The Man with the Shades
"What?" Ed leapt out of his seat, "Scar?"

"Has Hughes been notified?" Roy asked, getting out of his seat. He walked over to the coat rack and fetched his black coat. He looked to the windows, still raining, he groaned. He'd have to go out, in the rain, wet, water. Damn.

"Yes, he's on his way there now." Bloch reported.

"Edward, stay with Ross and Bloch," Mustang ordered.

"What!" Ed exclaimed for a second time, "What do you mean stay with Ross and Bloch?"

"We would like to help too!" Al chimed in.

"He's after National Alchemists, technically I'd fall into that category too, but that's beside the point." Roy said. "Your safety is of high priority. To have you two get yourselves killed is not on my agenda today. And, remember what happened last time."

The last comment killed any of Ed's retorts. He had come so close dieing; to risk something like that again would put Al in a lot of danger. "Damn." He muttered, clenching his fists.

"Glad you see it my way, Ed." Mustang said, "Hawkeye, Havoc, Falman, let's move." And with that the colonel walked briskly down the hallway, turned the corner and disappeared, the tail of his trench coat flying like a banner after him. His subordinates followed.

Ed, Al, Ross and Bloch were left standing in the hallway in an awkward silence.

"Since when have I ever seen anything that damn bastard's way?" Ed asked no one in particular, the determination coming back. Al grinned and followed his brother who was already climbing out of a window.

"Wait! Ed! Al!" Ross shouted, chasing after them. Before they made it to the window, the crackle of a transmutation was heard and a giant stone wall cut off the hallway.

"Sorry!" Was the last thing Ross and Bloch heard of Ed and Al.

"Not again!"

The engine of the black hummed as it coasted down the wet street. Roy stared out the window listlessly. Raindrops raced each other down his window. He watch them fall, bet on the ones he thought would win and after loosing what would be a consider amount of money had he actually bet money on the raindrops, decided to focus on something else. For one thing, the biggest threat and criminal in Amestris has just been located, on a rainy day. Just wonderful. Rain, he hated the rain and as Riza put it, he was useless. He sighed. Riza. She's been on his mind a lot lately. A little too much if he may say so himself. And damnit, he didn't know why, okay, maybe he wasn't willing to admit why. He watched Hawkeye in the driver's seat, calmly steering the car through the slick streets of Central. He had never noticed that her eyes were a curious amber color, a deep rich color that reminded him of maple syrup. Her hair matched her eyes, a light yellow with a hint of brown. How soft her hair must feel. How soft indeed.

The black car turned a corner and headed down a deserted grey cobblestone street. It was eerily quiet and serene. Off in the distance the sound of a crumbling was heard and followed by the total collapse of the building.

"That must be him," Havoc said, slapping a clip of ammunition into his rifle. He opened his mouth to say something else when the building on their left also exploded. In the explosion, Havoc lost his second cigarette. Riza hit the brakes, the car didn't slow down and began spinning on the slippery streets.

Through the smoke of the rumble came a tall figure. Running and looking back over his shoulders to see if anyone else was following him. He was wearing an odd yellow jacket. Brown skin, pair of sunglasses, the most dangerous man alive, okay, he wasn't that dangerous.

Mustang climbed out of the car after it had finally stopped, trying to see through the thick smoke to no avail. The rain wasn't helping either. In the short time that he had been standing outside the car he had been soaked with rain. Damn.

"Well, well, we meet again, Flame Alchemist." Roy whirled around at the voice. He could barely make out the Ishbalan man in the dust that just began to settle. "This time you won't escape!" And with amazing speed the figure disappeared. Roy turned in all directions, trying to predict where he was going to come from.

"Colonel!" Riza shouted, "Behind you!" She pulled out her pistols and began firing at Scar, who miraculously seemed to be dodging all of her bullets. Havoc also raised his rifle and began firing blindly into the smoke, unsure of where exactly Scar was.

Mustang heard Riza just a few second too late, but enough that he dodge the initial attack from Scar. Scar's right arm brushed past inches from his face. In what were only milliseconds, Roy caught a glimpse of the man's blood red eyes. Images flashed in his brain, the doctors, the boy, and the red sunset, the red of blood, of the fire that seem to burn forever in his memory. He fell back a few feet on to the muddy street. He cursed, he can't produce anything, and his gloves were wet. He cursed again.

The dust settled gently over the battlefield. Scar at one end, Mustang at the other. Riza and the rest of Mustang's men stood not to far away, using the car as a shield, fire arms raised and ready to fire.

"Havoc, call for backup!" Riza shouted.

"Yes Ma'am!" Havoc saluted and realized that he had no need to that and rushed down the street searching for a phone.

Scar shifted his glance, eyeing Havoc as he frantically dialed numbers in the phone booth. That phone call, backup, could mean trouble. He'll have to deal with that man first before he finish off the Flame Alchemist. He lunged towards Havoc.

Roy wasn't expecting Scar to attack Havoc. He cursed again, he wasn't going to make it, damn it. "Havoc move!" He shouted.

Havoc froze, the receiver in one hand, the other hand raised to press two. He stood there gaping, for the third time, the cigarette fell out of his mouth and on to the wet pavement, and he squeezed his eyes shut. Oh god, he hasn't even met the love of his life yet.

For those few moments, as Roy tried to save his friend, as Riza and Falman began unleashing a hail of bullets at Scar, as the rain continued to come down in sheets and as Havoc awaited death, the faint crack of a transmutation was heard. Then, appearing seemingly out of nowhere, a giant concrete block rose from the ground and Scar drove right into it.

Havoc slowly opened his eyes, he was alive! "I'm alive! Yes! Thank god! Thank you god!" Havoc fell to his knees, overjoyed at the fact that he was alive. He had his heads, his brains were not blown out but where they should be, it he had any to begin with.

"Shouldn't you be thanking me?"

Havoc turned around and was greeted by a pair of platform shoes and black pants. He looked up, "Thank you; you're a life saver you short brat!"

"Who are you calling a short brat!" Ed exclaimed.

"Brother, this isn't the time." Al said, nudging Ed slightly.

Riza couldn't help but laugh, here they were again, saving them and weren't they the ones in danger?

"Full metal and Flame? All in one day?" Scar said, cracking his knuckles, "This world just doesn't cease to amaze me."

Everyone turned their attention back to Scar. "Leave them out of this!" Mustang shouted.

"What do you mean leave us out of it?" Ed shouted, "We just came and saved your sorry asses!" Without waiting for a response, Ed clapped his hands together, transmuting his arm into a sword and dashed towards Scar.

"Still too slow." Scar said dodging his attack easily.

Ed cried out in frustration as attack after attack failed to even come in contact with Scar. "Damnit!"

"This is the end for you, Full metal," Scar said caustically, raising his right arm, exposing the tattoos of the mysterious alchemy matrix.

"Brother!" Falman and Havoc struggled to hold Al back.

"Kid, stay still, the colonel's gonna take care of it!" Havoc said through clench teeth. He was weak in comparison to Al, barely able to hold the armor down and he didn't want to loose another cigarette.

Truth be told, Roy Mustang was out of ideas, out of time and out of options. He couldn't use his alchemy, Ed's life was in danger, in grave danger and there was nothing he could do. Well, one thing he can do. Deeming this course of action as absolutely insane, he pulled out his pair gloves, he had no idea what he was going to do with them considering they were wet.

Snap!

The entire street was covered in a horribly blinding hot pink. "That wasn't what I had in mind." He said, dumbfounded. He looked down at his gloves, instead of being his usual gloves with the Fire circle, these had the intricate paint circles.

"Why the hell am I pink?" Ed shouted, momentarily forgetting that his life was at stake.

At the exact moment, backup arrived. Car after car pulled into the street. Soldiers filed out of the cars, armed with rifles and sub machineguns. All of them were stunned with the site of the street covered in hot pink.

Scar was the first one to react. Despite being colored in hot pink, he took off, blowing a hole in a large building, making his exit.

"After him!" The commanding officer of the platoon that had just arrived on the scene shouted and his men followed him through the hole.

Al was left dumbfounded being that he and Ed were the only ones who not there during Roy's redecoration episode. Ed was still angry and demanded an explanation as to why he was pink. Havoc pulled him over and started to tell him the story, from the very beginning.

"Roy," It was Hughes, the bespectacled man stepped over the rubble and examined the odd paint on the bottom of his boots. "To put this bluntly, what the hell happened? And why is everything pink?"

"It's a long story, Colonel Hughes," Riza stepped in, answering for Roy who gave her a thankful look. He tucked away his gloves into his pocket and surveyed the area.

"One of hell of a mess Scar made. Two collapsed building and one giant hole in another that might possibly cause its collapse and an entire street, covered in paint. A lot of cleaning up to do." Hughes said, scratching his head. "I'll get a team on it."

"Thanks," Roy said, "I owe you one."

And to the dismay of Roy, it hasn't stopped raining yet.