Memories.

(Soundtrack: FullMetal Alchemist - Kodoku - Michiru Oshima.)

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The door opened.
The door belonged to a small and isolated house. Nobody had been in it for years, since it was lying deep in the forest, and we all know how people has it with old and lonely houses in the forest, thanks to all those scary movies.

But it wouldn't be for long, till somebody would walk in the house and find it empty and then they would tell it to somebody, who then would buy it or tear it down.

Envy stepped in the house with four bags in his hands. The house was not messy, but it was really dirty. It was obviously that the house had been empty a long time. There were cobwebs all over the place, centimetres of thick dust and a few wilted leaves that were lying over the place.

'Okay, so some stupid human has been in here. Well, I guess he didn't tell anybody about it.' Envy thought as he walked further in to the old house. He knew - since he was like ages - that this house once wasn't so isolated and also were a part of a town. Of course it had been in the outer part of the town, but the house still had been a part of it. Now the little house was alone with its memories.

"Pride, come in and help me. We need to find all the notes those two brats had on us and the Philosophers Stone." The green haired sin called out, as he walked into the kitchen and further to the living room. He didn't feel the need to check the rooms or be quiet when he was walking; the owner of the house had been dead for fifty years. And since it surely soon would be demolished, he didn't care to pay attention to the furniture, pictures or such.

But it was still a mystery to Envy, how he had been able to hide from them for so long time.

Envy walked over to a bookcase and attempted to look through the books. He grabbed one book, to find out that it was just basically alchemy, there were no notes. Or actually, maybe there were some notes hiding in the bookcase, but there were also many books. Envy growled annoyed as he slammed the book shut. He heard footsteps out in the kitchen. Envy smirked. He didn't have to look through this bookcase.

"Pride, come in here~" He called in an innocent and luring tone, that kind of tone that would make it obviously to anybody, that the person who was calling was up to no good. But even though Pride wasn't three months anymore, he sort of still acted like it to Envy; he was incredibly naïve and trusted Envy. It was so ironic.

He turned to the door when he sensed that the blonde was standing there.

It had been weird to get use to the thought that the pipsqueak wasn't around anymore. But it had been even weirder to have someone, no, something around that looked so much alike him and yet not.

Edward's body had been strong and so was Pride's, since it was the same body, but not mind. But Pride somehow made the strong body look a thing between thin or fragile or a whole other thing. It was hard to describe and confusing to watch, when you had known Edward Elric. Maybe it was because the minds were so different, that the body also seemed different?

Envy remembered the first time he had seen Pride in his Homunculus outfit, and he had almost laughed. Edward would never have been wearing those kinds of clothes that exposed his skin so much. But then again, this wasn't Ed.

Pride had his hair down, Edward had rarely. And Pride's body was covered with tattoos, which actually was a transmuting-circle that was covering his body. Plus, the ouroboros on his left shoulder.

Pride never seemed like a pride. He was so naïve and innocent, like a little child, and even though he had been around for almost eighty years, he still asked so many questions.

What's this Envy?

Why does it smell like that Envy?

Where did it come from Envy?

Why does it do that Envy?

Why can't I reach the moon, even though I've climbed so high, Envy?

Envy? Envy? Envy?

It was annoying as hell, but Envy knew it would go away. In a couple of years Pride would be a pride. Besides, if Pride wasn't asking question, he pretty much didn't say anything else. He was very silence, which again was very ironic. The pipsqueak sure had been able to roar.

You would think that Pride had some sort of sense of things, like they all had when they had been born. But maybe it was because Father hadn't used the stones on Edward, but transmuting circles? It was not for Envy to say, and he truly didn't care.

Pride was now looking at him, again with that questionly look in his eyes. Envy hated it at first, but then he learned that it was almost the only expression the youngest sin could show. And it was sort of creepy, when you thought of that fire and passion Edward had in his eyes.

"Pride, you look through this bookcase. If you find any notes or such, then put it in the bag." Envy told the blonde. The blonde steeped in and walked towards the bookcase. Envy walked towards the door to leave the room.

"Where are you going Envy?" A question. But okay, this was maybe an acceptable question. "I'm going to see if here is a basement or loft. He might have had a libratory or something." Envy answered. He turned around to look at the young Homunculus. "Make sure you look through it all. If somebody fined information of us or the stones Father will… not be pleased." Envy said and sends Pride a wicked grin, before he disappeared around a corner.

Pride was left alone. He never really did like that. He wanted to have Envy around, because the world still confused him and Envy seemed to have all the answers.

It always confused him. He was always confused about why he was here, and even though they others had tried to explain to him, that was just how things were when you're born into this world, but in a way it didn't feel like he belonged here. It was not like that all the time, but when Pride was left alone, a little part of him was always asking 'Why am I here?'

Pride looked through the books. Basic alchemy, the oldest form of alchemy, legends and stories about alchemy. All about alchemy, but they didn't seem to have any information about the Homunculi or the stones.

When Pride had gone half through the bookcase, he started to get distracted. He didn't understand why he got distracted, but his eyes all the time flew over his shoulder to look at the frames on the wall. It was impossible to see the pictures, because of the dust.

Pride really wanted to go over and look what was under the dust, but if Envy came in and found out that he weren't done, he might get mad. And Envy was very scary when he was mad. Pride once saw Envy be mad at a human, because the human was lying to him about something. Envy had made the person deaf. Pride could still remember what Envy had said with a sadistic grin

'Isn't it funny how far a swab can go in the ear?'

When Pride only needed to look through the last two books, he couldn't resist any longer. He stood up and walked to the wall.

He stared at the frames and dusted glass for a while, before he slowly reached up a hand to brush the dust away. When his fingertips were almost touching the dust, he hesitated. Why, he didn't know. It was just a picture.

Pride's eyes moved away from the pictures. Maybe he should finish the rest of the books first, or else Envy would – Wait, what was that?

Pride took his hand down again and walked over to the villager stove. There was something loose behind it. It was square. Pride squatted down. Maybe if he brushed the dust away, he would be able to find out what it could do?

Dump.

Oh no, it felt down! Why did it do that? Had Pride destroyed something? Was it a bad thing? Envy??

Pride reached out and picked the square thing and brushed it. It was a book. Pride opened it. It looked like notes. The writing was more different than in the other books, and there were no pictures. There were also dates in the top of the pages. Pride almost smiled. If Envy walked in now, he might not be so mad.

Pride opened the book and looked a little through it. He noticed that in the end, the writing was different than in the beginning. He started to read those pages, because the first pages, he didn't feel like he needed to read.

23 June, 1925.

I found this notebook today. It belongs to my brother. There is a lot of information in it, but also a lot of blank pages, so I think I will write in it until he gets back.

I know he will come back. I know brother is still alive. The Homunculi said they needed my brother, so they wouldn't kill him, I am sure of that.

He will come back, I know he will. But he will need help, and I am going to help him. Winry also wanted to help, but I don't want her to. It is too dangerous. I think I hurt her when I told her that, but she needs to stay. When I get brother back, she maybe needs to fix his automail.

Mustang is also offering his help, which I am very thankful for. I am going to need all the help I can get to find brother again.

Pride felt chills down his spin. It scared him, because he didn't freeze, so he didn't understand why he felt like that. It was just a stupid human who had written this.

Pride flipped through the pages and then stopped again, when his eyes caught his own and Envy's name.

5 September, 1927.

I saw him again today. That new Homunculus, Pride. My brother.

I tried again to reach the creature, so I could take him to the military and get my brother back. But again, Envy stopped me and Pride was gone, before he even had seen me.

I got so mad and let Envy know how frustrated I got, every time I was so close to get one step closer to get my brother back, he would come and push me away. I told him that it wasn't fair, because if anybody deserved to live, it was my brother... In the beginning Envy just laughed at me, but then he suddenly got serious.

He said that Pride had just as much right to live as brother had. He said that brother had his chance to live, and now it was over. Envy said that if he wanted to live, he should have been more careful.

Envy also asked me what would become of Pride, if I tried to get my brother back. Pride is one, almost two, years, and wanted to live and experience things, just as much my brother wanted.


I don't believe him, or maybe I don't want to believe him. The homunculus says they do have feelings, but they're not human. They don't have the same right…

I know that's not true. Every living creature deserves to live.

But I miss my brother, and I want him back. I will get him back.

Pride looked confused on the letters and sentence. How strange. Envy never talked with humans without killing them.

Pride stood up again with the little notebook in his hands. Again he got curious about what the pictures showed behind the dust. Pride was thinking more about the notebook now, so he just raised his hands and brushed the dust away.

Prides looked confused. Very confused, but not shocked. He didn't have enough emotions to be so. Or maybe he had, but just didn't know how express them?

He dropped the notebook in his hand. The picture showed a person, who almost looked like Pride himself. But this person on the picture looked so much more determined, and not confused at all. He grinned at the camera, as if he just had won something. Even though it was a picture, one without colours, there was a fire in the person's eyes. Beside him stood another person, who had softer face expressions and smiled kindly at the camera. He was a little taller than the other one. They both had their arms around the others shoulder.

Pride stared at the picture. He didn't know those persons. One of them looked like him, but he weren't Pride. Maybe it was that Edward person Father and the others sometimes talked about?

Pride squatted down to pick up the notebook he had dropped. It had opened on a page, where the ink was messier and some of the words were hard to read. Maybe it had rained down on the page when it had been written? The writing wasn't so organized as before either. But the last words weren't hard to read.

I am sorry. I am so sorry brother, but I don't think I am capable to get you back.

"Pride, are you done?!"

If it had been any other than Pride, they would have jumped in surprise of Envy's yell, but Pride didn't.

Soon after Envy was standing in the room. His four bags were full. "There was a basement. He hid his notes and documents there." Envy said with a grin. "Did you find anything?" The green haired asked.

"Envy…" Oh boy, Envy knew that tone. A new question was coming. Envy fought the want to sigh heavily.

"Yes Pride?"

"Who is Alphonse?"

Envy stared at the younger one. The question had simply blown him away. Alphonse. Who had told Pride about the youngest Elric?

Two seconds after, Envy had pulled himself together again. "Edward's brother. Now shut up, and let's go. Did you find anything?"

Pride looked down on the book in his hands. Envy raised an eyebrow. "What is that?"

"A notebook." The blonde answered. Envy's suspiciousness grew. He reached out a hand for Pride to lay the book in. The youngest sin was hesitating. "Give it here, Pride." Envy demanded, and Pride slowly placed the book in Envy's hands. Envy smirked. It was like his own trained puppy, and if he imagined it really was Edward, then it was just too funny.

Envy looked shortly through the book, before he putted it down in a bag. To the other notebooks that was going to be burned.

"Let's go." Envy said and walked out of the house, with the silent Pride behind him. They walked away from the house.

"Envy?"
Envy wanted to growl or sneer. Did he ever stop?!

"Yes, Pride?" Envy answered as patiently as he could. Which obviously failed, but Pride didn't notice. He never did.

"Where is he?"

"Who?" Envy asked as he gave Pride two of the bags. He didn't want to do all the work.

"Alphonse."

Envy looked Pride in the eyes, before he turned his back to Pride again.
"He is dead. Now shut up."

And Pride did.

Pride really wasn't a pride. Someone with pride would never allow anybody to tell them to shut up. But as said, Pride would soon be a real Pride.

Too proud to ask for help.

Too proud to show emotions

Too proud let anybody know what he was thinking.

Too proud to talk.

This was why Envy didn't rip the tongue out of the younger one every time he asked a question. Because soon he would just seem like an emotionless puppet. More than he already did.

But Envy told Pride to shut up now. Because when he had looked the blonde in the eyes, there had been a glint of a well-known fire.

End.


A/N: It was a challenge from Yaoi-fangirl-Dark-side. She wanted me to do a one-shot with Ed!Pride, and so I did. I hope she likes it. She kind of got obssesed with Ed!Pride, eversince I showed her a page where she could read the story from the game.

I also challenged LadyCharlie, who made another awesome story! You should all go read it! It is so good!

I challange everybody, who feel like doing a 'what-if-Ed-became-Pride?' oneshot!