Knocking on the door interrupted the game of cards Ed, Al and Ruby were playing. Ed stood up and answered the door.

"You're lucky Moroa is only a few hours away." Winry snapped, pushing her way inside. "I thought I'd told you to be careful with your auto-ma-" She stopped with barely a foot in the door, looking in at where Ruby and Al were still playing Go Fish. She grabbed Ed and walked outside the room with him.

"Nice to see you too," Ed grunted. Winry looked hard at him.

"What are you trying to do to me!" She fought back tears that were forming in her eyes. Ed looked at her for a moment.

"I'm sorry." He said. He looked down at his feet.

"I suppose you think it's funny? Finding someone who looks like Ruby did, then calling me out here without warning?" Winry turned around and began to cry.

"It is Ruby, Winry." He said. Winry turned around, anger mixed with sadness clear on her face.

"It's not Ruby, Edward. Ruby is-"

"Dead?" A voice sounded from the doorway. Ed and Winry looked over to see Ruby and Al standing there.

"Al, what did you say to her?" Ed snapped. Winry began to cry again.

"I told her the truth, brother! I denied it at first but it's the truth and she deserves to know it!" Al said. Ruby looked down at her feet. All I am is an empty vessel, a remake of what used to be, I have no soul, the thoughts tugged at her like a weight.

"Al, did you also tell her who Winry is? I suppose you did, huh!" Ed was furious. "Did you tell her about you and me? Did you tell her about how she died?" Ruby began to cry.

"That's enough, you two!" Winry snapped. "If you knew all along whom she was then why didn't you tell me before? Why didn't you tell me my little sister wasn't dead?" Winry began crying. Ruby looked up at her.

"Sister..?" She muttered. "I, have a sister?" She hugged Winry. "I knew there was a reason why I used to dream about you, I just knew it!" Winry held her close.

"You aren't my sister by birth, but even adopted, you're still my little sister." Winry said. Ed looked hard at Al.

"I'm going for a walk." Al said, walking off toward the exit. Ed walked out onto the roof of the building without saying a word, leaving Winry and Ruby alone. They went back inside the room and sat down on the couch.

"They were so nice before, why are they fighting now?" Ruby asked. Winry looked over at her.

"We had our fair share of fights, too. Don't you remember anything?" She asked. Then she noticed the mark under Ruby's right eye. She fought back the thoughts that rushed her mind.

"I only remember when something familiar reminds me." Ruby stated. "Why were Ed and Al so nice to me? When they found me, they helped me out. They got me food and clothes, and now they're letting me stay with them." Winry looked fondly at her sister.

"So Ed hasn't told you yet?" She asked. Ruby looked puzzled. "Well, never mind then. I'll let him decide when to tell you." Ruby sighed.

"Why do I feel so different from everyone?" She asked suddenly.

A voice came from the window. "You're not." The girls spun around to see Envy at the window. "You're like me. You're like my colleagues." He jumped in, grabbing hold of Ruby. Winry screamed as he jumped out the window, disappearing into darkness.
Winry ran up onto the roof.

"Edward! Get off your sorry butt and do something for a change!" She called. Ed stood up and turned to see Winry rushing over to him.

"What's wrong? Where's Ruby?" Ed asked her.

"Kidnapped, that's where, by a homunculus!" Ed gasped, worry on his face.

"Which way did it take her?" He asked. Winry pointed to an old church building. "Okay. Go find Al and tell him what you just told me." Edward rushed past her, going in search of Ruby.

"Where am I!" Ruby demanded as Envy came into the room, followed by two others.

"You're among others like you." The woman said.

"If she doesn't cooperate, can I eat her, Lust?" A short, fat man asked. Ruby shuddered, stepping back against a wall.

"No, Gluttony." Lust replied. She turned back to Ruby. "Don't worry about him. You're safe here."

"What do you want with me?" Ruby demanded. Envy walked up right in front of her.

"All we want is your cooperation." He said. Ruby sat against the wall. "Pretty much all you need to do is stay here and not get us angry." He smiled. Ruby looked up at the three of them.

"When can I go?" She asked. Envy sat next to her.

"You won't be going anywhere without us." He said. "You belong with others of your own kind. Homunculi, if you will." Ruby stared at him. "You'll also need a new name. How's Regret sound?"

"I'm not like you! And I'm not staying here!" She stood up and ran into another room, this one with large arched windows. The escape was blocked off, and soon Envy had her arms and was dragging her back from a broken window.

"Don't get so hasty! We only want to be your friends." He taunted. Ruby jerked away sitting on the floor again. Envy laughed. "You just sit there, then."

"Look Lust!" Gluttony said, standing by a window. He was pointing down at a puppy that was wandering the streets. "Can I eat it? Please?"

"No!" Ruby cried, standing up. "It's a puppy, you can't eat a puppy!" Lust smiled.

"It seems we've found a soft spot with her. Gluttony, go bring the dog up here, but do not eat it." She stressed the last words. Gluttony sighed, jumping down from the window to get the puppy. "Here's the deal, kid," Lust walked up to her. "You agree to do as we say and the puppy lives. You disagree," she raised her hand, revealing long, sharp fingers. "The puppy is mince-meat." Her fingers quickly shrank back to normal.

"How'd you do that?" Ruby questioned. Lust laughed.

"The same way you can make acid tears." Was her short response. Gluttony came back, dropping the puppy at Ruby's feet. Ruby quickly scooped the puppy into her arms. Lust looked up at the ceiling, hearing footsteps. Envy must've heard them too, for he was pushing Ruby and the puppy back into the windowless room he had taken her before.

"What's going on?" Ruby asked. Envy sat down, and Ruby sat opposite him.

"How about we name the puppy?" He said. Ruby looked puzzled for a moment before setting the dog down. The puppy was a ginger color with a small frame and curly tail. "Now, what are good puppy names?" Envy thought for a moment. "Fido, Rover, Spot?"

"You can't name a non-spotted dog Spot!" Ruby criticized. "It's a male dog from the looks of it. What do you think of Curly?" A loud crash sounded from the other room making Ruby jump. "What's going on out there?"

"Gluttony's probably just chasing a rat again." Envy said, making up as fast an excuse as possible. "Curly doesn't seem fitting somehow." Ruby looked concerned as she stared at the door.

"Maybe Sammy?" She suggested only half paying attention. Envy smiled, almost genuinely this time.

"That sounds good." He said. He stood up and pulled an old rag out of the corner of the room. He tied it in a knot then threw it to Ruby. "Dogs like tug-of-war, right?" Ruby picked up the newly-made toy and Sammy started tugging on it immediately.

"Where is she!" Edward grunted, transmuting his right arm into a blade. It hadn't been fixed yet, but blades hurt even if they're just swung limply.

"I don't know what you're talking about." Lust said, jumping out of the way as Edward swung his arm at her.

"Where's Ruby? I know you have her here!" Ed pulled his arm back, preparing to swing it at her again.

"Ruby? No one here is named Ruby. At least," she smiled. "Not anymore." Ed stood still. What had they done to her?

"What did you do?" Ed asked, panting as he stood there.

"We didn't do anything. Our new colleague Regret was just coming for a house-warming party." She mocked. Regret? Ed thought. ...Ruby!

"So where is this 'new colleague'?" He asked. Lust backed against a door and knocked twice. A few moments later, Envy stepped out with Ruby struggling in his arms. "Ruby," Edward called, running over to her. Lust shot her fingers in front of him.

"One more step and she'll be in living hell the rest of her life, if you can even call it that." Lust said, coming closer to Ed. Ed grit his teeth. What could he do?

"Ed, I'll be fine if you leave me with them in peace." Ruby said, tears streaming onto the floor. Ed looked at her confused.

"No. He won't be leaving here. Unless," Lust moved her face close to his. "You can leave here with your precious Ruby if you make us a Philosopher's Stone and turn us human."

"I- I can't do that!" Edward said. He knew how many lives it would take to create one of those stones, and he didn't want to kill anyone without reason.

"You can and you will." Lust said. "We can provide you with everything you need. We could have this whole town gathered in one spot in a matter of hours, and all you'd have to do is use these fake stones along with the people of the town." Lust pulled out a handful of fake stones, and indicated that there were plenty more.

"Let my brother and Ruby go!" Came a voice. Ed and the homunculi turned to see Al standing behind them, a transmutation circle sketched on the ground in front of him. Lust stepped back, and Envy pulled Ruby away. "Let them go now!" He said. He pushed his hands onto the circle, causing a giant hand of stone to lash itself out from the ground, hitting the homunculi. Ruby struggled free, and Ed put his arm around her, in an attempt to hug her.

"Ruby, are you okay?" He asked. Ruby just stood there, wondering what was happening. Ed let go of her, heading over toward Al. Ruby began to follow, but Lust was now standing again. She stretched her fingers until there was one on either side of Edward's throat.

"No one moves or the Fullmetal boy gets his head served up on a silver platter." Ed stood still. "Regret, come back here with us. Fullmetal, now what do you say about our offer?" Ed looked down at the ground.

"If I do this, you'll let Ruby go?" He asked with a defeated sigh. Al looked up at him from where he sat, wishing he could do something.

"It's a promise." Lust said. Ed turned around.

"I'll do it for Ruby's sake." He said. Ruby began to cry. What had she gotten them into, after they'd helped her so much?