"Why are we going to Rizembul again?"

Ed glared up at Envy, who was perched on the suitcase rail above Al's head. Ed thought a normal spine had no business twisting like that, but then again, Envy wasn't exactly normal on any scale. He snorted.

"I need to get my automail fixed," Ed growled back, "You could have stayed back in Central."

"What, and listen to Mustang whine and bitch about everything? 'Specially since the runt keeps following me around?" Envy snorted, "Not fucking happening."

Al sighed and kept on reading his novel, ignoring as the petty bickering continued. At least it killed the usual tediousness of the train trip.

And really, if anything, Envy's company had proven to be something to chase boredom away. He had rather familiar mood swings and a slightly annoying tendency to make them vocal, which never failed to tick off the elder Elric. However, he knew a good deal of curious facts, on a vast variety of subjects, though he reduced his comments to the select occasions when it would raise a fight with Edward. Al still winced a bit at the unnecessary rudeness and bad words that seemed to spring out in rivers from the Homunculus' mouth, but at least he had kept himself from violence.

Well, if one didn't count the boot incident, and Al was in a magnanimous enough mood to ignore it. Because Ed deserved it anyway. Yeah.

"It was a really good throw, wasn't it?" Envy asked with that half lidded cat stare of his, sounding too damn pleased with himself.

Al grinned, unseen by anyone, and shrugged, turning a page of his novel.

"Shut up!" Ed tried to hit Envy, but realized too late that he was too… ahem, short, to reach the rail. The Homunculus smirked, "Get down here!"

"Aw," Envy cooed at him, "Am I too high for you? Maybe I should tune down a bit, eh?"

"Who the fuck are you calling so short that he can't reach the fucking windowsill on his own?"

Envy smirked, pleased with himself. Al sighed when Isobel discovered Eric's treason. Ed seethed and muttered about stupid Homunculus who needed to be castrated and backstabbing little brothers who needed to stop reading harlequin novels.

All was well in the world.

The Elric brothers had arrived with a tabby cat on their heels and before Winry could get a hit home upon seeing the glaringly obvious damage on Ed's automail, said cat had morphed into a young man with strangely colored green hair and freakish eyes. Pinako had reacted faster than her grand daughter though, and had slammed a large wrench on the spot Envy had been occupying seconds prior.

"You fu-"

"Envy!"

Al slammed a hand on his mouth and held him off the floor, struggling and growling as his eyes promised murder.

"Wait!" Ed raised his hands to placate the old woman, eyes widening. Not so much for what Pinako could do to the Homunculus, but what he could do to her, "It's alright! Well, not alright, but don't kill him!"

"Ha!" Having somehow slithered out of Al's grasp, the Sin snorted, glaring viciously, "As if an old hag could do-"

"What's that thing?" Pinako asked wide eyed as Envy was once more dragged back by Al.

"That's Envy," Ed started to explain hastily, "He's er… well, not a friend, Aunt Pinako, but we don't want him dead yet."

"I'll show you dead you little shit!" The green haired teen howled as Al tried desperately to hold him back.

"Envy!" Ed whirled around, glaring, "Stop it!"

"Fuck, tell her that!"

"Well, if you stopped being such a bastard-"

"I'm going to show you bastard alright!"

"Brother!"

Winry and Pinako stared bewildered as the verbal fight escalated, while Al threw miserable comments here and there to try and calm them down with little to no success.

"What the fuck do you mean pipsqueak?"

Winry stared curiously. Envy pretended not to notice. Ed tried to explain to 'Aunty' what was going on. Said 'Aunty' tried to keep a hold on her patience long enough for him to finish. Al continued reading.

"What?" The Homunculus finally reached the very last of his admittedly short patience and snapped with a glare at the blonde girl.

Al placed his bookmark and closed the book, for the moment more interested in Winry's welfare than in Eva finding out Christian had been having an affair on the sidelines of their marriage, even if he was itching to read how that would play out.

"Well," To her credit, the Rockbell girl managed to shrug of the glare, slitted eyes and all, and grinned lightly, "Just, wondering," Envy's left eyebrow twitched. If he had known the lengths he would need to go to keep the uneasy truce with the Elric brothers, he would have stayed back at Central, corrupting the runt, Mustang be damned. Winry shrugged, "Why are you wearing a skirt?"

Ed paused on his long winded monologue about the greater good – which he was using more to convince himself than Pinako, of course – to look in the direction of the mighty howl of rage that came from Envy.

Who was currently twitching under Al, trying to claw his way to Winry, presumably to gut her.

The blonde mechanic grinned.

Wrath dodged the deadly hand and laughed. His frequent visits irritated the Ishbalan, and he reacted the only way he could, attacking.

"Aw, and here I was going to give you some interesting news," The Homunculus said with a smirk, noting with amusement that Scar's back stiffened, "I found you a nice State Alchemist to kill."

"I'm not your minion!" The holy man growled angrily, trying to grab him again.

Wrath knew he hated him, hated his visits and his words… but Scar wouldn't deny the fact that Wrath's information had been useful. He hadn't told him anything important, at least not in the big scale of things, but he hadn't lied to him. The Homunculus grinned. How predictable, the human now believed his words, even if he hated him.

"Does that mean you don't want to know where to find the Crimson Alchemist? The murderer of Ishbal?" The child-monster asked almost innocently, grinning when the taller man stopped abruptly.

Predictable, but useful.

Envy was hiding in the forest, not that he would admit he was hiding, but for the sake of his sanity – fragile and elusive little thing – he decided to stay away from the house where the Elric Brothers were staying. Partly because he was feeling an insanely strong bloodlust coursing through his veins, and partly because it was disturbing to have that slip of a blonde following him around as if he were some sort of exotic bug or something.

So, since he couldn't go kill a few humans – and rather than to humor the truce with the brothers, it was because Dante would know it had been him – he went and did the next best thing. Morphing into a predator, he stalked the forest and hunted to release the excess energy that he had gathered in the last five weeks.

Sure, raw meat wasn't exactly a delicacy in most places, but the smell of blood and the feel of skin tearing under his claws made up for the lack of fights.

Slumbering in the late afternoon sun, the feline senses flared up at the stench of another. It left a coppery aftertaste on his tongue and ignited the primal need to destroy. It was hatred in it's purest form, and Envy didn't fight it as he began a patient walk back to the house.

He might be seething, but he was still in the mindset of a hunter. And hunt his prey was what he would do.

Aside from ripping it into nice ribbons to make garlands from.

The first explosion took them by surprise. The second, however, caught Al and Ed running outside, expecting to see Scar. The force of the explosions was enough to create miniature earthquakes, the house rumbling to it's fundament. Winry tried to follow the brothers, but the next tremor made her lose her balance and end up hanging from the doorway.

"Stay inside!" Ed yelled at her, as the smoke cleared slowly, revealing two human shapes. The Fullmetal Alchemist swore under his breath.

"Edward Elric," Greed purred softly, grinning, "Such a pleasure to see you again…"

Kimblee, behind him, gave them his maniac smile, eyes glinting with murder. The brothers tensed, prepared to the fight as the sin eyed them, for lack of better wording, hungrily. A twig snapped behind him, and for a moment they turned to the edge of the forest. Greed's grin became, if possible, larger.

"Entertain them," He told Kimblee, almost dismissingly, as he centered his attention on the sleek creature that walked forward, slowly morphing back into human. Greed leered, "So nice of you to come, brat. Saves me the trouble of finding you."

"You just have to try, don't you?" Envy sneered, looking at the younger Homunculus disdainfully, "Come and fuck things up."

"I want it all," Greed's eyes glowed behind his sunglasses, "All. And that includes you, lapdog of shit."

Envy laughed. He couldn't help it, really, he laughed in amusement at what was so very obviously a death wish and grinned mockingly at Greed.

"Am I supposed to feel threatened?" The green haired Homunculus smirked, "By you?"

Both immortals ignored the explosions and the lights from Kimblee's fight with the brothers. The former Crimson Alchemist was barely holding himself back from killing the brothers, knowing they needed them for later. But they didn't have to know that.

"Always so eager to get me on, Envy," Greed snorted, "But mommy isn't around anymore, is she? To tell me to keep my hands to myself?" Envy snarled, eyes flashing dangerously, "Oh, you hate me so much, don't you? I want that too, all of it," Greed's grin turned lascivious, "I even want your violence… why don't you let me have fun, before the real fun? I know, I'll even let you fight back!"

His arrogance was doing the trick, the smaller Homunculus looked ready to snap as he fisted his hands. Greed walked towards him at a slowed pace, not caring one bit about the destruction Kimblee was causing. He didn't care about anything else but that delightful young body before him, just begging to be taken and used and abused. He stopped two feet away from Envy, looked down at him and leered.

"C'mon, brat," He spread his arms, mockingly, "I'll let you land a hit before I get you."

And as Greed transmuted his skin, Envy laughed. It was a hysterical sound, annoyance, amusement, bloodlust and hatred, mingling together into the ultimate war cry.

"You bastard!"

The spin kick landed directly on Greed's chest, and it sent him flying backwards, until he hit the wall of the Rockbell house. Winry and Pinako huddled far away, led away from the fight by Al, while Ed entertained Kimblee. Envy walked towards the taller Homunculus, still chuckling.

There were cracks on Greed's skin.

"You're going to take me? Me?" The green haired Homunculus landed a vicious punch into the other, furthering the damage to his chest. He began a rhythmic pounding, anger raising. Greed just couldn't heal fast enough. "I'm the patient one! I sit around and let you be, and what do you do, Greed? You come and. Fucking. Piss. Me. Off." Each word was punctuated by a hit, the black surface cracking ominously as Envy finally let go, "You pathetic child, do you know who I am? I'm the first, the only one," Greed choked on a howl as Envy's fist sank through him. The wall behind him began crumbling under the sheer strength of the beating, "But you're right, Greed, mommy isn't around anymore," Pulling back, Envy smiled sweetly, "And you know what? There's no one telling me I can't kill you anymore."

His fingers sank into the charcoal skin, and his eyes glowed. Red spots appeared in Greed's body, glowing where the stones were lodged within him. Envy moaned as his own stones reacted, feeling some sort of euphoria course through him. Greed screeched as the red stones literally tore themselves out of his body and sank into Envy's, feeding him.

Dissolving into a shrieking mess of… something, Greed ceased to exist.

Still light headed from the new power cursing through him, Envy turned to find he had a horrified audience, but his eyes fixed on Kimblee. He snarled dangerously, growling more like an animal than anything else, his fangs – already longer than a normal human's – seemed to glint with a murderous intent as his hair fell wildly over his brow, making his eyes stand out as they glowed with the thrill of killing something. The Crimson Alchemist decided he didn't want to stay around and see what else Envy could do. He blew the patch of dirt at his feet and fled in the resulting smoke screen.

Silence fell heavily upon them.

"Alright?" The Sin asked almost pleasantly once he was sure Kimblee was far away. He met Ed's wide eyes with a smirk when the blond nodded uneasily, "Good."

And then he fell asleep on the spot.

"I don't care!" The man hissed in annoyance, "This is important, I must talk to him!"

The house was small, but it had served his purpose. The family had made a nice set of explosions, music to his ears as he conducted the symphony. His hands itched, but he needed to talk to Bradley. He just had to know what his pet Alchemists were up to.

A large shadow fell on him, but he didn't notice, his eyes glaring at his hands. A large hand, bigger and much more deadly than his own settled on his head, and Zolf Kimblee looked up in surprise, only to stare in shock at the snarling face in the mirror.

Scar smiled and Kimblee had the chance to listen to the most beautiful explosion ever.

His own.

"Hello?" The voice in the receiver faintly reached the Ishbalan, but he ignored him as he left. The phone was hanging from limp fingers, "Hello! Answer me!"

Blood dripped melodically off the mirror, then, the line died.

The first thing he saw upon waking were two wide blue eyes staring intently at him. Unbalanced as he tried to pull back, he only succeeded in falling off the couch, much to Winry's amusement.

"You're very lucky to have Al on your side, you know," The blonde informed him as he picked himself off the floor. Envy glared, "Really, he's the main reason Ed didn't kill you while you were asleep."

"Oh he could try," The Sin snorted humorlessly, "But I doubt he could."

"Ed's the best Alchemist the world has seen in decades!" Jumping right in defense of her best friend, Winry scowled, "There's nothing he can't do if he wants to!"

"Edward Elric is just a child who hasn't yet figured out the consequences of his actions. Like the one before him," Envy added almost as an afterthought as he linked his hands and stretched.

The horrible cracking that followed as his spine rearranged itself was immensely satisfying. Particularly because the girl turned a nasty shade of green as well. She shivered slightly, then stood up as well, looking at him as if it were for the first time and sort of… judging. Envy frowned at that, but figured he had 'passed' her test, because she smiled slightly at him.

"Come now, before Ed eats everything on the table."

He could have retorted he didn't need their stupid human food, but for the sake of nostalgia and a bit of something he couldn't quite place, he said nothing and followed her downstairs.

Ed stared at the ceiling for a long moment. All around him was silent, as a pale sliver of a moon, merely a day or two away from disappearing completely, cast pathetic rays through the clouded sky. Finally, he slowly slid out of bed, wincing when his automail clinked against the floor. Moving as silently as he could, he jumped from the window to the backyard, knowing Al would probably be entertaining Envy for the night. Landing a bit shakily, he bit back a low moan at the hit of the chilly air against his skin, but walked with sure steps towards the ruins of what had once been his home. The sad remains made him shiver as he walked over to a forgotten grave.

Ed stopped, frozen in place as he took in the horrific scene.

"It's starting," Whirling around, the blonde Alchemist found Envy standing a few meters away from him, dark eyes glinting almost, almost with something akin to regret, "She believes she made us, thus, she believes she can unmake us."

He didn't really say who he was talking about, both understood. As Ed followed Envy in a numb stupor, he tried desperately to erase the image from his mind, the disrespect…

Trisha Elric's tomb had been desecrated.

Jean Havoc was many things, but stupid was not one of them. He knew something big was cooking around their little office and he knew it was big enough Mustang hadn't had the balls to come out and tell them. Hawkeye knew, but that was because she knew everything that went on in their little bubble. No, the Colonel was preparing something big, something that involved the Elric brothers of course, but which could have severe repercussions to everyone involved.

He grimaced, chewing at the end of a cigarette. Things had gone strangely quiet as of the late, except for the horrible amount of paperwork that was suddenly dumped on them. It was enough of a prelude for him, though, they were going to war, serious war, this time. Mustang probably knew what was going on, the bastard.

Ever since Hughes had died – had been murdered – Roy had been a wreck. Hawkeye barely kept him in one piece, and really, only Ed managed to get a glimpse of the old Colonel from time to time.

Havoc frowned and took the last drag of his smoke, before the bell rang, signaling lunch break was over. Walking away from the railing, he went downstairs, away from his beloved roof, where he could smoke to his heart's content.

He wondered if he should have signed that 'life policy' that came with their insurance last year.

"But Lior?" Ed snapped irritably, "There're better things we could do than to go to Lior! There's research to be done."

She had seen the scene several times before. Ed would storm into the office, Al in tow, then holler at Roy until his throat was sore. Roy would smirk and rail up the blonde, succeeding in getting him off track, and then manipulate him into doing exactly what he wanted.

Today, however, there were several changes to the equation, the most prominent one was the lithe figure sprawled comfortably on the couch, staring at the ceiling and not particularly caring about the verbal fight going on around him.

Her keen eyes noticed the details in the Homunculus' pose, though, the way he was shifting ever so slightly as his name was mentioned, his lips twisted into a minute grimace that you couldn't see unless you were actively looking for it.

Envy was annoyed.

"The Führer ordered it," Roy's voice was thick with annoyance, not so much at the boy in front of him, but at the Sin that was pretending to be ignoring them, "All State Alchemists will be taken there, as well as a selected number of our troops. Not immediately, but soon enough."

"But why?" Ed seemed to be seconds away from tearing his hair off, "What could the old wanker want in Lior of all places?"

"He wants to make a stone."

All eyes turned to the Homunculus, who had opened his eyes for the moment. He smirked. Hawkeye noticed, as she frowned slightly, that Envy was wearing a particularly mocking expression. He knew. The damn beast knew something they didn't, and he was enjoying it immensely.

"Don't you think it's odd," The Sin continued his monologue as if he had no audience, "That the great Führer has always instigated the wars that have given birth to the Philosopher's Stones? Creta, Ishbal… there was always an attempt to create one when he centered his troops somewhere. Don't you think it's odd the Military knew about Lab 5, and not only allowed, but encouraged human transmutation and chimera making?"

He smirked lazily at them, watching with delight as the gears practically burnt in their minds. Oh yes, he thought snidely, that is exactly what I'm implying.

"I think it's a bit odd for a human to be so… inhuman."

"You're back!"

Envy nearly fell off the tree as he was glomped, glomped, by the little blur of energy. Snarling despite of himself, he managed to catch a few branches that saved them from a rather painful fall off the tree. He took a second to scowl to himself, just how had the little bugger gotten to him without him noticing? Then, he scowled at himself.

Damn, he had forgotten about Elysia.

He sat back and listened half heartedly to the girl's rants, he had been expecting her to forget about him. Apparently, small miracles were above him.

"-so can I show you? It's pretty!" The girl beamed at him, delighted.

Envy felt something inside him twist the wrong way and a new wave of disgust and self hatred poured over him. It was a deadly mix, of anger – why can she still smile like that? – and disgust – you don't deserve anyone smiling at you, especially not like that - and resentment – look at her, her world is still whole, still untouched – and such a terrible amount of pride – I taught her that. Not the brat, not her parents, not Mustang. Me. I put that smile there.

"Maybe later," He managed after a moment, congratulating himself for not flinching when Elysia pouted, "It's late, your mother will be looking for you now."

He watched with mild amusement as she climbed down the tree, then ran towards a lovely woman that was standing with her back to him. Envy felt that something inside twitch again when the woman, very obviously Elysia's mother, knelt down to hug her.

"You're playing a dangerous game, Envy."

He snapped his head down and met the hard eyes of the blonde woman he had met in Mustang's office. Hawkeye, he recalled. With a smirk, he shrugged.

"Who knows, I might get lucky," The Homunculus gave her a cryptic smirk, "Maybe your pet Colonel will pull through his half of the bargain."

Hawkeye watched the small bird fly away, nothing out of the extraordinary in the sparrow's coloring or features to tell it apart from the rest of the ones in the park.

Hawkeye wondered if monsters could feel remorse, then firmly told herself it didn't matter.

Roy Mustang had many reasons to hate the rain, the least of them being that it left him practically defenseless. Rain brought back memories, images that were best left buried and ignored.

Rain reminded him of Ishbal. Of the Rockbells. Of his sins.

He was surprised to find he wasn't the only one soaking to death under the wrath of late afternoon sky. The park was three blocks away from his apartment, and though he usually took a car on his way back home, he hadn't really felt in the mood. Of course, he hadn't expected the sudden downpour, but he tried to take it lightly. He froze, however, as he recognized the figures ahead of him. The red coat and the blond hair were unmistakable as Ed curled himself on a bench, resting his chin on his knees. The other figure got the initial knee-jerk reaction though. Envy was standing before Ed, arms crossed over his chest and looking annoyed as he said something Roy couldn't hear. He could see, though, Ed stiffen considerably at that, then how the blond head turned away, almost… in shame?

There was a crack of thunder, and Envy smirked, glowing eyes raising to meet Roy's from a distance, I know you're there, before he turned on his heel and stalked away.

The Colonel suddenly had the sinking feeling he was going to make tough choice right then and there.

"I can't even begin to explain how pathetic you are."

Ed jolted up from his thoughts, looking up at the Homunculus' familiar figure, and felt his lips twist into a disgusted smirk. Then he snorted. Finally noticing the rain – and only because Envy looked ridiculous, soaking wet as he was – Ed sighed tiredly. He really didn't want to deal with the Sin.

"What the heck you want?" He asked, tired, drained. Today was not a day to fight. He wanted to curl up and die a little, and he had been doing a nice work of it before the Homunculus arrived.

"Your brother," And there was the distasteful sneer again, "Wants to know if you'll grace him with your honorable presence at dinner tonight. Or if you'll even bother to go home at all."

"And you give a shit, because?" Ed snarled with a glare, but Envy didn't seem to care.

"I don't," The thin lips twisted into a grimace, "But fucking answer so I can go get out of this stupid rain and get at least some sleep."

"I'll be back at the dorms tomorrow morning," Ed said testily, grinding his teeth in annoyance.

Al was hurting, he should be with Al instead of moping around in a deserted park while soaking himself and risking catching pneumonia. Envy snorted.

"Don't get yourself killed, pipsqueak," The Sin said with that damn smirk of his, superior, mocking, "I really don't want to go find another spineless twit who can replace you," Ed bristled slightly at that, but noted Envy was looking at him strangely.

He had seen that look before, when the cat had climbed the tree, and it was staring intently at some defenseless bird. Ed shivered.

"It would be such a shame for your bastard of a Colonel too," Ed sat up straight, eyes wide and incredulous.

How did he- Ed remembered that stupid kiss in Mustang's apartment and it hit him like brick. Envy knew. He hadn't done it because he thought it was funny, but because he had known Ed would react badly. The fucking bastard!

"I just hope you'll kiss the real thing better than you did me," Envy smirked maliciously, "I hear Mustang is very… demanding of his lovers."

Ed looked away, embarrassed. There was a crack of thunder, and he jumped startled, but when he looked up, Envy's figure was already walking away. He sat there, curled on the rain, mourning over the big fucking mess his life was and wondering what exactly was he going to do with it. It was the day he had assigned for mourning, to let loose all the tension that he gathered through the course of a year. Al knew he indulged in it, he also knew why the day was special, but he couldn't help but worry about him.

"And here I was thinking I was the only one without common sense tonight."

Ed stood up almost at once, upon hearing and recognizing the voice. He whirled around to find Mustang – ridiculously soaked and blinking owlishly to keep the pouring water out of his eyes – standing a few meters away from him. Ed was too emotionally tired to give a damn.

"Go fuck yourself Mustang," He shook his head, hair plastered pathetically to his face and sighed as he turned to leave.

"Wait!" Ed tensed when a hand wrapped around his automail arm, holding him in place, "Just… where are you going, anyway?"

"Somewhere I don't have to see your face, bastard, that's where," Ed whirled around and glared openly at Mustang.

In retrospective, that was a tactical mistake since it gave Mustang a chance to really look at him. The Colonel frowned and Ed knew he had just damned himself.

"You don't have to see my face in the guest room across from mine, let's go," Mustang pulled him forwards, trying to drag him along.

"Hey!"

Ed wrenched his arm back. He didn't count on the ground, which was muddy and slippery. Mustang didn't either.

Ed looked up at the sudden weight crushing him and blinked. Roy blinked back.

It took them both a moment to realize where they were, then another to notice how, before they finally scrambled away from each other. Ed's back was filled with mud and there was a streak of it settled on his nose. The Colonel was mostly clean, though the knees of his pants were black with dirt. He gave Ed an irritated look.

"Could we possibly discuss this after I've taken a shower and a cup of tea?"

"Fine," Ed said with a sigh, shaking his head, "Whatever."

Purple eyes glinted in the darkness as a quiet observer watched the two Alchemists, soaked and tired, walk away slowly. Something resembling of amusement settled on the Homunculus face, before he dismissed the notion and leaped away.

Edward Elric, Envy told himself, would only be useful if he was whole. So everything he did to ensure his well being had nothing to do with who the brat was, or whose son he happened to be.

Envy pointedly ignored the cynical part of himself, tiny and largely overlooked, that snidely told him what a lousy liar he was to himself.

Ed looked rather small when he curled like that, Mustang decided, then quickly set himself to correct it. Edward Elric was not small, at least not emotionally small. In many ways, he was better than Roy himself would ever be, and he honestly admired him for it, but there was something there, some sort of inner struggle and for the first time since he met him, Roy saw Ed losing.

"I can't believe it's been four years."

"Time flies, doesn't it?" Tentatively, he set a cup of tea in front of the blonde, "I never did thank you."

That brought Ed out of his grim contemplations.

"Thank me?" Golden eyes fixed on him, an eyebrow risen in question, "What would you thank me for, Colonel bastard? I haven't done a thing right in those four years."

Roy was ready to deal with anger, with hatred. He was even ready to deal with sorrow. But Ed looked at him resigned, defeated and it was just wrong for the blond to give up like that. It reminded the Colonel, of a certain young man who had returned from Ishbal, broken and tired, but who had a friend who cared enough to push him on to live a new day.

He smiled very, very faintly.

"You've done many rights, Edward," Mustang shrugged, "But that's not what I wanted to thank you for."

Ed sipped his tea, frowning slightly, still curled in a defensive way, and looking ridiculous wearing one of Roy's old shirts and pants. He was shivering slightly and was probably going to catch a cold, but he looked puzzled. Improvement, in any case, from self pity.

"When you brought Envy," Roy didn't look at him, instead glaring at the insides of his own cup, watching the swirling liquid, "I was angry, I still am, really, that you had taken such a risk, especially at a time like this."

"And what the hell was I supposed to do?" The Colonel smiled as the young Alchemist raised to the bait almost at once, "I was there Mustang. You don't have any idea of the power that… that thing can wield. She left Envy, Envy eating dirt with a single hit! Do you even want to think about what she would do, if she got the stone?"

"I know, Edward, that's not what I meant," Roy made a conscious effort to not use Ed's Alchemist title, "I'm grateful you brought it up, though," He hid a smile behind his cup; Ed looked utterly bewildered, "You told us Edward. You risked your neck, but you told us, told me about it. I want to thank you for that trust."

Now the blond looked positively uncomfortable. He shifted on the couch, trying to hide and not sure how to answer that. It was a peace offering, of course, a moment to quiet down and work together as they were supposed to, for the good of everyone involved. Ed shifted again, then shrugged almost casually.

"Yeah, well, thank that bastard, not me," Ed set the cup on the low table and curled again, tighter than before, "He's the one that said I couldn't do this on my own."

Mustang continued to sip his tea, dark eyes taking in the situation, while Ed pretended he wasn't there.

Outside, the rain fell.

"Speak clearly, goddamnit!"

Envy arched an eyebrow at the Colonel, lounging on the couch as if he had no worries. Hawkeye flinched slightly at the sudden outburst and Ed scowled.

"Envy, please," Al somehow managed to make his metal body look pitiful enough for the plea to make sense.

"I'm immortal Mustang," Envy replied with a purr, dark eyes glinting with amusement, "And nowhere, anywhere has an immortal ever bothered to give a straight answer to anyone, it kills the entertainment. Few things are still amusing after the first two centuries, you see? War is one of them."

He regarded them all with a wicked glint in his eyes, as if they could see again the thing he was. They were essentially insignificant to him and at the same time he needed them as much as they did him. Equivalent exchange, Envy thought wryly, you should be proud, Old Man, you gave law to man.

"I think, however, that certain people," And he delighted himself in a glare at Edward, "Need to prepare properly for the upcoming ball. Attending without the proper preparation would be… uncouth."

"What the heck are you talking about?" Ed snapped, still unnerved by Envy's smirk.

Mustang and Hawkeye, though, stared in morbid fascination.

"How do you-"

"Dante is old," Purple eyes glowed with dark intent, "Old enough she only dances to one song," His eyes glinted again, "We merely change it, and she'll fall on her own."

"You're so stupid," The boy said, trailing after him and taunting him with his words as well as with his eyes – such dreadful demon eyes – "Why do you hunt them one by one, if you could catch them all at once?"

He continued with his prayers, ignoring the mocking voice. His body healed fast and his mind was ready, but the child confused him, planted ideas into his mind, manipulated him into doing his – its – biding. He spoke in such a teasing whisper, and then he would find himself doing things he didn't want to do.

"Imagine that, all the lambs together, groomed and ready for slaughter," The purring whisper was almost like a physical caress, but he told himself to ignore it, "All the killers of Ishbal, all the traitors, the evil doers, the blasphemic Alchemists… all of them, in a room, ready for their judgment."

And even as he touched his forehead to the floor, he knew he was damned.

Al opened the door to their room, and quietly closed it after he slid inside. Ed muttered in his sleep, turned and then snored loudly before settling again. Al smiled again as he walked over to the open window. Envy looked up from where he was sitting on the rail, balancing his feet idly as he watched the night sky and ignored Ed's sleepy sounds.

"Here," The suit of armor offered him a large bar of chocolate. The Homunculus blinked, "Your secret's safe with me."

Purple eyes glinted for a moment, before he shrugged, grinning. So what if he had been craving it, it wasn't like he was about to tell the brat, or thank him. Unwrapping it silently, Envy took a rather small bite of the sweet treat and continued to watch the night.

"It must be hard," Al said after a moment, and Envy mentally counted to ten back and forth. The kid had given him chocolate, so he couldn't really kill him. Yet. "To be awake so much. And boring too."

"You know it is, you don't sleep," The Sin shrugged, "At all."

"Well, yes, but…" Much to the Homunculus amusement, Al seemed to shrink away in embarrassment, "I… I won't be like this forever. I mean, uh… I-"

"Yes, yes, I know the heart breaking story," Envy snorted, "Your brother will restore you and everything will be a fucking happily ever after, fine."

The silence was unnerving, occasionally broken by Ed's snorts and mumbles in his sleep. Envy took another bite, small and almost insignificant, and allowed the chocolate to melt on his tongue. It was a silly thing to do, he was willing to admit it, but it felt nice for a change.

"Can I ask you a question?" Envy looked at the empty armor clustered on a bed far too small for it, and arched an eyebrow, "It's… you know, sort of personal."

"Knock yourself out," The Homunculus seemed to declare a truce so as long as the chocolate lasted.

"How… how old are you, Envy?" The Sin made a strangled sound in his throat, lost his balance and landed not so gracefully on the floor. Al winced, "It's just… when you were… talking with Greed… you told him you were the first. And I was curious, really… I," Envy glared at him, "You don't have to answer if you don't want to," Al finished lamely.

"I don't have to do anything if I don't want to," Picking himself from the floor, the Sin ran a hand over his hair, the oddly colored bangs bouncing slightly, "I am… Wait," Envy blinked. "What year is it?"

"Um, 1914?" Al restrained a snicker as the Homunculus blinked again.

"Well fuck," Envy said after a moment, "Four hundred sixty eight years old."

Al stared at him for a long moment, then: "Wow. You're old."

Envy couldn't help it, he laughed as he rolled his shoulders, trying to be non-challant. That seemed to ease off the tension and another less tense, almost comfortable silence settled in the room.

Ed grunted in his sleep and struggled to kill his pillow.

"Envy?" The Sin looked up at the small voice, smaller than he had ever heard it. Al was afraid, but he wasn't looking at him, the glowing eyes of the armor were fixed on his brother, who kept on with his fight against the bed itself. Envy made a questioning noise in the back of throat, another piece of chocolate melting on his tongue, "Do you think we'll make it? Stop Dante and get the stone?" Do you think we're good enough?

"Bah, the worst that could happen is that you die," Envy glared at the night sky, sneering, "And that's certainly better than other things I could come up with."

"That's… not precisely the most reassuring thing anyone's ever told me," Al said awkwardly, but Envy merely smirked.

"You don't need reassurance," The Sin snorted, "You need to get your metallic ass on the move."

And for some reason, even as Envy finally leaped off the window and into the night, Al felt better. He watched the black bird for a moment, until it was lost in the distance, then noticed the crumpled wrapping by the foot of Ed's bed. His brother snorted in his sleep, twisting again, before he settled.

Alphonse smiled.

"Pretty things," The Alchemist said with a grin, "You're all so pretty…"

He watched as the arrays were drawn and the creatures created, then pumped with red water as they screeched then fell limp against their restraints. One after the other, all the time, the process was the same, but the results were never exactly so. But who cared about details? They were mindless and perfect and they would not stop once the order was given.

"Master will be so pleased," The man kissed one of the crystal tubes next to him, smiling dreamily, "And when Master's pleased… Nina will be too."