"I'm
leaving."
You looked
up -blankly- from the cooking book Izumi had sent you. "... Again?"
He shrunk
his shoulders and smiled carelessly. "Until I find the way to make that
prophecy come true."
"Oh..
so that is..." you said slowly. You bit back the curiosity of knowing why
that prophecy meant so much. It was not the time. And he probably wasn't
going to tell you ^_^;
His
snakelike eyes narrowed dangerously, and his mouth twisted downwards, in a way
it seemed to show repulsion."Until I can feel that bastard's blood on my
own two hands. I'll do whatever it takes."
"He's
at that again..." You thought, both sad and worried. For his sake, you
decided you'd change topics. "It's Central again, right?"
"Well,
it can't be helped." He answered, with a hint of sarcastic resignation.
"...Central...."
You mused quietly. Envy huh?ed.
Your lips
formed a smile. "Central! Take me with you! Please, take me!" "And
so in that way... I can do my best to keep you from doing any rash act..."
You were thinking, at the same time.
"Take
you?" He blinked. "No way..."
"Please?"
"No"
"Please?"
"No"
"Please?"
"No"
"...Who
will cook for you?"
"...
Good point."
"So
will you take me?"
"No"
You put
your finger to your chin. You didn't push the matter any further. But the
prospect of losing a posibility of knowing a new place had made you go slyer...
;)
****
Envy's
suitcase was packed and ready by the front door.
You looked
on sadly, seeing how his coffee got colder and colder by the minute. So... what
if your plan really didn't work...? He descended the stairs, looking like he'd
come right out of the shower, already changed into the 'FullMercury Alchemist',
(as much as he hated the name): his disguise consisted of some trousers, a white
shirt, and Johann's looks.
Imagine the
state of your face.
Envy's
words said it all. "Don't look at me that way."
"Sorry",
you said, thinking up a plausible excuse for the redness of your cheeks,
"I'd never thought I'd live to see you wearing white."
He grabbed
the suitcase, and headed for the door. "You're a disastrous liar, you
know?" He commented scornfully.
"Envy!"
You said firmly, if trembling a little. "Let me go with you, please!"
He shook
his head, annoyed. "Don't you get tired of hearing always the same?
No!"
"You
know, I've been thinking..." you started, slowly, "Don't you think
your act would be more credible if I went with you, too..?"
"No,
not really."
"B-but,
Envy..."
"Oh,
hell, tag along if you want, but stop the whining." "After all..."
He thought, amused, "This can't be any worse than when Gluttony or Wrath
stuck with me..."
You smiled
warmly, and took your own suitcase from below the table.
"She
had it ready?" Envy thought, "...*eyebrow twitch*"
****
Clank,
step.
Echo.
Step,
pause, step.
Clank,
step.
Pause.
Pause. Realization. Frantic chase of source of previous steps.
Echo, echo,
echo.
Clank,
step. Vein of annoyance.
Step, step,
step. Apologetic look.
When you
finally caught up with Envy, who hadn't stopped to wait for you, he shot you a
side look and said, "Can you get any denser?"
"Sorry
Envy, I spazzed out..."
"It's Johann,
Slothy. Get it though your watery brain."
"Y-yeah,
heehee ^^U. Sorry Johann..."
Meanwhile
Envy was thinking something like "Kill me and spare me the suffering!
This is so damn LAME!"
"Welcome
to Central Library, sir!" A woman with a fairly high-pitched voice chirped.
Envy noticed she was carrying a pile of books almost as tall as her.
"I am
currently in charge of the functioning of this building so if there is anything
especific you might need, please do not hesitate to consult me!" She was
panting when she finished. It was as if she'd memorized an introduction formula,
or something.
"Ms.
Sheska!" An officer called from behind her. She huh?ed. "Where should
the documents about criminal case n. 9.4826 go?"
"Uhh...
leave them at the desk in the north-east wing, please..."
You looked
around and Envy folded his arms over his chest, waiting for the overtasked
librarian to turn her attention back to them.
When she
did, Envy wasted no time in saying, "Can you give me a map of this
place?"
Sheska
nodded, probably hurt that a person felt a map was more reliable than she was,
and fished for a copy of the original map of the library to give the charming,
golden-haired young man that stood impatiently before her desk.
"You
know," Sheska started, looking thoughtful, "You do remind me of
somebody..."
Thinking it
was a right time to interrupt before the clueless librarian dug further into the
issue, you coughed. She seemed to notice your precense just then, but turning to
look at Envy again, she asked conversationally, "So, what are you looking
for?"
The former
homunculus decided the best way to avoid releasing personal information was to
curl his lips into a very charming, mysterious smile, that almost made
Sheska melt and that had you almost gawking at him.
He really
had THOSE acting skills?... woah.
****
"My...
my heart aches each time I think of Envy. Is it because I'm scared of him? I...
I don't know how to name this... this strange, hurting sensation. But... for
some reason... even if my chest feels pangs of pain... each time I think of him,
I feel very happy..."
There was a
distant sound of a door opening.
"Yo,
Slothy" Envy's sing-sang voice ringed.
"Yo,
Envy..." You answered mechanically, your mind being currently somewhere
else.
Envy went
"Huh?", and, after he'd left some papers on the small table, came up
to you and poked your cheek. "Wazzup?"
"Oh?"
You looked at him for a faint while, and smiled slowly. "Nothing." He
placed his hands on his hips, and sighed. "You're such a---"
There was a
knock on the door. Envy, who'd changed back to his favored form, had to change
back to Johann. In the meantime, you rushed to your room's door and opened.
A raven
haired man (with an eyepatch...) stood there, wearing a militar uniform.
"Excuse me, miss. Is the FullMercury Alchemist available?"
You smiled.
"Sure, sir. Would you like to come in...?"
"No,
thank you." The man said. Just then Envy arrived at the doorsill, and put
his hand to his forehead, in the militar salute. "Brigadier General
Mustang, sir."
You could
swear he was gritting his teeth. Of course, that went unnoticed to that Mustang
person. "Would you excuse us a second, miss?" You nodded, and, with a
smile, went back into the hotel room. Envy closed the door, so that it was the
both of them talking outside, in the corridor.
You,
resting your back against the door, slumped down and sighed. You didn't, you
really didn't like it that Envy was involved with the militars... it
could be dangerous...! But he wouldn't listen to you...
"So,"
Mustang said, patting Envy's back, "You are granted permission to carry on
with the investigation." And, looking sly, added, "Wonderful
girl you've got yourself, FullMercury. I know of some guys who'd kill to have
one like her."
Envy bowed
in silence, a strange smirk playing distantly in his lips. "Thank you,
sir."
Mustang
nodded and waved off, and as he walked away, his kind mask wore off and
seriousness awoke in his eyes. "Each time..." he thought,
"I like this less and less..."
****
"He
won't mess with me."
Envy said,
as soon as he was back in. You smiled, but didn't go further than that. Envy
grunted. "I'm drowning in your enthusiasm..."
"I'm
sorry, Envy... but you know what I think about the choice you made."
He
chuckled. "Whoa whoa! I don't remember asking your opinion, Slothy."
You frowned
a little. "What if you got hurt? Or if you got sent to the war? The
Military is a dangerous place..." Your voice became fainter and fainter.
"What if you got killed?"
He rubbed
his brow, his chuckle fading away, just as the corner of his lip bent downwards
in exasperation. "You're not confident at all, eh? You think I'd be dumb
enough to go and throw my life away just like that?"
"I
just don't want anything bad to happen, that's all..." You whispered. Envy
didn't fail to catch it, though.
"Aren't
you nice today..." He said, bored. "So, what's for dinner?"
****
"You
don't really think I came all the way to this ruinous city to waste my time,
right?"
"No, I
was just wondering why you decided to join the military... you never told
me."
He eyed you
coldly. "It's none of your business."
You smiled
slowly, and placed a smoking dish in front of him. "I don't want to be
annoying. But I have this feeling..."
He eyed you
funny.
"...that
it might have something to do with the Master, and that it may also put you in
danger." You looked at him straightly. "Is it worth it?"
He blinked,
and he struggled with himself whether to ask you how you'd found out. But
he didn't. "Yes, it's worth it," he spat, "it's worth everything."
"I
see," you said, sitting across him and poking your food. And you didn't
speak again, he was impossibly stubborn. What could be so important that he was
putting his life on the line for it?
On the
other hand, how healthy would it turn out for you if you tried to unmask Envy's
purposes?
He wasn't that
merciful after all.
****
He looked
some sort of hybrid between surprised an annoyed the following day, when you
walked into him in the library. He hastily pocketed the silver watch he'd been
eyeing thoughtful before- the silver watch proof of him being a State Alchemist.
"What
are you doing here?" he asked.
You looked
at him. "I want to help."
"Go
back," was his only answer.
"I
want to help. Two pairs of eyes are better than one."
He rubbed
his brow. "Don't make me make you go back."
"Geez,"
you breathed, "What an irritable temper you've today..."
****
"I'll
help him whether he likes it or not."
You rumaged
through all his things, his papers, books, clothes.
Nothing...
at all.
"I'll
never..."
You froze
in your tracks. Looking at Envy's sleeping form in the moonlight, you could see
he was just sleep talking. Thank god, you didn't want to know what he'd do to
you if he found you looking thorugh his things.
You took a
step closer to him. He had one hand below the pillow, and he seemed to be
clutching it.
"Forgive
you."
Your eyes
softened. He still dreamt of that man... his father...
Just
thinking of it that way made him seem a little... tender. You smiled slowly.
He took his
hand from below the pillow, and you noticed he was gripping his silver watch-
the one all the state alchemists have. The one he'd pocketed hastily when you'd
gone to meet him in the library.
Risking
waking him up, you took the watch and dashed into your room.
When you
opened it, it all made sense. But it was...
It was
really very sad.
Engraved
with a knife into it, there was a phrase. It read;
When
the sin and the sinner meet for the last time, the Doors of Truth will open
without a price.
But it also
made no sense.
****
If Envy,
who was smarter than you, couldn't figure it out, you didn't think you could.
The doors of truth? Man, that sounded so familiar... but you couldn't
place it, anywhere.
The
dark-looking man in the counter looked at your concentrated expression and
smiled.
Asking and
asking without revealing much information, you'd finally been told to research
in that library where they sold books on occult alchemy and witchcraft. The
place was rather large but also very creepy.
A skeletal
hand on your shoulder made you almost jump out of your skin. But when you looked
up and saw the dark man of the counter, you relaxed a little.
"I'm
sorry, but I couldn't help seeing you look a barely... anguished. Is there any
way I can help you?"
You shook
your head. "No, thank you so much. But unless you're good with riddles or
know of prophecies..."
He smiled.
"I manage."
Deciding to
skip the second part of the prophecy, you just told him, "When the sin and
the sinner meet for the last time, something grand will happen. I know that
'sin' and 'sinner ' are probably metaphors... but... that person... I mean, the
'sinner'... is already dead."
The man
seemed to think of it for a while. Then he sat down next to you, and said,
"So, are you the 'sin'?"
You blushed
slowly. "Oh, no. It's not me, it's someone I know."
"Well,
then the sin is alive, but the sinner is dead. When they meet
something will occur," the man reasoned.
"Yes..."
"Then
the living must meet the dead," he stated.
You
frowned. "But that's impossible..."
"In a
figurative way, the sin should, in any instance, go to this sinner's
grave. It would not meet the esence, but the name and the mortal remains could
provide a precense..."
"But
the sin still wouldn't meet the sinner..." you said.
The man
smiled. "That's right, if your prophecy says something will occur, some
exchange of energy has to take place- you cannot gain something withoug losing
something of the same value."
"Then...
then the sin should meet the esence, not the precense... right?"
His smile
didn't wane. "Right. And there's only a way that can happen, without
incurring into forbidden achemy."
Your eyes
gleamed with curiosity "...How?"
The man
stood up, and went for one of the large bookcases. He looked at it intently for
a while, and finally fished out a book. He handed it to you.
It was an
old volume, thin and weathered.
You
blinked. "I'll buy it."
The man
grinned. "No, take it. It's a gift. No one had presented such an
interesting riddle to me in a long, long time."
You thanked
him profusely, and exited the shop clutching the precious material. You'd just
leave it on Envy's bed, and let him do the thinking.
The book's
cover read, "Halloween."
****
The
following morning Envy shook your shoulder until you woke up. Opening your eyes
slowly in a pathetic attempt to shield them from the light, you asked,
"Enwy, what time is iwt?"
He smiled-
smirked. "Time got get your lazy ass out of the bed and pack, we're going
back."
****
During the
morning train ride to Dublith's main station, it was all silent and sleepy. You
sat next to Envy in the compartment, which you shared with a woman and her
little daughter.
Envy was
reading some serious policial novel, with probably tons of gore and morbous
implications, and you were peacefully asleep against his shoulder, something
that after a while he'd grown used to. At least you didn't snore.
When you
woke up it was little more than an hour missing to arrive at Dublith. You were
rubbing the sleep off your eyes, when suddenly you caught Envy staring at you in
a very curious way: he was frowning, eyes slightly narrowed.
"I
didn't need your help," he said under his breath.
You leant
closer to him, and said in almost a whisper,
"Don't
look at me that way,"
The little
girl sitting in front of you perked up at your gesture and asked with a beam,
"Are you his girlfriend?"
Envy's eye
twitched, and you just sweatdropped. "No, of course not..."
****
It was late
afternoon when you were finally walking the path towards the Dante manor. You
had had lunch in Dublith, passed to say hello to Wrath, and taken the 5:50 train
back to the station of the little town of Deep Forest, a small group of houses a
45 minutes walk from the mansion.
"I
missed the trees," you observed. Central had scarce greenery, and you
weren't used to that.
He looked
at you and shrugged. You let out a faint, amused laugh. "Envyyy, I can't
tell you from the scenery, everything's so... green!"
"Ha.ha.ha"
he articulated mirthlessly. "Well I can't tell you from the sky," he
snorted, totally unamused, and totally unaware that he'd captured your
attention.
"Really?"
you said, looking at him intently.
"Yeah,
your eyes..." he stopped in the middle of the sentence, realizing his huge
mistake. "Forget it," he mouthed with dripping hostility.
Getting
past the blush, you couldn't help but chuckle at him. "You should see your
face..." you commented innocently.
He gritted
his teeth, eyes flaring in anger as they fixed on you in a hard glare, and your
laughter froze in your throat.
"But...
you're... prettier than the scenery..." you whispered under your breath at
his retreating figure.
... Click... (Woah, I'm so resourceful ^^U)
OK the
pointless mushy part is based in the song Evergreen. Blame Hyde
for singing SO DAMN WELL!!!!
BTW...
*little amused smile*, you didn't expect said part, right? Oooo, Envy
having a tongueslip.... isn't it terribly CUTE? *~*
Sloth comes to terms with her
feelings. Whoopie, big discovery...
...about time!!!
Little
summary on which the chapter's based: (I have a bad case of Spanglish!!! xP)
Q Envy se haya unido a la Army
para conseguir info sobre la profecia de dante. sabia que tenia q ver con algun
tipo de alquimia prohibida (xq tenia q ver c/sangre), y x eso tenia q tener
acceso a los documentos estatales (oh hhhh q se la lleve a sloth a central!!
kawaii~~). Q su plan sea el dejar ni bien enuentre lo q busca. Cuando ya lo
encuentra, se viene una guerra c/Drachma y si no va lo ejecutan x traidor. Se
kiere escapar = pero alguien le frustra los planes, lo lleva asi amenazado, o le
dice q esta libre de irse y c/todos los gastos pagos ni bien la guerra termine
:DD
