- 29 -

Envy...

Where are you?

:--:

"Hunt? Where the heck are you?"

"Colonel?"

"Hunt, I need to speak to you. Spare a moment?"

"What, you're actually asking for permission? Must be important."

"Relatively, Hunt, yes."

"So formal. I guess I can't refuse such good manners can I?"

"I appreciate that. Please follow me."

"...so, am I in trouble?"

"Not at all."

"Has something bad happened? Funny that I haven't heard, though..."

"No, nothing bad has happened as such, I'm just... curious."

"That means you're worried."

"Sometimes I wonder why your name is Hunt and not Sharp."

"Hardy-har-har-har, you're a riot, sir."

"I know. Although I'm not entirely sure why you're so disgruntled. I think it's rather close to a compliment, don't you?"

"Nngh."

"And I have to say that your manners are top notch, Sergeant."

"...Shut up, Colonel Shit."

We enter his office, and shut the door behind us.

I sigh.

"So? What's up, Captain Curious?"

Roy's got a funny glint in his eye, and I remember that he's been acting weird for a little while now. Maybe I'm just paranoid, but it seems like every time I look at him he's a-looking right back at me. Unnerving, to say the least.

Then again, I suppose he's not the only odd one... Envy always did say I was the worst liar he'd ever encountered.

Envy...

Where are you...?

"You shouldn't speak to your superior like that, Hunt," Roy remarks casually. "And I'm a colonel, not a captain."

"But curious nonetheless," I press. "So I ask you: What's up?"

"Hard to say," is the ambiguous reply. "It just seems... strange."

"What does?"

"You, Hunt."

And those infamous sharp black eyes are pinning me down again.

I snort.

"Come on, like I'm not strange by nature," I scoff. Unconvincingly, but it's worth a try, anyway.

"Strange then that you're not being strange," Roy tosses back easily. "Been working away like a good little dog, haven't you?"

"Eh?" My tone of voice is, hopefully, playfully disbelieving. "You're giving me a lecture because I'm doing my job?"

"You've put the finger right on it, Hunt." Roy is giving me a little half smile. "So tell me: why the sudden compliance?"

"Does there have to be a reason?"

"There was last time."

I wince, then quickly change it to a rueful little smile curling the corners of my lips. It seems the eighteen-hour-a-day-for-six-weeks-straight incident over Nicki obviously isn't going to let go any time soon.

"That was different," I reply, and instantly regret it. A cliché defensive cover-up digression if there ever was one.

"How so?"

"I'm just... feeling tired, I guess." I shuffle my feet about a bit. "Been... I dunno, losing a bit of sleep. Nothing serious, though," I add quickly, "just... going through a phase, I guess."

"Of?"

I shrug, rub the back of my neck awkwardly. Overdone? Hm, maybe…

"How do I put this?" I say. "Like... self-doubt? No..." I sigh, more irritatedly. "Sort of like, not sure what I'm doing anymore, what I am, how I am, what the hell's going on…"

"Deep thinking and soul searching," Roy sighs. "Jackie, you're much too young to be going through a midlife crisis."

I smile ruefully. He called me Jackie; I think that's a good sign.

"I know, sir, it's just... I dunno. I guess I've been through a lot of things--" I falter, avert my gaze suddenly - the best piece of acting I've ever done in my life. "Well, I'm just feeling a bit... hazy around the edges, recently. And working takes my mind off things. Gives me something definite to do."

Roy eyes me for a moment, but I sense something close to sympathy in his presence. Then he sighs, and says, "Well, I guess that explains the submissiveness and lack of absolute ego..."

"Like you're one to talk," I smile, a small, wicked tinge hanging around the edges, feeling it might be safe to allow myself a small indulgence at this point.

"I resent that!" the colonel remarks, standing straighter and puffing out his chest slightly. "Such impropriety! Go and do your work like a good dog then, go on! And don't come back until you're ready for a battle! Dismissed!"

Barely concealing a small smile, I salute him and stride out, inwardly elated at my victory and thus completely oblivious to the change in mood as I leave the room.

:--:

I wonder...

Envy...?

Where are you right now?

What are you doing right now?

Why aren't you here?

Why won't you come home...?

:--:

"Hoi, Edward!"

Absolutely no response, the stupid twat is deaf, I swear.

Grinning evilly: "YO SHORTY!"

Ping! Up goes the antenna and around comes the infuriated visage of Major Edward Elric.

"ALRIGHT, WHO THE HELL JUST CALLED ME SHORTY??"

Alphonse sighs. "Brother, you don't even know if they were talking to you..."

"Who else would they talk to?" I grin. "Everyone else around here is at least a head taller than little Elric-san."

"WHO ARE YOU CALLING LITTLE LIKE A PRESCHOOLER, HUNT??"

"You, naturally," I smile. Man this is fun…

"Please clam down, Brother," Alphonse implores, "you're making people look at us again..."

Major Pipsqueak just 'humph!'s and crosses his arms. "Well, you haven't changed," he mutters.

"Who, me?" I ask innocently.

"Yes you!" is the snappy retort. "You and your smartass smug little grinny face and cruel, cruel short jokes!"

I put on a shocked expression.

"Oh, Edward, am I hurting you with my little teases? I'm so sorry, I never meant to hurt your feelings! Please forgive me, I'M SO SORRY, I SWEAR THAT WAS NEVER MY INTENTION--!"

"JUST SHUT UP, WILL YOU?" Edward explodes, immensely uncomfortable. "Jeez, it's okay, really, don't get too emotional over it..."

I smile sweetly at him. "Okay, o-chibi-san."

Pulse. Mark.

"You haven't changed one single bit..."

:--:

"Is that right?"

The colonel's voice sounds thoughtful.

Dangerously so.

I lean my back against the door casually, one hand in pocket and documents by my side in the other: the picture of innocent loitering.

I lean my head against the wood, and tune into the conversation beyond it.

"Whadd'ya mean 'is that so?' She's infuriating! Always has been, always will be!" In a lower muttering voice, "She thinks she's so smart, high-and-mighty Miss Hunt the Blood Alchemist ooh, I'm so scared! For god's sake..."

"But she's not been like that recently," the colonel states clearly.

Edward's pause is full of barely repressed laughter.

"Honestly, Colonel? I don't think Jackie has another mode," he says. "It's either arrogant older sister or nothing."

...Older sister?

The grin covering my face cannot possibly get any bigger.

"Not true, Fullmetal," Roy counters. "She's been somewhat uncertain recently, and suspiciously obedient."

"Eh? Jackie? Since when did she ever do anything without complaint? Especially when it doesn't have anything in it for her, either."

This pause is heavily pregnant with insinuation.

"Indeed," Roy murmurs. "Since when did she ever do anything that didn't benefit her?"

A sigh.

"What are you on about now, Mustang? You think she's plotting something? Last time we had this kind of talk you thought she had a boyfriend. That's pretty petty, and not worth talking about behind closed doors."

"Last time was different from this time," is Roy's reply. "Last time she was skipping work, which is completely with her nature. This time she's studiously finishing everything within days of the deadline, which is most definitely not Jackie if there's no reward in it for her. And it's only just recently that it occurred to me that her whole involvement in the military is suspicious."

"Suspicious how?"

"Why does anyone join the military, Fullmetal? Oh sure, there are a few who genuinely want to serve the nation, but mostly they want the juicy benefits, right? So what does Jackie gain by being a dog of the military? Have you ever seen her do anything flashy with the money she makes? Have you ever seen her using the libraries for personal research? Flaunting her watch for special privileges? The most I've ever seen her do with the money is treat Havoc to lunch, which in itself is strange... But anyway. Have you ever seen her use any of the perks of being a State Alchemist at all?"

"I guess not... But--"

"Exactly!" The colonel's voice is triumphant, and Edward's following sigh is long-suffering.

"So what's your theory this time?"

"My theory is that she's got friends--"

"Well done, Sherlock Holmes!" Ed bursts out, sarcasm dripping from every syllable. "Bloody hell, what do you think we are??"

"--outside the law," Roy finishes bluntly.

Yet another pause.

"...What makes you think that?"

"I see no other reason for her to be here," is Roy's scarily serious answer. "She's infiltrating the system. And do you know how she did that?"

"How?"

"With the help of the Fuhrer. With the personal and specific request of the Fuhrer for her to be recruited. And... we know a lot more about the Fuhrer than we did before, don't we?"

There is another, more thoughtful silence that is, on my side of the door, punctuated by the painful thumping of my heartbeats.

...Shit.

And then:

"...You're serious, aren't you?"

"I am."

"Then I guess... I have a bit of thinking to do."

You're not the only one, Ed.

You're not the only one...

:--:

Envy...

Where are you...??


: sonryz :
Weeeeell, here's a little set up for the next chapter, with some disconcerting detective work by supersleuth Colonel Roy Mustang. Where d'ya think Envy ran off to then, hm? Oh the suspense! Yeah, right. XD;;

Had a fun little Ritsu (Fruits Basket) moment with Jackie and Ed (XD)... Oh, and for those unfamiliar with the Japanese nickname for little Edward-kun, 'o-chibi-san' is more or less Japanese for midget. XD A cute midget, but a midget nonetheless. Other than that though, not a lot else to say on my part. So now it's your turn! D

:-something wicked this way comes-: