CS: Wow! People want this story updated!
Envy: Of course! It's about me.
Sorrow: I thought it was about me.
Gaomon: Apparently people really love Envy.
CS: Yes! Which is why I believe Arakawa (sp) should make a manga series entirely about Envy, called ENVIOUS HOMUNCULUS!
Nel: Somebody's gone crazy.
Gaomon: Welcome to my world.
REVAMPED! Special shout-out to AlanSchezar, who was so kind to find and help me with this piece.
"My purpose was simple."
The mansion beneath the earth was spacious and magnificent, pearl pillars echoing promises of richness and grandeur. Lost in the past, the old walls, colored pale, retained their ancient beauty. There was no size of chipped paint, rotten wood, or even the haunting scratching of rodents.
Envy stopped at the massive grand staircase in the center of the mansion. He turned to the girl standing next to him, reviewing her poser with a critical eye. He tsked before speaking, "Remember, the master is very strict on appearance. So try not to blow it in the first seconds of meeting her."
The girl bowed her head calmly, "I understand, Envy."
Suddenly, a voice broke the silence.
"So this is the new homunculus?" an elderly woman, with light green hair bundled up in a bonnet, stated.
The girl immediately bowed, her long ponytails cascading over her shoulders sharply. "My master, Lady Dante. I am Sorrow, your humble and loyal servant."
"Courteous, too," Dante approved, nodding to Envy in satisfaction. "Very good. Envy taught you well."
"My lady," Sorrow said loud enough for Dante to hear, "my lord Envy is an excellent teacher."
"Maybe a little too good," Dante muttered to herself. But when Sorrow looked up with confusion, Dante waved her hand dismissively. "Never mind. Come. You and I will dine together."
Sorrow looked at Envy, to which he nodded and gestured, "Go." Sorrow climbed up the stairs, following after her new master.
"To retrieve the Philosopher's Stone. To regain my humanity. To serve Lady Dante with all my heart, mind, and body. Everything was perfect. Too perfect."
"So, Sorrow," Dante stated mildly once they were seated. "Tell me a little about yourself."
Sorrow looked down at her plate. Suddenly, an image flashed before her eyes. Dark skies, rain, and a dark, motionless form lying on the ground. A small red gem lay abandoned on the ground. Blinking, Sorrow mumbled softly, "Can a homunculus eat?"
Dante gestured irritably. "Of course, dear. Now eat. Good heavens, what did Envy fill your mind with?"
Sorrow didn't move or eat her food. More images, of pounding feet, lightning flashing across the sky. Hollers were lost to the gale, cries of agony and rage. "Then, if I can eat, how can I not be human?"
Dante looked up, regarding Sorrow curiously. "Hmm?"
"Well," Sorrow began, fiddling her long sleeves with her fingers, "Envy said I am not human, yet I do not understand. How am I not human? I know nothing else."
Dante sighed, perhaps sadly, "Child, let me answer that question with another question. Is an unfinished painting considered a true painting?"
"Umm." To this Sorrow looked down. "I don't know. I guess so."
"Wrong." Dante almost slammed her tea cup down. Sorrow jerked upright, fear bright in her violet eyes. "An unfinished painting is no more of a true painting than an unfinished novel is a true novel. You see, Sorrow, you are the same. You are an unfinished human."
"B-but what makes me an unfinished human?" Sorrow blurted out. She suddenly realized what she stated, and she immediately covered her mouth. Dante only sighed again, shaking her head. "You homunculi are all the same. You try so hopelessly to cling to the idea that you're still human." She looked up at Sorrow with a keen eye. "Are you sure you want to know the truth behind the truth?"
Sorrow gulped. Her hands had stiffened, and her heart (at least she thought it was her heart) throb loudly in her chest. Biting her lower lip, she looked down at her knees.
Dante must have sensed the anxiety Sorrow was giving off, so she stated softly, "Once I tell you this information, all will be clear. However, once I share this, the sheer hatred you will feel will be unbearable." She arched a careful eyebrow. "Do you still want to know?"
Sorrow didn't look up. "Do the others know?"
"All but Gluttony, mostly because he is too foolish TO understand. I have to say, though, that I'm surprised Envy didn't tell you the truth. Normally, after feeding you, he'd tell you how a homunculus is made."
Sorrow squinted her eyes. Her pale hands, having been squeezing her knees, balled into fists as she raised them to her face. People with torches and axes, chasing her, cursing her. Over what? She could not remember. "I always wanted to know why others treated me differently."
Dante smiled for the first time. "Well, then, are you ready?"
Sorrow nodded, determination in her eyes. "Yes, ma'am."
"But I had nothing to lose. And everything to gain."
