Sorry for taking so long! Here it is!

Also, I'm surprised no one got the Mary Sue joke. I thought I was so clever. :P

Thanks for reading!

Chapter 7

To anyone else, his house seemed extraordinarily quiet. It had been that way for a long time.

To him, it was anything but quiet. The voices in his head were screaming. They were in agony. They were angry, and they were jealous.

He could still remember what Roy had said, and exactly what his voice had sounded like. More than that, he could remember the look on his face, especially after he had discovered him with Winry in his arms.

Edward idly stirred the spoon in his tea, unable to bear seeing his own eyes looking back at him from the reflection. He was like a child who was being punished. Sent away to his room by an angry father who wanted him to think on his actions.

He did feel sorry. He simply could not express it. It was hard to tell if the things he had done were worth the results he received. Probably not.

He could think of no kind way to approach Alphonse on the subject. He could almost laugh as he imagined himself crawling to his brother, his tail between his legs, to apologize for having an affair with his wife.

Maybe time away was what he needed. He hadn't spoken to anyone from the party since Roy had taken him home, and he could hardly remember how long it had been since then. He had plenty of other things to stick to his memory.

"How could you do that to your own brother?" Roy had said. "I knew your were hurt, but I had no idea you would go so low."

As much as it hurt, he couldn't take his eyes away from Roy.

"Ed, I'm disappointed in you."

Edward recalled his time as a state alchemist. He remembered how he always dreaded having to visit Colonel Mustang, hating how he would tease him. In the back of his mind, though, he always knew that Mustang's jokes veiled his genuine care for him. As he grew older, he realized more and more that the man wanted nothing more than to protect him.

He had failed him. He had failed Alphonse. He felt like a disease to everyone he touched. His own hatred inside his heart was tarnishing the lives around him.

His days were long, but he had found a bit of solace in sleep. His dreams were usually fairly sweet. So, he decided to go to bed early. He set his tea on the end table beside him, promising that he would clean the cup in the morning, all the while knowing that he would do no such thing.

He dragged himself up the stairs, and once he reached his bedroom door, he kicked off his shoes, undressed himself, and crawled into the mess of blankets and sheets on his bed.

Slowly, he was able to calm his thoughts, and bring himself to sleep.

Nothing.

Completely empty.

As far as he he could see, there was nothing but a deep darkness all around him. He extended his hands in front of himself, and strained his eyes, but he couldn't see anything. Then, there was the silence, which was only interrupted when he began to take tentative steps forward.

The sound of his footsteps echoed forever, seeming to bounce around the area forever, though no surface could be found. He wasn't even sure of what he was walking on.

"Hello?" he called. As he listened for a response, all he could hear was his own voice calling back to him. "Is there anyone there?"

After a while, the silence returned, and he was alone again. He sighed, still straining to see in the total darkness.

A small ball of light began to take form in front of him. It grew larger, and began to take shape. Before he could understand what was happening, a familiar figure stood before him.

It was if he was looking at his own shadow. It was his same height and build, but it was featureless. However, even without eyes, it seemed to stare in judgment.

Edward stared back, confused. He knew that he had seen this strange creature before, but he could not pull his thoughts together.

"Don't you remember me?" the being asked.

Edward shook his head slowly.

"How could you forget?" it said, teasingly.

Suddenly, a flash of memories washed over him. He saw the face of the monster that he and Alphonse had created when they tried to resurrect their mother. He saw his brother's face, torn in pain, as the children of the Gate pulled him away. Then, he remembered the empty white space, and the figure that stood before him, mocking him.

"Surely I meant enough to you for you to remember me. If not for me, you never would have learned your lesson." It smiled, as if internally laughing at some sick joke.

"What do you want?" Edward demanded. "I'm not an alchemist, I have nothing to offer."

"I want nothing more than to speak with you."

"You're lying."

Truth laughed. "You've grown to be quite cynical, haven't you?"

Edward glared back. "Why are you tormenting me?"

"You're the one who is tormenting yourself. You must be awfully full of guilt for you to be so defensive."

"I haven't done anything wrong. There's nothing to feel guilty about."

"Is that so? I think your brother would disagree. But wait a minute, he doesn't know what you've been up to, what you've been thinking, does he?"

Edward could think of nothing to say.

"You spent years trying to restore his body, but what was the point? All you've done since reuniting his soul with his human body is hate him."

"You're wrong. I don't hate him."

"Are you sure? You certainly are very jealous of him, to say the least. It seems as though your life would be better if you had just given up on him."

"I wouldn't trade my life for anything. I'm...happy that he is the way he is now."

"You know, you could have everything."

"What do you mean?"

Truth stared back at him without answering. It waited, leaving Edward to guess.

"Tell me!"

"It's simple, really. If your brother wasn't—how should I put this? If he wasn't...around, you could have everything you ever wanted. You love Winry, but as long as Alphonse is around, you can't have her. Even your friends care more for him than they do for you."

"Stop. I know what you're implying. None of that is true, anyway. I'm happy the way I am."

"Don't be so silly. Edward, I know when you are lying."

Edward's hands clenched into fists. Anger boiled in his chest.

"You were enough of a monster to trap him in that cold, unfeeling suit of armor all those years," Truth continued. "Why not accept yourself as the beast you are and just take what you want by force?

"Shut up."

"Why, you even forced him to try to bring back your mother with you. It was your idea, after all."

"I...I just wanted to fix things."

"Every bad thing in his life happened because of you. You could probably go as far as to say that it was your fault that your mother died. You just couldn't stop reminding her of the man who abandoned her. No matter how much it hurt her, you wouldn't shut your mouth about alchemy."

An agonizing groan came from behind Edward. He spun around, and saw the malformed creature that was supposed to be Trisha after the transmutation. Its weak arms grasped at the ground as it pulled itself forward. In the dim light, Edward could see the smeared trail of blood it left behind as it moved towards him.

"Ed...ward," it gasped as it reached for him.

He remembered what he felt when he was a child. The smoke had cleared, and his brother was gone. In the center of the circle was their creation, where he had hoped his mother would be. He remembered his fear as the monster twitched and moaned in its place, barely capable of much else.

"You tarnish all that you touch," Truth said.

As though he had been splashed with a bucket of water, Edward awoke in a cold sweat. The sheets on his bed clung to his moist skin. He panted for air, and looked around his empty room. The dream had seemed to real to him. His memories of Truth were so vivid.

A warm tear cascaded down his cheek, as the realization hit him: He would never be able to escape from his nightmares.