A/N: A special thanks to Jaime Love for the review, this chapter is dedicated to you. Its kinda long and it just goes into more background, it'll get nice and gory in ch. 4. Anyways, enjoy.
A few miles away the military were wondering where a certain soldier had been. After the man had not come to work in several days and not reporting anything, not to mention the man had left early one evening for reasons unknown. Something wasn't right...No good soldier would leave without notice nor would he miss work without a valid reason. Tracing the soldier's movements to where he had been last, each unaware of the ghastly sight they were about to encounter. The doors were kicked open only to be greeted by a horrid, putrid smell...The smell of rotted flesh and dried blood. Eyes dilated when the men saw the rotted remains of the soldier on the floor. The body after laying in the basement untouched for several days the flesh had already started to rot, small white maggots were clearly visible in the long gash on the man's chest where the blade had pierced his chest. Several rats that were knawing on the soldier's flesh squeaked when the officers entered the room, scampering back toward their homes in a small hole in the wall nearby. The Fuhur pushed his way through the crowd, frowning when he saw the sight on the floor. He turned his head toward a woman at his side. "Hawkeye..." he whispered, "Call the investigators...Throw a tarp over the body...And I'll tell the family he's been found."
She weakly looked down and nodded, saluting him. "Yes sir..."
Roy turned his head, arching an eyebrow as he bent down when he noticed something etched into the concrete floor. His eyes instantly widened at the sight, his face instantly paling when he realized what it was. "This...This is a transmutation circle..." He set his hand on the floor as his stomach began to churn uncomfortably, drawing his hand back. "From the looks of it, this man was a sacrifice...What kind of sick man was it this time...?" Mustang whispered. "Human transmutation...But who?"
Roy took a step back as Riza arrived with the tarp, with a solemn expression on her pale face she snapped the buckle around the rotten corpse. "I'll come back here later, but right now we'll leave it to the investigators to look at...I'll tell the family..." He whispered, looking down at the tarp that covered the body
Once a few of the officers had left to tell the grisly news to the family of the slain soldier, Roy had stayed in place as Hawkeye looked up at the Fuhur, frowning when she noticed the disturbed look on his face. "Are you alright sir...?"
Mustang didn't respond right away, looking down at Hawkeye. "Have...Have you heard from Star...Ever since Edward's death...?" He asked, his tone quiet. Riza looked up, shaking her head.
"No sir...Why-?" she asked, only to be cut off mid-sentence.
"She surely didn't..." He said, his tone hoarse. He placed his hand on the stone wall as his fingers began to tighten. "She couldn't have..."
"What is it sir?" Hawkeye asked, the look on her face was now one of concern.
"Star had to have been involved in this...This is her home...And she was so secluded since his death. No one took it harder than her." He said, his tone quiet.
"Are you saying that she-"
"Attempted human transmutation...And lost herself to the Gate..." Roy said hoarsely, feeling a sting in his chest. "After Edward passed I guess...She assumed there was nothing left...And she didn't even try to speak to anyone..."
"There's another circle Taisa..." Hawkeye whispered.
"What do you mean another?"
"This one...Seems to be done in blood..."
Roy winced slightly in response, closing an eye. "I have to get out of here for a minute, the smell's getting to me..." He said quickly, looking down as he left the basement. Riza looked up at the Fuher then back at the circle as she followed the man out of the room.
After a few hours had passed, Alphonse Elric had finally heard the horrifying news. His hands began to tremble, not only Star who was going through the undergoing pain of Edward's dead...But now Star was gone too...Al clenched the insides of the pockets of his red jacket, his eyes beginning to water as he lifted his head and bit his lip. Mustang looked down at the boy with a solemn expression as he placed a hand on his shoulder. "Its not t...True..." The small boy was sitting on the same leather couch as Edward once did, his knees were pulled to his chest and he was visibly trembling. "Not Star and Nii-san...No..."
Roy looked down, setting a hand on his shoulder. "I'm sorry Al...There's nothing we can do..."
Meanwhile back at the mansion, Dante looked back to Pride as he spoke up in response to her question. "H... Her name is Wrath..." Pride said meekly from the other side of the room. "I found-" He was cut off as Envy gave the boy a sharp look. Pride winced slightly and his stomach began to throb from the sharp pains that he had just received. "I...I..." He whispered, Dante blinked slightly and gave the boy a strange look. "I...Created her..." He said quietly, closing an eye. Envy gave an irritated twitch as his fists clenched. Dante looked up, seeming a bit startled but she nodded and turned to Envy. "I'll get this one into bed...Envy, I need you to go downstairs. I need to speak to them."
Wrath made no move to respond, the girl had a confused look on her face since she didn't understand what was even going on. Pride let out a slight whimper as the door was shut behind Envy, looking up to Dante with a hesitant look on his face. Dante made the girl lay down as she put the covers over her, looking back at Pride. "Why?" She asked softly. Pride shook his head as his response, he didn't know himself why he did it either. "Did something seem familiar in this girl?" She asked, arching a brow as Pride looked down at the floor. "I don't usually tell homunculi about their former selves until they're much older..." She whispered. "Envy...Practically being my own son...I waited quite a while."
"I've met your former selves. But I never would've imagined that something like this would happen...Seeing you two like this...Both...Because of each other." Pride cocked his head slightly, his eyes beginning to light up.
"You mean...Those dreams I've been having aren't just-"
"Dreams, yes." Dante whispered, shaking her head. "But you must forget about them...They'll only drive you insane."
"I...I don't understand..." Pride inquired. "They...They aren't bad. They make me feel like-"
"You must stop Pride...They will seem like paradise, but no matter how much you dream...No matter how much you strive for what's there...You'll never reach it. It's best to keep them away, its best to forget." She said, looking back at the boy. Wrath didn't say a word, pushing herself up into a sitting position as she looked back and forth at Pride and Dante with a questioning expression on her face.
"What if you can't forget?" Pride protested, taking a step forward as his hand clenched to his chest. "What if you don't want too?"
Dante lowered her head, frowning. "Then you will surely drive yourself mad...Alchemy can't turn back time...And neither can you. I will speak of it no more." Dante whispered, looking back at Wrath. "Get your rest...Pride, come with me. You don't need to disturb this girl any longer."
"I don't mind if he stays..." She whispered, her tone was hoarse from little use.
"I do..." Dante muttered. "He'll be back to give you the stones shortly. Please get some rest, you'll feel much better." Wrath didn't answer, biting her lower lip but she only gave a weak nod, laying down. Pride looked back at Wrath before he was pushed out of the room by Dante. She let out a slight sigh as she curled up underneath the covers, letting out an involuntary shiver. Her gaze fell onto the bare, white wall, an expressionless look was now on her face.
A few hours later Pride silently walked up to the closed door. Wrapping his fingers around the handle, he carefully opened the door and peeked inside. "...Wrath...?" He whispered, looking around the room timidly as his hand lowered off the handle, still peeking in the room from outside of the door. Wrath didn't respond to Pride's call, having somehow fallen asleep a couple of hours before.
Pride cocked his head as he looked over his own shoulder before he forced the rest of his body inside the room, closing the door silently behind him. He quietly inched toward the bed and sat down on the edge of it, being careful not to wake her up as he folded his legs. Wrath stirred slightly when she felt a sudden shift at the end of the bed but it wasn't enough to wake her up, letting out a slight shiver.
The boy noticed her shiver as he cocked his head slightly. "Who are you? Why did you seem so sad when you were pulled into the dark place?" He asked, mostly to himself as he tenderly brushed the strands of hair out of her face. "...Why do I feel like I know you...? When I've never met you before...: He whispered hoarsely, quickly drawing his hand back when he heard something downstairs. Like an alert dog, he straightened up and listened for any more sounds. No more came as his shoulders lowered back into a comfortable position. He flinched slightly as he cocked his head, looking down at the girl like a curious animal.
"Mph..." She muttered quietly. Feeling something near her legs, she let out a slight yawn and opened one eye, looking back at the boy. "What're you doing here...?" She asked groggily.
Pride jumped out of shock, falling backward on his back as he hit his head on the end of the bed, pushing himself back. "I...I just wanted to s...see how you were doing..." He stuttered.
Wrath couldn't help but give the boy a small smile, closing an eye. "Don't worry about it to much, I'm fine."
Pride shook his head, looking down at the covers on the bed. "But your not ok, j...Just like Envy said...I...I created you...Out of my selfish wants...Your in pain because of me...T...That's why I decided to...To take care of you." He whispered, unable to look Wrath in the eye.
She blinked, pushing herself up so that she was now in a sitting position. "Really, I'm fine."
He cocked his head as he positioned himself back on the bed, his legs were crossed and his arms were pressed on the sheets in front of him. "Yeah but from now on...We...We have to listen to Envy...If he tells us something we must do it...Even more importantly to Dante..." He whispered with a nod.
"And why the hell would I want to listen to that bastard anyways?" She asked as she crossed her arms, rolling her eyes.
Pride shook his head as he pressed a finger to the middle of her lips. "You can't say things like that..." He whispered, shaking his head.
"And why not?"
He lowered his finger, looking down. "Because he...He rescued me..." He whispered, "Right after you were sucked into the dark place..."
Wrath blinked, cocking her head out of confusion. "What're you talking about? What dark place?"
He looked around suspiciously then looked at her in the eye. "The Gate..." He whispered. Wrath blinked, now looking very confused. What was he talking about? What Gate?
"How could you not know about the Gate if you were there?" He asked, cocking his head. "Y...You made me...I saw you..."
"What're you talking about?" She asked, the girl now had a questioning look on her face.
Pride lowered his head, biting his lip slightly. "I'm sorry...I...I keep forgetting...M-maybe it wasn't you..." He sighed slightly, leaning back. "Not all of my questions have been answered either..." He muttered, pushing himself up. "But with Envy and the others looking to create the Philosopher's Stone, we'll be human...And maybe then our questions will be answered.
She nodded slightly as she pushed herself out of the bed, stretching a little to get rid of the stiffness in her arms and legs. "Maybe...I don't know."
Pride remained sitting on the bed, watching her. "You should probably go outside for a while...If you start to feel bad...Tell me." He whispered.
She walked toward the door, looking back and gave Pride a small smile. "I'll be fine, you don't have to worry about me." She said, calmly walking out the door and out of the door that led to the outside, squinting as the sunlight hit her eyes. Pride looked up to the ceiling and then to the door as he pushed himself up and cracked the door open behind him, just the way it was before he went into the room.
"Pride, I would keep an eye on her if I were you...She's new, we don't know what kind of trouble she'll get into. Dante whispered.
Pride jumped at hearing the voice behind him, but he nodded slightly. "W...Where is she?" He asked. Wrath was wandering around in the sunlight as she walked through the nearby forest, looking up at the trees with a look of child-like wonder.
"She's wandered off outside," Dante said, her tone calm. "But don't let Envy follow." Pride looked up and cocked his head slightly before he looked at the door, wandering downstairs and went outside to follow the tracks that Wrath had left in the dirt.
Letting out a slight sigh, she climbed up in one of the trees and sat down on one of the top branches. Leaning back against the trunk and letting one of her legs dangle off the edge, she took one of her small throwing knives out of her pocket and looked at it. I still don't understand...Who am I?
After wandering through the forest he stopped at a certain tree, looking up with a pair of flared nostrils. "What are you up there for?" He asked, cocking his head as he noticed Wrath's foot dangling off one of the branches. "You might get hurt coming down." Wrath made no move to respond, only giving a slight shake of the head. Pride looked down as he touched the bark, pressing his back against it and slid down before his lower half hit the bottom. He drew his knees to his chest and wrapped his arms around them, laying his head on the top of his knees.
Wrath blinked slightly, looking down at Pride with a confused expression. Why was the boy so familiar? Taking note of how he was acting, she raised a brow slightly and looked down at him. "You ok?"
Pride looked up at the girl, smiling slightly. "Yes I'm fine...What about you?" He asked. Wrath gave a slight shrug and put her knife back in her pocket. Pushing herself off the branch, she landed cat-like on her feet on the ground next to Pride. He blinked, looking up at her as he nervously scrambled to his own feet. "Why did you come out here?"
"Hmm? I really don't know why myself..." she muttered.
"What do you mean?" He asked, chuckling. "You're Wrath."
Again she shrugged and sat down next to Pride, leaning back against the tree. "I'm still just very confused..."
"It's your first day, I was still in bed at this time. Your doing better than I was doing." He whispered.
"Tell me this...Why the hell can't you stand up to Envy?"
He flinched slightly at the question, closing an eye. "...He saved me...Besides, he's much stronger than I am." He whispered.
She rolled her eyes slightly, closing an eye. "I guess you'll need to toughen up a bit then I guess."
"I don't need you telling me that..." He whispered hoarsely.
She shrugged slightly. "Just saying..."
He looked down, sliding his back down the tree as he put his arms on the tips of his knees. "I could fight if I wanted too...But I deserve anything Envy throws at me..."
"How come?" She asked, cocking her head slightly.
"Because...I would be in much more pain if he hadn't have found me..." He whispered.
"But that still doesn't give him the right to beat you senseless."
"It gives him all the right..."
"No it doesn't." She said, her tone dull.
"Yes..." He whispered. "It does..." He looked over at her, cocking his head slightly. "D...Do you have those memories too?" He asked hesitantly.
Wrath blinked slightly, now looking confused. "What memories?"
He looked down and then back to her before he pushed himself up. "Nevermind..." he whispered. "We better get back..."
"Why?" She asked.
He looked down. "Dante and Envy might be wondering where we are..."
"So...?"
He cocked his head, "I want to look out for you..." he whispered. "And I don't want to be away from them..." he said quietly. "It's odd...I can leave...I want to watch after you, but I don't want to be in your business a lot." he whispered. "Besides, Envy wanted me to go to headquarters today..."
She blinked, cocking her head with a questioning look lingering on her face. "Why...?"
"I don't know, but last time we went there he disguised himself though I've never been in the place completely." he said excitedly. "If you would like to come-" Pride whispered.
"Sure, might as well." She shrugged.
Pride smiled, leaning back against the tree again as he looked down. "You...Don't like Envy?"
"What gave you that idea?" She asked, her tone was dripping with sarcasm.
He cocked his head, taking her seriously. "Well...When you nearly killed him earlier today."
She shrugged. "I just don't like him, there's something about him I don't like."
"Why? He's...Actually kind of nice..."
She raised a brow, looking over at Pride with an odd look. "You call beating the crap out of you 'nice'?"
"I deserved it..." He said quietly, lowering his head. "I disobeyed them...Completely..."
"So!"
His brows furrowed in response to her question. "I deserved the punishment. It's...Simple." He whispered.
"...Why do you listen to him...?" She asked, hesitating slightly.
"Because he saved me. He took care of me...He deserves my respect."
She raised a brow, shrugging. "Sure, whatever."
Pride cocked a head before he bent down on his knees in front of her, cocking his head. "He's nice once you get to know him...It's I...Who disobey and don't need to be repeated..." He nodded. He looked down, pushing himself back up as he looked down at her. "I'll be back at Dante's home...Come back soon...Okay?" he whispered, looking back for a moment.
Sighing slightly, she pushed herself back up. "Comin'..." She muttered, getting back to her feet.
He didn't turn around but he smiled slightly as the girl followed without saying a word.