*Just a small heads up for this chapter. I love Roy, he's one of my favorite characters, however, I never liked the part in the anime where he lied about Hughes death. So I decided to do something about it (meaning, I gave Roy a wake up call. You'll see).

I just wanted to throw that out there before you read this chapter.

Also, I up the rating to Mature instead of Teen just to be safe. Other than that, enjoy!

(Warning: Blood, gore, violence, and Minor animal abuse.)*

/

Chapter 7: Flame Of Vengeance And The Dark Side Of Resembool (Part 1)

-Hours Earlier-

-Central City-

The light blue sky started to dash itself with orange, dusting those colors with its small clouds. Surprisingly, it wasn't a gloomy day whatsoever, and he honestly wishes it was to fit the mood he was in currently. He bid his best friend's family goodbye before trekking across the gravesite by himself. Wrapped in a black coat, a sash, and plain white gloves that didn't bear his famous alchemy symbols, it was the only way to look professional while attending a funeral that had ended hours ago. He took his hat off and placed it under his arm as he finally stopped walking, standing in front of a grave that he still wishes was a dream.

He let a very light breeze rush through his slick back hair, as his eyes looked over the words on the tombstone, frowning at each word.

Maes Hughes

1885-1914

Beloved Husband, Father, and Friend

Military Veteran, Brigadier General

"Promoted to Brigadier General. Just for dying in the line of duty." Roy said out loud. He wasn't sure why though, it was almost like he wanted to tell the whole world that they took the wrong man. "You were supposed to be helping me work up through the ranks." He frowns some more. "You got it all backwards."

He still remembers when he told his friend his endgame after the Ishvalan War, and Hughes was more than willing to help him out with it. Now, where was his promise?

"You damn crazy fool." He whispered into the wind.

"Colonel." Riza said, coming up from behind.

He spared her a glance as she took a stand next to him, before looking back down at the grave. He mentally cussed at himself at the images of first seeing Edward in that wheelchair, and cussed even more when he remembers the way he yelled at the poor boy for committing the taboo. Now, he's starting to understand what goes on in the Elric brother's minds.

"Alchemists as a whole, we really are such horrible creatures, aren't we?" He asked her, but mostly himself that interesting question that suddenly appeared inside. "There's definitely a side of me that's desperately trying to crack the theories of human transmutation right now." He paused, that first meeting with Elrics really starting to haunt him this very instant. "I think I finally understand what drove those boys to… bring back their mother."

Even though she had her stoic face up, Roy could feel the First Lieutenant's sympathetic gaze on him as he spoke of the worst sin that any alchemist could make. He knows he sounds a bit desperate, and a bit guilty when mentioning the brothers; But honestly couldn't give a damn what anyone thinks of him right now.

"Are you alright, Colonel?" Riza asks, concerned.

Calling him by his title was her way of making him feel alright, and to make him feel like he wasn't completely broken just yet. If she had called him by name, like when they're alone, he's not sure if he'll be standing up properly. But, he may not feel like he is broken, but he could be…

"Yeah, I'm fine." He said, putting his cap back on. He felt his chest tighten a bit, and he knew she wouldn't judge him from what's about to come next. "Except, it's a terrible day for rain." He didn't have to look to know that she was staring at the sky.

"What do you mean? It's not raining." She replies, looking back at him.

He swallowed hard, and let a shadow cover his eyes as he stared at the sky like she did. And with a voice that started to break, he responded back with, "Yes… it is." He let his tears fall, and a small gasp pasted her lips as she perked up a bit.

"Oh… so it is." She says, quietly. She pauses a moment before saying, "Why don't we head back? It's getting a little chilly out here."

He took in a shaky breath, sounding a bit more like choking than he wanted to. "Okay…" He whispers back, wiping his cheeks clean with the back of his hand.

He turned and brushed past her, knowing she was following closely behind so he wouldn't have to spare a glance. He didn't want to dare to look at Hughes grave again; He's not sure if he'll leave if he does. He steps off the grass and onto the sidewalk outside the gravesite, walking along the path to get to where all the cars were parked against the curb. However, to his surprise, he saw a few soldiers were still there, along with Major Armstrong who seemed to still be crying. Roy spared a look to Riza who also looked just as confused as he was. Everyone should have gone home hours ago, I mean, he sent the rest of his men and some other people, so why would there still be some here?

Deciding to check it out, Roy continued his stroll over to them. "What's going on here?" He asked, getting a handful of salutes from the lower ranks present.

"Apologizes, Sir. We didn't see you." A young Sergeant said, which Roy ignored.

"What's going on here? I didn't think anybody else would still be here."

"We're asking Major Armstrong here some questions." A higher rank cuts in, a General to be exact. His eyes trailed to the distraught alchemist that was leaning against one of the cars.

"Questions?" Roy asked, wondering what got him so upset (he seemed more hystracial then earlier).

"They think Lieutenant Ross killed the Brigadier General!" Sergeant Denny Brosh replies, anger in his voice.

Roy tensed slightly. "What?"

"Yeah! They just came over and started accusing her, sir. They have no evidence!"

"We have an eyewitness." The General said, some venom in his words.

"What eyewitness?" Brosh said, not holding back. "If you have one, then let us talk to them!"

"You watch your tone with me, boy. And the eyewitness is classified information."

"Classified? It's a person! For all we know, you could be making this up!"

"What?!" The General hissed through his teeth.

"Please sir, I know it's your job to find out who the Brigadier General's killer was, but there is no way it could be her." Armstrong finally spoke. "The Lieutenant adored him, why would she suddenly kill him?"

"Maybe that was all an act." The General said, still giving Brosh a glare despite his eyes trained on the Major. "Or maybe there's something unspoken between the two that none of you knew about."

"But I've known Ross since the academy, there's no such thing as a bad bone in her body; let alone a murderous intention." Brosh replies, honestly.

"They're right, General." Roy said, and all eyes were now pinned on him. "Forgive me for being so bold, but if you're making these statements that Lieutenant Ross is the Brigadier General's killer, then why don't you just arrest and interrogate her for some answers. And who knows, she could prove herself to be guilty or innocent."

General straightened up some more, now giving Mustang a cold glare despite the alchemist's efforts of being nice. "That would be the ideal plan. However, Lieutenant Ross is no longer at Central commands."

"What do you mean, sir? Did she get transferred?"

"No." He shakes his head. "I mean she's not there. Our plan was to do exactly what you said, but when some soldiers went to fetch her, she was nowhere to be found. We even sent some over to the apartment she lives at, but it was found empty. Plus, she didn't even attend the funeral like she said she would. She left without a word, which points her even closer to the crime."

Roy was left nearly speechless, he couldn't comprehend what he was saying. "But, sir… Lieutenant Ross is-"

"Oh, don't tell me you have a soft spot for her too? For god sakes, until she's proven to be innocent, she a fucking wolf in sheep's clothing! Get over it, Colonel." Roy snapped his mouth shut as the General looked straight at his right hand woman. "Do you have anything to say, First Lieutenant?"

Riza straightened up as well. "No, sir."

The General sighed. "Good. Now, we have search parties already sent out looking for her throughout the city, we even have some going and looking on trains that are heading out of Central." He said, sternly.

"Until all of you get your acts together, none of you are allowed to join the searches. We don't need your personal feelings to get mingled in all this." He looks over at Armstrong one more time. "And Major, get your shit together and stop weeping over a pathetic subordinate. The military does have time for pussies."

"Yes, sir." The soldiers muttered, some of them following the General into the cars back to the base. Once they were all alone, Armstrong finally spoke to the Colonel.

"Colonel, you have to believe me when I say Ross is innocent." He replies, his eyes still stinging with tears. "There's no way she could have killed him. There has to be a reason why she vanished."

Roy stoic face tamed down just a bit, his shoulders relaxing. "I believe you, Major. But why would she run away if she was truly innocent? Running away makes her situation look even worse." He asked, trying to piece things together.

"I don't know. I've been trying to figure things out in my head."

"Maybe there's something more to this than we think." Brosh chimes in, also trying to rack his brain. "I mean, the General is clearly leaving some things out that we don't know about. Possibly some evidence."

"Hmm." Roy said, lifting his hand to stroke his chin, thinking. Something was definitely odd about how they were handling this case, and it was even stranger when they mentioned that Ross had practically vanished into thin air. "Something's definitely not adding up here. But what?"

"I'll do some investigating." He replies, making the others look up.

"You will, sir?" Brosh asked, surprised.

"I will. And I'll start by finding out who that witness is, it should point me in the direction I need to be in."

"But what about the General's orders? Are you allowing your perso-" Armstrong begins.

"To hell with the General's orders!" Roy said, earning a few gasps. His hands turned into fists by his side, and his eyes went darker even in the light. "Maes Hughes was a friend of mine, one that shouldn't have to die so early in life. He had a family, a wife and a five year old daughter, he shouldn't have been one of the last people not to come home; But instead, he didn't. I don't know if Ross is innocent or not, but I will find out for his sake, for his family's sake, for my sake. I will find his killer, even if it's the last thing I do."

"Colonel Mustang, Sir." Riza said, after a moment of silence. She was actually a bit stunned by his bold attitude that she didn't think he would have so soon after the funeral.

"For now…" Roy relaxes again, and looks at his subordinates with an almost pleading look. "Lets keep this between us."

They all nodded slowly, but had to trust the one with the higher rank to do so. Roy and Riza soon parted ways from Armstrong and Brosh, getting into the car to head back to Central Commands. Once they were a long distance from the gravesite, another envelope of silence was broken.

"Is this your new goal, Sir?" Riza asked, glancing over from the passenger's seat.

"Yes. For now it is." Roy replies. "Since I'm going to be investigating, I'm going to ask for a transfer here."

"A transfer? Central commands is a lot of responsibility. Do you think you can handle it, Sir?"

"I can handle it, and I know you and the team will. But I need to be here in order to find out what's really going on. Something's not right about all this, and I have to find out what it is, good or bad."

"I understand, Sir. Just…"

"Just what?" He catches a glimpse of her worried expression out the corner of his eye.

"Be careful, Sir. Don't dig too deep, you still have that other goal to complete."

Roy smiles just as the car stops at the stop sign. "I appreciate your concern, Hawkeye. But I'll be okay, I promise."

"I mean it, Roy." Riza grabs him by the shoulder to make sure he's looking at her, which he is. "We all just lost Hughes. Don't make us lose you so soon, too."

She looked up at him with her pleading brown eyes, that showed a lot of fear in them that almost made him second guess himself. He smiles more softly, grabbing her hand.

"Riza. I promise I'll be careful." He replies, gently. "Will you remind me if I stray from that?"

"Of course. Whatever you need me to do." She said, with no hesitation.

The car behind them honk their horn, making the alchemist sigh heavily. "I'm going, I'm going. My fucking god."

His response made Riza chuckle a lot.

Good.

He was glad she was laughing, because when they get back to base, it's all hands on the-god-awful-deck.

*Break*

"So he just ran out of here? He didn't ask for help?" Roy asked the woman running the phone room.

She shakes her head, wiping a stray tear away. "No. He wouldn't let me call for a medic, he just ran out of the room. I'm assuming he went to the phone booth afterwards."

"Interesting. So he must have gotten attacked before trying to make the phone call here. But why go outside? Why was he so desperate not to use the phone here?" Roy thought, making some mental notes. "Anything else?"

"Hmm. Well, I think he might have muttered something that the phone wasn't 'safe'. I'm not sure why though." She sniffles. "Why would someone kill him? He was such a nice guy. I wish I knew more. I'm sorry."

Riza handed the woman a handkerchief, which she said thank you for. Roy decided to ask something else, but he heard the loud sounds of one of the secretary's heels clicking towards him from behind.

"Which one of you is Colonel Mustang?" The lady asked, sounding so tired after a long day of work.

"That'll be me." Roy said, turning around.

"Someone's on the phone for you."

He mentally sighed. Of course someone just had to be calling right now when getting somewhere with this case. "Alright." He faces the blonde sniper. "Try to ask some more questions. I'll be right back."

"Yes, Sir." Riza said, saluting.

"Follow me, Colonel." The secretary said, waving him over. "Since the phone room's a crime scene, I'll let you use the one at my desk." They walked along the halls towards the front entrance where the desk was, she then gestures to the phone laying there for him to use. "I'll be in the back room so you can have some privacy." And she disappears like she said she would.

Roy took the phone and brought it up to his ear, wondering who was calling at ten o'clock at night. "This is Colonel Mustang speaking."

"Colonel, it's Ed."

He froze upon hearing his kid subordinate's voice. Out of all the people who could be calling him at this very moment, on this very day, why did it have to be him?

"Oh, Hey Fullmetal. I'm surprised you called." He said, truthfully.

"Well, you'll yell at me if I didn't tell you my change of plans."

He raised an eyebrow, even if Ed couldn't see it. "Change of plans?" He didn't like the sound of that, and he made sure he could hear it loud and clear.

"Yeah, me and Al found a lead and want to pursue it. If that's alright with you, Bastard?"

"Oh… yeah, that's fine. I appreciate you calling me." He actually felt a bit of relief that the boy was going to be gone for a little while longer. He wasn't quite ready to let the boy get involved (except that all went out the window by what Ed said next).

"Hey, Colonel, you okay? You don't sound like yourself. And what are you doing in Central?"

Roy froze again, and it wasn't because Ed actually sounded concerned for him. "Damn it, I left myself open. I didn't think the sadness was coming through my voice. Shit, I did not want to talk about this with the kid yet. Damn it."

Completely unplanned, and couldn't stop himself from the biggest lie he could muster up past his lips (And make it sound so real too). "I'm just a little sad that's all. Hughes decided he's going to retire soon."

"What?"

"Yeah. He's done." Roy shrugs nonchalantly to himself, couldn't control the rest of the words that were coming out so naturally. "He decided that he wants to retire with his wife and kid in the country where he used to grow up. It's a shame though, he was a good soldier, but I guess it's probably the best for him to do so. He's definitely a family man."

Roy could feel himself becoming ill at what he just said. So much guilt crept through him just like he felt earlier in front of Hughes' grave. "I'm going to hell for this, and I'm not even religious." He pauses his self pity when he realizes he hasn't heard Edward speak in a while. A twinge of worry crossed him as well. "Fullmetal? You there?"

"Yeah. Yeah, I'm here. It's just… wow, I didn't think Hughes would retire so young." The boy paused on the other line again. "Anyway, I got to get some rest so me and Al can start traveling soon."

"That's probably a good idea. Be careful, Fullmetal. You and your brother."

"Yeah, Yeah, sure. Whatever. See you in the East."

Edward hung up the phone almost immediately afterwards, leaving Roy slightly irritated. He sighs for the millionth time today. "Why does that boy have to be so extra?" He mumbles, placing the phone back onto the receiver.

Deciding he wanted to see if the first Lieutenant made anymore process while he was gone, he turned on his heels to do so-

A hand ran right across his cheek, making a loud slapping sound that echoed down the halls.

He stood there in shock, his cheek starting to sting as he took a look at his attacker.

"H-Hawkeye?" He said, in disbelief.

She had an unreadable expression on, and she still had her hand up like she was ready to do it again. "Sir." Was her reply.

"Did you just slap me?!" He asked in a harsh whisper, keeping his voice low in the empty halls.

"Are you an idiot?!" She replies, her bitterness now showing at full force.

"Huh?"

"Did you just really lie to Edward like that?"

His tensed form fell, realizing she must have heard it all. Well, there was no use to hide it from her. "I did."

"Why?! Why are you lying to him?"

"Because Fullmetal is spending some time with his brother, he doesn't need to be dealing with this right now. Let him enjoy himself."

She shakes her head. "Whether he's enjoying himself or not, He needs to know. What? Are you planning on not telling him?" His silence made her realize it was indeed true. "Seriously, Colonel? How dumb are you becoming if you think that's going to work out in the end?"

Roy stood up taller, now his anger was bubbling. "He's a kid, Hawkeye. He's-"

"He's fifteen, Colonel. Not three. He's mature enough to understand that lies aren't always going to work on him."

"Hawkeye, I'm not changing my mind right now."

"Of course you're not, because it's about Hughes."

He blinks, completely puzzled. "What are you talking about?"

She purses her lips, but still continues on. "When Shou Tucker's daughter died, to basically sum up your words, you told Edward to 'Suck it up and move on'. However, now that Hughes is dead, you decided to save him from the grieving in a different way, a way I finally understand."

"And what is that exactly?"

Her eyes narrow, boring straight into his. "Because you now know what it feels like to lose someone you truly care for. You told me yourself that finally understood how those boys felt when they tried to bring back their mother, you finally empathized with them; and instead of allowing them to grieve properly, you decided it would be best to 'spare' them from the pain again!"

His pupils shrink, looking like he was a deer caught in a car's headlights. "Hawkeye."

"News flash, Colonel. Lying to Edward, lying to Al, that's going to have consequences So you better tell the both of them the truth soon before you find out what that is."

She didn't even let him reply, she just walked away in a fit of anger back towards the temporary office. She wanted to make sure that he would stay there and think about what she said, and hopefully, just hopefully, he would listen.

*Break*

-Present Time-

-Outside Resembool-

Wolves hound at the moon that wasn't quite full yet. They growled and darted in and out of the shadows as they hunted their prey of three delicious looking people. Would their prey be able to escape them?

The so-called 'prey' wishes they will.

"I only have one round of ammo left!" Ross yelled, reloading the gun that Hughes had lent her. She was in charge of firing the weapon, while he was left to carry the nearly unconscious Edward. Another growl from her left, and she aimed and fired when the animal pounced out of the bushes. "How much longer till this forest ends?!"

"Not sure! Just hold on!" Hughes yelled, trying to keep the boy on his side while doing so. He's not really supposed to be moving him when he's seizing, but he doesn't have much of a fucking choice! He glanced to his side when he heard the crushing of leaves before spotting eyes. "Ross!"

The woman swerved by him, firing at the duo of wolves that wanted a bite. They cried out and fell behind, either completely down or was limping fully, but the soldiers never looked back. They huffed and puffed, rushing past the oak trees as branches gave them whiplash. Hughes lungs started to burn, along with his claw marks on his shoulder, and the bullet wound that had started to open again. He was in so much pain that white and black spots danced around his eyes so rapidly, it hurt to look at.

"Slow down!" Ross suddenly yelled, holding her arm out as they both applied the brakes. Their toes stood over the edge of a very deep gully, about fifty feet down with a river below.

"Fuck." Hughes said, looking around for another way. Of course this had to happen to them, of course it did!

"There! A tree trunk! We can go across!" She pointed to an old tree that had fallen over that had made a nice passage way over the gully. "Come on!"

The two of them bolted over in no time, Ross was eager, but Hughes was hesitant.

"That doesn't look safe." He said, noticing a giant crack in the middle of it. It looked like it was rotting from the core too.

"Do you have a better idea?" She asked, just as more howling in the distance could be heard.

"No."

"Then you take Ed, and then I'll go."

"Ross-"

"Now, Hughes!"

He swallowed hard, and readjusted his grip on the teenager before making his way across. He moved quickly, but cautiously as he could, wincing when he heard the tree crackle. With his heart beat in his ears, and the raging waters below, he finally made it to the other side safely.

"Okay…" he breathed, gently placing Edward on the ground, opening up his arms to help her if needed. "Ross, come on!"

She looks back, and nods. She takes a careful step onto the log, only seconds later to be face planted in it as a wolf nawed at her foot. She cried out as the teeth sank in further, and she heard Hughes call out her name. The blue eyed woman looked back at the ferocious beast, and fired off her last few rounds. The alpha, judging by its size and aggressiveness, barley flinched when the bullets pierced its flesh.

Ross then started hitting it with her gun, trying to loosen its hold. When it did, she wiggled her other foot out from under her, and kicked it point blank in the face. It howled as it was sent back, and she wasted no time to scramble away. Her legs gave out though, her ankle nearly breaking at the ruined bone and flesh as she collided with the tree again, which unfortunately gave out as well. She shrieked, as the trunk broke and she started falling.

"GOTCHA!" Hughes screams, managing to latch his hand around one of her outstretched arms. Her body swayed towards the rocky wall, as he made sure to use all his weight to keep her from slipping. "Give me your other hand! Quickly!"

She frantically reached for his open one, taking a few tries to grab on as he pulled her up. He sits down, making her lean into him as he holds her shaking form. They're both panting, mostly hyperventilating at this moment as they used all the energy and adrenaline they had left to make this escape happen.

He leans away to get a look at her. "Are you okay?" He asks, watching her nod slowly with her frightened eyes. "You sure?"

"Y-yeah." She mutters, her throat suddenly going dry. "I'll manage."

They jumped at the wolves growling, only feeling relieved when they saw them on the other side of the fifty foot drop. The injured and uninjured were there, hissing at them with all their hatred they could muster.

"We got to go." Hughes said, after watching the sight. "I don't want to stick around to see if they can fly across."

"Yeah. But.. m-my ankle." Ross said, still breathing harshly. She stared down at the giant bite where her ankle met the rest of her foot, tearing her shoe and pant leg. Through the heavy set of blood, you could see a bit of the bone peeking out.

He swallowed again, this time feeling like he might vomit at the sight. "You can lean against me. We have to be close to the town by now." He starts taking Ed into his arms again, noticing that he was no longer flopping around. His worried heart made him check the boy's pulse, that was still pretty dull. "I think he stopped seizing, but he needs a doctor. We all do."

He leans the kid against him, freeing one of his arms just for a second to help Ross up to feet. She hissed, and took all her weight off her injured foot before leaning against him. With her hand on his back, she nodded towards him, and then they were off (Slowly, but it was better than sitting in the middle of the woods with a hungry pack of wolves).

From their guess, it was probably a half an hour before they started to see street lamps in the distance, all taking a breath of relief upon seeing it. They wobble out of the woods, landing on an unpaved road.

"Is this Resembool?" Ross asked, looking around the deserted place.

"I think so. This must be the town Edward was talking about. " Hughes replies, pointing to a small, wooden welcoming sign near the road they were on. "Lupin Creek. Doesn't sound so bad."

"Yeah, but didn't he say that this town is not really 'family friendly'?"

"Yeah, he did." He sighs, quietly. "Let's just hope this place has a doctor at least."

She hums in agreement, before they started walking off again. They passed the sign, and ventured further down the road, coming up to the buildings that the boy had also mentioned would be there. It looked like a ghost town because nobody else was outside but them.

"This is weird, Hughes." She whispers, a heavy feeling in the pit of her stomach.

"Agreed." He said, also getting the feeling. They both stopped only a quarter way into the small town. "Maybe we should leave."

"Good call."

A shotgun cocked behind them, and they both froze with dread again.

"You've got the count of three to tell me why you're waltzing in here at the dead at night, or you'll be tasting some lead real soon." Someone said, with a heavy accent.

"Oh shit." They thought and wondered why the universe suddenly hated them so fucking much.

*Welcome to the south side.

What do you think is going to happen next? And do you think Riza managed to get through to Roy? Also, Alphonse will be making an entrance soon, so hold on to your horses until then.

As always, thanks for reading :)*