Hey everybody. So sorry this is so late. Had the biggest case of writers block ever. Regardless, there is some violence, swearing, and feels in this chapter. You have been warned. Also there is a fun little Easter egg in here. I will give who ever finds it and tells me what it correctly means behind it a sneak peak at the next chapter when its ready. You can leave you're answers in a review or PM me if you'd like. Okay happy hunting and enjoy the show.


(Previously)

He paused once more when he caught the few soft words that slowly spilled from the girl's mouth as sleep slowly claimed her conscious.

"..Thank…you…Envy"

The stony face homunculus said nothing as he glided effortlessly past the large stone buildings and the mazes of cobblestone streets, all the while holding the slumbering child close to his chest.

Just what the hell was happening to him?

Chapter 9: Secrets

(2 ½ Years Later)

...

"CRASH"!

"I can fix that!"

"Like hell you will. Get away from there before you break something el-"

"SNAP" "CRASH" "THUMP"!

"Ah! I can fix those too!"

"Can you fix your bones if I break them?"

A very testy homunculus sighed heavily as he crossed his arms and surveyed the on-going catastrophe unfolding before him with half lidded eyes.

Broken shards of gold-rimmed plates and flower printed vases laid scattered across the white marble floor. Pieces of painted blooming red cypresses and golden marigolds littered the small space by a pair of bare feet. The little girl fell to her knees and tried desperately to collect the small and jagged edges.

Envy rolled his eyes as he watched August attempt to fix her mess, smirking faintly when she would occasionally cut herself on accident.

"Seriously kid, you chose the wrong day to run around without any shoes" Envy sighed as he lounged comfortably on a near-by couch, switching his stare from his charge to the illuminated ceiling above. The dark-haired homunculus scowled as he felt so close to dying out of sheer boredom.

Envy nearly groaned in defeat as he swung an arm across his eyes in a vague attempt to block out the too bright electric lights.

He couldn't believe this.

How did he even wind up in this position again?

Him of all people.

A superior homunculus, the strongest of his kind, a lethal killer, a skilled assassin, and the ultimate predator…demoted to babysitting duty.

It was beyond degrading.

This time, Envy did groan aloud.

Another yelp of pain caught his attention as he lazily cracked an eye open to look back at his ward. August sat in the middle of a simple alchemic circle that she had drawn with a spare chalk she kept with her at all times, a determined look on her face. The broken pieces of vase and plates were already sorted into two tidy piles and placed correctly in the center of the circle. A few drops of blood were splattered over the piles, another testament to the child's clumsiness.

Without sparing another second, August jumped swiftly out of the circle and clapped her hands together, unleashing an almighty crackle of energy as she slammed her palms down forcefully.

As the energy faded away and the small dust cloud that had formed disappeared, leaving behind an exact replica of the previously broken vase and shattered dishes.

August grinned smugly.

"Finally, I got it right this time" She sang triumphantly.

"The colors are wrong brat," Envy pointed out restlessly.

"Huh?" August turned to face the dozing creature on the plush couch, her confusion evident in her features.

Envy rolled his eyes once more before rising in one fluid motion from his resting place.

"You heard me, you switched the pattern from the vase to the plates idiot".

August quickly bent down to pick up one of the objects in question and held it out with outstretched arms.

Envy had been right. The two patterns were swapped. Now the plates were decorated with small little red and gold flowers, while the vase had gold trimmings along its side. August frowned contemptibly as she struggled to figure out what her mistake had been.

The eleven year old looked up at the older being before realizing he had begun walking away.

"Hey wait, what am I supposed to do now?" She yelled after his retreating form, waving a flowered dish haphazardly in one of her chalk covered hands, a worried frown plastered across her face.

Envy scoffed as he leaned against the door frame, sparing a glance over his shoulder at the messy child behind him.

Slanted, violet eyes narrowed as the homunculus crossed his arms over his chest and observed the brat.

Her lanky, little, arms and legs were dusted in fine, white, chalk with dozens of tiny cuts peppering her skin, a few of them still oozing tiny beads of blood and leaving small, bright red, stains smeared across her palms and feet.

"Forget the dishes. Go clean yourself up brat, master won't be too happy if you show up to your training like that"

The green haired homunculus waved a hand dismissively as he turned on his heel, pausing once he caught sight of the silent figure that had suddenly appeared lounging against the threshold with an amused smirk on their face.

"Lust!" August smiled as she jumped to her feet, wincing as the soles of her feet stung.

"Ow, ow, ow…" She gimmicked as she padded her way over to the two homunculi, struggling to keep hold of her faltering smile the entire time.

"Your so pathetic" Envy snorted once the girl bonded to his side, before glancing behind her at the stack of tableware set neatly inside of the chalk covered alchemy circle and then at the small smudges of red that followed in the wake of the child that was currently prancing around the female homunculus.

"And messy…" He added more to himself then anything.

He smirked at Lust, as she looked mildly peeved at having captured the suddenly talkative child's attention.

Said sin caught his smug expression before scowling at him.

August as usual was either oblivious or simply used to the woman's cold attitude as she continued rattling off questions left and right.

"Lust! When did you get back? What happened? Where's Gluttony?"

"In the kitchens. Don't bother him," She said dismissively.

August nodded before fidgeting slightly.

"Is he eating?" The girl questioned in morbid curiosity.

"Yes" Lust sighed, nearly rolling her eyes at her partner's insatiable appetite, but stopped herself from such a petty display.

Lust frowned slightly once more at the suddenly quiet August before turning her attention back to the now bored Envy.

"Master wishes to speak with you" He raised an eyebrow at that.

"Oh, and what per say does she want now?" Envy sneered mockingly as he uncrossed his arms and rose in a catlike way from leaning against the door frame.

Lust sent him a meaningful look.

Envy's expression morphed into a dark glare as recognition flashed in his eyes.

"She didn't…"

Now it was Lust's turn to raise a brow challenging at him, making no move to answer his question other than inspecting her sharpened nails.

"…Um, I thought she wanted to see me" August interrupted as she watched the exchange between the two, her bright, bottle green eyes watching Envy warily as she felt the friction in the air.

Thankfully Lust decided to entertain her question rather than start something with Envy.

"Not anymore. Envy go. Do not keep master waiting any longer," She warned him as she smoothly strolled out of the room and into the hall as she brushed uncaringly by the glaring sin.

Envy scowled as he growled something under breath before he shot out his arms and roughly grabbed the girl by her small shoulders.

"And where do you think you're going?" He snapped as he forcefully dragged the little girl back to him. She blinked innocently up at him.

"To…my room?" August asked out loud, hoping the green haired man would buy the lie. He snorted.

"Nice try pipsqueak" He taunted cheerily as he forcefully dragged back into the room.

"But you're not going anywhere until you clean this mess up"

"What mess?" August frowned slightly irritated that her plans of sneaking about were foiled so easily.

"This one" Envy snapped before spinning on his heel and aiming a well placed kick that sent all the dishes flying before crashing down to the ground in broken piles of sparkling glass.

He sneered crookedly as he bent down to mockingly pat the top of the flabbergasted girl's head.

August merely stared with her mouth hanging open comically at the wreckage.

"Have fun" He laughed before carelessly slamming the doors closed as he waltzed out of the room.

"Hey, wait a min-"

BANG!

After a stunned second later, an audible 'click' told the little alchemist that she was locked in.

"ENVY!" She yelled angrily as she ran at the double doors.

"THAT WASN'T FUNNY! OPEN THE DOOR!" August yelled after the snickering palm tree as she sent one unfortunate plate that had survived the massacre sailing at the door with all her ten-year old might. It shattered immediately into a thousand tiny red and gold-colored crystals upon impact.

Suddenly the door opened slightly and head poked itself in as August froze in her onslaught against the door.

"And fix the doors too" The green haired creature added as an afterthought, thought the taunting grin was still stretched out over his sharp face, before he quickly slammed the doors shut yet again.

A second later and another ceramic, this time a vase, crashed into the wooden door inches away from where his head had been.

The little girl stood there panting as she held another plate up in a threatening way before grumbling quietly to herself and crossing her arms.

After a few moments of useless sulking August pouted as she began to piece together the abandoned shards of glass littered around her absent-mindedly.

"I wonder what that was about," She wondered aloud as she continued with her chores, all the while a frown was pulling at her lips. "There's got to be something going on if he didn't want me following them" The girl frowned.

If in the three years since she had lost everything had taught her anything, it was that there was always a reason as well as a price for everything.

That was what August discovered to be alchemy's first and most important law.

The law of equivalent exchange.

"For something to be made, something else must be given up to create something new" She recited as she continued her chores.

But like the law of equivalent exchange, it was it true that nothing in this world could have happened without a purpose. The law for equivalency worked both ways.

'So in other words, it isn't like Ms. Dante to suddenly change her plans in an instant, something must have happened. I wonder what it is?'

August's frown deepened as she turned to glance at the large ornate doors that were barring her escape.

The girl chewed her bottom lip as she steadily walked towards the weighty wood. Another thought occurred to her as she reviewed Lust and Envy's odd behavior.

'Its got to be something important. Especially if they're so antsy about it'

Slowly she leaned in and pressed an ear into its grainy surface and held her breath.

A dense yet muffled silence reached her ears. Nothing stirred from outside the hall.

'Should I…?'

A small palm was laid flat against the cold, dead, wood as nimble fingers traced the intercut patterns of cracks and dents that adorned the rough texture.

The little girl sucked in a deep breath and squeezed her eyes shut. Her facial features twisted as she tried to come to a critical decision.

Finally the child smiled impishly from ear to ear.

"I should!"She sang as she shoved her hands in her pockets, rummaging around for the smooth, white, stick of calcium carbonate she loved so much.

A wide grin stretched over her pale lips and a mischievous glint twinkled in her eyes as the child whipped out the small piece of chalk out and began drawing a deceptively simple yet complex alchemic array onto the dented wood.

With an eager clap and a dazzling flash of blue light a loud 'CLANK' echoed in the girl's ears as the old, metal lock was transformed into a simple door knob.

August clamped a hand over her mouth to stifle her laughter as she escaped into the deserted hallway.

'That was too easy. Will they ever learn?' She mused as she hurried down the halls, wondering where everyone was.

The child quickly silenced her footsteps on the wood panes by walking on tips of her toes as she glanced around cautiously.

She was getting closer to the kitchens now.

Loud chewing and slurping noises could be heard from within the polished marble kitchen with the occasional giggle interrupting the sequence of sounds.

August gimmicked.

Apparently Gluttony was still eating.

Chestnut hair swung wildly around her pale face as August shook her head vehemently. It would do no good to be caught now, especially by a hungry Gluttony.

Ever so slowly, August backed away from the room and fled back down the hall before the tubby titan could catch a whiff of her scent.

For a while August quietly snuck around the halls, peaking in through various keyholes and frowning to herself when she couldn't find a single person in the vicinity.

Finally the girl collapsed in yet another abandoned hallway with a hopeless groan. Her head made a soft 'thunking' sound as she plopped down onto the lush, colored carpet underneath her in hopeless defeat.

"I'm never going to find them" She sulked as she stared passively at the cream-colored ceiling.

"Stupid Envy…" August mumbled, "breaking all those dishes and making me fix them again".

She frowned sourly.

"Stupid Lust, making Envy angry and making him break all those dishes"

August groaned as she rolled over onto her stomach on the dusty rug, landing with her arms tucked lazily under her chin.

"Stupid everybody for not telling me anything" She grumbled as she traced the knotted pattern woven into the white and scarlet tapestry below her.

Little white dragons danced beneath her fingertips against a crimson plane as her eyes skimmed over the interwoven serpents as they ate each other's tails in a never-ending cycle of death and rebirth.

August cocked her head.

"Pretty…"She mumbled absent-mindedly.

"Honestly Envy I don't see the point of this detour. The child couldn't possibly be following us"

Immediately August sprang to her feet and ducked behind the bend of the hallway as the familiar voices rounded the corner.

"You don't know that" Envy snapped as he strolled purposefully down the hallway with a clearly exasperated Lust by his side.

She raised a perfectly sculpted eyebrow at him.

In response he gave her a sideways glare.

August nearly sighed aloud, but settled for rolling her eyes from her hiding spot at them as she watched them come closer.

She bit her lip and tried to control her heart from fluttering uncontrollably as her stomach flipped when they continued down the hallway.

They were going to find her!

August gimmicked.

She was stuck. If she moved they would probably hear her before they saw her, if she didn't they would walk right past her and see her cowering into the wall for sure.

'Please don't them hear me. I don't want to get caught yet.' She prayed vainly as she curled further into the bend, holding her breath as she did so.

Suddenly Envy stopped, he stopped just outside the last door at the end of the hall and coincidentally just before August's hiding place. He scowled as he placed a hand on his hip and looked at Lust expectantly.

"My presence is not required. The master has already explained the situation to me." She explained smoothly as she inspected her sharpened spear-like nails.

"Good, then you can go find the brat. I'm sure that door wasn't able to hold her back for very long" Envy sneered as he crossed his arms.

Lust matched his glare before flexing the wickedly long claws that her nails had transformed into.

August gulped at the sight of the Ultimate Spear.

She still remembered the carnage that those terrifying appendages had caused beside the campsite her and June had once shared, all those long-suffering screams and buckets of blood sinking into the dry earth...

August blinked, suddenly finding it hard to swallow. She clutched her chest as it cramped painfully.

Without another word Lust turned and sauntered down the hall, not sparing the older sin a glance as she left. Envy, likewise, left the hall as he entered the room almost with his usual, cold, smirk.

"Ah Envy, at last-" Was all August could make out of Dante's voice before the door was abruptly shut, muffling the voices in the room.

August fell backwards against her bottom as her cramped leg muscles gave out on her.

She sighed breathlessly as she held her chest.

'Well that had been close' She mused as she crawled on her hands and knees over to the door she had seen Envy disappear into.

As soundlessly as she could manage the little girl pressed herself against the door and brought her bright eye to the light of the brass keyhole.

Her wandering eye roamed the dim room and first landed on the familiar figure of the dark green haired homunculus in the middle of the shaded room. He was standing next to Dante and in turn, to August's complete bafflement, was standing close to the man August had come to recognize as the leader of Amestris, Führer King Bradley.

'Wow, what's the Führer doing here?' She wondered as the girl blinked and her jade green eyes widened curiously. Suddenly she grinned smugly.

'That's why everybody's acting strange. I knew something was going on. The Führer's here!' August nodded savagely as she leaned away from the keyhole to happily pat herself on the back, unspeakably proud for a moment before her brow furrowed and took another a peek inside the keyhole.

August hadn't noticed it before but now she realized that they were all as silent as the grave and leaning over another figure that was lying in an old bed that had been pulled into the middle of the room.

She frowned as she tried to get a better look at the still silhouette hidden in the gloom of the dark room.

Suddenly a dark blue military coat blocked her view. August bit her tongue to hold in her startled gasp of surprise.

"How much longer until it will be ready?" Pride spoke firmly as he allowed his gaze to wander to the pitiful creature lying in a heap before him.

"Not long now. It will be ready in time" Dante spoke patiently yet one could detect the sliver of steel in her voice. Her russet colored eyes calmly glanced towards him.

"I must say she looks much better than she did before. You choose to come at a good time Pride."

From the opposite side of the bed, Envy scoffed.

"You call that better" He sneered.

"You all looked that way at first Envy" Dante spoke lightly though she did not bother to glance towards him.

August frowned.

'Who is she? What's wrong with her? Why did Ms. Dante call the Führer Pride? Is that his name too? What is Envy complaining about now?'

August wondered as she leaned away from the door and sat on her knees.

Wild theories spun around in her head as her imagination went wild with the possibilities.

She leaned forward eagerly as she pressed her eye to the keyhole again, determined to find out more.

"My, my, Envy was right you are a crafty little thing aren't you" A cool voice spoke as the little girl jumped a mile high in the air and spun around.

"Lust" She breathed with a sigh in relief.

Lust frowned as she stood in the hall, her dark emerald dress appearing nearly as black as midnight in the dark shadows cast by the dim hallway light.

She said nothing as she motioning for the child to follow and turned.

"Come with me"

Without any further encouragement August quietly crept away from the door and trialed after the curvy homunculus, her face an interesting mixture of a pout and a blush for getting caught so quickly.

They walked in silence down the halls for moment until the room containing the others had been lost to the maze of halls.

"How much did you hear" Lust continued to frown as she watched the child by her side. August frowned at the older woman.

"Lust, why won't anyone tell me what's going on" The little child demanded stubbornly. Lust's narrowed her eyes as she came to a stop in another hallway.

"This has nothing to do with you" She spoke icily. August held herself from snorting at the woman's cold tone.

"That's not a very good excuse. I live here too you know, I have every bit of right to know what's going on here too" She argued back childishly as she folded her arms.

Lust glared coldly at her. "Haven't you realized by now that snooping around were you don't belong will only get you into more trouble."

"I wouldn't need to if somebody just told me what was going on" The child grouched out in reply.

Lust sighed in aggravation.

"You're not going to give up on this are you?" She questioned morosely.
"Nope!" August grinned cheekily. The girl's smile quickly evaporated under the woman's piercing glare.

"Ah, I mean no. No I will not" She swallowed quickly.

Lust watched the child quietly for a long minute, contemplating the negative and positive effects on informing the child on a very dangerous secret.

She shook her head slightly.

Might as well appease the girl's rabid curiosity.

'Perhaps she would get into less trouble this way and hopefully leave me alone'. She mused to herself as she watched the eager child study her anxiously.

"Fine" Lust gave a long-suffering sigh as she crossed her arms over her chest.

"Really? I mean tell me already!" It was the female sin could do from rolling her eyes.

"Master has brought a…very special guest" Lust clenched her teeth on the word 'guest'.

The little girl snapped to attention as she curiously rocked on the balls of her feet.

"Special? Like what? Is she ugly, cause that's what Envy was saying? Or is she sick? Or is she-"

"Enough." Lust snapped as the child fell silent once again, pressing her mouth into a tight, thin, line.

"Yes. They are…sickly, very sickly. You are not to go anywhere near that room" August paused in mid step as she whirled to her female companion, and scrunching up her nose in confusion, a hurt look briefly flittering over her face before fading into curiosity once more.

"But-"

"No August." Lust spoke demandingly, " Under no circumstances are you not allowed to go into that room" Her voice brokered no argument. August glared for a moment before pouting slightly in defeat.

"But then why is everyone else allowed to go in there? Heck the Führer is in there! So why can't I go in?" She glared challengingly once again as she crossed her lithe arms over her chest.

Lust's stare increased significantly, so much so that August felt a fleeting sense of instinctual panic when the false woman took a step closer. She swallowed as her arms tightened compulsively around herself.

"So you saw Pride?"

Lust simply smirked at the child's fear as she cornered her into a wall. She leaned down to become eye level with the little girl before tilting her head with one of her sharpened claw-like fingers.

"If you even think about ignoring my warning I will not only tell Envy that you directly disobeyed him but I will tell the Master as well. You can image how angry Dante will be once she realizes you've discovered one of her best kept secrets." Her voice was clear and as cold as ice as she leveled a warning glare into the child's bright green orbs.

August could only nod stiffly in response, to afraid of any other moment least she cut herself accidently on one of Lust's lance-like fingers.

"Good" The homunculus purred as she freed the slightly shaking child. August could not help but shield her throat as she watched Lust warily with all the instincts of a frightened animal kicking in. Lust watched on with the amused smile still in place.

After a moment of trying to control her pounding heart she asked the question she dreaded to know.

"If you keep that a secret, then what do you want in exchange?" Lust's smirk widened as her maroon eyes flashed.

"Smart girl, I knew you would catch on" She grinned dangerously as she draped her arms underneath her full chest.

Upon seeing her genuinely smile August tensed immediately.

No one in this house smiled like that unless they're thoughts or themselves were dripping in blood. Usually it was the second one.

Lust continued to smile eerily as she quickly thrust a small slip of paper in the girl's unsuspecting hands.

August's eyes lit up in curiosity as she held up the paper in her sweaty hands and memorized the rushed numbers on the crumpled parchment.

"Is this a serial number for a book?"

"Yes it is" Lust spoke as her sinister grin disappeared and was replaced with a frown.

"Find that book in the Master's study. Read it while the she is busy. Don't let anyone know you have it, especially Envy" Lust warned her once before, with surprising gentleness, she swiftly turned the child around and in the right direction of the study.

"Come straight to me when you finish and only when you are finished" She instructed the young brunette.

"Remember that you must not get caught under any circumstances. Do you understand?" Her tone had tuned lethal as she ushered the frozen child in the right direction.

"Wait why? What's so important about it?" August furrowed her brow as she peered behind her at the older female.

"You will find out soon enough, now go" The serious sin commanded harshly before turning on her heel once again and disappearing down the maze of halls.

August stood there motionless as her mind reeled in confusion and suspicion.

"What…what the heck was that about?" She asked as she glanced down the gloomy hallway.

A moment passed as August shuffled her feet together awkwardly. She shook her head before sighing and heeding Lust's instructions as she began to run down the silent hallways towards the study. She didn't really know what Lust wanted her to learn from that book or why she wanted to keep it a secret between them but August had a good feeling that if she was found out then Lust would do everything in her power to make life miserable for the rest of her life, if not kill her.

August shivered.

She didn't want that. She didn't want that at all.

Finally she stopped before a another large set of double doors and hesitated.

The girl contemplated whether she would get in severe trouble for her actions but pushed the thought aside as she gripped the cold metal knob of the maple colored door and shoved the heavy door aside.

Besides it wasn't like she had anything else to do.

August threw her arms over her face and screwed her eyes shut against the bright sunlight that streamed down from opened windows amidst the large room.

It took a moment for her eyes to adjust as she hesitantly left the doorway and crept silently into the sunlit study. Green eyes scanned the sharp shadows cast about the creamy, marble, floor of the sunny room warily as she ventured further into Dante's elaborate library.

Rows upon rows of ancient looking scrolls and dusty books aligned the towering wooden bookcases on either side of the circular room. The melancholy smell of decaying bindings and faded parchment hung in the musty room as August drifted from place to the next. The sheer number of books crammed into the room was mind-boggling for the poor girl as she tried to comprehend where on earth she was to begin in her apparently long search.

It was going to be like trying to find one single blade of grass in a whole forest!

"Why in the world would Ms. Dante have so many books?" August whined in exasperation as she dung out the scrap of paper Lust had given her with a groan. A long stream of numbers and letters greeted her as she opened the crumbled piece of parchment.

"31023040HC90? Jeez, we're do I even start with something like that? I wish Lust could have just given me the name of the stupid book instead" August groaned as she wander towards the long, lone, reading desk in the middle of the large study.

She huffed as she scanned the research notes that were stacked into neat piles and the array of books hidden in the drawers of the desk. She sighed.

"Nothing"

The girl stood still as she tapped a forefinger to her chin thoughtfully.

"This book has to be important for Lust to wanted me to find it. Maybe it's hidden" She mused before clasping her hands together under chin.

"Ok. If I were like Master where would I keep my valuable books hidden? Hmmm?" The child wondered as she fluttered around the library curiously.

"Oh where, oh where has the book gone. Oh where, oh where can it be ~ " She hummed to herself as she peered around the shelves and counters, investigating every nook and cranny.

While peering under one of the bookcases something briefly caught the girl's attention as she swerved around to investigate.

There!

A tiny alchemy circle was drawn on the inside of the bottom corner of the desk. The dark red circle had been nearly invisible in the shadows that draped the underside of the mahogany wood.

August grinned, she couldn't believe her luck, and she wouldn't have even noticed that if she weren't literally standing on her head a moment ago.

She chuckled, as she taught of Master Dante or even Envy standing on their head to find the circle.

She then gimmicked.

'Better hurry' She mused as she soundlessly clapped her hand and activated the circle. A small thump was heard as a hidden draw fell into place and August opened it eagerly. Inside was a large leather bound book atop a stack of disorganized papers and envelopes. August paused.

She found it odd that these notes seemed so misplaced and disorganized while everything else in the library was placed to perfection.

She looked a little closer at the obvious crinkles and water stains splattered over each page in morbid fascination.

Had someone been crying over these notes?

A loud bang echoed from the resounding halls and shattered the silence. August clapped her hands over her mouth before she could scream in fright. She wheeled around to stare wide-eyed at the room's entrance.

No one was there.

The child nearly cried out in relief, terrified that she had been caught already.

Envy must have been looking for her. He was probably angry with the mess she had left.

The girl gimmicked again.

She had never really finished those dishes had she?

She shook her head as she quick as she snatched up the heavy journal and flipped open to the cover title. Spotting the target numbers she quickly clutched her prize to her chest as she spun on her heel and blotted out of her master study and down the halls without a second glance. She didn't stop until she had reached her room and dived underneath her bed in fright.

August paused and panted as she curled in on herself and clutched the book in her arms like a drowning man would a lifeline. After a moment's worth of silence she finally sighed and relaxed, loosening her vice-grip on the book. She pulled back slightly to get a closer look at the object of her quest.

Dark leather, dyed a deep shade of Tyrian purple, shielded the nearly faded out yellowing parchment from further decay while expertly craved runes and designs rose up to meet her hand as August stroked the book cover gently.

"The Laws of the Forbidden and Taboo?" August read aloud as she quirked an eyebrow at the foreboding title.

"Hmm…I like it."

Another crash was heard as angry footsteps thundered down the hallway.

"Brat!" Envy's yell could be heard echoing through the corridors.

August winced again. He did not sound happy.

She sighed as she looked longingly at the worn book in her arms.

"Guess I'll have to read it later" She groaned sadly to herself. Thinking quickly the girl shut the intriguing book and began searching along the loose floorboards underneath her bed. Smirking slightly the girl quickly warped her lithe fingers along the loosest board and tugged sharply. She was rewarded with a soft creak as the board gave way.

August grunted in relief as she heaved the heavy manual into the small space and sealed the rickety, old, board shut as quietly as possible.

She briefly wondered if she should follow in her master's footsteps and alchemize the loose floorboard shut.

She wasn't given long to ponder the idea before she felt something cold clam down on her ankle like a vice and rip her away from her hiding spot with blinding speed.

August shrieked in alarm as she suddenly found herself hanging upside-down in mid-air by her foot.

After the world had finally stopped spinning she glanced up in surprise to find a pale hand, hidden by a dark fingerless glove, squeezing her ankle with an almost painful pressure. She didn't need to let her gaze wander far from the pale hand that was gripping her foot up to the lithe yet muscular arm it was attached to for her to realize just who was dangling her in midair.

Envy leered down at the flustered child.

"Found you", He grinned wickedly.

August gapped at the creature before her, wondering how he had snuck up on her so quietly. She gulped nervously as she noticed the dangerous glint in his eyes.

"So, um…how's the weather up there?" She grinned nervously as she wiggled slightly against the monstrous grip on her ankle.

The homunculus gave a flat look.

"What were you doing?" August swear she felt her heart drop in her throat.

"Um…well-uh…you see, um…" She fumbled her words as she began to panic; it would do no good for her to be caught before she had even had a chance to read to start!

Luckily, or unluckily depending on who was looking at the situation, Envy saved August from her excessive rambling as he rudely interrupted her.

"Finding a place to hide, eh brat?" He jeered as he dangled August from her ever-numbing foot. She stared wide-eyed at him, her scrambled brain straining to find the correct answer.

"Er…No?"

"Pathetic" He snorted, his cheeky smirk dropping as quickly as August did onto the floor.

August pouted as she untangled her herself from her ungracefully sprawled out position on the floor and glared at him.

"But I wasn't hiding" She huffed as she crossed her arms and looked away childishly, slightly glad that he had come to the wrong conclusion.

Envy cocked an eyebrow disbelievingly as he continued to glare at her.

"Sure you weren't" He mused dryly before bending down to yank the child up by her hair. She cried out in pain as she was hulled mercilessly to her feet once again.

"Ow! Hey-Ow! What are you doing! Let go!" August yelled as the envious sin ignored her and proceeded to literary drag her out of the bedroom by her long hair.

"I said let go!" August snapped.

"You know, you've been acting more and more like a little brat lately. I think it's about time I teach you a lesson in respect…" Envy smirked as he yanked harder at the child's scalp. August could feel the hot tears pooling in her eyes from the pain as she gripped her head.

Great, just great, he was in a bad mood.

August bit her lip as she held back the urge to sigh, knowing that Envy would not take kindly to the gesture and probably use it as an excuse to increase her punishment.

'It can't be that bad, I mean he's never hurt me before that much!' One look at the smirking look plastered over Envy's face took her fantasies and smashed them into itty-bitty pieces.

'Never mind then' this time the girl did sigh softly to herself.

Even though Envy was under strict orders not to harm her, August knew all to well that his sadistic urges were still something she needed to watch out for.

She struggled to school her features as they neared the double doors she had so carelessly left wide open.

'How stupid of me' She thought sourly. The child yelped in surprise as she was unexpectedly thrust into the messy room. She winced as she landed, feeling fragments of glass she hadn't collected dig into her knees.

She gulped as the doors slammed close as a pair of scantily clad feet made their way into her vision. Envy grinned as he crouched down at eye level with the child. He feigned a hurt look as she crossed her arms and refused to look at him.

"Aw don't look so nervous brat" He sneered mockingly before tilting her chin up, "We haven't even started yet".

Suddenly a wide smile that screamed nothing but ill intent stretched across his face, revealing sharp teeth.

"Ohhh I know! Let's play a game." His grin grew as he let go of her chin and stood. August watched him warily.

"Its called 'How fast can you run before I cut you into little pieces'", He laughed in a deranged way as he morphed his arm into a black tipped steel blade, a playful yet sadistic gleam in his eyes.

"…", Silence was his only reply as August jumped up and wasted no time in sprinting for the hills.

Envy barked out a laugh as he began his chase.

The little brat might be annoying and a handful, Envy mused as he watched the child sprint down the halls.

His grin stretched in an almost sickly manner as he slowly stalked after her, whistling a tune mockingly as he went.

But at least he wasn't bored anymore.


(One week later)

A loud sigh penetrated the quite of the bedroom as August allowed her head to hit the heavy book in lap with a thump.

She groaned, unable to continue reading despite her mind's insistent urging to lap up as much knowledge as possible from the ancient pages of her secret book.

August found that the secrets in the forbidden book were amazing. Everything from how to turning lead into purified gold, to how to making components of a human body and even how to recreate vital organs. August was astounded to put it lightly.

But it didn't seem like this was what Lust wanted her to find.

She groaned aloud and rubbed her tired face in her hands.

'I can't stay awake if I stay here. I need someplace else to read' She mused as she swung her legs off the bed and jumped lightly to the floor.

"But where?"

'Well, I can't stay in the house, not if any of the others are around and roaming the halls.' She recalled on their lack of sleep as she remembered Envy normally being awake at odd hours of the night.

'I won't risk getting caught now, not when I'm so close to finishing!' She thought stubbornly as she stood before the window with the book held closely to her chest. August debated her options for a moment before nearly smacking herself.

'The window, duh!' She rolled her eyes at the sheer simplicity of it as she stepped fiddled with the lock and stepped onto the now open windowpane. She held her breath as she looked down at the two-story drop below.

August cocked her head.

She could always go the easy way and try aiming to go to a room on the first floor and sneak one of those windows, but then again Lust liked to hang around the fireplace and Gluttony wouldn't be too far behind in the kitchens.

August shook her head. No way, option B?

She could alchemize the wall into platforms but that would without a doubt make too much noise. The child rubbed her chin with a free hand. Option C?

Go the odd fashion way.

She grinned, that was a much better idea.

With her goal in mind August jumped off the open window seal and knelt next to the large bed. After completing her work she ripped the heavy comforter onto the floor over her circles and lightly clapped her hands together.

Two bright circles illuminated the room as the sheets melted together to form one long strip of rope.

Quickly walking back to the window she began to tie the makeshift rope to climb down.

Once she felt the soft, slightly damp, grass underneath her bare feet August quickly tugged the rope to make sure it would stay in place before nodding in satisfaction and darting off into the dark woods.

August was glad for the full moon that had chosen to come out that night as she could clearly see the small paths that lead deeper into the forest which eventually lead to an open glade. She happened across an old log at the edge of the clearing and happily sat down upon it, breathing in the warm midnight summer's breeze.

There was nothing like a daring escapade to make one feel alive.

August grinned peacefully before sighed again as she leaned back and stared up the full moon hanging majestically in the twinkling sky.

She allowed herself a small, sad, smile, remembering when she and June would watch the stars together nearly every night since they're mother had passed on.

August frowned as she returned her attention to the cold book she had brought along in her hands.

She needed to finish this.

August flipped the pages around curiously wondering if she had missed something.

The book itself was a perfect marriage of old texts and handwritten research notes that seemed to have been decoded previously and refined.

She furrowed her brow curiously, all of her earlier fatigue vanishing as she read the title for the last chapter she has seemed to overlook.

"The Ultimate Taboo: Human Transmutation" She whispered quietly to herself, shivering as a sudden chill crept up her spine. She paused for moment, wondering if this was the thing Lust had wanted her to find, before reading aloud since she was finally alone.

"If one wishes to obtain something, something of equal value must be given.

This is the Law of Equivalent Exchange, the basis of all alchemy.

In accordance with this law, there is a taboo among alchemists: human transmutation. Human transmutation is the attempt to bring deceased human beings back to life using alchemy. It is a strictly forbidden act that not even the strongest of alchemist should ever attempt."

August stopped, her heart beating furiously against her ribs as her the offending organ threatened to leap up out of her throat and into her shaking hands.

She swallowed thickly as she shivered and tried with all her might to control herself from finding Lust and yelling at her until she was either dead or mute.

'This isn't fair. This isn't fair!' August hissed in her mind.

To be taunted with something so wonderful as to finally be able to see June, perhaps her mother, again and then slapped in the face with it because it was forbidden!

She scowled angrily at the worn leather book in her lap, debating whether or nor to fling it into the dark woods or smash her head in with it in frustration.

"Why make me read this stupid book if she knew I was going to find this?" August growled as she hugged her knees tightly to her chest. She buried her head between her legs as she fought to level her breathing.

She stared numbly at her scraped and scabbed knees before her as she struggled to let her mind turned blank.

No, not entirely blank.

Tears suddenly threatened to spill over the rim of her eyelids as August sniffed pitifully.

Suppressed memories suddenly fought to viciously claw their way to the surface of the girl's subconscious and wreak havoc on the poor child's mind as she shook her head in a vain effort to rid herself of them.

'No, no, no, not again. Don't think about it. Don't think about them.' She chanted mindlessly to herself as she cupped her hands over her ears and squeezed her eyes shut. The little girl rocked her small, shaking body back and forth, trying to suppress the buried pain that threatened to explode forth from her burning chest.

'Its ok, its ok, I'm ok, I'm ok, everything is ok.' August continued as she quietly shook, like a frail leaf being tossed in a thunderstorm. Praying that her childish tactics would help her once more.

After what seemed like hours, she finally managed to collect herself.

August gave a long-suffering sigh as she glanced once more at the bright celestial orb in the dark sky.

"Ok…ok, there has to be something else in here" She sighed angrily in defeat as she untangled herself from her fetal position and continued to flip through the pages.

"Here" She countered as she flipped to another passage.

"…Though there have been many who have tried to overcome the taboo of human transmutation, none have ever succeeded as there has never been a recorded case of a successful human transmutation, nor a record of anyone whom has ever survived the process."

August sighed heavily. "Well that's just great"

A rustle in the bushes behind her caught the young girl's attention as she paused in mid-sentence. August snapped her head at the disturbance.

She shook her head nervously, dismissing the distinctly unease feeling beginning to brew in the pit of her gut.

"Its nothing…" She trialed off uncertainly as she glanced down at the book, hoping it would somehow dispel her fear. A certain passage caught her eye.

"Huh? What's this?"

"Not much is known about them, but theorists believe that despite being replicate humans they would lack certain human attributes due to their artificial nature and instead have perhaps certain supernatural elements that would otherwise not be present in true humans. However, realistically it is clear that they are still aberrations of nature, whose very existence violates the flow of the natural universe, and as such, in all likely hood they would have no souls as a direct result." August blinked, fascinated by the creature they were attempting to describe as she flipped to the page before. She read the last sentence of that page carefully.

"A Homunculus, Latin for "Little Human", refers to the mythological concept of an artificially created human through the use of alchemy-" August paused as she felt a puff of warm air draped the back of her neck.

The girl blinked curiously.

Why the wind coming in the opposite direction now?

Jade eyes widened as she felt another warm breeze fan her neck, realizing little too late that this was not the wind.

August couldn't suppress a fearful cry as a pair of ghostly pale hands slowly clamped down on either side of her seat while two powerful arms caged her from behind. She watched in terror as the figure's pale fingers grounded out deep holes in the sturdy bark effortlessly as if it were merely air.

"Oh no…" She breathed as a dark and sinister chuckle broke the motionless night air.

"Oh yes" A raspy voice sneered right beside her ear. She watched helplessly as long, spiny, ink-like tresses of hair emerged from the darkness and fell around past her shoulders, tickling her cheeks.

Her breathes began to come in shallow gasps of air as the girl sat as still as a statue, feeling her heart slamming against her chest with a ferocious intensity.

August held in a deep breath before summoning all the courage she possibly had left and slowly titled her head back.

There was Envy, merely inches away from her face, staring down at August with the most terrifyingly intent expression in his cruel violet eyes she had ever seen in her life. She didn't even bother to hold back her terrified whimper.

"Found you", He breathed yet again as he smirked wickedly, his sharp teeth gleaming like the fangs of predator in the moonlight.

August could only stare in mute terror as her breaths came out in shallow, short, pants that ghosted over his face.

Envy grinned in satisfaction at the raw fear he could see churning in those bottomless pools of green.

Slowly he forced his gaze past the terrified child and rested it on the eerily familiar book lying forgotten in her lap.

"Well, well, well, so this is what you've been hiding." He purred as he plucked the book from her cold, little, hands. "Dante's been wondering what happen to this old thing" He mused disinterestedly as released the girl and he turned the accursed thing over carelessly in his hands.

He smirked inwardly to himself when he noticed that she hadn't budged an inch from her spot and was still staring fearfully at him.

August finally found the strength to breathe once Envy had released her from his grip and became preoccupied with the stolen book in his hands.

"H-How?" She whispered, her voice still failing her as his dangerous gaze unsettled her to the core.

He smirked. "I figured you we're hiding something when you kept disappearing into your room all week-long. It was easy enough to wait until you slipped up for me to find out what it was…" Here his amethyst narrowed.

"And then you have the nerve to look like your running away in the middle of the night, just to read a damn book" The eldest sin hissed dangerously as he shot forward and tore the child from her seat by the roots of her hair.

"You idiot do you know what Dante would have done!" He snapped angrily.

August screamed in pain at the unexpected move and struggled against his iron grip.

His hand didn't budge but his smirk did as it widened considerably at her pain, familiar feelings of blood lust stealing upon him.

"So you know our dirty little secret then", He mused passively as he placed a free hand on his hip, though the dark look of malice did not leave his eyes as he watched her every move.

The girl stared through blurry eyes at him while her scalp screamed pain.

"W-What secret?" She gasped painfully, still ignorant to the truth.

He stared at her teary eyes quietly for a moment before raising an eyebrow mockingly.

"Oh. Come. On. You still haven't figured it out?" Envy questioned in disbelief before he suddenly threw his head back and laughed manically.

August stared blankly at him in confusion.

"You're so pathetic that it almost hurts!" He jeered tauntingly as he laughed harder. He clutched his stomach as he roared in laughter.

August merely hung her head and cried silently, her scalp continuing to burn in pain as his mocking laughter echoed terribly in her ears.

Suddenly she looked up at him.

"So you're…you're a homunculus?" She whispered quietly.

Envy stopped laughing as he finally managed to catch a hold of himself. He gave her a cold look before he turned towards the discarded book lying on the ground next to them and began to crush the delicate pages under his barefoot.

"So you're finally catching on" He rolled his eyes as he stomped back over to the shivering child before squatting down on the balls of his feet and becoming eye level with her.

"So what did you think you were going to do huh?" He sneered mockingly as he looked her in the eye.

"Try and transmute that bitch you called your big sister back from the dead? Or wait, weren't you going to try and bring back mommy dearest first?" He barked out a sick laugh.

August watched him blankly for a moment before she felt her heart swell with a burst of emotion she could no longer control.

She threw her hands over her face and abruptly began to sob loudly.

Envy abruptly he cut his laughter short as he stared intently at the child.

An unusual emotion flickered behind his fuchsia orbs for a brief moment as something within the homunculi's gut twisted sharply.

Envy frowned at the unpleasant feeling in his stomach before chalking up the unknown feeling as disgust or annoyance at the human's pathetic sniveling.

"You're so damn pathetic, nothing but a waste of space." He growled harshly at the crying girl, all traces of humor suddenly gone as a pitiless contempt and hatred began to fill his eyes.

"You're all the same you damn humans. You all think you can just play God whenever you want and get away with it. Trying and failing to bring back people who are already dead and gone just because you think you can cheat death." Envy snarled, his eyes flashing in a mixture of rage and loathing.

"And then when everything is said and done and you finally realize who the true monsters are you won't try to fix anything, you'll cut your loses and run. Run like the worthless cowards you are."

He yanked the girl closer and glared down in revulsion at her crying form. He sneered once again before throwing her to the ground.

"You all sicken me to my core, you worthless humans, you're all nothing but trash that doesn't even deserve to breathe the same air as us homunculi." He strolled over to the frozen child and pinned her to the ground harshly with his foot, as he had done with the destroyed book before her.

"You don't deserve it. You don't deserve any of it. Homunculi do, we are superior in every way possible. Hell, we're practically the next stage of human evolution! The only thing you humans can do best is die!" The scowling sin yelled as he grounded his foot harshly into the child's small chest while laughing wickedly.

August felt an immense pressure on her lungs as she gasped fruitlessly for air while tears spilled uselessly down her face as she watched Envy in terror. He acted as if he was possessed.

"I-I-I d-didn't-t w-w-want-" August choked as she struggled to breathe. She clawed against his ankle as she began to feel very faint.

"Hmm? What was that? I couldn't hear you, speak up." Envy cocked his head to the side as he sneered down at the pathetic child under him. He barely lifted his foot from the girl's chest, allowing her to extend her miserable existence just a bit longer as he awaited her pitiful excuse.

August gasped and choked as she greedily gulped the sweet, fresh, air into her starved lungs. She shook as she forced herself to meet his blood-curdling gaze.

A flurry of coughs interrupted the young girl as she struggled to speak.

"Y-your w-wrong" She managed to cough out as her body quivered.

Envy felt his smirk slip as he glared at her. "Come again?"

August closed her eyes and tightened her fists, summoning all her courage.

"I never wanted to bring them back. Why would I want them to come back to a place like this?" She spat angrily as she opened her eyes and glared at the taken off guard homunculus above her.

Envy raised an incredulous brow at the heavy amount of bitterness that had no place in the tone of the normally carefree child he knew. She suddenly faltered, the pain of misery welling up behind her eyelids yet again.

"Your right I do miss them, I want to be alive with me right here and now, and knowing that it will never happen hurts so much-" She paused as her voice cracked and she closed her tearful eyes, still choking on the ever-growing lump in her throat.

The girl drew in a shaky gasp as she forged on ahead.

"But even if it were true, if it were possible to bring them back, I…"

Her hysterical voice died out as she stopped in her tirade before she ever so slowly opened her bloodshot eyes and matched the homunculus' icy glare with one of her own.

"I would never force them to come back here just to be with me," The girl mumbled quietly.

"I wouldn't ever even consider causing the only people who ever cared about me that much pain by ripping them away from something that's bound to be better than this place" She snapped as she shook her head vehemently before glaring at Envy through blood-shot eyes.

The sin blinked blankly as she pushed his loose foot away and struggled to stand up.

Once again on two unsteady feet, August took a few steps back from the inhuman creature, creating as much distance as she could without provoking him, while sending him a frosty glare.

"So stop running you're mouth off about things you don't understand. Your right I'm nothing like a homunculus but at least I'm nothing like the monster you are Envy!" August yelled as her fists curling on instinct at her sides in sheer anger, her unkempt nails cutting into the soft flesh of her hands shook.

It became quiet after that last heated remark as both the human and the homunculus stood opposite from each other, stiff as boards as a mid-night summer's wind swept wildly across the clearing. Only the sounds of the child's heavy panting and the leaves rustling in the gust could be heard from the eerily still forest, as if waiting for the calm before the storm.

It did not have to wait long.

A low, sinister, chuckle snapped the dense silence like a dry twig.

"Monster huh?" And with that, the homunculus' arm transformed in a flash of bright light, leaving a gleaming blade bathed in moonlight behind.

August felt her stomach drop in terror and her eyes widened in disbelief as it finally dawned upon her, she had crossed one line too many.

"You haven't seen anything yet, I'll show you what a real monster looks like!" Envy snarled as he lunged at August. Long forgotten memories were beginning to stir in the forefront of Envy's mind, spinning in circles behind his eyes, nearly driving him mad with blood lust as he aimed his blade at the girl.

August screamed as she fell backwards over the log, narrowly missing the dark blade that cut at the empty air, merely inches from her throat.

August fell and rolled down the small hill and away from the moon-bathed clearing before springing to her feet and sprinting into the dark forest.

She ran blindly through the dense woods, flinging herself through bushes and tripping over twisted tree roots.

August had a clear feeling of déjà vu as she was reminded of when she had fled from those dogs from that had hunted her as those years ago.

How ironic that the person that had saved her from them was the same person that was now chasing her through these exact same woods.

August ran and ran as fast as she could, not caring where she was going, until she tripped once again like all those years ago and fell face first into the hard, solid, ground. The girl gasped in pain as her ankle gave a sharp snapping sound as she fell. The child cried quietly as she gripped the broken appendage and began to crawl in the dirt.

She stopped.

There before her was a sight she had hoped to high heaven, and to whatever vindictive god that ruled it, that she would never have to see again.

In front of her was a familiar site were two fallen trees that had intertwined with one another to form what looked similar to a grand gateway. They merged together forming a mocking promise of a shelter for those stupid enough to wander this far into these deep and unforgiving woods. The white bark shone eerily in the full moon's light and various dark stains littered the ground around its roots.

August tried not to think too much about the darken stains though the smell of rot and decay still hung in the air like a sickness, even after all this time.

Slowly she turn her head from the weathered gravesite and looked behind her, with some trepidation, to the see what had tripped her.

She screamed.

A long, gleaming, white bone laid discard on the ground by her foot. August felt her eyes travel farther up the skeleton's arm without her consent.

She swallowed hard.

Tears began to rush down her dirt and blood smeared face in rivulets as she stared shakily at the pile of bones behind her.

Somehow she knew without even trying just whose remains they were.

"…june" August whispered quietly feeling as numb and dead as her sister beside her.

She crawled closer to the corpse, touching the fractured skull with a shaking hand. As if in a trance, she cupped the smooth skull in her hands and traced the clean-cut hole in the center of the forehead with tenderness and affection.

A raspy chuckle broke the still silence that had descended over the forest if only for a brief few moments.

"Well isn't that precious?" Envy sneered as he appeared from the surrounding black of the night. He glided over to his prey and smirked once he noticed her oddly bent ankle.

She was completely cornered.

His shadow loomed threatening over the small girl as she curled into the long dead carcass of her fallen sibling, instinctively seeking comfort from what was left of her big sister.

"Aw what's wrong, not happy to see me?" He sneered maliciously as he towered over the little girl.

August didn't look at him as she continued staring deep into the empty eye sockets of the skull that rested between her cold hands.

"…june" She repeated longingly to the skull.

Envy frowned at the little girl. He took one look from the child's emotionless face to the broken skull and back. A flash of recognition stole across his face as he quickly put the pieces of the puzzle together.

"Well then…Looks like you got you're wish brat. You get to see your family after all" Envy mused as he sneered down her before raising his bladed arm high in the air as he aimed for the finishing blow.

"Are we the same?" August suddenly aloud as she turned slowly to look at the homunculus, her bright, sorrow filled, green eyes piercing straight through body as they held him still. Envy held still.

"What are talking about now? I'm nothing like you", He snapped after a brief second of silence.

August slowly sat up on her knees to look at the homunculus above her.

"B-but… d-did someone abandon you too?" August questioned fearfully as shook ever so slightly.

Envy paused.

His slanted lilac eyes widened ever so slightly as he stared down at August, shock coursing through his veins.

No, she couldn't have known, she couldn't have figured it out. It's not possible…

Envy gnashed his teeth together as he tried to bite back the torrent of emotions he had locked away deep within him for centuries.

When the homunculus- no Envy- made no move towards her August found the strength to continue.

"I-I can see it sometimes, like right now. It's the same as me. You're angry, really angry, but at the same time you're really sad too and it looks like it hurts a lot. I know that it hurts," She explained shakily as she stared up at the quiet sin before her.

Her bright green eyes flashing eerily as the moonlight lit up her pale face.

"Even when you don't think about it, it doesn't go away, and it hurts right here".

The little girl paused as she poked a small finger to her chest tenderly, nearly wincing at the bruise that was sure to form from falling face first into the hard ground. She stared up again at the homunculus who remained frozen like a statue.

His demeanor was terrifying to the little girl though his piercing eyes were hidden from view as an ominous shadow fell over his face.

But that didn't stop August.

"So I'm sorry. I'm sorry for making you sad Envy, for making you hurt, I didn't mean to…" She trailed off, unable to continue as she stared gloomily at the skull in lap.

Silence overlapped the pair as another strong wind blew past the trees.

The pair of dead trees creaked and groaned against the strain as they're thin white branches swayed longingly in the wind.

Finally the silence was broken as Envy spoke.

"You don't know anything. You don't know a damn thing", He answered coldly as he finally locked eyes with the waiting child before him.

Her emerald eyes nearly glowed in the moonlight as she stared patiently at him.

It was as if she could read the deepest and darkest parts of him, things that even he couldn't figure out, like a damn picture book.

It unnerved the homunculus to no end.

August continued her unrelenting gaze before she sighed gently and she looked down in disappointment at her scrapped and cut knees.

"Ok. Ok, I understand now…" She chuckled hollowly.

I guess its alright if you kill me. I guess I don't have anyone anymore" She trailed off as she glanced sadly at the gleaming white skull in her arms one last time before gently setting it down on the ground in the pile of bones beside her.

The little girl yawned drowsily as she rubbed her swollen eyes.

"And besides…and I'm tired…I'm really, really, tired now. I'm ready to go to bed. So go ahead and kill me, but leave me here and please make it quick" She whispered quietly as she took one last glance at her executioner before shielding her face with her arms and curling into a tight ball.

She didn't want to see when the blade fell.

August closed her heavy eyes as she waited from the strike of the blade glistening ominously in the moonlight above her, ready for it to send her to sleep forever.

But not before she said her final words.

"Bye Envy. Goodnight."


Alright, well I hoped you enjoyed that bit of fluff in the sea of feels I just threw in there. If you're curious or confused about anything in this chapter please feel free to message me through my account or if you are feeling very generous you are more than welcome to leave a review!

Actually please, please, review. It lets me know whether or not you guys like my writing and how the story is turning out.

Oh, thank you for those that have reviewed and have messaged me. It makes me very appreciated and satisfied with my work. Also a belated Happy Easter to all.

PS: Still looking for that Beta Reader if anyone is interested. :)