(…Continued)

Ed was fidgeting around, trying to get his auto-mail firmly in place.

Suddenly, SNAP!

It was in place.

Ed grinned, but quickly shut his mouth, minding that he didn't have much air left.

Ed quickly pulled out a nearly useless screw from his auto-mail arm and used it to draw a transmutation circle on a rock.

He quickly used alchemy with his left arm.

Suddenly, a rock platform formed under him, pushing him up slowly.

Ed quickly detached his auto-mail, hoping that it would stay in between the rocks.

Within seconds, the platform pushed him above the crashing waves.

Ed gasped for air, coughing up water and began catching his breath.

--

"Colonel! He's up ahead!" Al shouted, pointing off into the distance.

"Then let's head over there." Mustang ordered, leading the others over to the area where Ed was.

--

Ed heard footsteps and looked up; Mustang.

"I guess he's just coming back for more, well, I better get my auto-mail back quick, or I'm dead." Ed thought, then drew another transmutation circle on the stone platform.

Suddenly, another, but smaller, platform came shooting up, with Ed's auto-mail sitting upon it.

Ed grabbed his auto-mail and quickly attached it.

Ed clapped his hands together and the smaller stone platform shot back into the water.

Ed sighed, then looked back at Mustang and the others.

"So, ya come back for more, Pony boy?" Ed taunted.

"I don't think there's much more you can take, Elric!"



"Then we'll have to see how much I can, now won't we?"

"Why don't you just suck up your pride and come with us, Ed!?"

Ed paused. "I told you, I'm not going back there alive Mustang, and you better believe that!"

"I don't think you have much of a choice, Edward. You see, you do have the advantage with dodging, but we have captives."

Ed gasped under his breath.

He had completely forgotten about the others, and now they have Al!

"Colonel, can't you just listen to Ed for once?" Al asked, pleading.

"You always have to take your brother's side on this, don' you Al." Mustang replied.

"Well, he's my brother..and I know him better than anyone; so I know if he'll quit or not—"

"Well, sometimes your brother just has no choice but to give up, there' s no option here!"

Al went quiet, trying to quit angering the Colonel.

Ed smirked.

"You wouldn't do anything to them, they're just innocent bystanders! You'd be arrested if you did!"

"On the contrary," Mustang began, with a smirk as well.

"I have orders to either capture the Elric brothers, or kill them and whoever stands in the way."

"But what you don't understand is, that they're not even in your way!"

"Once again Edward, you're wrong. You see, Alphonse is trying to stick up for you and stop this, so if he doesn't stop, or if you don't come, we'll have to kill him."

"Don't you lay a damn finger on him, you hear me!?"

"Then come with us."

"Hell no!"

Mustang frowned.

"Then your brother'll have to pay for your mistakes, again!"

Mustang quickly turned and smacked Al's helmet off.

Mustang froze when he saw the red glow coming from inside of Al.

"What the—!?"

Al backed up a step, trying to locate his "head".

Ed took this as an advantage and jumped over to the land, behind Mustang.

Ed used alchemy to make his arm a blade again and held it up behind Mustang's neck.

"You touch Al and you're dead!" Ed shouted.

Mustang hesitated from doing anything, but the other officers held up their guns and pointed them at Ed.

"Don't try anything, Ed." Havoc warned.

Meanwhile, Al found his "head" and put it back on.

Ed looked at Al and pointed to the forest with this left arm.

Al understood and ran into the trees, disappearing from sight.

Ed pulled away his arm. "If you don't mind, I'll be leaving now." Ed said, then quickly ran off and disappeared into the forest as well.

"Colonel--?" Riza wondered.

"Let's follow them." Mustang ordered, then they ran off into the forest after the Elric bothers.

--

A moment later, two people walk out of the forest on the other side of the river.

"Ah, I see what they're up to.

Shall we take care of them, Gluttony?" A woman asked.

"Yes, yes!! Oh, can I eat them Lust, please?" A fat man, known as Gluttony, asked.

"No, Gluttony. They're too important."

"Aw.."

"Once our master's done with them, feel free to—wait, never mind. We'll be human by then. And the Elrics, will be history."