The sound of explosions rent the air.

"I never should have drug you into this, Sheska." She told the sobbing bespectacled woman whose lap she rested on. "This is all my fault."

Sheska gulped hard, hot tears slipping down her cheeks as she whispered a denial.

"I shouldn't have just stood there — and you warned me but I went ahead and now..." exclaimed the older woman shaking her head, plastering her short chestnut hair to her face.

Tears dripped down, striking the blindfolded girl on her pale cheeks. She reached up with a bloodied hand and touched the droplets before touching her fingertips to her forehead. Then she smiled up at Sheska, lifting her arms up to her and automatically Sheska placed them on her cheeks.

"Shh." The girl told her, moving her hands under Sheska's glasses and over her hazel eyes. "I told you if you came with me, nothing would ever hurt you."

All of a sudden, images and memories not her own invaded Sheska's brain. The former librarian let out a choked scream as she saw the nameless girl screaming and madly clawing at her eyes. Blood rushing out of the missing wedged portion of the girl's face. Her laughing in relief, blond hair slick with blood, still clutching the hatchet she used.

Sheska clawed at the slender hands, her glasses falling to the floor, her mouth working silently as another wave of sounds and images poured into her mind.

"Monster, Abomination!" a familiar voice screamed from the blurred shadows.

"He'll never love you." Said a woman's ruby red lips with a coy smile.

"Never call me that! I am your master!" shrieked another angry woman's crimson lips.

A nearby explosion and the sensation of being in motion jolted Sheska into consciousness. She opened her eyes and spied a rippling black blur, then a flash of white.

"If you're done staring at my ass, will you start running on your own!?" Envy snapped. Sheska looked up disoriented and found the spiky haired homunculus racing down hallways with her tossed over his shoulder like a sack of potatoes.

"What's—" she said before Envy cut her off.

"Going on? Half of Central's military is shooting at us." He snapped at her... at least Sheska supposed it was a he.

Just then a bullet tore away a piece of the wall inches away from Sheska's head. She let out a scream and grabbed the first thing her hands could grasp: Envy's rump. The only reaction he gave was a small jolt and noise before ducking into a conveniently located broom closet.

"Well that was fun." Envy commented as he dumped Sheska unceremoniously to the ground. "Remind me to send the Führer a card."

"Ok…" she replied faintly as the sin leaned against the door and she scooted to the other end of the small dusky room.

Sheska took this time to study the homunculus and gather her scattered wits. His hair was dark green, long and spiky. There was a restless energy about his movements. The darting of his violet gaze between the door and her then back again with every explosion. The muscles beneath his sinewy legs coiled as Envy began to pace.

"Uh-h"

"Shut up." Envy snapped. "And quit staring at me! You would think you'd never seen a guy before."

"Not one wearing a skirt." Sheska muttered darkly. She crossed her arms in front of her as she scowled.

"Do you mind explaining how and why half of the army is currently shooting and trying to hunt us down?" she asked bitterly.

Envy sighed and leaned back up against the door. His face clouded with uneasiness before he casually inquired, "How much do you know about Nicollete?"

"Nicollete?"

The homunculus began pacing again. Sheska watched him for a moment, sensing his agitation and just when she opened her mouth to say something, Envy spoke.

"The blind girl you came here with? Don't tell me you didn't know the name of the person who took a bullet and died for you?"

Sheska felt herself begin to tremble. A sob escaped from her mouth before tears came pouring from her eyes. It wasn't the caustic remark that hurt. It was the memory of a young girl with a sweet smile and a blindfold over her eyes that caused a raw and primitive grief to overwhelm her.

She felt a hand on her shoulder and looked up startled to find Envy kneeling in front of her. He wasn't looking at her, instead glaring at a point off to one side but she figured it was the thought behind the action that counted.

"I read to her." Sheska said with a sniff. "It was one of the jobs I used to have at the library. Read to the patients in the institution; make them forget where they were for the moment. She was one of the teenagers there."

"She ever mentioned how she became blind?" Envy inquired with a faint smile. Sheska shook her head and furiously wiped her eyes. He rose to his feet, walked over and pressed his ear to the door.

"Did she ever tell you something that later came true?" he asked indifferently and ice suddenly ran through her veins. Sheska gasped and Envy shot at her a grin over his shoulder.

"So, you knew that much."

"H-how d-did—"

Envy snickered, "Let's just say her and I had a… history."

Before Sheska could reply however, the homunculus held up a hand to silence her and focused his attention on the door. The myopic young woman was quiet only because she sensed he'd silence her himself if provoked.

She really didn't want to irritate him.

"Here's the plan," Envy told her. "We're going to make a break for it as soon as the hall clears."

"And then what?" Sheska asked quietly. "I can go back home and forget I helped an escapee from a mental hospital break you out?"

Envy turned and shot her a wry look over his shoulder, "You can forget about ever going home."

"Y-you're kidnapping me?!" she squeaked as a surge of fear coursed through her body.

"I knew I shouldn't have listened to her when she said she wanted to help out a friend!" Sheska cried loudly as Envy turned and put his ear back to the door. "She escaped from a mental hospital, of course she'd be friends with a cross dressing alien guy captured by the military!"

"Alien?! Oh quit your whining." He snapped. "You think I want to be stuck with a four eyed, homely ex librarian who has no social life whatsoever."

"I do too have a social life!" Sheska retorted. "And how are you 'stuck with me'—you're the abductor!"

"I'm not kidnapping you!" Envy exclaimed in frustration.

"Then what would you call it?"

Before Sheska could blink, the homunculus was across the room, had her on her feet and viciously gripped her by her shoulders. Violet eyes blazing with hatred bore down on her.

"You had best shut up and do what I say." Envy growled and Sheska flinched.

"Understand?" He added with a rough shake and she nodded. Envy released her and went back to the door to listen. The sound of boots running past the door came and went as Envy cracked open the door and peeked outside.

"It's clear, let's go" he told Sheska opening the door wider and motioned to her. When she didn't come, Envy turned and glared at her.

The bespectacled young woman still stood where he had left her shaking like a leaf. She had her arms wrapped around her as if they could offer her solace. Her head was bowed but the homunculus could see tears run down her cheeks. Envy sighed, his anger cooling at the pathetic sight Sheska made in her sensible shoes, plain green skirt and green and tan striped blouse.

"I'll explain everything once we're safe." He told her. She looked up at him meekly, took a step and reached for his proffered hand. It closed around hers gently as they both cautiously stepped outside the closet.

Later on Sheska couldn't remember how her and Envy made it out of the Central Military Headquarters. She couldn't recall exactly how they eluded the soldiers stationed there and made it to the train station. Nor could Sheska exactly remember how her and Envy got onto a departing train, only that they did and she was currently curled up in a luggage car. Across from her nearest to the doors, Envy sat watching her watch him.

"Are we safe now?" she asked breaking the silence that reigned between them.

"For now."

"Will you explain why I can't go home?" Sheska asked wearily and Envy sighed.

"Do you want the whole story or parts that pertain to you?"

"The parts that involve me."

Envy chuckled and muttered to himself, "Yeah, it's not important to know everything yet."

"The reason you can't go home" he told her with a smirk. "Is because you are now a target."

"A target?!" Sheska repeated shrilly sitting up suddenly. "Why am I..W-who'd?"

"My master would like to see you because of what Nicollete did to you." He answered cheerfully.

"What did she do to me?" she demanded. "Am I going to die? Did she —" Envy's snickering cut her off.

"Remember that ability of hers?" he inquired, adding in case Sheska was as dumb as she looked to him. "The one where she could tell the future?"

The young woman nodded mutely and Envy smirked.

"You have it now."

Envy waited patiently amused for the eventual explosion of emotions. The homunculus could see a mix of outrage, shock and confusion float across her face before she let out an earsplitting shriek.

"I should have listened to my mother and married a shoe maker!" Sheska screamed loud enough to force Envy to cover his ears from the shrill onslaught. "Now I've been abducted by an alien!"

"I'm not an alien!"

Sheska seemed to have ignored Envy's retort but before she could continue her frantic tirade, a knife-like pain shot suddenly through her eyes and everything shifted. It came as a brief flash but Sheska could see the brief scene clearly played out before drifting off into unconsciousness.

A stunning pale woman with full luscious dark tresses and violet eyes sauntered down the aisle of the train with a mission. She wore a dark green dress that clung to her shapely figure and displayed her ample bosom to those who chanced a glimpse of her. Displayed quite prominently on her chest was a tattoo of a red winged serpent consuming its tail.

An ouroboros, something inside Sheska seemed to say.

When she awoke what seemed moments later, Sheska found Envy at her side looking at her with some concern. He had pushed her glasses away from her face and leaned close to examine her pupils, eliciting a blush from Sheska. The only indication that Envy reactioned was a brief quirk of his lips.

"W-what was that?" she gasped suddenly aware her head felt as if someone slammed a few dictionaries against her brain. Envy smirked as he slid her glasses back into place and leaned away from her.

"You saw something?"

"A prostitute walking down the aisle of a train."

All humor faded from the homunculi's face and a fierce scowl replaced it. He sprang to his feet and jerked Sheska to her own, ignoring her hiss of pain.

"Did she look like this?" Envy demanded before a waved of white light passed over his body and the exact image of Sheska's vision stood before her.

She gasped and pointed, "That's her!"

Another wave of light and Envy was back to his original form with a string of curses. He roughly seized her by the wrist and went to turn when out of the blue, razor sharp claws shot through the door to the luggage car and pierced Envy through chest, nearly missing Sheska herself by an inch. The homunculus hadn't a chance to make a sound as the claws jerked themselves free and the door behind him opened.

Lust sauntered inside as Envy fell to the ground in a puddle of blood. Sheska covered her mouth to stifle her scream of horror as she watched the life in her companion's eyes die out. A sultry chuckle and arms slithered out and wrapped themselves around from behind the human girl.

"Don't be too shocked." Lust purred in Sheska's ear. "Just wait. Envy will pop back up any minute."

True to the homunculi's words, Envy jerked and let in a gasp of air…before a claw came up from behind Sheska and stabbed him right between the eyes.

"We could play this game forever." Lust said jerking her claw free, splattering blood across Sheska's face. "It would be really quite amusing to continue but this is our stop. The Master doesn't like to wait."

Lust flung out an arm behind both of them and the side of the train car fell apart in pieces. She tightened her grip around the petrified human, stepping back toward the opening when suddenly Envy's hand shot out. He jerked Sheska from Lust, swept her legs out from beneath the sin, nearly at the same moment he kicked the homunculus in the stomach. The resulting momentum sent Lust straight out of the opening and tumbling off the train.

"That's what you get for being arrogant." Envy growled rising to his feet, wiping the blood from his face. He still was firmly gripping Sheska's wrist, so he felt when she began trembling.

"This can't be real." She whispered staring at where Lust vanished. "I didn't just—. That woman didn't—." Sheska spun and faced Envy, tears streaking down her cheeks. "You're not human."

"Not a bit."

Sheska felt the world begin to slip away from her. Black appeared along the edge of her vision. Colors blurred and then there was silence and darkness.

And so ends chapter one of my first full length FMA fan fic.