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Chapter 19 - And Yet

Ed had claimed he was busy today, to everyone, but he had nothing planned, nothing that could hold his attention.

He spent Saturday staring up at the ceiling.

Staring up at the ceiling and torturing himself with memories long since passed.

He wasn't expecting anyone to call.

"Ed, phone!"

Ed sighed, rolling out of bed and descended the stairs.

It probably wasn't Ling, he was good at respecting boundaries on the rare occasion Ed actually asked for them.

Dad handed him the phone with a smile.

Ed sighed, taking it and asking, "Hello?"

—Hi.

Ed's breath caught, "Al?"

—Yeah, Dad made me call.

Ed blinked back tears, and smiled up at Maes who he knew was the source behind this. Hohenheim didn't have the social skills necessary for it.

"Happy birthday, Al."

—Thanks.

"Did you have a good day?"

—It was, we splurged on dessert.

"Yeah?" Ed asked, Maes ruffling his hair before giving him privacy. "What'cha order?"

Al took a breath before launching into trivial things as if the years between them hadn't passed, as if they hadn't parted in broken trust and disappointment.

They didn't talk about anything meaningful but he could have talked with Al for eternity. And they did talk well into the night.

When they hung up, they parted as they should have before.

"Happy birthday," Ed said again.

—I love you, Big Brother.

"I love you too, Al, I love you too."

oOo

Wrath was sick of the Flame Alchemist.

Sick of his popularity.

Sick of his protégé.

All his spies kept coming back with the popularity of the young Colonel.

His patience began to run dry with every article outlining the usefulness of his alchemists.

On one hand, having the military painted in such a complimentary light was a good thing, but on the other, having the State portrayed as something that served the people was not adventurous to his plans.

Protection. They were meant to be protection.

The State was meant to be obeyed, and anything that threatened that balance needed to be destroyed.

Luckily, his spies had deduced two things about Edward Elric-Hughes, that he cared about the Ishvalans and that he had likely managed to kill Lust and Gluttony.

Envy was biting on the bit as they waited in the office.

Wrath laced his fingers together, pinning Envy with his gaze as he said, "Two birds, one stone."

Envy's smile was manic.

Unlike Wrath, Envy had loved Lust, they had been family.

Their vengeance would be brutal.

oOo

Ling and Ed were running the moment they saw the smoke coming from the Ishvalan refugee camp.

Ed knew logically that alchemy wasn't the way to go when it came to Ishvalans, but they had to stop the flames.

By the time they got there, however, the only thing left to save were the people, the shacks and tents had all been eaten in the flames.

Ling and Ed split up to get as many people to safety as they could.

The screams were bad, but the silence from still bodies was worse.

Thankfully, none of the people Ed pulled to safety were dead, injured with lung damage, yes, but not dead.

Ed heard a scream from a burning shack and he ran to it, he was expecting more smoke, not to be decked in the face.

Ed spun away and had to stagger a step to regain his balance.

He recognized the eyes first.

He bared his teeth, "Which one are you and what do you want?"

"You killed Lust and Gluttony," the homunculus spat.

"No," Ed said, clapping his hands in preparation. His instincts telling him this one wouldn't listen to reason. "I didn't."

They laughed, "And you expect me to believe you?"

"You're Envy," Ed stated.

"And you're Greed's little golden whore," they crooned back.

"Tell me, Envy," Ed began, hoping Envy wouldn't react like Greed. "What would you give to be human?"

Envy went very still, eyes narrowing, "Where are Lust and Gluttony?"

"In hiding," Ed answered honestly. "Greed didn't think it was safe for them to return to Central, fragile as they are now."

Envy stared at him, the flames rising around them.

"Do you want to be human, Envy?" Ed asked.

A look of such longing crossed their expression then died in the next moment behind a mask of rage. They charged Ed, arm morphing into a scythe, "Liar!"

Ed gathered more power to himself, prepared to open the Gate as Greed's warnings flooded his mind.

Envy was dangerous.

It was kill or be killed.

Just like with Scar.

Only this time, there was an alternative to killing.

He hoped Envy was accepting of that alternative.

Ed jumped back, pushed the arm-scythe with his arm and laid a palm over Envy's heart.

Or where their heart would be.

oOo

Roy saw the smoke first, he slid to the passenger side of his car as Riza got in, slamming the door behind her.

Putting out fires was harder than starting them.

Good thing he wasn't a one trick pony.

oOo

"What is this!?" Envy yelled as the shadow hand pulled them in toward the eye.

Ed blinked and blackness turned to white as he stepped into the inbetween.

Truth stood before him, frowning.

Ed frowned back, crossing his arms, "Not happy to see me?"

Truth sighed, "Oh, my Little Alchemist, you make me so proud, and yet…"

"Yet?" Ed prompted.

Truth was suddenly before him, leaning into his space.

Ed didn't back down.

Truth touched Ed's cheek gently with his own stolen hand, "Forgive me, little Alchemist, but you will lose them all if you do not leave them."

"Leave who?" Ed asked, heart pounding.

Truth's smile was sad, "All of them. Just remember, you are strong enough to survive this price, even if you lose who you were but moments ago. You will survive."

Ed opened his mouth but was silenced as he was pulled into another vision.

They were walking down the streets of Central, his steps quiet despite the strain that they were placing on each cobbled brick.

Maes was in a phone booth, talking in hurried tones. He looked over his shoulder, his eyes widened in panic.

Edward smiled.

This man had everything, a family, friends, and remarkable intelligence for a human.

Though not enough intelligence to keep his nose out of trouble.

He spun on them, gun raised, phone falling from his hand, "You must be Envy."

Edward smiled wider, shifting into the fool's wife.

Maes Hughes's eyes widened, gun lowering in defeat.

"So weak," Edward crooned, hatred burning in his gut. "How pathetic, you know I'm not her and yet you won't act."

Was that love? Was this what humans did?

Envy had only ever seen them at their worst, and this was a remarkable display of stupidity…

And yet…

And yet, perhaps there was something to be said for love that would not raise a hand even to save their life.

Envy shook it off, plucked the man's gun out of his loose grasp and pulled the trigger.

Maes Hughes slid back in the booth, blood pooling out from the wounds that he seemed unconcerned with. He reached into his breast pocket and pulled out a picture of his stupid family.

"I'm sorry, Gracia, Elicia," he said, staring at the picture as if he could fall back in time through it, as if Envy had disappeared. "I won't make it home. Please forgive me."

Envy watched the light leave the human's green eyes, hating that he could still be envious of a dead man. When they walked away, the voice of Colonel Mustang was still yelling into the receiver.

Even the dead were loved more than Envy was loved.

Ed came to screaming, the vision clinging to him like syrup, Envy's loneliness and despair, Maes's smile as his life bled out as he gazed down at his wife and daughter.

Ed coughed as the smell of ash and burned things filled his nostrils.

Envy was shaking at his side and it was all Ed could do to not shove them away. Envy wasn't a baby, appearing as a teenager, though they were still covered in Ed's blood, his left arm stinging with pain as the scar remained only freshly scabbed.

Envy clung to him, their hair was softer, falling in golden strands to their waist and when they looked up at Ed, it was with golden eyes that were a mirror of his own.

Another brother.

"Ed?"

Ed looked up and couldn't help the tears that fell at seeing Maes alive.

Maes dropped to his knees, hushing Ed as he pulled both him and Envy into a hug.

"I'm so sorry, Dad," he apologized.

Maes hugged him tighter, "You have nothing to apologize for, son."

Ed squeezed his eyes shut, more tears escaping as he held back the truth.

He had promised he would stay but the Truth never lied.

Forgive me, little Alchemist, but you will lose them all if you do not leave them.

Ed would not watch his family come to harm, and he hated that the only course of action he had was leaving.

Hohenheim was right: he was still running.

oOo

AN: Thoughts, elephant seals, or feedback, pretty please?