CHAPTER 5 THE CALM BEFORE THE STORM

"Cut the crap! You know exactly why I'm upset!" Ed shouted to break the tension.

"Why, was it the Pipsqueak part I said?" Envy said tilting his head to the side amusingly.

"NO IT WAS...well, yeah that too, but I'm really upset about encountering you of all abominations so early on my journey." Ed remarked.

"Tough luck my friend, and what's this 'journey' about, huh?" Envy asked, slightly curious of Eds plans.

"My asshole. It's none of your business Envy." Ed said somewhat sarcastically.

"Keeping secrets are we? Well that's ok, I'll squeeze them out of you somehow. I'm impressed, how did you know it was yours truly?" Envy asked in a tone that sounded slightly seductive.

"Well, my doubts all started when I heard this place was condemned because the owner died from some 'strange' occurrence, which I can assume you homunculi were apart of his death, weren't you?" Ed asked sounding irritated.

Envy chuckled in response. "Good guess, Mr. Prodigy."

"Of course, and then to say that this place got opened again about a week later made slightly no sense to me, it seemed too convenient that the officials of this town would allow someone to open up this joint again after it was closed on such short notice. The twin brother act did fool me a bit, I'll give you that, but that didn't stop my suspicions. The location of this restaurant also played at your favor since you could easily inspect the passengers that would come off the train station here, to see if any of them were me. Clever if you ask me." Ed stated

"Oh, why thank you for the compliment, it's the nicest thing you've ever said about me." Envy said taking delight in that last comment of Eds despite having been exposed so thoroughly.

Ed grunted, as if bothered by how Envy interpreted his comment on cleverness. "Not to mention, this town also has a library on stones, so I figured you would wait for me in a place like this. And I also found it very odd that I just so happened to be the first customer to come to this dump after its supposed re-establishment. You could've lied and said you had previous customers, but instead, you said something as suspicious and coincidental as that. "

"A 'dump?' How harsh, I took special care into making this place look so presentable for you. I thought your parents taught you better manners, but considering you're the son of that bastard, I guess I shouldn't be surprised." Envy said looking more a bit more serious.

Ed was reminded of Lab 5 at the mention of 'That Bastard!', but nevertheless, he continued his analysis. "And the Funky Burger? Oh yeah it's funky alright, it has Envy written all over it. I took sneak peeks at your working area, and to me, it looked like a damn chemistry lab. The meal took longer than I thought to wait for because you were taking your time experimenting with different chemicals for whatever purpose, I don't know what, but it couldn't have been good. You should've known I would use alchemy to release any unusual substances out of the food out of doubt. And one thing, no one in their right mind would give underage kids any form of alcohol, no matter how brave or arrogant they may seem because it's illegal, period. I tested you, and you fell for the bait." Ed finished with his analysis with an accomplished smirk on his face.

Envy played with one of his hair strands, putting on a menacing smirk. "Wow Ed, who knew you were the perfect little detective. I'm honestly impressed you picked up the hints, very nice indeed."

"Tell me, what would've happened if I had eaten any of the food? Was it poison?" Ed asked, taking the moment to relieve himself of his ignorance.

"You mentioned something about blood in the food, but its only some nyquil medicine I picked up from a cabinet. My plan was to make you grow drowsy and eventually fall asleep, then I would scoop you up, tie you up, and torture the life out of you until you spilled the beans on where your damn brother is." Envy declared happily.

"I figured as much, but why go about it in such a manner? You could've just stalked me around town and abduct me, so what's going on?" Ed asked.

"Hmm, you seem to take such pride in your detective quirks, you think you have me all figured out huh? But how do you know I didn't deliberately do all of this just so you would eventually figure it all out?" Envy proposed. Ed actually looked rather shocked at the question. Was it him who was being played instead?

"You see Ed, I know you more than you might think. I know that you're able to pick up on suspicious behaviors and circumstances that would lead to trouble. After all, you've always cared about your tin can of a brother, it doesn't surprise me that you would lack mutual trust in most other people." Envy stated knowing that what he said was true.

"Hmph, fairpoint." Ed admitted.

"And about the abduction thing, well that's simple to answer. It's because we're alone, and that no one would see anything here nor would they want to walk in. In case you hadn't noticed, I left a condemned sign on the front of the entrance door, but you wouldn't have seen it because I left the door to the restaurant intentionally open at a certain angle before you first entered so that you wouldn't notice. " Envy said.

"But I don't get it, your a shapeshifter, which mean you could've easily taken me out when I wasn't looking when I walked into this area, why wait till now when it's obvious what's going on!" Ed demanded.

Even Envy wasn't sure why he didn't apprehend while he had the chance. He thought about the question for a few more moments only to respond with, "I'm not sure, to be honest with you." As Envy said that, he tilted his head down to the side. Ed seemed rather confused by the gesture. "If I had to answer, I find you quite entertaining." Envy admitted with a grim smirk. Ed couldn't believe what he just heard, his face was dumbfounded. Because Envy finds him entertaining? There was a very faint tinge of pinkish orange that appeared on Eds checks; he didn't know if Envy meant that in a positive light, or something of a more malicious context.

Envy turned up the music slowly and gradually, the jazzy vibes just kept getting louder and louder. The once soothing tunes turned into loud and obnoxious notes that would make Eds eardrums explode if exposed any longer. Envy didn't seem to mind, guess because he's an homunculus, he can handle the sound. Ed covered his ears with both his hands the best he could to block out the loudness of the room. Envy seemed like he knew the song fairly well as he turned up the radio to its max volume setting when a saxophone part initiated. Damn, the sax was piercing through Ed like someone was stabbing his auditory innerworkings from the inside. His teeth clenched and his eyes were shut, he yelled "TURN DOWN THE DAMN MUSIC!" Despite all the noise, Envy could tell that Ed was extremely irritated with the sounds that were vibrating the whole establishment. Envy showed some mercy by turning down the music to a comfortable volume, thank goodness Ed thought. Luckily, the ringing went away few moments after the volume decreased, Ed could still hear just fine again.

"Ooo, sorry about that, my hand slipped on the volume knob a little bit." Envy shrugged laughing.

"Oh, you're such a bastard, damn you and your jazz genre!" Ed shouted aggressively, he could hear his ears ring a bit.

"Well as they say, what doesn't kill ya makes you stronger and taller, I did you a favor really." Envy said mockingly.

"Yeah well damn you and your idea of favors!" Ed screamed with anger as he proceeded to clap his hands together.

"Oh getting right down to business, are we? Don't take me for a fool, I know you can use your pesky alchemy to do all sorts of things. But that doesn't mean I'll let you go so easily, obviously." Envy stated as he quickly shapeshifted his right arm into a long rope with a tied loophole at the end over Eds head to wrap around his neck. Once around his neck, the loophole grew ever more tighter. Ed choked harshly as he was being dragged along the gray floor to where Envy was standing. Envy took delight in watching the poor boy slide in his misery. With quick-thinking, Ed used his automail blade to cut the rope, causing Envy to revert his arm back to normal. Ed breathed heavily as he massaged his neck to ease the pain a little, but it barely worked. Laying on the floor, vulnerable, Envy took the opportunity to reach over and grab Ed by the braid, only to be stabbed through the hand by the metal blade.

With that, Envys hand slowly regenerated back to normal, but Ed was already transmuting a stone pillar, which was slanted at an angle to knock the exit door wide open. Ed quickly got up to make a break for the opening, only to be stopped by Envy who jumped in front of him.

"Is my pray leaving so soon?" Envy questioned with an amused look on his face.

"Damn! So fast!" Ed commented.

The two had a little physical confrontation. Ed took quick swipes at Envys body hoping to land a decisive blow that would leave Envy rendered temporarily down. To Eds luck, however, the homunculus had quick reflexes, dodging Eds attacks with ease. Eventually, Envy backflipped from an incoming kick from Ed, then kicked him back to the counter table. Envy walked over to check on Ed, towering over the seemingly weak alchemist.

"Too slow, Pipsqueak." Envy stated with both hands on his hips, staring down at him with dominance.

Ed chuckled, "Don't get so cocky with me, I'm just warming up." Ed countered as he clapped his hands in the blink of an eye, then placing both of them down. Large pointed stone pillars protruded from the ground, although, they didn't quite hit their mark as Envy barely dodged the attacks in time. The stones pillars, however, were being protruded in such a way that caused Envy to back off into a far corner of the restaurant, giving Ed the opening he needed to escape. Envy, then, formed his right arm into a big wooden bow, and picked off a strand of his hair, which formed into an arrow. He quickly shot the arrow at Eds thigh region, but missed his body by a margin, only slicing a piece of his red cloak off.

"Hmm, not bad at all shrimp, you got away . . . for now." Envy declared. He erased the candles of their flames with a quick lash of his right hand that was now an asian-styled fan. Afterwards, turning off the radio, he then transformed into a bloodhound with black fur and a lean body, suitable for speedy hunts. The now 4-legged creature walked over to where the scrapped piece of red cloth had settled. Envy took in the scent of the clothing by sniffing for a good 10 seconds, really taking in Eds aroma.

"Yup, that's the shrimps scent alright." Envy thought, a bit embarrassed, yet amused and annoyed that it had come to hunting him down like this.

"Well Edward, you may have escaped for now, but my hate is everlasting, it's what kept me living for this long. I will find you no matter where you might run off to." Envy promised himself as he closed the door with his head, ran out in the rain, and followed wherever the scent would lead him. The once lively restaurant is now abandoned in complete darkness, just as Envy had first found it, only to leave again in the same fashion.

On the other hand, Ed had taken off into the Concordia Jungle hoping that he would lose Envy amidst the thick lushness of the trees. There's a man made pathway that was nothing more but open dirt road that probably lead to a mining camp or something. He also ran there just in case he would have to battle Envy again; he doesn't want to put the townspeople in danger if he can help it. Luckily, the rain still kept falling, which worked somewhat to Eds advantage as that would erase some of his scent but not all. Ed kept running, clenching the spot where Envy kicked him while also carrying his suitcase on the other hand; his breathing was heavy, the rain made his vision blurry, he didn't know where he was going per say, but that didn't matter much. He turned his head, looking back to see if Envy was there, but there was nothing. Fear and desperation crept into Eds mind as he was a running target that was no match for his predator. If only he had Envy's remains, he would stand a better chance against him, but who knew where those were? Certainly not Ed.

'Damn, of all the homunculi to run into, it had to be Envy. Boy, it makes me envy normal people who don't have to worry about a miniskirted-sociopath chasing them around town.' Ed thought to himself.

All the while, Ed had been wondering what made Envy, 'Envy?' Why had faith chosen today of all days to confront such a powerful being? What were Envy's true intentions? Why hadn't he killed him when he had multiple chances? And most importantly, was he, himself, going to make it out of this plight alive to see his beloved brother? All these thoughts and questions raced through Eds mind like the locomotive, his thoughts were unfocused, all he could think of was survival. Should Ed survive this, he'll live, but Envy will still live as well, eternally taunting and haunting the vulnerable alchemist until possibly his dying days. This is one homunculus Edward couldn't understand, couldn't match up to, couldn't kill. Its because Envy was different, a creature who knows no bounds, yet is bounded by hatred; a creature that lives off the screams and miseries of mankind, caring not for the positive qualities of humanity it so despises. And yet, it conceals its secrets and insecurities so well, even its weaknesses; a seemingly invincible unbending predator that takes pleasure in sadism.

After running for about a good mile or so, Ed came across a split road. Both paths looked the same from what he was seeing, and eventually took the path to the right. It seemed like the paths were getting narrower as the trees and canopies were blocking out the gloomy gray skies with widespread leaves. The jungle noises were suppressed because of the rain, which turned up a notch as millions of long wet sprinkles filled the air. All Ed could do was run, enter survival mode, follow his instincts; It felt like he was in a horror show, and he was the damsel in distress. Breath in, breath out, following that aerobic pattern would last him until he found safety, Ed thought to himself.

Occasionally, Ed would look behind him in every possible direction to make sure you-know-who wasn't behind him while stilling running a decent pace. Every branch snap, rustle of the leaves, animalistic noises, and anything of the sort made Eds mind go crazy. Any noise produced in the wild could've been Envy moving in the shadows. Maybe it was another way Envy was crawling under Eds drenched skin. He couldn't afford to be distracted, he had to find safety first.

After the toilsome and adrenaline-inducing run from danger, Ed finally came to a small clearing. It looked like a campsite that miners would take refuge at to sleep restore their energy to continue working the nexday. From Ed's perspective, however, the site looked abandoned from the outside. There were two tents built next to each other on a small rocky plateau to the left, and three more that rested on some patches of grass on the right. There were also premade campfire spots that settled in front of the tents, but according the nature, that fire will have to wait. By the far back of the clearing rested piles of mined-up ores, rocks, and minerals from previous expeditions. Ed could pick out each material based on his past alchemic research: cooper, bauxite, iron, and coal.

Ed felt somewhat relieved that he found some shelter as he imagined turning back for town was a bad idea. With one last look around to check for Envy's presence, Ed first instivagated the lower level tents on the grassy patches quickly. Each tent housed no one and nothing except some rugs and pillows. With those items, he could easily make a bed for himself. He then checked the tents on the plateau for anymore items. These tents followed the same pattern except one farthest to the right, which had what looks to be a family photo. Ed walked closer to pick up the unusual object.

'It seems like whatever group of people camped out here, they've made this place their home. Hehe, well isn't this deja-vu?' Ed thought, chuckling as reminder of Al and Yoki Island.

Ed quickly put the photo down and peeked out of the tent to check once more. The coast was clear, for now.

'If I'm the prey and he's the predator, then he's got another thing coming, that bastard.' Ed grinned, getting ready to use his thinking caps.

'And the best part is, no naked jungle boy to preach about taking my body(aka Wrath), ok that sounds wrong.' Ed thought, feeling disgusted at the thought.

A second later, loud rumbles of thunder could be heard from the distance like the supposed God was beating on his drums. The rain continued to drizzle, but the wind started to pick up, bringing a chill in the air. A storm was coming.

Ed stepped outside the tent and into the coming storm. The rain fell repeatedly on his body, drenching him with millions of drops; the wind blew at his clothes and hair aimlessly, ruining the clean and bold presence that Ed carried; The thunder slowly rolled in like an ominous omen, as if the God above wanted to make his presence, his existence, known to the faithless Elric. As Ed walked over the piles of mined-up materials and ores, he said to himself "I can work with this."

END OF CHAPTER 5