The Sin of a Homunculus

Chapter seven: Signs and Escapes

Tennessee

Three weeks later:

"Envy, what're you doing?" Olivia asked walking from her bedroom with a basket of laundry she was about to go wash in the basement of the apartment buildings, staring at Envy, who sat on the floor in front of the coffee table with a small pile of torn paper.

"Burning stuff," Envy replied simply without looking at her, placing another scrap of paper onto the black metal cuff. The tiny bit of paper quickly smoldered and turned black and brittle needing for him only to touch it before it completely crumbled to ash.

"Yeah… well I don't want to be paying for anything else you break," she said simply, "So don't set the table on fire."

"Fine," he replied with his chin on the table, setting another piece of paper on the cuff and watching it crumble. "Where is that kid?" he growled looking at the door.

"Relax, he said he'd be here today, and there are twenty-four hours in today."

"If he really knew how to get these shackles off he'd be here now." Envy let out a low growl of frustration and began tapping his fingers on the wooden table, making the only sound in the room.

"… Envy…? What will you do when you get those things off?"

"I don't know," he shrugged, "… Jump somewhere high, or shape shift… something that I used to be able to do."

"… But where will you go?"

Envy stopped short. "I can't stay here?"

"You can. It's just…" she said slowly, "where do you see us going?"

"… 'us'…?" he replied. "You know how I feel."

"Feel? And what is that Envy?"

"I told you w-what it was already." Truthfully he hadn't thought about it very much when he'd said it the first time, he'd been to busy with what he'd been doing it had just sort of slipped out. But this didn't make them hollow words, he'd meant it, just not expected himself to be so forward with it. "What? You want me to say it again?"

"Only if your feeling tells you to."

"Alright," he said shakily, it was just such a heavy word, he definitely felt it, but…. "I l-" he began but he was cut off when Olivia jumped up off the sofa and ran into the bathroom.

"Fine!" he shouted after, feeling awfully humiliated that she would cut him off.

Envy sat up hearing the sound of her beginning to vomit. "Are you alright?!" he said running in after her and placing a hand on her back as she gagged and threw up again.

She shook for a moment and curled herself up in Envy's arms as he gently stroked her hair.

"D-didn't mean to cut you off… sorry," she shuttered.

"What's wrong with you?" he exclaimed.

"… Probably… ate something," she shrugged as they stood up together, Olivia clutching her stomach with one hand and her head with the other.

"Uh, lay down or something," he said trying to remember what she had told him to do when he had been sick. He sat her down on the couch like she for him and said, "I'll get you something… uh… I'll get you soup."

"No, no, it's fine," she muttered as he pulled his blanket over her and sat down beside her.

"Have you been sick all morning?"

"On and off…."

"Are you okay now?" he asked without thinking.

"Well at least you learned something," she smiled, her face still pale.

"Yeah, how to make soup and how to use a blanket," he sighed.

"You've learned more than that, Envy," she said looking him directly in the eyes.

His gaze softened and he drew closer to her, maybe it would be so bad to admit he loved her, and where he thought they would be going, after all he was mortal now too. But then again Wrath would be coming shortly and then he would again be immortal, but would he even come? Before he could control where his thoughts were landing words were coming from his mouth.

"I do love you, Olivia," one of his hands on her shoulder the other nervously fidgeting with the corner of his skort. "But… I can feel myself getting weaker…. If Wrath doesn't hurry I won't last much longer…."

Olivia's eyes fought back her depression and managed, "Well I have you now. That's good enough for me."

"I just don't want you to hurt when I do die."

"You would prefer me not to love you?"

Envy thought for a moment, all his heart was telling him to say no, but there was a side of himself that spoke from his past that said he had been hurt because he had loved, and before he could think more on think he sighed, "If it would stop you from getting hurt."

"Then I'll go right on loving you," she grinned to contradict him, resting her head on his shoulder.

The sinful creature that acted as almost an anti-soul, that had been reared inside Envy's stomach purred softly and returned to its curled, sleeping position.

"You know what I could really go for right now?" Olivia asked quite suddenly.

"Hmm?"

"A burger… yeah with cheese and onions…."

"… Uh, you just got sick… plus I have no idea where to get one."

"Oh, sorry I was just thinking out loud."

Envy bit his lip, "That was random…."

Olivia shrugged as a sudden knocking came at the door.

Olivia made a move to get up but Envy had already shot up and put his hand on her shoulder, "I got it."

"Olivia!" exclaimed a small voice as Wrath bounded in.

"I didn't say you could come in!" Envy snapped.

"… Can I come in?" he asked already standing by the couch.

"… Just get in!"

"I'm already here."

"Oh, shut up!"

Wrath made a face of confusion and looked to Olivia. "What's wrong? Ya sick?"

"Just a little," she smiled pushing her long bangs from her eyes.

"Are you gonna be okay?" he asked sitting down beside her and snuggling up close as if she were an older sister. Envy made a small sound of disagreement but Olivia rolled her eyes and patted Wrath gently on the head.

"I'm going to be fine, it's just a stomach bug."

"Oh, okay," he smiled as she pushed her hair out of her eyes for the second time and looked to Envy.

"Envy can you get my hair band?"

Envy nodded and walked into her room leaving Wrath with his mouth slightly agape.

"Whoa!" Wrath exclaimed, "He listened to you!"

"I can hear you," Envy replied simply from the room before returning with her headband.

"So, can you get the shackles off?" she asked putting it in her hair.

Wrath bit his lip, "… No."

"Then why are you here?!" Envy yelled making the child jump.

"B-but I can stop them from hurting you," he said trying to redeem himself.

"And you're not going to kill me?" he asked still skeptical.

"… Uh… no."

"I don't like the way you said that."

"Envy," Olivia sighed.

"Okay, ready," Wrath said walking up to Envy and tugging on his arm so he bent down.

"No," he replied as Wrath placed his hands around the cuff on his neck, which obviously was causing him pain that he ignored, and a purplish light escaped from his palms and the metal.

Envy pushed Wrath away and put his hands to his throat as if chocking, like the cuff hand become much smaller.

"Envy!" Olivia exclaimed pushing Wrath aside and running to the sin.

Envy, on his hands and knees, gagged and lurched forward as if he were going to vomit.

"I-! But that's-! You're supposed to-! Oh no!" the child cried adding to the tension in the room.

"Wrath! What did you do?!"

"I didn't mean to! I-!" but before he could finish his excuse Envy gagged for the final time before gasping for air like a fish out of water and collapsing.

"Envy!" she screamed flipping him over. Envy shut his eyes tightly and rubbed his neck. The shackle around it becoming progressively larger until it was its normal size again.

"Damn," he coughed. "Are you trying to kill me?" he said to Wrath in a husky growl seeing as his he was still having trouble breathing, let alone speaking.

"Did it work?" Wrath asked quickly.

"Yeah, you almost chocked me!"

"But did it work?"

Envy snarled and made a move to get up and go after the child before it came to him; his neck was not burning. His hand flew to the cuff, which was cold as ice, but did not burn, did not hurt in the slightest.

"…I-it doesn't… hurt," he said almost stunned as Olivia threw her arms around him.

"See?! You're going to be alright!" Olivia beamed.

"It worked!" Wrath grinned.

"Now the other cuffs, Wrath," she smiled. All were unaware that their biggest problem was yet to be discovered.

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(AN: Gore ahead! This is the last gory part in the story though! That's all I have to say!)

Wrath woke early the next morning after having been asleep on the couch since the previous evening. Seeing as this was where Envy had been sleeping for the whole of last month it was a challenge to get him somewhere else, but once Olivia had told them she would be sleeping on the floor and that Wrath could have her bed Envy opted to take the floor.

So, having a better sleep than he would have on the floor, Wrath rose and stretched his arms above his head with a large toothy yawn and looked around, finding the door to Olivia's room was half open and he could see two bodies in her bed. He lifted himself off the couch and peered around the door breathing as quietly as possibly could.

Olivia was asleep, her hands clutching Envy's wrists, who was also asleep. Envy lay in the bed beside Olivia, his arms around her shoulders and his breathing soft and steady. Both were full clothed, Olivia in mismatched pajamas and Envy in plaid pajamas, and looked as if they had only crawled in bed with each other to keep one another warm.

Wrath craned his neck further and took a step in to see if his presence would wake either up. It did not but he could now see both their heads fully, Envy's neck and shoulder catching his eye. Marked with long scars that ran the length of his neck and zigzagged across his shoulder Wrath could not help but remember the day this had happened, after all these scars were his fault. The day Envy had received them was also the day he had escaped.

Sloth had always gone with Dante to see what new punishments she could come up with for Envy. There was the dagger, the guilt trap, being beaten until blood escaped his hairline, and the occasional threat of being eaten by Gluttony, but seeing as it had been a long while and he still hadn't told anyone where Olivia was Dante had reverted back to the dagger.

However this time had been different. Wrath had never been told not to come see this, but at the same time something had kept him away, possibly the fear of loosing the innocence of never having seen something like this being done to someone just as guilty as he.

That morning he had risen late, everyone had already left for whatever mission Dante had assigned to them that day, and the whole city seemed to be silent. Silent enough in fact that it could carry the screams of an imprisoned homunculus being tortured. And that's just what it did.

Wrath, who had been sitting on the mantelpiece in his room had heard this very faintly and jumped up listening hard. He'd heard it again, this time knowing for certain it was Envy, and noticed something about it. When before he heard it, if he heard at all, it had been like he was in pain, but still strong and willing to put up a fight; not now, it sounded more like he was begging not to be killed and if he were begging for the opposite he was trying to convince the perpetrator to do it quickly.

He listened again and followed the sounds of pain until he reached the room where Envy was being held.

"Envy!" Dante exclaimed from the other side of the door, making Wrath wonder if he even wanted to go in.

"Don't," Envy gasped in a voice Wrath had never heard him use before, "…don't hurt her…."

The child stood still for a moment before peering between the door and the wall. Envy was chained like he had been for some time now, at the ankles, wrists, and around the neck. Dante stood before him, one hand holding her dagger, and the other around his neck. Lust and Sloth stood on either side of Dante, both with arms folded. And Pride, with a sword in each hand, stood off to Envy's right, leaning against the wall.

Wrath drew backwards, wondering how long it had been since he'd seen Envy, probably about a week or two. Was this what had been happening to his all this time? Had Dante truly been hurting him like this? But she was his mother; would Mommy do this to him?

"Master?" Envy pleaded lunging forward and moving as if to reach for her. What he called Dante being an obvious sign she was beginning to break him.

But before he could finish she shouted, "You-…!" cutting herself off to yell across the room, "Pride!" and Envy screamed. Wrath peered through the crack again to see that Pride was upon Envy, one blade through his chest and the other through his stomach.

"Give it up," Pride said, half smiling, as Envy began to twitch and bleed from the mouth, "You're not her favorite anymore."

Wrath exclaimed in disbelief, perhaps more loudly than he would have liked for Dante turned to face the door and motioned for Sloth to go.

Sloth moved swiftly to the door opening it to reveal the homunculus child not sure of what to do next.

"Bring him in," Dante said as Envy raised his head slowly, struggling to keep it up. His face fell at the sight of Wrath, who shook in fear and clung to his mother's waist. "Wrath," she continued still watching Envy.

Wrath was pushed away from Sloth and urged forward toward his master.

Dante nodded at Pride, who pulled both blades from Envy's limp, twitching body with painful sounds, and shepherded Wrath to Envy. In the short moment before she spoke again a million things ran through his head, wondering it he were being punished also, if he too were going to be tortured by his mother just as Envy had, if Envy had told her that he had been the one to help. But he would have rather any of these than what was coming.

"Here," she said pushing her dagger towards him, the blood had begun to dry on the steel towards the top, but it still dripped at the bottom, its handle warm with sweat and his master's fury. He took it, holding it tightly between both hands as she bent down so she was eyelevel with him pointing over her shoulder at Envy.

"This is what happens to homunculi that don't listen to what their master tells them," Dante told Wrath in a voice as if talking to a very small child. "Was what he did wrong?"

Wrath shook and looked back at Envy, who let his head roll back so it faced the floor and he could not get a good idea of how he should respond.

"I said," Dante said this time more sternly taking him by the arm with a tight grasp, her fingernails digging into his skin, "Was what he did wrong?"

He nodded after a moment's hesitation. "Y-…yes, Master."

"Which means they should be punished," she said standing up and turning to Envy, more talking to him now than Wrath.

Wrath swallowed hard, she wanted him to stab Envy. She continued to Envy where she walked around behind him running her hands down his bare sides making him growl in anger and use what was probably the last of his strength to try to get away. Dante ran her fingers from his back, making him flinch, up between his shoulder blades and taking the back of his neck she forced him down so his throat was at a height Wrath could reach easily.

"Am I right?" Dante asked with malevolence in her voice.

"Y-yes…" Wrath replied sheepishly.

"Then go on."

Wrath took a step forward, his legs shaking, and Dante pulled him the rest of the way.

"Go," she ordered.

Wrath nodded slowly, hoping Envy would look up and tell him not to or put up even a little bit of a fight. He did not. The child raised the knife with Dante smiling and drove it into the side of Envy's neck, below the cuff. Envy lurched in pain and opened his mouth so a steady flow of blood could escape it, splattering on the ground and splashing up onto Wrath's feet.

Dante continued to watch Wrath expectantly. He looked at the knife in his hand again before dragging it down Envy's neck and onto his shoulder cutting through his flesh like a steak knife through butter. His knuckles turned white and he dropped the dagger as it reached Envy's mid shoulder.

"Innocence. Don't worry, you'll outgrow it," Dante assured picking up the knife and ushering Wrath back to the female homunculi.

After another ten minutes of this pointless torture the three homunculi would be told to leave for Dante to most brutal parts of Envy's torture alone. Wrath would come back later, sneaking around corners until he finally reached the room. He had slid in without any noise and used his alchemy to break the chains from the wall, Envy had fallen to the ground; his wounds left from that morning slowly beginning to reopen causing him to groan and attempt to get up. Wrath would scurry back to the door before Envy could see who had set him free, making sure to leave the door open when he went. In the morning Envy would be gone.

Yay! Thanks for reading! Now I'm sure if anyone's visited my profile you've see pictures of Ren, she's about to come around and if you want to know more about her please follow the link to my art :P

Thanks for reading this chapter and I hope you read next week! Please review!