*Al finally comes into the story! I'm happy I found a place to make his entrance. Enjoy!

(No warnings surprisingly)*

Chapter 9: Coming Together And The Aftermath Of Ishval

When the moon went up into the air for the night, he didn't care.

When the sun rose the next morning, he didn't care.

When the sunlight shined through his window and hit in the face directly, he didn't care.

When he looked at his calendar to find out he had the day off, he didn't care.

When the clock chimed noon, he didn't care.

When his mind went fuzzy because of all the alcohol he's consuming, he didn't care.

When Hawkeye's words from last night echoed his mind on repeat, he did care.

Her words, her expression, her tone, it all mattered and stuck to his head like a broken record he just wishes he threw out.

.

.

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."

.

.

He fucked up.

And he knew that the moment he lied to Edward over the phone.

He fucked up. He fucked up BIG time.

He let out a long sigh, running his hand through his greasy hair. He didn't even bother to shower last night after he came from work, and he certainly wasn't up for getting some sleep too. He took another sip of Aerugonian Scotch before slamming the glass on his kitchen table. He shut his eyes as his stomach growled out of hunger, yet…

He didn't feel hungry himself.

Roy opened his eyes to stare at the murder file of his best friend he brought back with him. It had every picture of the phone booth, and had every picture of evidence they found. But, even after looking at them over and over again, none of them made any sense to him whatsoever; And that of course, was taking a toll on him greatly.

He swallowed hard, and shut the file close as hard as he could before his shaking fingers latched around it. He then let out a frustrating cry before throwing it across the room. After doing that, he completely deflated in his chair, letting a single tear roll down his cheek which he quickly wiped away.

"Damn it…" He mumbled, throwing his head back to look up in great frustration.

He stared at the old ceiling of his (supposley) temporary stay at a Military dorm room, noticing the cracks and chips in the popcorn ceiling. He almost misses the smooth plaster of his own home back in the East that was only a few hours away, but he was too tired and too committed to finding out he killed his best friend to even go home. Go home to his cozy two bedroom house, with a nice living/dining room and warm kitchen that he always drank coffee from. He missed the feeling of the oak wood floors with his bare feet, while reading a good book by the fireplace. He misses the family friendly home he lives at.

"What Hughes used to live at." A thought crossed his mind, as a scowl formed so suddenly.

"Damn it!" Roy yells, slamming his fist into the table. He then buries his face into his hands with a shaky exhale. "Damn it…"

He knew he sounded so fragile and close to broke, he knew that, but couldn't stop nor help himself from doing so. His heart ached with every passing second as the memories of his friend flashed through his mind on rotation. Roy starts to wonder if this is a cruel joke, or a punishment for his wrongdoings of his past. He started to lean towards the latter on this one.

Knocking occurred at the door so suddenly, along with creaking footsteps out in the hall, it caught him off guard. He let out a groan of frustration.

"Why now? I do not want to deal with anyone now." He thought about ignoring it, quietly muttering it too. "Go away, Go away, Go away, Go away-"

The knocking continued on what feels like forever; And on what may be the twelfth knock, he finally had the courage to go face what other things this crazy world had planned for him. He walked miserably towards the door, yanking it open without any care.

"What?" He blurted out, eyes so cold. However, those cold eyes wore off quickly when he saw who it was.

A giant silver color suit of armor.

Bright red and white soul eyes.

A loincloth that was the color of milk.

A person he was not expecting, but also did NOT want to see right now.

It was the younger brother of one of his subordinates.

It was Alphonse Elric.

Roy stared in surprise. "Al-Alphonse?" He said, shifting his stance. "What are you doing here?"

"I called Eastern Commands last night, but they said that you were here in Central, so I came." He replies in his still childish voice of fourteen. He looked around the dorm room, looking unsure with himself. "Can I come in?"

He blinked and tilted his head slightly. "Um.. yeah, sure. Come on in." He steps aside, and Al gives him a small bow.

"Thanks, Colonel."

Roy closes the door afterwards, before facing the child in front of him. "This doesn't make any sense. Why is he?" He clears his throat. "I don't mean to be rude, Alphonse, but.. What are you doing here in Central? I thought you were on a mission with Fullmetal?"

Al nods, looking a little puzzled by what he was asked. "Well… I mean, it was sort of a mission that led with a dead end, but we really just went to the South with Winry." He replies, making the older man even more confused. "The reason I'm here is because when brother called me last night, he sounded… off, and I wanted to make sure he was okay. That's all."

Roy holds up his hand, telling the kid to pause. "Hang on a second." He wanted to make sure he heard that correctly. "He called you? That doesn't even make sense, you guys are supposed to be together on a lead for the stone."

"What?" Al said. Now he was confused. "But he told me that you gave him a mission that he needed to do."

"Al, I haven't seen him since the two of you left with Miss Rockbell over a week ago. How would I be able to give him a mission?"

The child looked taken back by his response. Shocked even. "But… He came back a few days ago to Central."

"Why would Fullmetal come to Central?" Roy asked, his mind being scrambled with all this nonsense. "What the hell is going on?"

"He came back because he wanted to talk to Mr. Hughes."

He froze. "Hughes?"

Al nods again. "Yeah, before we left, he wanted to look over some of our research notes. He wanted to help. So Brother came back to see what he found. Although, now that I think about it-" He rubs the back of his head, which made a small clinking sound, thinking. "I don't think he mentioned Mr. Hughes at all last night."

"Fullmetal came here?"

"Yeah. I just said that." He tilted his head at the pale man before him. "Are you feeling okay, Colonel?"

"When did he?" Roy asked, ignoring the teen's question. "When did he come to Central?"

Al stops to think. "Um… three nights ago. Why?"

The Flame Alchemist felt his heart sink to the pit of his stomach, and he knew immediately that something was wrong. "Oh no…" He whispered, burying his face into his hands like earlier. "Oh no…"

"Colonel? What's wrong?"

"He had to know. There's no way he didn't."

"Know what?" Al asked, with a demanding undertone. "What's going on? Do you know what happened to my brother?"

Roy bit the inside of his cheek as he removed his hands from his face. A huge frown covered it, and his broken eyes returned once more. "I didn't want to be the one to tell you this, but Maes Hughes was murdered three days ago." He watched the suit stiffen before him, and he could see the shock in those soulfire eyes.

"What?" Al stuttered, shaking his head slightly. "No… no, that can't be. We just saw him not too long ago. How can he be…"

"I'm so sorry, Alphonse, but it's true. He was killed."

"No way. I.. I can't believe it." His head hung low as he tried to process all this awful information, not realizing that the man before him was beating himself up. "Colonel, did he-"

"Fullmetal knew." Roy blurted out, but his voice was close to a whisper.

"Colonel?" Al looked up, seeing that he was close to shaking as well. He looks like he's seen a ghost.

"Fullmetal, no, Edward knew. He knew, and I lied to him." He let out another groan of frustration. "Did I make Ed run away?"

"Hang on a second, you're saying that brother knew?"

"He had to know Alphonse. Especially if he was coming back to talk to Hughes. There's no way he couldn't. Not to mention you said he came back three days ago, which was the night of the murder."

"B-but why would he lie to us? Why would brother tell us different stories? And why didn't he mention Mr. Hughes to me? This doesn't make any sense."

Those words sparked sudden interest into the Colonel, along with confusion and many other emotions. "He's right. Ed's many things, but a liar's not one of them. So why would he lie to us? Unless-" Roy perks up at thought, and faces the teen again. "Al, you know your brother better than I do, so let me ask you this question. Is your brother a person who would run from death?"

Roy already knew the question, but he wanted to make sure he was hundred percent right before making the next assumption.

Al thought about it for a moment, before shaking his head. "No, he never has. Like when our mother died, he immediately was trying to find a way to bring her back."

"What about Shou Tucker's daughter?" Roy asked. "I know you two went to take a breather out in the city, but did he ever plan on running away, or giving up?"

"Giving up? There was a slim chance of that. However, he never planned on running away." Al replies, truthfully. "Do you think that's what happened to brother?"

"Maybe. I mean that could explain why he lied, so it could buy him some time. But if you're telling me the truth, then why would he run? It doesn't add up." He shifted his stance as he scratched his chin in deep thought. "And why didn't he tell you about Hughes' death?"

The fourteen year old shrugged. "Well maybe he didn't want to tell me over the phone?"

"Then why didn't he come back to Rush Valley for you? Why did he come up with a lie that I had a mission for him? None of this is adding up."

"So… you're thinking that Mr. Hughes' murder has something to do with brother's disappearence, correct?"

Roy nods. "Correct."

Al hums, pausing for a second to think as well. "What do you know about Mr. Hughes' death?"

His eyes trailed to the file on the floor, marching forward to pick it up. He then places it on the kitchen table, opening it. He could hear Al coming closer, looking over his shoulder to see as well. "This is all I have so far."

"This is it?" Al reaches over, and scatters the photos to get a better look. His eyes scanned each and every one of them. "Got any witnesses?"

"One witness claims that they saw Lieutenant Ross shoot Hughes." Roy replies, watching him gasp.

"Lieutenant Ross?! There's no way she could have done that."

"My thoughts exactly."

"Then where is she? In holding?"

"No. She's been MIA since yesterday, no one could find her, and she didn't show up for the funeral."

Al deflated slightly, losing a bit of hope. "So… she's guilty?"

"Not exactly. The higher ups claimed they have an eyewitness, but that's classified and won't even tell me or anyone. They won't even tell Major Armstrong, and he's her boss."

"Suspicious."

"It is. Which is why I don't believe it."

"Could brother have something to do with Ross? The timeline matches up."

Roy perks up. "That's a possibility, I haven't thought about that." He sets his hand on the file, looking determined. "All I know is that someone out there knows something about all this, and somebody in this city has also seen Edward in the three days he was here. We just need to dig deep."

"So we have two mysteries on our hands?"

"Looks like it." He glances up at him. "This is going to get messy one way or another, but if we stick together, I think we can make some progress. Are you in?"

Al nods, his eyes holding the same determination as the Colonel's. "I'm in one hundred percent. When do we start?"

Roy lets a smirk grow on his lips, as he is ready for business. "Now, of course."

*Break*

Ed let a moan escape him, before wincing at his tight back when he tried to move. He could feel the light hitting his close eyes, as the smell of dirt and mud reached his nose. He could hear flies buzzing around him, and the splashing of water nearby. He had no choice to find out where he was.

"What… the…?" He mumbles, opening his golden orbs as slowly as he could. He was met with a partially cloudy sky and a bright sun overhead. He pushed himself to sit up, his black hair sticking to his cheeks as he tried to wheel his mind out of the fog. "Where in the world-"

"Push harder!" Hughes yelled out of the blue.

"I'm trying!" Ross yelled back.

Ed snapped his head where he saw a large lake at the two grown ups standing in it. They were also pushing a large object into the murky waters.

A truck.

"What the hell?" Ed muttered, coming up to a stand. He wobbled a bit, a slight feeling of lightheadedness. He quickly shook it off as he walked towards them. "What are you two doing?" He calls out when close enough.

They both looked back at him alarmingly, before it vanished into relief.

"Long story, we'll explain afterwards." Hughes said, quickly.

"Yeah. Just help us out first." Ross replies, pointing to the truck.

Ed looked hesitant at the both of them and at the truck, before raising an eyebrow. "Did you guys commit a heinous crime while I was out?" He asked, blunty.

They both jumped with widened eyes. "Edward, What the hell!?/How could you say that?!" They replied in unison.

"Okay, Okay!" He said, waving his hands in defense. "Jeez. Sorry for assuming, but this is exactly like a scene I've read in a novel before."

"You've actually read a novel before, Ed?" Hughes asked, surprised. "I almost find that hard to believe."

The boy crosses his arms in a huff. "Well… I had nothing else to read when I had automail surgery. I just finished reading all the alchemy books we had, and Al suggested I try a novel. Okay?"

"Can we just finish pushing this into the lake before we get side track?" Ross asks, wanting to get this over with.

"Yeah, sure. Sorry." Hughes said, as Ed slips his shoes and socks off like the rest of them did. He then joined them into the lake.

They all lined up, and Ross started counting. "Alright, on three. One… two… three!"

"Push!"

The trio used all their strengths to push the truck further into the water, making it slowly be engulfed in the depths below. Ed also caught Ross from tripping on some rocks hidden under the sand, and helped guide her out safely to the shore.

"Thanks." She said, sitting down to put her shoes on.

"No problem." He says, only to get a glimpse of her bandage ankle. "What happened to your leg?!"

"Wolves."

"The wolves did this to you?"

Hughes touched the boy's shoulder, getting his attention. "We all got injured in that forest in some way. But unlike Ross and I, you actually had a seizure after you saved me." He replies, his green eyes holding a great deal of concern.

Ed was stunned when he heard the news, and it was showing up on his face. "A seizure?! No way!"

"Well you did. Luckily the doctor said it wasn't too major. You were extremely lucky."

"Yeah." Ross said, finally standing up. "By the way Ed, we have to talk about your hometown."

"About what?" Ed asked, only for the realization to kick in shortly after. "Wait, you said doctor?" He looks between them, getting a confirmation when they both nodded. "You two went into Lupin Creek?!" They nodded again, adding more fuel to his raging fire. "I told you two to let ME do the talking!"

"Well you couldn't exactly talk when you're unconscious." Ross adds, crossing her arms.

"And you went to a doctor?! You actually interacted with people?!"

"We needed a doctor. Especially you." Hughes replies, trying to simmer the hot headed boy, but to no avail.

"This is unbelievable!" Ed ran his hands through his ebony locks in distress. "What did you do? What did you say? And did you stay the night? If so, how were we not kidnapped?!"

"Back up, Kiddo." He holds a hand up, while raising a concerning eyebrow. "Kidnapped? What do you mean by that?"

The teen stayed silent for a moment, before heavy sighing. "Listen," He begins, his shoulders sagging. "Resembool… it's… it's not exactly what you think it is. I mean yes, it's a farm town, but it has its 'moments' so to speak."

"Like what?" Ross asked after seeing how serious he was being.

His gold orbs looked between them, with a tiny pinch of pity. He sighs again. "Look, what I'm about to tell you, don't take it personally, okay?"

Hughes spared a glance at the other adult, before nodding. "Okay."

"The reason I didn't want you guys going into the city was because…" He looks away for a split second. "Well, it's because of Ishval."

"Ishval?" The faux blonde man asked, a sense of old memories starting to wash over him.

"Yeah. You soldiers weren't the only ones who were impacted by the war."

"Explain." Ross said, speaking up after sensing Hughes' discomfort. He wanted to know, you could see in his eyes, but his throat was closed up from the flashbacks he was having.

"When the war started, the military needed money for funding of weapons and other things for it. They turned to cities and small towns to give them some money by taking a chunk out of what civilians made from their jobs."

"But… this country already has taxes that they have to pay, and the military is allowed to use that money. Are you telling me they needed more?"

"Yep. They needed more money to get more items to fight with." Ed tilts his head with slight confusion. "Did you guys seriously not know any of this?"

"We were soldiers, Ed." Hughes replies, voice cracking a bit. "We didn't ask any questions, We just did our jobs and hoped that we came home alive."

"I guess that makes sense…"

"So the people of Resembool are obviously upset about all this, right?" Ross asks, starting to piece it together.

Ed nods. "Correct." His face falls as memories of his own flooded in from years ago. "I remember faintly my mother crying about all this, as she told my bastard father that she was afraid that we might lose the house; And let me tell you, we were close."

She frowns, and she could see Hughes was too. "The South was hit the hardest, correct? But why?"

"South Resembool is a little…" He pauses to think of a good word to use. "Wild… So to speak. They were never big fans of the military to begin with, and after the whole war thing, that really pissed them off."

"So that's why you were so keen on talking to them alone, they hate the military." Hughes replies, a bitter feeling about all this. "And you knew how to talk around them."

"Correct." Ed says. "I just didn't want you two endanger because of your status. There are rumors of soldiers, and anyone with connections with the military, just disappearing out of thin air, leaving no traces behind."

"Damn. That's brutal."

"It is."

"Well, the townsfolk just eat the people, so that's why there are no traces of them." Ross muttered, getting shivers down her spine at the gruesome thought.

The fifteen year old froze in his tracks, as he snapped his head towards the ex-soldier. "Did you say they eat people?!"

"Yeah. I rather not get into details about it though." She gags as she tries to somehow erase those images in her head.

"Well I definitely didn't know that." He holds back the urge to gag himself, and luckily, his mind wanders back to the truck they pushed into the lake. "So, may I ask, what's with the truck?"

"We stole it." Ross said, nonchalant.

"You say that so bluntly."

She shrugs. "Hey, I'm technically already a 'criminal', so stealing a car I guess is my forte now."

Ed looked dumbfounded, and turned to face Hughes for any answer for this. His reply was just a simple shrug as he slipped on his shoes, and walked away. "Hughes, seriously? I expect this from the Colonel, but from you? You'd be the last person who allows this kind of behavior."

"So where are we going now?" Ross asks, gesturing to Ed to follow Hughes out of the woods.

Ed slipped his shoes back on too, before running to catch up to the rest of the small group. The three of them wandered back onto the dirt path that was the road, stopping to think of their next move.

"If we go left, that's where we came from. So we have to go right to get to the Rockbells. Right, kiddo?" Hughes said, facing the teen.

"Correct. I recognize this part of the town." Ed replies, after taking a good look around. "We should be there by sundown if we don't stop too much."

"Alrighty then." He clasps his hands together with a smile. "Let's get moving. We've got work to do."

*Got any theories? I would love to hear them in the comments. Thanks for reading!*