Disclaimer: I do not own FMA or any of its associated characters

Blush

Do we really need to learn to love? Or do we only need to learn how to recognise it?

By the time he got up, which was no longer fit to be deemed morning, Envy was gone. Edo, with only his head poking out of the blanket, scanned the room to make sure the sin was definitely gone before dragging himself out of bed. Even through the slits of the blinds which Envy, from his spot by the window, must have closed at some point, it was possible to tell that the day had already become bright.

How long have I been asleep? He thought to himself, taking out his braid which had been badly messed up with his constant tossing and turning through the night, and re-doing it. That same dream. His explanation for being here, in the middle of nowhere, with none but the ever-popular Envy for company. Now Envy had disappeared too – but that would have been too easy. No, Envy would be nearby – after all, morning had come and gone while he lay wrapped in his nightmare. Envy…should he look for Envy? Not a chance - his companion would "find" him somehow without provocation.

Edo, with eyelids that were still heavy, wandered over to the window and held the blinds aside. There wasn't much to see – the inn really was in the middle of nowhere. It must have been hard for sensei to even find this place. Wait a second…ARU!

Having seized his silver watch from under his pillow, where he had left it upon going to sleep, Edo raced out the door.

Envy was sitting cross-legged on the roof, wondering what to do next. Aru's removal had originally been intended to ensure their hunt was not interrupted and it was possible that the boy could even act as bait for their prey – probably for the mere principle of that prey teaching his failure not to mess with him. The latter was unlikely, but having Aru come crying to his brother about some trivial event was reason enough. Now though, he was worried that the blonde looking for his brother would lead them back the way they came. They'd have to search in new places for Hohenheim, but Edo would probably reason to search in places they already knew to find Aru.

The view was terrible – a couple of plain-looking trees and low bushes as well as a long, straight road leading into the distance, unaccompanied by any other buildings or landmarks. The glare was annoying, and dark clouds were slowly approaching the sun – they didn't even have distinctive shapes (not that Envy was the type to amuse himself by finding pictures in the clouds), and it looked like it would rain later on. Such a boring place, and Envy wasn't used to the quiet either.

As the little alchemist came running out below him, his contemplative frown immediately curved the opposite way into a smirk. He jumped down from the double storey height, much to the surprise of the boy. Edo was obviously aware that Envy was a homunculus, but seeing someone land lightly on their feet after jumping down two storeys still took a while to register.

"So where're we off to now, Sleeping Beauty?" Envy asked, once again taking the alchemist off guard.

Edo blushed and grimaced at the same time before answering. "I'm," he emphasised, "going to find my brother, like you suggested last night – but you can do whatever you want." Right after saying so, he scolded himself for feeling comfortable enough to take that tone with an enemy who was able to beat him senseless at a whim - a risk he couldn't afford to take with Aru missing.

Luckily, Envy laughed it off. "Actually, I'm quite sure I suggested the morning – which is long gone now, but let me think…you know what? I think I'll come too," he smiled, "besides, it'll be on our way anyway, right?"

'Boy is he in a good mood today…' Edo thought to himself. 'So…cheerful - without having even caused any immense amount of pain recently. Something must be up.' The alchemist was also a little confused with Envy's reasoning. "What makes you think it would be on our way?"

"Well it doesn't sound all that easy for just anyone to come and take such a huge armour against his will – I reckon he's just come looking for you, and since he doesn't need to sleep he's probably already passed us," Envy explained, having only just thought of the explanation on the spot.

Edo was still sceptical. He looked at Envy suspiciously. "Maybe not just anyone, but what about one of you?" he said, accusingly.

Being a master of deceit, it was no problem for Envy to look him square in the eye and debunk the theory. "They wouldn't dare do something without my approval," he assured him. The clear implication that he hadn't given his approval along with the superior and overly confident manner in which he had said that one sentence was enough to ensure the thought of him actually being behind the order would never even enter Edo's head.

"You make it sound like you're the one in charge," the alchemist scoffed, and again began to wonder why he was not afraid to take liberties in talking with the sin that would normally be reserved for those that weren't supposedly enemies. It was as if Envy wouldn't hurt him somehow, even if he said the wrong thing. This was actually a pretty scary concept, especially considering that for some reason he no longer had that consistent urge to strangle the shit out of his companion either.

"And you make it sound like I'm not," Envy replied, in a singsong voice. "So shall we?"

Edo took a step back. "Shall we what?" he questioned, a concerned expression taking over his face.

"Go," the sin answered with amusement, "my my o chibi-san, it looks like you've got a chibi brain to match the rest of you…you're lucky you're so cute or you'd never have gotten anywhere."

The blonde went bright red, "W-WHAT? Y..ou….you're really damn creepy, Envy – you know that?" he yelled.

"Guess I must be if that last part could override my 'chibi' comments," he laughed.

Edo just glared at him. Despite all the other strange things he'd been thinking about Envy recently, it seemed almost easier to hate him now.

The sin's mood suddenly darkened. "Now I'm glad we've had this lovely little chat but its time to get a move on – you've already wasted half the bloody day."

It was very confusing for Edo to hear Envy's voice become so cold in the blink of an eye and he wondered what had set it off, forgetting the hatred he had only just been hosting, and replacing it with concern. "Fine."

A/N: Hey - that must be the quickest update I've ever...updated! I guess that's pretty sad since it wasn't all that quick, but anyway - thankyou all so much for reviewing, it was really really nice to hear that people actually wanted to know what was going to happen, and I really didn't want to quit the story - PS. If all goes according to plan, we should have some actual envyxed-ness next chapter! But things never go according to plan, so we'll have to see. Yes, reviews, that is, PLEASE REVIEW! also, am I allowed to respond to reviewers? I'm so confused since some people say that you can't and some say you can O