"Heero's seeming to be getting better, but he still can't get over Duo disappearing. Now he's even losing hope that he'll ever return. What do you think?" Wufei's voice sounded worried as Quatre saw him trying to cook at the same time.

"I'm not sure… We've almost completed the outer part of it, but the core of it was the most difficult to build. It may be impossible in reality, but I have to try for Heero's sake." Quatre's voice was full of determination and even his eyes became focused as if contemplating how to rebuild the whole core in his head.

Wufei smirked as he prepared to hang up on the blonde pilot, "Maybe, Heero can find another love, even if it is not with Duo Maxwell."

Quatre looked puzzled as he tried to understand what Wufei meant; then all at once he began blushing. "Hey-!"

The Chinese boy quickly turned off the vid-phone just as the timer on the oven beeped to signal that dinner was done.

"Heero, come eat before this gets cold!"

The brunette walked in with a smile on his face; a sight Wufei hadn't seen since Duo and Heero had first announced they were together.

"What are you smiling about Heero?"

"I… I may like someone else… other than Duo."

Wufei rolled his eyes and served a plate, "You can tell me who after dinner, for now let's eat."

> > >

Envy smirked as he watched the brunette walk out into the moonlit garden. Everything had gone just as planned, and now that Ed was out of his way for now… this was the time to take care of that nuisance Duo.

The boy had actually wondered out all on his own, but the timing couldn't have been more perfect; especially since Fullmetal had left him all by himself.

"Who's there?" Duo whipped around as Envy almost lost his balance on the tree limb.

"You're more alert than I expected you to be, but let's see how skilled you are in combat!" Envy despised fighting unnecessary battles and ones he was sure to lose, but he was willing to test this kid once.

Duo showed better agility than the homunculi had first expected and was caught off guard when he dodged so many attacks. Even a few he tried with Envy hit him, though not on his intended targets.

"You're pretty good for such a small kid." Envy managed to say before Duo tried another kick to the head.

"You're not so bad either for a guy who wears a skirt!" Duo could see Envy wasn't furious at the insult, but it did annoy him.

Then he took advantage of the homunculi's annoyance and landed a solid blow to his head and knocked him to the ground. He stood over the fallen opponent thinking that he had earned his victory when Envy looked up at him with golden eyes that didn't belong to him.

"What's going on? What the hell are you?" Duo's body tensed and couldn't move as he looked at those eyes that weirdo had stolen.

"What's wrong?" Envy took his own advantage and knocked Duo off his feet, "Don't want to hurt the person you love most? So many people are too tied down by family and lovers, and that's why humans are weak!"

Envy was about to finish off Duo when he noticed Lust out of the corner of his eye.

"Why are you trying to ruin my fun?"

"Father said not to kill him, but now you went and disobeyed him… He won't be happy about this at all…"

Envy didn't change out of Edward's form, but gave Duo a disgusted look as he stepped away from him.

"I'll take care of his memory…" Envy quickly turned his hand into solid automail like Edward's and knocked Duo right in the face.

"That should do it." Envy hated that he couldn't finish off the burden that would interfere if he didn't make the rest of the homunculi realize that.

> > >

Edward and Alphonse were still searching for Duo who had yet to return. It seemed unlikely to Ed that anyone would actually want to do anything to Duo. The only person that had ever crossed his mind as disliking Duo was Roy.

"Please tell me it's not you…" Ed prayed as he raced through the corridor and finally saw Duo lying on the ground through a window.

Edward burst through the door a few feet down and when he finally got to where Duo was; he pulled the other boy's head onto his lap. The blonde saw bruises and scratches that were all over his face and arms as he awaited him to wake.

"Duo, please wake up…" He noticed that Duo's pulse was irregular as he was lying there.

When somebody noticed them, he came to help immediately, but unfortunately it was the wrong person to find them. It was Roy who found them and carried the unconscious Duo inside to their room.

Once Ed and Roy had taken care of Duo and Al had come back and was watching him; Roy pulled him outside of the room and began demanding answers.

"What the hell is going on? Why are you keeping secrets from me, Edward? I thought you and I had already argued about that night... Yet you still don't trust me?"

Ed suddenly couldn't handle anymore of what was going on and lost control with Roy, "Why do you always assume these things? I don't know what's going on! I don't know why Duo's unconscious and hurt! And how can you expect me to forget everything just because of what you said!"

Then, Ed showed his first sign of vulnerability to Roy and collapsed to the floor. His face was covered by his hands, but Roy could still see tears.

Roy kneeled down and made Edward look him directly in the eye, then with no warning, kissed Edward fully on the lips. Edward was surprised at the gesture, but somehow could not bring himself to push Roy away. Maybe there was a chance he still liked Roy...