A/N: And after many attempts, I write a Mangaverse Envy/Rose at 5:21 in the morning, after staying up all night with really painful bug bites… and decorating for my mom's birthday, which is, um - today, now… and listening to 'Your Love Will Kill Me' over and over again. (Might want to try listening to it after this, it's a pretty good Envy/Rose song.) But anyways: it took an odd combination, but in my present sleep-deprived state I'm kind of pleased with this. Reviews would make me very very happy. :)

Disclaimer: I don't own Fullmetal Alchemist, although I might be nearly tired enough to buy it if I got a billion dollars.

The streets were still seething with battle outside, a discordant symphony of destruction ringing through the air as the crest of blood grew. Envy smirked as he moved through shadows and side-alleys to watch the fighting, reveling in the feeling of superiority. Everywhere he looked humans were sinking back to their disgusting animalistic origins, shouting and snarling as they tore at each other or screaming and wailing in dumb fright and despair.

He liked Lior much better this way.

Sauntering out of the way of another fear-fueled battle, he decided that the healthiest choice would be to get somewhere above the action. Spying a house that looked empty, he slipped inside the door and listened intently; with the outside sound he wasn't sure whether there was anyone upstairs, but shrugged. If there was fighting, he'd find another place. If some idiot was cowering up there to get away from the fighting… His smile grew sharper.

Shaking off his bland disguise for his preferred cute form, he mounted the stairs. Halfway up, he paused in puzzlement; there was a sound coming from above him, rather like… music. Soft, tinkling notes, a music-box tune.

Curiosity consuming him now, he moved swiftly up the rest of the stairs and located the door that the music was coming from; while the hallway showed signs of damage, the door was whole and closed tightly. Envy hesitated for a long moment, then opened the door with a shrug; it was probably just a music-box knocked over by some careless -

He froze, hand tightening convulsively on the doorknob. Wide violet eyes flicked furiously from the direction he had come from to the room in front of him; this couldn't be real… Fighting, killing, pointless human struggle awash in fear, despair, anger and hatred behind him. And here -

The girl looked up, alerted to his presence by the sound of the opening door, and the slow movement of the comb through her hair stopped. Even know she didn't look scared, just puzzled and a little wary.

"Who are you?"

"I - uh -" He had to find out more about this girl; that required talking to her. "I'm from out of town… I guess I came at a really bad time." The homunculus carefully stepped into the room and smoothly closed the door behind him as he spoke. "I though this house was empty, so I could hide out here for a bit."

She shrugged, a rueful smile on her lips. "It was empty when I got here, except for some of the furniture and this," she gestured to the music-box on the table next to the bed, then closed the lid gently. "You're welcome to stay; you've about as much right as I have."

Envy automatically formed a response of thanks as his eyes moved over the girl, taking in her two-toned hair - why would anyone dye their hair partially pink? - pale skin, and simple white dress covering her nicely curved body. But what fascinated him most was her eyes; not only, he noted with a bit of shock, nearly the same shade as his own violet, but they were so… calm. Not only that, but as she resumed slowly combing her hair and began to lose herself in thought again, a spark of determination burned deep within them.

The homunculus sat down carefully on the floor - the house had creaked a bit when he reached the second floor, but it was sturdy enough to hold his weight - head still spinning with shock. How? How the hell could the city be awash in horror outside, and this delicate-looking girl be quietly glowing with determination and hope?

"Hey, are you - I'm sorry, can I ask your name?" he said abruptly, unable to contain his questions any longer.

"Certainly. I'm Rose - Rose Thomas. And you?"

"Maeron," he answered automatically, giving one of the false names Lust had helped him come up with. "I - I don't know my last name," he added with just the right amount of awkwardness, looking down for a moment.

"Oh."

Well, she might be smarter than she looked, not trying to offer any foolish sympathy or ask questions. Now to the important part.

"Rose - aren't you scared?"

"I try not to be," she said with another little smile. He gritted his teeth, trying not to show his anger; everything about this human had him on edge, and it was hard to control himself.

"But with all that's going on," he pressed, trying to keep his voice low and nervous, "the rioting, the death… Lior is tearing itself apart."

"I know," she said, some sorrow in her voice now, but not the despair, not the awakening fear he'd been hoping for, "but I also know that after this has passed, there will still be those left alive who will need help. And the few who can stay away from the fights should do so - then we can help."

"If you want to help, why aren't you trying to help now?" Envy tried. Maybe a little obvious, but he was getting desperate; he needed this girl to show something, guilt or fear or hopelessness. He adjusted his position uncomfortably; he hadn't thought it through while sitting down, but the spot he'd chosen on the floor placed Rose in the position of looking down on him. His hand clenched against the wood floor with suppressed fury.

"I tried," Rose said quietly. She put down her comb and began rolling up her sleeve; glad of the excuse, Envy stood and came to her side, looking down at her arm as several long, nasty cuts were revealed. "Mostly people are too afraid to accept help… and I'm not too popular because I rejected Cornello's teachings after being immersed in his cult for a long time. General opinion runs along the lines of 'she's an undercover demon, or heathen.' Not that there's much difference, to them." She let her sleeve fall again and Envy sank down on the bed next to her, glad of its metal frame and carefully distributing his weight to avoid notice.

"All that and you still have hope?" he asked in a whisper. Disbelief clouded his mind for a minute, but as the moments passed it began to crumple under a burning desire.

This girl. There was something different about her, that glow of hope and confidence and determination when the world was falling apart, and with a familiar sick feeling in his stomach envy washed over him. That glow, that confidence, he wanted it so badly he could almost taste it.

Taste…

"I was once told to keep walking forward," Rose was murmuring, almost to herself. "They're the best words to live by I've found -"

She cut off with a shocked noise as Envy turned her face towards him, his lips pressing against hers roughly. The homunculus' hand trembled against her cheek as he tried to force himself to be gentle, make it seem human and spontaneous and not what it truly was, an expression of a wild and desperate hunger for the warmth and hope she held. Then she was moving uncertainly, still in shock from his suddenness but her body was tilting towards him until her soft curves brushed against his lean, bony frame, and her lips were parting to his insistent tongue and he damn well near had permission. Envy took full advantage of Rose's compliance, pressing against her so their bodies molded against each other and kissing her deeply and ravenously, and for a moment as his teeth grazed her bottom lip and she moaned a little for him he imagined he could feel her warmth on his skin and it would rub off, that he could drink the hope from her mouth like nectar from a flower.

But her hands pushed against his chest, pushing him away as she regained her senses, and her eyes were almost fearful but now it wasn't what he wanted. Exerting every ounce of self-control he had ever learnt in a false role, Envy took a shaky breath and withdrew a little himself.

"I'm sorry," he murmured, and was disturbed at the rasp in his own voice, the heat he could feel running through his body (a heat very different from her warmth), "I - I'm not sure what came over me."

"Um… it's all right, I'm not sure either." And now she was shy, edging away from him, one hand raising to finger her bruised lips. Damn it, damn it, damn it.

For a moment he was torn - the strange heat within him made him want to kiss her again, pin her down on the bed and touch and taste and try until she made him warm again, like that brief moment while their lips met. The logical part of his brain was yelling at him to kill her and get out, nobody would notice an extra body. And a third, small, quiet part asked, why do I need to kill her? It's not as if she knows anything.

He wouldn't kill her, but he couldn't stay here. Envy rose to his feet, not looking at the girl. "I should go."

"Oh - wait! It's dangerous -" she began, and he shook his head.

"I'll be fine. There's plenty of other places to hide." He left the room quickly, moving suspiciously fast he knew but he couldn't stay near her another moment.

Later on, he remembered her bruised lips almost enviously, fingertips brushing over his unmarked ones. He'll be leaving Lior tomorrow, and the warmth had left completely.

Nothing to remember her by.

P.S: Suggestions for alternate title would be welcomed. Reviews are welcomed even more.