Disclaimer: I do own Full Metal Alchemist. I own only this fanfiction story. WARNING: This story is a bit AU; the FMA Movie conclusion is slightly changed
To
Be Liberated From Envy
I
Black Clouds in
a Turbulent Mind
She never understood why it pained so much. Should it pain this much? How very frightening and so passé. This is the way she thought of it. Truthfully, she sometimes, when she felt comfortable enough to accept it, she cried. However, it wasn't the moaning, obtrusive crying, but it was the silent, secret crying. It was still just as wretched. She felt angry afterwards. It wasn't as if her feelings really were so reasonable. Still, she felt she had been ransacked: Ransacked out of fair love.
It's not like I told
Edward how I felt, she thought with a bitter taste floating
around her body, It's natural for him to love someone.
But…but…I guess I was too, stupid! To hope to hope he loved me!
Winry was disappointed. After Edward came back from
beyond the foreign world he spoke to Rose of his feelings. Despite
Rose having a child and that she had not known Edward long he still
had generated feelings for her. Winry felt cheated. She had known
Edward all his life. What was so special about Rose? What was so
truly great about her? These were the bitter questions of a
heartbroken Winry. Her breathless restlessness made her
uncomfortable. She felt internal anger but no matter how many logical
insertions she put to herself to make her understand she ended up
still being angry. It was just; she had loved him for so long, she
expected them to be together at one point.
She knew why there was anger. She had always waited for him. She felt she was his home. She knew no matter how long it took they would regain in some way what they had lost, then he would come home to her. It was the most imminent thing. The most anticipated event. Her expectations have never been so wrong.
Edward indeed came home to her house. Only, he never greeted her with the love she had so coveted, so passionately desired. No, that love, the love she had dreamed – was for Rose. Winry thought that the grim reaper had prematurely sliced off her heart. Hearing those three words being said by his lips for another – Winry felt so tarnished, it took a lot of praying to leave for a walk. She was alone after some walking. Then, she cried.
Afterwards, she subtly distanced herself from Edward and especially Rose. She couldn't take it. To see them together made her feel poisoned. No one really understood how pathetically weak she felt. Her world seemed to have crashed. No one knew she was being burned alive…
Winry was gloomy for a long period of time. Whenever she was asked of her pale face, she told she must have been overworking to create more efficient automail. The truth was that her interest in mechanics somewhat declined. The true fuel for it was flared when Edward firstly received them as his limbs. She loved tending to him. In her mind, he was her man. That was changed. No, she now realized, Edward was never her man. Edward was always Rose's man.
In fact when she examined it, Rose always knew the real Edward Elric. When Winry was young, even in their journeys and even in the present Edward had never told her anything. Their strife, their unhappiness, their glory and their discoveries were never exposed to Winry. Edward and Alphonse thought that were protecting Winry but in actuality they were also alienating themselves from her. Now when Winry mused on it she only knew Edward and Alphonse as the caricatures of who they actually were.
Rose, however, was a part of their journey. She was in Liore – she was the Holy Mother for sometime. She was there when Edward returned Alphonse's body and she connected with him in a very high spiritual level. Winry never felt any of those things.
And she felt cheated.
This was because she felt she loved someone for no reason.
So how did I end up here? This was her thought as she got lost.
It was funny how her journey started. She was on a job given to her by her grandmother, Pinako, but now she ended up in a very secluded region in a forest. She was miles away from home. She didn't felt like going back home either. So she had written to Pinako telling her that she will return late. It was a bad idea from the beginning. This was because Winry had not a myriad of wealth with her and she really didn't specify to Pinako where she was going. She was actually in Izumi's hometown. Somehow she was now in a forest. She hadn't made any visit to Izumi's husband's butcher shop. So, she was in a difficult position.
Is that a…mansion? Winry saw an old structure. It was a mansion but it seemed slightly weathered because of a slightly windy climate present in the forest. Winry decided to go in. Though, she felt unsure as to what to do.
She knocked the front door several times. No one answered. Then she discovered that the door was unlocked. She was too frightened for it was almost night time and the place seemed eerie, so, she went inside. Then she realized where she was – if she had this correctly, from what she had been told by the brothers, this was Dante's mansion.
Well, I guess no one is living here so, I guess I can stay here till tomorrow, Winry concluded as she passed the archways and found the kitchen. She was famished so she found the freezer and cooked some chicken for herself. It was miraculous that the freezer was still working and the food wasn't stale. She thanked God and she ate to her gratification.
All the while, Winry felt the loneliness of the house. All she could hear was clocks and her own breathing. There was not a soul in the house. Or a soulless body, Winry felt herself referencing to the Homunculi who once lived with Dante in this mansion.
After cleaning up, Winry decided to rest. She got up the stairs slowly and decided to choose a room in the long line of bedrooms. Well, then she thought she should take Dante's room, the master bedroom. It was scary to be in a guest room, seeing that all of them were pretty unclean due to no one tending them for three years. It was a more scary thought taking Dante's room but she realized she must. Dante's room was somewhat cleaner than the others. She felt uncomfortable doing this but calmed herself with the thought that it was only for tonight.
Winry undressed herself and put her clothes on the study desk. She wasn't going through Dante's closet or chest-drawers. The situation was too alien as it was. She also felt it was alright sleeping in her lingerie. She had no other option. So she went under the covers and after a few moments she fell asleep.
Winry's sleep was slightly disturbed. In half-asleep consciousness she thought she heard the door opening. The room was cloaked in midnight prints. The pitch darkness must have frightened her to such a presumption. She had locked the main gate after concluding she would sleep in Dante's room. No one was there in this house except her. Though alone and scared she felt strangely secure at the thought that she was alone. The fear came as a natural thing. She was alone in such a large house it was obviously going to send some shivers. Her breathing relaxed as she felt she could go back to sleep.
She thought she heard footsteps: No, only her imagination. They crept towards her bed. She was definitely imagining things. They gradual came closer. Winry had had enough. Her nerves were irritating her. She wanted to remove her covers and show herself that nothing was there.
However, Winry wasn't allowed to do so. That is because someone else other than herself did so. She felt a warm light from a candle illuminating her face slightly. This was to a be dream, she believed it. Then the light felt so real across her face. She became frightened. There has been someone else besides her in this house!
Winry's eyes bolted awake immediately. She saw the light upon her face. It was real. Then…there…was…a wide grinning face…staring at her..
Winry screamed and jumped…her heart was in a panic! There was a grinning face – so scary – so real – looking at her!
' Well, well, look who we have here. Winry Rockbell right?' the face asked her.
' Who the hell are you?!' Winry was so frightened.
The face grinned, ' Geez, you're trespassing in my house you know. I'm the one who's supposed to be asking questions.' He removed the sheets completely and looked at Winry's semi-naked body. His grin widened, ' Wow, a beautiful intruder.'
Winry attempted to recover the sheets but the face put the candle aside and leapt on top pf her, ' Please, let me up, I'll leave immediately.' Winry requested, she nervously looked at the grinning face. He had her pinned and scanned her body. Winry grew pale. She felt it was strange that this young man, as it seemed, knew her name…
Winry eyes widened, she realized what the face was, ' You…you are a homunculus, aren't you?' there was no other explanation.
' Pretty smart,' the face turned that of a grinning young man to….her face! ' aren't you, pretty thing…' it was her voice as well!
Winry started at the replica of her face. She was so shocked, so afraid, she didn't know what to do. She nervously made her request, ' Please, let me up, ple-please…' she stuttered, she didn't know what would happen next.
The face turned back to it's original form, ' If you wish.' He got up and went and turned on the lamps of the room.
Winry saw he was a somewhat muscular looking man, with a boyish physique, he had long, unnatural green hair and he was staring at her. Winry just stared at him as well. She wasn't so sure what would occur. She just prayed to God that he didn't attack her in any way.
' Well, Rockbell, funny seeing you here…' he approached and she took the sheets and wrapped them around herself, ' Is Ed here as well?'
' No.' she muttered.
' I knew that.' He replied surprising her, ' That's the funny bit seeing you here all by yourself. What made you come here, anyway?'
' Who, what – what do you want? Who are you?' she demanded to know. She was getting scared. She couldn't tolerate this. This Homunculus was playing chit-chat with her.
He narrowed his eyes, ' Winry, don't be so annoying.'
' I want to know who you are?' she questioned, in a firm tone.
' Ok, I'm Envy.' He grinned, broadly, abnormally, as he did before.
' That can't be! How can it!' she screamed, ' Ed told me you were lost in the gate! That gate of truth place!'
' Well, that's like him – making stupid conclusions. I got out of it, funny, no one noticed. It was a miracle I survived and I killed my bastard father too. Anyways, you will be staying I guess. Make yourself right at home.' He had seated himself on the bed looking at Winry, smiling oddly.
' No way!' Winry jumped out of bed, ' I can't stay here! I'm leaving!'
She was going for her clothes when a strong hand got hers, ' OWW!' Winry's right hand was seized by Envy, he turned her around while she struggled without any release, ' Let go! Let go, please! Right now! Please let me go!'
Envy drew his face nearer to Winry's as she struggled – his free hand caressed her cheek, ' Where will you go in the middle of the night?' he stated the fact and kept on affectionately caressing her cheek.
Winry felt like crying. She pushed him, ' Please…I…' she couldn't substantiate anything. She didn't look at him, she was afraid being here with this strong Homunculus – will he kill her now? Or will he toy with her first? It was a bad idea staying here.
He tilted her chin, she was looking at him, ' You're not leaving.' He made his demand clear, ' I want you to stay here.'
' I can't stay here !' Winry pushed him to no avail, he seemed unperturbed, ' I have to go home, my family will miss me!' she stated the fact.
' I don't care!' he screamed, he suddenly carried her all bridal-style towards the bed as he switched off all the lights, ' You're staying here with me!'
' Put me down! I won't stay here!' Winry kicked and pushed with her might. This was absurd – she wasn't going to be kept prisoner, ' You think Ed and Al will come if you use me as bait?! Why do you want to kill them still –'
' I have no desire to kill them.' He put her on the bed, then laid himself next to her as he covered them with the sheets, ' I want you to stay Winry, only you…I want you to stay here with me…now, go to sleep.'
He clasped his hand around her and Winry tried to push it off, ' Let me go.' She sobbed now.
' Shhh, it's ok, I won't hurt you Winry.' He nuzzled his face on her neck, ' You know I use to hate humans a lot.' He stated, ' But…I feel you are a big exception Winry. I can't wait to lead my life with you.'
Winry felt so horrified. This creature wanted her to live with him. She felt him staring at her while she angrily looked at him, ' I hate you.'
' Now, be nice, Winry.' He caressed her face, ' Things won't be so bad.'
Winry struggled somewhat, it was futile. Winry sobbed as she saw Envy still looking at her. His eyes not cruel but a bit blank in nature. She wondered what he wanted her for. She became exhausted. The tension gave her a great wave of fatigue.
She closed her eyes. She felt Envy watching her but then he embraced her firmly. As she slept, Envy closed his eyes. He was strangely happy to have the blonde princess next to him. He was serious about leading a life with her. Because: in some ways, he had always liked Winry Rockbell…
Ok, I know the first chappie wasn't great but tell me what ya think!
