Ed ran through the snow into the darkness, no light to guide him, nowhere to take refuge for the rest of the unbelievably cold night. The sound of metal hitting metal came from the distance. He knew he was surrounded. If he didn't get out of there, he'd be captured and killed. He was already beaten and wounded.

"Kuso..." He cursed under his breath. 'Where do I run?' He picked a direction of which seemed safest and ran, dodging crates, pipes, and products that were supposed to be exported in the morning that littered the ground. He rounded a corner and stopped on the end of a dock.

'Shit, I can't run any further...' He looked at the ocean in front of him. Icy water filled his shoes as the dock slowly sunk under Ed's weight. He looked behind himself.

'If I go back towards the warehouse... No, they'll get me... And if I swim.. I'll freeze.' He thought of how to escape without being caught. His eyes scanned the area and fell upon an old crane, the arm of it stretched in the direction Central was in and just under where the arm finished, was the roof of a building.

'I can climb that.' He ran over to the crane and began to climb up to its arm.

He ran silently until he reached the end and jumped off of the arm of the crane and landed softly on the roof of the building.

"You really think you can escape that easily, Edward?" A tall, thin man stood in front of Ed, grinning down at him. Ed couldn't see who it was but he could vaguely recognise the voice.

"What do you want from me?" Ed replied quietly. "Who are you?"

"You'll find out soon enough" The man said calmly.

The man was suddenly kicked to the ground and pinned by someone.

"Go, brother! RUN!" Al said as he felt the man struggle.

"A-al?" Ed's eyes widened. "Whe-"

"GO!" As Al said this, the man pushed him off and held a kunai to Al's throat. "Run, brother! I can handle this!" Al tried to remain as calm as possible.

"What are you going to do, Edward? Take a step closer and your dear little brother dies." The man said.

"You wouldn't dare." Ed hissed. The man began the press the kunai to Al's throat. Ed stepped back.

"Good boy, now, if you really care about your brother's life you'll follow my instructions."

"I'll do anything, please don't hurt Al." As Ed said this, the man grinned again.

"You are to go back to Central and continue your work as "Fullmetal" until I give you the word to take the whole base hostage."

"WHAT? You're insane!"

"Your brother's life depends on it, Edward."
"Why do you want me to do this?"

The man ignored Ed's last question and continued. "Once you have them under your control, you are to cut off all communication they have with the outside and let the Yakuza take it from there."

"The Yakuza?

"The thing is, Edward. The Yakuza want you to join. They knew you'd resist and feel this is the only way. This way you have no choice but to join... Unless you want your brother dead, of course."

Ed sighed deeply in a stressed way. "Ok... I'll do it... Just, don't hurt Al."

"Good. Now, run along."

Ed looked to Al. "I'll be back for you soon, Al. I promise."

"Edward. Go. Now." The man answered before Al could open his mouth.

Ed glanced once more at Al and ran again. The cold beginning to take it's affect on him. He had no idea where he was and how far from Central he might be and he was freezing.

He found a spot that was shielded from the snow and a big wooden slat and leaned it against a wall, creating a small, warmer space to sleep. He crawled in and curled up.

XXX

"Ed. Edward." Ed felt someone take him by the shoulder and shake him awake. "Ed." Ed opened his eyes and saw a black dog's nose in front of him. He looked up and saw Riza kneeling beside Hayate.

"Hawkeye?" Riza helped Ed up.

"What are you doing out here?" Hayate sniffed at Ed's feet.

" Th-they took Al..." Ed was caught between shivering and staying as strong as possible.

"Who?" Riza looked at Ed with a worried look in her eye. Ed didn't know whether he should tell Riza about the Yakuza. He knew she's a trustworthy person, and she always listens.

"I-..." Ed sighed.

"Yes?"

"The Yakuza... They... They want to overrun Central HQ."

Riza's eyes widened. "What?"

"Please don't tell anyone about this... If they find out I told someone, they'll kill Al and I for sure."

Riza nodded in understanding. "Let's get you back to HQ. You need to warm up."

XXX

Maya paced back and forward in Mustang's office, getting more and more worried the longer Ed and Al were gone. She had known them a few years now and was pretty close to them. She and Ed had been hiding the fact that they were a couple for quite a while but, Al had his suspicions.

"Don't worry, Maya, I'm sure they're fine." Mustang tried to reassure her.

"Fine? They've both been gone almost a week. You said this would only take a day. Why won't you let me find them?"

"I'm your godfather, I have to stop you from doing anything stupid while your mum's away." Roy replied.

Maya looked over to Hughes. "Uncle Maes?"

"I'm sorry."

Maya sighed. Riza then walked in with Hayate behind her.

"Sir. You'll never guess who I found."

Roy looked up. Ed then walked in, cold and covered in wounds and bruises.

"Fullmetal." Roy sounded relieved now that at least one of the Elric's had been found. "What happened?"

Ed looked to Riza before answering. "A-al's missing..." 'I hope that's a good enough cover up.' He thought after answering. Roy gave an almost fatherly look and said in a sympathetic voice.

"Don't worry, we'll find him." Ed shook his head.

"No. I have to do this alone." Roy raised an eyebrow.

"I-if you say so..."

"Ed, your automail..." Maya said. She'd also been his automail engineer for quite a while.

Ed looked at his right arm and realised it was falling apart. "Oh... It must've happened when I was beaten." He said softly. Maya lead him out of the room and took him to the military hospital, under Mustang's orders.

Once they were there and Ed's wounds had been tended to, Maya took Ed's automail arm and began to take off what was left of the outer components as Ed sat on the edge of the bed.

"Ed..." She set down her spanner and looked to Ed. "Where did you go?"

"I was held in a warehouse, on the north shore..." He looked at the snow fall outside then looked down. "Al turned up last night, just after I tried to escape... Instead of them taking me back and most likely killing me, they decided to take... Al..." Ed's voice cracked slightly as he spoke. Maya walked over to him and hugged him. He was cold and wanted to warm up, he didn't let go of Maya.

"You know... If anyone catches us, they'll tell Roy and we'll both be humiliated by him... He said that since he's looking after me while mum's gone he has to humiliate me at any given chance..."

"Just a second... I'm really cold."

Maya smiled at this.

XXX

"So, Alphonse." The man said after he finished binding Al to the pole with rope and gagging him. "You must have a lot of faith in your brother." Al nodded at this. The man threw a kunai in his direction, it barely missed his head. "Just remember, Alphonse, that if your brother screws up, even in the slightest, that it'll be the end of you." Al was terrified.

XXX

Maya finished Ed's automail and moved over to reattach it.

"You ready?" Maya asked before she reattached the nerves. Ed nodded and cringed as she reattached them.

"Thanks." Ed said. He looked to her. "For everything..."

"Well, I-" Ed cut her off by kissing her, it soon turned into a make out session. Ed's tongue entered her mouth and she moaned. Maya fell onto the bed, Ed still kissing her. She didn't mind. They didn't hear the door open. Ed cupped Maya's cheek with his left hand as he leant over her and kissed her again.

"Well, well, well... What do we have here? Maya... You never told me!"

"SHIT." Maya said as Ed quickly pulled away. "Jessamine!"

"What's with the full name?" Jess asked. Jess stood tall with long hair and a girly nature. Maya on the other hand was on the short side of things... She had brunette hair, tied back into a ponytail, and had a very tomboyish nature.

"You're supposed to knock..."

"NAWWWWW MY LITTLE MAYA'S GROWING UP."

"I'm a year younger than you." Ed watched the girls bicker and chuckled a little.

"So, how long have you been hiding it?" Jess asked.

"Four months" Ed answered.

Jess' eyes widened and sparkled in an anime like style. "KAWAII."

Maya rolled her eyes and Ed tried not to pay attention.

"Try not to say that too loud Roy Might hear you." Maya said. "Or even uncle Maes."

'Wow... Now I know why I didn't tell them about Al and I' Jess thought as she smiled.

XXX

Ed sat on the edge of his bed, thinking, and staring at the floor. So many thoughts ran through his head. He held his head in his hands and sighed.

"What am I going to do?" He heard a knock at the door and looked up. "Mm?"

The door opened and to Ed's surprise, Roy walked in.

"You never struck me as the type who cared, colonel." Ed said flatly. He continued to stare at one spot on the floor.

Roy sighed. "Why do you doubt me...?" He walked over to Ed. "Fullmetal. I know he's your brother but, you can't completely break down like this."

"I haven't completely broken down." Ed kept his almost monotone voice. "I'm just... Worried... He's being held there, in the cold, all alone... They could do anything to him... What if I get to him too late?"

"I'm sorry, I don't know."

Ed sighed and stood up. "I'm going back for him." 'I don't care about doing what they say anymore. I'm going after Al.'

"You're in no shape to go back out there."

"I don't care! He's my brother!" He leaned against the wall as a dizzy spell came over him.

"EDWARD. If you really cared about him you'd wait until you can actually stand upright!"

Ed didn't answer. He just stood there and thought about what Mustang had just said.

'But... He's my brother...'

XXX

Ed sat in bed that night. He couldn't sleep, knowing his brother could be killed at any moment was torturous. His eyes wandered to the window before he got up and walked over.

'I'm coming for you, Al. Don't worry.' He slowly opened the window and began to climb out. Freezing at every sound that he heard at the door. He jumped to the ground and ran to the street. The temperature was ridiculously cold. He struggled to stay conscious as it got colder and colder, not even running was keeping him warm.

He rounded the corner, panting and trying not to lose his footing as he ran as fast as possible. He rounded another corner and glanced up quickly, only to see Mustang standing outside an apartment block.

'SHIT' He thought. He tried to pick up his speed as he passed Mustang and continued down the road.

"FULLMETAL." Roy sounded really worried. "Get back here!" He ran after Ed. As he pursued him, he noticed Ed was slowing down slightly, looking kind of weak. Ed stumbled before picking up his pace again.

"I'M COMING FOR YOU, AL." He yelled as he sprinted through the snow.

"FULLMETAL!" Roy hollered. Ed ignored him and gasped for air. His chest felt tight from sprinting with no stop and the cold wasn't making it any easier. His sprint soon slowed to a run which slowed even further to a jog. He fell to his knees in the snow and struggled for air.

Roy soon reached Ed and kneeled by his side.

"LIEUTENANT, OVER HERE." Roy called. Ed didn't even notice Riza when he ran past the apartment block.

Riza kneeled by Ed soon after. "Edward. Breathe." She put her hand on his shoulder.

"I need to get Al." Ed said once his breathing had began to return to normal.

"No, Ed. You need to rest." Riza said sternly.

"But what about Al?"

"We'll figure that out later" Roy and Riza tried to keep Ed from trying to run again. Ed finally gave in and let them take him back to Riza's apartment.

XXX

"You won't be able to escape as easily here. Hayate will keep an eye on you." Riza said. Ed sighed and sat down, staring at the ceiling.

"I just want my brother back..." He mumbled stubbornly.

"I know... But, be patient." Riza checked to see if Roy was still hanging around the front door or if he decided to go into the kitchen, then returned and lowered her voice. "If you wait long enough, they may give up. You never know."

Ed shook his head in doubt. "I wish it worked like that. I know you're just saying that to cheer me up. It's not working."

Riza cursed under her breath. "Look. I know the colonel's going to TRY and flame me but, I'll go there and –"

"No. I don't want you getting dragged into this... I didn't even want Al getting dragged into this. Besides, you need to keep the colonel and co. Under control."

"You're just lucky I haven't pulled out the gun and threatened you to make you change your mind." She muttered.

"Yeah, well..."

"Riza sighed. "There's no changing your mind, is there?" Ed shook his head. "Well, the colonel has ordered you to stay until you've at least warmed up."

XXX

Al sat in the corner, still bound to the pole. He whimpered a little out of pain. The people in this place were brutal and took no pity on teenage boys who put on a really convincing 'shy' act.

'I know you'll succeed, nii-san. You always do.' He thought. He studied the warehouse he was being kept in. Not really different to any other: Boxes stacked against walls, crates and whatnot everywhere... The whole place smelt like fish, considering the fact that they were close to the ocean. The concrete floor added to the chill.

'GAH my butt was cold... now it's just numb. This sucks.' He looked to the man that caught him, standing in the corner. He was tall, had a muscular build, dark hair, wore torn jeans and an old t-shirt. His teeth were crooked and yellow, he looked like he was in his late thirties. His eyes were what made him look intimidating, though. They were black and seemed to stare into your very soul.

'Who are you?' Al looked away from the man. He had to admit, he was scared... If Ed makes one wrong move even if it's accidental, it's the end. All Al could do is sit and wait.

It was impossible to sleep. Either you fall asleep and possibly end up murdered or you stay awake and make sure the shifty man didn't do anything to you.

XXX

'Why did you come, Al. I told you to stay behind... I didn't want you getting involved...' Ed thought. He just wanted to get up and run again... Although, he couldn't stand up without Black Hayate barking to alert Riza. He stood up again and Black Hayate instantly started barking.

"For fuck sake. Shut up, I'm just going to the bathroom." That time it wasn't to escape. When he tried to climb out the window before that, Riza shot right past his head.

Ed walked past Hayate and Riza who had appeared soon after Hayate started barking.

The stress was starting to get to Ed. Riza did everything she could to try and help reassure him that Al would be OK. Not even threatening to shoot him worked.

Ed ended up pacing the room most of the night.

"Look, I'll let you go back in the morning and if the colonel asks, I'll just say that you collapsed or something." Riza offered.

"Collapsed?"

Riza nodded. "That way he won't come and wake you up if I say you're asleep and it's nothing extreme so he won't insist on getting you to a hospital or something."

Ed nodded in agreement. "OK," He said. "I'll-" That moment, the phone rang and Riza answered.

"Hel-" She began before her eyes widened. "No..." She hung up and looked to Ed grimly. "Jessamine and Maya are missing."

A.N: Sorry if it doesn't make sense, keeps taking out everything I use to separate the paragraphs...