Disclaimer: I do not own FMA in any way shape or form. That is all. Go on read the story. Go on. Go. Show's over. Buttfaces…

Chapter Two

Pressing on

CHUSHIN NATIONAL HOSPITAL, 9:56 A.M. (TWO DAYS LATER)

'Nii-san can we really resurrect mother?' Al looked up with hopeful eyes. 'Of course! With this theory we can't go wrong!' they put the chemical make up of the human body in with all other ingredients from the theory. 'Blood, for the soul Al.' they both cut their hands and let the blood slowly drip onto the other ingredients. They activated the alchemy circle but something was wrong. Ed's leg was disincarnating.

He turned to his brother in distress. Al's whole body was quickly being pulled to the endless void that appeared where the ingredients once sat. Ed reached for his slowly fading little brother. "AL!" But it was too late. He was gone. "Blast it… I don't care what you take! My right leg or both my arms… just give my brother back!" he felt his arm tear off from his torso.

He had to work quickly. He had to find the most humanly-looking thing possible. 'Father's suit of armor! Now just to put a seal on it!' The pain was starting to numb his body. How bothersome… 'Nii-san! Nii-san what's happened? I-I'll get you to Pinako oba-san right now Nii-san!' But Ed could only look on in horror. "Al… what have we created…?"

The half-finished 'human' was lying in the center of the room, reaching out to them. It didn't have enough flesh or skin to cover its entire body. Its bones were torn and looked much too fragile to hold the poorly fleshed body. Its veins and arteries were in all the wrong places and cut by the jagged bones. 'F… Fathers…. Fathers!" it moaned it in an eerie tone before shaking madly into its death.

"Nii-san… how could this have happened? This plan should have worked!" "It… It was alive…" Ed began shaking in fear and depression. "My fault… it's all my fault Al. All my fault. It's all my fault. My fault… my fault…" "Ed! Ed, hold on!" "All my fault, Al. My fault. My fault."

"Ed? Ed? Eeeeeeddddd?"

"My fault…"

"What?" Major Hughes looked down at Ed with a confused and concerned look.

"Major Hughes?" Ed sat up. He was in a white hospital room. 'Why are they always white? What does the hospital staff have against color!' he thought to himself. "What do you mean, 'My fault'?" Hughes cocked is head. Edward raised an eyebrow. "What the heck are you talking about?" "You were talking in your sleep. You've been sleeping for the past two days by the way."

"WHAT?" Edward thrust the coverers off of himself – and on to Major Hughes- quickly. "I only have 28 days to find Al now! What am I still doing here! I have to-" Hughes couldn't help but butt in. "No; you're most certainly not, Edward." Ed shot a glare at him. "What do you mean I'm 'most certainly not'?"

"I mean you're not going anywhere for at least a week. Those injuries almost killed you, no way are you going back in the field anytime soon." Hughes sighed. "But Al has less than a month, Hughes! If I don't find him by then they'll!" Edward stopped there. He couldn't bear to think of what would happen if he didn't find him.

"We'll find him. You focus on getting better, Edward." Hughes got up from his chair and started for the door. He stopped at before walking out. "Ed… you can rely on adults you know. You don't have to do everything yourself." He looked back at the distraught fifteen-year-old sitting on the hospital bed and grinned. "We're not going to let them kill Al. We will find him."

'But if I don't do anything about it… nothing will happen!' once he was sure that Hughes was gone he thrust the covers off himself once again and rushed to the window. 'HA. What luck.' He had a room on the first story.

A/N: oh my, how convenient…

All he had to do was grab his stuff and –he looked down – scratch that, he had to get out of the back-less hospital gown, change into his clothes, get his things, and then make his escape. While in the middle of changing, he was rudely interrupted by a knock on the door. "Mr. Elric?" the nurse sighed before entering the room. "It's time to change your bandages… Oh, sleeping. I'll come back in an hour or so then." She quietly closed the door and made her way to the next patient. "That…" Ed gaped. "…was WAY too close." He gathered his things, opened the window and hid under the bushes and army-crawled until he reached the front of the hospital. He would need a disguise… it would be bad if someone were to recognize him while he was sneaking out. He put his hood over his head and walked over to kid outside of the hospital.

"Hey! Kid! Have you ever heard of the FullMetal Alchemist?" the little boy gave him a suspicious look. "Al… chemist? Wazzat?" Edward grinned. "Ah, uh… nothing, you win! Now, I'll give you ten bucks for the hat and glasses." The willingly gave his hat, but hesitated to give his glasses. "I think ten bucks for both of these it a gyp mister…." Ed rolled his eyes. He really couldn't waste time with this kid…. "Fine, take twenty, now get lost kid." He began jogging off toward the library.

CHUSHIN NATIONAL HOSPITAL 10:45 A.M.

"Get up, FullMetal." Colonel Mustang charged through the door with Liza (once again) following behind. "Uh… FullMetal?" They looked around the empty Ed-less room. "Did we get the wrong room number?" Mustang scratched his head. Hawkeye checked the clipboard at the foot of the bed. "Edward Elric. Yep, this is the room, now where's FullMetal?" a cool breeze swept through the room from the open window. "Got bored did he?" Mustang rubbed his head. "I wonder what he would do if we somehow put him on Ritalin."

"Should I call the search party?" Liza headed for the phone in the corner of the room. "please do. Now… if I were a bean-sized shrimp, where would I run off to?"

CENTRAL PUBLIC LIBRARY 10:57 A. M.

Edward was desperately looking through every book on Alchemy and theories on homunculus he could get his hands on. "There's gotta be something here. Anything. A clue somewhere!" There was nothing but information on random researchers, and alchemical discoverers. And one on his father. 'wait… DAD?' Hohenheim Elric. That was him alright. Just a few pages on his theory on the philosopher's stone and his theory on the homunculus. Absolutely nothing. How was he supposed to get Alphonse back if he couldn't even find him!

Ed stood up out of his chair and stood on the table he was currently studying. "WHAT THE CRAP AM I SUPPOSED TO DO NOW, HUH! WHAT NOW, CRUEL FATE!"

ten minutes later

The library security -actually just the librarian- threw Ed out for screaming in the library. At least he was able to sneak a book out of the library. Sure it was probably illegal, but he was a State alchemist, he couldn't be held back from something like a stolen or overdue library book. "Where is he?" He turned to see three police officers at the side of the library. "Did you find any sign of FullMetal?" one asked another, coming out of the library.

"The librarian said he read for a while, and then he threw a tantrum, then she kicked him out." Ed put hid newly 'purchased' hat and glasses and slipped away from the group of policemen.

He found it was quite hard to find a place to stop and read the book he 'borrowed', since it seemed as though every single cop and police officer in central and from the east headquarters was looking for him. The only place he could think of that he could really concentrate on finding Al was…

Resembool.

He began to stealthy make his way to the train station, and to his hometown.

CENTRAL POLICE STATION 11: 23 A.M.

"Blast… he was angry when I left his hospital room, but I never thought he'd run away…" Hughes contemplated aloud. "Any sign of him? Anywhere?"

Roy took his gaze away from the scene of police officers running around like ants at a picnic looking for FullMetal. "Not yet. He was reported seen at the public library, but got kicked out."

Hughes raised his head. "Kicked out?"

Mustang slowly rubbed his temples letting out a little bit of a sigh. "He uh… had a tantrum."

"Great. That boy… he acts like such child sometime." Hughes smirked to himself. "But without him this job would get pretty boring, wouldn't Mustang?"

"Feh." Roy shrugged. "Colonel?" Riza poked her head in the room. "What is it Riza?" he sighed. "We've got a lead on FullMetal." Both the men perked up at that. "We called his guardian, Pinako, it seems he called earlier and said something about visiting in the very near future."

Mustang grinned at that. "So he got a head start, eh? Good work Riza, now let's get going." Riza nodded. "I'll call for a cab, sir." She walked out of the door. "Getting comfortable around Riza, Roy?" Hughes grinned like a hyperactive little brat who just got something he was begging for, and for the first time in quite a while, saw Roy blush. "WH-WHAT ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT!" Riza poked her head back in. "the Cab's here."

Hughes took this opportunity to push the envelope just a bit more. "Riza, you've seemed to soften a bit too. What could this rare display of emotions be?" Riza began to blush slightly. "D-don't be stupid. We have a missing state alchemist to find." She swiftly walked out of the door as always, carrying on. The other two followed, Mustang slightly flustered, and Hughes quietly laughing.

WEST AMESTIS, THE KIYA MNT. RANGES 12:59 P.M.

"My brother will find me!" Al shouted, still in pieces. Envy threw a small stone at Alphonse's head. "Yeah, yeah, yeah. Shut up already." Gluttony poked at Al's armor. "Lust, c'n I eat him yet?" Lust appeared out of a shadow. "No, no Gluttony. We have a use for him yet. Envy, assemble him." Envy quickly put Al together, as ordered. "Hah! I could escape right now if I wanted to!" Al said triumphantly. Were he human, there would have been a smirk spread across his face, making himself resemble his older brother all too well. "In fact, I think I'll do that now." Al darted for the exit, but Envy quickly barricaded it. "I don't think you want to do that." Lust chuckled. "We have what you most desire." A booming voice came from all directions. Alphonse looked everywhere for the owner of the voice. "Who…!"

Al stopped. He suddenly realized how cold the room was. 'Wait…' He gasped. He couldn't feel if a room was cold or warm. He looked down at himself, raising his hands to his face. Palms. Flesh. Skin. Blood coursing through veins. Lungs that held air. A beating heart.

Al had his body of flesh once more. "Well, Alphonse Elric? Help us capture your brother, the person who trapped you in that disgusting metal body, and in return you get to keep your new flesh." Lust leaned against the dark, concrete wall. "Can you resist, Love?" Al looked down at his flesh, an uncertainty creeping over him, as well as temptation.

Well, there you go. I'll have Chapter three posted sometime soon. At least sooner than Chapter two was updated…. Please be patient, I have the attention span of a gnat! Later.