Crossover Together ~クロスオーバ 一緒に~

In the clear cold afternoon, the government over at Japan's highest building had been under a bit of tense stress as of late. Ever since they got word about Pluton, it had gone pretty high up in security. The world around may be a bit fine overall, but Seitenshi had to really buckle down and try to figure out what to do. This protection operation they've been going through had been alright, but if demons like Pluton are going to keep reappearing, then Seitenshi had to get some stronger ideas going in terms of protection. Without any word of any angel yet, they were on their own with what they had. And what they had, so it seemed, wasn't enough in the case of Pluton.
In the training grounds, Seitenshi and visiting England princess Victoria took the time to observe the training going on in the main yard. From what they could see, it appeared to be going fairly well with both close combat, and far-distance target practice. In fact, both Seitenshi and Victoria took seats nearby to watch the show, Victoria insisting such.

"You sure put your pawns to quite some work," Victoria commented as she observed.

"They're just training, Victoria. But yeah, they need to be ready for whenever another demon attack would come again," Seitenshi said. However, Victoria found it a bit more amusing than concerning.

"Getting a bit paranoid, are we?"

"You heard what that monster did at Central Amestris, who knows when such a beast would try and attack again? This is nothing to sneeze at, Victoria," Seitenshi made clear. Victoria looked humbled slightly.

"Dearie me, did I hit a nerve? What happened to that cheerful, easy-going girl I've got to know?" Victoria asked. Seitenshi just sighed.

"Victoria, I just don't want a bigger loss to happen, that's all. Hundreds were either killed or gone missing, if something like that appears here ..." Seitenshi couldn't even bring herself to actually say it, or even think about it for very long. The only physical stress she had on her was her hands curling up, tugging her dress slightly. Victoria just smiled.

"You don't have to worry about anything, Seitenshi. Team Harmony has it all handled, I'm sure."

"One group of teenagers isn't going to stop every attack."

"They killed it, didn't they? And they saved you back at the Royal Ball," Victoria reminded. Like Seitenshi needed anymore reminders about that particular party.

"You're such a poor planner," Seitenshi commented.

"And you're quite a worrywart," Victoria said, suddenly having one of her flowers in her hand. Seitenshi quickly grabbed it and put it back on her hat. Seitenshi flustered and Victoria just giggled at Seitenshi's serious attitude.

"Can you blame me if I'm a little on edge about what they might try next?" Seitenshi remarked.

"Probably. ... That's why I asked him to come by. He'll sort this out."

"Him? Him who?" Seitenshi asked firmly.

"Keep your shirt on, you'll know when he gets here. I had him check on the Elrics first, and I know they'll be more than eager to see him."

Victoria could only imagine the kind of reaction they'll have when he does meet up with them.

~~

Back at the 3-E building, and with Heine coming by for a little visit, things appeared to be going along as normal. With Edward's automail arm now mended, training with him could now commence again, and boy did Ed feel more empowered since his amends. It was training with Twilight this time, and both kids surely showed how much both sides improved in their craft. For Twilight, her alchemy of purple magical diamond energy shined brighter against Ed's fullmetal alchemy. What began as a simple light for a candle now she could actually use as a projectile in some small beams of magic. A decent move, but a big upgrade nonetheless. While Twilight may be doing good, it was Ed who was fonding over his own enhancements.

"Wow, it's so light! Incredible, amazing, it's like they're not even there!" Edward beamed, zooming around back and forth while avoiding some of Twilight's alchemic beams.

"I gotta say, whatever Winry did to your automail works wonders. Don't think I've seen you move this fast before," Twilight stated, dodging a few more of Ed's punches. Only in this group can a simple conversation be played out during heated practice. And it wasn't just Ed's arm that was mended up; Winry ended up advancing Ed's leg too, and both arm and leg were now strong and light as feathers. Twilight and Edward continued training a bit more, each side showing how much better they've gotten as the rest watched on.

"Damn, look at her go. That girl's got some upgrades," said Blair.

"All that practicing's paying off," Ciel remarked. And clearly it was; Twilight decided to up her game and try out something a little more challenging. Focusing as much as she could, she aimed her hands forward, and clapped them together, purple aura forming in her hands. Edward, still psyched with himself, charged forward strong, but suddenly he felt the ground under him change and lift him upward. Next thing he knew, a force field gripped his good leg and lifted him upside down!

"HEY! Put me down!" Ed demanded, his arms and free leg flailing to get loose. However, his weight along with the flailing made her release him, Ed falling on his head. It'll be a while yet before Twilight could get that off the ground (literally and metaphorically) The bump was a bit minor, but he didn't get too bothered by it.

"WOO! Look at you, Yugure," Karma smirked.

"Yeah, congratulations!" Al said.

"A rather interesting display of Alchemy by both of you. It seems Winry's work paid off for you especially, Elric," Heine noted. Edward continued fonding over his new automail.

"This new Elysium automail is magnificent!" Edward said, doing a few kicks and punches with his automail arm and leg. It surely did feel very good on him compared to his old automail enhancements. It could be said this was as good as things would be. Once both of them were finished up, both kids went off and took a break by the others, Twilight having a seat over by Nagisa.

"Great job out there. Guess all that training's doing wonders for you too," Nagisa congratulated.

"Thanks. To be honest, it's about time I actually got a decent grip on my alchemy. All that extra training with Aladdin was just what I needed."

"Yeah. Hey, by the way, anyone seen him? He told me he was gonna be out today," Nagisa asked. Heine took the privilege of answering him there.

"I had him searching for his Djinn, actually. I gave him the assignment yesterday, not long after we got back. It would seem he's been focused on it," Heine explained.

"I still find tit ludicrous that he'd forget about something like that. Honestly, he barely made an effort about this task of his when he was with us," Ciel noted.

"Don't be so mean, he's just a kid. All of our stuff must've side-tracked him, that's all," Alphonse said, but Ciel just brushed it off.

"Correct. Perhaps he'll be more focused now that he has the main goal in sight," Heine agreed.

"GUYS! HEY!"

Spoke too soon. Looking up in the sky, they both soon spotted Aladdin on his flying carpet. The magi flew in so quickly, he didn't have much time to land, and he ended up tumbling off of his carpet, and landing on Alphonse like one would hit a wall. Not the most comfortable ride, but still a landing. He also looked a little frantic himself.

"Aladdin, there you are. Good timing, we were just wondering where you were," said Ciel.

"Landing needs some work," Heine added in. Aladdin fell off of Alphonse, dazed, but he felt worse before. He sat back up quick and shook off the hit before looking to the others, seemingly looking urgent.

"Nevermind my landing, Al you're here, but Ed, where's Ed?!" Aladdin asked, frantic and not seeing him just yet.

"Right here, Aladdin," Edward said, walking out from aside Alphonse. Aladdin hopped up to his feet.

"What's up with you? You're not the type to go in a panic," Karma questioned.

"B-But there's something BIG, HUGE! Ed, Al, it's -"

"It's good to see you again. Hope I'm not interrupting anything."

It seemed that everything stopped when they saw who the voice belonged to. The figure took a walk out from the 3-E building, cutting through the actual building rather than walk around. In his hand looked like some sort of basket, a melon inside it. Not really much, but it still a nice gesture. ... If any of them weren't so shocked about the person, they'd thank him for that. Almost immediately, Ed and Al were on their feet and saluting to the new coming person.

"F-Fuhrer Bradley!!"

"Calm down, gentlemen. This is just an informal visit," insisted Bradley, a smile on his face and his hand raised.

Fuhrer. King. Bradly. The idea he was still alive was good enough of a shock, and seeing him arrive to their corner of the world after everything built up on it more than most. Even the usually calm characters of this group (Ciel Phantomhive, and Karma Akabane respectively) had some level of shock in them seeing Bradley just show up like this. Bradley took a look to Ed, who looked slightly bruised up with the training.

"Looks like you're injured. Here, I know it's not much but I thought it might cheer you up," said Bradley, giving Ed the melon basket.

"I guess ... AH - THANK YOU SIR!" Ed corrected. The only one out of the know here was Heine.

"Uh, if any of you wouldn't mind ..."

"Oh, right. During the Pluton attack, King Bradley and Salim had gone missing for weeks, longer than Nagisa in fact. The Amestris army's been trying so long to find them," Twilight quietly explained. Heine took another look towards Bradley as she was explaining, and then nodded his head.

"So, king, you've been gone for a while. You mind filling us in, that'd be swell," said Karma with a grin.

"Salim and I had been gone, yes. During the attack by that beast, Salim and I got caught up. One thing lead to another, and we ended up miles outside my own capitol. It's was grateful he and I survived, of course. Oh, and by the way, may I take this moment to congratulate you all on your assault against that beast."

"Pardon? You knew about that?" Ciel questioned.

"Something like that gets around far faster than you think, my boy," Bradley said.

"And what about Salim?" asked Blair.

"Yeah, where is he anyway?" Nagisa added.

"No need to worry about him: with some help from Victoria, I got him back home safe and sound."

"Home, oh yeah, your wife! Last time we saw her she was crying her eyes out!" Blair said, remembering.

"And when I saw her, she never looked so happy in her life. Such a sweet smiling face. You know, it does make you appreciate what you have, doesn't it? You never know when you're either going to leave one place in what way, or what chances you might miss," Bradley noted, referring to his wife in particular. He hadn't seen his wife for a long time, and seeing her so happy when seeing her again just made him feel good inside.

"I agree: One must consider all options when the opportunity does arise to be truly successful." Heine agreed. However, it did get Nagisa some time to think about what he just said.

"What chances you might miss. ..." he thought.

"Fuhrer Bradley! Where're you?!"

"Well, time to go. Damn bodyguard thinks he's my shadow," Bradley sighed, starting to walk away from the crowd. All of the others watched him go off on his way, thinking about what he said.

"I broke away to get a few minutes of privacy. ... Well, farewell for now." and with that, King Bradley then started walking back and leaving the entire group quiet. ... AND only then did a pink-haired girl finally come back out to join the others.

"I'm back! I got all the best snacks in town for - ... what's going on?"

"Oh nothing. Just a tornado passing by," Ed managed to say, feeling completely lost still.

"WHA?! OH NO, SOMETHING EXTREMELY PLOT-RELATED HAPPENED AND I MISSED IT! I gotta step up my game to keep up with everything!" Pinkie said, freaked out that she missed something so important.

"Don't worry, Pinkie, we'll catch you up later," said Alphonse.
Nearby, some of the others were still thinking a little bit about Bradley's comment before, and they took a look over towards Twilight for just a little moment. ...

"... What chances you might miss, huh?"

~~

It took him a while longer to actually get there, but eventually king Bradley had finally arrived over at the capitol of Japan, where Seitenshi and Victoria would be. Since his meeting with Ed and Al were done, as Victoria had wanted, Bradley had no further distractions for the moment in going from there to the base. At the moment of his arrival, Victoria and Seitenshi were waiting over at the front to see him, Victoria glad to see him, but Seitenshi feeling more than surprised seeing the currently thought deceased king arriving at their doorstep.

"Hello, Bradley. Keeping well, I hope," Victoria asked with a grin.

"Well aside from disappearing for a while, I feel just fine. Me and Salim. And you two?" asked Bradley.

"I'm fairing, but can't say the same for Seitenshi. She's been such a worrywart about the little demon attack on Central."

"Victoria, please," Seitenshi warned. She didn't need Victoria to make her sound so unprofessional, especially in front of the king of Amestris.

"Sounds like a poor leader to me," Bradley said sternly. His behavior to her made Seitenshi feel a little uncomfortable. ... Just for Bradley to laugh.

"I'm only kidding! There's no need for you to be so uptight," Bradley reassured them, a shoulder on Seitenshi's shoulder. Seitenshi tried to keep her pride together and clear her throat.

"Mended. Yes, thank you," Seitenshi simply said.

"It's been such a long time Bradley. Why don't you show us some of your skills?"

"Now, now, there's no need for that," Bradley insisted, but cheek Victoria thought otherwise.

"What's this? Has the great, ultimate Fuhrer King Bradley started to get sloppy on us? Oh dear, now that is a problem, we might have to look for a new Fuhrer. Of course I could be mistaken, but what am I to know after such a long time without a presentation?"

.......

Next thing he knew, he was out in the training field, his outfit consisting only his white undershirt and pants, the usual formal attire of the Fuhrer removed off of him so he wouldn't be held back, and in each hand there was a sword at the ready to fight. Victoria and Seitenshi were off aside and watching the show, Seitenshi feeling troubled about it. Basically Victoria mocked Bradley into doing this, so that wasn't something that sat with her well. Bradley could see Seitenshi sulking in embarrassment as Victoria gleefully waited for him to begin.

"Kids," he simply thought with a groan. He took a look at what situation they had in mind before him: several gunmen, all armed up to the teeth and aiming at Bradley. Bradley could sense that, without a doubt, that those men were wary of him. Not because of how strong he was, but the fact they're ordered to attack the king that had been missing for weeks on end. Any huge hit on him and it would be on their heads. Bradley wasn't really worried about them though, nor about the odds stacked against him.

"You may fire when ready gentlemen," called Victoria. The other guards felt uneasy aiming their weapons at Bradley, but suddenly Bradley started running at them. Freaked out, one of them actually opened fire and shot at him! several bullets shot right at him, but king Bradley was not only unfazed, but he actually reflected them off and away with a few steady movements of his blades, not a single one missed. for a man with only one eye, accuracy was the ultimate advantage for him against his foes. When king Bradley got close, he blades got to work and he began to slice and dice the men, each cut inches from their faces and leaving them stunned. It only took him just a singular minute to finish up his assault, and one finished he kneeled down in a sort of actor's bow, swords moving with his arms, just before all the guns suddenly split apart into diced up metal! The biggest injury he left on any of them was a tiny cut on the end of three soldiers' fingers. This man didn't lose his skill, and wasn't going to anytime soon. Both Victoria and Seitenshi gave him some applause.

"There you go, I'm sure that's enough to convince you," Bradley said, putting his swords away as Victoria and Seitenshi walked over to him.

"Now that is especially impressive. I'm more than convinced now, Fuhrer Bradley," Victoria said with a smile, even giving a little bow. ...

"You and me both."

Karma?! Seeing Karma Akabane suddenly show up and nonchalantly walk over to them, hands behind his head no less, surely showed his boldness on the situation. Just as well, he brought his Miracle Sword with him, which he casually held behind his back, not trying to hide it.

"What're you doing here, this is government property," Seitenshi asked sternly. All Karma did was point a thumb behind him, and they all saw Korosensei standing not too far away, dressed up as an army officer. Not the best reason ever.

"He's government property, and he let me in here. Anyway, Fuhrer, I've been thinking about what you said. something about taking chances when they come, right?" Karma began, getting Bradley's attention. After that first sentence, Karma presented the sword to him, it gleaning in the winter sun.

"Well, I may be badass with this sword, but I think it's time to be a little more professional. In short -" Karma then aimed his sword directly at Bradley with a smirk on his face and finishing with "Make me your student, chief."

"Hmm ... well, I am getting a bit busy to taking on students like this," said Bradley. Luckily Karma planned for this.

"Really? Wow, just one kid learning a few skills is too much for you? Damn, and here I thought the king -" Seitenshi quickly went over to him and gave a quick slap to the face. It was rough enough with Victoria, she didn't need more of it from Karma.

"Knock it off! He already got enough trouble from Victoria, he doesn't need it from you," Seitenshi stated. Karma paused for a moment, hand where she slapped him, and both he and Victoria looked to eachother, Karma putting two and two together.

.......

"I'm liking you more and more," Karma said smirking, thumbs up.

"Likewise," Victoria said with a smile.

"Not helping," Seitenshi said. However, Bradley took it to consideration a bit more and eventually he walked up to Karma, swords drawn out and at the ready. All of a sudden, he rushed past Seitenshi and Victoria, and Karma was suddenly eye to eye with the end of his sword! The move was extremely fast, but not intended to kill him, even if it was a literal inch away from skewering his skull. Karma took a slight step back, but he didn't rush off much to Bradley's glee.

"You got nerves of steel, young man. ... I'll be staying here for a little while, so alright. I can give you some pointers, but when I have to go back then that'll be it," Bradley decided. Karma felt a little disappointed, but with who he was talking to, that was all he was going to get from him.

"Oh, the others are gonna flip when they hear this," Karma thought.

~~

Off in another part of Tokyo, another group was off and out doing their own thing. Team Harmony may be busy with their own agenda, but Terasaka and his group were off and chilling out at "Matsuraiken" ramen shop: Terasaka, Yoshida, Kirara, and Envy being some customers with Takuya being the one cooking up their ramen. Envy may have had Hinano and Nabiku, but in this gang was when he could feel more like his old self, despite limitations. Envy hadn't exactly tried the ramen from the human world yet, so he took it with a grain of salt really.

"So what do you think? Gross, right? I keep telling my old man, but he wouldn't change the recipe," Takuya said, as Envy was trying it out.

"Pretty stale if you ask me. Ramen usually this bland here?" Envy admitted. It wasn't exactly an awful thing, but he didn't fancy it too well.

"Don't tell me you've never had Ramen before," Yoshida said.

"Of course I've had Ramen before, the chefs down there just use different recipes that's all. Besides, you don't need to eat as a Homunculus, so I only ate out of leisure," Envy said, taking another taste of the Ramen in the bowl. Kirara smirked as she was reading one of her books.

"Let me guess: human flambé with a side of blood tea, right?" Kirara asked.

"That and probably some soul cake for a dessert," Envy added. It did sound chilling to some of the group, but Kirara, being used to the idea, was a bit more enthused if anything. Why wouldn't Demons eat humans anyway, there's enough stories about them doing so.

"Hey, let's hit up my place next," said Yoshida. "What I got is the bomb, totally modern. This fossil ain't even remotely in the same league."

"Dude!" snapped Takuya.

"Eh, sure, but there's one thing I wanna do first," Envy said, hopping down from the chair and starting to head to the door. The gang wasn't entirely sure what, as envy kept this as his little surprise. Envy took a step outside and then he brought his hand up, finger placed in his mouth followed by a good whistle. The gang looked on outside for a moment or two until someone else then went right up to him, even bowing quickly. She looked fairly normal (you know, if they were back in London): a long dress down to her feet, regular dull lavender color, hair draped down and yellow in color, and by the appearance she looked pretty withdrawn.

"Who's the chick?" asked Terasaka. Envy, with a cocky grin on his face went on to lean against her, elbow on her shoulder.

"Korosensei felt a little sad for me so he decided to upend my keep and give me my own maid. Sweet, huh?" Envy asked. The maid kept a good smile, but inside she was fuming. ...

"Your own maid? Damn, you're getting lucky," Takuya commented.

"Yeah dude. So, hey, how long have you known him for?" Kirara asked the maid. However, the maid didn't even bother with an answer.

"Don't bother. Korosensei told me she's a mute," Envy said.

"Damn. ..."

"Hey, you think your maid could hitch along with us?" Yoshida asked.

"Oh, sure, that's why she's here," Envy said. The gang started to go off on their way, but before Envy could follow, the maid brought her hand to his shoulder and gave him a very angry look.

"You little son of a bitch. You're lucky I'm in this get-up otherwise I'd kill you!"

"Aww, is Emi Isuzu a little pissed off?" Envy cooed. Shocking to believe, but yes Envy got Emi in this horrid get-up, and the gang was just far enough away to not hear them both. Emi was pissed off enough at Envy, but being stuck in this sort of get up as his maid just made her blood boil.

"I'm gonna break your neck!"

"Shut it you, be happy I'm letting you be in disguise. Besides -" he suddenly pulled out the picture from his shirt, the one he took of fat Emi back at her house. "- you're on a leash, bitch."
Emi froze up and the horrid memory got back into her head. Angry, she tried getting it back, just for Envy to quickly yank it back and hide it back into his shirt. No way was he going to lose his only source of bait for this revenge game. With a few chuckles, Envy started strolling off to get to the rest of the gang. Emi could only follow while grumbling curses to herself.

.......

"Pretty badass, huh?"

Soon, they were off at Yoshida motors: owned by its namesake, and as the rest of the gang and the maiden watched, Yoshida and Envy were going around on a little joy ride in Yoshida's motorized sportbike around what seemed to be a single square track. To be honest, not too bad of a thing, and Yoshida drove pretty fairly despite the speed.

"You do know he doesn't have a license right?" Kirara noted.

"Relax, his folks own the track," Terasaka said, seeing Yoshida and Envy cut in close as they sped along. It was Envy's first time on a motorcycle, and seeing himself move so fast surely made him feel exhilarated.

"Tell me this isn't the most awesome thing ever," said Yoshida as he went along.

"Sure gets your human heart pumping," Envy said.

"Oh yeah? Check out my break turn!" Yoshida added, turning the motorcycle to the side. Envy had to hold on tight this time, the wheels screeching like crazy and launching up snow in a wave as the bike skidded down the road. After a good ten feet, the motorbike finally stopped, Yoshida feeling pretty good about his driving.

... just to find Envy in a nearby bush.

"Crap! Dude, what the hell was that for?! Help him out of there," Terasaka yelled, heading right over to him.

"Come on, dude, he's not hurt that bad," Yoshida said, helping him out of the bush. Envy was dazed, and he got leaves stuck on his face and hair, but other than that he was alright. Envy had dealt with a lot worse before, so this was a walk in the park for him. Emi couldn't help but smirk devilishly at his little crash, Envy getting back up.

"There, see? He's fine," Yoshida insisted.

"Yeah, I've dealt with harder hits," Envy said.

"That I can believe," said Kirara.
After that, Envy went on over towards Emi and with a snap of his fingers, Emi (reluctantly of course), started to wipe off the leaves and dirt from his outfit. She could feel the picture inside his shirt, making her even more ticked off at the ammo he had for her. At this point, it was either envy revealing her to be a maid or a fat chick in secret. Both of them sound humiliating, and Envy knew it too. Emi wished she could tear him apart, but anything now and she'll be exposed for sure. The rest of the gang stuck around, Yoshida putting the motorbike away. Takuya casually took a glance up into the sky, pretty cloudy for the winter day.

"Hope it warms up by new years," Takuya commented.

"Yeah, it'll suck if it's still freezing by then. Who knows, it's still a month or so away," Kirara added, looking up to the sky herself. At first, the sky seemed fairly mundane, but as with anything going on lately, there was always that one other surprise.

"Wait, what's that?"

"What's what?"

"Up and over there," Takuya said, pointing over to the object up in the sky so Kirara could see it. The object was small, going through the clouds, and seeing how fast it was going, having too much trouble getting itself handled.

"Incoming!" Takuya called, he and Kirara turning and getting themselves in the garage where Yoshida put the motorbike. They got Envy and Terasaka by their arms and pulled them in just before the object made a crash-landing over right in the middle of the yard. Good thing Yoshida and Envy were finished doing their driving, otherwise they'd be in the firing line of whatever landed.
When they all looked, someone new was standing in the middle of the field, snow scattered all over her shoes, and in more casual clothes over the school attire she was first spotted with: A blue hoodie with a white undershirt, bluish shorts with LONG blue leggings, black shoes and biker gloves. This figure seemed like a regular human, but another detail they all saw was her set of large, blue wings of a falcon spread out open and flapping a few times to get some snow off of her. Her hair was also brightly colored: red, yellow, blue, green, and purple all lined along her hair in a rainbow. These details would normally be unrecognizable, but the moment the gang saw her cerise eyes, it all came together.

"Ok, let's make this quick," she told herself, looking around for a moment and not seeing anyone. She then started to use some of her own work on herself: she began to move her hands over her hair and bit by bit, her hair completely turned blue like before, and even sooner her wings retracted and disappeared into her shirt. That just made it even more obvious.

"Hey, Niji!" Yoshida called out. Niji spun around fast, seeing the gang just a few feet away.

"What the - how much did you see?" Niji immediately asked, as the gang came out. Envy and Emi stood further back.

"Enough to see you transform. Looks like the government gave you some upgrades," Kirara noted, mainly referring to the wings and multi-colored hair. Guess they did see that after all, but lucky they brought up the government thing otherwise she'd be at a blank.

"Oh, yeah, that. They're ... kind of ticked at me for beating up Tataoka, you know, so they uh ... kept me back," Niji admitted. The gang seemed to go with it, but Envy heard the words and he felt a little bit suspicious to her. As he was looking, Niji and Envy soon met eye to eye.

"Who're you?" Niji asked. She did not recognize him from her last visit to Orora high, and Envy only remotely heard about Niji from the other students chatting about her. They neglected to mention the multi-colors or the wings though.

"Me? Envy, 3-E student. You guys met before?"

"Briefly, yeah. Pleased to meet ya," Niji said with a smile. However, her smile was short-lived and he soon saw Emi Isuzu in incognito mode. Envy stepped aside and Niji was suddenly up in the maid's face. Even if Niji was shorter than Emi, the advancement made Emi hunker down ever so slightly, Niji above her and staring her right in the eyes.

"No, no, no, don't you dare! If I'm find out now ..." Emi thought in panic. Her reputation was on the line here, if Niji were to expose her right then and now, then her name would be severely tainted., if not ruined! A rumor about her being a maid to this little twat was not going to suit her at all! She'd talk, but Envy already locked her lips shut with the "mute" excuse.

"Hmm ........ Have we met somewhere before?"

All Emi could do was quickly shake her head in denial. She honestly didn't know Niji all too much aside from a one-sided glance, but other than that she was running a blank, but the situation just made Emi a bit more on edge. Niji stayed silent, her eyes narrowed as she stared right into Emi's own. ...

"... Eh, ok, thought you looked familiar, sorry," Niji concluded. Emi felt a wave of relief pass through her.

"So what happened, Niji? You said the government kept you back," Takuya asked.

"Eh, yeah. But hey, I'm back now so mind catching me up?" Niji asked.

"Oh, sure. Nabiku's been missing ya for months," Kirara said, as they all started to head off on their way with Niji. Emi needed a minute to regain herself, down on her knees and getting her breath. As she was doing that, Envy was still a little suspicious over Niji in the way she was talking, especially about this 'government' thing she kept blabbering on about.

"No ... The government in the human world can't be that advanced, right? Maybe Heine or Korosensei could clear this up. ..."

~~

Later on that night, Nagisa and Aladdin were off and back in the apartment, ready to go right off to bed. Aladdin was especially tired after a long day of looking, Heine tasking him up to it, and now he was just ready to go right off to sleep and nothing else. It wasn't really successful though, Aladdin groaning and tossing himself out on the couch in defeat.

"This sucks," Aladdin sighed.

"Still can't find that Djinn, huh?" Nagisa asked, who was walking out to see him.

"NO, and I looked all over Tokyo too," Aladdin sighed. guess Aladdin had his own day of running around himself, not including finding Bradley during it all. As Aladdin laid there, Nagisa took a seat next to him. His mind had been a bit busy itself over this Lugia search he and Twilight were doing, but that honestly wasn't the only thing, and ironically it involved the exact same person. He just stayed quiet, until he decided to get it over with.

"Hey, Aladdin."

"Hmm?"

"Look. We've been together for a long time now, right? So I guess I can tell you anything and you'll be okay with it. ..."

Aladdin sat back up as Nagisa was talking to him.

"Of course we are. So what's up?"

"... It's about Twilight Kagayaki. I ... well I ... I like her. ... I really like her. ..."
Despite the quiet response, Aladdin still heard what Nagisa had said, Nagisa clamming up and even blushing slightly. Despite everything, he couldn't just blabber on about this to anyone, but he trusted Aladdin enough to open up to him a bit more. At least he didn't berate him about what trouble he had for him.

"... OOHH! So that's why you're so helpful to Twilight! Does she know?"

"Of course not! ... I've liked her that way for a while, but I never got myself to tell her."

"Then why don't you? If you feel that way, just say it," Aladdin insisted. Nagisa though didn't feel so good with it.

"Aladdin, it's not that simple. ... But ..."
Aladdin started to think a little bit more and eventually he got himself up. Guess it was time for "mature" Aladdin to come out again.

"Nagisa, you love her, and I'm sure she wouldn't have any problems with it. I saw both of you work so hard to find eachother: when Twilight went missing, you ran helter skelter all over London, day by day, just to make sure she's alright, and then when you went missing, Twilight and I flew miles all over Amestris to the Far East to find you. All you have to do is say it at this point." Aladdin made that point especially clear, and after thinking about it, Nagisa realized he was right. Both sides went missing from the group at least once, and both he and Twilight tried their hardest to find eachother time and time again. Twilight went missing thanks to Hellgar, and he went missing because of Pluton, yet both sides weren't ready to give up on one another. Honestly, there was no doubt in his mind that he was just holding back. As Bradley had said earlier that day, you never know what chances you might miss. Of course, he couldn't really think of an actual answer, and looking outside it was too late to think of one right now.

"I-It's getting late, Aladdin. I promise I'll think about it. Goodnight, buddy," Nagisa said, heading off to bed. Aladdin felt a little disappointed, but at least it wasn't a flat out no.
Pretty soon, Nagisa was right off in bed, but he didn't go right off to sleep right away. His mind had too much for him to really go off to sleep anyway, as he stared off out his window at the slight snow fall.

"Goddamnit, now what am I suppose to do? Lugia, where're you? You've been giving us your visions, but I know you want to help further," Nagisa wondered to himself. Lugia had been more than enough help with them for lending some Future Sight to them, but thinking about what Lugia might be going through on his end left him wondering if he could actually do anything. For some reason, he began to think very hard about this Future Sight game for a while. ...

Future sight's not the same magic as, say, Alchemy. 1.) It's a spell you're born with, and 2.) even if you used it, it's by someone else's Future Sight used on you.

"There's got to be something I can do. ... Maybe I can find him in my dreams again. Here it goes," Nagisa decided. The chances of it was a bit low though, so he had to at least try. After all, you can't expect to win or fail if you don't do anything. Soon, trying his best to think about Lugia for some mental contact, he went right off to sleep. Hopefully it'll work. ...

.......

After a while, Nagisa opened his eyes again, and took a good look around. It was an immediate idea that he was in some sort of dream again: he wasn't in his room for a start, and instead on one of Synapse's floating islands, sunset according to the sky. The metal flooring and rivers were too recognizable for it not to be.

"Well, that was easy. Now where is he?" Nagisa wondered, looking around for Lugia. However, he did not see him anywhere this time. Last number of times he'd been contacted this way Lugia was somewhere around, but at this point the only one there was himself, which was something he didn't want to happen. If Lugia did want to be hidden he did a good job to not show up. Nagisa moved around the platform every which way, but no matter where he tried, all he could see was the sky and a few clouds.

"LUGIA! LUGIA! Where're you?! I want to help you, we want to help you, just tell me and Twilight where you are outside these dreams!" Nagisa called, but Lugia still didn't show up around him anywhere. It was as if he was just screaming at the air and nothing else, and at this point it seemed that way. It was then Nagisa got another idea, one that seemed a bit more of a risk but worth the shot.

"Ok, if this is my dream, then I can control anything around me right? So maybe I can get him to me," Nagisa realized. Dreams were always known to defy logic, so it was worth a try. Nagisa walked away from the center pillar, and then started to think and focus as much as he could right in front of him. If he could pull this off, then Lugia should show up in no time at all. He had to do this now too, for who knew when the sun would come back up back in his world? One, two, three minutes ticked by quick, and yet nothing happened. No matter how strongly he tried to get Lugia here, it didn't seem to work. ...
The more he tried, the darker the area became, and pretty soon he found himself stuck in a blood red mist, too thick to see beyond a foot normally. This sure wasn't good. However, as he tried to look, something suddenly ended up flashing in his face.

"Future Vision. Ok, what do we got this time? ..."

*BANG*

Nagisa spun around on the sound, the noise giving him shivers. He thought it was someone attacking him, but instead he was met with a more horrifying sight right behind him. It was a stand still, almost slow-mo moment, but it was more than enough detail for Nagisa to figure it out: a crowd of teens keeping their distance, an adult over on one side with a crazed look on his violet eyes, and pistol in hand, and Heine Wittgenstein being shot right through the head! Blood shot out as Heine's body was blown on the ground right in front of him, giving Nagisa chills from head to toe. Like any accident, it was horrible but he couldn't look away. However, this was especially detailed for the moment, more than usual.

*CAAWW!*

Next vision was behind him again, but this time it was a fight going on, some sort of humanoid-like creature fighting with Karma Akabane in a swordsman match. The creature whatever it was managed to knock Karma's sword out of his hands, and in one swift move, skewered him right through the heart! Karma coughed up blood, before his body fell to the floor, his sword landing right at Nagisa's feet.

"K-Karma!" Nagisa gasped, horrified, but of course Karma wasn't moving, his blood out in a large pool.

Then something else started to appear from ahead, appearing like a towering figure of Fuhrer King Bradley, only this time he didn't have the signature eye patch on his face, and revealing the actual eye to him. However it was no ordinary eye, and the glowing symbol of Ouroboros shined down at him! That, and a few others: Lust, Gluttony, and Selim too were there and staring down at him, Envy trapped just behind them and struggling to escape. However, it was Selim who stepped up to him, his Homunculus self expanding and surrounding him. Nagisa couldn't move, and the monstrous form of Homunculus Pride engulfed him!

.......

Nagisa opened up his eyes fast, and sure enough he was back in his room. It was still far from danger, yet he was far from okay with what visions he received. Heine and Karma dead, Bradley and Selim as Homunculus, more demons on a rampage, and worst of all Lugia regretted showing this to him so it had to be true. ...

"No. Heine, Karma, Envy. ... We got to alter this before it begins."

~~

"I'm glad you're willing to cooperate, Gaara, this means more to me than you really know."

In Amestris, Sombra had his own plans going forward with Gaara, both of them going along together with a walk through the Central city, and heading towards the capitol. Being so late in the night, not a single person was around too much, and with their target not too far away, both demon lord and ninja reached to one of the rooftops of Central.

"As long as you keep your end of the deal," Gaara warned, blade at the ready. Sombra just sighed.

"Hard for you to trust people, I see," Sombra sighed. He and Gaara took a look around, and eventually Sombra saw a lit-up part of the Amestris base, and also hearing some sort of noise too. Gaara and Sombra took notice of the window, and it was the demon lord who went in and took a closer look. With some shadow magic, he silently slipped on through the shadows and then took a peek inside. No one took a look at the window, and just as well, the other soldiers seemed to be celebrating their king's return in the form of a round of drinks. It wasn't all the soldiers of course, but still a fairly good time to act if they were gonna do anything. Sombra slipped away from the window and gave Gaara the signal to come down.

"Some party in there."

"King Fuhrer Bradley had recently made a return since Pluton appeared, and it's made quite the talk. This could keep them busy though. ... You remember what to do?" Sombra asked.

"Let's just get this over with," Gaara sighed. That was probably the best he was going to get, so Sombra didn't push him any further. Any pushing now could set him off anyway, and Sombra didn't need that here. So as most of the soldiers were busy, Sombra and Gaara took a look around Central at what they had to deal with, and trying to find out where their target was. With many a soldier busy with celebration, that didn't mean that all of them were gone, as some soldiers were still out on patrol so they still had to be sure not to be too obvious in their little approach on Central. With looking around though, it was Gaara who actually got somewhere and soon spotted another window open, hearing a few distinct voices inside. Gaara didn't have an exact idea, but it did sound pretty good so he decided to investigate.
With a few steady jumps, and keen balance, Gaara got himself just under the window sill, some sand actually helping him grip the wall so he wouldn't fall down, peering into the room. Inside the room, it appeared to be a sort of friendly guest room, with Mrs. Bradley, Selim, and Yoroi inside.

"It's great to see you okay, Selim. Wants some milk?" Yoroi offered, ready to pour.

"Yes please," Selim said with a smile. after pouring him a glass, Yoroi gave Selim a nice cold glass of milk, which Selim was more than happy to take.

"Oh, Selim, I was so worried about you. Thank god you made it back alright, don't scare me like that again," said Mrs. Bradley.

"I'm okay, mom, thanks to dad," Selim said, hugging his mom. Mrs. Bradley did so, all in the sight of the ninja just outside. There was nothing in there directly aimed at him, nor did any of them knew he was there, but something about Mrs. Bradley and Selim's behavior made Gaara's blood boil. ...
So it begins: using his sand to cover it, Gaara then shattered the window right in front of them all, remains of sand and broken glass launching out into the room. Naturally, Selim, Mrs. Bradley and Yoroi jumped and rushed away, as more sand entered the room from the same window. It was surprising, unprecedented, and Gaara went right on into the room, fazing through the sand with a killer glare on his face. Gaara didn't say much, having no despire to, and he immediately locked onto his target: Mrs. Bradley! Yoroi though looked ahead, and rushed Gaara, putting his own life on the line. The sand shielded Gaara before Yoroi could attack him, launching Yoroi back, and changing Gaara'a attention towards him. Soon, the whole room had a tiny layer of sand at their feet, Selim and Mrs. Bradley stayed close and tried to keep away from their attacker.

"Who the hell are you?" Yoroi demanded.

"I don't have to tell you. Stay out of the way or I won't have to kill you," Gaara warned. No, it didn't make the situation any better, and Gaara wasn't even trying to make it such. Being a soldier, Yoroi was already armed with a small weapon, pistol aimed right at Gaara. However, Gaara wasn't so easily intimidated and attacked Yoroi on the spot, sand lashing at the gun and arm holding it! Yoroi forced the sand off of him, but his arm ended up covered in cuts and scratches, as if his hand was shoved into some grinder.

"Stay away from them!" Yoroi ordered, but Gaara didn't listen to him.

"W-what do you want?" Mrs. Bradley asked, worried over her child.

"I came here for you," Gaara hissed, making the situation even more uncomfortable. Both she and Selim stepped back some more, but as they were looking, Gaara looked to the wall at their shadows, seeing that one of them was starting to morph and manifest into a more human-like and menacing.

"Sombra mentioned something about a Homunculus, whatever the hell that is. Looks like the little brat's the prime target here," Gaara thought. Sombra had gone over this plan before getting here, but Gaara never truly got what a Homunculus actually was. If this wasn't a homunculus, he didn't know what one would be, Selim being the first one demonic he'd seen all night. Yoroi suddenly opened fire again, the shield coming back up and blocking each bullet blasted Gaara's way. The sand suddenly wrapped around Yoroi, suffocating him and keeping him back. Selim tried to move behind Mrs. Bradley, but Gaara only sent his sand and started to grab and cover the kid from all sides. Gaara would kill him no problem, but Sombra had other plans Gaara was stuck in so Selim ended up trapped inside the sand viel. Mrs. Bradley looked on in horror as she watched her own child get trapped, and she even tried reaching for Gaara, only to get launched back to the wall. Selim was stuck inside the sand veil, Yoroi and Mrs. Bradley hearing the cutting sounds from inside the veil. From within the veil, Selim struggled to get himself free, though trying his best to keep his identity quiet in front of the other two in the room. Gaara looked over to Yoroi and Mrs. Bradley once more, and sent more sand to slam into them, strong enough to knock them unconscious.
and just in time too: Selim finally had enough and his Homunculus side broke out of the sand in an explosion of darkness, sharp teeth and large eyes. Selim looked over to Yoroi and Mrs. Bradley, just to find them unconscious nearby and cuts on them as well.

"You got some nerve to challenge me," Selim said.

"As fun as it would be to kill you, I'm not here to do that. And it was a waste of time dealing with those things there," Gaara said, looking to Mrs. Bradley and Yoroi knocked out nearby. At least some of the witnesses were out of the way now.

"Then what are you here for?" Selim asked.

"I asked him to."

In enter Sombra. He came in through the same window as Gaara, though not as forcefully nor with such horrifying ferocity.

"Next time don't be so furious, Gaara. No need to spill more blood than you have to," Sombra advised, referring to the two unconscious figures nearby. Gaara just ignored him and Sombra looked over to Pride.

"Doing well I see. I've heard about you. Pride: the very first Homunculus, am I correct?" Sombra asked.

"I am. And you must be King Sombra. Team Harmony mentioned you while they were here," Selim said.

"If it's what I think it is, then I'm gonna make this clear that I did not do that. That would be the currently deceased Tirek," Sombra sighed.

"You mean that monster wasn't from you?" Pride questioned.

"No, it isn't. Anyway, I came here to ask your recruitment, Pride. Being the very first Homunculus created could be proven pretty useful. ... If you wouldn't mind," Sombra asked, hand extended to the Homunculus. Pride looked to Sombra like he was crazy.

"Your lackie just broke in here, and tore those two apart right in front of me."

"Something I'll talk to him about later. ... Now, you wish to join me?" Sombra offered once more.