Edward lay with his head on Roy's chest, momentarily glad that they were posing as father and son so that he didn't have to be concerned about any looks he might be getting from the hospital staff. Not that he would have cared at this point. Everything that had transpired in the past 48 hours had taken its toll on him, and he was physically and mentally exhausted. He didn't even have any energy left to think about it anymore, he just wanted to go home… all the way home. Rizembul was so lovely at this time of year: the air was crisp and refreshing, the cherry blossoms just beginning to bloom… Ed found himself aching for it in a more than ever before. At this point, even a wrench in the head from Winry would feel welcoming, and that was a scary thought.
Grumbling, he readjusted himself on the uncomfortable couch for the 99th time. What the hell with Roy - the man could sleep like the dead during a full scale riot, it was disgusting! Ed had asked him about it once when he'd barged into his office unannounced and found him asleep at his desk on top of a pile of unfinished paperwork. Roy had replied that when you'd been in the military as long as he had, you learned to sleep absolutely anywhere and you took the chance whenever it came, and if you have a problem with that, Fullmetal, you can file a report, and by the way, yours is late.
Chances to sleep come a lot less frequently when half of you is made of metal, Ed thought bitterly, but he knew that wasn't really it. He'd been known to sleep right on top of Al at times. It wasn't so much that he lacked the ability to sleep in strange and uncomfortable places, it was just that everywhere felt strange and uncomfortable to him at the moment. In fact he was lying on top of the person who made him feel the most normal and comfortable right now, and if that wasn't weird, he didn't know what was.
He just needed to know that Ritsuka was going to be all right. After that he could rest and recover and figure out what they were going to do next. Ritsuka had seemed so tiny and fragile in the hospital bed, even more so than usual, if that was possible. And Soubi had looked awful. He was trying to put up a good front, but Ed knew better. It was obvious that he was just barely holding it together. What a terribly pathetic little troop we are. A fractured kid, his screwed-up boyfriend, a half-metal outcast who's trying to find his all-metal brother so he can stick his soul back into his body, and… Roy. Gods, if Roy is the most normal one out of all of us, we are so fucked…
Ed gave up and got off the couch, deciding he might as well take a walk. He sauntered over to the ridiculously complicated vending machines to see if maybe a miracle had happened and someone had actually restocked them with something edible in the last few hours. Maybe he could transmute one of the items on the sly…
Suddenly, Edward felt something very strange. It was a presence that was oddly familiar to him, but he couldn't quite put his finger on it. There was someone standing at the end of the short hallway, pulling two water bottles out of one of the machines. At first Ed thought it might be Ritsuka, since the figure had black hair and black cat ears. Yet that couldn't be; he was too tall, and besides, Ritsuka was lying unconscious in the ICU upstairs. Still, there was something about the way this person was standing that reminded Ed of Ritsuka, one hand resting awkwardly at his hip, one leg slightly bent, black tail swishing behind him.
The stranger shifted his head ever so slightly in Edward's direction, making no other move. The back of Ed's neck prickled, his body automatically moving into a defensive position. Ed couldn't see the stranger's eyes because of his long hair, but he could just make out his face. There was no doubt about it: the resemblance to Ritsuka was as plain as day. "Who are you?" Edward asked.
The older boy did not answer. He merely tilted his head, still staring intently at Edward, and then he slowly smiled. It was not a nice smile, yet it was one that Ed immediately recognized. He had been given that look on various occasions and he knew exactly what it meant: shall I kill you now, or wait for a more convenient time to kill you?
Apparently the stranger decided on the latter, because before Edward could say or do anything else, he disappeared down the stairs at the end of the corridor. For a split second, Ed considered following him, but he realized quickly that the most important thing he needed to do was to make sure Ritsuka was okay.Right now.
Edward ran. He leapt up the stairs and flew around the corner to the ICU, looking for Ritsuka's room. Damn it, what the hell did Roy say, sixty paces, what was the room number… why didn't I listen to him more carefully?! Finally locating it, he raced in, calling out to Soubi, asking if everything was all right…
And then his heart stopped. The room was empty.