Condemned

Chapter 2

Artemis P.O.V.

The next day, I sat on the curb for over an hour, just waiting for him. 'Why am I even here? Why did I even agree to meet him?' I asked myself. He was a homunculus. What exactly would he want with me? I sighed and shook my head. I couldn't answer any of those questions. Just as I was getting ready to leave, I heard him say, "I can't believe you actually showed up." I whirled around to see that he was sitting on the same roof I had shot him down from the night before. I smirked at him and shoved my hands in my pockets. "I could say the same to you. You know, I've been here for like an hour, right?" I replied. "Sorry. I had...'chores' to do," he said, scratching his head nervously. Suddenly, his already long, blue-black hair grew even longer, until it was touching the ground. He used them sort of like stilts as the locks of hair moved across the pavement, lifting him off the roof and setting him gently on the ground in front of me.  Then his hair was back to shoulder length like nothing at all had happened.

I stared, dumbfounded. "That, that was awesome!" I exclaimed. He stared back. "I-it was?" he asked, surprised. "Yeah! I mean, is that your, um, power? Like the other homunculi have?" I asked. If he could blush, he would have. Instead, he looked around uncomfortably, his eyes finally settling on the sight of his shoes. "Y-yeah, but it's pretty lame. Th-they're all more powerful than me anyway," he mumbled. I stretched my legs out in front of me and began wiggling my feet. "You're as powerful as you want to be, as you believe yourself to be, that's what my Dad always says," I smiled. "Besides, aren't you all just these super strong, super fast, immortal creatures?" He looked at me, surprised. It was strange to me how bright and innocent his dark grey eyes were. Weren't the homunculi supposed to be the bad guys? If so, why was this one such a sweetheart? Was I missing something important here? I just didn't get it. "Y-yeah," he stammered, looking away again. "But they're all fighters and they're all a lot older than m-me. So, like I said, more powerful."

Grief P.O.V.

It was so strange to be sitting and having a conversation with Artemis. It was so different than the past year that I had watched her from afar. I felt like I didn't deserve to be there with her. 'Probably because you don't,' Guilt hissed from the back of my mind. I tried to ignore him. She was so pure, so good, and I felt like I was corrupting her just by sitting near her. I stared down at the ouroboros on my right hand. It was my mark. It let people know what I was: a monster. Guilt ate at me for a while, picking and teasing, making me angry. I couldn't let him get the best of me though. So instead, I talked to her some more. For some reason, she calmed me. She soothed the rage that had been festering within me, and I found out so much about her just listening to her ramble about nonsense. She had a twin brother and a younger sister. She was a state alchemist. She was a risk taker, and she loved the adrenaline rush from the thrills. She was outgoing, bold, and tough. Why she hadn't killed me yet, I had no clue.

"So, what about you?" she asked, catching me off guard. "Wh-what do you mean?" I stammered, staring at her in surprise. "What has your life been like? What's your past, your story?" she asked, gazing at me with those wide, pure golden eyes. "I-I don't have a story," I whispered, tucking my knees to my chest. "Sure you do. Everyone does. Where you came from, how you grew up, who you are now, all that is your story," she smiled. "Well, spending my entire existence with bloodlusting, sadistic creatures who expect you to follow orders like a dog and be exactly like them isn't much of a story," I sighed, laying my head on top of my knees. "Yeah, I guess you're right," she agreed. "That sounds like it would suck." I nodded, playing with the sleeves of my jacket. It did suck. "So, how old are you?" she asked, staring at me with innocent curiosity. I shrugged, pulling the hood of my jacket up to hide my face. It was weird; the feeling I got when she looked at me, it was just...strange. "I'm seventeen, much younger than the other homunculi who are well past two hundred...technically," I answered with a shrug. "So, you're kinda like the baby?" she giggled. I stared at her in complete shock. "Am not!" I argued. She nudged me playfully but said nothing more. It was nice just being able to sit and talk to someone who wasn't obsessed with death, torture, and pain. I was really liking the idea of a friend.

Artemis P.O.V.

I liked spending time with Grief. It was fun telling him about things he didn't understand. I imagined they kept him cooped up his entire existence, because he was clueless about a lot. His naivety was adorable. I agreed to meet him the next day and every day after that. It was unlike anything I had ever known before. I actually had a friend. He was quiet and timid, but the more time I spent with him, the more he came out of his little shell. We spent weeks together. The other homunculi had no idea, and neither did my parents, thank the gods. I slung my bow and arrows over my shoulder and ran toward the door. "Where are you off to in such a hurry?" Dad's voice called from the hallway. I whirled around to face him, feeling the blush rise to my cheeks. "N-nowhere," I replied. He narrowed his eyes at me and crossed his arms, leaning against the wall. "Mhmm. If you say so, princess," he said. I felt my face grow even warmer. "Daaaad," I whined. "I'm not a little kid anymore. Don't call me that." The doubt and suspicion left his eyes and he smiled softly. "You'll always be a little girl to me," he whispered. "Wherever it is you're going, have fun, princess." Without another word, he turned and walked away.

I ran out the door and hopped the fence instead of walking through the gate. Once I was out into the street, I bolted for the little hide away Grief and I had found. A few minutes later, I was bursting through the door and out of breath. Grief looked up at me from his seat on the floor, his dark eyes looking amused. "In a rush?" he murmured. "Huh? No, not at all," I huffed, struggling to catch my breath. "Just afraid I'd get here and you'd be gone." He smiled, patting the empty floor beside him. I sat down, finally able to control my breathing. "Do you think I'd just leave? Seeing you is the best part of my day," he confessed, his voice barely above a whisper. "Really?" I asked, surprised. He nodded. "Y-you're my only friend," he mumbled. I laid my head in his lap, allowing myself to relax. "And you're mine," I replied with a grin. "But why?" he asked. I looked up at him, reaching my hand out and brushing a strand of hair from his face. "Because," I answered, "you're kind. You're gentle. You're good." He looked away, his eyes burning with remorse and shame.

"No I'm not. I've done awful things. I've hurt people. I'm a monster," he spat, angry at himself. I sat up and grabbed his face in my hands, making him look at me. "Grief, you listen to me right now. You are not a monster. What you've done doesn't define who you are, it's what's in your heart that does. And you have the purest heart of anyone I've ever met. You are a good person," I whispered, feeling the faith and conviction in my voice. His eyes softened and he pouted a bit; it was the most adorable thing I had ever seen. "Only because of you, I am," he answered honestly, dropping his gaze to the floor again. His black hoodie was about four sizes too big for him, so when I tried to hug him, all I got were armfuls of black fabric. He stared blankly for a long moment before hugging me back. "Thank you," he whispered. "For what?" I asked, pulling away to look at him. He seemed a lot happier now. "For being my friend," he answered with a small smile. I hugged him again, letting my head rest over the place where there should've been a heartbeat. "No. Thank you for being mine," I murmured into his chest.

Grief P.O.V.

It was a few weeks later that I entered our secret place and Artemis was there before me for once, looking forlorn. She had a suitcase with her, along with her bow and arrows. "What's going on?" I asked, confused. "I have to go for a few days, a week at the most. First to Central, then on a mission. I don't know why, but General Mustang, my grandfather, said it was urgent," she explained softly. "My train leaves in an hour." I didn't know how to feel. It was like I was being abandoned. 'That's because she's leaving you, idiot,' Guilt hissed. 'No she's not,' I mentally assured myself. This was all my brothers' fault; I knew it. "O-okay," I murmured, scratching the back of my head nervously. All these emotions I weren't supposed to be able to feel were spiraling inside me. It was overwhelming. "I'll be back soon," she promised, grabbing her things and standing. "I just wanted to get a chance to say goodbye." I nodded, Guilt whispering cruel things in the back of my mind. "Be safe," I said. I didn't want to see her hurt by any of them. She smiled and kissed me on the cheek. "Always," she replied before leaving. I was left standing there alone, holding my cheek and grinning like a fool. Even Guilt didn't have a negative thing to say.