Okay, remember how I said I would wait for some review before posting more chapters? Well, I lied. I'm posting one more chapter because 1:I'm impatient, and 2: its also AU cuz Roy is still a colonel. I know I could have waited on mentioning that, but the voices in my head were pestering me to do it, and I always do what the voices tell me.

Chapter 2: Alive?

After what felt like an hour of kneeling in his doorway with Hughes in his arms, Maes' cries finally began to slow down. Roy bit his lip, not wanting to leave Maes here, but he had to go get him a blanket or he would freeze to death... He let go and stood up, only to find Hughes grabbed his ankle. His grip was tight and he could almost feel the fear emanating from it.

"No...don't...where...don't leave!"

His grip became tighter, and Roy winced as pain shot up through his leg. He leaned back down, embracing Maes once more, and he could feel the pressure on his ankle release slightly.

"I don't know what's going on, Maes, but I promise I won't leave you. I'm coming right back. Don't worry..."

Hughes seemed slightly more calm, and reluctantly let go of his ankle. Roy stood up, and ran his fingers through Maes' hair as if in reassurance he wouldn't leave, and made his way to the closet.

The few minutes that Roy was gone were painfully slow for Hughes. He sat there miserably, shivering from a combination of the cold, wet and fear. He felt so empty, hollow, as if he were simply a shell. He just felt wrong, and he hadn't stopped long enough to let himself think, to let himself realize what had happened... A shiver unrelated to cold shot down his spine. What had happened?

Roy returned as quickly as possible with a heavy blanket, which he promptly wrapped around Maes' shoulders. Hughes unexpectedly stood up on his own and moved to the window seat on which Roy had been seated before his arrival. Roy went to close the door, only to find one of the hinges had been torn from the doorframe.

Mustang followed Maes after slight hesitation, sitting in a chair he pulled up to the window seat. Roy could still discern light tears running over Hughes' cheeks as he looked absently out of the window. After a few moments like this Roy felt he needed some answers. His look returned to the serious one he had honed for years. Despite his expression he wasn't sure what to ask first.

"How...are you alive?"

Maes' voice sounded slightly strained, most likely from crying. His shoulders moved slightly. A shrug?

"I'm not quite sure myself."

Roy bit his lip, restraining the urge to forget his inquiries and embrace Hughes again. God, how he had missed him...

He wasn't quite sure how to deliver the next question, but he needed to know. And if it wasn't really Maes...

"You...You're a Homunculus, aren't you?

Hughes seemed to shrink deeper into his blanket. Am I...a homunculus?

"... No...but... yes."

The corners of Roy's mouth drew back into a frown. How could you be a Homunculus but also not one? If you were a homunculus, you couldn't be a human too...Which would mean the man...no, creature in front of him was not really, human, not really Hughes. But he hoped, he needed with all his being for this to be Hughes, to know he wasn't dead, to know that this man who sounded and looked so much like his friend to really be Maes.

Roy found himself leaning forward for his next question, his face a foot away from Hughes.

"Are you... Maes Hughes?"

His reply was surprisingly punctual.

"Yes."

Roy's serious expression slid from his face, his mouth hanging open slightly.

"Then-"

Hughes cut him off.

"I think my soul was bound to a Homunculus."

End Chapter 2

Okay, if there are any reviews by the time I post the next chapter I will reply to them then. Hopefully I can actually stand to wait long enough for reviews to show up and lecture me on the cheesiness. The voices seem satisfied for now. Flames will make the voices tell me to do unpleasant things.