Dear Readers,
So, I decided to go back and fix a few small problems I noted in this chapter. Along with the fact that Sheska's apartment was without her thousands of books, I didn't like the way I used quotations. So I fixed it! Well, to those of you who are just reading this story for the first time, enjoy! And to my readers who have ready this chapter, do it again!
DISCLAIMER, I own nothing! If I did, Envy would be with Winry, duh
Envy
A forgotten city sat peacefully in the neither night nor day atmosphere of the underground cavern. The old buildings whispered in the slight breeze of the ghost town, sending an eerie moaning all through the place. Some of the buildings where still in tact, not at all ruble like most, but blanketed in a thick loneliness that may have been due to the darkness inside, or simply the silence all around them. Nothing. No children playing, people shouting, or horns to be honked. The dark cavern walls wrapped around the ghost metropolis like a darkened sky, imitating a dark night, or a stormy day. The breeze came from an unknown source, being cold and unearthly. But it was the quiet that captured you. Not the desolate city, with it uninhabited streets and shops, or the absence of light. But it was the silence that would scare you. The utter, and sheer silence of the ghost city.
That is what Envy enjoyed.
The elimination of all human life leaving in its absence, unnatural, and eternal peace.
He lay, strewn on top of the mansions roof, arms folded behind his head, laced fingers, with one of his legs bent, the other he lazily stretched out. The pale skin that covered his lean body appeared ghastly in the dim lighting of the cave, and shone like a star. His eyes where closed, and he appeared to be sleeping peacefully, a light smile playing on the corners of his full lips.
He was, in fact, not asleep.
But imagining Edward Elric, the Fullmetal Alchemist, dead. Well, rather, he was imagining killing him. Envy had changed on of his arms into a sword, and he was plunging it into the short boys chest. The blood was beautiful to Envy, running down his arms like thick tree sap, covering him in it's warmth and filling his senses with it's delicious taste. Edwards golden eyes where hazed over in pain, and his face was a contorted mask of anguish. Envy twisted his arm, causing the runt to cry out an-
"Hey Envy!"
His amethyst eyes snapped open, and his body jolted slightly from surprise. He sat up right, and fixed his predatory glare on a little boy who was making his way to him, walking with a slight limp since one of his legs was slightly longer than the other. He was smiling with a wide smile, and waving. Envy scowled, lying back down, but his tranquility was gone.
"What the hell do you want?"
"Well, Master wants yo-"
"Tell her her she can wait, I'm busy."
"But Envy! She'll get mad."
Envy really hated the way the child whined his name. He let out a sharp sigh and looked at Wrath. The little imp was sitting rather far away, legs drawn to his chest protectively, miss matched arms clutched to his legs. Possibly out of fear that Envy might lash out at him. Envy smiled manically. Good. He would hit him if he came any closer. But Envy wanted to mess with him a little. Pay him back for interrupting his marvelous day dreams.
"Come here Wrath." Envy purred.
The child visibly shook and gritted his teeth. He shook his head and hunched his shoulders.
"Aw, come on, your hurting my feelings." Envy acted hurt, touching a hand to his chest.
"Envy..." Wrath whined.
"I won't bite." Envy smirked, showing his sharp teeth, which glinted even in the dull light.
Wrath trembled and cautiously stood. Envy sat perfectly still as he made his way over, delighted in the fact that Wrath was tearing up in the eyes slightly, and his bottom lip was quivering. He must be having flashes of the last time that he had made the older sin angry, no doubt, the bruises where as fresh on his mind as they where on his skin. Wrath didn't have the tremendous healing abilities like the others , so purple bruises where still etched into his neck and shoulder. This made Envy very happy, and he was suddenly giddy like a child. He wanted so very badly to hurt Wrath, to make his skin turn into that lovely shade of purple that was so much like his own eyes.
When Wrath was close enough, before he could even speak, Envy lashed out with lightning speed and grabbed onto his ankle, yanking it forward, causing the child to fall flat on his back and hit his head painfully. Envy was on top of him, moving faster than humanly possible with snake-like gestures. He straddled the child's stomach and held down his arms on either side of his head. Wrath's eyes where still closed from having fallen, and as they fluttered open slowly, they opened in wide horror at the manically smiling face of Envy. His long, green hair was gracefully sliding down his back and falling slightly into his face, hiding his eyes, but not his wide, toothy smile. Wrath was once again drawn to his sharp teeth. He audibly gulped.
"Get off me Envy!" The child let out a halfhearted cry, trying to squirm.
Envy tsked at him, " Now Wrath, I thought you would have realized by now that squirming only pisses me off." Envy said in a sing song voice.
Envy's grip on Wrath's wrists tightened, and the child stopped his squirming instantly, crying out in pain.
Envy let out a dark giggle and smiled down at him, arching an eyebrow, "It's sad. You don't even fight back anymore. What a shame. It used to be so much fun when you fought back." Envy pouted.
"Stop!" Wrath cried.
"Was that an order?" Envy hissed.
His grip tightened, causing Wrath to scream in pain. He laughed again, in a way that would make even the craziest of persons quake with terror. His lips pulled back and showed his sharp teeth.
"Envy."
A calm, icy voice sent shivers down Envy's spine. He tore his gaze from Wrath's tears an looked up, only to find Sloth standing before him. Damn it, he thought, he hadn't even heard her approach. Only then did he realize only her top half was visible, her bottom half was still materializing from water back to it's normal full skirt. She must have just returned from Central, through the drains. Her attention was on Envy's hands, she narrowed her eyes.
"Yes?" Envy asked casually.
"You need to find a new play thing."
Envy narrowed his eyes at her.
"Mommy!" Wrath sobbed.
This pissed off Envy. He hated the attachment that Wrath had with Sloth. It was sickening. And the fact that she was actually acting like the things mother? That was even more sick in Envy's eyes. They where humunculie. They didn't have mothers. They weren't even human! Nothing but the failed attempts at recreation.
"Envy, enough. Master wants you."
Envy sneered at her, then looked back down at Wrath. He bared his teeth at him and growled, then with one single fluid movement, he was standing. He began playfully brushing off and smoothing out his loin cloth, and with a low, mocking bow at Sloth, he was sharply walking along the side of the shingled roof, occasionally breaking one or two of the thick clay tiles beneath his bare feet ( either accidentally of purposefully, he wasn't sure). When he made it to the edge of the roof, with out hesitation, he stepped off the edge. Envy fell onto a lower balcony, landing quietly on his feet like a cat, standing perfectly straight. He found the doors where already open, waiting for him he mused, so he simply walked in, unannounced. The other humunculie would have waited to be summoned, but after 400 hundred years, he and his "master" where more than informal.
"What did you want?" Envy impatiently snapped when he found Dante sitting by her large fire place, sewing something with a peaceful look on her now young face. It wouldn't last, Envy sneered on the inside. He knew it wouldn't last. In about six months she would start to rot and would make him go out and find her a fresh young body, one of his many tasks.
"No hello? That's rather rude Envy, I thought I taught you better than that." She murmured, not looking up from her creation.
Envy rolled his eyes, crossed his arms over his chest, leaning against the mantle place.
"Just tell me what you want." He sighed.
Finally, she stopped her task and pushed her needle into the arm of her great chair. Meeting his gaze with her cold eyes. They where dead, and didn't hold the mock warmth the rest of her did. He shivered at the idea that this cold woman had once been his mother.
Anger stirred up in the pit of his stomach.
No, she had never been his mother. She had been the mother of Hohenhiem's child.
And Envy was the result of them trying to bring him back.
"I have a small job for you." She said, breaking his thoughts. For once, he was glad for the interruption. Whenever he thought about that bastard he would get a sick feeling inside.
He moaned. "I just got back from Lior!"
"Yes, but now I need you to do something else."
He pointed a finger at her, "I'm not your dog! You can't just give me an order and expect me to-"
She narrowed her eyes at him and pulled something out of her dress. She held the small stone between her fingers, and the red caught in the light from the fire. Envy's mouth watered.
"Then I suppose you won't be needing this, now will you?"
He opened his mouth to argue, but his voice died in his throat. He growled impatiently.
"Just tell me what the hell you want." He grumbled
"That's a good boy. Now, I need you to fetch me someone-", He moaned and she continued on like he hadn't said anything, "- It's someone very close to Fullmetal, and I'm sure he wouldn't be very pleased if they where harmed." A soft smile graced her lips.
Envy's ears perked. "Who?"
Dante picked up her needle and began sewing again.
"She is very beautiful. Much more so than this body."
Envy sighed and leaned against the mantle piece.
Either she was choosing to ignore him, or trying to mess with him. He wasn't sure. She was getting to him, he had to admit. Pulling out that philosophers stone and holding it out to him like he was some kind of animal. He hated her. Hated her because she thought she could control him, and had the gall to treat him like her property. And now she had a valuable excuse for him to torture the pipsqueak and she was going to make him sit and listen to her complain about her human body? Oh, wait, she was still talking, maybe he should tune in...
"... I believe our little Edward is in love with her."
Envy frowned. Maybe he should have been listening.
"In love? With who?"
Envy had never seen Edward speak to a woman before, especially not a beautiful one like Dante was describing. He had only ever seen him with the tin can or one of the military goons. Envy didn't even suspect the runt even thought about girls, what with his obsession with getting his arm and leg back. So to hear that he had a suspected lover was alarming. If not at all surprising.
Envy was suddenly getting excited, giddy like he had with the thought of hurting Wrath. He would torture this girl, who ever she was. He would carve her body and make her cry and cry for Edward. He would take something important to him and destroy it. Just how that woman took Hohenhiem.
Envy's chest tightened with anticipation and hate.
Dante looked up at him, and her eyes locked onto his.
"You can't harm her, Envy. I can see your getting excited."
Envy narrowed his eyes. "I'm not." He bit back.
She let out a laugh. "Envy. After four hundred years, I believe I know you better than yourself. And don't think for one minute that I don't know that hatred you feel for the Elric." Her laughing stopped and she looked up at him again. "You will not harm Winry Rockbell under any circumstances. Is that clear?"
Winry Rockbell, he mused. Nope. Never heard of her.
He swallowed a demented smile.
"I said, is that clear?" Dante snapped.
He locked eyes with her, his amethyst eyes catching in the fire, causing them to momentarily smolder. "Crystal." His voice was acidic.
She merely smiled like he hadn't said anything.
"Good, now off with you. I want her here with in the hour."
He snorted, " Mind telling me where the hell she is?"
"She's currently been living in Central, with a librarian by the name of Sheska. Here," She produced a folded piece of paper from the folds of her skirt, the same she had the stone, "Here is the address." She held it out to him between two fingers.
He went to grab it, but she brought it back and he narrowed his eyes at her.
"No theatrics Envy. Just bring her straight here."
"For God sakes woman! Just give me the damned address." He snapped, and grabbed the paper from her. He opened it and merely glanced at it once before throwing it into the fire. Envy knew his way around Central all too well from doing Dante's dirty work.
"Now go." She grumbled, and continued her sewing.
Envy was more than happy to leave her presence, and sharply turned on his heals, exiting the way he came. He shut the doors behind him, not caring if his "master" protested. Staring out at the cavernous ghost city before him, wishing he was still laying up on the roof, in his favorite spot, day dreaming about slaying Edward. But a new dark day dream flooded inside him, causing him to breakout into a dark grin. Whoever this Winry Rockbell was, she was going to wish she had never been born.
He knew one way or another Dante would tire of her, and have him get rid of her. He would have fun destroying something the Elric loved. He would carve his name into her, for that Fullmetal bastard to see, and leave her lying on his door step, all beautiful and bloody. Just for him. And he'd know. He'll come seeking Envy for revenge. And Envy would gladly give it to him. He would finally pull out that little bastards heart and bring it to Hohenhiem on a silver platter. Envy smiled.
He launched himself over the railing, gracefully free falling down the side of the mansion and landing in a crouch. He stood, and began running toward the exit at top speed, barely making a sound as he did.
He ran past the abandoned buildings, their ghosts surrounding him like a thick fog. He didn't like actually coming into the city. The stench of humans and death rotted in the air, even though the city was rather old. His inhuman senses could still feel the lingering life. He hated it. Hated the idea of humans once being in this glorious silence, this absence of life that brought him so much peace. He hated humans. So he pushed himself harder, like a dart sailing through the small town.
Once he was out, he realized it was night. At least it will be more discreet, he told himself.
He jumped onto one of the roof tops. He didn't feel like changing into someone else and walking at a sluggish human pace. He hopped from roof to roof, knowing the city well enough that he knew for certain where he was going. In moments he was on the opposite building, a mere street separating him from the apartment building. As it happens, the Elric brothers where just leaving. He smiled darkly.
Edward Elric stretched his automail arm, and smiled.
"Thanks a bunch for the tune up Winry! I owe you one!"
Envy raised an eyebrow. Tune up?
"Just don't break it again. She hates it when you break it right after she's fixed it, and I have to here her complain." a mousy girl said from the door step.
Envy ruled her out of being this proclaimed beauty. She had thick glasses and short, mousy brown hair. Envy ground his teeth impatiently, waiting for the Elric's to leave.
With one last wave good bye, the tin can and the pipsqueak where gone, walking down the dark streets at an unusually late hour. Envy waited at least five minutes before jumping down the roof and slinking over to the window, peering inside. He blinked a few times, his eyes taking in the large stacks of books that reached the ceiling. Envy couldn't believe that someone would own so many books! There where literally thousands of them piled so high that with the slightest touch, they could fall and crush someone. He wondered how he would ever find the human in a maze like that...
In a small clearing he saw the brunette, who he guessed was Sheska, was clearing away coffee cups on a small low table that had a few more books scattered on the surface.
"Winry! Hey Winry?" she called into the depths of the book maze.
"Ya?" A voice called from inside somewhere. Envy itched with anticipation. She was down the hall somewhere. How would he get to her?
"Do you want some tea?"
"No, I'm going to wash up, then I'm going to bed. Thanks though!"
Envy growled irritably and sank back into the bushes, contemplating what to do, when a light from a distant room turned on, spilling it's light on the small alley was between the apartment and the next building. He raised an eyebrow, but decided to follow the light.
He scowled, seeing how high it was, but noticed a fence right beside it. He jumped up onto the fence and easily kept his balance, having a clear view into the bathroom. And at the person inside.
She was, in fact, very beautiful indeed.
She was brushing out her waist long, pale, golden hair with her slim fingers. She was in the bath, the water just soapy enough to shield the rest of her from him, but Envy could just imagine the healthy curves of her young human body. Her slender neck was bent slightly, showing off her beautiful pale skin that looked as smooth as a sea shell, and was just as thin and fragile. Her eyes where closed, and her thick eye lashes fanned out on her cheeks, the contrast like ink on paper. Her full, pink lips where set into a small smile as she hummed to herself, and her voice was as lovely as her body. Healthy, young, and strong. An angle on earth.
Envy couldn't help but gawk. Well, he smiled darkly to himself, he had to give Fullmetal credit. She was surely a knockout, that was for sure. A very valuable item. He would have fun breaking her.
His thoughts where distracted when her eyes opened.
They where a very pale blue, like a powdery sky on a clear day. And they seemed to smile when her lips did not. She looked out the window, and Envy was afraid for a moment she had seen him. That would be rather awkward, for him to have to take her when she was naked and wet. He wanted to wait until she was finished and dried off. But, thankfully, she returned to washing out her long hair. Once she was done running her fingers though it, she closed her eyes again and dunked her head. When she resurfaced and stood Envy didn't know whether or not to look away or stare. His assumptions where correct. She was perfect, in every way.
He smiled darkly. She would be heavily missed.
She grabbed a white towel and began to dry herself off as she hopped out of the tub. Still humming to herself, she tied on a dark blue robe and fluffed out her long hair. Before he knew it she was out of the bathroom. Not bothering to even look at herself in the mirror, Envy noted.
He saw the light that burned on from above him, and he launched himself up effortlessly.
She through on a white tank top, which clung rather tightly to her fit body, and some loose bottoms. That would do, he decided, as he opened the window, which wasn't locked. He entered the room like a shadow while she had her back turned, standing before a desk with screw drivers and bits of metal, along with a few sketches of automail arms. She was brushing out her long hair once again, totally oblivious to the smirking homunculus.
Envy decided to have some fun.
He used his stealth to creep up behind her, coming up so close that his nose was half an inch from the top of her head. He was almost a head taller than her, and frowned at how tall she was compared to the pipsqueak. That must have been a challenge, he snickered.
She was oblivious to his presence, and continued to methodically brush out her long hair. He went to move in on her, but was momentarily distracted by a smell that flooded into his senses.
He closed his eyes.
She smelt of something sweet and fresh, something known and unknown to him. Whatever it was, it made his mouth water almost as much at the fake philosopher stone Dante had been bribing him with earlier had. His nose itched at the intoxication of it. He opened his eyes, and found a pair of bright blue ones looking at him, wide and terrified.
His mouth pulled into a toothy grin.
" Well hello, miss." He bowed deeply at her, all for show.
He knew Dante said no theatrics, but he couldn't help himself.
To his amazement, they girl's cheeks turned into a light pink color and she blinked at few times. He held back a frown, but decided to ignore this. He straightened up and held out an arm to her.
"I'll be your escort for this evening."
"Who...Who are you? What do you want?" She said a little too loudly for Envy's liking. He was sure that nerdy friend of hers was sure to hear her. He wad to make this quick.
"Ssh sweet angel, I mean you no harm..."
Her eyebrows pulled together and she glared at him. She took a step back, putting one hand behind her. She bumped into the desk, causing the items on it to shake.
He advanced on her and went to grab her, but before he could she hit him over the head with something hard. He leapt back, more from shock than pain. In her hand she held a large wrench. Now he was starting to understand what the pipsqueak had been doing here. This girl must be his automail mechanic, Envy realized. She wasn't a delicate flower like he had suspected, either. He growled. How dare she hit him? Before she could hit him again he grabbed the wrench from her hand, prying it from her small fingers and throwing it across the room. She opened her mouth to scream, or possibly even argue, and he held his hand down on her mouth and stared into her eyes with his sharp stare.
"Do that again and I'll kill you." He hissed.
Her eyes blazed with rage, and he was even more outraged. There was no fear.
He took his other hand, which had been holding the back of her frail neck, and pinched the nerve on her shoulder. Her eyes rolled into the back of her head, and she was soon asleep, her body going limp and falling from his fingers. He caught her before she hit the surface of the table and made an even louder noise. She was very light, and he carelessly through her over his shoulder, not minding the way her head bobbed about.
He jumped out the window, hopping from roof top to roof top back to the underground city.
And there you have it1 the revised first chapter! i'll be doing this to the rest of the chapters, but not frequently, since it actually takes me a while and I'm still trying to write the rest of the story!