Chapter Nine

The young alchemist let out a yawn as he buried his head deep within the papers. Even though he had permission to head home hours ago, he was too intrigued now. He needed to know what the hell was going on involving these homunculus bastards and Scar.

Right before he was about to drift off to sleep, a light hand was placed upon his head. "Brother, we should really head home. It's getting pretty late…" The younger stated as he leaned down to eye level with his kin. "Besides, you really need your rest."

"Whaa?" The elder glanced up at the clock that read 3:00 am. 'Goddammit…' He thought, wiping the drool from his mouth. "Alright, alright." He said pushing in his chair. "We'll head home." He sluggishly locked his office door, clutching the heavy load of documents tightly beneath his arm. Even though he needed rest, as soon as Al was asleep, the first thing he was going to do was continue looking deeper into the situation. There was always one quality he both hated and loved about himself. Whenever he started on something he never stopped until it was settled.

It seemed as though almost everyone had headed home for the night as they made their way outside the office doors. Everyone but a few guards and secretaries that is. He let out a heavy yawn as he walked slowly down the streets with his brother by his side.

"Let me take some of that for you, brother." Offered the young boy as he stretched out his hands.

Before the male could lay a finger on the documents, Edward quickly drew back. "No, Al. This is important information. I can't risk losing anything." He gave his brother a comforting smile to let him know he appreciated the thought.

"Are you hungry, Ed? You haven't eaten all day."

Now that he thought about it, he really hadn't eaten anything today. He stomach suddenly growled, causing a slight blush to rise. "Y-yeah, I guess I am a little hungry." He chuckled with his hand scratching the back of his head.

"It looks like there's a diner opened nearby." He pointed. "Why don't we stop there?"

"Alright." Agreed the elder happily.

The two brothers walked into the building; Edward gently placing the stack of documents next to him. 'It's probably not the safest thing in the world to be carrying around such important information like this…' He thought to himself as he scanned the area. There weren't too many people about. A young woman sitting in a booth to the corner, while a man sipped on a cup of coffee to the front. He felt slightly relieved; no one looked too suspicious.

"What will you boys have?" Asked a middle aged waitress with a grin that beamed with too much lipstick.

"I'll take the special." Replied the eldest as he closed the menu and handed it to the woman.

"Same." Said the youngest with a smile.

The elderly female took their menus with a grin and walked back into the kitchen to place their order. Once she was gone, Edward leaned back with a heavy yawn. "Such a long night…" He stated rubbing his tired eyes. "I don't think I can do too many more of these…" He said feeling a slight headache arise.

"I'm sorry, brother…" The younger said with an apologetic smile. "Maybe you should call for a few days off? I know your assignment is important, but you need to make sure to take care of yourself too…"

"Yeah, I know…" Replied the blonde with a sigh. He appreciated Al's concern, but this job was far too important for taking time off. In all honesty, he was intrigued by the secrets of the homunculus, and what their motives were.

Al remained quiet as he swirled the straw in his drink. He was curious as to know what Ed's job was, but he knew better than to ask. There were heavy rules regarding the amount of information the military was allowed to leak out to the public. Even though Al was his brother, to the military he was just another average person. "Well I hope you're about to come home soon, brother." He stated taking a sip of his drink. "We all really miss you." He grinned with a slight hint of sadness.

"I hope so too." He chuckled. "It's going to be really strange once you and Winry leave. It's just going to be Roy and myself after that." He let out another sigh. "After what I said to him, it would be surprising if he even let me continue staying with him the next few months…"

"Brother, don't say that!" The younger stated loudly. "The Colonel still cares for you, even after what you said." His face lit up in a blush at his assertiveness. "I'm sure if you give him an apology, everything will be fine."

"I can't really apologize for everything I said, Al…" He moaned. "The man's going to remember my words for the rest of his life, no matter how much I beg for an apology accepted."

The younger brother looked down at the table. He truly hoped that everything would turn out well for the Colonel and his brother. It would be shame for such a friendship to be lost over something such as this. He suddenly began to think about Winry and her feelings for him. As of now she had no idea of their one sided feelings, and he hoped their confrontation was in the far future. Although in reality, he knew he would have to tell her soon. The longer he waited to spill the truth, the harder her fall would be. Maybe his brother would have some answers? Then again, after his response to Roy, he wasn't sure Edward would be the right person to ask for love advice. Another problem was that he didn't want his brother to be worried once he left. He wouldn't be able to stand the fact of knowing Edward's paranoia over Winry and himself alone in Risembool. Of course he knew his brother trusted him, but it still didn't ease the fact of lover jealousy.

"Hopefully things will get better." He finally replied after being lost in thought. "There's no way the Colonel would just kick you out like that." He reassured.

"We'll see I suppose." He concluded as their meal finally arrived at the table. "Thank goodness!" He praised with saliva practically running down his chin. "I'm starving!" He picked up his knife and fork, plunging down into his food. The younger only laughed in response, slowly taking in his first bite.

The elder man leaned back into his chair, tapping his lower lip with the black pen. He read over the paper once more for what seemed like the 100th time now. He was sure Edward was already safe at home now, but he knew that he was just as capable of continuing the investigation without him for now. He knew the boy was intelligent, and had more potential than even himself, but he still took a little bit of pride into his work.

After a few more moments of reading the same paragraph, he finally scratched his head and placed the papers down on the desk. He rubbed his temple before massaging the back of his neck. 'When's the last time I've eaten...?' He wondered suddenly, making a quick thought of maybe making a trip to the cafeteria.

He started to lay his head down on his desk when his gaze suddenly found the picture frame resting before him. A smile lite his face as his young daughter looked back at him innocently. He slowly picked up the photograph, taking a closer look. Even though Elicia was still so young, he swore she was a little prodigy. She was smart for her age, and exceptionally beautiful, just like her stunning mother. He had called Gracia earlier that evening to tell her he would be home late-even all at for that matter. He made sure to tell her the seriousness of the assignment, and as always, she understood fully. It was difficult for little Elicia to understand her father's work. It killed him every day inside that he had to leave with the constant questioning of whether or not her father would be back to tuck her in for the night. And even after the constant months of his child's tears, he still hadn't gotten used to it.

He let out a heavy breath, picking up the paper once more. Food could wait, but people's lives were on the line. As he read the last section once more, his eyes widened in shock. "What the hell…" He whispered. "This…this isn't possible…it can't be…." Suddenly everything made sense. Scar and the homunculus had no connection at all. Scar was simply a running fugitive with revenge towards State Alchemist. The homunculus however…they had larger plans.

He quickly rushed to the door. He needed a phone and fast. He knew Roy was probably passed out on his desk right about now, but there were more important things to worry about. He hated having to disturb his pal's sleeping, but this was something that just couldn't wait. Was it even safe to call from the phones here? He didn't have time to ponder; he needed Roy to know then and there. Before he could reach the phone booths, he heard a noise ruffle behind him. He turned in the direction of the sound, only to find a voluptuous woman standing before him. He quickly noted the Ouroboros tattoo placed between her breasts. He grinned upon the discovery.

"Nice tattoo you got there." He commented sarcastically.

The woman returned the smile. "You've learned too much, Lt. Hughes." With her words said, spikes lunged from her fingers, striking through his shoulder. He had expected an attack, and in response, he threw a dagger straight for her forehead, causing her body to fall back into the wall.

He quickly maneuvered into the hallway, going as fast as he could to the telephone booths. Upon placing his hand on the handle, he made a quick decision to try the public phone outside for safety measures.

"Connect me to Colonel Mustang!" He demanded loudly on the line.

"We can't do that, Sir." Replied the woman on the other end.

"Goddammit!" He spat. "The military is in trouble, that's why I'm calling from outside! Get me through to Mustang, NOW!"

"Your code, Sir?" Asked the lady slightly threatened by his tone.

"I don't have time for this!" He growled as he rummaged through his papers to find the message of words.

After giving the key, he was just about to be connected when he heard a shuffle of feat behind him. He turned his head to find Lieutenant Ross standing firm, gun in hand.

"Please put the receiver down, Lieutenant Hughes." She said in a stern command.

The gun was pointed straight for his skull, causing beads of sweat to drip down his cheeks. "Lieutenant Ross?" He asked shocked. "No…" He confirmed. "Ross has a mole under her left eye!"

The woman looked at him with a wide gaze, a snake like grin perching from ear to ear. "Is that right? How careless of me." She stated as she attached the mole as if it were a magic performance. "Is that better?" She asked in a cute tone.

"What the hell is going on?" He asked looking down at the picture he dropped of him and his family. "It's like I'm dreaming…"

"It's unfortunate for you that your mind works so fast." The creature stated in a toying manner.

"Hey, now…" He began softly. "Have a heart. I have a wife and kid at home, so I can't go dying here!" He turned around suddenly, just about to throw a dagger at the monster before him when suddenly…

His eyes looked down on none other than his loving wife. Her green eyes sparkled before him, taken over by a devilish grin beneath. "Nice rendering, eh?" She teased.

His body shook in anger, unable to harm the false being before him. Not when they wore the face of his lover. "You son of a bitch!" He swore.

A gunshot was suddenly fired, sending the man bolting back into the phone booth. His body sprawled down to the ground as heavy amounts of blood coated the cement, and the last image he saw before his death-the dropped picture of his dear family.

As the two brothers were finishing up their meal, Edward placed his hands atop his stomach in satisfaction. "So good…" He said with pink cheeks. "I'm stuffed." Before his head could lean back in rest, a loud gunshot was heard in the distance. His body jolted in response, as did Al's. The two brothers looked at one another with wide eyes, sending them both bolting out of the diner's entrance.

They both searched the area nearby. The park, nearby stores, nothing was found. It was only until they walked by a lonely phone booth that Edward stepped in a puddle of red. He looked down at the contents of his shoe, leading his eyes to a trail of blood that caused his heart to stop. "Oh my God…" He whispered with quivering eyes. "HUGHES!"

A/N: Yeah, I know, I'm a depressing ass hole, right? Just as a side note, most my stories tend to be sad and depressing, or at least parts of them. Anyway, please review; I've been dying for readers' feedback :)