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*Strange last chapter. I know. It took me four freaking months to write. I don't know if I can update as frequently/regularly as before, but we'll see. Didn't I tell you? I WILL complete Elena's story. Even if I begin to hate it, the least I can do for her is make sure there's an ending. And many thanks to my dear friend, who told me what guns the people of FullMetal Alchemist use, and to Hiromu Arakawa for being an inspirational artist and storyteller. Oh. And like a few chapters back, I will not bold-face Spite's dialog. Just assume it is all Spite talking and not Elena unless I tell you otherwise. This was going to be about 1900 words but it turned into 3000. A mystery.... And I want to know Spite better. She gains some actual dimension here.

I'd only been alone like this once before and I had hoped to never have to repeat the experience again. Ever.

After those long, dusty years of lying in a small box in perfect darkness, I had my first taste of fresh air. It was still dark as I had no eyes and I could not hear or smell anything as I also lacked ears and a nose. But I still remember the feeling of that voracious wind as it skittered across the surface of my body. If I had had blood or sweat it would have swept it all away. I was called to life again, my powers awakened as suddenly all was bright and I stood in front of the Doors of Truth. They opened and a girl stumbled through.

She was pale-skinned and black-haired, young and lean and positively glowing with health. She looked around, expression changing from confused to reluctant. I reached out, finding I had a body of my own the mirror of hers. I formed words for the first time in centuries. "Come."

The girl stared at me. She raised her fists, unconcerned as to how she wore not a stitch of clothing. "Just you try it." she challenged. "I'm staying here."

"They won't let you back through." I propped a hand on my skinny hip. "The Doors. They won't let you go back through. You've been called."

"Yeah? And? I'll stay here." She stood squarely, raising her chin in challenge. "I'm not going back out there."

"Tough luck!" I snapped. "We're goin' back."

Leave now.

We both looked at the glowing humanoid outline sitting in front of the door. It grinned.

You've paid the Toll.

It raised a hand, the bones appearing within. The girl gasped. Her body was collapsing in on itself like a tent without supports. She screamed. The Truth's body was skeletal now, surrounded by its fleshed-out glow. It turned to stare at me with empty eye-sockets and a horrific grin.

Now you.

I writhed as I felt memories flashing before my eyes and then being ripped from my body just as the girl's bones were being ripped from hers. I was being pulled towards the Doors as they opened and the girl was struggling to get away from them. We met and suddenly my skin was hers or hers was mine, I couldn't tell. My memories of it are befuddled and difficult to decipher. But suddenly I was Elena and Elena was me and we were two entities crammed into the same body.

I woke up screaming my new lungs out, the sound tearing itself from my new throat and new mouth. The sensations of the word were too much. The cold metal against my bare skin, the breath whistling through my nose, the dim light assaulting my sensitive eyes. Existence was sheer agony. But through it all as I sat back in the recesses of Elena Marcoh's mind, I felt a little thrill. I wasn't alone anymore. I had someone to exist with, a body to live in. I had all the sights and sounds of the world to sate my starving conciousness. I had the ability to feel again.

I would never be lonely again. It would be me and Elena and someday very soon I'd be ruling her body while she sat back and watched and couldn't do anything about it. We'd be immortal with plenty of time for me to live my own life, to be myself with no master. I would finally be free.

As soon as I was by myself in the military showers after confronting Father with the Elric Brothers, I turned on the water as high as it would go. My forehead made a sharp noise as it hit the tiled walls of the shower stall. An eternity. An eternity absolutely on my own. Can you imagine it? Picture yourself as an immortal being. You've got forever to live. Nothing can destroy you. But there is not one single living being around you. You are are the only thing that exists. Your family, your friends, even your pets don't exist anymore. You have nothing to do but sit there and realize that you will be doing exactly this same thing tomorrow, and the day after, and the day after that. The monotony and the loneliness is past endurance.

Completely.

And utterly.

Alone.

After ten minutes of terrifying self-pity I sank my teeth into my arm. The pain and blood cleared my head and allowed me to get a grip on my situation. I refused to acknowledge that Father had destroyed Elena. I refused. I would get her back if I had to pry open the Portal of Truth with my bare hands.

I turned off the shower and wrung the water from my hair, letting my rational side win over. I would have to be Elena for the foreseeable future. I made a mental list of people I had to get on my side. I needed help if I was going to pull this off. Elena's memories were not my own. She kept hers to herself and I mine. We were two entirely separate beings, anyway.

I pulled on the spare uniform, automatically parting and combing my hair as I thought. Some of Elena's people were safe. They were "human sacrifices", after all. This included her father, Mustang, the Elrics, and a few other people. But it did not include Lieutenant Hawkeye, Breda, Hughes's wife and child, Havoc, and the rest of the country. I gritted my steel teeth. It would be tricky, but I was a smart wench. Even in my years of captivity I had formulated plans and run them through different scenarios. The world had changed since the last time I had been let out, but humans were the same and could be used in the same way, too.

"Lieutenant Colonel Marcoh, the Fuhrer is ready to see you."

"Hold your friggin' horses I'm coming." I answer. I grimaced. That didn't sound like Elena at all. At least... not Office Elena. Her tone was sharp and precise, her inflection just the littlest bit foreign. "I'll be out in a moment." There. That was better.

I threw back the door to the ladies' showers, entertaining the hope of hitting whatever army personnel was my escort. My eyes narrowed. "Fuck." I muttered. The cigar-smoking major general from before was now in the uniform and slighter younger countenance of a first lieutenant. He smirked at my failed attempt to hit him with the door.

"Come on, Spite." He said, setting off at a brisk walk. I kept pace beside him, shoulders back and staring straight ahead. We stopped three corridors down. He opened a door. "Wrath will see you now." I entered and Envy closed the door beside me.

"Colonel Mustang." I said, a little dubiously. The Fuhrer and the Colonel sat as nicely as you please at a small round table, a tea service set up on a silver trey. Three extra chairs were at the table. I took the one furthest from the Fuhrer, folding my hands before me on the table. Bradley smiled quietly to himself as if enjoying his own private joke.

"I am told there was a bit of trouble down below." he said pleasantly. Mustang said nothing, staring darkly at the table and his own full teacup. I resigned myself to being surrounded by idiots and poured my own cup. "Our lair was found by the Elrics brothers and that Ishbalan, Scar.

"Blame Gluttony." I said. "He took Alphonse straight to Father."

"Yes but Gluttony is simple," Wrath said. "He can hardly be blamed. But you, on the other hand, Spite--"

"Blah blah blah yeah I know." I sighed, taking a sip of my tea. "It's always me, isn't it? Blame Elena. She was a pain to live with." Mustang looked up at my use of past tense. I raised my eyebrows at him, letting my eyes turn sclera for just the briefest moment. "She's gone." I said. "Father destroyed her. It's only me in this body now. Finally."

"What!" I shrugged.

"Sorry, Roy. You know she was dead ages ago, anyway. And that Xing kid, Ling? He's Greed now. So don't expect any help plotting from over the border." I winked cheekily at Mustang. I hadn't seen a human look so angry in a long time. "And I heard about Riza. Awful shame. Sweet young thing like her working for this old man." Wrath ignored my cheek.

"You should have been named 'Irritation' instead of 'Spite'." He told me. I grinned.

"You're just jealous that I've got the body of a young girl while you are growing old. Your body will fail you eventually and you'll die. Maybe I'll be Fuhrer next...."

"My dear Spite, don't forget that that is Colonel Mustang's ambition." Wrath raised his cup to the Colonel. Mustang smiled tightly, as if the very movement hurt him.

"You flatter me, Sir President." He said. "You seem to have taken my latest Lieutenant Colonel from me, too." He laughed lightly. Bradley chuckled.

"Ah. Well, that wasn't my doing," he admitted, probably wishing that the current events had come about by his own hand. "Spite is a sibling of sorts. I believe you met her before, in the Central City Research Institute where you killed Lust."

"I actually liked her." I mused regretfully. "Lust, I mean. Cheeky woman. And you shot me a bunch of times, Roy-o . Elena was totally fine with that, you know. She was weak."

"And yet you were just saying that she was strong." Roy pointed out. I snorted, rolling my eyes.

"Whatever. Father got rid of her for me. Said Elena was corrupting me." I shrugged.

"And now that she's gone you will behave." Wrath said sternly, glaring at me from across the rim of his teacup. I rolled my eyes.

"Of course, little brother." I said snidely. "Just point me and I'll shoot. Oh, yeah, and I want my license."

"Your license?"

"Yeah. State Alchemist, you know?" I said impatiently. "It will look weird of Elena Marcoh doesn't get her license back, being the 'Iron-Fist' and all. I'm supposed to be her, anyway."

"Then you better start acting like her." Bradley said sharply. "Keep your bile to yourself. Make nice with her subordinates. Be her."

"I've lived inside her head for the past seven years. Shouldn't be too hard."

"Mm. Oh, is that the time?" The Fuhrer looked up in mild surprised at the elegant clock mounted on the wall. "Dear me, the Fullmetal Alchemist and his brother should be here at any moment. It will distress them if you are here, Spite. No, Colonel Mustang, stay. You are my guest. Now, Spite--"

"Elena." I corrected with a smirk. Bradley paused and went on.

"--Lieutenant Colonel Marcoh, take the rest of the day off to... acquaint yourself with the new way of things. I have an assignment for you tomorrow."

Ed ambled along, hotdog in one hand on which he munched tiredly. Man, when did the days get so long? He hadn't slept in forever, it felt like. He stifled a yawn and huddled deeper in his borrowed over-coat. His body had gone to sleep hours ago, leaving him cold and grumpy. All he wanted to do was clean up the mess he'd made earlier and then sleep for a month.

He passed the military road-block and proceeded to where he and Al had fought Scar and where Lieutenant Colonel marcoh had started monologuing. Last he remembered, the surrounding streets had looked like a war-zone. Now, as he darted from alley to alley in confusion, they looked brand new.

"Sir!" The soldiers from earlier called to him, waving jauntily. Ed made his way towards them.

"Did you get some local alchemists to help?" Ed asked curiously. The bearded soldier shook his head, grinning.

"Naw. They strutted up confidently enough to help this morning, but as soon as they tried to transmute something they got flustered and said they couldn't, said something was stopping them."

"Pah, amateurs." The other soldier spat on the ground. "A State Alchemist came and helped us not too long ago. Just goes to show that your group is a whole level above the others, hunh?"

"Oh. When did the State Alchemist leave?" Ed asked, stifling another yawn. I should thank him.

"She's still here. Lieutenant Colonel Marcoh!" The bearded soldier called.

Ed felt the bottom drop out of his stomach as the other State Alchemist sauntered over. She looked as fresh as a daisy, uniform crisp and black hair stuffed beneath a cap. "Good morning, Elric." she greeted him. "How are you? Scar didn't injure you?"

"Er-- no, I got off easy." Ed said. "Oh, wait! You got knocked unconscious, didn't you?" he asked one of the soldiers. The soldier grinned.

"I'm fine, sir. Just a mild concussion and I was back on my feet. But I heard you had a rough time of it, sir. You and the Lieutenant Colonel both."

"Scar is an Ishbalan renegade." Marcoh said confidently. "This incident shall be mopped up shortly. Might I have a word, Mister Elric? Thank you. Good day, gentlemen."

Ed followed the lieutenant colonel away from the soldiers. The city was only just coming to life after the previous day's events. "So, Ed." He stiffened at the tone. Marcoh stopped and turned to look at him, blue-white eye crinkled in a smile. "How've you been? Father didn't rough you up too much, I hope?"

"No, I'm fine." Ed said shortly. No pun intended. "What about you, Spite?"

"You wound me." The homunculus purred. "Now before you pick a fight I want to let you know that even though I am in a very tight position, I can still help you." Ed made a disbelieving noise, making Spite frown at him. "I can. Really. Elena was human with all of the limitations of her youth in tact. I am immortal. I saw the way you looked at that little Xing girl with the braids when she did alchemy. You want to know how to do that, too."

Ed nodded warily. "Yes. Al and I think maybe we can use it to get our original bodies back."

"You can. And I want to know how, too. I can translate any documents from Xing you might find. Elena wasn't the only one from Xing. Did you know I was emperor there about four hundred years back?"

"That's a load of crap." Ed said frankly. Spite chuckled.

"It's true. It was my first job. Father made me to take over the emperor's body. Oooh, those were the days! Silks and perfumes and all the lovely women you could ever want..." Spite's voice trailed off wistfully. "I was in a male body back then, in case you didn't know."

"I assumed as much."

"There were also court alchemists and magicians and dancers. Poets, musicians, chefs... if you had talent you were a jewel of my court. They told tales of my reign for generations to come. I loved beautiful things. But I could also order the deaths of entire villages with a single twitch." She fluttered her fingers experimentally, as if maybe the movement had the same effect four hundred years later. "I was so powerful, so feared... oh, it was a heady thing. Father saw I was enjoying myself too much and then he ripped me from that body." Her voice was soft and savage. "And then he left me all alone in a little box for centuries. How I loathe Him. How dare He profess to care for me as one of His children when all He does is ignore me or smack me when I do something wrong. My name, don't you see? Spite. I gave it to myself. I hate Them more than You. So, I shall do all I can to help you and your ilk because it will piss Them off no end.. You want to overthrow Wrath, yes? If not you, then Mustang. Mustang's young, attractive, and human. He's got dreadfully good charisma and enough ambition to set a whole nation afire, no pun intended. I will help."

"That Father guy is your creator." Ed snapped. "He made you. You're one of them. And what about Colonel Marcoh? What does she say?"

"Colonel Marcoh is dead."

Ed stopped. His lungs felt like blocks of ice. "Wh-what?"

"Father killed her." Spite looked away from the young man, shoulders hunched against a nonexistent chill wind. "It's just me in here now."

"But-"

"Don't you see? I have my own motives!" Spite hissed, whipping around to glare at him with scleral eyes. "I help you neither for love of you nor this country. I hate everything in this world! Everything! I only hate you and your puling little humans slightly less than I do my own kind. Isn't that fucked up? Turn-coat to my family in favor of the little bastard insects that surround us!" Tirade done, she took a deep breath and let it out. Rummaging around in her blazer pocket, she procured a pack of cigarettes. She took one out and shoved it into her mouth. "Be a dear and toss this for me, would ya?" she said with a wink, tucking the empty box into the front pocket of the FullMetal Alchemist's coat. "There's a nice lady down the street a little bit who's balcony you destroyed. I left that one for you so you wouldn't feel useless. I'll be off now. Feel free to call me, okay? Good bye, Hagane no Rekinjutsushi."

He watched her go for a bit before remembering to be incensed. "Hagane no what now?" he yelled after her. "That better not mean small!" She simply waved without turning around. Muttering, he went in search of a waste bin. Finding one, he pulled out the cigarette box and was about to drop it in before something made him pause. This is heavy for being empty. He thought. He popped open the lid, revealing big bills stuffed into the little cardboard box. Tucked against the side was a tiny slip of paper reading, "DR KNOX". Shaking his head at the audacity of the homunculus—he didn't know quite how to file her under people he knew—he put the box back in his pocket and went off to fix Nice Lady Down The Street a Little Bit's balcony.