More EnvyxCara in this chapter!

Cara: We're nearing the end of the second arc.

Chloe: Then we'll be on the home strech. The third and final arc

This book is not going to be a series. Everything will neatly tie up at the end so it will stand alone as a book.

Ed: The book is probably going to clock in at around fifty chapters long at most but maybe less

Envy: And might end up being the longest book the authoress has ever written

Al: Yep!

Wrath: REVIEW!

"A woman either loves or hates. She knows no medium" -Unknown

Envy wasn't exactly sure what had made him do what he did. But he had seen no other way to get the girl to just shut up. It had been impulse. But it had obviously worked. The look on her face had been priceless.

But it still left the question of why he had done that. And he didn't know. No matter how hard he tried to figure it out, he wasn't sure what had made him do that. Apathy infuriated him. But there was something odd about her. So at the same time he found her interesting. At least she kept things around the city not so boring. Even if she did have to learn to keep her snide tongue under control.

But that little kiss would keep her shut up for a few days if not longer.

Even if he still couldn't figure out why he had done it.

"An underground city." Ed said slowly. "The legendary city that disappeared in a single night."

"That's right." Rusl nodded. "And based on what we've read on this, it's very true. Our father came in contact with a certain alchemist. Hoenhiem of Light."

Ed stiffened at the name but he said nothing. Rusl continued.

"My father was researching the philosophers stone and Hoenhiem showed him the underground city. This was undoubtedly what turned him off further research of the normal method. So he researched the red water instead. But you know how that turned out." Rusl sighed.

"Yeah." Ed nodded.

"So this means that you know where the door is?" Al asked, eagerly. "The entrance to this city?"

"Yes." Fletcher said. "Do you think that you might find something there?"

"It's more than the philosophers stone." Ed growled. "Our friend was kidnapped. We've been looking for a place they might have taken her. One of them said to look into my father's research. This must have been what he meant." Ed stood. "Show us. We don't have time to waste. We have to go and get her out now."

"Have you thought that it might be a trap?" Rusl asked slowly.

"Of course I've thought of that!" Ed snapped.

"But we can't leave her." Al said firmly.

"Yeah guess not." Rusl shrugged. "But still."

"If your brother was taken, wouldn't you go after him?" Al asked.

A smile came over Rusl's face "Of course I would." He ruffled Fletcher's hair.

"Exactly." Ed said. "Will you take us there?"

"Yeah," Rusl and Fletcher stood. "Let's get going."

"The Elric brothers are on their way here, or so Lust says." Envy's voice made Cara stiffen like she had been charged with an electric current. "Master told me to tell you."

Cara stared blankly at him "Yippee."

A smirk curled over Envy's face, "Rough day?"

"Fuck you." Cara growled.

Envy laughed and stepped into her room. "Oh, well I'll take that as a yes."

"Go die."

"Can't do that little devil." Envy shook his head.

"Well than at least go away." She muttered.

"No. I do enjoy getting under your skin." Envy smirked, walking casually around her room.

Cara could have killed him for how he twisted her own words back on her. She could have snapped his neck in half. Instead she decided to ignore him. To just stare ahead at the wall and pretend he wasn't there. He was probably smirking at her but she didn't care. She. Didn't. Care.

Music suddenly filled the room. Music that made her throat close up. She whipped her head around to see Envy holding the music box in his hand.

"Put that down!" she snapped flying at Envy, reaching her hand out to grab it from his hand. Envy caught both her wrists with his hands as he dropped the music box and pinned her up against the wall. The melody didn't stop. It continued on like a funeral march in Cara's ears.

Cara glared viciously at him and tried to struggle away. He smirked at her "You look nervous little devil."

"Like hell." She snarled, trying to jerk away from him. "Let me GO!"

"Stop struggling." Envy pulled her forward and slammed her back against the wall again. Cara stopped and continued to glare at him.

"You bastard." She growled. "Why did you do that the other day? Why did you fucking kiss me?"

Envy stared at her oddly, as if the question confused him too. "I don't really know. Seemed like the best way to shut you up at the time."

Cara was completely out of things to say. There weren't words to express the burning feeling in her chest. "You… are so…" she glared at him as if that could convey everything. He looked back at her, still amused, as she tried to come up with something biting. Finally she just sighed. "Envy, let me go."

To her surprise, he did. She stalked away from him and over to the window, brushing her hair violently away from her face. The music box was still going. "Turn that damn thing off."

"If you hate it so much why did you keep it?" Envy asked. There was a snap as the box closed and the melody disappeared.

"I…" Cara stopped. "I don't know. I didn't used to hate it."

"Hmm."

Cara turned and glared at him. "Aren't the Elric brother's on their way? Shouldn't you be taking care of that?"

"I said on their way but they'll still be awhile." Envy shrugged and leaned against the wall.

Cara shrugged and turned away. "You do… know… that what I said yesterday is true don't you?"

Envy was silent for awhile. Cara expected he was thinking about whether or not he should slam her into a wall again. He finally sighed. "Maybe."

"If you were to disagree with her or go against her, she would cast you away as easily as any of the others." Cara murmured.

"Yeah, maybe she would. I haven't tried it." Envy said.

"And you're fine with that. That's something I don't get. I'm fine with it because I'm only here for the stones. I have no loyalty whatsoever to Dante herself. But you've been here four hundred years. Why have you stayed?"

"You ask a lot." Envy growled.

"I don't think so." Cara turned and looked back over her shoulder at him. "I don't think I do at all. It's a simple question."

"It's not a simple answer." Envy said.

"Answer anyway. Like you said, the Elric brothers are going to take awhile." The light of challenge flashed in Cara's eye. She wasn't asking now to irritate him. Now she was asking because she honestly wanted to know.

"…All you need to know." Envy said slowly, giving her a burning look. "Is that I stay here because I need to kill someone. Someone that might come back to Dante one day. And when that happens I will kill him. Also it helps that I enjoy messing with humans."

"What a vague answer." Cara turned back towards the window.

"It's all you're getting."

"Yeah, I thought so." Cara sighed. "And I stay here for the red stones. Which is just great because they don't seem to be helping me much. For awhile, sure, but it all comes back to those attacks. That's the reason joined this. Because they were the only thing I actually feared. But I don't think it's going to make a dent in my condition. It's like a drug." Cara's hands clenched at her side. "And what if the person you want to kill never comes back? How long are you going to stick around with Dante when she irritates you so much and pulls you around on strings like she does?"

Now Envy's anger snapped. He grabbed her shoulders and spun her around, slamming her back against the window so hard a crack shot through it. "I am not being led around on strings." Envy hissed in her ear. "I am not a puppet."

"That's what she does!" Cara snapped. "That's all she does! She operates strings! She pulls us around while we pull others around, thinking we're the ones doing the manipulating when we're not! You're no exception to that rule! You still do everything she tells you to do!"

"Shut up."

"You do everything she says, you feel everything she says! You're not a puppet? Prove it!"

There was only a split second of rage and confusion in Envy's eyes before he leaned forward and locked his lips with hers. Cara drew in a sharp breath as she had before and stiffened. The kiss lasted longer this time before Envy pulled away, his eyes parallel with hers.

"You really need to learn when to shut up." He muttered.

Cara quickly wiped her shock off her face. Because two could play at that game. She grabbed his shoulders and brought her mouth back to his, just as forceful as him. And he kissed her back, pressing her against the wall as he did, matching and over powering her force.

In the back of her mind Cara wondered what the hell she was doing. Getting even? Maybe. But it was the burning feeling in her chest that was driving her. She had been convinced it was anger. But now she wasn't quite so sure that was it.

But it was something. She was feeling something. And that's why she found herself pulled into the kiss. Because it felt good. And she could feel without pain. This wasn't hitting a tree or lashing out in anger. The kiss was forceful, but it was a good feeling.

Envy broke away and looked down at her. His brow was furrowed in confusion, like he couldn't believe what had just happened. Or he couldn't understand it. Cara guessed her face looked much the same way.

"You are so… strange." Envy muttered, still close to her face. "Infuriating and strange."

"Right back at you." Cara growled though her voice had no real anger behind it.

Envy sighed and released her shoulders, stepping back from her. "The Elric's will be here soon."

"Right." She nodded, her eyes falling to the ground. Envy left and she pushed her hair out of her face.

"God… what was that?"

"The Elric brothers are on their way." Wrath told Chloe.

Chloe's heart sank. "No… they can't come."

"But that means you'll be released." Wrath said, sounding confused.

"Released? No I won't. Dante won't release me. She might kill me." Chloe smiled bitterly and jerked at her bindings. "Damn it I have to help them!"

"You can't without your shoes and gloves." Wrath reminded her.

"No…" Chloe stopped before an idea popped into her head. "Wrath… you could get them for me."

"What?" Wrath's voice squeaked. "No I couldn't! That's a bad idea!"

"They're my friends Wrath. I can't just let them do something this stupid." Chloe pleaded. "If they're going to get into a fight, I need to help them!"

"But I can't. We're still on different sides you know."

"Wrath." Chloe insisted. "Put yourself in my shoes."

"You don't have your shoes."

"It's a figure of speech Wrath. Put yourself in my place." Chloe sighed.

"But I hate the Elrics." Wrath reminded her.

"But what if it was your mom?" Chloe asked.

"Mommy?" Wrath's voice was colored with surprised.

"Right." Chloe nodded. "What if your mom was going into a situation that would probably result in her being killed? Wouldn't you want to help her? Wouldn't you do anything to help her even if it meant you might be killed?"

"I can't die."

"Wrath."

"Of course I would!" Wrath said indignantly. "I'd do anything to protect Mommy."

"So you get it." Chloe said. "See it's the same thing. So please Wrath, help me! Get me my shoes!"

Wrath was in decisive and silent for several moments before he said. "Fine… but if I get in trouble I'm blaming you."

Chloe smiled. "Thanks Wrath. I owe you one."

Ed looked down the long passageway they had opened up in the church that seemed to expand into endless darkness.

"Yeah, this is definitely the right place." He muttered.

"Looks dark." Al murmured.

"We'll be fine." Ed turned back to Rusl and Fletcher. "We can take it from here. Thanks for your help. You have no idea how much this helps us."

"Yeah, you owe us one." Rusl smirked.

Ed smirked too. "No I don't. This is your payment for stealing our names."

Rusl rolled his eyes. "Just be careful, alright Ed?"

"Sure." Ed shrugged easily. "Al and I are used to this. Don't worry about us."

"Come back alive." Rusl said firmly.

Ed smiled and headed down the stairs, Al close behind him.

It's picking up speed! Finally. I was getting so tired of being in a constant state of writers block. I'll be glad when this arc of depressingness is over.

Cara: What a coincidence. So will I.

Chloe: Me too!

Ed: I second that!

Al: Yeah, I agree too.

Every other person effected by the depressingness of the arc: AND US!

...Right...

Envy: REVIEW!