"Colonel!" Edward shouted, fist in the air. They had just received all the back up they'd need.

"You just manage to make new friends everywhere you go, don't you?" He teased him, taking stock of the room, but Edward had no time for a snide retort. He pulled Johanna to her feet and she snatched her sword from the ground as several new monsters ran for them. Johanna growled, dragging her katana through the flesh of several soldiers. Her cuts weren't nearly strong enough to dismember them completely, she didn't really know how to use a sword, but they were deep enough to prevent them from walking and that was fine by her.

With a clap, Johanna fell to the ground, willing from her spot another set of waves, toppling the ghouls that had began descending upon her. Johanna had managed to clear a path between her, Roy, and Riza, and she spared the woman a small smile of greeting before picking up her sword and joining them at the door.

"Don't bother with the guns, they're useless against them." She told the lieutenant.

"How do we kill them, then?'" Riza looked desperate. If she didn't have her guns she wasn't very useful at all.

"They're homunculi?" Roy asked Johanna, setting fire to another group of monsters.

"No, not quite." She told him. Several yards away she could see Edward fending for himself against an entire horde. Without thinking, Johanna ran after him, dismissing Mustang and Riza with a small wave before plunging back into the action. Roy watched her go, pleasantly surprised with her, before turning to Riza.

"Remember last time we were here? I believe you were crying over me." He asked her smugly.

"Well I won't be crying over you now, water makes you useless." She sneered at him. Mustang scowled at her, turning back to the crowd around him. "Watch this."

Johanna had found her way to Edward, cutting down as many as she could on her own. When she got to the Ed, she found him panting, tired, and she couldn't blame him. Fighting the undead horde had left Johanna a little more than breathless as well.

"Stay with me!" Edward hissed at her when she arrived, cutting down another ghoul. Johanna huffed as she went for another group, only to have them engulfed in flame before she could get to them. Johanna could feel the heat on her face as fire swirled around her and Edward, the force of it nearly sweeping them away. With a startled cry, Johanna shielded her eyes and Edward pulled her to his chest, as it surrounded them and their companions.

The monster's shrieks could be heard over the roar of the flames as the inferno devoured everything around it. Their bodies danced black against the oranged flames, charring them to the bone with it's heat. Not even the zombies on the ground were saved, as mustang inflamed them, too.

Once the fires ceased, the bodies crumbled around them in a display of black ash, which littered the floor as the only evidence of the monsters ever being there in the first place.

Mustang joined Edward and Johanna where they stood, extremely casual about the level of destruction he'd just committed. The pair were still collecting themselves when he spoke to them his tone even and cool:

"How was your vacation, Fullmetal?" His voice seemed to snap Edward out of any trance he'd been in, and Edward and Johanna both turned to the Colonel, who was smirking at them maniacally. Before Edward could even speak, a rumbling began in the ceiling above them, which collapsed, debris and dust filling the room around them. Johanna coughed violently as the dust cloud dispersed, revealing piles of rubble, pipe, and Envy.

"What the?!" Edward growled. Johanna pulled away from him, gasping as well. Above him, clinging to the giant door, was a small girl clad in a pink kimono and braids.

"Is that Mae Chang?" Jerso shouted, incredulously. The young girl scampered down the door, joining Scar to Johanna's left. He growled at the girl.

"You damn fool! Why didn't you go back to Xing?" Mae Chang looked at him, her heart clearly broken, and she began to blubber at his feet, which seemed to actually embarrass the Ishvalan.

"I've got to admit, you guys really made a serious mess down here." Envy spoke, drawing Johanna's attention away from Scar and Mae Chang. "So we've got the Fullmetal alchemist and the Flame alchemist." Envy smirked, taking stock of their group. "Scar is here, the filthy, traitorous Chimera…" Envy trailed off before his eyes fell on Johanna. With an air of surprise, his smirk shifted from malevolent to satisfaction. "Even little Johanna Albrecht made it to the party. I really thought you'd be smart enough to leave her at home."

"Shut it, scum." Johanna growled at him, earning a series of low chuckles. Once his laughter had subsided, Envy smiled at them, hands on his hips.

"Well then, who wants to be the first to die?" His question was rhetorical, but that didn't from speaking.

"You're Envy, right? The Homunculus who can change his appearance at will?"

"Wow! You've heard of me!" Envy preened. Johanna took a deep breath as a knot filled her stomach. "I'm flattered, nice to meet you!" He paused thoughtfully, turning towards Scar. "I wonder though, why would you team up with him, Scar? You do know he's responsible for reducing Ishval to hell on Earth, right?"

"I'm aware." Scar called back, not taking his eyes off of Envy.

"You guys are friends now? Well that's no fun at all. What happened to trying to crush each other's wind pipes?" Envy whined. "look at the two of you, you obviously want to kill each other, so do it." To Johanna's surprise, Roy took a deep, exasperated, breath, before glaring up at Envy.

"We aren't going to be the pawns in your sick little game anymore." He told the Homunculus. Envy smiled back at him, as if he were accepting a challenge.

"Really? And what about your sick games, hmm? Don't kid yourself, Mustang. You know humans like to watch each other suffer while making themselves." The pit in Johanna's stomach only seemed to grow bigger the more Envy spoke. "I mean, why else would you constantly be at war with each other?" Again, Mustang took time to reflect what Envy had just said. With a smile, he replied:

"There really is nothing quite like watching fools dig their own graves." Envy watched him, giving an impressed whistle. "Especially when that fool is an arrogant Homunculus who's too stupid to see what he's doing." Roy finished. That got Envy's attention. The Homunculus glared at Mustang, any playfulness gone. "I've humored you long enough, so how about you answer a question of mine." There was a pregnant pause as everyone waited for the Colonel to speak. However none of them were ready for his question. "I want you to tell me who killed Maes Hughes?"

Johanna felt her blood grow cold as both her and Edward turned to look at Mustang with wide eyes. She had trouble catching her breath, the anxiety of that question all too real. Johanna sputtered, shocked. What would happen when he got that answer? Envy and Mustang watched each other for several long minutes.

"Maria Ross did. Isn't that why you burned her to deaath?" Envy hissed, glowering at Mustang.

"Shut up." Mustang barked, catching everyone in the room off guard. Johanna flinched, his tone cruel. "I know that she didn't kill him." Envy's face burst with Glee.

"You mean to tell me that you scorched an innocent girl to a pile of ashes? Nicely done, you monster." Envy clapped for him. "Wow, that must have been fun telling her family. Did you cry when you told them?" Envy continued his tirade, and Johanna gaped at him. He really didn't know that Maria Ross was still alive? Mustang's plan had worked? She glanced up at Edward, who gave her a subtle shake of his head. Don't give it away. It said.

"Quit running your mouth!" Mustang ordered. Surprisingly, Envy shut up. "I'm tired of you Homunculus giving me the run-around when I ask this question. Tell me the truth or I'll burn it out of you, you worthless scum." Oh, this was not good. Johanna knew that it didn't matter the outcome to his question, Mustang was going to kill someone that someone being Envy. "Tell me who's responsible for his murder." Despite the tone of their argument, Johanna was on the edge of her seat. She had to know, maybe not as badly as Mustang, but she still had to know. In her short time spent with the Hughes family, Mae's had meant a lot to her. To Johanna's surprise, Envy began to laugh, it's sound echoing off the walls around them, taunting them.

"Congratulations, Colonel Mustang. You've finally hunted down your culprit." Envy sneered, gesturing to himself and bowing. Roy watched him quietly before answering.

"I doubt a moron like you could pull it off."

"Moron?" Envy said, offended. The Homunculus sparked red, changing before their very eyes. As he did he continued to taunt them. "Tell me who the real moron is here, because I don't think it's me." He told them, his voice slowly changing into something soft, something familiar. "I prefer to save that term for someone who falls for a cheap trick like this." Envy finished, however it was no longer Envy standing there. No, in his place stood a smirking Gracia. The room went deathly quiet and Johanna's jaw went slack as she stared up at Envy Gracia in a mixture of horror and disbelief. "You should see your face!" Envy Gracia laughed. "You're not gonna believe this, but that was the same face Hughes had when I shot him! The utter shock! The dumb confusion. Every emotion he felt as his own wife shot him!" Envy groaned in ecstacy, hugging herself. "It was great!"

Sometime during Envy's confession, Johanna had started to cry, and she didn't realize it until Envy had begun laughing at her for that fact. She hated Envy, more so than she'd ever hated anyone before. How dare he? How dare he take Hughes life so callously? And to laugh about it? Edward grabbed her shoulders, pulling her into his arms tightly. He could feel her shaking as she buried her face into his chest. Silently he rested his chin on the top of her head. This may not have been the place nor time for it, but she needed him so here he was.

"Shut up." Mustang's voice was gravelly, so hateful. "You were stupid enough to confess, much less boast. Everything you say is fuel on your funeral pyre!" Mustang slowly raised his hand in front of his face, preparing himself for obliteration. This stupid fool, he had probably never felt the pain that he was going to feel in this moment, and Johanna knew he would never feel it again. Because Mustang was going to fucking kill him. Mustang turned to look at Edward and Johanna with cold, calculating eyes. "He's mine, you hear me?" Mustang told them, daring them to say otherwise.

"You heard the man, let's finish what we came here for." Jerso spoke, cutting the silence. As he took a step forward, Envy extended a giant, green hand, blocking the large door that the humanoid ghouls had come from.

"I don't remember giving you permission to leave!" Envy told him. Over the sound of Envy's monologue, Johanna heard Mustang snap and she flinched as Envy's mouth erupted in flame. The Homunculus screamed, falling to his knees, his mouth sparking red as he regenerated.

"Keep your eyes on me, Envy. Our conversation is the only one that concerns you." During the regeneration, Envy changed back into his true form, grasping at his mouth angrily. "It's funny how fast a tongue can be turned into bubbling grease. Its surprising how easy it burns, isn't it?"

Mustang stood unflinchingly, hand raised, ready to strike. There was a fury in his eyes, it contorted his entire face until Johanna couldn't recognize him anymore. Edward shifted, pulling away from Johanna to look at Riza.

"Lieutenant, are you sure-" Edward started, only to be interrupted by her.

"JUST GO, Fullmetal." Riza barked at him, her gun trained solely on Envy. "We can handle this one."

"But-"

"The Lieutenant said go, Elric." Mustang glared them over his shoulder. Johanna shuddered at the sound of his voice. "You've got things to deal with."

"He's right, Ed." Darius told them, gesturing for the pair to follow Jerso. Johanna hesitated, watching Mustang quietly she met his cold eyes, which narrowed at her. They left her shivering as she reluctantly followed the group past a still regenerating Envy. She paused at the door, glaring at him hatefully.

"You deserve every burn." Johanna hissed, running off to join Edward.

"I wish he'd have let us stay." Edward grumbled after ten minutes of walking, a frown on his face. Johanna didn't even look up at him, keeping her eyes glued to Scars back in front of her.

"He'll be fine." Johanna told him quietly. She couldn't believe that it had been Envy who murdered Hughes she'd seen him several times since his murder, had several chances to get justice. If only she had known...

"That's not what I'm worried about." Edward told her, glancing at her from the corner of his eyes. Her face was still puffy from crying, but there was no emotion in her eyes whatsoever. He grabbed her wrist, pulling her to a stop. "Look at me." He told her. Johanna looked up at him, the frown on her face was so angry. "Let it go."

"Let what go." Johanna asked him, exasperated.

"I miss Hughes too, but you can't just let the hatred you feel for Envy fester."

"He killed our friend!" She hissed, pulling her arm from his hands. "I hope Mustang burns him to oblivion." She told him. But he didn't let go of her wrist.

"Hating him won't bring Hughes back, but it will destroy you…" Edward trailed off, pulling her fingers to his lips. "I don't want to see you go down the path of a monster." He kissed them gently, but that simple touch was enough to melt away her hatred for Envy. She'd been so tired since finding out about Envy and Hughes, so unlike herself. She wanted to harm Envy, no, destroy him, and as she thought about it, she realized how far from her person those ideals were. She didn't want to be a killer. And she didn't want Mustang to be one either.

"We have to stop him." Johanna whispered. "He's a good man, he's just angry." Edward nodded at her, running up to Scar and placing a hand on his shoulder. The Ishvalan stopped, looking at him curiously. "We need your help."

"It's about the Flame Alchemist, isn't it?" He said, earning a nod from both of the teens. "It wasn't that long ago I was a monster." He said after a sigh. "I understand the burning desire for revenge too well. The way he is headed, he will destroy himself in the flames of hatred." Scar gave Johanna a pointed look. "And it's doubtful he will ever recover."

There was a loud explosion behind them, one that lit the entire tunnel with orange, fiery light, before dying down. After a few seconds there was another orange flash followed by the sounds of Envy's pained screaming.

"It sounds to me like he's already well on his way. Let's go." Scar told them decisively. Johanna and Edward nodded, following the Ishvalan quietly. The sound of gunshots rang out, which only served to quicken the groups steps.

The group followed the sounds down another hallway to the left, it was so small that if they hadn't been searching for it they probably wouldn't have seen it. The small entryway opened into a large room, with several exits veering off into different directions. Johanna frowned, looking at each door.

"We're gonna have to split up." She told them. Edward groaned, he didn't like that idea, especially with a shapeshifter in their midst.

"Lemon bar." Edward told them, earning a confused stare from both Scar and Johanna. "if we run into each other randomly back there say it. If we're confused, we aren't us." He told them, obviously. Johanna rolled her eyes.

"That was the best that you could think of?" She scolded him. He shrugged. Edward opened to retort, when another explosion shook the room.

"Children, we have more pressing matters." Scar growled, stalking off to the only hallway on their right. Johanna snorted, stepping off to the left.

"I hope I come back alive, because if that man says lemon bar to me, I'm probably gonna lose it." Johanna clapped, producing a baseball bat from the ground beneath her. Scar scowled from his hallway, signalling he had heard her. Johanna laughed, giving the bat a few practice swings. She stopped before walking away, looking over her shoulder at Edward. "Be careful, okay?"

"I will, promise." He grinned at her, taking off down the final hallway.