn't blame anyone other than her naïve self.
She had underestimated the 9nth clan's intentions to get rid of her son for a shot at Xing's throne. She was so stupid to think she had time since the Yao clan had the 12th spot in the ascension to the cursed throne, meaning they were lower class than the 9nth.
She had let her guard down. She had to escape to the borders of Xing, but her pursuers were extremely persistent. She and two of her loyal bodyguards were ambushed and she had been forced to flee with her infant son further into the harsh, freezing desert in the wake of their noble sacrifices.
As she gasped for breath, she knew her time was running out, what with being constantly on the run without proper rest and enough rations for a week, she was running on pure adrenaline and determination to protect her innocent son from these murderers-
And with a jolt and a sharp gasp, her frenzied flight came to an abrupt end as she tripped and fell harshly. She quickly turned to her back to protect the infant from coming into contact with the harsh gravel, giving a cry of pain from taking the brunt of the fall and skidding away-
When she came to a halt, she frantically opened her eyes, her ears pierced by the startled cries from her thankfully unharmed son-
Just in time to see the sharp end of a kunai hurtling straight for her child.
She didn't even think, reflexively and rapidly turning her back towards its path to shield her baby-
And she cried out at the stabbing pain on her right shoulder, the white sleeve of her kimono quickly becoming soaked in blood.
The surrounding crowd's reaction was immediate; they started fleeing in uncoordinated panic-
The woman was immediately on her feet, gritting through the pain as she scrambled out of the way of trampling footsteps, the kunai digging deeper with every agonising movement, and she started sprinting away.
She couldn't, no- she wouldn't stop now, she continued telling herself in her thoughts as her heavy footfalls were punctuated with loud crying from her inconsolable son.
The panicking crowd created an unforeseen advantage since the uncoordinated mass of people would render reading the Dragon's Pulse ineffective and she doubted her pursuers were as well versed in reading its flow as the Yao clan was.
However, as she started to escape, she could feel something very wrong-
She started coughing, each cough punctuated with the spitting of blood. Her veins felt like fire and then ice and she started trembling, her vision cloudy-
And she despairingly realised that death would come for her soon. For the knife was coated in lethal poison.
'Cursed cowards! Not only are they trying to assassinate an infant, they use poison as well?!', she cursed her adversaries endlessly, never stopping in her desparate flight, glancing up and having her stomach drop to the floor when she found the road ahead blocked by the squirming mass of people-
*BANG*
She almost flinched and stumbled at the loud sound coming from one street away, the already panicking crowd turning absolutely frantic after the gunshot. However, they mercifully cleared the way she was heading towards.
After an indefinite amount of time and several twists and turns into secluded alleyways, she finally came to a halt at a dead end and exhaustedly sat down at a corner, wracked with the agony of the poison.
She looked down at her still frightened son's cries and tried to hush him, to relative success. She turned slightly to look at the kunai embedded in her shoulder that sealed her fated encounter with death and grabbed it, pulling it out in one swift motion and cursing fate all the while.
After that and with a sigh of acceptance of her inevitable fate, she looked down and gazed at her precious son in adoration and sadness-
Sadness that she wouldn't be there to protect him. To nurture him, teach him their traditions, pass her life onto him and maybe see him become emperor one day and abolish this flawed and cursed system, built upon corpses and deceit.
Sadness that she wouldn't get to know Ling Yao, the 12th prince of Xing.
The baby, sensing his mother's distress, started crying again, grabbing at his mother's clothes with all his tiny strength.
And she could do nothing but try to console him even with tears slipping down her eyes.
"Ssh, 安靜點，我的孩子，媽媽非常愛你，這只是一個噩夢，一切都會好起來的......", she rocked back and forth gently, trying in vain to suppress her grief for the sake of her son-
But she quickly stilled when a sound of a footstep sounded behind her and she hurriedly placed her son down, whirled around while clutching the accursed kunai in defence and raised it at whoever dared to threaten the light of her life-
"Whoa sweetheart, watch the face! You'd make a lot of ladies cry if you ruined this handsome mug of mine, it'd even be a crime -heh! So, can't we just, y'know, talk this out like civilized people before committing to the murder part of this exchange?"
-----------------------
Tense silence permeated the air after the homunculus' rushed plea.
Greed made sure to stand absolutely still, sensing that if he made the slightest movement, the lady would immediately lunge at him.
The stillness was unsettling to say the least. And not because of the threat in front of him, he couldn't be hurt by her-
It was the look in her eyes.
She was looking up at him, straight through his eyes, almost feeling like she glared right through his core to his philosopher's stone.
'Whew, talk about a killer stare... The way she's looking at me... It's almost as if she knows what I really am... Am I imagining things?', Greed thought in anxious stillness, a bead of sweat travelling down his temple.
As he was about to inhale to try and reason with her once more-
A piercing wail sounded throughout the alley once again-
Causing him to flinch and avert his eyes towards the noisy squirming baby behind her-
Which was the last straw for the woman and she bodily lunged at him, thrusting the knife forward to plunge into his neck.
"Whoah-", Greed exclaimed in surprise as he very narrowly dodged the woman's frenzied strike, "Wait- stop, I don't fight women! Besides you're only hurting yourself like this!", he hurriedly followed up on his exclamation with quickly dancing away from her-
Only to find his efforts end in vain as she was immediately upon him once again, always aiming for his vitals with unwavering steps, even as she coughed up more blood at every movement.
'Dammit all, she's not listening!', were his annoyed thoughts with a tinge of concern, as the woman whom he claimed as his possession continued to uselessly try to hurt him and ended up being hurt exponentially more by the minute. 'I gotta end this quickly, maybe I can immobilize her-'
His thoughts were abruptly cut off as he found himself losing his balance with a start, belatedly noticing the woman's leg hooking behind his ankles, then he fell on his back-
And his eyes widened in alarm, for he was just in time to catch a glimpse of two shadowed figures on the rooftops above them, getting ready to throw something glinting towards them and the infant, beyond the angry snarling face of the murderous woman before him.
-----------------
The woman finally had the moment to end the vile creature's life. She wasted no time after tripping it and plunged the kunai downwards at the creature's neck, missing the creature's alarmed gaze thrown behind her-
Her thoughts came to an immediate halt when the creature got up from its floored position inhumanly fast, but instead of hurting her-
The creature embraced her and swept her off her feet in one quick motion. Even as her kunai plunged deep into its gut, it didn't stop in its dash deeper through the alley even for a second-
"GET DOWN!"
Was the creature's commanding shout as it skidded on its knees the rest of the way to its destination and then she found herself thrown to the ground with her son's frantic wailing right beside her-
Gazing up into the creature's eyes as it was hunched above them, trying to keep them covered under its body-
And with a gasp, she finally caught her pursuers' shadowy forms up on the rooftops, already throwing tens of kunai down below.
She flinched and closed her eyes instinctively from the sure to be gruesome sight, curling around her son protectively-
But instead of the familiar sound of blades puncturing flesh, her ears picked up the unexpected sounds of metal striking metal(?)
She quickly opened her eyes in alarm-
"Hey sweetheart, sorry for the manhandling. You alright?"
And came face to face with a truly bizarre sight.
The creature was hunched protectively above her, its sharp claws digging into the ground on each side of her, its skin covered in a dark grey material, its once human face bearing a mask-like material like the rest of its skin, its mouth sporting two big tusks from its lower jaw- akin to an Oni of Xing's myths- red circuit like lines running onto its skin in a node like pattern-
But its eyes were jovially gazing down upon her like before its transformation, its voice having a metallic like quality but with a nonchalant lilt.
And she could do naught but gape in shock as she distantly registered the rain of kunais shattering on impact with its skin and her own kunai that was previously plunged deep into its chest having fallen beside her, leaving no traces of a fatal wound behind.
At her shocked state, the creature chuckled almost in embarrassment, "Yeah, I know, what a waste of good looks right? But don't worry sweetheart, this Ultimate Shield of mine is impenetrable to pretty much anything. Just gotta wait till they run out of ammo, so sit tight ok?", it implored in a gentle and reassuring tone, most likely trying not to frighten her even more.
As she was about to try and form a reply, the last kunai shattered on its back and fell in pieces beside them-
"Well, guess that's my cue. You sit tight, alright?", the creature started to uncurl from its position, turning away to crouch and then stand up-
And before her mind could catch up, she reacted on pure instinct and desperately grabbed the creature's wrist to prevent it from leaving her, her fingers getting caught on its leather bracelets-
For even when she was trying to murder it before in her mistaken frenzy to defend her son-
This creature chose to defend them instead.
When you are nurtured in an environment of layers and layers of lies, betrayal and murder, you learn quickly that words were meaningless before actions or you die swiftly.
She knew, she had only minutes left now... And this creature proved to be more trustworthy than those snakes in their family by leaps and bounds, even if it had every reason to end her life after her assault.
So she clutched at the only hope left for her child, pleading in her heart that it wouldn't abandon them, finally letting it see the absolute despair and panic she felt in her soul.
"P-p..please..."
-----------------
"please.... save m-my son..."
Greed was halted as he was about to stand by a broken voice, filled with grief and agony, coming from the woman below him.
He immediately turned to regard her at the absolutely pitiful sound of her voice and froze at the sight-
The previously determined woman had a panicked gaze fixated on his eyes, her eyes overflowing with tears, as every breath she took was hitched with agony-
And he had a moment to really think about this situation.
This woman, now that he could take an open look at her state, was at the very end of her rope. This young woman that was probably barely pushing her twenties, was lying abandoned in an alley covered in her own blood with her newborn and she was falling to pieces before him.
At the beginning of this confrontation he was already deciding to keep her. He already decided she was his possession, so he was steadily getting angrier at the state of her health and at whoever caused it.
Now he was surged by bloodcurdling pure fury.
He gritted his teeth, trying not to show any of his rage on his face and in his voice as he let his Ultimate Shield travel down enough to show his face. He gazed right in her terrified eyes and spoke firmly but gently, "I will, I swear. I never break my word, this I promise you, I'll make them pay with their lives."
At that, the woman seemed to calm slightly. She nodded and let go of his wrist, cradling the still crying infant with both arms and laying prone on the ground as she didn't even have the strength to sit up on her own.
He clenched his fists so tight he could hear the carbon strain with the force. He forced himself to relax and helped her sit up leaning against a nearby wall.
"Now then...", he started ominously as he slowly stood up and let his Shield cover the rest of his face again, turning his attention to the petrified bastards that caused all this suffering on a mother and her child, giving them a piercing enraged crimson glare.
Normally, straight up killing humans wasn't his style. After all, he was Greed and humans were interesting in their ways of providing things and people for him to claim as his own in his insatiable quest to quell the yawning emptiness inside him- killing them would be a waste.
He took a step forward and the assassins flinched, as if in electrifying terror, any will to fight fleeing their minds when faced with this unprecedented creature.
However, there was an exception to this rule. And that was if someone stole his possessions from him. And not only did these bastards steal from him, as his hearing could pick up the gradual weakening of the woman's heartbeat, confirming her fast approaching demise...
He shrugged off his jacket and cracked his neck in preparation for what was to come-
No... these wastes of space did something anyone wouldn't just fucking do. These bastards hunted a woman, a mother and her newborn child for fucking sport.
And as his building rage reached its zenith, he gave one last comment for the woman behind him, "Close your eyes sweetheart, this won't be pretty.", his voice ended with a growl-
And before the assassins could gather their wits, he scaled the wall with his claws and in three lunging jumps he was upon them-
Already slicing through the nearest bastard in his way, cleaving with one swift swipe through skin, muscle, sinew and bone, as the assassin's left arm and torso were minced into bloody pieces, showering him with blood.
The remaining one at first couldn't comprehend the speed in which things had escalated, staying still as a statue in absolute horror, gaping at the mangled corpse of his comrade. The monster turned its crimson glare to him and let out an animalistic metallic roar of rage-
And his flight response kicked into high gear, as he turned around and ran away with all his might.
"Tch, fucking coward.", Greed growled in dismay as he regarded the rapidly shrinking figure of the fleeing asshole with boredom. After all, no matter how fast they think they can run, humans can't outrun a homunculus. Even now, the assassin seemed to be fleeing sluggishly in his eyes.
Again, it didn't take even a minute to catch up with him and enact the same punishment as he did on the other one, his claws raking through the asshole's neck and detaching his head from his body in a geyser of blood.
Although the bastards' demise granted him a shred of satisfaction, it was fleeting, since it wouldn't bring back what he felt was stolen from him. And so, with a heavy sigh, he let his Shield disappear except on his hands so as to climb back down. He started to make his way back to the woman that, as he could hear, was drawing her last breaths.
------------------
She was gasping for breath, every inhale bringing her pain and every exhale bringing with it the primal fear that it would be her last.
She couldn't lift her head anymore, but from what she could hear above, the creature kept true to its- his word. She felt a surge of relief that finally her son would be safe, but with it, the adrenaline that kept her going started dying down...
It won't be long now... but she wouldn't die until the creature returned. She had to give him her son's name, his legacy wouldn't end with her. As well as a message that she had written on a torn strip of her clothes with the last of her strength, with her own blood, for their loyal guards that would one day come searching for their prince. She refused to believe that the Yao clan would meet its end, as long as Ling was alive the clan would survive. And she'd make sure they had a lead for when the time was right.
She heard the creature jump down from a building and start walking towards her. He came to a halt in front of her and crouched, saying, "Hey there sweetheart, I'm back. Didn't take long, did I? Ya missed me? Heheh...", in a forced light tone, failing to hide the pain in his voice.
She couldn't understand why the creature helped her in the first place and why he seemed so affected by her dying state, but she wasn't about to be ungrateful to the one who saved her precious son's life, shielding them both from harm.
"p...plea-....se", she tried to choke out her plea but she couldn't manage to be comprehensible and she started to panic, for the fate of her son and the clan relied on her last words-
"Hey, it's alright, here let me help you. Don't push yourself...", the creature grabbed her shoulders gently and cradled her close to his chest while crouching, tilting her head slightly upwards so she could breathe easier, his voice laced with that barely suppressed pain.
As her head tilted back she could finally look at his eyes. And even though she could still feel that abhorrent sensation coming from his core, as she gazed into his eyes-
She found herself awed at the humanity they displayed. The concern and care, the want for life. Her whole life, she was surrounded by people that were monsters wearing human skin, eyes cold and dead with underlying murder and yet this creature that was as far away from a human as it could get-
Held the most humanity in his unnatural violet gaze that she had seen in her entire life.
It was enough to bring a gentle smile to her face.
His reaction was to ever so gently hold her closer, his eyes crinkling in concerned pity, and he softly said, "Take your time, I can hear you, there is no need to be afraid anymore sweetheart."
Her body relaxed at his reassurance, relieved tears slipping from her eyes and her smile getting a little wider. She had made it. She could be heard, finally... her son would be safe.
"please... take.. care... of.. my son.... Ling... Yao...", she gasped out raggedly around the taste of copper in her mouth, but he listened attentively to her plea. She took another staggering breath and continued, " the... twel..fth.. prince... of... Xing..."
She observed as his eyebrows funnily climbed higher on his forehead in sheer disbelief at her words. He glanced down to the now calmed down prince and then back up at her for a couple of times.
He cleared his throat awkwardly, "Erm- wow. Um. I. Didn't expect. That. Heh.. heh..", he trailed off as he fumbled with his words. It was such a silly reaction that if she had any strength left, it would elicit a laugh from her.
"...will... you.. ?*cough*", she was cut off by an agonising cough, the taste of copper filling her mouth once again. His attention immediately returned to her and he rubbed soothing circles on her back with his hand until it subsided.
"Um. Well, to be honest, which I always am, I would have kept him even if you didn't ask me to. After all...", his chest almost puffed out in pride and he continued with a sharp grin, "I am Greed the Avaricious and I want everything this world has to offer! Money, women, fame... heck, even princey brats are included! And whatever I want I get and I protect them with my life.", he finished his speech in unyielding conviction.
The woman was stunned by what she heard- it seemed to be that this creature was one of the Sins spoken throughout the West in religious myths! But even though the things he said should have alarmed her-
For some reason, they reassured her instead.
She gave a slight cough to clear her voice and his attention was once again on her. He sheepishly scratched at his neck with his free hand, "Whoops- got a bit carried away there! We're in a time limit... yeah..", he trailed off in barely suppressed sadness again.
"thank... you... Greed...", she continued smiling up at him and she shifted slightly to reveal the strip of cloth she planned on giving him, turning his attention towards it. She rasped out, "I... have.. a f..avor.. to ask... when... ti- hack-.... comes... give this... to... prince's... guards... they- cough- search... for-", she couldn't properly finish her sentence as a stronger cough than the ones before wracked her frame and she couldn't breathe, she couldn't hear, she was choking on her blood- she couldn't breatheitwastimeshe couldn'tbreathecan'tbreathe-
"Ssh, calm down, ssh... I can hear you, I will deliver this to them, you have my word. I'm with you, sweetheart, just calm down and breathe..."
A voice- the creature's voice beyond her panicked haze broke through to her and she could finally be relieved at his gentle assurances, she could finally-
Let go.
And with that, she inhaled one last time-
And exhaled her final breath, leaving the future in the Sin's hands.
-----------------------
The lady's body went completely limp in his arms, her head lolling back lifelessly as she exhaled her last breath and was claimed by death.
He quickly caught the bundle with his other arm to prevent it from falling as her arms fell slack, her tormented heartbeat finally still, the silence enveloping the alley.
Through her final wishes, he could hear everything with his heightened hearing. The amount of sheer agony she was going through to deliver the future of her son and people to him, of all people, with her last words.
And it made him feel exhausted. Tired. Pained. Pitying. Empty.
He closed his eyes tight, briefly trying to curb the growing emptiness inside him at the loss of life before him, of potential, of his possession, as he was consumed in the silence of the air and the screaming in his ears, in the stillness- reflecting back at him the emptiness-
A tiny whine halted his spiralling thoughts.
That's right- he wasn't alone.
He still gained something- someone from this.
He turned his gaze down and away from the deceased mother's glassy eyes (when had he opened his eyes? why was he staring at her eyes?-), towards the bundle that was starting to squirm in protest-
And the two locked eyes with each other for the first time.
'...huh?'
Greed found a certain pang of... something... twinging for an instant in his chest, but he quickly shook his head, dismissing any thoughts before they could form-
Only to keep looking down upon the tiny human clutched in his arm as it started to make grabby hands towards his face weakly and babbled incomprehensibly in a whiny, tiny, voice, exhausted from all the crying he no doubt had done that day and possibly more prior-
There it was again...
That... feeling...
He couldn't stray his eyes away from the child's- Ling's eyes, as his chest was briefly lanced again with that... feeling again...
As if, for a single moment, the insatiable emptiness inside him had never existed in the first place.