The walk to the hotel was made in an odd cloud of different moods. Al could feel the now familiar helpless rage radiating off of his brother, mixed with an ever-growing sence of despair. The colonel had seemed sad in an odd way for the whole train ride - Al still couldn't pin it down. To add to the younger Elric's confusion, the man now seemed somehow... pleased. To understand that mood was beyond him. Al, himself, was wracked evenly with sadness and worry. Winry was gone, almost certainly taken by Wrath, and his brother was struggling to keep his head above the torrent of emotions unleashed by that event. It was all Al could do to lend him his support.

Not one of them spoke until they reached the hotel. Al had noticed Roy dropping back a little for the last few blocks, but as the Elric brothers stopped before their destination, the colonel broke away entirely, heading for a side street not far down.

"Colonel, what...?" Al began.

Ed's growel overrode his brother's soft voice. "What the hell?"

Roy looked impassively down at Ed. "I need to take care of some busines, Fullmetal," he said by way of explanation, his tone suggeting that the shorter alchemist didn't quite merit it. "I'll be back before morning." Having said his bit, he turned away, his stride unhurried as he stolled towards the intersection.

"Wha - that's not good enough! Come back here, you bastard!" Ed made as if to bolt after him, but Al cried out and grabbed his shoulder. His brother snarled and wrenched himself away, but didn't try to follow his superior. Instead, he turned without a word and stalked into the hotel, leaving Al to follow.

He did, after a moment. His brother was standing at the stairway, a room key in his hand and an expression of remorse on his face. Al couldn't bring himself to remain angry. Coming to stand alongside Ed, he simply whispered, "Let's get some rest."

Of couse, neither of them did sleep. For Al, it was just another endless night in a long series of endless nights, but for his brother, it soon seemed to be shaping up into the second night in a row of no slumber and less rest. For a long while, Ed tried to fall asleep while his brother silently watched - but it was futile, and he sat up after only a few hours.

"Where is that asshole?" were the first words that broke the silence. Swinging his legs out from under the covers to the floor, Ed shook his head in sluggish anger, long blond hair falling into his face. "It has to be one in the morning. Whatever he needed to do, he should have finished by now."

"Brother..." Al began doubtfully, a sense of deja vu washing through him.

He never got to finish. His brother had stood from the bed, leaning against the wall in his undershirt and boxers, when he suddenly spun and punched the wall. "Winry could be dead," he said, the strangled words ripping from his throat as Al shot to his feet in alarm at Ed's sudden violence.

"Brother! Stop, please!" he cried, and in response Ed punched the wall again, this time harder. He would have struck a third time - and might have put his hand through the wall - but for the armor arms that encircled him and held him fast.

"Get off me, Al!" The blond alchemist bucked and snarled, but his bother's grasp was unfaltering. After a while his struggles lessened, and then ceased; he slumped in exhaustion in his brother's arms, and grew sullenly silent.

Hesitantly, Al loosened his grip. When Ed did nothing more than sink into a sitting position on the floor, the younger Elric sighed in relief and said, more than a little angry, "What was that, Brother? I know you're worried about Winry - I am, too! But - "

"It's not just that," growled Ed, his voice strained from exhaustion and fury. "Winry could be dead," again came the possibility so savagely uttered before; now, however, it was whispered with a deep, aching sadness. "She could be dead, or hurt, or scared, and instead of helping us at all, that God-damned bastard is out chasing some fucking tail!" His voice had escalated from a whisper to a roar, and by the last word his entire body was tense and his face was once again contorted with rage.

The door banged open before he could take a breath.

Both boys whipped around, Ed springing to his feet and into a fighting stance as his brother stepped forward, gauntlets coming up. "Who - ?" the latter began, but he stopped as the light was flicked on.

Colonel Roy Mustang's humorless smile was the first thing that Al noticed, his unreadable black eyes the second. He looked tired, even through his cold expression and stiff professional bearing. At Ed's surly look his mirthless smile disappeared.

"What do you want?" The blond asked him through clenched teeth.

Roy simply looked at his subordinate silently for a moment, as if guaging his options. Al could see Ed gearing up to shout; apparently the Colonel could, as well. Preempting any outbursts, the older man turned his back on the two Elric brothers and beckoned.

"Come on."

--

AN: Again, a thank you to Yellow Mask, the Wonder Beta!

This one really echos the third chapter (Two), but is hopefully a lot heavier in terms of Ed's despair and anger. Haha. But I like how I wrote the door slamming open... it's my favorite part of this chapter, lol.

Two chapter after this one!