Dimensions
By: Kurama-Sweethart (Moe)
Warning(s): Spoiler for the SERIES AND MANGA. It isn't really based on either one alone, per say- but my own crazy rendition of the two. For example, the timeline is manga formatted- Cornello happened before Nina, and Ed is 15. However, the events that take place are in the anime format, when it comes to dialogue and happenings. Also, Mustang is Colonel as opposed to Major, as shown in the series. Obviously, in the beginning it is set before the death of Maes Hughes. Blah blah, I'm sure you get the idea.
Pairing(s): Blunt Roy x Ed in later chapters. Yaoi, Shonen-ai and probably some sex/smut along the way. Tringham love interests, as well – Russell x Ed
Author's Notes: Ah, this is by far one of my favorite chapters. It took a while to get the scenes setup, but all in all I thought it was definitely the best. I don't know, I suppose I'll let everyone else be the judge of that. I know that I'm doing a lot of repeating of what happened in the anime- but I'm going to try to get the major differences worked in soon. Just… let me get all the explanation done n.n;;

Roy slipped through the door to the Central Library Records Department, shutting it quietly behind him. The long hallway was dark, and he had to squint into the shadows to see. The only light, shining like a beacon, came from under one of the file room doors. That was obviously where Hughes was waiting.

As the Colonel walked down the corridor, he watched the light dance along the walls shrouded in shadows, musing darkly that it was like some sort of apocalyptic metaphor. Light waltzing with dark. Good tangling with evil. How relative it was to a certain Fullmetal Alchemist's life didn't make him feel any more comfortable.

He stopped abruptly in front of his destination, knocking briskly on the wood. "Hughes? It's me." He called.

"Come on in, Roy." He heard the familiar voice of his Lieutenant respond, which sent an awkward sense of security washing over him. Maybe it was just the way Hughes made people feel. He didn't dwell too long on the thought.

The Colonel slunk in, quickly closing and latching the door and pressing his back against it. "Why did you want to see me, here of all places? And at this hour?" He asked coolly.

Hughes chuckled. "It's just like you to get right to the point. Here." He handed his friend a small stack of documents. "Read that."

Mustang let his eyes slide over the paper. It was nothing he hadn't already heard before. Just some detail on the Eastern Rebellion. "What is the meaning of this, Hughes? I thought you said this was about the Elrics?"

"One track mind, as always." The other man crossed his arms over his chest. "Have you ever met the Fuhrer's secretary, Roy?"

The Colonel nodded, a bored look crossing his face. "Juliet Douglas. What's your point?"

The Lieutenant frowned. "During the Rebellion, do you remember a soldier by name of Douglas? The one who-"

"-Initially started the war by shooting that Ishvalan child. It's a common name, Maes." Mustang pointed out bluntly. He knew Hughes had a point to this, and from the looks of it, it was serious. He just wished that he'd stop beating around the bush and get to it.

Hughes pointed to the second page, at the bottom of the paper. "Read here. It says that she was killed during the third battle, correct? Now look…" he shuffled through the pages, holding them up so Roy could read. "Two years later, it says she got a pretty hefty promotion- Secretary to King Bradley."

The Colonel's eyes enlarged. "So you're saying-"

"Do you remember those attacks up in North City?" Hughes asked suddenly, blatantly changing the subject. "And Western? Eastern? And recently, a few right here in Central?"

Roy nodded. "There were no leads, because from witness reports, each time the person fleeing the scene was different, if there even was suspect at all. Either we've got some sort of extremist cult, or our homicide count is just upped oddly this month."

"Hmm." Hughes mumbled, flipping through another case file. He pulled out a few black-and-white snapshots of Juliet Douglas' physical, when she first joined the military. "Look here," The Lieutenant said suddenly, handing Roy a few photos from before the rebellion. "Look at her chest."

The Colonel raised an eyebrow. "Now you're trying to get me to look at the breasts of women, Hughes?"

The Lieutenant bristled. "Just look, dammit. Tell me what you see."

Still a little skeptical, Roy brought the photo to his face. "Smooth skin, high collarbone, thin shoulders but thicker arms, obviously gone through military training. Her neck is short, and she's got the eyes of a sniper." He handed it back to his friend, sitting down in one of the chairs.

"Now." Hughes started, fumbling for another. "Look at this one."

The Colonel once again held it up into the light. The date was of just recently, one of the mandatory physicals the military gives every few years. On her chest, just above her left breast, was a small, black tattoo of some sort of creature; he guessed a dragon or snake, curled around an estranged symbol. It was half covered by the light physical dress that one was required to wear during the photo shoot, but visible nonetheless. He chose not to speak, only to let his Lieutenant finish.

"That symbol," Hughes said, pointing to the tattoo, "was the same tattoo a woman, wife of one of the murder victims in East City, had on her left thigh. I noticed it because she was wearing shorts at the time. The shorts covered most of it, but I saw the bottom of the tattoo."

Roy raised an eyebrow. "Married and still checking out the women, I see."

"It's not like that." The Lieutenant growled. "I noticed the tattoo, and questioned it. She said it was something of a family crest."

"Did you get a picture of it?" Mustang questioned, eyes glazed over in concern.

Hughes waved a hand, biting his tongue regretfully. "I didn't notice at the time. It wasn't until I was organizing some of the old records and saw that picture that I remembered it from somewhere."

"So what," Roy put in, resting his elbow on his crossed legs and his chin in his hands, "Do you propose we do?"

The other man ran a hand up his jaw line, rubbing at his face. "I guess we could just question Miss Douglas."

Roy blinked. "Do you really think it's safe? If she's involved with these killings…"

"There's really no other option." He shrugged. "Unless you can think of some other way, and then be my guest."

"And how do the Elrics fit in?" The Colonel questioned, raising his eyebrows.

Hughes smirked. "They don't. I just knew you'd make a bigger effort to get here if I threw in their name."

"Envy," Lust snarled, leaning against the wall. She, Gluttony and Envy had temporarily taken up residence in an abandoned shack, not far from Xenotime city limits, after returning from Liore where Envy had played holy-man. Now that was over, they used it to keep a close eye on the Elrics, mainly thanks to a small, round window that looked right up the hill to the laboratory the Fullmetal and his brother had taken residence in. "Why, I daresay, did you murder all those people?"

The sin had his arms crossed tightly in front of his chest. He opened one eye. "I got frustrated. Besides, it was all in good fun. Gluttony got to eat, right?" He smiled at the hunched form in the corner, who just cackled.

"That's not the point." She snapped. "I got word from Sloth that the military is putting two and two together. They noticed your crest when you ridiculously played that whore of a wife-"

"No need for insults, Lust. Besides, they would have figured it out eventually." He shrugged, closing his eyes again. "Anyway, the pipsqueak is getting closer to the vortex. In no time there'll be no proof we ever existed."

"Russell?" Ed asked suddenly, looking up from the array he had been absorbed in just moments before. "Tell me more about auras."

The younger alchemist blinked, looking dumbfounded at the sudden outburst. "Auras? Why would you want to know about them?"

Ed closed his eyes and leaned back in his chair. "They keep popping up in your research journals." He replied, head tossing in the direction of the papers, scattered about on the table.

Russell smirked. "Your aura is a reflection of your Spiritual Energy. They reflect the energy field or life force around an object."

The Fullmetal frowned. "How come I can't see them?"

"You will, in time. After doing more work with Dimensional Alchemy, you'll begin to get more in tune with your spiritual eye." He answered truthfully. "You're brother has the most extraordinary aura I've ever seen, probably because his soul is bound to that armor and has more control over his body."

Edward sat sideways in his chair, facing the taller alchemist. "Teach me."

It took a lot of effort not to burst out laughing. "You can't just teach someone to see auras, Ed."

Golden brows furrowed slightly in frustration. Ed was the type that was driven and had this itch for more knowledge. The fact that seeing auras was something he couldn't just learn from a book seemed to confuse him. Russell found this all very intriguing. He enjoyed just sitting, watching the Fullmetal Alchemist and trying to figure him out. In their long research binges that often lasted late into the night, the eldest Tringham had discovered a lot of interesting things about Edward Elric.

"Well, is there some way you could show me?"

Now this was more his style. Russell stood, backing against the wall. "Look at me."

Ed complied. "Okay, now what?"

"No," the taller scolded. "Really look at me. Not with your eyes, Edward, but with your mind."

For a moment, the Fullmetal got a very frustrated look on his face. His eyes glowed intense bronze, flashing with concentration. He bit down on his lower lip, staring at Russell almost… hungrily. It caused goose bumps to erupt along the younger alchemist's skin.

"How do I know when I see it?" Ed asked quietly, obviously trying not to break his concentration.

Russell smiled. "You'll just know."

It wasn't long before the Fullmetal began to see. "Purple." He said suddenly, a grin playing his lips. "Yellow, around your arms. But… it gets more green the farther from you it gets" He stood and started to approach the younger, slowly. "Blue, though, in circular patterns around… here." He placed an auto-mail hand on Russell's chest, looking up at him.

"Is there nothing you can't do?" The taller muttered. It was true: not very many people could actually see the energy. But the thought was pushed aside almost immediately, because his mind was reeling, and insecurity flooded over him. Was this really what he wanted? What Ed wanted? Or even, what they needed right now? The Elrics had only been staying with them a few days, and yet here they were, nearly throwing themselves at each other, distracting themselves from their work on the vortex.

All coherent thought seemed to vanish along with his rationale.

Russell slowly lowered his face, mere inches from the Fullmetal's. Ed seemed just as nervous as he was, his breathing short and cheeks flushed. The taller had never had any experience with anything like this, having spent most of his adolescence working on the vortex, and once again a shiver of anxiety coursed through his nerves.

He wrenched his eyes shut as their lips met. After only a few seconds that felt like an eternity, they pulled apart, their faces still merely centimeters from each other.

"Why?" Ed whispered, closing his eyes again, letting the elder Tringham's breath bathe his face. "Why did you let us stay here so readily? You hardly knew us, but you opened your home and research to us, anyway."

Russell brought a hand up to the side of the other's face, but jerked away as if his skin burned. It wasn't until Ed nuzzled his cheek into his palm that the Tringham found his voice. "There's… just something about you." He answered softly, a tingling sensation materializing in his chest.

The Fullmetal opened his mouth to speak, golden eyes bright with something that Russell couldn't interpret.

"Brother!" Fletcher burst in the door, followed by Al. "Remember Belsio, from town? He gave us some lemons!" The smaller Tringham thrust the basket of fruit in his brother's face. "Now we can make lemonade with Ed and Al!"

Russell glanced at Ed, who had nearly jumped six feet when the two had come in. The Fullmetal only returned his gaze and grinned, ruffling the hair of the youngest Tringham. "Sounds great, Fletcher. I can't wait."

Yay! They finally get to kiss! I've been planning this scene since the beginning xD Anyway, I hope that was enough fluff to tide you all over. It sure did it for me. It was so hard not to make Russell just shove Ed down and have his way with him, so be proud of me that I kept it G rated!

Meh, the major change came in right there, if anyone caught it. Just to clear it up; Remember, when Hughes found out about the Fuhrer's secretary, he jumped right into it without telling anyone? Well, that always really pissed me off. If he had been logical, he would have told someone, Mustang, probably, he's to close to him, and then they could have watched what was going on together. I thought it was very irrational and frankly very stupid that he rushed into it alone. Which is why, in this fic, he's smart and maybe this time around he won't stupidly get killed. Woops, got off there! Forgive me. I know that right now it's just repeating some of the stuff in the series and is no different and probably incredibly boring. But it'll take off in its own way... eventually.

Anyway, the normal end-of-chapter drabble, if you enjoyed this chapter, I'd appreciate it if you let me know! Or… I daresay, if you didn't like this chapter –gaspgaspgasp-, I'd still appreciate it if you let me know, and told me what I could do to improve. Thanks a lot, and until chapter 7!