Unwanted
Envy perched atop a building, resentfully watching the humans below as they piddled their way through their pathetic lives. They were disgusting, really. He hated all of them. But... there was no one he hated more than that man.
"Hohenheim..." he muttered sourly to himself. That man had ruined everything... had cast him aside for the upstart brats Edward and Alphonse. He had been that bastard's first son... he should be the one loved and cherished, not them!
A cool autumn breeze swept through the city. Dead and dying leaves swirled in the air as they were picked up from the ground and torn off tree branches. Streetlights flickered warmly, casting their yellow-orange glows on small circles on the sidewalk.
"Gak! What the hell?" he cried when a stray newspaper hit him in the back of his head.
He ripped it in half, pretending it was Hohenheim and letting the shreds be carried off on the breeze. Ooh, how he wished this paper was the man that ruined his life! A formerly blank box on the outermost page suddenly filled with words.
"Hell Correspondence?" he read aloud. "Your grievance shall be avenged. Sounds like just what I need," he said gleefully, carefully folding the paper and turning to go back inside the building. He wandered back to his residence and managed to find a piece of blank paper. He quickly scribbled a message about how he wanted Hohenheim sent to hell and set about mailing it to the address.
"Ai, you have a message," a reedy voice announced.
Ai Enma looked up from her marbles, acknowledging her grandmother.
"Yes, Grandma. I'll be right there," she replied. She stood up and walked inside the house. There was a letter sitting on the table by the wall.
"There have been a lot of them lately. People just won't face their problems these days," her grandmother continued.
"Yes..." Ai replied.
"The letter's gone..." Envy muttered aloud. He looked around the mostly empty room, but couldn't find the envelope anywhere.
"You summoned me," a female voice said suddenly, making him jump and spin around.
"What? Who are you? How'd you get in here?" Envy demanded. He blinked and the scenery changed. The girl was standing under a large tree, the sky tinged a bright red. There was a woman, slightly reminiscent of his acquaintance Lust in her dress and demeanor, reclining against the tree. A man with black hair covering one eyes stood beside her.
"My name is Ai," she replied, her red eyes glinting in the dim light.
"You're with the Hell Correspondence?" he asked.
"This is for you," she continued, holding out a black straw doll with a red string tied around his neck. "If you truly wish vengeance, untie the scarlet thread from around his neck. This binds you into a covenant with me, and I will ferry the soul of your tormentor straight into hell."
Envy took the doll and simply stared at it for a moment or two. Could it really be that simple to send that bastard to hell? Just untie the thread and he was gone? That was so much easier than he expected. He went to pull the thread, but Ai's voice stopped him.
"However, you will have to carry out your end of the bargain. There must always be a price. If you pull the thread, your soul will also belong to hell when you die, doomed to an eternity of pain and suffering. You will never know the joys of heaven," she finished.
"I'll go to hell too? What's the point of sending that bastard to hell if I'll end up there too?" Envy snapped. Well, that seemed stupid.
"Hell is a very vast place. The chances of running into your tormentor are slim to none," the woman replied coolly.
"Now, the decision rests with you," Ai said grimly.
Harsh winds suddenly blew, threatening to tear Envy to shreds as shards of glass collided with his skin. He screamed piercingly, shrilly, as the winds tore at his skin and clothing. He was going to be blown to bits and sliced to ribbons! All too soon, he was back in his room. He held the doll in a trembling hand.
"You really think he'll go through with it?" Hone Onna asked.
"It's a guy? You sure about that?" Ren Ichimoku asked, smushing his face up against the window of the restaurant they were sitting in. Envy was outside, talking to short, fat man and a tall woman.
"Gender isn't an issue of concern. He looked pretty shaken when he was told that he'd go to hell also, when he died," Hone Onna chattered.
"Funny, this is the first time I can remember someone mentioning running into their tormentor when they go to hell. Normally, these fools don't even seem to notice that aspect of the deal," Ren sighed.
"He's pondering if his suffering is worth it," Hone Onna interjected. "He's debating if he's in enough pain to want to chance meeting his tormentor in hell. The chances are slim, but they're still there. Eternity is a long time."
"What an ugly doll," Lust commented, flipping her hair over her shoulder.
"Can I eat it?" Gluttony inquired.
"Don't be stupid, you fat pig," Envy spat.
"Is it some kind of primitive voodoo doll?" Lust asked.
"Yeah... something like that. My grievance shall be avenged, or something, is what the ad said," he laughed dryly. He had to admit, he was a bit skeptical. Was a straw doll really that powerful?
"Ad? You mean it was a mail-order sort of thing?" Lust asked, folding her arms. "What's with that red string?"
"It is what it is. Don't stick your nose in my business, Lust," Envy sneered.
"You don't have to get so prudish," she scoffed. "Let's go, Gluttony. See you around, Envy."
"Yeah, good riddance," he spat as they walked away.
"What interesting names. Are you part of a club?" Ren asked as he approached Envy.
"Maybe they work in a bar," Hone Onna suggested.
"They're names our boss gave us," Envy said crisply as he brushed past the duo. "Speaking of which, I have to go to work. Stop following me. I don't need stalkers."
"Stalkers! Really, how rude," Hone Onna said indignantly.
"Ah, Envy. I was wondering when you'd show up," Dante smiled as Envy stormed into the room. "My, someone looks angry."
"Where is he? Where is that bastard?" he snapped, glaring at the woman.
"In there. I suppose you're here to claim the revenge you so desperately want," Dante snickered as Envy stormed past her and kicked open the door.
"I'm surprised you came," Hohenheim commented. "I thought I told Wrath to tell you to stay away."
"Don't trust that sniveling brat to do anything of worth. Why the hell are you here?" Envy hissed.
"I was in town and thought I'd drop by and see how things were going," the man answered nonchalantly.
Something inside Envy snapped. He flew at Hohenheim, fists making contact with his face. The man's glasses cracked as they hit the ground.
"You bastard! After what you did to me you have the gall to show your face?" Envy roared, landing another blow on Hohenheim's face. "Why them? Why are they so special? I was your first born! You should love me!"
Envy repeatedly beat the man, hot tears running down his pallid cheeks.
"Dante took you away. What was I to do? I had been forbidden from seeing you," Hohenheim coughed when Envy had calmed down a bit.
"She... she told me you ran out on us... she said you didn't want me. She told me that you couldn't love a child you had by mistake!" Envy screamed, punching the man again and again. "You chose those brats over me!"
"What an interesting development," Ren commented from outside the room.
"His grief runs strong," Hone Onna nodded.
"You never cared! Never! You left me with that bitch! I absolutely hate you!" Envy raged.
He reached into his pocket and pulled out the doll. So what if he would go to hell also? He had already seen hell.
"See you in hell," he spat viciously, untying the red thread from around the doll's neck.
"Your grievance shall be avenged," a powerful voice boomed as a strong wind forced open the windows.
"What the hell?" Envy panted, looking around the room. Somehow, he had lost the doll. The scarlet thread fell from his fingers and dropped to the ground, standing out sharply against the dark carpet.
"Excuse me, sir," a policewoman said gruffly. Envy was pushed aside as two police officers carried the beaten and bloody Hohenheim out the door.
"What the hell is going on?" he asked, bewildered.
"Your vengeance, of course," Ren replied with a small smile. "You've entered the covenant with us. You can see the mark on your chest."
Envy pulled his shirt down to expose a small black mark in the hollow at the base of his throat. He looked up at Ren, but the man had disappeared.
"Ai, I've prepared your nagajuban," the grandmother's voice called from inside the house.
"Yes, Grandma. Thank you," Ai said, standing up and walking to the edge of the river in which she sat. She pulled the white robe on over her wet clothing and proceeded to put on the rest of her outfit. She tied her obi snugly around her waist and ran a hand through her straight black hair.
"What is this? What are you doing?" Hohenheim asked, bewildered.
"How sad... your first born son was completely ignored because you had to be selfish," the woman officer sighed.
"Talk about bad parenting," the man agreed. "And you left your other two sons, who you claim to love, alone with their dying mother."
"Some father you are," the woman snorted.
"My personal life is none of your business," Hohenheim said stiffly.
"Oh, but it is. You see... I can see everything," the man said smugly as a large eye opened on the roof of the car.
Hohenheim backed away as far as he could. What in the world was going on?
"You're the reason Mom is dead. She died waiting for you," Edward's voice sneered.
"It's all your fault. If only you had been there, we wouldn't have had to suffer the way we did," Alphonse's voice joined in.
"You have the gall to call yourself our father. You make me nauseous," Edward snorted.
"It's all your fault," Alphonse repeated.
"Edward, Alphonse," Hohenheim said softly, reaching out for his sons. They shared a glance and began walking away down a long, barren, winding road.
"Why did you leave me? Was I not good enough for you?" Dante asked, appearing behind him. He spun around only to see her walk away as well, down a different road.
"I waited for you, but you never came. I wasted all that time... because I thought I loved you. How could I ever love a man who was so selfish?" Trisha asked.
"Trisha..." Hohenheim muttered, reaching out a hand as she, too, walked away.
"It's all your fault!" Envy's voice sneered.
The three separate roads merged together so everyone important to Hohenheim was walking away from him. One by one, they turned to bone, then into dust.
"I wasn't good enough for you! You couldn't be happy with what you got! You had to be a greedy little human, didn't you? Didn't you?" Envy shrieked.
"No, I..." Hohenheim started lamely.
"Are you going to confess your sins?" an old man in a kimono inquired.
"I didn't do anything..." Hohenheim stuttered. "It wasn't my fault."
"I guess that's that, then," Hone Onna sighed.
"Miss, you heard him..." Ren prompted.
"Oh, pitiful shadow cloaked in darkness, bringing torment and pain to others. Oh, damned soul wallowing in sin. Perhaps... it is time to die," Ai chanted, appearing before Hohenheim suddenly.
He screamed as mutated versions of the people he cared about attacked him. He was bitten, scratched, and so much more. He blinked and opened his eyes to a misty grayish-purple space. Paper lanterns floated on the water as a pretty girl with black hair and red eyes steered the boat.
"Where am I? What's going on?" he asked, beginning to panic.
"This is vengeance, so I'm to ferry you to hell," she replied monotonously.
"Hell? No, there must be a misunderstanding! I can't go to hell! You've got it wrong!" Hohenheim wailed. Thin, pale arms reached out of the bottom of the boat to grab him. The bodies that were attached to them all wore Envy's face, and they all whispered that he deserved this.
His cries were absorbed by the mist, and as the boat passed under a gate, a bell chimed somewhere.
"Can you really send him to hell?" Alphonse asked.
"If you truly wish vengeance, untie the scarlet thread from around his neck. This bind you into a covenant with me and I will ferry the soul of your tormentor straight into hell. However, you must deliver your end of the bargain. There must always be a price. Should you choose vengeance, your soul will also belong to hell when you die. You will never know the joys of heaven. Now, the decision rests with you," Ai said before vanishing.
"Envy sent Dad to hell... it's only fair that he goes as well," Alphonse muttered.
His hand shook as he reached to pull the scarlet thread around the black straw doll's throat.
Was this worth going to hell himself?
Area 51 1/2 2-1-11: a story about Envy! I'd been wanting to write a Hell Girl fic for a while now. There will be another one for Hell Girl that isn't a crossover, I just thought Envy would appreciate this. Poor guy... I kinda feel sorry for him, you know? He deserves this... I'm proud of myself for not giving Ed and Al such huge parts. I do have a tendency to write about them a lot... (but I love Ed, so of course I want to write about him)
I love the 'hell' part. I like writing about creepy things, so I'm really happy I got to write about Hell Girl... sorta. Does that make me weird? Weirder than I am, I mean? I tried to make it like the anime as much as I could, but I'm not sure if I really succeeded...
I almost couldn't remember what Ai chanted before killing someone... and that monologue when she gives someone the doll (I had to look it up online [because my friend owns the anime, not me] and that was bothersome)... I love her kimono, with the moving flowers. I want to watch the second season, but I don't know if it's out in English yet or not! I want to read the manga too, to see what differences there are. Hell Girl rocks, end of story.
Hmm... not much else to talk about, really. I was kinda thinking of adding more chapters where other FMA characters send their tormentors to hell, but I'm not sure. I did put Envy as a character in the story properties area... I think it works well as a one-shot anyway.
See you around...