Roy had left Alphonse laying on the couch in the break room shortly before sunrise. He'd been pretending to sleep but loosing control over his measured breathing now and then and shuddering or curling in on himself a bit more. Coffee had gotten Roy through necessary paperwork and letters to the appropriate higher-ups. One homunculus down, and a new one possibly identified...

Riza had come in early and been surprised to find her commander in his office. She'd come in with a smile and a congratulations because this must have meant they'd caught the killer, but fell silent immediately when she saw the look on Roy's face.

Her whole body seemed to go icy as she listened to the recount. She could feel cold sweat on her face and her legs ached like she'd been walking for days. She tried to train her face into the usual semblance of calm attentiveness and could feel her cheek twitching in protest of the lie.

'It looked just like him...' Roy whispered, his hands covering his face. 'Except the eyes... they were slit like a cat's and... empty...'

Riza stared down at her folded hands. They would shake when she wasn't paying attention to them.

'He doesn't seem to have any memory... He was going to kill us... God... Alphonse...'

There was a knock at the door and then it opened and a blonde head poked into the office. 'I'm going home now, if that's all right,' Al said with a smile.

'Alphonse...' Riza's hands clenched together.

'I'm all right,' Al assured her as the two looked at him with a mix of pain and pity. 'He... he said he was happy...' Al said very quietly, looking at the floor. 'Brother... He's always worried so much about everything. He's always thought everything in the world was his fault. If... if this is the way for him to stop hurting...'

Riza's head dipped slightly and she blinked fast.

'Anyway, I just wanted to let you know that I was leaving,' Al said again, casting them another smile and a wave before the door shut again.

888

Al arrived home later with fresh milk and a box of razors. Three kittens chased into the kitchen after him with a chorus of squeaks, followed, at a more leisurely pace, by their mother, who was yawning widely and licking her lips. She curled herself around Al's leg a few times as he walked to the cabinet for a bowl and then back to the table, while the kittens pulled out his shoelaces and chased after them.

'There you go,' Alphonse said with a gentle smile, setting down the bowl of milk on the floor and quickly drawing the attention away from his feet. 'You're all so impatient today.'

The cats quickly went to ignoring him, choosing instead to concentrate on the milk. Al watched them for a while, smiling. 'We're going to go for a trip when you finish there,' he told them.

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'Why did that boy call me "brother"?' Pride asked, perching atop the armrest of the couch that Envy was sprawled on.

'He mistook you for someone dead,' Envy answered with a shrug.

'Why?'

'Your body was made in his image. But he was imperfect; that's why he's dead.' Envy sat up momentarily to catch Pride's wrists and drag him down on top of him. 'Edward Elric,' Envy mused as he traced a red line that started near Pride's ear and wended down under the collar of his halter. 'Would have been an exquisite human sacrifice, but he went and threw himself away so we couldn't use him. Very cheeky. But then Father made you from what was left of him, and you are perfect.'

'Imperfect things can become perfect?' Pride asked, tilting his head.

'If Father thinks they deserve it.' Envy grinned and nuzzled Pride's cheek. 'Like you and me. We deserve perfection.'

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His right arm was the hardest part. Sweat broke out on Alphonse's face as he desperately focused his concentration. He had to get the lines perfect and he wouldn't have a second chance. He worked slowly, running the razor along his arm, leaving thin, pink lines that slowly wept red as he moved on.

Al was just relieved that he didn't have to put anything on his back. He didn't think he could have done that himself. The rest was fairly easy, as he could use his preferred hand. He could see the blood trickling slowly down his skin, dying it red, but he didn't feel more than a pressure, like the tip of a pen, as the razor glided gracefully through his skin.

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Riza walked down the street with a shopping bag of old clothes and blankets held against her chest. They'd been sitting by the door for a week, since Alphonse had told her over lunch about the new orphanage in his neighborhood and recruited her to donate, but she hadn't found the time to walk them over until now.

Of course, it wasn't so much the guilt of having put off charity that lead her on a long detour that morning, so much as an excuse to go an additional block north and walk Alphonse to work; because she was in the neighborhood, of course. She balanced the bag on her hip as she lifted the latch on the gate and strode up the little paved path through the garden to give a quick, smart knock on the door.

It opened and a plump woman with black hair peppered in silver opened it and looked back at her curiously. 'Good morning,' Riza smiled. 'I work with Alphonse and he talked me into bringing by some things for you.'

'Oh!' The woman smiled back warmly. 'Well thank you so much, dear.' She accepted the bag from Riza with a nod. 'He's such a dear boy. He's been quite a help around here. Would you like to come in?'

'Oh, no, thank you, I'm on my way to work.' Riza shrugged apologetically. 'I just had a bit of extra time this morning and thought I'd drop...'

'Is something wrong, dear?' the governess asked as Riza's face suddenly shifted, a small, open-mouthed frown across her lips and her eyebrows drawing towards the center. Following Riza's gaze she spotted the kitten that had wandered into the hall behind her.

'That cat...'

'Oh yes.' The governess smiled again. 'Alphonse brought them over yesterday. The children just adore them.'

'"Them"?'

'Three kittens and their mother.' She nodded. 'Is something the matter?'

'I... I...' Riza stared, shaking her head, before she turned and bolted back down the walk, jumping the gate without breaking stride and pelting north up the street. The governess watched her go with a bit of shock and a sudden, quiet dread creeping slowly up her spine. Alphonse had brought a lot of things to them the previous afternoon, including many very new-looking things, but he hadn't stayed to play with the children like he usually did.

888

'Alphonse!' Riza pounded on the door. 'Alphonse!' There was no response.

She backed up to the edge of the porch and launched herself forward, her shoulder leaned down as a battering ram. The door opened easily with the sound of splintering wood, weakened from dry rot, and Riza stumbled slightly before regaining her balance and shouting again.

'Alphonse!'

There was still no answer. The house was dark and felt very, very empty. Riza ran through the living room, where all the pillows were missing off furniture (at the orphanage, perhaps?) and the fireplace was black and cold. She skidded to a halt in the kitchen when she spotted the paper on the table.

There was an envelope in the middle with the word 'RENT' written across it and next to that an open letter.

I deeply apologize for breaking the commitments I've made in recent months. I know it's irresponsible of me and that I am probably being childish and stupid right now, but I can't seem to help myself. I'm sorry to everyone.

It was a short note that didn't explain anything and left a lot of blank space on the paper below it. In the middle of that blank space sat a handcrafted, silver watch.

Riza's hand went to her mouth, as though to stifle a scream, as she read the tiny note. She could feel moisture on her cheeks when she turned away from the table and screamed again, her voice cracking with hysteria. 'ALPHONSE!'

She ran through every room of the house and opened every closet. The only evidence she found of someone having been there was a few bloody footprints in Alphonse's bedroom.

888

'You.'

He looked up. A woman slid out of the shadows in a flowing, snakelike way a short distance down the alley. He raised an eyebrow at her.

'Me,' he replied.

'You're lost, right?' the woman asked. Her lips were fixed into a smug, little, dark red smile. She didn't smell of flesh, but rather a sharp, metallic scent that bit at the nose.

'Why should that matter to you?' he asked, crossing his arms.

'Because I was sent to find you,' she answered, looking even more smug. 'Come along, I'll show you the way home. Father is expecting you.

He tilted his head slightly and debated. He decided that he really didn't have any better ideas and so he nodded and followed the strange woman as she glided slowly ahead of him, her hips swaying like a boat on water.

888

Home was underground. It was dark and cool. It might have once been a sprawling, human metropolis, but most of that was shrouded by darkness as the sun was only a memory here.

Father was a large man with long golden hair and a beard. There were many lines on his face. He looked quite stationary. He smelled sharp and metallic, more strongly than the woman who had been the escort. He also smelt of flesh though, of old decay.

Three other people stood around the room that he was lead into. It was fairly large but they were all near the center, around this 'Father'. His gaze slid past the first two without much pause but stuck when it landed on the smallest, who was golden like Father.

'My son,' Hoenheim rumbled with a smile at the new arrival. 'Welcome.'

He glanced up at Father briefly before his eyes again returned to the golden boy. Hoenheim followed his gaze for a moment and then smiled. 'I think you have more than earned your name, Vengeance.'

Vengeance looked back at him and blinked, looking a bit startled. '... Vengeance...' he mimicked and then nodded.

'Welcome, Vengeance.'

Vengeance nodded again and then turned back to the other homunculus again and strode across the floor to him. 'Your face,' he said quietly, catching Pride's chin, 'I know it.'

'I didn't think this one had any talent,' Lust said quietly, folding her arms under her bosom. 'It was always Edward that showed aptitude.'

'Mm.' Hoenheim nodded. 'He has shown that he truly is my son.'

'Why should we trust him?' Envy stuck his hands on his hips and cast a suspicious glance at Vengeance as he exchanged quiet words with Pride. 'He made himself. That's weird. How do we know this isn't some kind of trick?'

Hoenheim raised an eyebrow at Envy. 'You doubt my judgement, Envy?'

'... No father.' Envy turned his head away, sticking out his lip sulkily.

'He flourishes under the force of revenge.' Hoenheim smiled to himself. 'How fortunate that he killed the old Vengeance. I can't think of any name that could ever suit my son better.'

'Indeed.' Lust smirked. 'Alphonse Elric only ever did seem to show fire when Edward w-'

'HEY!' Envy shrieked indignantly, startling Hoenheim and Lust out of conversation.

They followed his glare to where Pride and Vengeance were now carefully exploring each other's mouths and ghosting hands over skin in light caresses.

'That's MINE!' Envy howled, pointing a finger at Pride, who paid no attention to him, nor did Vengeance.

Lust rolled her eyes and Hoenheim shrugged. Gluttony giggled in amusement as Envy cursed loudly and stomped out of the room.

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Vengeance was a creation of the beautiful Cofie and I was inspired to write this fic by her amazing pictures. cofie. deviant art (take out spaces)