#anyway like i said i haven't watched soul eater in ages
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GreedxLing Week Day 2: Crossover
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Ling had been certain that he and Lan Fan were ready to take down a witch.
They'd gotten the other 99 souls required easily, far faster than any other student at the DWMA had ever managed. (Well, anyone besides Maka Albarn, but she was a freakishly intense prodigy so that was hardly a fair comparison. And she'd had to start over anyway so it barely counted.) Their soul resonance was nearly flawless. When they fought together Lan Fanâs blade was like an extension of Ling's arm. Every strike landed precisely and powerfully, and their special attacks never failed.
No witch should have stood a chance against them.
And they hadn't gone into the fight alone. Ed and Al were with them, and the two brothers were nearly as good as Ling and Lan Fan. The weapon meister combination of a giant suit of armor and a guy way too small to wear it was unconventional, and Ling was pretty sure Ed having his friend make him an oversized prosthetic arm so he could wear one of everything from the pauldron down, then and having Al fight beside him only counted âwielding a weaponâ on the barest technicality, but they made it work. Ed was very good at punching things until they stopped getting back up, and Al stepped in perfectly to watch his back.
And Professor Hawkeye and her meister, Mustang, had accompanied them on this mission, so really they were as safe as could be.
Okay, maybe the adults had less accompanied them and more failed to notice the students sneaking along on a mission they'd been explicitly told to sit out because it was too dangerous. Something something ancient and powerful witch, blah blah dark soul magic, yadda yadda artificially created weapons who could operate autonomously, achieve soul resonance within themselves, and perform feats that no human weapon and meister team could hope to match. Whatever. If anything that was all the more reason for them to come along instead of leaving the old people to try and face all of that on their own.
Really, Hawkeye and Mustang should be grateful they were there, considering Mustang got himself critically injured fighting the first enemy they came across; a beautiful woman who could summon spears to her fingertips that grew to whatever length she wanted and apparently could cut through anything. The man did manage to kill her before succumbing to blood loss, though, which Ling could admit was kind of impressive considering how she shook off what should have been mortal wounds and healed almost instantly from any damage. But still, if the rest of them hadn't been there to provide cover and a distraction Hawkeye never would have been able to drag her unconscious meister to safety and call for more backup.
Hawkeye threatening them all with a âserious conversationâ when they got back to school and swearing she'd expel them if she found out they'd stayed to fight if there was a chance of running away seemed pretty rude and uncalled for to Ling, but the woman was under a lot of stress.
So they ran deeper into the witch's compoundâa confusing warren of underground tunnels that Ling wasn't entirely confident he'd be able to easily find his way back out of even with his normally perfect sense of directionâsmashing delicate lab equipment, yelling for any cowards in the place to come face them, and generally just making a commotion to try and draw attention away from their injured companions.
Ed seemed particularly thrilled at all the destruction they were wreaking. Ling thought it was pretty fun too, but the other meister was delighted in a way that was a little concerning, laughing maniacally as he grabbed flasks of some unidentifiable green liquid off a lab table and flung them against a wall where they promptly exploded.Â
Al heaved a long suffering sigh at his brother, but didn't try to stop the rampage, and also shoved over an entire shelf of the exploding potions as they left the room they'd found them in and giggled to himself about it because he was only âthe normal brotherâ in the sense that anyone would seem sane and rational standing next to Edward Elric.
They succeeded in calling attention to themselves.
They didnât draw out the actual witch, at least not yet, but the two minions who came after them were terrifying enough on their own.
One was a short fat man, who partially transformed into aâŠmeat grinder? Some sort of construction equipment maybe? It wasnât anything Ling would call a weapon in the traditional sense, but the sight of the manâs abdomen splitting open to reveal rows of spinning metal teeth was more alarming than any blade or hammer or gun could hope to be. Luckily he didnât seem very smart, and kept stopping to look around and call for someone named Lust who never showed up, so it wasnât too hard to dodge his attempts at pulverizing them.
The other person was more of a problem. They were taller and much more agile, and clearly knew their way around the witchâs headquarters, which made evading them in the tight corridors a challenge. And they never seemed to run out of ways to transform their body. Ling would dive back to avoid the swing of an arm that had become a blade only to immediately have to roll to the side when that same arm turned into a cannon aimed right at his head.Â
They also never shut up. Every attack was followed up with a comment about how âYou pathetic humans never should have come here,â or âYouâll never make it out of here alive, you worms!â
And of course, Ed also didnât know how to shut up.
âIâd rather be a pathetic human worm than an ugly freak like you and your buddy!â
âWho are you calling ugly, you tiny little pest?âÂ
Their hand turned into some sort of glowing gun that fired a laser at Ed. Frankly, Ling thought turning into a sci-fi bullshit weapon was cheating.
Al just managed to yank his brother out of the way and hold him back from rushing in for an attack.
âTiny?! Weâll see whoâs tiny after I rip your legs off!â
âOh, Iâd love to see you try andâGluttony, would you focus?â
The fat man, Gluttony apparently, turned back from where heâd been starting to wander away down a cross hall.
âBut Envy, I need to go look for Lust. I donât know where she is.â
Envy shook their head. âWe can look for her after we crush these intruders, alright? You donât need to worry about Lust, she can take care of herself.â
âButââ
âLing, we should try and get out of here while theyâre distracted,â Lan Fan said, speaking into Lingâs mind as she always did in her sword form and drowning out the argument in front of him.
âRight,â Ling whispered back, trying not to draw attention back to them. They were at the junction of two hallways, and there was just enough room that they could slip around their pursuers and go back the way theyâd come if they were quick about it.
âEd, Al, letâs get out of here,â he added only slightly louder. Both Elric brothers nodded their understanding.
Ling led the way, moving as quickly and quietly as he could along the far side of the hall from Envy and Gluttony to rush back past them.
Something slammed into the wall inches in front of Lingâs nose, and he barely stopped in time to avoid running into a giant mess of metal and wires and tubing that was shaped like a crude, nightmarish hand, reaching nearly from floor to ceiling and completely blocking his path.
The hand connected to an equally haphazard mechanical arm that shrank as it got further from the wrist, all the way down to Envyâs human looking shoulder. Theyâd stopped talking to Gluttony, their focus entirely fixed on Ling and his friends.
âI didnât say you could leave,â they hissed.
âNew plan,â Ling gasped, backpedaling a few steps away from where Envyâs hand was slowly pulling away from the new crater it had left in the solid stone wall. âWe run away as fast as we can and worry about finding an exit later.â
âI like that plan!â Al said, already turning back up the hall and dragging Ed with him.
âVery sensible,â Lan Fan agreed.
The following chase was a blur of sprinting over uneven floors and taking corners at speed while ducking out of the way of blades and gunfire and giant mechanical hands, as well as the occasional attempt to grind them into a paste. (Gluttony referred to this as âeating them,â which, bad!) Ling completely gave up trying to keep track of where they were or the direction they were going, just concentrating on staying alive and hopefully losing the monsters on their tails.
It was a surprise when, after darting around another corner and through an archway, they found themselves out of the claustrophobic hallways and in a cavernous room. Tubes wrapped and tangled around each other up the walls and across the ceiling, coming together in the center of the room and trailing down to connect to a large throne, its occupant shrouded in shadows so deep Ling couldnât make out a single detail of his face. A sense of creeping evil permeated the entire space, and Ling realized that this must be the witchâs inner sanctum.
There was no other door but the one theyâd entered through.
The only other occupant of the room was an older man standing next to the throne, unremarkable other than the eyepatch over one eye. He strode forward with a glare as Envy and Gluttony burst into the room behind Ling and the others.
âWhat is the meaning of you fools allowing these humans to make their way here? Youâve disturbed Fatherâs work.â
âHey, these little insects are fast,â Envy protested. âAnd I didnât see you helping stop them, Wrath! Or Sloth and Pride for that matter.â
âOur brothers are away on an errand for Father,â Wrath said dismissively. âYou shouldnât need their help to squash a few bugs anyway. Or mine, but Iâll go ahead and lend it to you since it seems to be the only way anything gets done around here.âÂ
Envy growled, and the growl deepened and distorted as they transformed.Â
In the open space of this room they were able to change more than just their arm. Their whole body stretched and twisted as they grew into a giant robotic thing. It looked a bit like a mech suit from an anime, if that mech suit had been welded together from a thousand disparate parts by a madman into a body horror nightmare amalgamation, bristling with every weapon imaginable. They dropped down onto all foursâtheir new form no longer bipedalâand the impact shook the room so badly Ling nearly lost his footing.
âFine,â Envy said, in a voice like grating metal. âYou take care of the one with the sword, that seems more your speed. Iâll take the armor and the runt.â
For once in his life, Ed didnât immediately freak out about being called a runt. Maybe even he recognized they were in serious enough danger to let something like that slide. Instead he said, âActually, I think Iâm just gonna leave.â and darted toward Envyâs flank, maybe trying to use their large size against them to slip by them and back out the door before they could twist around for the attack.
Ling wasnât able to watch and see how that tactic worked out for his friend because, faster than seemed possible, Wrath was no longer across the room but right in front of him, swinging a sword toward his neck. Only Lan Fan calling out a warning allowed Ling to react in time to block the attack, and the force of the blow sent him stumbling back.
Ling could hear Ed and Al fighting Envy, and it sounded like they were struggling (it also sounded like Ed had landed at least one blow because he yelled âthatâs for calling me a runt!â So much for letting things go in a dangerous situation), but he couldnât go to help them or even spare a glance in their direction. It took all his energy to match Wrath, and he spent more time blocking and dodging than making his own attacks, unable to find an opening.Â
He didnât know if the man was one of the witchâs created weapons. He must have been, from the weird name and how unnaturally fast he moved, but he didnât appear to transform his body in any way.Â
But he could pull seemingly infinite swords from somewhere, rearming himself instantly the one time Ling managed to disarm him, and throwing them with as much deadly accuracy as he wielded them when Ling tried to retreat and put some distance between them.
Gluttony, apparently unable to decide who he should be attacking without explicit instructions, just took a swipe at whatever intruder happened to be in range of him at any given time as the fight took them around the room. It was better than having to fight two at once, but the added need to keep track of distance from him wasnât something Ling appreciated.
He tried to keep circling to Wrathâs left, to put himself in the blind spot created by the eyepatch. His success was limited, but the strategy was letting him keep his head attached so far, and he didnât see any better options so he kept to it.Â
The witch eventually grew impatient with the fight.Â
âEnough,â he said, not yelling but somehow projecting his voice across the room and over the sound of fighting.Â
Ling didnât look over, refusing to be distracted.
But then Al asked: âDad?âÂ
At the same time Ed snarled: âHohenheim!âÂ
That got Lingâs attention.
âYour dadâs a witch?â That was the type of thing heâd hope his friends would tell him before it came up mid-battle.
The witch did look a lot like Ed, an old man with graying blond hair that had probably once been the same shade as Edâs braid, and eyes the same distinctive golden color.
Whether the Elrics were going to answer him, or keep yelling at the witch that was maybe their dad, Ling never found out. Envy took advantage of the distraction and slammed one giant hand down into Ed and the other into Al, pinning them both to the floor.
âLing!â Lan Fan yelled, and he jumped back away from Wrathâs sword.
He just barely got out of the way, a stinging cut opening on his cheek instead of the intended decapitation.
Wrath followed up by throwing his sword, and the thin blade slotted cleanly into the loop at the back of Lan Fanâs hilt, ripping her out of Lingâs hand. The sword continued on its path, and buried itself deeply into the wall.
Ling dashed over and yanked on the sword, but it didnât budge.
âDuck!â Lan Fan shouted, and Ling dropped to the floor right as the blade of yet another sword hit the wall where his head had been with enough force to shatter the tempered steel.
Ling rolled to the side and sprung back to his feet. He and Wrath circled each other again, but this time Ling tried not to let himself be moved too far from Lan Fan.
âLing, just go,â Lan Fan cried. Her voice, already faded in Lingâs mind from a few feet of distance, sounded desperate in a way heâd never heard her before. âGet out of here, please!â
âIâm not leaving you,â Ling snapped. He wouldnât leave any of them. There had to be a way toâ
Something slammed into Lingâs side, tackling him to the ground. Too late, he realized heâd forgotten to keep track of Gluttony.
As he struggled beneath Gluttonyâs weight, watching the grinding teeth of whatever his weapon form was inch closer and closer, Ling really wished heâd been a little less confident in his abilities and chosen not to come here.Â
âWait,â the witch called.Â
Gluttony stopped a second short of turning Ling into mince meat.
The Witch walked slowly towards Ed and Al.
âYou two are Van Hohenheimâs children?â he asked.
âWhatâs it to you, you bastard?â Ed growled.
âYes, we are,â Al, ever more diplomatic, rushed to answer. âYouâum wellâ you look a lot like him.â
âYes, I suppose I do,â The man muttered. Then, louder, he added, âWeâll be keeping these ones alive, Envy, so do try not to crush them too much if you havenât already.â
âUm, alright,â Envy said, shifting to put less weight on the Elrics.
âAs for the others,â the witch turned back to look at Ling. âWe donât need them. You can go ahead and eat that one, Gluttony.â
âNo!â Ed yelled. âNo, please, they're our friends!â
âBut I have no use for them. A measly two souls arenât even enough to use in my experiments. AlthoughâŠâ He tilted his head, regarding Ling with a more considering eye. âI suppose it might be time to give Greed another chance.â
The witch stood up straighter and clapped his hands sharply. âWrath, Gluttony, bring the boy over here. I have use for him after all.â
Gluttony whined in disappointment, but obediently shifted off of Ling and grabbed one of his arms. Wrath grabbed the other, and the two of them began dragging Ling toward the throne in the middle of the room, ignoring his struggling as if it were nothing.
âNo!â Lan Fan screamed.Â
Ling twisted to look at her.
Sheâd taken her human form again. The sword that had been harmlessly hooked through the loop of her pommel was now stabbing her arm just below her right shoulder. There wasnât much blood, the blade completely filling the wound, but that arm flopped limply as she struggled, reaching toward Ling.
âLet him go! Bring him back!âÂ
âLan Fan, stop moving,â Ling yelled. âYour arm! Youâll make it worse if you donât hold still!â
âI donât care,â Lan Fan reached up to yank at the hilt of the sword. She managed only the slightest movement of the blade, and blood began oozing more quickly from around it. âLet him go! Take me instead!â
The witch and his weapons ignored her. Ling was dragged in front of the throne and forced to his knees as the witch retrieved a small flask of some viscous red liquid from a table nearby.
Gluttony moved to hold both of Lingâs arms, and Wrath took ahold of his chin, forcibly tilting his head up.
âThis may hurt,â the witch said calmly, sounding almost like a doctor about to administer a shot.
âLet him go, you bastards!â Ed snarled.
âPlease, stop this!â Al begged.
âLing!â Lan Fanâs yell sounded more like a sob.
And then the witch tipped the contents of the flask into the cut on Lingâs cheek, and he couldnât hear anything over his own screaming anymore.
â
Lingâs body twisted and writhed in ways it was never meant to, his bones breaking and rehealing over and over, his insides feeling like they were being boiled.Â
It was excruciating.Â
It was too much.Â
Ling retreated from reality into the place inside himself he accessed for soul resonance training with Lan Fan. Not quite inside his own soul, but not in his body either. A quiet and empty void.
Except it wasnât quiet or empty now. The pain followed him down, though it wasnât as strong as it had been, and the space was full of a thousand overlapping screams.Â
And there was another soul there.
The soul wasnât normal. Not in the twisted, evil way the kishin eggs Lan Fan consumed on their missions were. It just looked like it had been put together hurriedly from the pieces of many others, somehow coming together into a cohesive whole.Â
It was almost beautiful, in an alien way.
As Ling watched, the soulâs shape changed, until he was looking at a large, shadowy face with jagged teeth and glowing white eyes.
âWell, what do we have here?â The voice came from the face in front of him, though its mouth didnât move. âAm I supposed to be using your body now?â
âWhatâs happening to me?â Ling asked.
âThey didnât explain, huh?â the thing asked. âYeah, they wouldnât. The names Greed, kid, and if I had to guess, whatâs happening is they put me in your bloodstream and now your bodyâs trying to adapt to my power. Probably doesnât feel too good.â
Maybe Ling was going crazy, but the floating head sounded a little sympathetic.Â
âLook, you should probably just let go. Let yourself fade back into your soul or whatever. Only one personâs ever survived this, as far as I know, and itâs not a pretty way to go. I can keep you from feeling it, but not when you're fighting to stay conscious like this.â
âIf I die, will they try again with someone else?â
âHuh?â One of Greedâs eyes got bigger than the other, giving the impression of raising an eyebrow he didnât have. âYeah, probably, if thereâs anyone else around. Wonât be your problem anymore, though, will it?â
Ling thought of Lan Fan, pinned to a wall with a mangled arm and still fighting to get to him, to help him.
He couldnât let her go through this.
Ling stood up as straight as he could while floating in a void and glared at Greed.
âIâm not going to die,â Ling willed himself to believe his own words as he spoke. âThere are people counting on me. Iâm going to save my friends, and Iâll take on all your power to do it if I have to.â
Greed stared at him silently for a moment, somehow looking stunned despite being mostly sharp teeth and empty eyes. Then he burst out laughing.
The laugh sounded more delighted than mocking, which was not what Ling would have expected.
âOh, I like you,â Greed said when he was done with his laughing fit. âThis is gonna be fun. Alright then, you take my power, and weâll see what we can do for your friends. I got a score to settle with the old bastard myself.â
Greed moved closer to Ling, his mouth finally opening, stretching wide enough to swallow Ling whole. A blinding white light shone from between Greedâs teeth as they rushed toward Ling. The screaming around them crescendoed, growing louder and louder until Ling realized he was screaming along with it. Everything became so overwhelming, he was certain he was about to be ripped apart, and thenâ
â
Lingâs eyes opened, but he wasnât the one to open them.
His body was still kneeling on the floor, right where it had been, his arms stretched out to either side of him.
Wrath and the witch stood looming over him. Gluttony had wandered away, not in Lingâs direct sight anymore, though he didnât dare hope heâd gone far.
The pain faded rapidly, energy crackling around him as his body healed, until he felt fine. Better than fine. Maybe better than heâd ever felt in his life.
Lingâs head raised, his eyes looked around, but once again it wasnât him behind the movements.
âLing?â Ed asked. âAre you okay?â
Greed looked over at where Ed was still pressed to the floor by one of Envyâs hands. He smiled, and Ling could feel it pulling at his face in a way his own expressions never did.
âOh, is that his name?â Greed asked. âSorry, but Ling canât come to the phone right now. Greedâs running the show from here on out.â
Hey, thatâs one of my friends! Ling protested. You said we wouldâ
Shut up and let me sell this, Greed hissed back inside the shared space between their souls.
âGreed,â The witch said. âWelcome back to the family, my son. Your past transgressions shall be forgiven, if you agree to once more work with us for our common goals.â
Ugh, I hate this guy, Greed muttered.
Out loud, he said: âWhat else could I do, when youâve so kindly given me a second chance, Father?â He bowed Lingâs head in what might have been a convincing show of respect to someone who couldnât hear his thoughts. âI promise, I wonât waste my new life.â
âVery good,â the witch hummed his approval. âThen rise, and tell me, how does the new body feel? And what form does the weapon inside you take now?â
âIt feels pretty great,â Greed answered as he stood up.Â
He raised both of Lingâs hands to eye level, and instead of the horrible twisting transformation Ling had been halfway bracing himself for, all that happened was a coal black something covering the skin to about halfway up his arms. The nails grew a bit longer and sharper, but nothing as dramatic as the woman Mustang had killed. (who Ling supposed must be the missing Lust)
âStill got my shield,â Greed added. Obviously, donât know what else the asshole expected to happen.
âHow disappointing,â the witch said. âI had hoped that combining your melted essence with a skilled swordsman such as this one would allow you to take a more useful shape, something suited to attacking rather than weak defense. Still, it canât be helped I suppose. I can still find use forââ
âMonster!â Lan Fan shrieked from her place against the wall. âGive Ling his body back! Get out of him!â
Greed didnât turn to look at her.Â
Ling wished he would, desperate to check on her.Â
Ling was grateful he didnât, not wanting to see the pain he could hear in his best friendâs voice on her face.
âFraid I canât do that, sweetheart,â Greed drawled. âNot exactly a thing where I can just jump back out of the body once Iâm in it, you understand.â
Donât talk to her like that! Ling snapped, and was surprised to feel his hands twitch in response to his own emotion.Â
Greed couldnât jump back out, but maybe Ling could still get back in control.
Stop that! Greed admonished. I told you, I have to sell this. Just trust me for a minute, would you?
The witch turned to regard Lan Fan. âIâm afraid youâve outlived your usefulness,â he said. âWrath, dispose of her.â
No! Ling thrashed where he was trapped within his own body, but before he could make any progress, Greed moved.
Taking advantage of the witchâs distraction, the moment Wrath stepped away, Greed plunged one of Lingâs hands into the old manâs chest.
Whatever his shield was made of, it punched through flesh and bone as easily as a knife passing through butter.
âLike I said, Dad,â Greed spat. âIâm not wasting the chance youâve given me.â
The witch looked very unconcerned for a man with a hand in his chest.
A wave of force slammed into Lingâs body, throwing him and Greed to the floor.
âSo disappointing,â the witch sighed. His chest was healing with the same crackling energy that had surrounded Lingâs body moments before. âYou do so much for your children, but in the end you canât prevent them from making the same mistakes again and again. Oh well. Wrath, leave the girl and kill your brother for me.â
Wrath lunged at them, his movements almost too fast to follow. For the second time that day, Ling was in a fight with the ridiculously skilled swordsman, but this time he wasnât even able to control his body. He had to rely on Greed to dodge and block fast enough, using his shielded hands to deflect blow after blow in a deadly dance.
Canât you put that shield over more of my body? Ling asked as Wrath managed to cut his face, again. At least this time it healed almost before the pain could register.
That would take too much energy to power it up in the middle of a fight. Greed answered. Still kinda settling into my new body here, you know? This is what we have to work with for now.
Too much energyâŠÂ
Ling knew one way to boost a weaponâs power and allow for high energy attacks.
Iâm going to try soul resonance. Ling said.
No way, Greed argued, ducking a slash from Wrathâs sword so close Ling was pretty sure it cut an inch off his ponytail. We donât even know if you can match my wavelength, and if you do it wrong the distraction will get us killed!
Weâre going to get killed eventually anyway if we do nothing. You canât keep this up forever. And anyway, if our souls werenât at least somewhat compatible my body would have rejected you, right?
Maybe? I donât actually know how that works.
I can do it, Ling said. He couldnât lie to someone sharing his body like this. He had to make himself believe it. I know I can. Justâtrust me for a minute would you?
âŠFine, Greed said. But hurry up, alright? You werenât lying when you said I couldnât keep this up forever.
Even as Greed spoke, Wrath got another hit in. This time it was on Ling's left arm above the shield, and felt much deeper. It still healed right away, but it was clear that Greed was losing ground.
Ling forced himself to ignore the fight, instead turning his attention to Greedâs soul.
The soul was unfamiliar, and reaching toward it felt strange. Ling didnât know if that was because it was artificially constructed, or if he just wasnât used to resonating with someone who wasnât Lan Fan. She was the only weapon heâd ever worked with before.
(Wrath knocked Greed off balance, and Ling distantly felt himself falling. He didnât let it distract him.)
Greedâs wavelength was much more aggressive than Lan Fanâs. There was a sense of desperately reaching for something to it, whereas Lan Fan felt more grounded and content.
(Greed hit the floor, and before he could try to get back up or even roll away, Wrath was standing over him, one foot on either side of Lingâs torso, trapping them in place. Ling ignored it.)
And yet, Ling discovered that matching this new wavelength wasnât as difficult as heâd feared. Even as frenetic as it was, there was a clear opening within it. An empty space that Ling found he slotted into nearly perfectly.Â
(Wrathâs sword swung down toward their neck.)
Lingâs soul wavelength matched Greeds completely.
The shield spread up from their arms and over their whole body. It reached their neck a millisecond before Wrathâs blade, and the sword snapped on impact.
The shield kept spreading up. Ling felt it cover their head, but he wasnât thinking about itâs progress anymore.
Wrath stumbled back a step, and they surged to their feet. Ling wasnât sure who was controlling the body anymore. He didnât think it even mattered at this point.
This didnât feel like soul resonance with Lan Fan.Â
That always felt powerful in a safe familiar way, a close connection with the best friend heâd known his whole life. They worked together well because they had been close for as long as either of them could remember. It was a comfortable teamwork that Ling treasured.
This was something else entirely. Greedâs soul was unfamiliar, and yet it felt like an expansion of Lingâs own. It was brand new and exciting; a little frightening as Ling felt himself swept along Greedâs wavelength, but exhilarating as he could tell Greed was moving along with him just as much. It was a dance, and a struggle for dominance, and an embrace all at once. Ling didnât know what they would doâwhat they could doâtogether, but the possibilities felt endless.
Wrath backed away as they stepped toward him. He threw more blades as they approached, but Ling couldnât even feel them when they bounced off the shield.
âOh what the hell?â Envy yelled from where they were still restraining Ed and Al near the door.Â
There was a noise like cannon fire from that direction, and something exploded against Ling and Greedâs back. It didnât even break their stride.
The clawed tips of their fingers had grown longer than before. Watching Wrath retreat got abruptly boring, and they rushed forward, sticking those sharp claws into Wrathâs abdomen just below the ribs.
âThis is for my friends,â they growled.Â
Ling didnât know whoâs anger was fueling them more, if they were taking revenge for Lan Fanâs injury or something that had happened in Greedâs past.Â
It didnât matter which it was.Â
It was both.
They lifted their arm and flung Wrath over their head. He flew through the air and collided with the back of the throne with a sickening crunch.
They turned to the witch, but before they could take a step in his direction he made some complicated gesture with his hands and an orb of shimmering red force closed around them.Â
A soul wavelength painfully disparate from theirs surrounded them on all sides, and the resonance abruptly ended.
They fell to their knees, the impact jarring as the shield retreated to only covering their forearms once again.Â
Now Ling could tell it was Greed who clapped their hands over their ears against the onslaught.
âThatâs enough of your little tantrum,â the witch said, barely even looking at them. âGluttony, you can eat him.â
âThank you father!â Gluttony yelled.
Ling couldnât move. Couldnât try to wrestle control back from Greed. Could barely think.
He could only watch as Gluttony leapt toward them, grinning and eager to devour them.
And then a blade passed through Gluttonyâs head at the level of his eyes.Â
A blow like that must have severed the monsterâs brain.
His body fell to the ground, the smile still wide on the lower half of his face.
Lan Fan stood behind him. Her left arm turned into a blade just below the elbow.
Her right arm was gone from the shoulder, nothing but a bloody stump.Â
Ling didnât turn to look, but he was sure the arm was right where it had been, pinned to the wall, and now cut away.
âYou will not touch him,â Lan Fan growled. The rage in her voice was like nothing Ling had ever heard.
âLan Fan,â he gasped out, back in control of his own voice.
âLing?â Lan Fanâs eyes widened. âYou are still in there! Ling, you have to fiââ
âThis is completely unacceptable,â the witch said. He was glaring at Lan Fan, showing something other than vague disinterest for the first time since Ling had laid eyes on him.Â
Now he looked pissed.
âYou break into my home. You ransack my research laboratories. And now you kill one of my children.â
He stalked toward Lan Fan as he spoke. She stood firm, but Ling could see her beginning to sway on her feet, the blood loss no doubt catching up to her.
With his focus on Lan Fan, the sphere of disrupting soul wavelength around Greed and Ling began to dissipate. They struggled to their feet.
âThis will not stand!â the witch roared, raising his hands in preparation for some spell.
Lan Fan raised her one remaining arm to block whatever was coming.
Whatever it was, theyâd never find out.Â
Greed once again punched through his fatherâs rib cage with one clawed hand. Not willing to leave anything to chance this time, Ling slashed the claws of their other hand across the back of the witchâs neck, cutting through the spinal cord.
His body tumbled to the floor, and it didnât move again.
A moment of stunned silence.Â
Then Envy screamed.
âGreed, you traitor! How dare you side with these worms? Iâll kill you for this!â
They jumped over Ed and Al to rush at Greed.
Before they got there, the wall opposite the door exploded inward, and more teachers from the DWMA poured into the room.
Ling didnât care to stand and watch the fight that followed. He ran to Lan Fanâs side, just making it in time to catch her as she fell and lower her gently to the floor.
âYou idiot,â Ling said, surprised when it came out like a sob. He realized that he was crying. âWhy would you cut off your arm for me? You could have died!â
âYou could have died,â Lan Fan said.Â
Ling pulled off his jacket and pressed it against what remained of her shoulder. She cried out in pain, and Ling felt like scum, but he didnât let up the pressure.
After a few gasping breaths Lan Fan continued: âAnd I would have had to watch you die, useless and stuck to the wall. This was the only way.â
Ling shook his head. âStill. Your armââ
âWell I for one am grateful that you saved my ass!â Greed put in, shoving Ling out of control mid-sentence.
Lan Fan narrowed her eyes. âI was saving Ling, not you.â
Greed shrugged casually, but Ling could tell how careful he was not to let the gesture jostle Lan Fan's shoulder where he was still holding the jacket against it.
âYeah, well. Same ass, so thanks anyway.â
âI hate you,â Lan Fan said, without much force behind it. âAlso, Iâm going to pass out now, so donât let Ling die before I wake up.â
âNo!â Ling reclaimed control of their body. âLan Fan, donât pass out, okay? You need to try to stay awake.â
âCanât. Sorry,â Lan Fan murmured, and then her eyes closed and her head lolled limply against the ground.
âLan Fan!â Ling screamed.
Distantly, he was aware of the sounds of fighting coming to a close, of someoneâProfessor Stein maybeâtrying to tug him away from Lan Fan and saying to let him look, of Greed taking back control to make him obey.
He heard Greed in their head more clearly than the noises around them.
Let the doctor guy look at her, Ling. Sheâll be okay. Sheâs tough, I can already tell.
Ling couldnât pull their eyes away from Lan Fan. He appreciated Greed trying to comfort him, but he couldnât answer.Â
He wouldnât believe sheâd be okay until he saw her awake again. And until then, nothing else mattered.
â
Lan Fan woke up the next day.Â
Ling and Greed were sitting in a chair theyâd dragged next to her bed in the infirmary. Theyâd refused to leave her side since sheâd been out of surgery.Â
A few times some of the higher ranking meisters and death scythes had tried to draw them away for a debrief, but theyâd refused to go.
Surprisingly, Professor Hawkeye had taken their side. Glaring from where she sat in her own chair beside Mustangâs bed, she snapped at the would-be interrogators to have some patience and respect.Â
Ling was pretty sure they wouldnât have been allowed to stay no matter how much he wanted them to if she hadnât stepped in.
He promised himself to always pay attention in her class from now on, and never let any other students get away with badmouthing her.
Lan Fan woke slowly, and smiled when she saw Ling leaning over her, hovering with indecision between running to get help and staying by her side.
Then the smile fell away, and she looked down at where her arm should be. Where it never would be again.
Ling cleared his throat. âWinry can make you a new one, once youâve healed. Like Edâs.â
âRight,â Lan Fan agreed. Her voice sounded hollow.
Greed slid into control of the body, and Ling felt a shit eating grin grow across their face.
âYou should have her make you something with spikes and flames and shit. Something real cool, better than the old boring one.â
Lan Fan turned and glared at Greed. âI donât want your opinion on what I do with my arm.â
She was angry, but Ling thought she might also be glad for the distraction. At the very least there was life in her eyes again.
Greed shrugged. âFine, do what you want. Get a lame normal prosthetic and waste the chance of a lifetime for badass body modification. See if Iââ
âSo,â Ling interrupted before Lan Fan could decide to try and strangle Greed one handed. âYouâll never believe what stupid shit I heard Black Star and Kid got up to this time.â
â
They were still talking about nothing important, Ling holding Lan Fanâs hand, a few hours later when the door to the infirmary opened and Stein walked in.
Ling couldnât say he was a fan of Steinâs bedside manner. The man always gave the impression that heâd rather peel your skin off and look at what was under it than give you a bandaid(not least because he occasionally waxed poetic about the joys of peeling skin off to look at what was under it), but he was the closest thing the school had to medical professional after the former nurse turned out to be a crazy snake witch bent on plunging the world into madness.
And, to be fair, he never actually experimented on any of the students in his care.Â
As far as Ling knew.
So he assumed the man was there to check up on Lan Fan or Mustang, and didnât pay him any mind.
Until Lord Death himself walked in behind him.
It was rare to see their schoolâs headmaster outside of his office. He only made visits to other areas when something very important came up. And since there wasnât an imminent threat to existence as they knew it, that could only mean that they were in big trouble.
âHi, howdy, hello, everyone!â Lord Death greeted them brightly. âI hear you young people have had quite the adventure.â
Ling wished he could take the good mood as a sign he wasnât about to be expelled, or arrested, or worse, but Lord Death was always like that.
Before Ling could figure out a safe answer, Greed took control again.
âOh, now what the fuck are you?â
âShut up!â Ling hissed, shoving Greed back out of the way. âLord Death, I apologize. He didnât mean it how it sounded, really! Please forgiveââ
âNo need for that, Ling,â Lord Death said, waving an oversized hand dismissively. âI know the way I present myself is less than impressive. Donât want to scare the students, after all! And that little outburst did prove that what the Elrics said was true. You really do have someone else rattling around in that head of yours.â
Ling could feel Greed trying to get control again, no doubt to insult Lord Death again, but he held his ground. That surprised Greed enough that he stopped reaching to take over.
What gives, Ling, he complained.
Lord Death is in charge of this school, Ling explained. He can expel meâor throw us both in a cellâif he wants, so please just stay quiet for now.
Thatâs in charge? Greed asked. This place is even weirder than the old manâs hideout. But fine, whatever, Iâll be good.
Lord Death turned to Stein. âIs there anything that can be done? I hate the thought of leaving the poor Yao boy stuck like this.â
That was marginally insulting.
Stein shook his head. âUnfortunately, no," he intoned, absentmindedly tightening the screw through his cranium. "As far as Iâm aware, thereâs no way to separate a meister and weapon who have been fused like this. Iâve been looking into it for Crona, and I havenât been able to make any progress. It doesnât help that I canât experiment on them.â At everyone in the roomâs concerned looks, he quickly tacked on: âNot that I would. Theyâve had enough experimenting in their life, and respect their bodily autonomy. And Marie would kill me if I tried it.â
âLord Death, Professor Stein, we donât want to be separated,â Ling said.Â
Everyone turned to look at him like heâd grown a second head.
âItâsâI know I didnât ask for this,â Ling tried to explain. âBut Greed and I work well together. We get along. And, especially if trying to break us apart would be dangerous, Iâd rather we stay this way.â
You really mean that? Greed asked. Ling could feel the disbelief coming off him in waves.
With a sinking heart, Ling realized heâd never actually talked to Greed about this.
I do, Ling said because it was true. But I guess I shouldnât speak for both of us. If you want your own body, we can see if Steinâ
âYou heard him, weâre staying like this,â Greed said like he was daring anyone to argue with him.
Lord Death sighed. âNo offense intended, Greed was it? But you are an unknown entity, one we have no experience with, and it would be irresponsible of me to endanger my students byââ
Hawkeye snorted, which was the most undignified and unprofessional thing Ling had ever witnessed her do.
âEndanger how? With all due respect, Lord Death, heâs been here for over 24 hours already and all heâs done is sit by Lan Fanâs bedside and make a few jokes in poor taste. If he meant to pose a threat, surely heâd have done so by now.â
âProfessor Hawkeye is right,â Lan Fan spoke up. âGreed has done nothing to hurt any of us. He didnât choose to be fused with Ling, and Ling would have diedâwe all would have diedâif Greed hadnât killed Wrath and the witch. Ifââ Lan Fan paused, her voice suddenly very watery.Â
Ling was alarmed to see tears gathering in her eyes.
Lan Fan swallowed heavily before continuing. âIf Ling wants Greed to be his new weapon now that Iâm crippled, thenââ
âNo,â Ling interrupted her. âNo, no way Lan Fan! Iâd never abandon you like that! Youâre my best friend. Greed may have helped me kill the witch, but I got those other 99 souls with you. We started this journey together, and thatâs how weâll finish it!â
âBut you saidââ
âDeath the Kid has two weapons. I donât see why I canât do the same.â Ling placed a hand on her hair. âYouâre not getting rid of me that easily. I think the three of us could be a really good team. If thatâs okay with the two of you?â
Lan Fan sniffled and nodded.
Greed took back over the body, and smiled in a way Ling didnât trust.
âFine by me,â Greed said. âIâm always down for a three way.â
Ling shoved him to the back of their mindscape.
âEw! Donât phrase it like that!â
Lan Fan just laughed.
Ling was shocked by that reaction, but also grateful to Greed for making it happen. It was the first time heâd heard her laugh since things started going bad at the witchâs stronghold.
âAlright, youâve convinced me!â Lord Death said. âGreed can stay, and be enrolled as another student of the DWMA. I always do love giving people a chance. Of course you know, Ling, this means youâll have to get double the souls of all the other meister students. 99 kishin eggs and one witch apiece.â
Ling nodded. âThatâs very fair, Lord Death. I can handle that. After all, Lan Fan and I already got her 99, and Greed and I killed a witch.â
âWell, actually,â Lord Death started, and Ling could already tell he would hate the rest of this sentence. âSince you went after a witch and failed to kill him with Lan Fanâs blade, the two of you will have to start over.â
âWhat!â Ling and Lan Fan screeched in perfect unison.
âYes, I know itâs no fun, but themâs the rules!â Lord Death said. âThe same applies to the Elric boys. Let that be a lesson for you all about stowing away on missions youâve been told youâre not ready for!â
âAlso, not to kick you when youâre down,â Greed put in. âBut everyone keeps talking about me and Ling killing the witch, and he is for sure not dead.â
âHuh? But we stabbed in the heart and cut his spine!â
âYeah, and did you see a soul?â Greed asked. âHe figured out how to siphon most of it off for safekeeping in a different container ages ago. Thatâs what all the tubes were for. You were kind of checked out, but I saw Envy get away with his body and Wrath. They definitely retrieved the soul before they booked it to another safe house. Oh, Wrath also isnât dead. His brain was still attached and he wasnât a pile of ash, so he can heal.â
âOh god, this is the worst,â Ling groaned, putting his head in his hands.Â
Lan Fan patted him on the back, and Greed did the mental equivalent of the same.
âWe can handle it,â Lan Fan said.
âOh yeah, itâll be no problem,â Greed put in.
Ling supposed that, if he had to start from square one on gathering twice the souls heâd thought heâd ever need and eventually deal with an ancient witchâs inevitable revenge plot, he could at least do so with good company.
âYeah, youâre right,â Ling said. âWeâve totally got this.â
#greedxlingweek2024#fma#greed fma#ling yao#greedling#lan fan#edward elric#alphonse elric#soul eater#but don't expect any soul eater characters to show up for more than 2 seconds#oh crossover that'll be easy i thought#i love so many characters with a gay ass body sharing situation!#i'll just do a quick little scene of them talking to eddie and venom or jaime and khaji da#and it'll be no prob-#inspiration grabbing me by the throat and looking me dead in the eyes: soul eater universe fusion#me: but that's so much work and i haven't even watched soul eater all the way through since highschool couldnt i just#inspiration tightening its grip with every word: soul. eater. universe. fusion. or nothing.#this got a little out of hand#the concept was so cool and i wanted to explore it#and then i'd written 3 thousand words before greed even showed up#the yapper strikes again#anyway like i said i haven't watched soul eater in ages#so if you see anything that doesn't make sense within the rules of that universe#no you don't
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