"Colonel Mustang! Sir!"

Roy tensed as a pair of soldiers jogged up behind him just as he was about to guide Riza into one of the team's vehicles. When he glanced over his shoulder at them, they both threw him a crisp salute as one of them exclaimed, "Sir, we have detained the men responsible inside their fort."

"Well done," he replied evenly as he turned back toward the vehicle and lowered his Lieutenant into the seat closest to Havoc. "Secure and escort them back to headquarters immediately. We'll begin questioning them upon arrival." When he did not immediately receive a confirmatory 'yes' from the pair, he cast a questioning glare back toward them to see that they had dropped their confident demeanors, and had seemingly grown uncomfortable with his request.

Likely seeing his quizzical stare, the uniformed men nervously stood at attention again. "Well, sir," the first one began to explain, "We were ordered to keep them where they are until you spoke to their leader first."

Roy knitted his brows together and frowned. "I don't have time right now to discuss trivial matters with a terrorist," he countered. "Right now I have to focus on the wellbeing of my team."

"We understand that, sir," the second replied. "But he requested to speak with you immediately. He… said it was about your alchemy."

Roy felt every last ounce of color drain from his cheeks as he was reminded of the corner he and Riza were being backed into. With every passing moment, the exposure of Riza's back and the threat that was looming over them became more critical.

"Boss." With his thoughts broken, Roy looked around and toward his Second Lieutenant. Seeing that he had his Roy's attention, Havoc quietly continued, "We'll take it from here. You go do what you need to and we'll meet you there."

Roy hesitated as he looked from Havoc to Riza and then to the back of the vehicle, where he could see Second Lieutenant Breda and Warrant Officer Falman hunched over Edward, the two of them meticulously splinting and securing the suspected fracture in Edward's leg.

Roy's stomach twisted when he felt something clutch and gently tug on the sleeve of his uniform jacket. When he looked down at Riza, she looked up at him, her expression a mixture of worry and fear.

She didn't have to speak for him to know what she was saying; after all, they had known each other long enough to know the other's thoughts, simply by the way they looked at the other. And at that moment she was asking him not to go.

But that wasn't an option. Not with the secrets of Flame Alchemy, and more importantly her life, hung in the balance. Because if he gave away its location, then her life would be in danger.

And he would not let that happen…

"Havoc," he addressed the Second Lieutenant, "Make sure my jacket stays on her. Keep her as warm as you can."

"Yes, sir," his subordinate replied as he draped an arm around Riza's shoulders and pulled the jacket closer to her body.

Looking back down at her, he gave her a small, reassuring smile. You know I have to investigate this. You know what is at stake…

The corners of her lips turned downward. Please… Don't be reckless. Her eyes were pleading, begging him to tread carefully.

Pulling his sleeve away from her fragile grasp, he gave her one last look before turning away and following the waiting soldier. Feeling her eyes on the back of his head as he tromped along behind the Sergeant, he silently hoped that she understood his signal.

That he would not be reckless… Not unless the situation called for it.

"We've secured him in one of the cells, sir," the soldier noted as he walked around a corner and headed down a narrow, poorly lit corridor. "He had no weapons on him, though we did find knives and tools in one of the rooms nearby. Investigations is already sweeping the room and picking out evidence," he added.

Roy's stomach churned with anger, remembering the cuts he saw on Riza's back before he covered it with his jacket. Though he had only gotten a brief look, he had at least been able to determine that whatever had cut her had managed to dissect down to the top muscle layer on her back. The amount of attention it would require was likely to be significant.

"We're here, sir."

Roy stopped behind the soldier and peered past him and into the small containment cell they had paused in front of. The man in question was sitting cross-legged on the floor, his hands folded neatly in his lap and his head bowed, allowing his long, greasy dark hair to spill over his shoulders and hang over his face.

"Thank you," Roy replied as he stepped around the soldier and glared at the form that was sitting hunched over in the center of the cell. Without looking back at the soldier, he added, "Unlock the door."

The soldier stiffened. "Sir?"

"Unlock the door, soldier. I would prefer to speak with this man face-to-face."

"But, sir—"

"That's an order," Roy replied, his eyes never leaving their prisoner.

The soldier swallowed nervously and saluted before replying, "Y-yes, sir." Reaching into his pocket, he produced a set of keys and skittered over to the lock. After fumbling with it for a few moments, he finally slid the key into its hole and twisted it, popping the lock open.

When he slipped it off and stood back, Roy stopped in front of the door and said, "Wait around the corner until we have finished speaking."

"But, sir—"

"If he values his life he won't try anything," Roy interrupted as he reached into the pockets of his coat and rubbed the fabric of his ignition gloves between his fingers.

Seemingly understanding his rationale, the soldier nodded hastily and saluted again before turning on his heels and heading back in the direction they had come from.

When the soldier had vanished around the corner, Roy turned his attention back to their prisoner, whose head was still hanging low. Steeling his resolve, Roy grasped the glove and pulled it out, slipping it on over his fingers before repocketing his hand. Pushing the door open with his other hand, he stepped inside, which elicited a light chuckle from the accused.

"Hello, Colonel," the ring leader purred as he raised his head, his dark eyes finding Roy's. "Thank you so much for heeding my request."

"Colonel."

Roy jumped as the unexpected voice pulled him from his memory and brought him back to the present. Slightly dazed, he looked up at the doctor who had addressed him, realizing too that he had stopped just outside Edward's room.

Seeing that he had his attention, the doctor dipped his head and said, "We just gave him a second dose of pain medication but it may take a little while before it reaches its full effect, so don't be surprised if he's irritable. The type of fracture he sustained can be very painful."

Roy swallowed, hoping to push back the feeling of regret that had begun to steadily climb his throat. The injury would likely keep Edward bedridden for two months, and that was if he was able to stay down and not damage it further.

"Colonel?"

When he looked back up and saw the doctor watching him, he nodded to convey his understanding of both the situation and Edward's condition.

Accepting his silent agreement, the doctor stepped out of the way and pushed the door open, allowing Roy access. As he took a step toward the room, the doctor added, "You have ten minutes to visit, Colonel. After that, I would like to give Mr. Elric his rest." Again Roy nodded before he turned away and stepped completely into the room.

Focusing his attention on the bed that was on the opposite end of the room, Roy saw that the young blond teen was propped up on a set of pillows and was staring down at the IV that was placed in his arm.

When Roy began to move toward him, the youth looked up at him and his eyes instantly narrowed.

"How are you feel—"

"Don't give me that crap," Edward interrupted as he scrunched his eyes even more and clenched his teeth. "You know damn well how I'm feeling."

Attributing the boy's aggression to the pain he was likely experiencing, Roy brushed off his initial shock and said, "I know that this is going to be a challenging time, Fullmetal, but I want you to know that we've gathered the best team of doctors to—"

Again he was cut off as Edward winced and grabbed the cast on his leg with his flesh hand. "I don't need any special doctors or whatever," he growled. "What I need is an explanation for what I saw back there."

Roy's chest tightened and a feeling of uneasiness rolled over him as he remembered the resentful glare he had received from the youth for the brief moment he had turned his attention away from Riza. Those eyes had been so spiteful; so full of hate and loathing.

Roy knew all too well the promise he had made Riza in regards to keeping the tattoo's existence a complete secret. After restricting and paying off the doctors and nurses that worked on her with cash he had sequestered from his funds over time, he finally felt confident that they would be able to sweep its existence under the rug yet again.

One thing he did not do, however, was devise a way to curb the boy's interest in it.

Still, the East City Military Hospital was no place to discuss such a matter, especially on one of its busiest floors.

"Fullmetal," he began slowly, calmly. "I know you have some concerns, but you shouldn't jump to conclusions based on what you may or may not have seen—"

"Don't act like I'm stupid, Mustang. You know exactly what I saw," Edward counter. "So don't try to sweet talk your way out of this, because I know what I saw. And what I saw were your notes for Flame Alchemy embedded on the Lieutenant's back."

And there it was. Roy knew that the accusation would come, but he never imagined just how much of an abrupt impact Edward's words would have on him. Because no matter how one could look at it, it did look like those were his notes on Riza's back. And in a way, he supposed, they were his notes…

"So you aren't denying it," the youth growled when Roy did not immediately produce a counterargument. "I know that you've done some pretty despicable things, Mustang, but this is by far the most disgusting," Edward growled as he tightened his grip on the cast. "Was that little black book of yours not secure enough for your precious notes? Or were the names of fake women and imaginary dates not enough to keep them all hidden?"

"Fullmetal," Roy began, trying to keep his voice quiet and even. "Now is not the time to start to start throwing accusations like this around. You don't understand—"

"Don't understand what," Edward shot back venomously. "Don't understand whatever twisted little contract you made with her?"

"I have to know… How did you get your subordinate to agree to you doing that?"

Roy pushed back on the sudden influx of memories from his discussion with the ring leader that Edward's words had induced, trying not to allow them to interfere with his escalating conversation with the boy. Shaking them off, he tried to contend with the increasingly irritable teen. "Fullmetal, listen to me—"

"Did you pay her? Manipulate her," Edward accused, his volume rising with every word he spat. "Force her?!"

"I had heard you had a silver tongue, but I never could have imagined you would use it in such a horrendous way…"

Roy's jaw tightened and he clenched his hands, remembering how tauntingly the man had said those words. Unclenched his hands. Clenched his trembling hands…-

Fighting back the guilt, pain, anger he had felt when he had been accused by the ring leader, Roy raised his voice and gasped, "Edward! Listen to me!"

"How long did it take?! Did you even give her the chance to back out?!"

"It's something I had never thought of. What a perfect way to hide your secrets, you monster. Using human flesh like your own personal—"

"-Book?! Is that all she is to you?! Just your own twisted version of a black book to keep your secr—"

Edward's face suddenly turned away, exposing the reddening cheek Roy's hand had created when it made sudden contact with it moments before. His once hardened eyes now wide with shock, Edward stopped mid-tirade to process what had just occurred.

Realizing what he had done, Roy drew the guilty hand back and reached forward with the other, taking a hurried step toward Edward. "Fullmetal, I—"

He didn't have a chance to apologize, however. With a savage yell, Edward turned and lunged forward and swung his flesh arm at Roy, barely missing the Colonel's face before he lost his balance and began to fall from the edge of the bed.

Reacting on instinct, Roy rushed forward and managed to break the youth's fall before he hit the ground, and was promptly rewarded with a fist to the jaw.

Drawing back, Roy's hands intuitively went up to protect his face as the relentless teen took another swing at him. But when Edward tried a fourth time, he was separated from Roy as a flurry of scrubs and white coats descended upon them.

As the doctors grabbed a dazed Roy beneath his arms and tried to lift him, Edward snarled, "You bastard. It's all your fault."

His fault… No one could have predicted what had happened. Despite everything they did, spending every waking moment searching for them, it still took five days to find them. And every moment they were gone, Roy had kicked and castigated himself until he became nothing more than an apparition, simply existing until the intel that guided his team to them reached his ears. In the end… Maybe it was his fault…

"Fullmetal—"

"You're the reason why," Edward continued, his voice catching momentarily in his throat as the nurses and staff tried to secure him and lift him back toward the bed. "Why she told me to mutilate and kill her…"

"I shouldn't have let him talk me into it. I should have just convinced him to leave me behind. He would have moved faster without me."

As Riza's words returned to Roy, he finally understood the root of the boy's rage. It wasn't just the fact that he had discovered the notes for Flame Alchemy on her back. Rather, it was because she had asked him to leave her behind; an implication he knew would have led to her death. And though he would not be directly responsible, Edward would have gone on knowing this fact.

The burden, the weight on his mind, was crippling.

Looking back up at and catching the boy's eye, he saw brimming golden eyes staring back; Edward's expression reflecting his disgust and anger and hurt.

Now Roy understood…

A/N: I'm not too entirely sure how I feel about this chapter. I'm not sure if I conveyed precisely why Roy reacted the way he did because most of the internalized feelings he has will be explored in the final chapter (aka next chapter). For now I have only shown glimpses of what had happened with the "ring leader" – whose whereabouts will be confirmed next chapter. At the same time, I hope his actions weren't too incredibly OOC because he isn't one to use physical force so readily (although he did when Edward confronted him about Maria Ross…). I don't know. Let me know if anything seems OOC and I may go back and tweak the chapter a bit. But thank you for all the reviews, favorites, and follows, and if I decide I don't hate this chapter, I'll see you for the final one!

P.S. To those who follow "Like Family," I will have a new chapter up very soon.