Dawn: Updating now-

Ace: -before things go wrong-

Both: -or we get more homework.

Envy: Please review to make them happier. They filled up the bottom with footnotes again and have gotten way too much work 'cuz they procrastinate on everything except this.

Ed: Thank you to Annie May Detective and little firework for reviewing. It really does make both Ace and Dawn feel better when they find reviews.

Envy: Ace5980 and ImmortalDawn18 don't won FullMetal Alchemist.

Dawn: Thanks, Envy-chan, Eddo-kun. I'm gonna have so much fun laughing at you and Lust tomorrow.

Ace: Why?

Dawn: Your profile pic on XXXX is Envy's Hallwoeen costume. She's gonna take your head off.

Ace: Meh, I still need to find the other one.

Dawn: Which is?

Ace: *whisper whisper*

Dawn: HELL YEAH! DRAW THAT PUPPY ACE! DO IT, DO IT!

Ace: I'm only looking if they ask for it...

Chapter Two

Emily sighed once Edward was firmly asleep, easing his head off her lap. It wasn't that she didn't want to be his pillow, far from it, but because of her condition, she had something more important to do than cater to her master. Her last master had needed her blood, and she'd grown well-used to being taken from, so now, where she wasn't needed so bodily, it killed her from the inside-out to be so without her release, so full. She hadn't helped herself for so long, and the pain was just so intense, no matter how much she wanted to stay and serve the blond alchemist, she had to find her out, and she had to find it now.

The neko didn't bother with a note, knowing she'd be able to return far before her master woke up, instead easing out of the compartment and wandering around the train until she found the livestock, trusting in the sheep not to expose her secret. She yanked off her leather glove with her teeth and unsheathed a single claw patiently, pulling back her sleeve from her wrist to unveil the blue spiderwebs to the world. Her tail twitched in anticipation, so without further delay, she slit across the vein, eagerly watching the welling of blood. She needed the liquid to flow, now, before she went insane.

Before her eyes and long preceding her finish, the cut healed over with a small patch of shadows, her natural defenses kicking in to "save" the neko. Understanding how far she'd need to go to get the blood out of her system, she slashed wildly at her arm, long lines tearing into muscle along the line of the arm, short deep cuts to the bone of her wrist, twirling elegant tracings on her palm, anything to try to relieve the anxiety. Panting, she let the blood drip down her pale skin, her ears twitching in satisfaction as she felt the twitchiness leave her body. Before the shadows could return to stitch up her wounds, the girl lowered her head, lapping at the wounds with an inhumanly rough tongue.

Every now and again, she would need to pause to spit a mouthful of blood out on the floor, her face twisted in distaste, but if she didn't clean up the crimson insubordination on her pale skin, Ed would no doubt have her metaphorical head. Only once her skin was once more flawless paper and her claw was spotless, no sign to show of her activities, did she pull her glove back over her hand and creep back to the compartment, easing herself back under the blond. "Emily?" he murmured sleepily, not fully awake but not fully asleep either, "Wha happened? Are we there?"

"No," she hushed, her tail twitching a little guiltily for lying to the one person she'd ever liked the most in the entire world. "I just had some business to attend to. I'm sorry for disturbing you. I thought you were too far gone to notice my absence. Go back to sleep, I'll be fine."

"'kay," he muttered sleepily, burying his face back into her stomach and proceeding to do just that, almost like Emily herself would've.

The girl smiled forlornly, running a slender hand over his hair once she was certain he wasn't conscious enough to notice, unable to resist carding the fingers through the silky soft locks addictingly. Quietly, unwilling to risk waking him once more, she breathed, "Ombre, io so di avere sbagliato/ Lasciando prima bong finale della campana/ Ma Vi chiedo ora di ascoltare la mia supplica/ Cloud occhi d'oro in modo che non può vedere.(1)"

There was nothing to show from her whisperings, but somehow, the neko had faith the words would have an effect on the blond. He was only mortal, while she was... something else. There was no way her words wouldn't conceal her activities from him, but just to be safe, she would repeat the ancient words once more to make sure it took affect before she let herself fall asleep against the seat.

To say Mia did not expect, nay anticipate, the teenage boy with black hair just long enough to fall into his flaming green eyes and a red single Ouroboros tattoo under his chin to spring at her, attempting to knock her from her horse, was an understatement. In truth, she knew it would happen, and as such, she also knew Neo would spring into action, shifting to his panther form fluidly to trap the boy against the wall. "Dinlenmek, Neo. Onu gibi bir yaratık korkacak bir şey yok. O tıpkı bizim kadar gizlilik üzerinde büyür," (2) she murmured, eying him coldly from her perch.

"Aber, Geliebte," (3) the cat whined, pleading with her, his claws at the struggling boy's throat.

"Dammit, Arrogance, I leave you alone for five minutes and you wind up in trouble!" another boy, one with long black hair and sharp purple eyes, growled, stalking around the corner. He then bowed elegantly to Mia, his voice softening. "I'm sorry to bother you, milady, but I must ask you to have your panther release my apprentice so that I might take him home and properly chasten him for straying from my side." His mouth quirked up in a smile as he added, "I'm sure you yourself had no doubt had similar problems before, no?"

An icy chill of fear swept down her spine as Neo hissed blankly in her head, He knows!

She glared at him, maintaining her mask of indifference, as she whispered, "Sanguine multo veteres perit cadit/ Quaero admittere interesse mystico velamine/ Date veritatem detegere quod video/ Verum nomen bestiae coram." (4)

Neo shuddered once more, a response forced from his lips. "Ζηλεύω," (5) he gasped, his voice going deeper than it normally would with the magic flowing through his body.

"What the hell are you?" Arrogance gasped, his chin jerking up in defiance as he hid his unnervedness.

"That is for us to know," Mia growled, her patience wearing thin of the flippant homunculus, "and for you to never find out."

Envy bit his lip, thinking quickly. "By chance," he ventured hesitantly, "have you happened to have met my mother, Dante?"

Mia's eyes lit up considerably, while Neo let out an exasperated growl. "Why yes," she chuckled, "I remember little Dante. She was quite advanced for her time, I will tell you, what with her alchemy, but she was just too blind to see the potential I had until she was already set upon her path, and by then, I abhorred her for her choice. It was just so... barbaric. There are so many other ways for immortality, and far less consequential and drawn-out, let me assure you."

The sin grinned lazily, seemingly recognizing her. "I'm guessing you must be the lovely Mia Ravencroft her journals speak so enviously of. I must say though, the text did not quite do you justice."

"I did not know she wrote of me. How is she these days? Just as rotted as I imagine her, and no less controlling?"

He chuckled. "She didn't call you crass for nothing."

Her nose wrinkled. "Crass?"

"You questioned her godliness," he clarified, "by that, you were committing sacrilege in her eyes. Nothing you did could've convinced her otherwise."

"Humph, like I said, barbaric," Mia tisked, waving her hand. Beneath her, the horseflesh shuddered once before dumping her onto her feet as she clutched her forehead.

Mistress! Neo cried, rushing to her side and forgetting about the homunculus he was pinning to the wall.

I'll be fine, she reassured, clutching his fur for support. I should not have tried casting without a spellbook to ground me is all. And then she fainted.

(1)- Shadows, I know I have done wrong/ Leaving before the bell's final bong/ But I ask you now to hear my plea/ Cloud golden eyes so they cannot see. (Italian)

(2)- Relax, Neo. We have nothing to fear from a creature such as him. He thrives on secrecy just as much as we do. (Turkish)

(3)- But, mistress- (German)

(4)- By blood long lost and by ancient fell/ I ask to permit a part in the mystic veil/ Let me unveil the truth of what I see/ The true name of the beast before me.

(5)- Envy (Greek)