A/N- Hey, I updated! Finally!

Disclaimer- I don't own Fullmetal Alchemist or any of its characters.

Chapter 4- Dreams

It was impossible to say just how guilty Roy felt after the previous day, after having told Edward he would have to go to Liore whether he wanted to or not, and that it was part of doing his job as a state alchemist. Be thou for the people... What a load of bullshit. Whoever came up with that must've been on crack.

Ed, as Roy had finally realized, was a little too mentally out of it to be thou for the people.

A little too mentally out of it, as in to say, he'd gone completely insane over the night he'd ended up staying at the Colonel's house. Roy had kept him practically locked in a room, and had made the mistake of keeping a bathroom connected to it. Not that he knew he'd made a mistake. Only Ed knew, because he was the only one aware of the steadily growing number of cuts that lined his wrists. It was only so long before Roy would find out.

In just, trying to hide it from all others, Edward had stayed locked in that bedroom, refusing to eat anything, especially since all Roy would offer him to drink was milk. Currently, he was shoved under the covers of the single bed, lights off, pitch black, shivering. It wasn't that he was cold, but more like he was having some sort of a panic attack in his sleep.

This was relatively normal for Ed. The dreams came nightly, all of those regular, perfectly normal ones, like a first day of school, or sitting in a park, reading some more books on alchemy. And there is one, the most vivid and recurring, and the most haunting of all. Edward's mind wouldn't let it rest.

Blood... Everywhere.

Buildings destroyed, innocent people slaughtered. Scar... Laughing about it all. It was almost the exact same scene as the Ishbal massacre, only it was Liore... There was a bright fire, burning, cremating the city as a few randomly selected people sat near the outside of the city, almost all four of them hating each other. Just not Ed and Al. They were brothers.

It went faster now, flashes of the times, Rose being pushed to the ground, her head pounded in, blood all over again... His brother's transmutation circle, split evenly in half, right down the center... Scar's skull being blown apart, and Ed... Ed falling to the ground, seeing nothing but blood, unable to breathe, trying to crawl away for his life, tears streaming down his face, after seeing what had become of his brother..."

"Edward? Edward! Wake up!"

The chibi alchemist felt himself being violently shaken awake, unable to stay asleep any longer. Not that he wanted to. Everything was rushing back again, and he was frightened... Frightened he might not be sane through it all this time.

"Ed, what's wrong with you?"

"What?" Ed asked, almost casual enough to shake the Colonel off his case. There was the exception that beads of sweat were simply rolling down his face, and that he was probably breathing harder than he had been any other time in his life, but it was at least a little convincing. "I'm just fine... What's wrong with you?" Roy gave him an odd look. "Seriously, I think you're working too hard, and..." Ed's eyes averted their gaze downward just a little. "Could you take your hands off my shoulders!"

"Sorry..." Roy muttered, blushing. There was an almost innocent look in his eyes. Ed saw right through this. "Just heard you screaming in your sleep. I didn't think that was very normal." Ed laughed.

"As though you don't..."

"And how would you know whether I did or not?" The laughing ceased to continue, as Edward was lost for words. That was a disturbing though. How did he figure Mustang screamed in his sleep? Great, now he probably thought he was bisexual or something. "And by the way, I've decided not to send you to Liore." Ed could've figured just as much. All he had to do was keep throwing fits and Roy would keep him there. Not that he wanted to be in the Colonel's house or anything...

"Thanks," Ed mumbled, grabbing the covers and throwing them back over his head. He didn't even want to look at Roy right now. He was afraid to think someone had finally noticed there was something emotionally wrong with him, aside from Winry. "You can leave now."

"No, Fullmetal, you've been sleeping for eighteen hours straight, and I would much prefer you to get up so we can go out to dinner." Ed popped out from under the covers.

"Out to eat?" Roy nodded. "Meaning I can order what I want?" Roy nodded. "And I don't have to drink milk?" Roy nodded. "And I don't have to eat your disgusting food?" Roy looked ticked off. "Just kidding, just kidding..." He threw the covers off of himself, standing up and stretching. "Alright then, sounds good to me!"

A/N- Short, but, this means next chapter will be long if I get at least twenty reviews. Next chapter will be full of fluff!