Innocence Of A Homunculus

Chapter Seven

Edward would walk back downstairs, leaving the poor sobbing woman to herself. "Sir."

"Yes?" The husband would stand up from his chair. "Did you find what you were looking for?"

"Yea, it explains a lot." Edward nodded and looked to Alphonse. "There's a lot more to this then we know Al."

"Like how much more?" Poor Alphonse was left in the dark this whole time.

Edward would begin to explain again. "Your son Alex, he had a girlfriend right? Elizabeth? She was murdered, and your son tried to bring her back with alchemy. But he didn't know what get was doing…it killed him. Exchanging his life for hers."

"Wait wait, your telling me all those books and things in his room is for that alchemy?" He knew his son was up to something, but honestly didn't think he would do something to irrational.

"Exactly. In exchange for his life a homunculus is born in the form of Elizabeth, who thinks I'm your son Alex. She managed to track me now somehow and we think she is here in town. My brother and I are trying to stop her and hopefully set her at rest but we may need your help."

The man nodded. "I suppose I can try, but I don't know what all I can do for you."

"Did you son have anything of hers? Like anything special?"

"Nope, not a thing. He burned all her stuff just after she died." He shook his head.

"There is one thing I know of." His wife came down the stairs. "Her funeral day, Alex threw something into her casket. A little compact he had given her. I knew it meant something to her because I always saw her looking at herself with it." She began to wipe her eyes. "Elizabeth was a good girl, very beautiful…it was no wonder why he loved her so. If you can set her to peace, then her and my son can be together again."

"Al, let's go." Edward said, waving to the both of them.

"Right." He would also wave, but then stopped as he nudged Edward.

"Huh?" He turned around to Al and looked back at the heartbroken mother. "Oh, uh…is there something else?"

"This may seen a bit of an odd request…but please…" She sniffled. "Could I just…"

Edward blinked, looking at the woman oddly as Alphonse nudged him again. "Brother, you do know you look like their son…" He whispered.

"Yea…" Catching a glimpse of a picture on the wall, it was eerie. Edward sighed, a more softer side showing as he walked over and let the woman hug him.

- - -

"That was just creepy." Edward moaned as they reached the cemetery.

"But just think of how happy you made her." Alphonse answered. "Besides, you were the one who told her that her son was dead."

"No, no that. Just this Alexander guy…I saw a few pictures…he really does look like me. And actually, I think I kinda like his hair cut." He looked around for the tombstone now.

"Brother…" Alphonse looked around.

"Yea, did you find it Al?"

"No but…this is the same cemetery mom was buried in."

"Hm?" Edward looked around, and it was. They just so happened to be on the other side of the cemetery. "You're right…c'mon, we can't worry about that right now. Keep looking."

- - -

Back in the woods, it had gotten later. Envy had given up and settled him self on the ground after seeing how comfortable Vanity was. Who was still sleeping. He laid down, his hands under his head as he looked up at the sky.

"Eh?" Blinking as he looked by his side to find her cuddling up to him. ". . ." Unsure on how to act upon this, he tried to ignore it and looked back up at the sky.

"I used to do this before…" She spoke softly.

Envy twitched, not realizing she was awake now. "Do what?"

"Look at stars…me and him, we used to look at stars together." She smiled with a faint sigh.

"Yea well…I wasn't looking at the stars." He lies of course. Now closing his eyes. "I was just trying to get to sleep that's all."

"With your eyes open?" Vanity would sit up a little, looking at him oddly.

He cracked on eye open. "I'm just good like that, that's all. I can sleep with my eyes open if I want."

"No you can't…" She refused.

"Who says I can't?" He would sit up too.

"I do. It's silly to sleep with your eyes open…because you can only see dreams when your eyes are shut." A little childish sounding, but it was a cute theory.

"I don't have dreams." He would lay right back down now.

"Why not?" She asked, laying down again also.

"How many times do I have to remind you? We're homunculi, we don't dream, we don't have feelings…it's stupid." Though he wasn't arguing, he simply stated his point.

". . ." She had no response, and instead would roll over on her back with her back to him now. A breeze of wind would blow her hair, tickling over his face a little.

Moving the white strands from his face, he turned his head and looked to see she had her back to him. "Oh what? Are you mad at me now?"

"How can I be mad if I have no feelings…" She pouted. "And why should you care if I was upset, its not like you have feelings either."

"I can be concerned if I want." He sat up, reaching his hand to her shoulder as he rolled her back over to face him. Envy starred, seeing that she was actually crying about something. "What's wrong now?"

"Nothing…" Again she would go to turn away but he simply wouldn't have that.

"Either say something now or just get over it. I'm not going to deal with your crying all night." He would keep her there.

"It's just…I don't understand anything. What I am, or how I got here really…how do you deal with living like this?"

"Sometimes you just have to get revenge to deal with it…" Envy would let go of her now.

- - -

By this time, Edward would be halfway into the grave by now. Though most of it was dug out by Alphonse, having a bigger younger brother was certainly a good thing to have.

"I think we're almost there Al! Let's keep going!" Edward pushed on until he heard a noise. "Wait…I think we got it!"

Hurriedly, they moved the dirt from the casket that Edward found himself sitting on. Alphonse was kneeling just beside the grave, not really able to fit into the hole as he just reached in and dug around from above.

"We'll get this, find her, and settle this problem." Edward finalized the situation, now slamming a metal arm down through the casket as he ripped it open. "Now where is it…a-ha!" Holding up the gold compact in utter victory. "Got it!"