A/N: Hello reader! It's me again! Thank you all for favoriting/following/and reviewing! It meant a lot to me and encouraged me to hurry up and finish this chapter. I apologize for my mistakes last chapter. After rereading it, I had made a few minor changes, but nothing major was changed. I just fixed a few mistakes that I couldn't bear to just leave there. This chapter was rather difficult to write, because I tried to have the characters have strong emotions. To me, the emotions and development of a character is one of the most important parts of a story, even though it's one of the things I struggle most at in writing. It would mean the world to me if one you guys can give me some feedback, especially in this chapter. Constructive criticism is welcomed and desperately wanted! I'm not sure how long the next chapter will take since I need to update two of my other stories and have another story waiting to be published, but without further ado, let the story continue!

Disclaimer: I think it's quite obvious at this point in time, but... I don't own FMA.

Chapter 4: I Don't Know

Ed's heart nearly pounded its way out of his chest as the metal hand reached for him through the shattered window. Glass rained in, like a storm of sharp, deadly crystal rain. Time itself seemed to slow as he watched the fake Al get closer and closer. A small voice inside his head was screaming at him hysterically, telling him to move or he would be a dead man soon. However, his attention was still held captive by the two red, soulless eyes of his brother's impostor.

So he sat there, like a frightened mouse waiting for his enemy to strike, his body injured and still petrified by fear. Then, half a millisecond later, the young alchemist regained his wits as his brain was slammed by the realization that he was staring at death's doors. If he didn't do something now, this would really be it. He would really die.

No! Not yet! Ed thought frantically. I don't want to die! Not like this... Not yet. But he couldn't even stand on his own. How could he fight, run, or do anything about his predicament?

Then, as if it a mind of its own, his automail hand moved, tapping his flesh hand hanging uselessly in its cast. Red sparks bought the air around him to life as his automail arm raised to defend him from the upcoming attack. But nothing ever came.

With a hollow thump, he felt something hard and heavy land on his legs. His closed eyes snapped open to see what it was.

Both he and the fake Al stared in silence.

On his lap, was one of the armored stranger's limbs. The one that had just tried to crush his skull.

A twenty feet tall wave of emotions crashed its way into his thoughts as Ed realized what he had just done. There was relief, that he had somehow stopped his attacker, shock at what he had just done, fear of what was to come next. But most importantly, he remembered that he was far from defenseless.

Alchemy! Of course! Why didn't I think of that earlier? He scolded himself. That should have been the obvious choice for defending myself!

He didn't have much time to think about this revelation however, for the fake Al seemed to snap out of his temporary daze. An unnatural red light began pulsing somewhere deep inside the empty suit of armor.

Ed stared, wide eyed once more, as the limb that he had just taken off grew back once more in a shower of red sparks. Knowing that he would probably not be able to thwart another blow, the alchemist suddenly lunged forward and pushed the not-Al back. Not expecting the sudden movement, his attacker flew back several feet and landed with a clang.

Despite knowing the fact that it probably wouldn't do much good, Ed quickly mended the window and created a shield for himself using the fake Al's arm.

His breath was quick and shallow as he raised a thin metal shield, feeling as if his efforts were all in vain. As if it were only a matter of time.

He heard the footsteps, thundering towards him at an inhuman speed. The closer it got, the more his heart thrashed, as if it wanted to beat as much more as it could, as if it wanted to run away from his inevitable fate.

Then, just as he was bracing himself for death, the air around him dropped several degrees. The footsteps stopped. After a few moments, he finally processed the fact that he wasn't dead and that something had happened. Lowering his shield slowly, Ed looked to see what had happened.

Wrapped in a giant cube of ice, so thick that he couldn't even see it anymore, the fake Al stood, frozen. Behind it, with white gloves that had blue alchemical circles sewn on it, a familiar masked face could be seen.

For once in his life, Ed was glad to that Mustang was there.

Roy should have known that with his luck, something was bound to go wrong tonight. Before coming to the forest, he had actually considered leaving Ed behind at the base so that he would have one less thing to worry about. But he had decided against it, not wanting to waste any time. The sooner he finished gathering food and checking for enemies, the better.

Everything had actually been going quite well, when something happened. Later, he would realize that it was the sound of shattering glass in the distance that had alerted him to the presence of an attacker. But when he had first heard it, it had been so faint, he was sure that it had been a figment of his imagination. Still, his instincts told him that he should go back and check on Ed. At the same time however, he didn't want to waste any time going back since it was probably nothing.

In the end, he decided that he wasn't willing to take the risk of assuming that the only living ally he trusted was safe. With a feeling of dread brewing at the back his mind, Mustang had marched back towards the van, trying to convince himself that there was nothing wrong.

Then he saw it. One of the Al clones that the tyrant of Amestris had created. It was charging towards Ed, who had nothing but a glass window, that seemed to have been fixed by alchemy, and a pitiful shield, that the young alchemist had somehow created, between him and a deadly metal fist.

Roy had stood there hopelessly, watching in horror at first, sure that he couldn't do anything to save his companion that he had just rescued the day before. He had believed that there was no hope. Then, he thought of what would happen if Ed were to die.

He would return to his everyday life, he supposed. He would return to desperately fighting the King from the shadows, knowing that his efforts were all in vain. He would live everyday with the fear, the knowledge that one day, he would be discovered. He would have nothing to worry about besides surviving and trying his best to kill the monster that had ruined Amestris. He would be a lone rebel once more. He would be alone.

Alone.

The word seemed to echo in his mind repeating itself until he suddenly found the idea to be unbearable.

For months he had not used his voice, having no one to speak to. For months he had been alone in his struggles, mourning for deaths of his friends and allies without the comfort of at least knowing that someone was still there. He didn't want to go back to that life. He couldn't. It would be too cruel to bear.

Just after finally finding a familiar face, only to have it snatched away... No, that can't happen. He won't let it happen.

With a sudden rush of desperate strength, Roy ran down the road to Ed's aid, faster than he had ever ran before. He felt a strangled battle cry trying to claw its way out of his throat, only to be stopped by a bubble of rising emotions. Then, somehow, he had finally caught up to the fake Al.

Stopping a just few feet away from the van, he quickly raised his hand and blue light crackled around him. He felt the temperature plummeting.

The Al clone was just a few feet away from the vehicle when the ice surrounding his body solidified, stopping him in his tracks. Roy watched with emotionless eyes as the layers of ice thickened, more and more, until the suit of armor was nothing more than a gray blur.

After being sure that the steel warrior was completely frozen, he turned his attention to Ed, his breathing slowing when he saw that he was okay. He hadn't been too late after all.

During their entire trip back into the city, Ed had been in a state of shock, trying to gather and organize a million scattered thoughts. Roy wisely decided to stay silent, allowing his subordinate and himself to calm down after the events of that night. There was still plenty of time before sunrise, but the Colonel had gathered a fair amount of food and wanted nothing more than to return to the safety of the base.

As soon as he finally dragged Ed back and onto the couch, he turned, intending to prepare a much needed meal for himself and the younger alchemist, but was stopped when he felt something tug on his sleeve.

He turned to see Ed, who had finally recovered from his state of shock, holding up his notepad. There were three words written on it.

Where is Al?

It was a question that he should have expected, but he didn't have an answer of any sort ready to give to his subordinate. What's more, just thinking of the younger Elric brother bought back images of unwanted memories...

"Al can take care of himself, Fullmetal." He said slowly, somehow keeping his voice steady. "There's no need for you to worry." He tried to push the notepad away, but Ed shook the small stack of papers stubbornly, refusing to just leave it at that.

Where is Al?

"Ed, your brother is probably in better condition than you are. His current body is made of steel-"

The young alchemist quickly scribbled something down and showed it to Roy, cutting him off.

Tell me. Now.

Mustang didn't like where this going and attempted to change the subject. "I'll answer your questions later. But for now, I'm hungry and I'm sure you are as well. So if you'll just allow me to-" Ed nearly carved his next words into the notepad.

Tell me NOW. Where is he?

The Fullmetal Alchemist had started trembling, his emotions starting rise with his growing concern. Roy had no idea what his next words should be.

"Ed-" Before he could continue however, the boy seemed to know what he was about to say, for he stabbed his pen down so hard on the notepad as he tried to write his next words, that he created a hole through the stack of papers. Staring at it with wide eyes, as if just realizing what he had just done, tears began to form in Ed's eyes. The young alchemist looked up at his Commanding Officer, as if begging for an answer.

Where is Al?

The Colonel took one look at Ed and suddenly knew that he couldn't lie. Not about this. "I don't know." Roy said quietly, resigned to the fact that the young alchemist would have to know at some point. "He went missing a few weeks after you. Nobody's seen a shadow of him since then. W-we... we did find his head in an alley. But it-" Mustang stopped himself from continuing on. He got the feeling that there were some things that the boy shouldn't know or need to know. This was one of those things.

Unfortunately, he appeared to have already spoken too much.

Roy saw it coming before even Ed did. He saw something within his subordinate snap.

"Why haven't you found him yet? Why aren't you looking for him right now?" Mustang took a step back in surprise as he heard the young alchemist speak for the first time in a year, as he finally heard a voice other than his own for the first time in months. But something wasn't right here. Other than the fact that his voice sounded hoarse and scratchy, like it was barely able to function, something about his words were terribly wrong.

It was laced with grief induced madness.

"You should be looking for him now!" Ed screamed as best he could, throwing the notepad at Roy. The Colonel winced at the words and the thought of how much pain the boy must be going through in order to use his probably damaged voice.

"Fullmetal, calm down-" He began to say but was quickly cut off.

"Calm down?" Ed whispered, so quietly, Roy could barely hear him. "Calm down? My little brother is out there somewhere, along with those things. And despite what you appear to believe, Al is not immortal. He's still human. For all I know a chimera or some clone of his could have wiped off his blood seal. He could be dead. And you want me to calm down?" His words were met with a grim silence. "You're a bigger fool than I thought you were." Mustang frowned at those words.

"Al isn't dead, Fullmetal." He said confidently. "I don't have any proof, but you should have at least as much faith as I have for him. Al too is an alchemist. He can take care of himself." His words didn't seem to have any effect on Ed.

"Leave." The boy whispered apathetically, closing his eyes and clenching his fists.

"Ed, I'm just trying to-"

"I don't need your help." The young alchemist said, as if reading his mind. Several moments of silence passed as Ed struggled to finish speaking. "Just... Leave."

And with a frown that was instantly swept away by his now default facade of apathy, Roy Mustang did leave, with no intentions of offering any more help for sometime to come.

A/N: Yay! I'm FINALLY done! This took forever to write! I debated on publishing this tomorrow but decided to just get this published and over with, which is why I'm still up at 11:30 pm :(. But it was worth it (I think...). I would extremely appreciate it if you were to show some support for me and my hard work by favoriting/following/reviewing. Constructive criticism and reviews in general are especially appreciated. Thank you Guest, Brenne, The SoulEater Alchemist, Relena Duo, and waddiwasiwitch for reviewing last chapter! I remind you, I especially need advice on expressing a character's emotions. Also, I'd like to know about the last scene. Was it overly dramatic? Melodramatic? Please let me know! Until next time, I, EndlessStars, bid you farewell!