XXX: I do NOT own Fullmetal Alchemist. I am just a huge fan! :XXX

I know this just came out of the blue after a long period of nothing from me. I am considering starting back up with a few of my other stories as well. If you're one of my usual readers, let me know if you like that idea! If you're new to me, maybe check out my other work!

Enjoy!

Envy POV

I ran. My legs were pushing me as far as they could in each stride. I tried not to notice that I was moving much slower than I was used to.

This isn't happening.

I slammed my eyes shut and shook my head. I needed to wake up, and it needed to happen now.

Since I wasn't watching where I was going, and my senses were more than impaired, my exposed toes caught a rather large rock and sent me rocketing to the ground. My body skid across the forest floor, scraping every inch of my skin that touched the dirt. I laid there, waiting for my cuts to heal up.

But they didn't.

I pushed myself into a sitting position, wincing. The scrapes weren't that bad, but I was unused to dealing with pain for an extended amount of time. I stared at the blood as it ran down from my knee to where the red mark of the ouroboros should be.

Bringing that fact to the front of my mind once more, I screamed. My fingers raked across my scalp and grabbed fistfuls of my green locks. I pulled hard and felt a few strands snap loose from my head.

This isn't happening.

I put my head in between my bloody knees. The world was spinning around me and I had nothing to hold on to. I was in the worst position, confused, alone... helpless. I had become the thing I hated most and I had no idea how to handle it. Tears welled up in my eyes and fell onto my cheeks, and I didn't care if anyone saw me.

"I don't want to be human," I sobbed.

A pulsing pain began in my head, probably a result of my crying. I was thinking that it couldn't get any worse when I felt the first couple of drops on my shoulders. The drizzle turned into a downpour, quickly soaking my clothing and hair. The emerald strands turned black and fell into my face as my headband slid from its usual place, pulled down by the added weight of the water. My locks stuck to my cheeks, shoulders, and back, almost feeling like arms wrapping protectively around me. I slouched back onto my side, curling in on myself miserably, my body shaking from my despair and now the cold.

I stayed there, in my little ball of misery, hoping that something would come along and take me away from this terrible place. I did not want to live in this world if I had to do it human.

I got my wish.

A swift kick to the back of the head sent stars dancing across my vision. My headache got ten times worse, bringing nausea to the party. A hand grabbed a lump of my hair, bringing me up to eye level with my attacker. I hoped they would just get it over with and kill me quickly. I had never felt like that in my life, and I didn't enjoy it one bit.

Why would the younger Elric brother want to come back to this?

I surprised myself with that thought. Why, in a time like this, would I think of the Elric brothers?

"Look at me, you abomination."

I hadn't realized my eyes were shut. I slowly opened them, only to close them once more. Of course it would be him. Of course.

"Look at me!"

Scar's deep voice invaded my ears, echoing over and over again. I couldn't open my eyes. It took too much effort, energy that I didn't have. Something deep inside me stirred, urging me to fight so that I would have a chance at survival. The monster that was my despair did a fantastic job at keeping that part of me at bay, away from the decision-making part of me. I did nothing, just hung from Scar's grasp like a dead body. I would be one soon enough, anyway. Might as well practice.

My attacker growled at my lack of response, then threw his knee into my midsection. My lungs heaved, struggling to bring air back into themselves. The air hitched in my throat, causing me to cough. That wasn't much help for my breathless condition.

Just when I thought I was going to regain my breathing, I felt a white hot pain in my stomach.

A bullet. Scar had shot me.

I screamed out in pain.

"How does it feel, homunculus? I want you to feel the pain that so many of my people felt in the war that you started."

I didn't know what hurt more, the pain from the gunshot wound or the fact that he called me something I could no longer claim to be.

Just make it stop. Please. End it.

Another bullet lodged itself into my shoulder, earning the Ishbalan another scream from me.

"I will give you a moment to pray."

That almost made me laugh, despite the great amount of pain I was in. Pray? Did he honestly believe me to be a religious man? I was a beast, a monster. Even if there was a god, there was no way he would love something like me.

"Scar!"

The familiar voice sounded so out of place that I assumed I was dreaming. I must have passed out from the pain. Hopefully that meant Scar would end it soon. I opened my eyes just a little, only to confirm that what I heard was what I thought it was.

It was none other than the Fullmetal Pipsqueak, Edward Elric. I had looked up just in time to see the flash of blue light from Edward's alchemy, and the resulting rock spear shooting from the ground beneath Scar. The Ishbalan dodged it easily, fully expecting that old Elric trick.

"What, you are protecting this monster now?" Scar seemed as surprised as I felt.

"No, definitely not. I wouldn't have stopped you if you were anyone else." Edward stared hard at his adversary. He was definitely not concerned with me in the least.

Scar glanced over at me for a quick second, then turned back to the alchemist. Without a word, his slammed his hand into the ground, sending up a mist of dirt and rock bits, hiding himself.

Edward covered his eyes and coughed loudly. When he caught his breath and lifted his lids, his opponent was gone.

"Damn it!" he yelled. He was about to run after the man, reckless as ever, when a hand on his shoulder stopped him.

"Brother, stop!" The younger Elric had finally caught up. "You have no idea which way he went. There's no point in chasing him now."

"Al, I can catch him! He can't be far!"

"No! You weren't prepared to fight him anyway. That's not why we came this way."

"I'm always ready to fight him." Edward's words sounded tough, but he had stopped pushing against his brother's grip.

I dragged in a labored breath, and felt something wet leak into my windpipe. I hacked loudly, blood splattering on the ground next to me. I groaned, having momentarily forgotten about my injuries. Apparently, I was awake. The only solace I had was in the fact that I would most likely bleed to death soon.

"Ed, look at him." It was a feminine voice this time. Who...?

"Just leave him. He's going to die soon anyway." Edward sounded far away.

"That's my point. We can't leave him like that."

"And just why the hell not?"

It was Alphonse that said it, finally setting it in stone. Hearing him say it was worse than hearing it in my mind.

"He's human."

I blacked out.

Get up!

I ignored the voice.

Get up, I said!

I rolled onto my side, trying to block out the noise.

Get the hell up!

I opened my eyes and turned to glare at the voice's owner. My glare was wiped away instantly when I saw who it was.

It was me.

Well you're awake now, at least. Now stand up!

I obeyed, dumbstruck and unable to think of any other option. Of course I would listen to myself.

Stop feeling sorry for yourself. It's pathetic.

That's when I remembered what happened, remembered my...state of being.

"I'm a human, pathetic is all I can be."

You're full of it. Your body may be human, but at your core you are still the same Envy you were before. Where is your cocky attitude? The aura of complete control you always carried with you? Where is my control?!

"It died with the rest of me."

Stop it!

I had nothing else to say to myself, and I didn't want to hear anything else from him. I didn't question where the gun in my hand had come from as I leveled it with his head.

You can't get rid of me! I'm a homunculus! I'm you!

"Shut up!" I shouted as I pulled the trigger. Just as the bullet pierced his head, I jerked awake, lunging forward.

My wounds screamed at me, and I screamed at them, falling onto my back in pain.

"Stop moving! It's only going to make things worse." It was the feminine voice again.

"Let him. He deserves so much more than the pain he's in. He deserves death." That was the pipsqueak, grumpy as always.

"Ed," the woman chastised him. "How can you say that? He's human now. It doesn't matter what he's done before."

The little alchemist started a snobby reply, but was cut off by the woman. She ignored him and turned her focus back to me. "Hey, don't listen to him. I'm in charge of you, and I'm going to help you."

I allowed my eyes to flutter open. The blond woman's face took up all of my vision. I recognized her now. She was the shorty's automail engineer. I couldn't recall her name...

"Can you hear me?" she asked me.

I had just been staring at her, so she must have assumed I was fading out of consciousness. If only... I turned my head away and glared at the wood of the cart I had just realized we were riding in.

"I'll take that as a yes... You know, you don't have to hate me. I'm only trying to help..." She sounded sad. After a moment, she began again, her voice strong. "You don't have to thank me, you don't have to be grateful in the least, but I will save your life. So deal with it."

And that was the last thing anyone said to me the entire ride to the little town of Resembool.