HOLY SHIT! An update!

(the line thing isnt working for my computer)

In the past month, very little had changed. Ed spent all of his time studying the ancient books while making very little progress. Because of the time lapse between when these theories had last been studied and current times they contained terms that were no longer used in place of ones that Ed understood.

Al, having little else to do, had taken to clearing out what used to be the yard. He pulled up thorny bushes with ease and would soon have enough area cleared that he and Ed could spar if they wanted to. He was proud of the work he had done, using alchemy to move trees instead of chopping them down. Once a week he used a lawnmower that Ed had transmuted for him to keep the grass down.

Envy, who was gradually getting more lethargic each day, split his time between wandering around the house and hovering over Ed's shoulder, demanding to know what progress he had made. He refused to admit that he was getting worse, but it was obvious that he was. Apart from lacking energy, he complained that his entire body was sore and he felt as though he was about to throw up most of the day. Never had he known pain like this since the day he had been reborn. He also slept every night, though he insisted that it was not natural for a homunculus to sleep. Ed had retorted that there was nothing natural about a homunculus to begin with.

"Brother, I'm going in town to get more supplies!" Al called out, one hand on the doorknob. He twisted it open and jumped when he saw someone standing on the opposite side, hand in the air and ready to knock on the door.

"Al, good to see you!" the newcomer smiled, stepping into the house. "You look well."

"Dad!" Al shrieked, throwing his arms around him.

In the laboratory, Envy and Ed both stopped what they were doing and ran to the door.

"What the hell are you doing here?" Ed demanded to know, "Get the hell out!"

"No one asked for your help!" Envy sneered, ready to kill the man in front of him.

"It makes a father so proud to know his children love him," Hohenhime sighed, taking off his coat and hanging it on the coat rack.

"Who said you could stay?" Envy and Ed yelled at the same time, frightening Al.

"Well, this is my house." Hohenheim said in a very matter-of-fact way. "And, if I am not mistaken, you probably need my help."

"And why do you say that?" Envy demanded, taking another step forward.

"You left Dante and are hiding out with the one person you hate more than anyone else. That hardly sounds like something you would do willingly. Something is clearly wrong and, being a responsible father, I want to know what it is." Hohenheim moved to the couch, patting the seat next to him, "Now, tell me what is wrong."

Envy just looked at him, trying to decide if he was serious. He seemed serious, and Hohenheim wasn't the type to joke around, but could he actually expect Envy to go over there and talk to him? Envy stared blankly, unable to make up his mind.

"Since I first created you, I worried about what might happen. Since both the time element and decomposition theory were popular at the time, I had several books on them. Even after you left…"

"I left?" Envy questioned, taking a step closer, "You're the one who left! For the record, I'd rather die than have your help anyway! Besides, I already have Ed looking over those to theories."

"So," Hohenheim's smile widened as Envy realized he had given out more information than he had meant to, "You are sick."

Envy went to yell something at him, but he couldn't think of anything to say, so he closed his mouth, defeated. Ed just looked at the pair of them, not sure if he should do anything. Although he hated the man more than anyone, save Roy, the alchemy books were confusing and he did need some help.

"Envy, if there is anything that can be done to save you, I have a better chance of finding it. Ed, try though he might, he wont be able to. No two alchemists are the same, they all use slightly different methods. I created you, I know exactly which methods I used, Ed does not. I am staying and that is final." Hohenheim stood up from the couch and walked over to the door that led into the basement, "Are you coming Ed?"

"I guess we are going to need more supplies if he is going to stay here too." Al mumbled, heading out of the door, leaving Envy standing alone in the room. The homunculus sighed and moved over to the couch. He laid down for a moment, wondering just how Hohenheim had known that he was here to begin with.

"Envy," Hohenheim shook his shoulder, waking Envy from the nap that he hadn't realized he was taking. "I need to examine you."

If he had been more awake, Envy would have put up some sort of a fight, but he didn't feel up to it. He just felt weak. He didn't complain as Hohenheim poked and prodded him, taking his temperature and weighing him. Hohenheim also did other things that he didn't exactly understand, using alchemy on parts of his body and writing down the results on a piece of paper.

"Hmmm," he said, looking over the results. In reality, he had gained no information from an hour's worth of tests, but he figured that it would be good to keep track of things, such as weight, over time. "Envy, I need you to answer some questions for me."

"No." he grumbled, wishing that he could go back to sleep.

"First off," Hohenheim turned to a new piece of paper, ignoring Envy's response, "When did this first begin."

"A couple of months ago." He answered truthfully, apparently forgetting that he had refused to take part in this.

Hohnehim jotted something down on the paper and continued to ask him questions related to how he felt. He had already asked the same questions to Ed but he wanted to make sure that their answers matched up. Envy was a well known liar, but he doubted that he would be able to remember what he had told Ed in the state that he was in right now. When he looked over the information he was stunned to see that it all matched up. Either Envy was not as out of it as he had suspected or he had decided to tell the truth. Given who he was talking about, Hohenheim wasn't sure which possibility was more likely.

By the end of the questions, Envy's head was swimming. The world seemed to twist and turn with no rhyme or reason behind it. Hohenheim's voice seemed like it was coming from far away and, although he was answering every question asked to him, Envy did not understand anything that was going on.

"I need to stand," he announced so suddenly that both Hohenheim and Ed jumped a little in surprise. "I need to stand right now!"

The father and son looked at one another for a moment before turning back to Envy. They both pulled him to his feet, worried at how limp he felt in their hands. Without warning, the homunculus went into violent convulsions, causing Hohenheim to lose his grip. He was now fully in Ed's arms. Ed held him as best he could, careful not to allow him to injure himself. He didn't realize it until later when he felt how raw his throat was, but he screamed the entire time.

Al rushed in after hearing Ed's screams, getting there just in time to see Envy begin to quiet down and stop convulsing. He rushed over to help Ed, but his older brother refused to accept it.

When Envy opened his eyes again he was still in Ed's arms. Together, they sank down to the floor, Envy collapsing into Ed's lap. Several times the homunculus tried to say something, but it wouldn't come out.

"What's wrong?" Ed asked several times, pushing Envy's hair out of his face. The homunculus took several deep breaths before shoving Ed away, turning himself over in the process. His arms shaking from the exertion, he held himself off of the floor as the red stones spilled from his stomach.

In seconds Ed was there, holding his hair back with one hand, the other arm wrapped around Envy's chest, holding him up incase his arms should give out. Ed was screaming and crying, though he didn't understand why. Hohenheim and Al were on either side, waiting to help.

After the last stone fell to the ground, Envy relaxed some. The sick feeling that he had had for several days had lessened, though he still felt weak. A familiar darkness blurred the corners of his vision, there was no reason to fight it. Even if he had tried, he had not strength.

"Ed…" he managed to whisper before the darkness took hold.

(the line thing isnt working for my computer)

Well. I updated. For once, I don't think that this chapter is shit. It has plot progression, it has entertainment value, it is of decent length, and it has a horrible cliffhanger that will make everyone hate me. All in all, pretty damn good if I do say so myself. (it better be good after how long it took me to update!)

oh, please review and please check my bio for an update concerning this fanfic.