Chapter 10 - Return
A week had passed. They'd successfully made it across the border and even managed to fuel up without incident in a tiny town along the way. They'd spent the last few days simply driving. They didn't have a destination in mind, but if they kept on the move they were less likely to be caught before they figured out what to do next. They were currently pulled off on a back road for the night. Wrath and Elsie were already asleep. Envy was still in the driver's seat. It was laid back for sleeping, but he was wide awake and lost in thought.
Scenes from the anime played through his mind. It was bizarre to watch parts of your own life playing out in front of you. Of course they'd missed large chunks of it while they focused on the pipsqueak and his allies. The part that fascinated him the most was the bit at the end that hadn't actually happened. If Wrath hadn't gotten them into this mess, would things have actually turned out like that? He couldn't say he'd be against that. Watching the pipsqueak die by his hand had been immensely satisfying. Although the tin can just had to go and bring him back... At least Ed had been a fool and thrown away his brother's sacrifice, winding up on the other side of the gate again. Humans never ceased to amaze him…
He sat up, staring out the window. It wasn't that he wasn't tired. Driving all day took a toll on this body. But the dreams he'd been having lately bothered him. Seeing himself from an outside perspective, how he behaved, the things he said… Something about it didn't sit right with him. His speech about slaughtering all the humans which Elsie had pointed out… it felt a little odd now that he himself was…well…human. He'd told himself he was just a homunculus trapped in a human shell, but at this point he had to admit that wasn't the case. He didn't feel the same. The sin he'd been named after no longer overrode all other feelings. Of course it was still there. But not like it used to be.
He glanced at the girl sleeping next to him. The full moon illuminated the vehicle enough that he could see her. She seemed restless. He wasn't the only one who'd been having bad dreams. Ever since her little breakdown a week ago she'd been startling awake at least once a night. She wouldn't say what the dreams were about, but they obviously shook her up. He wasn't quite sure what to do about her. She'd been holding it together but she wasn't doing well and it concerned him. He couldn't say he liked her. He didn't particularly like anyone. But the misery radiating off of her was tangible. He'd never had to spend time with someone like this. Well, he'd never really spent time in close quarters with humans in general. Still, just being around her was draining and he wished he could snap her out of it somehow.
She stirred and rolled over to face him, eyes opening and meeting his gaze.
"You're still awake?" She asked quietly. He nodded, turning to stare out the window once more. She propped herself up on at elbow. "You should probably try to sleep. You look tired," she sounded a little worried. He shrugged. He needed to come up with another plan. Now that they had evaded immediate capture they had to figure out what to do next. And even after a week of deliberating on it, he didn't have a clue where to start. He was starting to doubt their chances of actually getting back to their world...Without alchemy, how was it even possible? Apparently Elsie's gloom was contagious. He felt a hand rest on his arm and he turned in surprise.
"Are you ok?" she asked, eyes wide in the dark. He stared at her. Was she seriously concerned about him? That was absurd.
"I'm fine," He muttered gruffly, not having the heart to slap her hand away.
"Liar," she retorted softly.
"You should go back to sleep," he told her flatly, unenthused.
"…Alright," he could have sworn he saw a sad smile flicker across her face, but it was hard to tell in the dark. She let go of his arm, rolling over with her back to him once more. He stared at her, a little confused by an unfamiliar feeling stirring inside him. His arm felt strangely cold with the sudden absence of her touch. He shook his head. This body's reactions made no sense. He lay back in his seat with a sigh. Perhaps it wouldn't hurt to take her advice.
He bolted upright several hours later, panting slightly and not entirely sure of what woke him. It was still dark, the moon illuminating the landscape eerily. He wasn't the only one awake. Elsie was sitting up as well.
"What happened?" Wrath asked from the back. Something wasn't right. The hairs on the back of Envy's neck prickled. This sensation in the air…he'd felt it before. Abruptly he threw his door open and bolted out of the vehicle. He came to a stop in the middle of the road, feeling a strange need to be somewhere but he didn't know where exactly. It was like something was tugging at him.
Wrath and Elsie joined him a moment later.
"I don't understand. What's this feeling?" Wrath glanced around apprehensively.
"What feeling?" Elsie asked, seeming puzzled.
"Something isn't right," Envy muttered. The air seemed to be growing thicker, heating up and crackling with energy. A sudden blast of air knocked the three of them to the ground, a sonic boom echoing around them. Envy coughed on the stirred up dust, rolling over to see what had caused the explosion. A gasp escaped his lips. Wrath gave a sharp cry, scrambling backwards slightly. Elsie turned and froze. Hovering in the air over the road was an impossibly large gate.
"What's happening!? How is this possible?" Wrath cried, sounding terrified. Envy leapt to his feet, staring at the giant doors with a flicker of hope. He shared Wrath's confusion, but unlike the boy he found the sight of the gate to be extremely encouraging. Was this their ticket home? Something latched on to his arm. He glanced down and found to his surprise it was Elsie.
"Don't you dare leave me behind," She was quivering in fear from head to toe as she stared at the gate. That wasn't what he'd expected her to say. But if she wanted to come that was her choice. He wasn't about to stop her.
"Well fine. But don't come whining to me if you regret it," He grinned slightly as the doors cracked open. He felt Wrath latch on to his other arm and he rolled his eyes. Since when had he become a comforting figure?
A thousand eyes blinked open, staring out at them from the depths of the gate as numerous dark hands reached towards them. Wrath whimpered and Elsie clung tighter to the green haired boy. Envy gave a low chuckle as the hands seized them and they were dragged into the gate. A moment later the doors swung shut behind them with a shuttering boom. Apparently he didn't have to figure out a way home after all. It was dragging them back all on its own.
"Who are you? What's going on?"
Elsie slowly drifted into consciousness. Something felt different, but she wasn't sure what it was just yet. Her eyelids felt glued shut. She forced them open, blinking several times and taking a deep breath. The air filling her lungs felt unusually invigorating and relief washed over her. She didn't feel like she was slowly being crushed to death….And then it hit her. It was actually gone. The weight on her chest, the pain, the empty dead feeling in her core… all of it was gone. She felt alive again! She forced herself upright to take in her surroundings and froze, her head beginning to spin. What…the hell?
This room was startlingly familiar. But it wasn't supposed to actually exist. The giant ballroom had rows of boxes for onlookers lining the walls. Gold carvings covered them lavishly, while numerous small chandlers were put to shame by the giant, sparkling one hanging in the center of the ceiling. The sheer size of the place was breath taking, but it was the strange familiarity that struck her speechless. Everything looked just like it did in the anime. And she most definitely wasn't alone.
"Alphonse..? Al! Where are you? What the hell is going on?!" The distraught voice was easily recognizable, "What are you guys doing here? It was supposed to be Al!" Her gaze focused on the small, golden haired alchemist a short distance off. He was standing at the edge of a large transmutation circle. He was splattered with blood and a little torn up, not how she remembered seeing him at the end of the anime. Speaking of which, Gluttony, Dante and Rose were nowhere in sight.
She heard a soft groan to her left and turned to see Wrath attempting to push himself into a sitting position. Her breath caught in her throat. He was still clothed in a white t-shirt and jeans, but there was no doubt in her mind now. His hair, his eyes, the shape of his face, everything practically screamed that he was without a doubt the real Wrath. He looked just like he did in the anime. There was no way to avoid the truth now. But if he was the real Wrath, then that meant…
"Hey pipsqueak, what the hell is going on here?" Envy demanded. He was already on his feet and glaring at the shorter boy. Elsie turned slowly and trailed her gaze over him. Same sneakers, same jeans and brown partly unbuttoned shirt… but his green hair now fell in its signature palm tree spikes and his features had taken on their usual anime femininity. He glanced down at her, briefly meeting her gaze. The same icy panic she'd felt the first time he'd laid eyes on her back at the ward filled her chest. He was Envy. The real Envy, in the flesh, standing close enough she could reach out and touch him. The same Envy who'd tortured and killed countless humans in cold blood and enjoyed it, was the same boy she'd spent the last three weeks with. She couldn't even begin to wrap her head around the idea.
"That's what I want to know!" Ed shouted, "Where is Al?"
"Brother?"
"How should I know?" Envy scoffed, "Where's Gluttony and the old hag?"
"Dante? She ran off while I was battling Gluttony, although she probably hasn't gotten far. I sent Rose to the surface and used Gluttony to open the gate and bring back Al's soul in exchange for mine," Edward explained.
"You idiot," Envy sounded exasperated, "Just where was his soul supposed to go when it got here, huh?"
"Well…in my body…I think," Ed sounded a little uncertain.
"Wait, you think your brother wants to be trapped in the body of a midget?" Envy asked in amusement.
"Why you— Just who do you think you're calling little?!" Ed's expression instantly lit with rage.
"Well obviously that plan didn't work out. So why the hell are we here? Not that I'm complaining, the free ride back was a pleasant surprise," Envy smirked, completely ignoring his outburst. Ed's expression morphed into one of confusion.
"Free ride back….what are you talking about? What happened to your clothes?" He glanced at Wrath and his eyes widened, "Hey, where are your burns?!" Wrath glared at him, not seeing fit to answer.
"Brother! I'm here!"
Elsie gasped and clutched at her head. No one else seemed to notice the desperate, familiar voice echoing through her mind.
"Who are you? You need to tell brother I'm here!" The voice insisted.
"Alphonse?" Elsie whispered, staring straight ahead, eyes wide.
"Yes! It's me! How do you know who I am?" the voice sounded puzzled.
"It's complicated," Elsie replied, thoughts spinning wildly. What the hell was going on?
"What's your name?"
"It's Elsie," She said.
"Who are you talking to?" Elsie turned to see Envy giving her a strange look.
"Edward," She called, slowly pushing herself to her feet. Ed's expression grew confused.
"…Lust? Is…that you?" He asked uncertainly. Elsie blinked. Lust? He thought she was Lust? Under other circumstances she would have laughed.
"No, I'm Elsie. Your brother's here Ed," She told him urgently.
"What?!" Ed and Envy exclaimed in unison, Ed's voice hopeful, Envy's confused.
"Where is he? Al?" Ed called to his brother.
"I'm in here!" Alphonse shouted, making Elsie wince.
"Don't yell, he can't hear you," She said, massaging her temples as a headache started to grow. Envy stared at her with a blank expression. Edward took a step forward.
"Al? Is he…is his soul inside you?" The hope in his eyes was painful.
"Yes! I'm in here,"
"Seems like it. At least, I can hear his voice in my head, so whatever that means…" Elsie trailed off. Wow. That sounded sane. Edward crossed the distance between them, stopping in front of her and hesitating uncertainly.
"Brother, I'm so glad you're ok!" the relief in Al's voice was tangible.
"He's really glad you're ok," She told Ed awkwardly. So Alphonse was somehow stuck inside her head…. She'd thought her actual delusions and hallucinations back at the hospital were strange, but this was just plain bizarre…. Did this mean she was stuck as Al's narrator forever? She didn't have anything against him, but that wasn't a very good setup for either of them.
"Wait…so you're saying the tin can is inside Elsie now?" Envy sounded like he was having trouble believing what he was hearing.
"Don't worry Al, I'll find a way to get you back in a body of your own! I promise. The main thing is that you're still here," Ed's relief mirrored his brother's. A frown creased his expression as his gaze became focused on Elsie.
"If you're not Lust, then who are you? How did you get pulled across? How did any of you get pulled across for that matter?" Ed glanced at the other two boys. Wrath was watching the scene unfold warily, clearly unsure of who's side he was on at this point. Envy frowned in irritation.
"Your guess is as good as mine," he snapped, "Why does it matter? We're here now, and you and I have unfinished business," a dark smirk pulled at the corners of his mouth. Elsie's eyes widened. Was he serious? Watching Ed die hadn't been enough, apparently he still wanted to do it with his own hand. Ed turned away from her towards the green haired boy.
"Fine then," He replied seriously, "Let's get this over with."
"Envy, wait," Elsie began. He completely ignored her, stepping forward and raising an arm, clearly intent on turning it into his usual weapon. Except… he froze, staring at his arm. It hadn't transformed. A series of emotions paraded across his face; confusion, anger, disbelief, horror. Ed watched him quizzically, clearly confused by Envy's uncharacteristic behavior.
"Wrath!" Envy snapped, whirling on the boy, "Transmute something!" He ordered. Wrath's eyes widened as he realized what the older boy was afraid of. He crouched and clapped his hands against the floor. A heavy silence rained throughout the ballroom.
"So you're…still human…" Elsie whispered, the implications of this hitting her. This wasn't such a bad thing for Wrath. But Envy…?
"Shit," the green haired teen hissed, hands clenched into fists as he quivered in anger.
"Wait, how are you—" Edward didn't get to finish his question before Envy bolted.
"Envy wait!" Elsie called again, taking a step after him. And just like before, he completely ignored her, disappearing out of one of the exits.
"How did they become human?" Alphonse asked.
"I'm not entirely sure…" Elsie frowned in thought.
"Sure of what?" Ed turned back to her. Elsie shook her head.
"How they became human," she clarified, "Wrath," She called the dark haired boy. He walked over slowly, eyeing Edward uneasily. "You said you transmuted the philosopher's stone as the gate was pulling you in, right?" Elsie questioned.
"Wait, you what?!" Ed whirled on the younger boy. Wrath stepped closer to Elsie, glaring at the blond alchemist.
"Yeah, what of it?" He retorted.
"Why was the gate pulling him in?" Ed frowned in confusion.
"Dante summoned the gate to take your limbs away from him," Elsie replied.
"…How exactly do you know about my limbs?" Ed raised an eyebrow suspiciously.
"Your brother's in her head dummy. Don't you think that'd fill her in on some stuff?" Wrath answered for her. Elsie shot him a surprised look. That was an unexpected cover, but it certainly saved them time explaining her strange knowledge about everything. She had to give the kid credit for thinking on his feet.
"Umm…it does?" Al sounded confused. Elsie shook her head slightly. She'd have to explain some stuff to him later.
"So you're saying he activated the philosopher's stone at the same time this was happening?" Ed asked. Elsie nodded.
"Any idea what that would cause?" She questioned. Ed rocked back on his heels, blowing out a gust of air with a thoughtful frown.
"Honestly, I have no idea. What were you intending for the transmutation?" He asked Wrath. Wrath shrugged.
"I wasn't intending anything. I just…did it," he replied. Ed seemed to ponder this for a moment. Then a light seemed to go on over his head.
"Is there any chance you were thinking about your desire for my body?" Ed asked him intently. Elsie bit her lip. Hard. She'd almost burst out laughing, and that would have been inappropriate given the situation. She drew in a deep, calming breath. Neither of them seemed to be aware of just how…awkward that sounded, and she wasn't about to enlighten them.
"I dunno. I might have been…" Wrath replied uncertainly, "It all happened really fast, and then Envy jumped on me."
"What's so funny?" Alphonse asked. Elsie shook her head, forcefully dragging her brain out of the gutter.
"He did? So there was physical contact with him during the transmutation?" Ed asked. Wrath nodded.
"Brother, I think I know why they got dragged back when you transmuted me," Al's voice was urgent in her mind.
"Hold on Al, what do you mean?" Elsie asked, turning away from the other two boys slightly.
"It's Wrath's alchemy. He can transmute the materials around him onto himself."
"I'm not following you…" Elsie frowned. Ed and Wrath had turned to stare at her expectantly.
"When he transmuted me…I think he somehow transmuted a part of my soul to himself, and to Envy through him," Al explained.
"But that doesn't make any sense. Isn't your soul attached to me right now?" Elsie sounded puzzled.
"Yes. I said part of my soul. The main part is right here, with my consciousness. But I can sense that Wrath is standing several feet away and that Envy is currently making his way out of the Underground City. The only way that seems possible is if they're connected to me somehow. And if that is the case, perhaps when Ed dragged my soul from the gate they got dragged along too since part of my is attached to them," Al sounded fairly certain about his explanation.
"What's he saying?" Ed demanded impatiently.
"I think…he's saying the reason Envy and Wrath got pulled back with your transmutation is because part of him is attached to them. Something to do with how Wrath's alchemy works and stuff," Elsie relayed a shorter version to him. Edward blinked, seeming taken aback.
"Wait…but…oh," he muttered.
"What?" Elsie raised an eyebrow.
"That might actually make sense. Given that he was using the philosopher's stone, and Dante's transmutation clashed with it at the same time, anything could have happened. Especially since Wrath didn't have a set plan for his transmutation," Ed explained. Wrath shifted uneasily.
"Then how come Elsie got pulled in with your transmutation?" He asked. Ed frowned.
"That's a good question," He turned an intent gaze on Elsie. She shrank back slightly. His golden stare was a little intimidating in person, despite the fact that he was a good two inches shorter than her.
"Um…well I grabbed onto Envy when the gate showed up…" She mentioned nervously.
"…I suppose it's possible that you could have been dragged in as well... Maybe the gate needed a body to dump the rest of Al's soul in. But you would've needed some sort of payment for your passage. I doubt my transmutation would have covered that," Ed pointed out.
"Payment?" Elsie sounded perplexed.
"Well, are you missing anything? …Does anything hurt internally?" He sounded a little apprehensive. Elsie frowned. Well she obviously wasn't missing any limbs. She felt perfectly fine internally as far as she could tell, so she doubted she was missing anything there. In fact, she hadn't felt this good overall in quite a while. Not since… her eyes widened slightly.
"What is it?" Wrath asked with a tinge of anxiety. Elsie shook her head slowly. Was it possible? Would the gate actually be willing to accept that as payment? She felt a wild hope growing inside her. It was the only thing she could think of that made sense given how she currently felt.
"I think…" she hesitated a moment before plunging ahead, "I think it stripped away my Bipolar Disorder as payment!" Wrath blinked, clearly not expecting that as an answer.
"You mean the thing that's turned you into such a zombie for the last week?" he asked. Elsie nodded, a slow smile growing on her face. "So…that's a good thing, right?" Wrath seemed uncertain. She chuckled slightly.
"Yes Wrath, that's an awesome thing…assuming that's what actually happened," She was a little scared to get her hopes up in case she turned out to be wrong.
"What's Bipolar Disorder?" Edward looked utterly lost. Elsie sighed.
"It's a mental illness. I don't think it exists in this world," she explained. He gave her an odd look.
"Well….I guess it's possible…. It's hard to say what the gate would consider an equivalent fee for passing between worlds…" He didn't really sound convinced, "But regardless, you're here now. Who are you, and how did you get mixed up with Envy and Wrath?" He demanded, crossing his arms and staring her down.
"Oh, we met her in the psych ward. She helped us escape!" Wrath chirped helpfully. Elsie wilted. Of all the ways to get introduced to someone, that wasn't her first pick… Ed was giving her a strange look again.
"Why were you in a psych ward?" He sounded a little wary. She rolled her eyes in exasperation.
"Why does it matter? Aren't there more important things to be focusing on?" she asked crisply, crossing her arms. Ed shook his head slightly as if to clear it.
"You're right," he rubbed his forehead tiredly; "We're going to have to find some way to get Alphonse out of your body and into a body of his own. Now it's a little more urgent since he's bonded to a person and not a suit of armor. I have no idea whether or not the bond will last for a long period of time…" He trailed off frowning. Elsie blanched slightly.
"Well it's not exactly the most ideal set up either. I'm sure Al doesn't want to communicate through me for the rest of his life," She pointed out. On top of which, she wasn't keen on having a disembodied voice in her head for an extended period… That couldn't be healthy for her already compromised sanity.
"Yeah, but this isn't exactly going to be easy. My brother and I have been trying for years to get our regular bodies back," Ed informed her gravely, "But still, we have to try. First things first," he put his hands on his hips, "Al, do you have any suggestions?"
"Well if my soul is spread out over multiple people that complicates things," Al pointed out.
"He says his soul being spread out complicates things," Elsie relayed. Ed rubbed his chin thoughtfully.
"That's true…we'd need you, Wrath and Envy involved in the transmutation for it to work. But the problem is finding something to attach his soul to," Ed mused. Elsie frowned.
"Why not just transmute a body for him?" she suggested.
"…huh?" Ed had a blank expression on his face.
"What are you saying?" Al asked.
"Well it wouldn't technically be human transmutation, right? Because he isn't really dead, so there's already a soul to work with. It could be two separate transmutations. Create the body and then attach his soul to it," Elsie explained. Ed looked a little stunned by the idea.
"But…that's ridiculously dangerous! I have no idea how Al is attached to you. I doubt you have a blood seal somewhere on your body. I suspect he's riding in you the same way the Ed on the other side of the gate was riding in my mind when I took over his body. If something went wrong it could kill you both," Edward explained seriously.
"Well…do you have any other ideas?" Elsie asked.
"That might actually work," Al interjected.
"…it would?" She raised her eyebrows.
"Brother's knowledge of alchemy has advanced enormously since he sealed my soul to that suit of armor. If he takes the time to study up on it and prepare, I bet that he could do it," Al's voice sounded confident.
"Al thinks you can manage it," Elsie met Ed's gaze uncertainly.
"But Al, the risk is too big. I don't want to lose you for good," Ed frowned worriedly.
"You won't know how big a risk it is until you do some research on it. This sounds like a plausible idea to me. We at least need to look into it."
"Al wants you to research it and find out more. He still thinks it's possible," Elsie explained. Ed seemed to ponder that for a moment. Wrath shifted impatiently.
"Well he can't stay inside Elsie forever. I mean you can't even talk to him properly. You have to do something," the dark haired boy pointed out. Ed shot him a slightly irritated look.
"Alright fine, I'll head back to Central and try to come up with something there. I'd have to gather the ingredients there anyway. But listen, if this turns out to be too dangerous I won't do it," Ed warned.
"Good. We also need to find Envy," Al said.
"We do?" Elsie blinked in surprise.
"Well yeah. We need him if we're going to do the transmutation. Also…he's mortal now right? If he goes and gets himself killed while part of me is attached to him, who knows what would happen?" Al's voice was concerned. Elsie paled slightly. That could kill Al. And furthermore, with Al inside her what would that mean for her? What if her soul was merged with Al's somehow? She could die too.
"What is it?" Ed frowned.
"He says we need to find Envy. For the transmutation, but also…if either he or Wrath dies when part of Al's soul is attached to them…" Elsie trailed off. Ed's eyes widened.
"Shit…he's right... Even more reason to get his whole soul attached to a body of its own," A new determination had lit up in the golden boy's expression.
"We should split up. Brother and Wrath can go back to Central while we track down Envy,"
"You mean track him down alone?" Elsie's voice wavered slightly.
"It makes the most sense. Envy isn't exactly patient, so it's better if brother is already getting prepared while we track him down. And I can sense Wrath's location, so if he goes with Ed we won't have any trouble finding them again," Alphonse explained.
"Hold on, he wants you to track down Envy alone?!" Ed sounded a little outraged, "He'll kill you!" Elsie flinched slightly. Yeah …it was a definite possibility.
"Al thinks it'll save time, so everything will be already in progress when we find Envy and bring him back," Elsie explained hesitantly.
"How exactly are you going to find him anyway?" Edward demanded.
"Al can sense him because of the soul connection. He can sense Wrath too, so if Wrath goes with you then we'll be able to find you again," Elsie replied. Ed blinked, not seeming to have an immediate come back to this.
"You want me to go with him?" Wrath eyed Ed looking less than thrilled.
"What's stopping Envy from killing you on sight? He may not be a homunculus anymore, but I'm sure he's more than capable of taking out an unarmed teenage girl," Ed piped up again. Then he hesitated. "Unless you've got fingers like Lust did…" He sounded skeptical. Elsie laughed nervously.
"No, I'm just human," She replied, "But…I don't think he'll kill me…" she sounded surer than she actually felt.
"What, are you guys buddies or something?" Ed raised an eyebrow. Wrath snorted.
"I don't think Envy is buddies with anyone," Elsie smirked slightly, "But either way, I doubt Envy will listen if you come. He's not exactly your biggest fan," she grimaced at the thought of the two of them fighting. That wouldn't end well for Envy at this point. She could just picture the roles being reversed, with Ed's arm stabbing through Envy chest; although Ed probably wouldn't be grinning like a psychopath... Either way, both she and Al could end up dead… Ed scowled.
"Yeah, well the feeling's mutual," he muttered, "But I guess you have a point…" he seemed pretty reluctant, "So will the brat be willing to come with me then?" He asked, glancing at Wrath. Wrath glared at him. Elsie frowned slightly. The two of them didn't exactly have the best relationship… She crouched down to be more at Wrath's level.
"Hey," She said. He turned and met her eyes gravely. Up close his large blue eyes were breath taking. But they weren't the same eyes as the child that had been found on Yock Island. There was a sad maturity there that spoke of a number of unpleasant, heart wrenching experiences. "If you don't want to go, you don't have to," She told him, "We can track Ed down on our own if it comes right down to it."
"What about you? Are you sure you want to track Envy down alone?" Wrath asked, worry flickering across his face. Elsie nodded slowly.
"It'll be fine. I'm not exactly planning on provoking him," She said reassuringly. Wrath regarded her for a moment with an unreadable expression on his face. It was an expression she remembered from the anime, and she felt a slight chill run through her. The sweet kid she'd been hanging around with for the last three weeks hadn't always been so sweet… he'd been lethal in his own right.
"Fine," He said finally, "I'll go with Ed…but only if you're sure you're ok with going alone," there was still a concern in his eyes.
"I'm sure. Neither of us are much of a match against him the way we are now anyway," She pointed out, "If it's just me then he might feel less threatened," she didn't really believe that that would make any difference at all. But it sounded like it made sense…. Wrath sighed slightly.
"Alright," he agreed, then his expression darkened "…But if he hurts you I'll make him pay," the hint of savage protectiveness in his voice startled her. She felt a little blossom of warmth in her chest. She hadn't realized he cared that much… She would've hugged him if he hadn't looked quite so intimidating just then...
"I'm still not comfortable with this... Envy's a killer," Ed shifted uncomfortably, a frown gracing his brow.
"Well, I survived the last three weeks with him without him killing me…I'm not saying that it isn't a possibility… but I think becoming human has changed him a bit," Elsie said, straightening up to stare at Ed. Something in his expression made her pause. "Umm, is something wrong?" She asked. Ed slowly shook his head.
"You say you spent three weeks with him?" He asked.
"Umm, something like that. Why?" She wasn't really sure where he was going with this.
"It's just…from what I can tell the two of them have only been gone for maybe an hour or so…" Ed appeared puzzled. Elsie blinked. That was…quite a time difference.
"Must be something to do with how fast time moves in different dimensions," She mused.
"The longer we spend discussing this, the farther away Envy gets. I can't sense much other than his location, but I get the feeling he's run into something or someone he doesn't like," Al informed her. Elsie braced herself.
"Al says we should get moving," She told Ed, awaiting his reaction. Edward sighed.
"Fine. Just…please be careful. If you aren't back by the time I find the research and ingredients I'm looking for then I'm coming after you," He warned.
"I'll be careful. I promise, I won't let anything happen to Al," She tried to reassure him. She doubted it would do much. They'd only just met. There was no way he trusted her. She suspected the only reason he was letting her out of his sight was that he was sure she wouldn't want to spend the rest of her life with a disembodied voice in her head. Meaning she had good incentive to come back like she'd promised.
"Yeah well," He regarded her warily, "Just don't die," he'd had the same thing said to him once before. However…he'd died anyway. Elsie did her best to ignore that and nodded. She turned towards Wrath and after a moment's hesitation wrapped him in a hug. Wrath stood stiffly surprised for a moment, but eventually wrapped his arms around her waist in return.
"Try not to beat Ed up too badly while I'm gone," She whispered to him. He chuckled slightly, pulling back.
"I'll try," he replied with a smirk.
"We should get going," Al urged. Elsie nodded, turning and heading for the exit Envy had taken. "Keep going up the stairs. They lead into a church and then out into central city from there."
"I know," Else replied, skipping up two of the narrow steps at a time.
"How do you know about brother and me, and this place?" Alphonse asked his voice curious. Elsie chuckled breathlessly.
"That's so ridiculously complicated. Tell you what. If we manage to get you back into a body of your own, I'll sit down and explain everything," she said, pausing for breath in her swift trek up the stairs. This was a long ways up!
"Alright. I'll hold you to that," Al warned her. She smirked slightly. This was…the ultimate definition of losing your mind: Conversing with the voice of a character in your head that isn't supposed to exist, running through a world that's only meant to exist in an anime. But she'd lost her mind before and this was nothing like the hallucinations and delusions she'd experienced during that. This felt far too real. On top of which she felt great. So even if she was just lying in a coma somewhere in the real world, she just hoped she never woke up.
Ed watched her go, mixed feelings playing across his face.
"Awe, dammit. I should go after her. She's heading off to her own suicide," He muttered.
"She'll be fine," Wrath told him, "Envy's gone softer than he used to be. He won't kill her," he sounded fairly certain.
"Why didn't you pipe up earlier?" Ed asked, sounding slightly exasperated. Wrath glanced at the exit Elsie had just disappeared into.
"I didn't want her counting on that. It's better that she's on her guard," He replied. After all, Envy was a bit of a wild card. It was hard to predict exactly what he'd do.
-Author's Note-
Wishful thinking on my part? Hell. Yes. lol. But I didn't think anyone would want to follow a depressed OC for the rest of the story. That would just be...depressing...
There you go. First miniscule hint of some EnvyxOC to come. You're not going to be getting anything more than hints for a long time though. ;) I want to make a comment. In almost all the Envy fanfiction I've read, Envy is practically a Casanova. A male Lust if you will. Thats all well and good. But realistically I don't think it makes sense. In neither anime do they mention any hint of physical attraction to anyone or anything in relation to Envy. Its just not something that even enters into the radar for him. So, in my opinion he'd be pretty clueless. x'D He might understand the concept of physical attraction as it applies between other people, but it's not something he would have personal experience with. At least, that's the view I'm writing him from.
So they got back to the anime! Yay! Poor Envy. Something tells me he wouldn't be my biggest fan right now. I'm pretty sure he'll forgive me later lol. There was a lot of standing around talking about alchemy stuff. If any of that didn't seem realistic, blame it on artistic license. I'm not an alchemist. And really, I always wondered why they didn't just make a new body for Al to attach his soul to...maybe in the show it's supposedly not possible or something. In my story it is :P so there! And a note about how Al is attached to Elsie, in case that confused people. Remember how when Ed crossed the gate he took over another guys body but the other guys soul was still riding along with him? Same deal here but in reverse. Elsie's still in control, Al is the passenger. There will be some more details on that in a later chapter.
Yay for long chapters. This was as long as chapter 1 xD enjoy it. There's not many this length in the story.
Next chapter is action packed! At least compared to how the story's been thus far. x'D Envy and Elsie are in for some less than pleasant experiences. Part of it's from Envy's POV, part from Elsie's. I'll post it this evening ;)