Manami was constantly using the same deadly technique against Envy. No matter how he changed his appearance, she kept doing it over and over again… limbs, torsos, heads— every time he regenerated, she somehow kept making his body parts explode from inside him… and he couldn't even get close to her to stop it!
"How are you doing that?!" Envy shrieked, as he worked to regenerate. He lost count how many times he had died already…
"Like I'd tell you, you piece of shit." Manami snarled, walking up to him. "What you need to know is that I'm going to make you feel as much agony as he did! And more!"
She pointed her fans and flicked her wrists again, and Envy shrieked as his eyeballs exploded out of his skull. It was in this moment that Envy realized he was powerless against her. She was just going to keep doing this until his lives ran out… and he would die.
Before his eyes finished regenerating, he took a chance and quickly made his arm bigger so that he could swipe some of the ceiling's rubble at her, distracting her long enough so that he could turn and bolt through the same open door Ed and the others had gone through earlier… blindly running into the darkness.
"Get back here!" Manami chased after him, but he was nowhere to be found once she entered the dark hallway. She clicked her tongue and quickly strode ahead.
He couldn't have gotten far.
It was eerily quiet. She slowed her walk to a normal pace, opening her ears to listen as hard as she could. Envy was hiding, and probably planning to strike at any moment. He couldn't kill her, but she knew that he could take her fans and break them, at the very least.
"Manami!" Someone called her name, and her eyes widened. She thought for a split second that she was imagining it, but she turned her head to see Ed running towards her.
"What are you doing here?!" She barked at him. "I told you to go—"
"Manami, stop!" Manami froze when she heard another voice call her name…
But it wasn't a different voice.
She looked behind her to see Edward, also standing behind her.
"!" She gritted her teeth as she quickly turned so that her outstretched arms each aimed a fan at one of them, her eyes constantly darting back and forth between the identical Edwards.
"Whoa, whoa, whoa!"
"What the hell are you doing?!"
"One of you is Envy!" Manami yelled. "And until I figure out which one it is…"
Sparks emitted from both of her hands.
"Are you crazy?!" One of the Ed's gasped.
"Manami, put the fans down!" The other pleaded.
"SHUT UP, BOTH OF YOU!" Manami roared. They both fell silent.
"Now, you both are going to come to me. Slowly. Any funny business and you're getting taken out."
Envy was smiling internally. Was she serious?! Getting close to her was just what he wanted! All he had to do was get close enough to rip fans from her hands and snap them in half, and she was done!
"..." Both Eds nodded, making sure to take steps that were in sync with the other. Manami's eyes continued to dart back and forth, watching them both closely.
One step… two steps… BOOM!
"GAH!"
Red sparks flew from one of the Ed's eyes and he fell backwards when they exploded out of his skull.
"How the hell did you know?!" Envy shrieked, writhing on the floor and grasping at his eyes.
"You can look like anyone you want, but you forgot one important thing," Manami turned away from the real Ed to glare down at Envy on the floor. "Automail steps are different than flesh ones."
The real Ed put a hand on his chest and sighed heavily in relief.
"But..." Manami stepped towards Envy. "Because you drew me to the point where I could have killed him just as easily…"
WHAM! BAM! WHOOSH! Manami waved both of her fans, gusting Envy back and forth, slamming him against each wall of the narrow hallway, then to the ceiling, then to the ground.
"GRAHHH!" Envy cried in agony.
"You've pissed me off beyond return, you scum." Manami approached him, and he looked up at her with pure terror in his eyes.
"You're not getting away again." She snarled. "YOU'LL LOOK ME IN THE EYES AS I TAKE YOU OUT, AGAIN AND AGAIN!"
"DON'T YOU LOOK DOWN ON ME LIKE THAT, YOU—"
Envy's chest exploded, sputtering blood onto Manami, but it quickly disintegrated into dust… in fact, his whole body started to deteriorate.
Did she finally kill him? No… something was emerging from his forehead. Something small and green… right as it fell out and plopped on the ground, the body of what they knew as Envy collapsed into a pile of dust.
"No… not again..! Damn it!" The little creature squeaked.
"... heh…" Manami stuffed her fans in her back pockets and moved her foot to step on the pitiful creature, putting more and more pressure.
"So this is what your real form is? Disgusting." She spat. "No wonder they call you Envy. Jealousy is the ugliest emotion."
"Please..! Don't! I don't wanna die!" Envy cried from under her foot.
"..." But Manami pushed down harder, and she could feel its little bones crunching…
"You didn't give Maes a choice…" She growled. "Why should I give you one?"
"That's enough!"
Blue flashes emerged from under Manami's foot, and something suddenly lifted her foot up, causing her to stagger back and watch as the green creature flew in the air… right into Ed's right hand.
"... what are you doing?" Manami frowned at him, turning to face him now.
Ed took a moment to look her in the eye… she barely looked recognizable...
"Stopping you from doing something you'd really regret." Ed replied, frowning back at her.
"..." Manami's eyes narrowed.
"I'll take over from here." Ed said.
"I was doing just fine until you came back." Manami spat, and she held out her hand. "Give him back to me, so I can finish what I started."
"No!" Ed gritted his teeth.
"Ed…" Manami's eyes narrowed into a deathly glare, keeping her hand outstretched. "Don't make me ask again."
Ed flinched. He knew he had to hold his ground, even though Manami was very likely to retaliate. He had to calm her down…
"Just… listen to me for a second…" Ed said, with caution in his tone. "It doesn't have to be like this."
"Like what?!" Manami snarled.
"You don't have to kill him." Ed replied.
"Oh, okay, so that's what this is about." Manami waved her hands vaguely, slapping them against her sides as they dropped.
"You expect to just let it live, while they keep trying to kill the ones we love?!" She yelled at him. "Do you really think that's the best course of action here?!"
"That's not what I said." Ed's eyes narrowed. "I said you don't have to kill him."
Manami stared at him, rendered speechless for a moment. And then she closed her eyes and took a deep breath.
"Listen, I was about to kill two birds with one stone." She said, sounding a little calmer. "One less Homunculus to get in our way, and—"
"Revenge." A voice spoke, and both Ed and Manami looked over to see Scar approaching them, stopping next to Ed.
"... so what?!" Manami barked, getting worked up again. "Are you about to give me a lecture on how I shouldn't want revenge?! When you've killed how many people?!"
"This isn't about me." Scar said calmly. "You stand at a crossroad. You're about to make a decision that you'll live with forever."
"I don't care!" Manami shook her head and clenched her fists tightly. "That thing deserves the slowest and most painful death! Ed, hand it over!"
"I won't!"
"I'LL MAKE YOU GIVE IT TO ME, THEN!" Manami roared.
"GO AHEAD AND TRY!" Ed yelled back, just as loud. "I MADE A PROMISE TO YOU, AND I'M GOING TO KEEP IT!"
Manami froze, her eyes widening. Ed could see it in her eyes... he finally got to her.
"I'm not letting you do this." He continued. "This isn't what Maes Hughes would want..!"
"How do you know..?" Manami's voice was quieter, but still irritated. "He's dead… he's gone! And it's because of that monster!"
"You're right— I have no right to stop you from taking your revenge…" Scar spoke up. "But I can tell you, from experience, killing it will not bring back your loved one. That pain and emptiness will always be there. Giving in to that hate… will only breed more hate."
His eyes narrowed. "You have two options, Wind Alchemist. You can kill it and give in to your desire… or walk away, and break the cycle."
"..." Manami's eyes lowered to glare at her feet. Her fists were still clenched tightly.
"... Manami…" Ed spoke. "Think of Gracia and Elicia. Think of Winry."
He paused.
"... think of Al."
Manami's eyes went wide at the thought of Al.
"You think they would want this?" Ed asked. "Do you think… that you could face them… with eyes like that? The eyes of a killer?"
"..." Manami's shoulders began to shake.
"You're better..." Ed's eyes trembled. "We all know… that you're better than that."
Manami gritted her teeth. Flashbacks of every encounter with Maes ran through her mind. The goofy jokes… the walks to work… the day he invited her to stay at his home and help raise his daughter… when he opened up and told her how worried he was for her, after Lab Five...
"I love you."
Maes Hughes's killer was right here in front of her… she so badly wanted to end it all here, right now! But… she knew, deep down… she couldn't go home, if she did.
Ed was right. She wouldn't be able to face Elicia and Gracia. She wouldn't be able to face Winry…
But especially, she wouldn't be able to face Al.
"..."
In that moment, Manami felt her heart break harder than it ever had before… and her lower lip started to quiver as she felt her eyes well up with tears, and they quickly overflowed to stream down her face. She felt her legs give out and she crumpled down to her knees.
"..." Ed's eyes saddened at the sight of her.
"Really? Nice words and empathy? What is this, some kind of joke?" Envy grunted from Ed's hand. "I think I might puke! You humans are too emotional! What happened to that instinct?!"
"..." Ed's eyes moved to look at Envy in his hand, though he stayed silent.
"You're running around with Scar, who's been trying to kill you both… Scar, you're running around with Amestrians, who killed your people! And Pipsqueak, didn't Scar killed your friend's parents?!"
Nobody responded to him. Manami kept her head hung low and her eyes on the ground, while Scar and Ed just stared at Envy silently as he continued rambling on…
"And that girl who was turned into a chimera! Scar killed her, too! What better time to take advantage of a perfect opportunity to kill each other?!"
No one else said a word.
"Hate each other! Kill each other! Thrash around and grovel in the dirt!" Envy cried. "Pathetic insects like you can't put aside your differences and work together… right Pipsqueak? Weather girl?! Scar?!"
But still… none of the humans responded.
"... why..?" Envy whispered. "Why? Why?! WHY?! DAMN YOU ALL!"
"Envy…" Ed finally spoke in a soft voice. "You're… jealous of humans."
Envy froze in shock.
"We humans… according to you, are supposed to be so much weaker than you Homunculi…" Ed sighed. "And yet… when we're beaten down, when we're about to go astray and fall… we still stand back up, again and again. And, if we can't… we always have loved ones who will lift us back up. You'll never have that… and you're jealous."
Envy was quiet for a long moment, but he suddenly started to squirm.
"?" Ed blinked, but gasped when Envy started to wriggle out of his grip.
"H-Hey, cut it out!" Ed made the mistake of reaching with his other hand to stop Envy, and he was bitten.
"OW!"
Ed dropped the creature, but before he could reach to grab him again...
"Don't worry," Scar held out his hand to stop him. "He doesn't have much longer."
The creature was writhing on the floor, sobbing softly.
"H-How humiliating… reduced to this pathetic form… by you humans… looking down on me…" Envy's eyes began to water with tears.
"What's worse… the lowest and most disgusting human of them all… saying he understands how I feel?! I've been humiliated… HUMILIATED!"
He sobbed for a moment.
"Me? Envy? Jealous of you humans?! I'm a Homunculus, how could I be seen by some punk kid?! It's the ultimate insult!" He moved to sit upright on his own tail. "We'll see how much longer… that adorable little alliance will take you..!"
Manami lifted her head slightly to watch Envy reach inside his mouth with his little green legs.
"Oh well… best of luck with that…" Envy started to pull out… a stone of crimson.
The Philosopher's Stone. His heart.
The humans watched as he used all the strength he had left to shatter the stone, and he began to deteriorate.
"Goodbye… Edward Elric…"
"..." Manami felt herself begin to shake, and she hung her head low.
After everything he did… after all the lives he took… ended by suicide.
"Manami…" She heard Ed approaching her, but she didn't look up. Fresh tears were streaming down her face and falling on the tops of her clenched fists on the ground.
So many emotions were running through her, and her chest only got tighter and tighter with each passing second. Each emotion that coursed through her all ended in the same urge: to scream as loud as she could...
But when she opened her mouth, nothing came out. She wanted to pound her fists on the ground, but found that she didn't even have the energy to lift her hands.
"..."
Ed knelt down in front of her, not saying a word. Manami then let out a weak and pitiful sob that only sounded like a wheeze.
"I'm sorry…" She whispered.
"Nothing to be sorry for..." Ed said softly. "Thank you… for making the right choice."
Not only did Manami not have the energy to scream or lift her hands, but she didn't have the energy to lift her head or say anything, either.
"Listen…" Ed broke the silence. "We both know… how I don't like it when people cry…"
There was a pause.
"But… this is one of those times where you have to cry… to get past it."
And suddenly, Ed did something that Manami never expected... he gently reached out and pulled her into an embrace.
"… I'm here. Get it all out."
Her face was buried in Ed's shoulder, but Manami's eyes were wide with utter shock. Never in her life did she feel like Ed would ever hug her, but… the fact that he was encouraging her to cry— that was just as unexpected.
Still, it took her no time for her emotions to overflow, and she cried into his shoulder for what felt like forever… when in reality, it wasn't even ten minutes.
When she finally quieted down, Ed waited another moment or two before speaking.
"Are you okay..?"
"..." Manami slowly nodded, and went to pull away and wipe her face with her sleeves. She noticed that Scar was no longer with them… and she appreciated his respect for their privacy.
"That… was completely unexpected…" She chuckled weakly.
Ed did the same. "Yeah… but, I knew that it was right."
Manami nodded, but for the first time in a while… she genuinely smiled.
"Thank you…" She said quietly. "Not just for the outlet, but… for stopping me."
"..." Ed smiled back at her. "What are friends for?"
Manami's eyes widened again, but then her smile only grew bigger.
"But…" Ed's smile faded, and he went to help her stand up and offer a hand to help her up.
"I have to ask you as a friend…"
"Huh?" Manami blinked as she took his hand, and he pulled her up.
"I want to know what that is… that thing that you do with your alchemy." Ed asked.
"..." Manami sighed softly and avoided his eyes.
"I send air into the body through the pores…" She explained. "That air travels to wherever I want the damage to be, and it basically… rips itself out of the body from the inside. It can be as minor as ripping the skin apart to make a gash, or... well, like today, it can sever limbs from the body entirely."
"... I see." Ed sighed through his nose.
"Alright... I promised to not let you kill anyone… so, in order to do that… I think it's only fair you promise me something now." He met her eyes, and he frowned seriously.
"Promise me… that you won't do that ever again. Whatever the circumstance."
"..." Manami stared at him for a moment, but she nodded.
"That would probably be for the best. I promise…"
"Ah, ah, ah." Ed went to hold up his pinky, and Manami couldn't help but chuckle.
"Geez..."
Still, she held out her pinky to wrap around his… and they each gave a squeeze.
"Right. Now that that's settled… shall we?" Ed pointed behind them with his thumb, and Manami gave a nod.