Heart of a SIN - FMA Envy Fanfic [Edited]

38 - Meeting Again

Arisa pov:

Standing barely ten feet away from the profuse supply of Red Water, my hands tingled and my heart pounded in anticipation and fear. Creating the Philosopher Stone would change the very cycle of this world. What if doing this caused something bad to happen? What if I failed and instead of helping anyone, I crushed their dreams?

Doubt had crept into my mind as I watched the flowing Red Water, reminding me of the one time I had created a tiny stone. This time was different though – I would be creating a stone much larger, and one that I would actually use to oppose the very Law of Equivalent Exchange. I was possibly putting people's lives on the line, whether it was Edward's and Alphonse's or the homunculi. This was no joke.

A deep breath did not ease the anxiety in me and only roused goose bumps on my arms.

Still, I had made up my mind and I was going to see through this. With another deep breath, I stepped to the stream, mentally and physically preparing to create the stone but paused at the familiar perfume that reached my nose. Looking to the side, I narrowed my eyes at the girl I saw standing there – she was a few years older than me and appeared to be smiling behind her mask as she watched me.

"Arisa, it's so good to see you again," she said, the amusement in her eyes increasing as she crossed her arms. Both Scar and I got defensive and I shoved Leo behind me protectively.

This girl's sudden appearance and very presence had me feeling incredibly unsettled. The devious look in her eyes made me uneasy. Who was she and how did she know me?

"Who are you?" I asked sharply, narrowing my eyes further.

"I feel hurt that you've forgotten me, Arisa dear. Although, I can't really say it's your fault. It's difficult to recognize me when I've transferred into such a young, beautiful body," she answered with a laugh.

It was a moment before what she said was understood. Suppressing a gasp, I spoke, "You're Dante."

"Good, I'm glad to see that you're quick to pick up the details like always, Arisa."

I clenched my jaw at her words, more so at the mocking hint than anything else. In this form, she had straight hair that reached her jaw line, lavender eyes and wore a black outfit. The body she had taken over looked to be about 25-30 years old – far too young for an old hag like her.

"You must be wondering how I'm so young," she spoke again, her expression still one of amuse. It faltered though when I laughed.

"I'm not interested, actually, though I have a hunch on how this is possible. I did hear that you're looking for eternal life and that's the only reason why you're trying to get your hands on the stone. Bad news for you though, I'm not sharing the stone with anyone," I said with a smirk at her speechlessness.

I needed the stone for many reasons and I wasn't going to share even the tiniest piece to Dante to use for her selfishness. Besides using the stone to return Edward and Alphonse to their original bodies and turn Envy into a human, I had decided to use that stone to turn the other homunculi into humans too. If there was anything left of the stone, I would use it to help anyone who was in desperate need of help.