Heart of a SIN - FMA Envy Fanfic [Edited]

41 - Settling Down

Arisa pov:

"Ah, I slept really well, though my body does seem extremely sore," I said with a sigh as I sat with Edward and Alphonse at the dining table in Beslio san's house.

I guess it was apt to say that even an earthquake wouldn't have woken me up last night – that's just how deeply I had slept. Though well rested, the bruises and scratches on my body seemed to show me real pain this morning. For the first few minutes after waking up, I couldn't move let alone even lift my hand off the mattress. It had me remembering the time I had been injured by Greed and needed several months to fully recover from the bruise.

"Here's breakfast!" Elisa walked out from the kitchen holding three plates of sunny side up eggs, a nice fresh green leaf salad as well as some orange juice. She placed it in front of us and my stomach growled in hunger. I hadn't eaten anything since last afternoon and I had ended up emptying my stomach's contents because of what happened in the tunnel. I was famished.

I reached out eagerly for the spoon and fork to dig in. The food looked rather appetizing but the minute the smell of the eggs reached my nose, I felt nauseous. I bit the inside of my cheek eying the food as the scenes of the tunnel flashed through my head. It was something that was going to affect me for a long time, that's for sure.

I still couldn't believe I had killed Dante – how I had had to courage or stomach to do that was still a mystery to me.

Putting the spoon and fork down, I pushed the plate away. "I'm not really hungry."

My mumbling earned curious looks from the others. Edward and Alphonse surely knew the reason behind my refusal to eat though but said nothing. We didn't want to have to answer any questions asked because it was not something we could actually talk about to civilians. Belsio san and Elisa hadn't asked us any details about how Scar and Wrath had got hurt and I was glad for that, but they would ask us eventually, right?

Pushing that thought aside, I excused myself from the table, leaving Leo behind whilst telling him to eat as much as he wanted. I stepped out of the house to take a walk by myself, a walk I really needed.

I took the path that led away from the town. The weather was pleasant and the light breeze that caressed my face soothed me beyond measure. My limp was noticeable and didn't allow me to walk too far so I sat down under the shade of a tree just on the outskirts of the town, facing a beautiful, lush meadow.

As I leaned back against the trunk, I placed a hand on my torso that throbbed. My gaze was focused on the sky with my thoughts wandering on how to find Envy. Now that he was no longer a homunculus, I wouldn't be able to sense him like I usually did. I didn't know where to start looking for him but I did know that I would have no problem recognizing him. Wrath's appearance hadn't changed when he became a human so I guess Envy too wouldn't look any different either.

Everything was silent besides the occasional chirping of birds and the rustling of the leaves. It helped ease the tension I had felt over breakfast, reassuring me that everything would be alright even though it didn't entirely rid me of the thoughts.

"Arisa, are you alright?" Edward's voice brought me out of my thoughts.

I met his gaze with a smile. "I'm alright. Everything that happened yesterday just hasn't fully settled in yet."

Edward took a seat next to me and we were enveloped by a comfortable silence for a few minutes. He spoke soon though, keeping his gaze on the ground even when I looked to him. "Say, Arisa, what did you feel when you killed Dante?"

His question did not surprise me since I was expecting him to ask me that sooner or later. "Well, I was really angry at that moment. I didn't really feel angry when she told me about knowing my mother and being the reason that I was sent to the other side of the Gate. Life was tough for me, but I met my teacher, Oba-san - the worry wart of an old lady I worked for – and I learnt skills as an Errand Girl. I learnt to be independent and strong both physically and mentally. Part of that seemed to crumble after I came to this world and met all of you guys. But when Dante hurt Leo, I don't even know where all that anger came from. I didn't know that I could be so merciless. Leo is my life, Edward. Meeting him and having him around me just makes me feel at ease, like he is my reason for living now."