I wasn't planning on posting this until I was further along in A Born Sin, but it's my birthday (I'm finally sixteen!) today so I thought I'd give you guys a present instead.

A prelude to the story, about eight years prior to the actual story. I hope you enjoy

I do not own Fullmetal Alchemist or any of the characters.

A wave of cold woke Envy up in the middle of the night. He cracked an eye open to peer into the darkness, some of the wind blew through the holes in the small shed that he shared with other homunculi. The shed was stuffy, cold, and to small for the group in it. But their master had assigned this as their living quarters and they couldn't argue or else they would be put through a painful punishment.

The nine year old homunculus curled tighter onto his bed, well 'Bed' was a little bit of an exaggeration, it was actually a few ratty towels and blankets barely big enough for him, let alone with the girl he shared his 'bed' with.

He could feel the girl curled up beside him, trying to share his body heat to ward off the cold. Across the room he could see the full grown Homunculi curled up by the door. There was also another homunculi leaning against the wall on the other side of the shed, a small baby would be curled up on her trying to stay warm.

Envy closed his eyes, a futile attempt to get a good rest sleep before the morning came and they had to work the entire day in the fields.

But he was broken from his sleep rather quickly when the shed door was slammed open and someone yanked him from his bed.

"Get up, Homunculus!" A guards rough voice snapped as he began pulling Envy from the shed. The noise woke up the other four and the baby started crying at the abrupt wake up call.

Envy did nothing as they dragged him to a truck, what could he do? They were guards with weapons, possibly alchemy, he was a nine year old Homunculus that barely knew how to fight. If he fought back he or the others in there could be killed, it wasn't a risk he was going to take. The others ran out of the shed and the man lunged forward, screaming at the guards as they held him back.

"Don't take him!" He yelled at them as Envy was thrown into the back of the truck and onto hay. But the guards didn't listen to the man, they just shoved him back, sometimes slamming the butt of their guns on his head but it didn't have any affect.

Envy watched in silence as the homunculi screamed for them to let him stay. The baby continued to cry in the womans arms, and the girl clung to the womans skirt, eyes wide in fear. None of them wanted to watch him go, none of them wanted him to go. But none of them had a choice in if he stayed or left.

The guards ignored the group as the one that grabbed Envy went to the front of the truck and climbed into the drivers seat. A few of the gaurds went into the back to make sure Envy didn't run off.

But Envy wasn't going to run off. They were humans, he was a homunculi. Of course, by nature, homunculi were superior to humans. They were stronger, faster, and the closest thing to immortal on this world, they were also a small race. Great in strength, small in numbers.

Their strength is what makes them superior. Apart from an ourorborus that proved they were a homunculus that was marked somewhere on their body-Envys was on his thigh- they each had a unique and unatural abillity. Envy didn't know what his power was as it hadn't activated yet. He still had another year to wait. Homunculi were also near impossible to kill, permanently. Sure they could have their heads sliced off, they could be burned alive, but they'd instantly regenerate and would be in perfect condition once again.

We also outlive Humans. We will never die of natural cause, wont die of old age, sickness, and it's rare to die of wounds. Envy thought, it was true, once he reached a certain age, his body would stop aging as well. He didn't know when that would be, it varied amoung homunculi and activated when they became ten years old, just like their unique power.

But, because of their superiority, humans captured them and forced them into enslavement. The same went to chimeras, the unnatural merging of two different beings, they were captured and used as slaves as well. But Chimeras were more commonly used as forced soldiers, turned savage by the owners and used to fight battles they didn't want humans to fight and die in. Slaves were expendable to the humans.

That was what Envy was, a slave to a human Baron. But it seemed that the Baron was selling Envy to a new owner, that was usually what happened when the guards took a Homunculi from their home. He knew it was bound to happen, that was why he wasn't fighting and arguing about it.

It was only natural, he was a homunculus, he was born to serve.

He watched as the truck started driving away, his family was crying as they watched him go. When they got out of sight, Envy looked at the guard next to him.

"Have I been sold?" He asked, it was a dumb question, but it was something he wanted to confirm.

The guard nodded, "Yes," He said, "Your going to be trained for a year."

Envy nodded and stared out ahead of him as they drove, he wondered how long it would take to get there, and who his new master was. It was all that really mattered, he already had it burned into his mind. All that matters is his master.

But while they drove, a small part of him stared into the open feilds and planes and wished he could be free.

Short, but the next chapter is going to be long.

Review to tell me what you thought about it.