Ah! Reviews already! Well, it might have been the fact We dropped the link to several friends. xD But no matter. Thanks for reviewing, guys; it makes Us want to write more to this. We're going to start working on NC again if We can get out of Our procrastinating phase.

Review replies:

Riza: xDD Does it? We're tempted to get Ed into the rummies.

Taisa: xD We chortled, reading that. You're mad cause you have to wait? What now, that We're uploading it? xD

You can count on Us for ideas, if you like. We'll supply you.

;; We're not THAT good, you think too highly of Us!

vampirelf: You know, We wonder that Ourself. xD We don't really plan things; just let them go as they like, so right now We don't know how long it's been either. We think only a day or so; he wasn't reported missing. They're going to PLAN, but... without telling what's going on. xD

Jean, Roy, Riza and Lt. Alexander Rubens (who, mind, is an OC created by Us for a roleplay, but We stick him in other things) are coming back from the bar at that specific scene. Jean's a little more intoxicated than Roy, obviously. Rather reminiscent of Neko's Confusion, but originally this was meant to be an alternate take: if Ed wasn't suffering from amnesia.

Kat: So you figured out the review thing, eh? Good job. xD Augh, shut up, they are not BAD! How could they be? They're very interesting, all you need is an EDITOR. Which We will be taking the job of. So you dun have to worry about that.

Rose: Wave! xDD We love the Wave!

And off We go! -- Wait. Disclaimer, We nearly forgot about that. So here it is:

Disclaimer: We don't own FMA. You know why. Arakawa Hiromu gets that leisure. She's 100 genius, so she deserves it. We also don't own Kingdom Hearts, which is the divider quotes in this chapter.

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And so, in this way, they planned. And planned. And, yet again, planned.

Edward didn't see the reason for it: he was content to just stay curled up on the couch and sleep the night's horrible events off. Unfortunately, that wasn't the case, as the matter of the new affairs greatly involved him. Yeah, Mr Scientist. Steal my humanity, now you have to go and fuck up my sleep, too? What kind of justice is that? That was basically Ed's take on it.

But Ed's opinion didn't matter, for the soldiers planned still, among stacks of paperwork, cans of pens, and the occasional papercut. (There were a few furious curses from Jean about this: "Damn it! Again! Alex, pass the bandages.")

The catboy stayed huddled up on the couch, hunkered down under his coat, which he was now using as a blanket. Unfortunately for him, they kept asking him questions, which made sleep impossible.

And then in came Kain Fuery, his entrance marked by the scent of Hayate. Apparently he liked to play with the black mutt, he was practically bathing in its scent. And as soon as he came in, he saw the condition Major Elric was currently in. And then... that was it. There was no stopping him. Had Major Armstrong been there, Edward might have been spared. (Not from a giant bear hug from the Major himself, of course, however.) But he wasn't, and as soon as he saw Edward... he dove right at him. Luckily, Ed jumped back, pressing into the couch, and Kain hit the floor rather hard. But he got up, and immediately attempted to touch one of the alchemist's ears. As soon as he did, Ed had his claws out and was aiming for his throat.

After the end of this little escapade, Roy looked over at them, frowning slightly. "Master Sergeant, could you please calm yourself and come help us? We're working right now," he informed the younger soldier wearily. "We could use the help."

Kain snapped to attention, to the sniggers of Jean and Heymans. "Yessir!" replied the softspoken boy eagerly, rather like a small child who was playing a game of wartime with his friends.

Edward rolled his eyes, then laid back down on his side, shut his eyes, and attempted to tune the soldiers out. Of course, it didn't work so well. As soon as he did, another question was shot at him, and this one made him rather pensive.

"Do you remember who did this, Fullmetal?" Obviously the question was Roy's, but.. the question itself was.. he couldn't describe it. It made him choke up, and got the entire host of soldiers looking at him funny. (As if they hadn't looked at him funny enough times already.)

Finally, he breathed, "I... I have no idea. Not at all." Flicking his ears decidedly, the chimera put his head back down to listen to the staccato of rain bouncing down atop the roof. As predicted, none of the soldiers would leave him alone, still battering him with questions. Finally he looked up, scowling. "Could you leave me alone? I'm trying to sleep." They backed off after that, not liking the looks of his claws.

/Thinking of you, wherever you are./

Finally, they were done. Ed had long gone to sleep, ears tucked back and tail wrapped around his legs. Fuery saw this as an opportunity, but he soon found himself looking down the barrel of the First Lieutenant's pistol, and refrained from examining the chimera on the couch.

By then, Aru had arrived as well. He was rather surprised at his brother's condition, and kept back, though even by just the vibe rolling off him you could tell he was desperately resisting glomping his poor nii-san. Luckily for Ed, the armor refrained, and simply sat in the corner to wait for the blonde to wake up before attacking him. Ed would never allow it, though; he was all bruised up, and wouldn't possibly stand for it if his brother bear-hugged him.

Roy looked up, giving Aru a furtive glance. "Wake your brother up," he commanded, reclining in his swivel chair.

Aru blinked, as much as a suit of armor could blink with glowy eyes, that was. "Wake him up? But doesn't he seem to want to stay asleep?" he questioned, getting up with a grinding sound.

"Yes, that's true," replied the colonel, "but he needs to wake up anyway. We're going to have to put him through some sort of examination; figure out what changed and what stayed the same, that kind of thing."

The armor cocked his head. (Another grinding sound.) "Ah... alright, then," he said nervously. "I'll get him up, then.." He made his way over to Edward, who had his eyes closed, twitching his ears groggily at sounds, that sort of thing. "Nii-san," he said softly. No answer, though an ear-flick in his direction. Aru put a glove on his brother's side. "Nii-san," he mumbled, a little louder. But he didn't have to shake the catboy, or do anything of the sort. At the touch (Aru had obviously put his hand on a bruised spot) his yellow eyes had snapped open, which he obviously thought was a crime, because he shut them again. (He'd looked directly at the flourescent light.)

"Aru.. what time is it...?" came his voice groggily, though he looked like he'd fallen asleep again.

"Um... midnight," said Aru slowly. "Why?" He didn't see any reason for his brother to ask this specific question when he woke up. Maybe he didn't have the animal's internal clock? Edward did like to check what time it was when he woke up, a habit he'd never shook. Obviously he wanted to know, even if he'd only woken up for a nap.

"Wondering. Why'd you get me up, anyway?" He sat up then, hands together between his spread legs as he rose from his sleeping position. If he hadn't been his subordinate, and Edward, to boot, Roy would have probably said that was rather cute. He didn't dare, though.

Roy broke in then, eyeing the pair. He gave Ed a look that clearly said "Shut up so I can talk", then began. "Because we need to examine you."

Which rather freaked out Edward. Examined? By Roy Mustang? What a day. "You're not touching me," he hissed. "Why does it have to be /you?"

Roy smirked. "Who said it'd be me, Fullmetal? Do you really want me that bad?" He nearly burst into a fit of laughter right there in front of his gang, but kept it down. He couldn't let that ruin his reputation. "Alright, then, fine. I'll conduct it myself."

And so it was that Edward Elric was carried out the door under his brother's arm, kicking and making a fuss with Roy striding ahead, rolling his eyes the whole way.

/We pray for our sorrows to end, and hope that our hearts will blend./

Finally, Aru had placed Ed on a metal table in Roy's private laboratory in his basement. Roy had paced around the perimiter of the barren room, with Ed watching him uncomfortably, tail flicking. "So what are you going to do?" he finally asked.

Roy looked up from pensive mode. "Ah. Right. Just look you over. That sort of thing." Which really sounded to Edward like the guy was going to rape him, or something. It didn't go over too well with him, but he stayed put.

Finally, he spat out, "Stop looking at me like that."

Roy cocked his head slightly, raven locks obeying gravity and doing the same. "Like what, exactly?"

"Like you're undressing me with your eyes. It's creepy."

Roy let out a chuckle. "Do I really seem that way to you, Edward?" He'd decided to drop the title. They weren't at work anymore, of course. It was kind of creepy to Ed, though, who was used to hearing the word Fullmetal fall off his superior's lips. Nothing you could do, though, right? Right.

"Yes," said Edward decidedly. The deities were against him today, it seemed; why couldn't Roy be some kind of closet sex offender?

Roy rolled his eyes. "Yeah. Thanks for the vote of confidence." He huffed a little, then continued. "I'm ready to begin, if you are."

The catboy groaned, then gave a sigh of defeat. "I've got no choice, have I?"

/Now I will step forward to realize this wish./

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Done! There, Taisa, there's your chapter. xD Be happy about it. Right, faithful readers -- looks over the small group Okay, so there's not many of you -- you know what goes on. R&R, all that crap.