The Love of a Human
Chapter nine: A Joint Form
Tennessee
The taste of blood filled Envy's mouth, coagulating on his long razor sharp teeth and dripping onto his tongue. However, this was not his own blood, it was the blood of a body lying limp in his mouth, his father's body. Although he'd had his teeth sunken deep into his back for almost a day now Hohenhiem was not dead. It might have been because this was not his true body and he'd jumped too many times, or it could have been that Envy wasn't aiming to kill him.
Envy had been stalling to give Edward time to get here, even if it meant holding off on killing the man he'd been after all his life. But now it almost seemed as if he weren't after Hohenhiem any longer, and was just doing this because this was all he knew.
Now he shut his eyes tightly, trying to block out the sounds of clanking metal and shouting. It had been so quite for the past day Envy had wondered if he hadn't gone deaf, but now it was so noisy he hardly had room to think. Envy just wanted it all to stop, he wanted something so badly, but as the racket continued below he couldn't quite remember what it was. Was he so warped that he couldn't even remember why he was waiting for Ed?
Envy tossed his head slightly under the heavy tarp over top of him, in realization of what it was he was waiting for, and everything below went quiet; no doubt they were all staring at him to make sure their lives weren't in danger staying here.
After a few seconds consisting of absolutely no movement from the serpent all the workers continued with their jobs, every now and again looking back up to see if Envy was moving.
Envy made a move to rest his head but found it was too difficult with Hohenhiem in his mouth so just tilted his head to the side for the slightest bit of comfort, but soon found he would not be staying like this for very long.
Suddenly Envy could see a glowing blue light about him and almost began to feel weakened by it, as if it were about to drain him of all the strength he had. It must have been a transmutation circle, and if not preformed properly this transmutation could end his life. Though he'd heard that it was possible to open the Gate without killing a homunculus, or so he thought. Was it possible just to use their immortality? He believed it had been Dante who had mentioned something like this, but he really didn't have the will to think of this now.
"What's that?" asked someone below him.
Envy cocked his head and listened for what the others had heard, it was the sound of a plane flying low, just over head in fact, but he hadn't heard a plane anywhere near here since he'd gotten to this place.
"What in the-?" Envy began quietly, cut off by an enormous shattering sound from the glass window and something of decent weight hit his side before bouncing to one of the lower levels that surrounded him.
Envy attempted to toss the tarp off his head to see who it was, but Eckart, also standing below him answered his question.
"So Edward, you've finally come, haven't you," she said, Envy could tell she was grinning just by the tone of her voice, "We can't open the gate without you."
"So you used Noah as my stand in?" Ed scoffed.
"So that's who they found me!" Envy thought, she must have read Ed's mind, then double crossed him and given away all his secrets.
"But it's your world on the other side of that gate!" Noah cried.
"Well it's not Shamballa, I can tell you that much," Ed sighed.
"I wanna see it!" she shrieked, "I wanna go there and never come back! A land of my own where no one with fear me or hate me!"
"I thought you were proud to me a Roma! Traveling people with no home of their own! I want a dream too, but beyond this is no dream."
There was a large blast from above them and the blue light now shone a hot white. Ed took advantage of everyone's surprise and pulled out the gun he still had from his first encounter with Envy and aimed it at Eckart.
"Careful!" she exclaimed with a grin yanking on a leaver to her left, "You'll him them!"
The tarp was pulled form Envy's face and he squinted in the bright light.
"Envy? D-Dad?" Ed shouted seeing Hohenhiem lying limp between Envy's teeth. "What's going on?"
"We found this is the best way to quiet the serpent," Eckart said, "Lucky for us, your father doesn't die so easily."
Envy flinched as Hohenhiem lifted himself up in his mouth.
"Hey," Hohenhiem said, obviously in a great deal of pain, "I was wondering when you'd get here."
"How did they find you?"
"Easy, I wanted to get you home, helping them build this portal was the only way."
Ed looked up at Envy, who looked down with a pleading expression.
"Wait!" Ed exclaimed dropping the gun to his side, "You don't know what you're doing!"
"Edward, I'm going to help you get home."
"No! I don't need to get back there!"
"I'll use Envy to make a Gate so you can pass through."
Edward put his hands above his head trying to stop him, "No! No! Don't do anything! I'm going to get you down! Envy, don't move either!"
"This is what I want," Hohenhiem sighed, "I failed at bringing my son back to life and then abandon him."
Envy let out a low growl and dug his teeth farther into Hohenhiem's back.
"Envy!"
"He deserves it!" Envy exclaimed without removing his teeth, "He admits it!"
"Haven't you learned anything? Revenge isn't the answer! What about after this? What about Olivia?"
"What about her?"
"What do you want more?"
"… Her… no this! N-no… her! And Ren! Damn it, I'm going to kill him right now!"
"Stop!"
"No you stop getting in the way!"
"She's waiting for you, damn it! Think of someone other than yourself!"
Hohenhiem watched Edward intently before looking up at Envy, suddenly realizing what was going on, his eldest son had found something he never thought a sin could ever find.
"Edward," Hohenhiem said reaching up to take Envy's jaw in an attempt to bring it down farther, "You're going back."
"I don't need to!"
"I know you don't need to… but Envy does."
Envy's eyes widened at this new thought, he'd just gotten something he'd never gotten from his mother… acceptance. He felt as if there was nothing that could make him happier at this moment, but this quickly slipped away to the question of "Yeah, but what now?" He wanted to know what was going to happen next, what would his father do next? He could feel pressure on his jaw and he closed his mouth.
A strong wave of cold swept over Envy and pulled him into blackness.
Edward watched in horror as his father's blood pour from the place where Envy had just been, but he too was gone, replaced by a strip of burning white light so bright it was difficult to look at. Both his father and brother were gone.
Ed fell to his knees, but was unable to tear his eyes from the place where both had been. Continuing to stare at the light he saw a shape beginning to become clear. It was a person, taller than him, thin with very muscular arms and chest, and with long black, green tinted, hair that continued to his elbows.
Before Ed had time to realize that this form was Envy it was already plummeting to the ground, seemingly unconscious. He didn't know how it had been done, but the Gate seemed to have been opened, yet Envy was still here. Was it possible Hohenhiem had found a way around killing a homunculus? So this really was Envy.
As Envy's limp body fell past Edward he chose his next move instantaneously; leaping from the ledge he grabbed the unconscious sin by the arm and both hit the ground.
"Aw… aw, hell t-that hurt," Envy growled rubbing his head, bleeding slightly and pounding. He slowly opened his violet eyes to see he was strapped in very tightly to what seemed to be a small rocket. He lifted his right hand to continue to massage his neck before he stopped suddenly and raised both hands in front of his face so he could get a better look at him.
There they were… his hands with black gloves covering all but his fingers. Immediately he touched his face, which was also back to the way it should have been. Shoulders, torso, legs, arms, feet, hands, everything back, even his long greenish hair.
His face broke into a wide grin of pointed teeth and he spun around looking for something, he just wasn't sure what yet. Looking in front of him he saw the top of Edward's head over the back of the seat in front of him.
"Edward!" Envy cried hitting back of the blonde's seat and waving his arm around for Ed to see, "Look! I'm back!"
There was no reply.
"Hey, Pipsqueak? You hear me?" he asked leaning forward to see that Edward seemed to be out cold. "… Wake up, kid, come on!"
Ed did not stir.
Envy groaned and sat back in his chair glancing out the small rocket window to see Alfons Heinrich walking towards them.
"Uh… Ed… Edward, the look-alike kid is coming…! Get up!"
Alfons climbed the metal stairs beside the rocket and pushed back the glass window as Envy sunk farther into his seat to avoid being seen, or at least being talked to.
"Ed?" Alfons asked shaking Ed gently. "Ed?"
Edward closed his eyes tightly before opening them slowly.
"W-… what's going on?" he asked looking around at the rocket he was strapped into.
"That was a real stupid thing to do, you know?" Al chuckled. "I thought for sure you'd be dead after that kind of a jump."
"Huh-? Oh, Envy! Where'd he go?"
"If you're talking about the thing that was a dragon until an hour ago, then I suggest you turn around."
Ed spun in his seat to see Envy sinking still farther into the chair, his expression impassive. Both continued to stare at his as if expecting something.
"… What?" Envy asked, his eyes shifting from one to the other and back.
"So what's your story?" Alfons asked.
"Why do you need to know?" Envy retorted.
Ed rolled his eyes. "This is Envy… my half brother."
"Ah," Alfons nodded with one eyebrow raised.
"Hey, you," Envy said sharply.
"Y-yeah?" Al asked.
"Is the Gate open?"
"Uh, there's a portal?"
"That's it. Did it open?"
Al nodded.
"It did?" Ed asked, astonished .
"Yep, and in this smaller vessel you two should be able to punch through the barrier and make it out alright."
"Wait a second, we don't need to get back there!"
"Hey! Speak for yourself!" Envy growled.
"Fine! Send him back! But I don't need to-!"
"I'm afraid I'm not giving you a choice," Alphonse smiled.
"You're trying to get rid of me!"
"Oh just shut up!" Envy snapped, "You're making it worse!"
Al managed a weak chuckle and said to Edward, "… No… no Ed, I'm real, we're part of this world, we're not just a dream like you thought. I care, and I make mistakes. Just promise you'll remember me." Alfons broke off and his voice cracked before he took a deep sigh and continued, "There's one minute to launch."
"Alfons! Alfons, wait!" Ed exclaimed as the top of the rocket was closed and Alfons jumped down to the control panel, where he began flipping switches and pressing buttons with extreme skill and knowledge.
"Stop screaming!" Envy snapped, "He knows what he's doing!"
"I don't care!" Ed shouted battling with the restraints as the rocket tipped backwards into a position showing it was ready to launch. "Damn it!"
Envy leaned forward to hit Ed on the back of the head, "Knock it off!"
"Hey!"
"You're not going to accomplish anything, besides giving me a headache, by screaming! He's going to do what he wants to! So shut up and appreciate it!"
There was a loud crack and the rocket shot forward and up into the huge structure made of black stone surrounded by glowing yellow light that was the Gate as the rocket, upon with was Eckart and an army ready to destroy the next world, followed closely.
Sorry I have to cut this chapter short! It was just getting too long! Next week you'll see what exactly is happening in Central! I really do think that Inhumunculus is rubbing off on me :) all the brotherly stuff, ya know? And that's a good thing!
Thanks for reading and I hope you'll tune in next week!
Tennessee
