Chapter 15 - Relief

One week later…

Adele sat back from the book resting on the table and rubbed her tired blue eyes. She glanced at her companions sitting around the table in the study. Alchemy books, old texts and periodicals were piled around them haphazardly.

"I think…I think we've finally got it figured out," she stated cautiously. Sara, Titus and Elior glanced up at her. Elior nodded.

"I think you're right. We've covered every possible angle. If it's something that's possible to do, I don't see why it wouldn't work," he replied, closing his book. At that moment the door to the study opened and Elsie stepped in carrying a tray of snacks and drinks. Both she and Riza had been making sure they'd been getting meals and had forced them to take turns grabbing some sleep.

"So you think you have it figured out?" she asked, pushing aside a stack of books and setting the tray down on the table.

"Yeah, finally," Titus muttered tiredly.

"I want to go try it out," Adele began to rise to her feet, but Elsie rested her hands on the girl's shoulders and gently but firmly pushed her back down.

"Eat first. There's no sense in going into this weak from hunger as well as lack of sleep," she said.

"Aunt Elsie is right," Sara said, "Eat something," Adele sighed in resignation.

"Alright," she murmured.

Elmina and AJ were sitting in one of the less frequently used studies. AJ had settled in a chair with a book while Elmina had climbed onto the wide window sill seat. The early morning sun shone in, bathing her in its gentle, golden light, but it might as well have been dark and cloudy for the effect it had on her. She barely noticed the warmth seeping into her skin. Her head was down, knees pulled up to her chest. Her entire concentration was focused on breathing in and breathing out. Her mind was perfectly blank. She'd become a master at thinking of nothing at all. It was far too dangerous to allow her mind to wander. Each thought that found its way past her defenses was soaked in a toxic hopelessness that threatened to crush her beyond repair. Each second was like a minute. Each day dragged on for an eternity. Her only refuge was sleep; that is, when her body allowed her to escape there. Even the nightmares that plagued her were preferable to the living hell that every waking moment of her life had become.

It had been the longest week of her life. The bout of mania that had preceded the depression was like a distant dream. The horribly uncomfortable energy that Mania had thrown into the mix the week previously came and went intermittently. Actually, that was a relief. Its presence didn't help in the least. She just wanted to escape her life, through any means possible. But she'd made a promise and she refused to break it. She couldn't break it. AJ, her mother and even her father had immediately begun taking turns keeping an eye on her ever since AJ had found her on the roof a week before. It was irritating, but at the same time she couldn't blame them. It was actually a relief at some level. She knew in some distant part of her mind she really didn't want to die, she just wanted to escape the pain. But she didn't want to do that and devastate her family. So it was better this way. Not that she felt she was in danger of herself at this point. She'd resigned herself not to do anything stupid, and Despair seemed to have given up trying to convince her for the time being. Of course that didn't mean she'd stopped torturing her...

The door to the study opened and she slowly raised her head to see who it was. She was a little surprised to see Adele standing there with a very determined look on her face. Behind her were Sara, Titus and Elior. Elmina had seen very little of any of them over the last week, since they'd thrown themselves so completely into trying to come up with a way to fix her. It was a little overwhelming for the dark haired girl to think about. It was difficult to fathom why they cared about her so much when she felt so utterly worthless.

"Did you figure it out?" AJ asked, closing his book and setting it aside. Adele nodded.

"I'm pretty sure," she made her way across the room to the window sill where her friend was seated. Elmina turned, allowing her legs to slide down so she was sitting with her back to the window. "Alright, I think this will work. Are you ready?" Adele asked. Elmina stared at her with a flat expression. …No, she'd much rather just stay like this for another week. She was having so much fun... But she really didn't have the energy for sarcasm.

"Yeah," she replied dully. Titus and Elior hung back on the other side of the room, but Sara approached her younger sister and passed her a felt tipped pen.

"You remember how we worked out how the circle goes?" the older girl asked seriously. Adele nodded.

"It's practically burned into the front of my brain," she murmured dryly.

"Good. You might as well get started then. Just don't rush it," Sara warned. Adele gave her sister a sidelong wilted look. Sara planted a hand on her hip, raising an eyebrow in response.

"Don't give me that look. You may be better at this sort of alchemy than me, but I'm still your older sister," she pointed out. Adele rolled her eyes.

"Alright shoo. You're going to distract me," she waved the older girl off. Sara shook her head but moved off to stand with Elior a short distance away. Adele turned to face her friend once more. "Alright, all you need to do is hold still. If something starts to hurt, or you're worried it's not going right, just tell me and I'm pretty sure I can stop midway without damaging anything," she told her. Elmina's eyebrows rose ever so slightly. Somehow that statement wasn't particularly reassuring.

"Alright," she replied. Adele closed her eyes drawing in a deep breath before letting it out slowly while she focused on the immediate task at hand. Then she reached up with the marker and began slowly drawing out a rather unique circle on the Elmina's forehead. After several moments of applying careful strokes to the design, Adele finished it and began drawing several circles on herself. Finally she set the pen aside.

"Alright, here goes," she murmured. She rested her palm against Elmina's head and closed her eyes. Just like the week before with Titus, they were surrounded by blue alchemic light. But unlike the last time, it didn't fade immediately. Elmina shivered as an unfamiliar tingling sensation spread across her skin, sinking down into her bones. Something inside her stirred. Then all at once a feeling of wholeness rushed in to fill the ragged hole in her chest. The crushing weight dissipated until it disappeared completely. A comfortable feeling of normal everyday energy pushed away the suffocating fatigue. She felt as light as a gently drifting feather. The toxic cage of her mind wavered, then shattered completely, allowing light to spill into her thoughts with a feeling of contentment and relief. She gasped in a breath, an overwhelming gratitude washing over her. The alchemic light faded, leaving her staring at her blonde friend with wide eyes. Adele looked a little pale, but her expression was one of anxiety.

"Mina…how do you feel?" she asked. Elmina blinked several times, then flushed slightly with embarrassment as she felt a tear slip down her cheek. She couldn't help it. The relief was so incredible. Abruptly she threw her arms around her friend.

"Thank you," she whispered, "So, so much. It worked," her voice shook with emotion. At her words Adele relaxed, leaning against the dark haired girl tiredly.

"I'm so glad…I didn't know for sure if it would or not," she murmured, tone filled with relief. After a moment Elmina pulled back to fix her friend with a grin.

"You are amazing," she informed her quite frankly. Across the room Titus cleared his throat.

"She had some help you know," he commented dryly. Elmina glanced over at him, Sara and Elior, a grateful yet sheepish smile on her face. She wasn't even fazed by the somewhat irritating skeptical expression on the dark haired alchemist's face. She was much too relieved to have any negative emotion enter into the moment. She would have happily thrown her arms around Titus and apologized for all the mean things she'd ever said to him; although, that would probably be incredibly awkward for him. Then again, perhaps that was all the more reason to do it…but…nah, she didn't really feel like apologizing to Titus.

"Thank you guys, so much. I really don't know what to say," she told them. It was impossible to come up with the words to really thank them properly. She doubted it was something she could ever repay them.

"You don't have to say anything. I'm just glad our hard work paid off," Sara replied with a smile, "Adele, can we try it on Elior?" she asked, glancing at her younger sister. Adele nodded.

"Of course," she replied. AJ frowned slightly, taking in his sister's somewhat exhausted condition.

"Is that a good idea?" he demanded. Elior shook his head.

"Rest first. That's a draining transmutation and this really isn't urgent," he told her firmly. The blonde girl smiled at her soon-to-be brother in law gratefully, fatigue evident in her expression.

"Thanks. We could probably all use a nap before we do anything else," she said, then smothered a yawn.

"You can say that again. Somebody wake me up for supper. I'm going to bed," Titus said, turning and exiting the room.

"Mina, your parents are waiting for you downstairs. You should go let them know you're alright," Sara informed the dark haired girl. Elmina's eyes widened.

"Right! They'll be so relieved," she said, turning to head for the door. Then she hesitated a moment, before turning back and hugging her blonde friend again. "Thank you so much! I wish I knew how to repay you," she told her earnestly. Adele chuckled, pushing her off gently.

"Don't worry about it. You can repay me later by not forcing me to spar with you. Now go see your parents," she ordered. Elmina rolled her eyes, not at all convinced by the no-sparring deal, but didn't object.

The next day…

Wrath glanced up from the report he was reading at the sound of a knock on the door. He was sitting in the hotel room which he'd been staying in for the last week. The days had flown by as he worked with Roy, Edward, Envy and AJ to come up with a plan. Roy had been using him as his personal messenger, sending him to deliver messages and discuss things in person with individuals Roy needed to be in contact with. He'd been acting as the Flame Alchemist's proxy, since it would draw too much attention if Roy himself began meeting with all of his agents and personal friends within the military. He was too much of a prominent figure. Fortunately his network of allies within the ranks of both the military and the government was much larger than Wrath had originally suspected. People in places of power that were known to Roy as being trustworthy were being informed of the threat, and they, in turn, were making subtle preparations for the expected invasion. It wasn't difficult to alert people to the threat from Drachma, since tensions had remained high along the northern border for years. However, conveying information about the impending invasion from the South required caution and delicacy.

He rose to his feet and crossed the room, pulling the door open to see Elycia waiting for him. He frowned slightly.

"Why are you here?" he demanded. The two of them usually met at the café she'd taken him to the day they'd been introduced. Her involvement in the plan was mainly to write letters for Roy, which Wrath then delivered in person. She was also alert to any useful gossip among the staff members and had been attempting to garner information from her 'boyfriend' in the council. She'd been having a reasonable amount of success on that front.

Wrath had yet to meet the man in person, but if what she said was true then he appeared to be tentatively testing the waters to see if she would be willing to switch sides. If she was able to convince him that she was willing to betray her country then there was a fairly good chance he'd share some of the much needed details about the assassination which they were still in the dark on. Of course, she couldn't be too overt about it. He still believed her to be unaware of his personal connection with the Aerugan government. She couldn't afford to let anything slip. She had only discovered his association with the Aerugans by intercepting his mail and reading it before it was delivered to him. They needed to wait for him to make the first move. Unfortunately he seemed to air on the side of caution, which wasn't particularly surprising given the somewhat risky position he was in. Being discovered as a traitor would not only condemn him to death, but would also put the country on high alert for a potential attack from the South.

"Elsie gave me a call and asked me to let you know they're headed back to Resembool today. She was hoping you could drop by to say goodbye," she explained.

"Oh…did she say when they were leaving?" he asked.

"Early this afternoon. So we should probably head over there now," she replied. He raised an eyebrow.

"We?" his tone was skeptical.

"Well, I haven't had a chance to see them in ages. And she did invite me. It would be rude not to show up after saying I would, don't you think?" she pointed out innocently. Wrath rolled his eyes. Even if she hadn't been invited he suspected she would have tagged along anyway. Once she'd latched onto a person she seemed impossible to get rid of until she herself chose to leave.

"Alright, let's go," he replied resignedly.

When they arrived at the Mustang residence they were slightly surprised to be greeted at the door by Envy. When the green haired man's gaze landed on Elycia, Wrath saw his expression freeze. It was clear he wasn't quite sure what to say.

"Envy," Elycia greeted him with a smile, "It's been ages. How have you been?" she inquired, not appearing particularly concerned by his hesitation.

"I've been…busy. Yourself?" he asked, seeming to finally recover from the shock of seeing Hughes's daughter out of the blue.

"I've been well enough. How are Elsie and Elmina?" she asked.

"Why don't you come in and see for yourself?" he suggested, stepping aside to allow them entry. Elycia nodded, strolling past him. Wrath hesitated in the doorway as she left.

"How have things been?" he asked, fixing Envy with a serious gaze.

"At the moment things are good. Adele and the others seem to have found a fix for Mina. She's doing much better," Envy's tone was relieved.

"Is it a permanent fix?" Wrath asked gravely. Envy grimaced.

"I somehow doubt it. Life is never that simple. But now that Adele has worked something out I think it's safe to say she'll be able to come up with new fixes in the future should it become necessary. The only thing she's worried about is that what she did to negate Despair's control might not work against Mania. But we'll cross that bridge when we come to it," he replied. Wrath nodded. Elmina was in good hands with the Elrics. He wasn't too worried.

The two former homunculi headed into the house. They stopped in the door of the living room, watching the scene before them. Elycia was chatting merrily with the Elric girls and Elmina. Riza was having what appeared to be a rather serious conversation with her son and AJ off to one side of the room.

"Where is Roy?" Wrath asked.

"He got called back into the office for the afternoon. Apparently there's been some activity along the Drachman border that has a few of the higher ups worried," Envy's tone was dry. Wrath snorted. They'd be having a good deal more than that to be worried about in a few months.

"Hey dad," Elmina called, "Come here for a sec," she demanded. Envy sighed, but walked over to the group. Wrath watched them for a moment. It felt like ages since he'd had a chance to spend time with his family. He was a little surprised to realize he actually missed their company. It wasn't something he usually spent time thinking about, but he'd spent a lot of time on his own over the last few years. As he watched the group he couldn't help but feel sorry for Envy. Elycia had engaged him in friendly conversation, despite the green haired man's obvious stiffness. If only she knew the truth Wrath somehow doubted she would be so friendly with Envy and his family.

"That's a pretty serious expression," Elsie's voice startled him out of his reverie. He smiled at the dark haired woman who had approached him, a rare warmth entering his gaze.

"I'm just thinking," he replied. She smiled knowingly.

"Do your thoughts have anything to do with Roy's secretary?" she inquired. Wrath grimaced.

"Partially," he replied resignedly. She chuckled.

"So how has it been, working with her?" she raised an eyebrow.

"Somewhat…trying. She takes her work seriously enough, and if she would leave it at that it would be fine. But she keeps trying to push her boundaries and get to know me on a personal level, despite my repeated requests to keep our interactions limited the minimum required for us to work together," Wrath grumbled.

"Mmmhmm. That does sound like Elycia. She's quite forward and enjoys making friends. She probably sees your aloofness as a challenge. The more you push her away the more you'll encourage her," Elsie warned, a bemused smile pulling at her lips. He sighed.

"I keep hoping she'll take the hint and give up," he replied.

"Don't hold your breath," Elsie advised, "You might as well just give her what she wants and be friends with her. It won't kill you to get to know her better," she pointed out.

"It might," he muttered. Elsie laughed softly.

"You're so antisocial," she smirked.

"I'm not a people person," he retorted. Elsie rolled her eyes.

"You're worse than my husband. You need to get out more," she told him.

"I don't see the point. I'm happier on my own," he replied.

"Really?" she raised an eyebrow skeptically.

"Really," his tone was flat. Elsie sighed.

"Well, you just keep telling yourself that. Regardless, you need to stop by more often. We missed you," she said, sadness entering her gaze. Wrath grimaced, feeling a prick of guilt.

"I'll try, I promise. I really wasn't expecting to disappear for two years," he told her apologetically.

"I know. And it's a good thing you did or we wouldn't have found out about the invasion before it was too late," Elsie replied. Wrath nodded.

"So you're all headed back to Resembool?" he asked, changing the subject.

"Well, AJ, Adele, Mina and I are. Oh, and Titus too. Sara and Elior need to head back to the north, and Edward and Envy want to stay here for the time being to look after Alphonse and help Roy with the preparations he's making," she explained.

"Titus is going back with you?" Wrath raised an eyebrow.

"Just temporarily. He's escorting us there and then bringing back some of AJ's designs for Roy to share with some of the mechanics in Central. The sooner we start getting AJ's weapon ideas produced, the better," she replied.

"I see," Wrath's tone was thoughtful. In their discussion a week before, AJ had explained that he'd come up with a number of new weapon designs over the years which had never been put into action before. Apparently it was a hobby of his. If they worked, it would certainly give those on the front lines of the Amestrian defense a much needed advantage against their southern 'ally'.

"Anyway, enough of that," Elsie said, "Come be sociable for a bit before we have to leave." She grabbed his arm and began pulling him into the room. He smiled bemusedly but followed after her without complaint.

-Author's Note-

Oh my word, Wrath and Elycia are still alive! They didn't disappear into some other dimension! Though, that sort of thing has happened on multiple occasions while writing this story. It's hard to keep track of this many characters man. I'll be going along, and then I'll suddenly realize I'm missing someone (Wrath…AJ….Envy and Ed…..) and I'll go back and realize I left them behind like…three scenes ago and they've been floating in limbo waiting for me to remember them. Believe me, that's a good way to piss off your characters. It's terribly insulting when your creator completely forgets about you and you wind up sucked into a black hole somewhere. I'm lucky they haven't fired me and found someone else to write their story….

Anyway, I realize this chapter was slow, and that the switch over to Wrath's POV bordered on boring…but this is like…the last slow chapter…for….probably the rest of the story. XD I'm sure chapter 16 shall more than make up for it ;) Mania gets to have some more fun…