Fullmetal Alchemist Fan Fiction ❯ Faces of Hatred ❯ Regensburg ( Chapter 3 )

[ T - Teen: Not suitable for readers under 13 ]

Chapter Four: Regensburg

* Hate *

Regensburg, a city that has nothing majorly important or exciting. In the main town anyway. There are however, several out of the way prisons in the Bavarian Forest just northeast of it, which was why Hate was here.

He decided to check out the main town first to see what it had to offer. Not much. There were a couple of food ports, a few hundred acres of housing at the edge of the forest, and some random make-shift shops that sold virtually useless items.

Flowers, wooden instruments, weapons (what good are weapons when you can turn your arms into poisonous spikes?)

He idly scanned the area, already convinced there was absolutely nothing of interest. That was when his eyes fell on a certain tall, dark haired individual in a horse-drawn wagon among the rabble of people going about their routine.

It couldn't be! There was no way! All this searching Dante had made him do to find Lust and he finds her in this dump by pure chance?

"And look who's with her." he observed to himself. "None other than the brat" he said, referring to the short blonde riding in the seat just behind her.

"All my enemies in one place!" He brushed his dark bangs out of his piercing blue eyes. Well almost all. And the one missing, he despised above all others. Even Elric.

But wait, Elric means . . . He looked toward the beautiful brown haired girl sleeping beside him where she had been hidden from view. It made him sad to watch her follow him so loyally when he denied her what she wanted. He wished more than anything for her to forget Elric, and take the lead. That way he'd be free to follow her wherever she went like he always dreamed.

Wait a minute. Here was his chance. Dante was miles away, and probably wouldn't expect him for another two weeks or so. It would only take him a day to infiltrate the prisons. She wouldn't know if he took a bit of an extended vacation, and what she didn't know wouldn't hurt her (or more importantly, him).

"How does a little bit of time off sound to you Gluttony?" Hate asked the burden Dante had sent with him. Gluttony just drooled. "I'll take that as a yes!"

* Sharee *

Regensburg was a fairly quiet area. That's probably why Lust had chosen it as our hiding place. She explained to us (or Ed rather since he was by far the more valuable asset) That she had a network of "associates" who kept vigilance throughout most of Europe for people fitting Hate's description and suspicious activity, such as prison breaks, mass murders or other events that might relate to Dante.

She continued to ramble on about pretty much the same stuff as the wagon trotted along, keeping her voice low so as not to attract attention from onlookers. It had scared me at first, but the fear had generally died after the first eight hours.

I looked about at the surroundings. A few of the shops here caught my interest. I made a mental note to come back to the weapon shop later.

I took a brief glance at the flower shop, and I sighed as I remembered my own little business I had run in Munich. I wondered if Hohenheim would take care of things. I wondered if he was alright. Had Hate gotten to him? "Say, Lust?"

"Renee!"

"Sorry. Do you think Hohenheim is okay? I mean, do you think Hate went after him?"

She seemed reluctant to answer. "I haven't heard anything from my contacts in Munich. From what I know of Dante and Hohenheim's history my guess would be that she would go after him. I do have contacts stationed around your lodgings, but none of them have reported."

Ed broke into the conversation "Do you think they tried to act on their own and got themselves killed?"

"I'm a little more concerned that you had vigilantes stationed where we were living." I remarked accusingly.

"Sharee's got a point Lu ... Renee. Why were you keeping such a close eye on us? Why not just contact us yourself?"

She turned her head to look directly at us. "Would you have listened to me. In light of our history, I don't think I would have listened to me if I was in your shoes."

"Good point." Ed answered.

It was a good point. Lust had lent been largely responsible for the deaths and tragedies of many friends of ours. I shuddered to think of what part she may have played in killing Maes. My mind drifted back to happier times I had shared with him.

I thought of the first time we had met

* Flashback *

"This is the girl that came with the Elrics." remarked Colonel Roy Mustang in that melodramatic voice of his. "She claims to have no alchemical prowess but has proven to be perceptive, intuitive, and persuasive. If her talent is half as promising as those boys, she'll be a valuable asset to the investigations department."

The spectacled man smiled. "Sounds great." he turned to me. "Maybe I'll have the opportunity to work with you in the future."

"Oh you'll be working with her alright." The colonel interrupted. "I'm putting her under your command Maes."

"YOU'RE WHAT!"

"Who better to train a new and promising investigations officer than the best." I could tell the colonel was enjoying dropping this burden on his friend, and I couldn't help but feel kind of sorry for Major Hughes. I made my mind up then & there to prove to him that I could be a capable soldier, and not just some dumb teenager that he'd have to baby-sit.

"Roy, you know how busy I am with this serial killer still at large! The last thing I need is to take the time to train a partner."

I stood straight at attention "The Face-Slasher case. He's claimed three victims, and is suspected of four other murders because of similarities in pattern. Victims are usually females living alone between eighteen and twenty-seven. Found tightly bound with a series of intricate knots. The faces of the victims are slashed past recognition. No theft or sexual assault is apparent." I hoped that gave him a little bit of encouragement that I was at least somewhat competent.

Both officers looked at me in astonishment. "How did you get that much information on a case that the state has done quite a bit of work to keep under wraps."

Oops. I hadn't quite thought that out yet. I couldn't just come out and tell him that I had dove into his mind. I had never even told Ed about my "talents". I made up an excuse on the spot. "I uh . . . read the file when the colonel left me alone in his office."

Mustang sighed. "Fresh out of basic training, and already bending the rules. You're definitely a friend of the Elrics. Maes, I want Sharee on the Face-Slasher case immediately. She'll be your partner on this case. It looks like you won't have to waste time filling her in."

With that, he walked straight out of the office, leaving no room for Hughes to argue.

I saluted my new commanding officer, but I couldn't help smiling the tiniest bit

* End of Flashback *

"What do you think" Lust asked, tearing me away from my memories. I looked at what she was pointing at. We were at what looked to be a ranch on the outskirts of town. There were two huts, a stable, a barnyard, and at least three acres of grass around it. "Welcome to the Anderson ranch. My humble dwelling".