A/N: It's been well over a year since I've updated this crossover. I have no excuses to make up for the wait I've forced on you. No apologies will save my poor soul. Er, but nevertheless… I AM SO SORRY, MY LOVELY READERS. FORGIVE ME. I aim to never disappear like that again.

Now, since it HAS been such a while… There may be little hitches in style or small inconsistencies. I'll try to watch them, but if anyone catches anything really distracting to the plot, let me know. Otherwise, enjoy. And I hope everyone remembers what was going on. (sweatdrop)

Ed sprinted at top speed toward the central library, ignoring the shouts of one Kira Yamato telling him to wait. His automail clanked as he ran, and he thought vaguely of Winry.

"Brother!"

The Fullmetal Alchemist skidded to a halt. "Al!" Alphonse had emerged from around a nearby corner and waved his hand frantically.

"Brother! I'm so glad to see you! I was looking for you." Al stumbled and clunked to where his brother stood. "Ed, I met with those ZAFT soldiers that were at Winry's house. They were the ones in those mobile suits!"

"The mobile suits?" Ed appeared distracted, glancing over both shoulders and pivoting in a little circle to check behind him. "You don't say…"

Alphonse wrung his hands. "I don't know where they went, but I saw another ZAFT ship outside of Central's gates. A green one. There are more of them, Ed, more Coordinators! Lieutenant Colonel Hughes told me to investigate and report back. You should come too, Brother. They said soon Mustang would get here and—"

"Al, no offense, but I'm kind of busy right now." The blonde boy whirled around at the sound of footsteps careening around the corner to where they conversed. "Great…"

Kira Yamato teetered to a halt beside the alchemist brothers, and Edward rolled his eyes.

Al glanced between the two of them curiously. "What's going on?"

Kira tried valiantly to catch his breath. "I'm following your brother, because he knows how to access the Central Library where Lacus is." The young Coordinator glared at Edward Elric.

"And I'm trying to lose him," Ed explained, gritting his teeth in annoyance.

"Brother, no!" Al cut in, frantically waving his arms before Edward's unfocused golden eyes. "You can't go after Lacus! She isn't a part of this, I just know it. She can't have the Stone!"

Ed let out a frustrated growl and dismissed his brother's statement. "Enough already, Al! That stupid pink-haired singer has got secrets, and I want answers. I want to get our bodies back, and this might be our only chance to do it!" He hurtled off despite yells of protests from both the brunette Coordinator and his younger brother.

Kira made as if to sprint off after the crimson clad alchemist, but a cold iron grip on his arm forced him to a halt. He looked up at Alphonse with a confused grimace.

"I can't let you fight with my brother," Al warned, hauling Kira back when the boy thrashed strategically. "But you want to save Lacus, right?"

Kira halted his struggle and looked warily up at the polished armor that stared down at him. "That's right."

"Well then, come on. I'll take you around to the other side of the library. We have to hurry."

The two took off at a speedy trot, Kira fighting for breath as the armored boy beside him pounded on without a hint of fatigue. If he only had his Strike gundam! What was he thinking, agreeing to travel to Central without it? Then again, how was he to know that the Desert Tiger would show up in his Lesseps and attack, or that ZAFT would unleash its four stolen mobile suits on the helpless State soldiers that fought to defend their territory?

"This isn't right," Kira breathed as they ran, but Al didn't hear him.

They were nearing the spot where most of the chaos was ensuing. There towered Waltfeld's ship, a beige monolith spewing blasts from its main canons and wreaking havoc on the lines of blue-clad soldiers that strained to fire their measly shotguns in defense. At last Kira spotted a face he recognized amid the melee, and Alphonse did too. They sprinted to meet the blonde Lieutenant, though Kira sincerely wished they did not have to traipse through the battlefield again in order to reach the library's other entrance.

"Lieutenant Hawkeye," Alphonse called desperately, and Riza spun around at the sound of his voice.

"Alphonse, thank god!" She put a guiding hand on his lower back and steered him out of danger while trying not to look too worried. "The green ship we sent you to monitor – it took off a minute ago and passed by here. When you didn't come back, the Lieutenant Colonel and I thought…"

Al sought to reassure her. He sounded as if he were smiling behind his helmet. "I told you it'd take more than a few Coordinators to kill me. And I had help." He avoided mentioning that his help had come from the enemy they were fighting.

Riza fired off her weapon without tiring, ducking and dodging the bits of debris that flew. She surveyed their depleted forces through narrowed eyes and chewed her lower lip. "We can't hold out much longer." Her eyes refocused on Kira and Al. "I saw a strange light coming from the roof of the Central Library. And Edward has already headed there. I don't know what's going on, boys, but you had better make sure that Lacus girl doesn't die. We'll never get out of this if she does."

Kira clenched his teeth and balled his hands into fists. "She won't. I won't let them do this."

"Well then, get going." Riza nodded to Al, who saluted back and scrambled off with the Kira in tow. "And be careful," she added after they had gone, though they could not hear her.

Hughes had been wordlessly observing the exchange from his position a few soldiers down. He bobbed and weaved his way toward Hawkeye to pop up at her side. Riza almost rolled her eyes. She expected another typical Maes Hughes remark, and she didn't have time. She moved to press a flat palm against her superior's face as he sidled up, to tell him that she Didn't have time, Sir, because they were getting blown up, but the Lieutenant Colonel caught her by the wrist and his face melted into seriousness.

"You did right, Hawkeye," he said, and Riza was momentarily taken aback.

"Sir?"

"To send those boys out of here. You know we can't possibly make it out of this alive, so you sent them onward before Alphonse could realize the danger and insist on staying with us."

Riza Hawkeye looked away, the image of the silver weapon in her hand blurring as she tried to focus on it rather than on the receding backs of Alphonse Elric and Kira Yamato.

"That's right, Sir." Riza blinked rapidly and clutched her weapon to take aim again.

Maes smiled. "Roy Mustang would be proud."

"Roy Mustang is right here."

Riza Hawkeye whirled.

There was the Colonel, not six feet behind her, jerking rapidly to let a sizzling flame whoosh from his fingertips and consume a nearby Coordinator before fixing his dark eyes on her. She gasped.

"C-Colonel Mustang, Sir!" Riza felt her shoulders untense and her heartbeat twinge with shock.

"Relax, Hawkeye," Roy said, a knowing smirk alighting on his lips as he waded through the rubble toward she and Hughes. "Didn't I tell you I'd help you get out of this? Did you lose faith in me so quickly?"

Riza was too full of emotion to speak. Instead, she worked her way to his side and took up guard at his back, firing off a quick round that mowed down four or five ZAFT soldiers in green coats.

"I'm glad you're back, Sir," Hawkeye managed at last, a frown of concentration darkening her features. "But you could have at least called."

Mustang only grinned and fired up his gloves with a snap. "It's all about the grand entrance, Lieutenant." Then he winked at Maes Hughes and torched a few nearing ZAFT soldiers.

"Now that Mustang has brought reinforcements," Hughes decided brightly, "We can make an advance on the Desert Tiger."

Roy paused as a look of astonishment crossed his handsome features. "Wait. Who said anything about reinforcements?"

Riza had to slam into him with her shoulder from behind, to knock him away from a bout of canon fire. The two of them tumbled and somersaulted, across glass shards and shrapnel, finally climbing to their feet with smoke in their lungs and Roy's ebony hair in disarray.

"No reinforcements?" Riza repeated shrilly, while Hughes straightened from the crouch he had ducked into to give himself cover.

The Lieutenant Colonel brushed himself off and tisked in disapproval. "No more soldiers, Roy? Oh boy, will your head go into the frying pan for this one."

Mustang's face was indignant and helpless. "Stow it, Hughes – I'm here, aren't I? All the troops we had are already here in Central. Unless you count Havoc and that crew, then no, I've haven't got any soldiers."

"Maybe you should have rounded some up on someone else's authorization."

"Maybe you should stop insulting me and do your job in helping me to become Fuhrer, Hughes, and then I'd have all the soldiers you want!"

"Gentlemen," Riza gritted, "Now is not the time!" A zinging bullet narrowly missed her right ear.

Maes sighed. "Well then, looks like we really are going to die here." He sent a knife zipping into the fray and shrugged. Then, seeming to think better of his actions, he pulled his daughter's picture from his coat pocket. "Since this is the end, don't you want to look at Elisia's cute face one more time?" He waggled the photo in front of Roy's nose.

"Maes," came Mustang's warning snarl, "Put that away or I'll—" But he was cut short by the roar of an engine high above.

For a split second, all action in the middle of Central screeched to a halt. The State soldiers put up their guns to raise their heads and look to the sky. The Lesseps ceased to fire its canons, and the ZAFT soldiers on the ground caught a glimpse of the vision and began cursing. The navy, nighttime clouds - brightening on their undersides with the coming of dawn – were blocked out by the airborne behemoth.

A majestic, shimmering white ship with pronged legs coasted past them over the tall spires of Central, and though smoking and charred from the damage it had taken, it stole the breaths of every man and woman within sight of it.

"It's the Archangel," said Roy, and he snapped his fingers to conjure forth more flames. "She's finally arrived."