The Price of Life [Fullmetal Alchemist]

Chapter Eleven

Blood Relations

○we can't go back,
it's not the same.○

-real friends.

•

Sonia remembers everything. She remembers the tea parties to the favorite jokes. The races back home to studying the stars. The funny faces to the late night talks. All of them involved her. Those were things that did together... things that Sonia didn't do anymore.

And now that her 'sister' was staring her right in the face, she didn't want to remember anything.

Was this even her sister? She couldn't be sure. Yes, Sonia could tell from the red tattoo adorning her neck that she had changed, quite a bit. But... she wanted to ask...

'Do you think you'll remember?'

No. She couldn't ask; her throat closed like she was slowly being strangled, a hand over her mouth to keep her quiet. The air in her lungs left her and she tried to catch her breath.

Sonia reached behind her to grab Edward with a shaky hand. She tried to speak. She had read about homunculi before, and they meant trouble. They were artificial humans, created by a Philosopher's Stone at their core. They were super organisms, which were very difficult to kill. She was trembling for fear of her life.

The three head toward the two alchemists, and Ed moved to stand in front of Sonia.

"Edward..." Her voice was softer than a whisper, and she had to repeat herself in the loudest tone she could manage to get his attention.

She was going to say that those were homunculi, and that they could easily kill them both if not careful. But instead, something else came out.

"Ed, that's... that's my sister."

He looked back at her, his face contorted with confusion.

"What?" he hissed. He was either angry, trying to be quiet, or still in pain.

Sonia pointed a shaky finger to her 'sibling', and Ed is dumbfounded.

"You're not making any sense. What are you talking about?"

She couldn't find the courage to answer. The three homunculi were right in front of them now, and Sonia could feel the goosebumps pop onto her skin. One spoke, and she tried to mask the fear on her face.

"Well, well, well. What a steal. Both the Fullmetal runt, and the All-Seeing freak." Sonia's temper flared at the short homunculi's words.

'I'm not a freak. And that's not how you say my title.' She could only think these things though. Just looking at whoever these people were frightened her.

The one who talked to them was odd-looking, with hair that sticked up in all places. To her, it looked like a palm tree. She figured this homunculus was agender or something. She didn't know.

Quickly, the palm tree advanced toward them both. Seeing how injured the blonde alchemist was, they quickly pushed him aside. He crashed into the wall and fell on the stony floor.

"Ed!" Sonia went to help him up, but they grabbed her by the chin. She knew she could move away, but his grip was getting tighter, and she didn't want to get hurt.

She tried to stay collected. "Let me go."

"What?" they drawled. "You want to help your little boyfriend?"

Sonia didn't know whether it was anger or embarrassment, but her ears turned reddish. Deciding that they were crossing some sort of line here, she pushed the homunculus back, and they stumbled, the fingers leaving her chin.

"Deciding to fight back now, huh? Well-"

"That's enough, Envy." The woman next to Sonia's sister spoke. She had dark curling hair that went down to the small of her back. She was very curvy and taller than both of the other two.

"What, Lust? I'm just playing with them." They said innocently, shrugging.

"Don't you touch her again," Edward said from the side, trying to act as if he wasn't in so much pain.

"It's fun to rough you around a bit." Envy chimed. "But we won't kill you. I'm not so sure about the girl, but you're an important sacrifice that we can't afford to lose."

"Important sacrifice? What do you mean?! And who are you?!" Sonia's questions were itching at her.

"Who do you think we are?" Jocelyn spoke.

"Well, you look exactly like my sister."

Jocelyn laughed, and once she got started, she couldn't stop. Sonia felt her gut twist. When she finally stopped, she picked up the sword fom the ground. She twirled it around easily.

"The name's Jocelyn. The eighth homunculus. I'm a little special. Being created out of every sin, it's rather difficult to kill me." She grinned at the two teens. Then she approached the armored suit that still lay next to Edward, and pierced the sword right through the blood seal. She stabbed at it repeatedly, until the soul stopped struggling. She laughed, then threw the weapon aside.

"So, you think I'm your sister, huh? How... sweet." The venom and sarcasm was apparent in her voice.

"Whoever you are, you're not my sister. I never had a sister."

"But-"

"I don't know anything about myself before I became a homunculus, and it doesn't matter. I only care about myself, and not some brat that thinks that we could be related."

Sonia stepped back, unbelieving. This had to be her sister, but she was a monster.

"So I... I never mattered to you?"

"Of course not!"

Jocelyn moved and swung at her, but Sonia ducked instinctively. She dodged every attack the homunculus tried to land, but when she threw a left hook, the alchemist flew and her body hit a pillae. She slid down and her head drooped as she slipped into an unconscious state.

"Well, wasn't that easy?" Jocelyn stated as she went over to her. She picked her up effortlessly and slung her over her shoulder.

"Where are you... taking her..?" Edward asked, his vision blurring. He lost so much blood, it was hard to stay awake.

"Don't worry, pipsqueak, you're going with her."

"We are allowing you both to live. Be grateful for that. Although, we will have to destroy this building."

"Sweet dreams, little runt."

Edward's world went dark.

Envy threw him over so that they could carry him, and Lust was left with the job of destroying the building.

"Let's go," Envy called to Jocelyn. She nodded, heading outside. Envy figured that since Edward was here, his metal brother would be here as well. They found him, with two other officers by his side.

"I tihnk we have some things that belong to you," Jocelyn smirked. She threw Sonia on the ground and Lieutentant Ross gasped, picking her up. Envy gave Ed to Brosh as the building was starting to cave in.

"Wha-... How..? " Alphonse was speechless. He wanted to ask what had happened, but the two homunculi had already disappeared.

"Alphonse, can you carry her?"

The suit of armor nodded, and Ross gave the unconscious alchemist to him.

With Sonia in Al's hands and Edward on Brosh's back, the five fled the laboratory as it fell apart behind them.