AN: This chapter was hard and easy to write at the same time. I'm more or less letting Greed steer this story, as I have no really definite plans. Though while writing this I had one of those rare brainwaves that makes a writer want to laugh maniacally at the sheer awesomeness of it all. I just hope I can pull it off.

Anyway, hope you enjoy this chapter. Thoughts are always welcome as they spur me on~!

~Rue

To Be Human

-Chapter One-

The Meaning of Numbers

When Greed opened his eyes again, he was lying face down on the floor of a very empty apartment. Groaning he lifted himself gingerly off the floor, his body felt tired, like it hadn't been used in some time. Body? Looking down at himself Greed realised he had a normal human looking body, in fact, it felt quite familiar. Frowning Greed took off to find a mirror, he had a feeling he was young, too young. He found his way to the reasonably sized and empty bathroom, staring at himself in the mirror. He looked like Lin. Again.

"Is this a joke?" he demanded. Glaring at his reflection in annoyance. He wouldn't be able to drink in this body. He wouldn't be able to do anything. Greed swore, he swore a lot. Muttering to himself in disgust Greed leaned on the sink heavily, head down as he tried to think of what he could do in his current state. He was going to kill that damned grinning bastard if he ever saw that thing again. He looked up at his reflection again, glaring evenly as his mind ticked over, studying himself. Red eyes, slightly scruffy long black hair in a ponytail and a large scowl on his face. He wore black pants, but was shirtless and on his hand the symbol of the Oroborus, if a little faded. Greed eyed his hand warily, perhaps he'd wear gloves until it faded? Or just leave it and let others think whatever they wanted. If 'Truth' was to be trusted Alchemy was more or less non-existent in this world. What would it matter if someone saw it?

Greed snorted with disgust and annoyance, glancing back up to the mirror his attention was diverted by a small yellow square of paper attached to the mirrors surface. "You weren't there before…" suspicion rife in his voice. He grabbed the yellow square and peered at it bemused. 'Kitchen bench' were the only words written on it, enough to pull at his curiosity. Greed sauntered out into the bare lounge room, half expecting company of some kind waiting for him. There wasn't. It only took a few quick steps to reach the kitchen bench, there Greed found a wallet, a set of keys and a letter addressed to him. He picked up the wallet and letter, raising an eyebrow at the wallet and eyeing the letter. Greed flipped open the wallet and peered at the contents, it was mostly empty, save for a few strange multicoloured cards and some form of photo identification. It was only when he looked closer he realised it was a high school students id card. "Fuck me, I'm not doing that shit," he growled as he glowered down at the card. Throwing the wallet back on the bench Greed roughly pulled out the letter from it's envelope, his frown deepened as he read;

Greed,

By this point you have already entered the bathroom and seen some of the cards you have been dealt. The rest are for you to decide, more or less, you have been enrolled in the local high school, I suggest attending. As you are in High School, you are permitted a part time job, also a good idea as the money I've generously given you won't last forever. The other cards in the wallet are bank cards, they are what you use to get money. Just match the names on the cards to the banks. Even you should be able to manage that.

I should warn you that the other Homunculus are in the city, you and Envy are the last to arrive. Pride will not be participating as he has not been killed back in Amestris. Whatever you decided to do should you come across them, remember this; they have the same deal as you. One year. Human or bust as they say.

There's a change of clothes in the wardrobe located in your room, I suggest going out and buying some furniture for your new home along with some food for the fridge. Humans have to eat regularly and so do you now. Remember that.

Good luck.

Greed almost tore the letter to shreds as his anger mounted. Seething he stalked back down the small hallway he'd walked down to the bathroom, this time entering the bedroom. Thankfully he wouldn't have to buy a bed or bedding by the look of it. It was even the colours he would have bought; black and red. Greed wrenched the wardrobe door open forcefully and glared at the clothes that had been prepared for him. They weren't great, but they'd have to do. He grabbed a dark grey t-shirt, glaring at the school uniform as he did, not yet willing to admit that he'd probably look awesome in it. Greed walked back into the bathroom as he pulled the t-shirt on, he stared at himself for a little while before frowning again.

"Ponytail needs to go," he stated. Pulling at the drawers one by one he found some scissors and threatened to cut his own hair off. It was only when his good sense kicked in that he realised it would take more than one cut to fix his hair. "Damn," Greed cursed his brain for making sense and put the scissors down. He could go to a hair dresser later and get it done properly without being at risk of cutting his own ears off. His stomach grumbled. He was hungry.

Muttering curses under his breath Greed stormed back to the living room, shoving the wallet into his pocket along with the keys before opening his front door and slamming it shut behind him in an attempt to curb his anger and frustration. It didn't work.

Ten minutes down the street Greed had found a building that housed many shops, this included a multitude of food stores and more than one home furnishing store. His first port of call, however, was a fast food store. Glancing at the menu Greed decided to try a burger with 'fries' and a drink called 'coke'. He didn't care what it was called as long as it tasted good and shut his bloody stomach up. Greed did note, in the back of his mind where he wasn't about to rip someone's head off, that the hungrier he became the more irritable and potentially violent he was likely to be. He should always carry food with him, he decided as he moved forward to be served.

"Welcome to Fu's Fast Food, what can I get you today?" asked a slightly bored looking teenage girl. Greed barely glanced at her, he barely took note of the name pinned to her ill fitting uniform. He pretended the name of the store didn't bother him, he just needed to eat and move on. That was all.

"Burger, fries and a coke," he told her. Greed didn't smile nor did he look at the girl at all really, he just wanted the damned food.

"Ok, sir, what size would those be?" she asked. The girl was obviously used to not being looked at or treated nicely.

"Large," he replied after a moment. Greed pulled the wallet out of his pocket and picked a card to pay for the food with as he'd seen others in the restaurant do before him. The number the girl told him meant nothing to his ears thus Greed silently handed her the card. He watched with mild interest as she swiped the card down a slot in a small machine and then asked;

"Credit or savings?" Greed blinked at the question.

"Either one, doesn't matter," he replied shrugging. She raised an eyebrow, but said nothing as she pressed a button on the hand-held device before handing it to him.

"Enter you pin and then press 'ok'" she told him. She didn't wait for him to respond as she went about getting his order ready. Greed peered down at the device in his hand, the grinning idiot hadn't told him about any bloody 'pin'. The screen prompted him to enter a four digit code. Greed then noticed there were letters under the numbers, only one word made any sense to him so he figured what the hell and tried it. . He stared at the screen as it processed the code he'd tried. Greed raised an intrigued eyebrow as the device told him his guess had been right. Well, guess I am just a sentimental bastard after all….damn kids got to me all right…he thought to himself with more than a hint of annoyance at himself. He took his card back as well as his food and silently, with a simple nod at the girl who'd served him; sat down at the nearest table to scarf down the food he'd just bought.

With his belly full Greed could now think straight, his mind now turning to buying furniture for his empty apartment. Though now he thought about it he didn't even know his address. He pulled out his wallet again, replacing the card he'd used to buy the food. Looking at his student card he found his address was printed on it. He wondered at the apartment number, wondering what it spelled on the key pad, though part of him already knew. The letters burned into his brain. 762. He knew it was the grinning bastards idea of a cruel joke, but it made his blood boil. It was all he could do to walk out of the restaurant before he snapped some poor fools neck out of sheer rage.

He stalked though the crowds of people that snaked through the department store on their daily business, not looking at anyone as he headed to the nearest furniture store. Finding the store Greed lost himself in selecting items for his new home; a couch he could crash on when needed, a good strong coffee table he could plant his feet on, a tv to waste time. He even found a computer as he figured he'd probably need it for school, if he could figure out how to use the blasted thing. He picked out lamps, clocks and other assorted things he just felt like grabbing to make it look like somewhere he'd actually want to live. The store clerk walked next to him and wrote down what items he picked out, colours he'd prefer and such. By the time he'd spent an hour in the store he had a good number of items, including appliances, to be delivered to his house the following day.

Greed left the store feeling less agitated and more serene than he had in a long while, probably something to do with his full stomach and the lack of any real need for thought for the last hour. This is what he told himself anyway. Deciding more mindless shopping would probably do him some good Greed walked into a clothing store, of a mind to create a new look for himself. Or in this case, an old one. He managed to find a nice, comfortable black trench coat and an assortment of other dark coloured clothing as was his want. He also acquired some good black boots like the ones he usually wore to replace the ridicules sneakers he'd been given. By the time he stopped Greed was carrying a vast number of assorted bags. While the weight of then was nothing, they were a bother and he still hadn't bought groceries to stock his fridge.

'Tch, can do that later," he muttered to himself. Slinging the multitude of bags over his shoulder Greed strode back through the department store in much better spirits that those he had entered with. Of course that only lasted until he approached 'Fu's Fast Food', just looking at the sign made him angry. The logo even looked like Fu. Where was Wrath when he needed someone's face to smash in?

In the end Greed left the department store fuming just a little less than he was when he walked in. He hated it, but he knew he'd probably end up going back, the burger was too good to resist. Still, that store name and logo couldn't be a coincidence, could it?

When he returned home Greed found himself completely drained of energy as confused thoughts whirled around in his head. Dropping the numerous bags of clothes he'd been carrying on the floor near his bed Greed allowed himself to fall face first onto his bed and fell asleep before he'd even stopped bouncing on the brand new bed beneath him. His dreams were plagued with visions of Fu's death, along with the many faces of friends he'd left behind. Along with those whose names haunted him still.