Argh! I can't seem to make long chapters with this story. Sigh. Oh well, hope that you enjoy this chapter anyway. Maybe now you'll quit bugging me about torturing you, heh heh heh. Of course, I'll always find another way to torture you all. Don't I always?

Disclaimer: I do not own. Need I say what I do not own? I hope that you're not that stupid. If you don't know what I don't own, PM me. I'll explain the concept of copyright to you.

"Al, are you awake?" Ed gently shook his brother until the boy wearily opened his eyes.

"What is it, Brother?" Al asked, concerned.

"The Colonel is sending me away for a few days while he does an investigation. The doctor says you're well enough to move around now, so I was wondering if you wanted to come along."

"You don't even have to ask, Brother," replied Al, "You know I'll always accompany you, wherever you go."

Ed smiled and chuckled a bit. "Yes, I know, but I still wanted to ask."

Al sat up in bed and rubbed the sleep out of his eyes. He was still pretty weak and tired, but he knew that he had enough strength to move around, so he wasn't going to let that bother him. He swung his feet over the side of the bed and carefully stood up, holding onto the railing on the side of the bed for support to avoid getting dizzy.

"So, Brother, where are we going?"

"Just to a little town a few hours away by train," said Ed. "The Colonel already had the tickets purchased. We'll have to hurry though, that train is about to leave. Here, let me help you walk." Ed put his arm around his brother's back and gently pushed him to walk at as fast a pace as he dared make Al walk.

Before long, both brothers were on the train. Al was looking out the window, thinking to himself. Ed was just looking off into the distance, almost like he was talking to someone who wasn't there. Al looked back up at Ed, and Ed snapped out of it.

"Brother," Al began, "What are you not telling me?"

Ed coughed. "What are you talking about, Al?"

"There's something that you're not telling me. You can't hide something like that from me, I'm your brother. What is it?"

"It's just…" Ed began, "…Well, military stuff…you know…classified stuff." Al nodded his head and grunted his understanding, though it was obvious that he didn't quite buy that excuse.

Ed sighed and relaxed into his seat, letting his back sag. He suddenly let out a yelp of pain and grasped his back.

"Brother, are you okay? What's the matter with your back?" cried Al.

"Relax, nothing's wrong with my back. I just laid on it the wrong way, is all. It's not a big deal, don't worry so much."

Al gulped and nodded. There was definitely something that his brother wasn't telling him, but he hadn't a clue what it was. He didn't bother Ed with any more questions though, because Ed was soon fast asleep.

After a few hours, the train came to a stop in the little town that the two were to get off at. Al woke Ed up, and the brothers made their way out of the train. Standing on the train platform, the two looked around at their new surroundings. It was mainly just a small country town. It reminded them a lot of Rizenbul, their hometown.

"Where do we go now, Brother?" asked Al, breaking the silence.

Ed rubbed his tired eyes and replied, "I guess that we should go and find ourselves a room to stay in while we're here. I don't have a map of this place, so I guess that we'll just have to stop someone and ask them where an inn is." Al nodded his response, and promptly fell into step behind his brother, who began walking towards town, since they didn't see anyone there at the train depot.

Ed finally managed to find someone who knew where an inn was, so while Ed went inside to secure themselves a room, Al waited outside for his brother. He looked around at all the street vendors and corner shops on the street, and couldn't help but wonder what kinds of goods these places were selling. He decided to go take a look. His brother would be able to find him easily.

He crossed the street to a worn down building with a lot of boxes in front of it and began pawing through a box of merchandise when he heard some commotion going on in the second story of the building before him. He didn't think anything of it until he heard the characteristic sound of bricks and wood falling…falling his way!

Time seemed to stand still for those couple seconds as he watched, helplessly, not able to move. Had he even been able to move, he would never have been able to get out of there in time. What those people in the second story had done to cause the wall to collapse like that, he would never know, but he knew his time was short…any second now…

Suddenly, he heard another sound which he couldn't pinpoint, and he felt a pair of hands grab him and hold him tight to shield him from the collapsing wall. He closed his eyes and waited for the inevitable crash that he knew would kill him…but it never came. He had heard the bricks fall, but they hadn't touched him. What had kept him alive?

He opened his eyes, and looked into the face of his brother, who was holding him tightly for dear life. "Are you okay?" Ed asked. Al nodded, still too stunned to speak, and he still didn't know how they had survived that collision. The answer soon became apparent, however, when Al cast his gaze upward a bit. There, rising from his brother's back and shielding both of their heads was a pair of large white wings.

Hope that you liked that chapter, now review. The more reviews, the faster the update, after all. Hope to see you around soon!