It had been exactly two hours since the last memory and Envy was starting to get anxious. It was one thing to constantly freeze up with no one else around, another to do it in a well populated city. While the train station wasn't necessarily too deep into the heart of the urban center, it was almost noon and people were beginning to flood and block the streets.
Too suddenly stop, like a broken car in traffic, would bring too much attention to himself. Humans who had never met him before would crowd around the strange occurrence before coming to realization that something was wrong. Then, like the compassionate people they believe to be, someone would be calling down some sort of medical attention to help. Instead of waking up in a train car, he would then find himself on a stiff hospital bed.
Finally stepping foot into the station itself was both a reliving and not. While he was one step closer to the Elrics, he was also closer to Williams' memories. God how he hated feeling so week. So willing to succumb to the torture his father had forced upon him from birth. It made his hand tremor slightly as he took his ticket from the teller.
The relief that he so desperately wanted was only briefly achieved the moment he stepped onto the ground of his designated car and collapsed none to gracefully upon one of the barren seats. For a moment everything seemed okay as Envy realized just how close he was to ending this madness.
A madness that once again overtook him the moment he felt some resemblance of happiness.
. . .
The sun was near setting by the time he got to the little town known as Resembool. The first thing he noticed upon arriving was just how small it actually was. It wasn't as if he was expecting anything spacious, that would be too risky for Hohenheim anyway, but he didn't think it was going to be this backwoods. Why anyone would want to live here was beyond him.
The train station itself had been tiny and only he and a few others got off at this particular spot. Wanting nothing more than to be away from anyone, or rather everybody, who stared at the rather strangely dressed teenager, Envy made quick work of getting away from the area.
Once out of sight, his body was engulfed with a familiar glow. Within seconds he went from his 'cute' preferred form to that of something that blended a little bit better with the scenery. Now slightly taller and the body of a man who was closer to his actual age than his teenage form, Envy almost laughed at how simple he looked.
These were simple people, after all, from what he could tell. Just a small collection of farmers and families living in the middle of nowhere whose only real importance was to reproduce and die. With a place that was sparsely populated with unsuspecting people, it was no wonder that Hohenheim chose this place to hide.
For such a small place, searching around Resembool definitely was a much harder task then he thought. The only small children he had seen since arriving here where either the wrong age or gender. In accordance with this, none of them looked anywhere near what he imagined them to be. Despite the obvious body swapping done by Hohenheim, he had the distinct feeling that these little boys were going to look exactly like him. Two golden haired children with innocent smiles on their bright little faces.
Envy mentally gagged at the picture. They must have been his pride and joy, the perfect sons he had been waiting for. Certainly nothing like the abomination he left behind. Definitely not an androgynous black haired, purple eyed teenager that refused to wear his 'original' face. No, they were perfect. Perfect in every way imaginable. The sons Hohenheim believed he deserved.
"Excuse me, miss?" In an older, gruff voice he called out to the only visible person in sight. A woman in her late twenties walking between houses all the while reading a book absentmindedly. From where she stood on a slightly elevated patch of ground around a couple hundred feet away, her reaction to his statement was rather delayed.
Blinking, the book in her hand dropped to her sides as she made eye contact with the older gentlemen before her. "Can I help you," she asked in a low tone.
Smiling brightly, like a lion stalking its prey, he moved slightly closer to the unknown woman. "I was wondering if you could help me," she raised an eyebrow at him "You see, I'm looking for the Elric's?"
A sudden downtrodden expression met her face before she cast her gaze away from him. "I see, If you're hear for the funeral then I'm afraid you're a bit late," pointing west towards a series of houses, she continued. "The boys should be with Pinako at her house if you want to express your condolences."
"Pinako?"
She nodded, "She's an automail mechanic not too far from here, there'll be a sign in front of her house, you can't miss it."
"Thank you, ma'am."
"No problem, sir." With a saddened smile she turned away from him, going back to the contents of her book.
The smile that he had greeted her with grew even more to the point of looking just plain creepy rather than reassuring. She didn't see it though, too unobservant and absorbed in her book to care that the man walking away from her planned to destroy the lives of two innocent little boys.
Now if only he could find them.
"After spending four-hundred years working for me, I would have thought that finding two little boys would have been a walk in the park for you."
Oh god, he thought, what the hell is she doing here. There was no mistaking the familiar taunt in the old woman's tone for that of his master, his so called 'mother'. What she was doing all the way out here was beyond him, going out was definitely something she preferred not to do. Especially when she looked as old as she did now.
Turning sharply on his heel, Envy came face to face with the old woman. Only a few yards off, it shocked him to no end that she had been able to follow him for so long. Not only that but the very fact that she was so easily able to identify him made it seem like he was losing his touch after so long.
"Didn't expect to see you here, Dante." Switching to his preferred voice, he hid any evidence of his frustration or shock beneath the slightly mocking tone. "It feels like it's been over a century since you left your house."
With a soft chuckle, Dante remained unfazed by the rebellious homunculus. Having known her for so long, however, Envy knew that she was seething with anger. Literally only a few words away from dragging him back to Dublith herself. "I didn't want to send Pride to find you, he has more important things to do then look for you." Her tone matching that of his, she put an emphasis on the word 'important'.
"What about Lust and Gluttony, surely you could have sent them."
As if a switched had been flicked, an intense feeling of seriousness washed over Dante. "Seeing as they had already failed me once, I didn't wish to give them that chance again."
A sort of chill ran up his spine but her demeanor and subtle threats did little change his mind. Dante or no Dante, Envy was resolved in his mission. Whatever happened to him didn't seem to matter in the least. In the end, Dante could only punish him so much. Even if she hated to admit it, she couldn't possibly kill him. Nor could she hurt him nearly as much as his father had for these past four-hundred years.
"How did you know it was me?" The teasing in his voice stopped as well as the amusement that had been plastered onto his grinning face.
Smiling once again, she took a few steps closer towards the homunculus. "Please, I've known you long enough to see through your tricks, Envy."
He rolled his eyes before crossing his arms of over his chest, posing to weirdly for the older man he had chosen for the disguise. "I'm guessing you're here to stop me from destroying Hohenheim's perfect little children."
"More like prevent rather than stop," she hesitated. "Or at least I hope if you're willing to listen to reason rather than just barging on in and murdering children in cold blood."
His lips twisted upwards at the thought, "what's going to happen if you can't prevent me, huh?" Moving around the area, Envy looked as if he wanted to start a fight with the old woman. He knew her power, of course. Knew that she was the most capable person to destroy him if she wanted. That didn't stop him from taunting her of course. "How many times are you going to stop me before you lock me up with Greed?"
Despite his words Dante only continued to smile faintly at him. "Like I said, I'd rather it not have to come to that Envy." Pushing the shawl around her shoulders further up on her, Dante already looked pretty certain in the outcome. "You're one of my best and I'd hate to replace you after being with you for all this time."
Frowning, the homunculus quickly glanced behind himself towards the string of homes in the distance. Given how much time he spent looking, he was fairly certain that they were there. They just had to be. "You know I'm going to do this one way or another," growling, Envy began to take a couple steps back. "There is no stopping me or preventing me."
Not moving an inch, she asked "Would you risk it all just to kill his children when he still stays alive." His mouth twitched while her own began to brighten. "Besides, if he's still alive then what's to stop him from having even more children? So much more that the first two you killed will be meaningless to him."
"Shut up," he mumbled.
"Why, after a while they might be just as forgotten and meaningless as you."
With a crack, Envy's foot swung out to hit the only nearest thing: an older picket fence. The wood easily crumbled and fell apart as bits and pieces of it flew back onto the grassy earth before the. Balling his hands into fists, he realized how empty hitting the fence felt. The wood felt way too hallow, too fake. A tree might have been more relaxing, felt more stiff and full like a body.
Dust flew up from the dirt trail road as small pebbles and other debris where swept in the aftermath of his anger. His eyes frantically searched around for something larger, someone bigger, and anything that he could throw his frustrations onto. Much to dismay, the only thing around him were grass, dirt, fences, and Dante.
"Why do you even care what happens to these runts?!" Screaming, more rocks and dirt flew up into the air and in all directions except for hers. Dante almost wanted to laugh at the childish nature of his tantrum. "Shouldn't you want to kill them too along with their whore of a mother?!" A much larger rock came dangerously close to the right side of her head. "He left you too!"
She didn't saying anything for longest while, choosing to let the ground and Envy settle before replying. "If I wanted to hurt his new little wife then I'd be sad to hear that nature has already beaten me to it."
"What?"
Smirking, Dante peered down at him. "Trisha Elric is dead," she stated almost triumphantly. "She died of natural causes."
Snickering, the elder homunculus placed a hand on his hip. "Exactly how natural where these causes?"
"I would hope that you're not insinuating that I had something to do with her death," Unfazed by his assumption, Dante placed a hand over her heart. "I'm rather offended that you think I had anything to do with it."
Remembering the issue at hand, Envy narrowed his gaze at her. "You didn't answer my question?"
"Which one?"
"Why do you want to keep them alive, Dante?!" Growling, Envy felt himself relapsing back into his previous fit of anger. "Why are they so damn special that they get to live?"
"Hmm, that's a good question." Wrapping her arms around her body, Dante observed the ever increasing irritation. "As much as I dislike them, keeping them alive benefits me more than if they were dead."
"How?! Do you know what we could do to him if we killed them? The pain we could inflict!"
She shrugged, "Where's the fun in just simply killing them." Looking at her strangely, Dante chuckled. "If you want to kill them, fine. I just thought you might wanted to do something a little more . . . unique than that."
"What do you mean?"
"I just thought you would want to use this opportunity to kill two birds with one stone." Raising his eyebrow at her, his expression asked the old woman to continue. "I'm sure destroying his son's would definitely hurt you father but don't you want to do more than that."
"Hohenheim's not here," he stated firmly, "I can't kill him too." Pausing for a moment to think, the homunculus narrowed his gaze dangerously. "Unless you were lying about that as well."
"Of course not, I would have been here sooner if that was the case." She neglected to mention not telling him about if it was true. Hell, at this point she even wondered if telling him about the Elrics so soon was a bad idea. "You know, I've been told that they are quite like him."
He rolled his eyes, "I'm sure of it."
"Their Alchemy, I mean. It's unusual that children that young are so capable of it." The burning in his chest intensified at her words. Envy had assumed they would look like him, now apparently they are just as skilled as well.
"Go on," with a smile, Dante continued.
"There's no doubt in my mind that one day we will eventually find him, however, for now I want to use what he's left to our own advantage."
"You want to use them for the stone?" He interjected.
Nodding, the older woman found herself only steps away from the elder sin. Without even having to use her alchemy, she knew that this little fight had already been won. "He never got over making the stone, guilt began to consume as time went by to the point where he could no longer ignore," she chuckled. "Creating you only made things worse on him."
Growling, Envy gave her a dangerous look. One that she did not find intimidating in the least. "Dante . . ." He trailed off, as if the threat on his tongue had died down.
"Imagine how Hohenheim of light would feel if his only happiness left in this world were the very source of destruction he never wanted to see again."
"After that, once they've helped us with the stone, then would we kill them?"
"Yes, Envy. Then we would kill them."