Woot! Late again. (grins) This time we found our photoshop cd after about a month of tearing the house apart looking for it. Turns out it was on top of the bookshelf. The one we had checked four times. Except we didn't check the very top. Silly us. twitch

Anyway, my sister wouldn't get off the computer. Poor me, poor you. (sigh)

Anyway! Here's the long awaited chapter 14!

Chapter 14: Beginning Of The End

This bread is tough.. Thought Mustang as he stared intently at his lunch. The small bread role was in his hand, slightly stale, as Mustang decided. It was early morning, but he had been in his office for the better part of the night working. Major General was a much tougher job at the moment due to so few high-ranked personnel. Sighing, he lowered it back onto the tray. The only other food on there was a small foil patty filled with custard chicken. He wasn't fond of that, either. I swear, that cook has it out for me. Mustang pushed the tray away, resting his elbows in the space where it had been. Beside him lay a small stack of paper. He was supposed to finish it earlier, but was distracted. Breda had versed him at chess.

" Custard chicken day? " A voice called out. Mustang looked away from the papers of hell only to see Second Lieutenant Hawkeye standing on the other side of the table, a tray in hand. Without waiting for an offer, she sat down in front of him, placing a coffee beside her food.

" Did I do something to the cook? " Mustang asked casually.

" No, Sir. " Hawkeye replied. " Some people here like custard chicken. "

" There's another thing to add to the list of when I become Fuhrer. " He grumbled. " I'm getting rid of custard chicken. "

" Why don't you just give people more options? " Hawkeye suggested, smiling.

" Yeah! " Havoc yelled from two tables down. Mustang looked over at him. " You should put chilli on the menu, then you could also breathe fire! " Beside him Breda snickered. Keeping his face calm, Mustang picked up the bread role on his plate and hurled it at Havoc. Unfortunately since he had only one eye his coordination was still off, and the role struck Breda instead. The second Lieutenant rubbed his head angrily, though quickly picked up the bread role, throwing it at Havoc who was currently wiping his eyes from tears of laughter. Mustang looked away from the squabble. Hawkeye was taking a sip of her coffee. She seemed to have ignored the commotion.

" You should do that paper work, General. " She suggested as she lowered the hot beverage.

" I've got plenty of time. " Mustang grunted, swirling his spoon in the custard.

" That's what you said about the last lot. " Hawkeye replied. " And what happened then? "

" I choose not to answer that. " Mustang stated, folding his arms. Hawkeye smiled again. She pushed the paper closer to him.

" If you're not going to eat, you should do your work. " She urged. Just then a military officer stepped up behind Hawkeye. He saluted Mustang, standing straight. Hawkeye turned around to look at him.

" Major General Mustang. " The man stated formally. " You have a phone call, Sir. One Master Sergeant Kain Fuery wishes to speak to you urgently. "

" Yes, all right. " Mustang replied, rising to his feet. He smiled to Hawkeye. " First Lieutenant, bring that paperwork back to my desk, I don't feel like eating. " Hawkeye nodded.

" See you later, Sir. " She saluted. Mustang walked away from the table, following the officer out of the lunch hall, through the corridor to the military phone lines. A young woman who sat at the desk in front of the wall of phones spotted him, smiling at his presence.

" Ah! " She exclaimed happily. " Thank you, Sergeant. " The man nodded to her and walked away. " Major General, Master Sergeant Fuery is on line one. "

" Thank you. " Mustang muttered as he walked past the desk to the phones. They each had a number in front of them. Mustang picked up the phone with a '1' on it, putting it to his ear. " Major General Mustang speaking. " He stated.

" Ah, Boss! " Fuery exclaimed. He sounded nervous, jittery. He breathed heavily into the phone, as if he had run to it. Mustang narrowed his eye, frowning.

" What happened? " He asked.

" Uh, don't be mad, he is an Elric! " Fuery's voice quivered. " I had fallen asleep, and when I woke up- Alphonse, he's gone! "

" WHAT!.? " Mustang shrieked angrily into the phone. Behind him he heard the lady drop her pen in surprise. " DAMNIT, Fuery! "

" I asked the nurses if he checked himself out. " Fuery continued hastily. " They didn't even know he'd left! But his clothes are gone, too, so he wasn't nabbed, he definitely left on his own accord. "

" How long has he been gone!.? " Mustang yelled.

" I can't say exactly- I was asleep when he left- but as far as I know hes been gone at least an hour. " The master sergeant stammered. " I woke up in the middle of the night, when he was still here, and he was awake. He said something about Lior, and about the trains. I think he's gone there! "

" Lior!.? " Mustang repeated. Dante told him to transmute that city.. Mustang remembered. Is that what he's doing?.! " Did he say why he wanted to go to Lior? " He demanded.

" I don't think so. " Fuery replied. " I just know he said he wanted to go! "

"Stay at the hospital, see if you can get any more information, and tell Winry when she goes up there. " Mustang ordered. " She'll find out anyway. "

" Yes, Sir! " Fuery huffed. Mustang hung up the phone, instantly turning around and marching out of the area, back through the hallway, the young lady behind the desk staring at him with wide eyes. He rushed back into the lunch hall. Immediately he spotted Havoc and Breda, still in their spot. Hawkeye also had not moved, calmly sipping her coffee not far away. Mustang didn't have the patience to go over there.

" Second Lieutenant Havoc! " He shouted above the din. " Second Lieutenant Breda! " Instantly everyone in the lunch hall fell silent, staring at him. " My office, Now! First Lieutenant Hawkeye, bring Armstrong to my office, immediately! "

" Yes, Sir, Major General! " Hawkeye jumped up, dashing over to Havoc and slamming the papers down in front of him before rushing out of the lunch hall. Havoc grabbed the papers before he and Breda leaped out of their own seats and dashed towards Mustang, who had already left the hall, making his own way to his office. We need to form a plan. He told himself. We need to get to Lior as quick as possible. We need backup, incase the homunculus attacks. We need to catch Alphonse...

Before he kills himself.

" Sir..? " A voice called him. Slowly Alphonse opened his eyes. His head was pressed against the train window. Desert flashed by. Lior must be near.. " Sir? " The voice called again. Alphonse looked up, over to the middle of the train. A woman in a brown uniform stood watching him. " We will be in Lior in about half an hour. " She informed.

" Thank you, Miss. " Alphonse smiled. She returned it, walking away to leave him alone on the train seat. Alphonse had not gotten up in four weeks, he felt tired already, and he had been sitting for hours. It was already late morning. His stomach throbbed lightly. Carefully he felt the wound under his shirt. Luckily the nurse had changed the bandage before he had gone to sleep last night, so it was still clean. He'll just have to be careful. Since the injury was all the way through his body, though, his back ached even more from the rough ride. Alphonse looked back out the window. In the distance he could see the outline of the city. He could see no smoke rising from it. No orange glow. Everything seemed to be fine..

What if I am wrong..?

That would go down well. Mustang will eat him alive. And Winry! What she would do when she finds out! No matter.. He thought. He lowered his head to once again rest it on the glass. This trip is worthwhile, just to see the city undamaged..

" Mummy, it's broked! " A high voice cried from somewhere behind him. Alphonse turned his head to see a little girl two chairs back, holding up a doll to her mother. She wore bright pink clothes with a small, straw hat. The doll's head had snapped off at the neck. The woman that was the girls mother looked at the toy sadly. " Fix it, mummy! "

" I can't fix it, sweetheart. " The mother sighed. " I'll buy you a new one when we get to Lior. "

" But I want Mary! " The girl whined. " I want this dolly! "

" It's broken where it can't be fixed. " The mother repeated, pointing at the neck. The little girl stared at it for a moment before beginning to cry, covering her face with her small hands. Alphonse watched her. He couldn't help but feel sorry for the girl. Gripping the seat, he stood up slowly, ignoring the pain. He walked out into the space between the chairs and moved until he stood beside the girls seat. There, he knelt down next to her. She looked up, staring at him in surprise with wet, sad eyes.

" May I see Mary? " Alphonse asked, smiling. He held out his hand. " I might be able to fix her for you. " Instantly the girl turned to her mother, pulling the doll parts out of her hands and shoving them into Alphonse's.

" Can you fix her, Meesta? " She asked, her face lighting up. Alphonse looked at the break. The wooden neck had broken in half. It wasn't that bad at all. He put the doll on the chair between him and the girl. Clapping his hands together, he touched the head with only one finger. Blue light surrounded the doll, and when it faded the toy was whole.

" There we go. " Alphonse smiled again, handing the doll to the girl. She grinned broadly.

" Mary! " She squealed, hugging it.

" What do you say, Dear? " The mother asked her child.

" Thanku, Meesta! " She cheered. Alphonse rose back to his feet.

" Thank you, very much. " The mother said, nodding her head to him. " That is Anna's favourite toy. "

" It was no problem, Ma'am. " Alphonse replied. The woman looked as if she wanted to say more, but Alphonse quickly returned to his seat. Now with his back turned to them, he slowly lifted one of his hands to his face. It shook slightly. He felt tired again, just from that...

I should have stayed in the hospital longer.. He thought, lowering his hand. Winry was right.. I should have gotten up and gained more strength.. Sighing, he looked out the window once more. Lior was even closer.

Unmoving, he watched as the city drew closer and closer as time passed. After little over half an hour they were right in front of it, and not much longer after they were pulling up into the station of Lior. The train slowed to a complete stop, and instantly everybody in the cabin rose to their feet and made their way out. Alphonse stayed seated. He waited until pretty much everybody had passed him until he stood up and made his own way out of the cabin, through the door and out into the station of Lior. There were not as many people around as there was in Central. There had only been about ten people in his cabin, and they had all disappeared. He made his way across the small station and down the steps into the street. Everything was different to central. There was more space, for one. Shops and buildings were far apart compared to the tightly packed streets he had been in. The central plaza wouldn't be far from the station. Slowly he wandered forward, scanning the area carefully. He felt uneasy, like he expected something to happen at any moment. He did, though. But everything was so normal.. Everybody appeared untroubled as they themselves wandered the streets, making their own way to their own destinations. Frowning, Alphonse soon reached the Plaza. It was a large space, the ground decorated with swirling patterns and shops and stalls lining the edges. Many people walked through the plaza, and on every second shop there seemed to be at least one statue of Armstrong, the muscly man posing the same way on each. Alphonse couldn't help but laugh at this. He could only imagine the people of Lior's reaction to this. Though none of them would say no, as it was Armstrong who helped rebuild it all..

Alphonse took a step forward only to stagger slightly. His hands shaking and his arms weak, he moved to an empty wall of a building, leaning against it and gripping it with his left hand while resting his head in his right. It was definitely a bad idea to come.. Even if he found Dante, like this he was no match. I'm such an idiot.. He groaned. Brother's habits have rubbed off on me. I've gotten stubborn!

" Al? " A voice interrupted his thoughts. Alphonse looked up, immediately spotting the familiar face which watched him with surprise and concern, a grocery bag in her arms.

" Rose! " He gasped, straightening himself. " Good to see you. "

" Al! " She yelped, a grin on her face. " Oh, Mr Armstrong has told me of your and Ed's arrival! I didn't think I'd see you in Lior- you look pale! " She suddenly gasped. She dashed over to him, shifting the bag of groceries to one arm as she gripped his shoulder with the other. " Are you sick? Where's Ed? "

" I'm ok. " He replied, lifting a hand to calm her. " I'm just tired, that's all. Brother's still in Central. " He lied. " Colonel Mustang wouldn't let him leave. "

" Really? " She asked. " But he isn't in the military anymore, is he? "

" Uh- no, no, he isn't. " Alphonse muttered quickly. Crap, what am I going to say now? He thought, hiding the nervous expression that threatened to reveal itself.

" So how come the Colonel is keeping him there? Why would you come alone, especially looking like this? " She asked quickly. Ohh, think! Alphonse shouted at himself. But no incredibly foolproof lie came to mind, and Rose stood there staring at him, waiting for a reply.

" Uhh.. I'm not sure.. " He muttered eventually. What a weak lie. Damn it! He cursed. She won't be happy with that. And of course she wasn't.

" You're not a good liar, Al. " She sighed after a moment, frowning. " Why are you really here? And where is Edward? " Alphonse paused, but after a moment he realised he wasn't going to get out of this one without telling Rose the truth.

" I guess you'll find out sooner or later.. " He sighed, lowering his head. He looked back up. " But can we find somewhere to sit down first? " He asked. " I'm exhausted. " Rose nodded, concern all over her face and eyes.

" Yes, of course! " She wrapped her free arm around his shoulders, leading him away from the wall. " We'll go sit by the fountain. "

A few minutes later, Alphonse sat on a small white wall, his back to the cool, trickling water that was the fountain. He held his head down, noticing the wonderful feeling of getting off his tired legs. Rose sat next to him. Out of the corner of his eye, he could see her face, anxious as to what he was going to say. But she didn't say anything to him, waiting patiently for him to begin. How am I going to begin... He thought sadly. She's going to be upset when she finds out what happened to Brother..

" Are you sure you're not sick..? " Rose asked after a few more moments.

" No, I'm not sick.. " Alphonse replied. He lifted his head, straightening his back. Gripping his shirt, he lifted the fabric up, revealing the bandages that wrapped around his entire stomach and half his chest. Rose gasped in shock.

" Oh, Al! " She clapped a hand over her mouth. " What happened? "

" I'll tell you in a minute. " Alphonse muttered. " But first, I have to tell you what happened to Brother.. " Rose stared at him wide-eyed, but did not say anything. " When we came back five weeks ago.. " He began. " We came through the gate which had been opened three years ago. The one we saw that the armoured soldiers came out of. " Rose nodded. " Anyway, we discovered that the Homunculus, Envy- with the green hair-, was the one keeping the gate open on our side. We tried to get rid of him, but we were all ended up dragged back here. Envy escaped though, so he's running around Amestris again. But that's not the main issue. " He quickly added. " It turns out.. " He paused, lowering his eyes. He couldn't look.. " We found out.. Dante's alive.. " He heard a strangled gasp from Rose, like she was trying not to cry out. He forced himself to ignore it. " She was really rotted. She needed a new body, and went after me.. But Brother.. Brother pushed me away.. "

" Ohhh.. " Rose moaned. Alphonse felt tears welling up behind his eyes. He hadn't cried in four weeks.. He mustn't now..

" Dante got him. " He muttered. " She's in his body now. " He looked up. Rose was staring, wide-eyed with horror, one hand to her mouth which, he was sure, was hiding a silent scream. She seemed unable to speak.. " I went after her, to get Brother back, but.. well, I kinda failed.. " He pointed to his stomach, smiling weakly.

" Oh my god..! " Rose squeaked. " Edward did that..?.! "

" No, " Alphonse corrected, " Dante did that. "

" Yes, that's right.. " Rose nodded after a moment. " Dante.. But, does that mean.. is Ed..? "

" Brother is at the gate, I saw him when I passed out from the wound. " Alphonse continued. " I know how to get him back, though! I just need to find Dante. I heard.. I get this feeling she is in Lior.. "

" I.. I haven't seen him- her.. " Rose stammered.

" Yeah.. " Alphonse sighed, the weak smile back on his face. " I suppose that's a good thing.. " Slowly, Rose lowered her hand, placing it back onto his shoulder.

" Poor Al. " She muttered, looking at him with sad eyes. " That must have been hard for you to be fighting him.. "

" It's ok. " Alphonse replied. " I know how to get him back. That makes it easier. " Rose smiled.

" Well, I hope he is in Lior. " She stated. " Then your trip would not have been in vain. "

" Yeah.. " Alphonse replied. Though he looked away, hiding the frown on his face. He couldn't bare to tell her... what Dante is planning...

" Have you eaten anything recently? " Rose asked suddenly. " Food will give you energy. How about something from the kiosk? "

" Uh.. no thanks. " Alphonse replied, looking back at her. " I can't eat anything too big yet.. "

" A drink, then? " She persisted. " You gotta put something in your stomach, or you won't last much longer. "

" Ok. " He smiled. He rose to his feet, Rose refusing to let go of his shoulder, as if trying to lessen the effort. She began to lead him towards a small bar. Alphonse recognised the shopkeeper from when he was first in Lior. It was that same old man who ran the small kiosk near the fountain.. He looked up, following the giant, golden statue of Armstrong, right up to the flexing arms. Suddenly he stopped walking, gasping in surprise. Behind the statue, a fair distance away, it appeared, was a column of smoke rising out from behind the buildings.

" Is something on fire? " He asked Rose, who also looked up. Her own reaction of surprise told him that was not normal.

" Oh, no. " She muttered.

" Shouldn't we go over there? " Alphonse asked. The column of smoke was short, but thick, meaning it hadn't been burning for long- but it was big.

" No. " Rose answered. She appeared worried, watching the smoke with concern. " The police can handle it, and enough people will go there anyway. Too many people and it's more a problem.. " Alphonse watched the pillar of smoke. Suddenly there was a loud explosion, and a ball of fire rose up into the sky, seeming to engulf the smoke before disappearing, creating more smoke than before. The ground shook from the vibration, and all around Alphonse could hear people screaming.

" Ok, now we go over there. " Alphonse muttered. He began to move when Rose pulled him back. She had terror in her eyes.

" I can't, I have to find my son! " She yelped, tightening her grip on his shoulder. " I don't want to leave you alone like this! "

" I have to check it out! " Alphonse protested. " It might be Dante! " He grabbed her hand, pushing it away. " You go, I'll be fine, I promise. " Rose paused, seeming to fight with herself.

" Ok. " She finally uttered. " Please be careful. " With that, she turned and dashed away, disappearing into the panicked crowd. Turning the other way, Alphonse broke into a run, dodging people as he passed buildings and stores, ignoring the growing pain in his stomach and the increasing fatigue. In no time at all he stood at the corner of the street with the burning house. It was still a fair distance away, but Alphonse could see it clearly, the billowing smoke roaring out of the smashed windows and disintegrated door of the large building. There were so many people flocking to it, some that wore military police uniforms, most that were bystanders. Standing at the top of the burning structure, a lone figure seemed to look down at the crowd, what looked like string flowing down from his head.

Envy!

Alphonse ran closer. Though he was forced to stop a few meters away. He would not be able to get passed the crowd, and it would be unwise to stand to close to them, incase they all flee from the homunculus. Even then, he would be unable to get near Envy. He could already feel the intense heat of the fire on his face and hands. The shift in temperature seemed to be concentrated on his wound. It felt like his entire stomach was burning away. Clutching the bandages, which were only body temperature, Alphonse took a few steps backwards, trying to escape the heat, but also wanting to keep Envy in sight. If the green-haired homunculus was here, than Dante was definitely hiding somewhere. Most likely not near the building, though. She may be evil, but she still had the body of a human, which still burned. But where would she be..? And why was Envy burning the building anyway? Was it a signal for Alphonse?

Suddenly Envy jumped down from the roof, the bystanders screaming as they saw what they thought was a desperate human trying to escape the fire, falling to his death. Envy vanished from his view in front of the crowd. There was a loud bang, and the ground shook from the impact. A few seconds passed, and suddenly people began surging away from the building, running in all directions to escape. As people fled passed the buildings, the crowd thinned, and finally Alphonse could see what was happening. Envy was cutting down anyone he could reach, a path of bodies and blood forming behind him. He was not picky. Alphonse watched as he sliced in half with his arm an old lady, too slow and weak to escape quickly. He watched in horror as blood spurted from the two halves as they hit the ground, Envy immediately moving to his next target. A bright colour flashed in the corner of Alphonse's eye. He turned his head towards it only to see the same little girl from the train, the one with the bright pink clothes and the broken doll, clutched tightly by her mother as the two tried to run away. Something fell from the girl's hand, and suddenly she stopped running. Alphonse watched as she tore from her mothers grip and ran back to the object, shouting something, though Alphonse could not hear it above the din of the fleeing bystanders. She picked it up, holding it out in the air. Alphonse realised it was the doll that he had fixed on the train. The mother shrieked, rushing back to her daughter. But it was too late. Envy, having massacred another two people, spotted the little girl and made a bee-line towards her, his blood-soaked arm held out in front of him, ready to impale the child.

" No! " Alphonse heard someone yell. Vaguely he realised it was him. The next thing he knew, he was running towards the girl and her mother, but Envy was already almost there.. Alphonse clapped his hands. He was almost there.. But Envy had reached her. Alphonse watched as he pulled back his arm. The mother shrieked in fear, pulling the girl away, moving in between them, clutching her daughter tightly, her face buried in her daughters brown hair. Alphonse practically dived for the ground, reaching out for it with outstretched fingers. He felt the stone in his hands, and instantly there was a bright blue flash on the ground. A large wall of stone rose out of the ground, tearing towards the woman and Envy. The homunculus dropped his arm towards the woman. But before he got close, the wall shoved itself between them, separating Envy from his prey. Fearfully the woman looked behind her, gasping at the sight of the new obstacle.

" Go! Run! " Alphonse shouted. The woman stared at him for a moment before staggering to her feet, her daughter clutched tightly, and running as fast as she could away from Envy, who merely stared in surprise at Alphonse before the usual glare of hate shrouded his face.

" How dare you interrupt me! " He snarled.

" What are you doing, Envy!.? " Alphonse screamed at him. " Why are you doing this?.! "

" I'm having fun! " Envy spat. " Got a problem? "

" Yes! " Alphonse snapped. Envy smirked.

" How about I have fun with you! " He huffed. Envy jumped forward, landing only a short distance away. He raised an arm menacingly. " You're weak, Small Fry! "

" Where's Dante? " Alphonse yelled.

" Right here, Al. " A familiar voice spoke. Alphonse whirled around. Edward stood not far to his left, the glow of the fire lighting up the smirk on his face. " I didn't know you missed me so much. "

" I have a score to settle with you. " Alphonse growled.

" You can settle it later. " Dante replied. " You have a task you need to complete. "

" I am not transmuting Lior! " He yelled. Dante frowned. She lifted her right hand.

" That's a shame. " She smirked. Alphonse's eye's widened.

" Where did you get a new automail arm?.! " He gasped.

" Didn't your dear friend, Winry, tell you? " Dante asked. " She gave it to me. "

" Don't lie! " Alphonse shrieked. " She would never aid you! "

" I'd say ask her when you go back, " Dante laughed, " But you won't be leaving this place. " She lowered her hand, frowning again. " If you won't create me the stone, than I have no use for you. Envy, have your fun. " Alphonse immediately looked behind him at the homunculus. Envy was already in the air, coming down on Alphonse, his arm raised. Alphonse dodged to the left. Envy hit the ground where he had been standing moments ago. Instantly Envy raised a leg, kicking at him. Again he dodged, but this time Envy only barely missed him. Without pause, Alphonse lurched forward, swinging a fist at Envy. The homunculus easily dodged, throwing his own fist at Al. Alphonse moved out of the way, grabbing Envy's wrist. He twisted his arm, and with a swift movement he flipped Envy over, slamming the homunculus onto his back. Suddenly Envy twisted his body, onto his feet in a second. Alphonse tried to jump backwards, but Envy was too quick. He gripped Alphonse by the shoulders.

Suddenly there was an explosion of pain in his stomach. Envy had planted his knee right on the wound. He shoved Alphonse backwards, who staggered slightly, barely stopping himself from collapsing backwards before falling forward on his knee's, weakly clutching the injury as he gasped in agony.

" You fight heaps better than that shrimp! " Envy laughed. Alphonse forced his head upwards, peering through squinted eyes at the homunculus. A burning feeling welled up in his throat. It was worse than usual.. He dropped his head, the fire leaping up his throat. Involuntarily he vomited, blood hitting the stone underneath him. Envy's laughter echoed in his ears as he coughed. The burning feeling died down, but he could still feel it..

" Finish him. " He heard Dante order.

" My pleasure. " Envy sneered. Alphonse heard him approach. He tried to stand, to move, but all he could do was gasp for breath as waves of pain surged from his stomach. Slowly he lifted his head. He could feel blood dripping from his chin, but he could not wipe it off. Envy stopped directly in front of him, raising his arm, which was now shaped like a lance. " Bye bye, Small Fry! " He sneered. His arm dropped like a guillotine, the pointed weapon falling towards his head.. He could do nothing but watch it fall.

No.. He thought helplessly. I can't die now.. Envy's grin broadened. Beyond him, Dante smirked. All he could see was his brother's cold eyes.. I can't die... I can't..

I'm the only one..

That can save Brother...

" Alphonse Elric! " A dramatic voice cried. Suddenly there was a loud bang, and a moment later Envy was hurled through the air, a large boulder pushing him away. He heard the homunculus cry out in shock and anger. Struggling, Alphonse glanced to his right. Armstrong stood there, about a meter away, his knuckle-dusters covering his hands, which he held up threateningly as fists.

" Major.. " He coughed. Behind Armstrong, Alphonse could see a large number of military officers, all lined up behind him.

" Give it up, Dante! " He heard Mustang shout from somewhere behind him. " This time you're not getting away! "

They've all come.. Alphonse thought. Slowly, he pulled himself up. They've come to help.. With great effort, Alphonse managed to rise to his feet, clutching the wound with one arm, bent forward slightly in a small attempt to rid himself of the pain. Dante was scowling deeply at the new arrivals.

" Once again, Alphonse, your possy has come to save you. " She growled. To his left, Envy reappeared, anger in his eyes.

" Someone's gonna die for that! " He screeched. Dante smiled. She stepped forward, extending her arms.

" Let the fight commence. " She laughed.

4am in the morning! I'll be paying for this one tomorrow- er- today- you know!

Until next chapter!