Chapter six:

Roy returns to east central showing up around ten in the morning seeing that Ed's train still hasn't come was little surprising to him. It was an all day or all night train from there to here. Still one would think it wouldn't take this long for the train to get there. Roy stops on the platform realizing these factors; 'If it's so close… why didn't we notice it before?' mauling over the facts that he does know seemed to only confuse him more and more.

Seeing the next train approach and the voice of the head man of the train speak up about an ill person on the train that needed to be let off first immediately notified Roy that this must be Ed's train. Since they only allow certain emergencies to allow a sick person off before the rest. 'Ed must be doing terribly if they're letting him off first.'

Al steps out first, putting out his arm out for his brother to use as support. Ed quickly takes it and moves slowly off the train, struggling to see straight much less move. Though it seemed his automail of all things was slowing him down the most. Roy looks at the group shocked and put in pure horror at Edward Elrics state. His skin could be mistaken for milk or even white paint, dark black rings surrounded the bottom of his eyes, the spark in the young man's smart-allick manner gone even the lightest shimmer from the boys eyes gone. Though the bandage around the boys neck did explain a thing or two, knowing that there are some critical veins and arteries in the neck since Ed had survived Roy could bet that one of those veins or arteries had be punctured.

Ed looks up glaring at the Colonel, 'Great! Now he's gonna bug me about being a week little kid…' Ed turns to his brother and smiles, "I'll be fine Al…" He whispers to his little brother, moving forward. Ed stands up strait saluting Roy giving his usual stern look. He sees his higher up salute him back and both lower their hand. Ed steps forward two steps and instantly feels the nausea and light headed ness of his current state. It didn't matter how much blood Dr. Reed or Al gave him he felt like he was walking on air. Stumbling on his own automail Ed quickly falls toward the ground.

Unable to really understand how he got to the ground so quickly Ed looks around for who's holding him, he looks up only to see the worried face of his Colonel. Ed smiles, "Heh, since when do you worry about me?" Ed speaks up.

Roy blinks and grins, "Well I could have just let you fall, then again what use would you be if that happened?" He grins even more as Ed turns his face away from Mustang, "Besides I need you awake and well enough to be able to make a report as soon as possible. Obviously something went horribly wrong, as always." He helps Ed stand on his own two feet once more.

He couldn't believe it he didn't know? Had Dr. Reed not told him? Still a report would be good still hearing the earlier hurt his pride a little, "I'm sure it would have amused you more just to see me drop! Though I still am your precious dog…" He blinks a little his eyes feeling horribly heavy, ignoring it he brings up the matter of how Roy finished, " Oh yea that's right you have no faith in me because to you I screw up EVERY DAMN MI…mis…miss…mi…" Ed's eyes become terribly glazed over, keeping them open seemed to be the hardest task of all, his arm felt so heavy even just letting it rest there mad it feel heavy, his automail only seemed to make his body ache more.

Roy watches the boy fearful that he'd gone too far, hearing him still trying to finish his sentence though his lips only gave out unintelligible mumbles slowly falling into his chest. Roy's head felt cold and hot all at once, tingled sparks flew from the back of his head to his ears causing him to slightly shiver. Holding the boy before himself taking the limp body away from his own as though it were a dirty thing he looks up to Al who only whimpers in response. Both thunderstruck Roy only looks back to the boy trying to clear his mind though is beaten to it.

Dr. Reed Takes Ed and motions Al over, "Help me carry him." She speaks up flatly. Al complies holding onto Ed's upper half of his body and Sarah taking care of the lower half. She nods to Roy and walks to the car the Roy had brought to take them to the hospital.

Roy shows them to the car waiting for them. "Dr. Reed, tell me everything." Roy demands. He moves to the drivers side and quickly gets in.

"Sir… I did already." Sarah shakes her head at how dense the man could be. "I know it seems very unli-" She starts as she gets in the passenger side. Al lets his older brother lay against him in the car.

"I mean after our call! Edward awoke, you said over the phone he was unconscious." Roy's voice darkens slightly from irritation.

"Uh-oh! Sorry sir!" Sarah lowers her head feeling rather foolish at the moment, "He…" Sarah sighs, "I was not there when he had awoke, he refused to tell me anything of what had happened to him."

Roy turns to Al looking at him sternly, "Eh…! Well he didn't make me promise to keep it a secret… but then again he didn't tell me much either…" Al speaks up looking to his older brothers unconscious body. "He made me promise… to…" Roy waited he knew many things but there were some things that he was still learning about the boys and their brother hood together. Al lowers his head a little more, "He made me promise him… that… If…." Al starts.

"To die…" Sarah quickly finishes.

"I thought you said that you didn't hear anything they had talked about…" Roy glares.

Sarah sighs and closes her eyes, seeing the car start to move, "I heard some of it sir… still… I didn't really… tell your everything."

Roy looks to her shocked and looks back to the road, "What didn't you tell me?"

Looking at her lap Sarah sighs once more, "You wont believe me that's why I didn't tell you."

"Tell me!" Roy growls out, never liking the idea of being out of the loop much less about the Elrics he'd grown fond of them, as if they were his own brothers.

Sarah blinks and nods, "He was attacked by a vampire…" She watches to see the Colonels reaction.

Roy stays still for a moment and stops at a curb. He looks to his Major and bursts out laughing. "You're saying… that a mythical creature… Attacked one of my men?"

Sarah sighs and nods, "I knew you wouldn't believe me."

Al glares at Roy's reaction, pulling down Ed's gauze, "How do you explain this sir?"

Roy smiles turning to look at Al then to Ed. His smile quickly left his face. This wasn't something to laugh about anymore. His eyes slowly shift to Sarah almost begging for this to be a bad joke.

Sarah sighs, "Al made a promise to his brother that he would… kill Ed…" Sarah sighs looking down at her hands. Roy turns completely around looking at. The young man's face looked completely serious about the matter.

"Alphonse…" Roy whispers, in utter horror, this young man would actually attempt to KILL his own beloved older brother form what? 'What would drive him to do so when both have made such large promises to one another already.' "Why?"

"Because… my brother… would no longer be my brother…" Al cringes at the thought once more, "He… would kill for need… for p… pleasure…"

Roy glares at the boy, "The military would-"

"THEY WOULD ARREST HIM A TRIAL HIM BUT HE WOULD NEVER STOP! HE WOULD NEVER DIE! HE WOULD BE…. Forever locked and taken away from everything and everyone that he loves." Al gets out, "He would murder every guard that would come near him. He would grow weak with out the needed blood… he would no longer be… Edward Elric…" Al whimpers out looking to his brothers' still unconscious body leaning against his shoulder some of his golden trusses lay across his blue shirt.

Roy too looked at the young man seeing his closed and yet peaceful eyes, his slightly parted lips, his dead arms lay in his lap as he takes in slow light breaths. Roy clears his throat unsure how to answer the young man. He starts up the car once more and makes way for the hospital once more, "What did he say… about what the woman did, how-"

"I SAW what she did!" Al hisses out, shivering once more from the memory.

Roy glares at the boy he didn't even let Ed speak to him like that, he opens his mouth to spit out the obvious when Sarah quickly intervenes, "GENTLEMEN! This should be disgust after Ed have been put into intensive care." Sarah points out the obvious to them both. Both nod and leave one another alone for the rest of the ride.

(SC)

Mustang watches the two boys in the hospital room from the window of the door. Ed sleeping in a bed, his clothes exchanged for a hospital gown, a needle in his arm giving him back the one thing that was stolen from him. Al sits in a chair refusing to leave his side, slouched forward with his elbows rest on his legs, his fingers tangled through his hair. It was more than obvious that this young man was going through a lot already, despair itself seemed to emanate from him. Things seemed so grim for the boy, the promise that he had made to his older brother Roy knew that the boy must still be mauling it over, hoping against hope that he wouldn't have to keep said promise.

Sarah taps Roy on the shoulder startling him, "Sir?"

"Yes?" Roy asks not turning from the door.

"I can tell, you what the younger Elric most likely saw." Sarah speaks up once more.

Roy sighs turning to his lieutenant, "I don't want possibilities lieutenant I want cold hard facts. I need him to tell it as it is. I want him to tell me what he saw, not what you guess he saw."

"Sir it would be basically the same story the only few differences are what the prosecutor looks like and condition Ed was before Al discovered his brother being attacked." Sarah points out.

Roy glares at the woman, "Are you challenging my decision?"

Sarah blinks and lowers her head shaking it lightly.

"As I thought, Al will be leaving his brothers side so you may watch him until I'm done talking with the him. Until then I suggest that you remain silent." Roy finishes turning back to the room. He wasn't too happy with Sarah at the moment, as he expected his team to be completely truthful with him. Even Ed was truthful with him, for the most part. Still he couldn't believe that a respectable woman like her would lie to him like she did. Sighing he moves away from the door seeing Al stand up ready to talk with the Colonel.

Opening the door Al nods to Sarah, "Would you mind…"

"Of course not Al!" Sarah smiles walking into the room, she closes the door behind herself as she watches Roy leave with Al. She waits a couple of moments and walks to Ed's bed sitting next to him. "Hey…" The young man doesn't respond his chest slowly raises and falls, his eyes closed and in a dream state. His face showing some color as well as the rest of his body, though his cheeks still lack the slight flush that they once had. She lightly brushes the back of her fingertips against his cheek, brushing a little bit of hair away from his face. "How funny some things can be. That we've become so alike in the matter of twenty-four hours. No…" Sarah sighs slouching forward, "Were not the same… but more of in the same situation of my late love. How I fought for him, how I suffered, though in the end, he left me." She looks down his still arms and hands, placing her hand on the back of his right hand, and picks it up placing it against her brow, "Please… don't give in… like he did Ed…"

"I don't plane to…" Ed's husky voice whispers out.

Sarah moves back eyes wide with shock, "Ed! You-"

"Heard everything…" Ed mumbles not wanting to really move around too much.

"I'm sorry…" Sarah speaks up, "That this had to happen to you and your brother…"

"It's not like you sent us there, it was Roy who sent us…" Ed gets out.

Sarah sighs smiling putting the boys hand down and rubs her forehead with her fingers, "This is something that will haunt you for many years to come…"

"What makes you say that?" Ed grins turning his head to the distraught woman.

She doesn't respond and only looks to the ground mauling over what she once had to do. Ed watches her for a moment and turns to the ceiling, "I had to kill him…" Ed blinks confused and turns to Sarah, "I had to kill… my own fiancé… He left me to be one of those monsters, but when I was, doing what needed to be done… I remembered what he told me when he was really sick." Sarah speaks up monotonously, Ed looks at her imagining that this could be the very same way the he too could die. "He told me that if he betrayed me to this other woman, and if he were to try and harm me, that I was to kill him. He could never forgive himself, for killing the only woman he ever truly loved." Sarah smiles lightly, "It's funny how life runs around in circles… You two could be young forever… I-"

Ed growls, "I would never hurt my little brother!"

Sarah sits up and looks at Ed, "You wouldn't… but what about the person that you could possibly become? Will he not hurt you little brother?" Sarah speaks up.

Looking the other way he refuses to answer since he truly couldn't give a good response to that one.

(SC)

Roy grumbles looking at the papers he has to fill in, remembering the story he'd just heard, if he hadn't known better he'd think it was just some fairy tail, but he knew that Alphonse Elric was not much of a person to lie about something that serious. Shivering again at what the boy must have felt with that monstrous beast having his brother by the throat. The whole thing could just make him puke. Roy blinks at the knock on his door, he looks at the time seeing that it's only seven it shouldn't be to strange for a person to visit him at this hour. "Come in…" He speaks up.

Hawkeye walks in saluting Roy, "Sir! You have a visitor."

"Oh?" Roy smiles.

"She says her name is Abigail?" Risa give the colonel a questioning look.

"Oh…" Roy looks rather confused, "Well let her in."

Hawkeye simply rolls her eyes and opens the door for the woman. The young woman walking into the office her hair put into a pony tail her hair raven black smooth and stick strait, here eyes hidden from him, though her outfit rather interesting nothing but black seemed to do for the young woman. Though not very unusual since it seemed to be a suit more than a common outfit, pencil skirt, with long sleeved jacket the shirt under it though did show something of color blood red, though vibrant to say the least it was nice to see something other than darkness on the woman. Roy stands up putting out a friendly hand, "How may I help you?"

The young woman smiles at him, "I'm miss Abigail Ritcher, I'm the land lady of the town that your young alchemist and his friends came from, I heard about the ruckus and became worried."

Roy smiles, "Oh? Did you help him and the other come home so quickly?"

"Yes, I tried to make sure that the young man would come home safely." She smiles lightly.

"I see…" Roy looks to his paper work and back to the lovely looking woman before himself. "Would you like to discus more about this over dinner?"

Ms. Ritcher smiles at him nodding, "That would be grand."

(SC)

Sarah looks at the boys re-entering their hospital room, "Hello boys… I'm sorry for bothering you, but I thought it would only be fair that you know what's going on."

Ed and Al both nod more than glad to be up to date.

Sarah smiles, "We're going to have guards around to protect you Ed, Also we're going to have someone stay with you at all times. If anyone knows about how these things work I do, I've asked Hawkeye and a few others to stay with you during the day and at night."

Ed nods understanding the situation getting a grand idea earlier. Just the thought of him becoming one made him shudder in disgust. "Thank you… for helping us."

Sarah nods smiling, "It isn't right for someone else to have to feel that pain I have." She looks down the smile still on her face, "I'm sorry, I don't want you to feel sorry for me…" She turns leaving the room quickly.

"She…"

"She doesn't want our pity Al, we know what pity gets people… very little." Ed watches the door close. "Look everything's going to be alright. Just have to wait it out." Ed smiles patting his brother's hand, "I'm not that pretty!" Both snicker. "Though Al… if things do turn south…"

"I know brother…" Al's voice becomes grim.

"Did she tell you how?" Ed speaks up stoically. Seeing Al shake his head he knew Al probably didn't want to know, an excuse to not have to keep to the promise. "Well you need to know."

"I know…" Al whimpers out.

"Hopefully we wont have to resort to such things. Sarah says…" Ed sighs smiling trying not to look like the thought scares him, "That you should stab the monster in the heart, destroy it, and slice off their head… she said it's the best way and sometimes the only way to do it." Ed finishes feeling death breath down his neck, and both shiver at the thought. Al looks to the ground his face looking horribly grim. "BUT HEY IT'S NOT LIKE IT'S GONNA HAPPEN!" Ed gets out laughing loudly, Al looks up to his brother smiles and nods.

"Of course not! Cause we have each other!" Al gets out, smiling and laughing.

"Exactly!" Ed gets out. Both slowly stop their laughter and stare at one another. The silence between the two seemed to weigh on them both, they knew what the other was thinking but couldn't put it into words. At least for the moment they didn't want to put it into words.

"Nii-san…" Al whimpers out first.

"Yea…" Ed gets out looking around for something for them to do to get this whole thing off their minds.

"I don't want to kill you." Al gets out his voice slightly cracked.

Ed looks to Al and sighs, he pats his shoulder, "Don't think of it like that… it… it wouldn't be me anymore… the real me…Just someone trapped… watching horrific acts… begging to be set free. Think of it as setting me free Al." Ed smiles, Al simply nods once more.

(SC)

Opening the door to his apartment Roy smiles as Abigail walks gracefully into his apartment. "You have a lovely apartment Roy."

Roy grins at the young woman, not exactly having pure thoughts about the woman. "I don't really have much to really do for the rest of the night so, if there's anything you'd like to do?" Roy smiles grabbing some drinks for them, grinning at the red shirt being revealed to him once more, she'd taken off her jacket at dinner, oh how he wanted to just pounce on the woman.

(TBC)

Roy you naughty thing X3!

Roy: Grumbles I don't normally act like that…

Trom: I know XD!