Guys, worship Kib. Because if it wasn't for her, this wouldn't be here now. I wrote this a long time ago, before my laptop committed suicide by jumping off that kitchen table, along with everything I worked for...all of my hopes...my pride and joy...and the laptop took them all with it...*sobs*

She also edited about the first half, I'm guessing. I'm not sure where it stops. ^_^; But you could probably guess.

But ANYWAY she happened to have this! HOORAY, much?

The beginning dialogue goes to her. She wrote the argument between our boys. Such amazing dialogue, she always was such a master at that.

But other than that, guess who?

"Are you sure that this is the right place?"

Giving a little shrug, the Xingese man straightened his long, dark ponytail, making sure it was tight at the base of his head. Patting down his bangs a little, he glanced over to the other side of the street, noticing that Amestrian men seemed to wear their hair short. He frowned to himself at this. He hoped to make a good impression – he didn't want to come across as a ruffian. Maybe a haircut wouldn't kill him...

"I know the Fullmetal is definitely in Central, and it can't be too hard to find him," he said, staring back at his companion's dark brown eyes. "As long as I keep in this area it should not be too difficult."

"How do you even know he'll be what everyone says of him? What if he's like the rest of this decrepit country – ?"

"Whatever it is it'll be better than Xing. I can actually walk the streets here without being attacked," he interrupted harshly, far from his usual laid-back temperament. "I know you've given up on hope but I will not give in yet. He's supposed to be a good man and I will find out for myself."

Sighing, she nodded as he walked off, left to trail after him in the seemingly futile search.

"Fullmetal?"

A sigh. "What?"

"I didn't get a chance to ask you earlier, but… why are Al and the others pretending to be recruits?"

"It's obvious, isn't it? So I can find out what each group's really thinking from the inside."

"… What are they 'really thinking'?"

Fullmetal shot him an irritated glance that practically dripped contempt. "Not everyone's face is as easy to read as yours, Mustang. They're all hardened criminals, used to lying and cheating. They say they want to join me, but how the hell could I know?"

"So… what, you think they'll just spill their secrets to the group that they've known for all of… one day? That's a bit naïve, Fullmetal."

"Don't call me naïve, babyface. If you want the definition of sweet naiveté, look in a mirror," he shot, producing a glower from Roy. "No, they won't just spill. That's why Al and the others are there. They're gonna provoke it, start spreading rumors about me. Put the doubts in their minds, throw temptation across their path, and see how loyal they really are. That's the real test. I know any of them could get through this maze blindfolded and with their arms and legs tied. But if there's any doubts in their minds about who their leader is… they're out of here."

"Any doubts? Like you said, they're hardened Brats; they've been in the Brat'ja for years! If they'd wanted to do something, they'd have done it before now."

"Or this could just be the perfect chance to get their hands on me."

"Fullmetal… those guys worship you." Roy was starting to feel exasperated. Was this guy blind? Everyone followed him like some sort of deity. How could he be so distrusting with all of them?

"You can never tell what someone's thinking, Mustang. I could be planning to kill you right now. You could be planning to do the same."

"… Yeah, I guess. But… that's just part of being human. We just have to trust in peoples' good nature, right?" Roy asked, trying to lighten up this dark mood, and Fullmetal wasn't actually planning on killing him, was he?

"I don't have to trust anyone," Fullmetal snarled as he kept walking, eyes set defiantly forward. His boots below him crunched random bits of glass and an occasional stray can that were scattered across the broken road.

"But you do anyway," Roy told him, thinking he could dodge a punch at this distance. Fullmetal stopped and looked at him, holding his eyes for a moment with his dark gaze before turning away and carrying on walking. "Wait, you've got to trust someone, right? I mean… Al and Winry would never hurt you, would they?"

"… No."

"And Kevin, Jeremy, all the guys… they're not out for your blood, are they?"

"… I… oh, shut it. This is the most bullshit I've ever heard."

"But…" Roy caught a glimpse of the dangerous glint of golden eyes in the dim light as he glared back at him, and belatedly took the hint. "Okay. Whatever you say."

They walked on for a little while, and Roy couldn't help wondering where they were going. It was strange to be alone with Fullmetal when everyone else seemed to have been given individual tasks. He'd evidently been singled out… and he had no idea why. Like Fullmetal said… he had no way of knowing what was going on in the younger man's head. Maybe I can pick the Fullmetal's brains a little. He seems pretty open tonight. Maybe it's 'cause I shot that… thing, yesterday. Maybe… at last, he's opening up.

"Hey… Fullmetal?"

Another sigh, somewhere between a growl and a groan this time. "Yes, Mustang?"

"… why aren't I in one of those groups?"

He chuckled wryly, not bothering to turn around. "I guess you're special."

"Thanks, I'm flattered," he replied sarcastically. "But I was serious."

"You want the honest answer?" Fullmetal threw back over his shoulder, tipping his head to stare at Roy with one sharp eye. Roy frowned at the grim look on the boy's face, but nodded all the same. The gang leader looked away again. "Because I don't trust you."

"… What?"

"All those guys are testing whether the recruits are trustworthy. How could I expect you to do that when I don't trust you either?"

Staring at the kid's back, Roy couldn't believe his ears. Of all these people, he was the one person being singled out as untrustworthy? Not only was that insulting, it was a little scary. Just how good is this kid's sixth sense for betrayal? "I saved your life yesterday," he muttered, trying to cover his discomfiture. "Doesn't that count for something?"

"Nope. Why should it?"

He blinked, not expecting that answer. In anyone's book, saving someone's life was one of the most noble and heroic acts a person could achieve. "Because… I put my life on the line for you. I… that…"

"So what? I've saved your life a fuckload of times since you got here, Mustang, and I don't think you even realize it. That's what we do here. It's nothing special, and it's definitely not nearly enough to earn my trust."

He said it like it meant absolutely nothing that Roy just risked his own life for someone who was so dead-set on never trusting him. Gritting his teeth, Roy threw the first barb out at Fullmetal, hoping it would sink deep. "So you expect people to just throw themselves in front of bullets and… and monsters, and think nothing of it? How the hell can you treat your subordinates like they're just toy soldiers, dying for the cause or some such shit? They follow you, Fullmetal. They trust you. Why can't you do the same thing for them?"

Fullmetal whipped around at him, brow furrowing as he shouted at him. Apparently Roy had hit a soft spot. He screamed, "Because I can't know what they're thinking! Everything they do, everything they say, it could all be an act, Mustang; I have no way of telling! So you saved my life? Big deal! Maybe you just wanted to gain my trust. Then you can just betray it, and then what?"

The way his voice cracked, the way his eyes looked moist reminded Roy that it was still a child he was attacking. But he couldn't back down now, Fullmetal was on track of Roy's plans and he had to shake him off. Clenching his hands into fists he yelled back.

"But we have to trust each other! We're comrades, we're friends! You say the Brat'ja are like family. How can you not trust your family?"

"Because when you trust people, you just get hurt! You put all your hope and faith in them, you really believe in them, and then they just turn on you and destroy you! As soon as you open up to them, they just use you and hurt you and give you up! That's what HAPPENS when you trust people!"

Roy took a step back, only just realizing that they had stopped in the middle of the road, directly under a poorly maintained street lamp. He ignored that all as he stared back at Fullmetal, never seeing him so close to breaking apart, never so close to being a kid like he was supposed to be.

"What...what do you mean? What happened to you?" His curiosity was truly his worst enemy and it would get him killed one day. But his attention was focused solely on the blond across from him who was heaving in breaths like he had ran for his life for the past hour.

Grimacing, Fullmetal shook his head. "Fuck this. I don't need to deal with you! Just fucking leave, you bastard! I don't want to have anything to do with you! Leave!"

"What are you talking about? You're acting like a child! Just talk to me-!"

Throwing his hands to his sides, Fullmetal made a noise and for a second Roy thought he was going to charge and kill him, but instead he stormed off, not casting one look back at Roy.

A little thrown off for a moment, Roy stared at Fullmetal's retreating red-clad back, and just stared. He wasn't really leaving him out here on his own, was he? He wasn't scared but he most certainly had no clue how to get back on his own. Kicking himself into motion, he started following after Fullmetal, trying to keep himself from running to catch up to him like some lost child. He would not allow himself to be degraded that low. Ever.

But the furious blond seemed to sense that Roy was following despite of his bellowed orders and sped up. That little brat! And Roy had just recently witnessed first hand the speed Fullmetal possessed; the kid could walk quite faster than Roy had ever seen anybody do. Feeling himself fall behind, Roy nearly yelled out when Fullmetal made a quick, hurried turn and disappeared into a dark side-alley. Instead of frantically running after him like he wanted to, Roy groaned and stepped over to a crate next to one of the closest buildings running parallel with the road they had been traveling on.

Seating himself on the wooden crate, which groaned like some rickety chair he could remember in a certain Colonel's office, he ground his face into his hands, rubbing furiously at the temples. This was fucking great. What the hell had possessed him to piss off his way back home?

No… not home. It was that shitty hotel that could hardly ever pass for a home for anyone in their right mind. And none of the Brat'ja were in their right minds, especially not Fullmetal. He should have remembered that common courtesy was sometimes just common sense, just like ordering at a restaurant. Do not mess with the people that handle your food. At all. After you get the food, then slander them all you like, but you most certainly would not want to go back there in fear of being remembered.

Now, he just messed with his guide and his guide fucked him over and left him stranded in the middle of nowhere.

Where was Roy's infamous luck now? The luck that always got him out of these problems, that always let him slide by an examination date for his unit under his Colonel, that made sure he had some smooth and dashing excuse to the higher ups as to why he hadn't completed his report on some section of the city, or a reason of why he was so late into the office? Useful as it always had been in the past, it seemed to have deserted him now.

Feeling the hair on his arms prickle, he jerked his head up, staring out through what little light the street lamps provided. Roy was sure that if the solar power panels on the lamps hadn't been built so well, the lamps would have been ruined within the week that the place had been deserted. He certainly hoped they wouldn't go out. They were the only light to see by – and he had a sudden, frightening premonition that there was something he needed to see.

At the moment all he could remember was shifty, paranoia filled gold eyes darting every way while outside. The kid was paranoid as hell and Roy suddenly remembered at that moment that he had every reason to be that way. Roy wasn't protected by his navy blue uniform and trusty handgun at his hip anymore. He was little more than a scavenger like the rest of the Brat'ja gang and he had let himself drop his guard within three seconds of being alone. Maybe Fullmetal was right. He had saved Roy's life numerous times. While Roy was blissfully unaware and trusting, following Kevin or Al and on occasion, Fullmetal, he had been protected the entire time from slipping up and getting his neck slit by some born-of-the-street whack job. Feeling his stomach lurch, he glanced from side to side, trying to identify every outline, every silhouette. Is this what Fullmetal lived through all his life? Was he never able to just sit back and relax without expecting someone to jump from the shadows and attack?

Grinding his jaw to keep the giddiness of his anxiety down, he hopped up from his seat at the crate and started to stride for the side alley that Fullmetal had disappeared down. Maybe if he ran then he could catch him and apologize and maybe beg on his knees to be led back to the hotel? At this point, Roy could tell his pride to go fuck itself. He was weaponless, lacking hand-to-hand combat skills, almost completely blind in the darkness and had no chance of surviving an attack. All his mind jumped to was that night, and he was most certain that the odds were stacked against him with an H.A.E.

Straining to hear any tiny little movement or sound – and only seeming to get pure silence – he started at a fast walk towards the alley, feeling a little sick about walking into the pitch darkness without knowing what was there. Just as he was about to break into a run to catch up with Fullmetal, he heard a shout.

Freezing in place, he held his breath, ears straining for just a voice, just a little sign that there were Brat'ja around. He knew that each group had Al, Kevin and the others in them. So if he found a group there would be a friendly face. Turning in place, he broke out into a run towards the shout, just hoping it was a group and not some illegal experiment. Of course, the Chimwaws or whatever they were called were all dead; Fullmetal was certain of it. So why did he have an itchy feeling that there was something out there…?

Voices started filtering through the air and Roy wanted to grin like an idiot, but he kept his expression schooled and made the turn at the corner of a brick building –

– heard a yell: "Roy – !"

– and went straight down to the ground, hearing a distinct "oof" as he landed on someone and was soon tangled in flailing limbs. Scrambling at the ground with his hands, he tried to grasp purchase of some leverage as he sat up and blinked down at frazzled-looking Alphonse. Roy's eyes widened and he bit his tongue hard to keep his expression blank. Had he just… run into the kid? For a moment he was very glad of the darkness – it meant Al and the group of smirking gangsters behind him couldn't see the flush of mortification on his cheeks.

"… Sorry about that, Alphonse," Roy managed to say eventually as he quickly stood up, refraining from rubbing the side that Al's knee had jabbed into. His voice was incredibly smooth, considering… well, everything. "Are you… okay?"

The soldier tried holding a hand out to help the boy up, but Al just shook his head, looking slightly stunned as he grabbed his stomach and took in deep, wheezing breaths. This began to worry Roy. He started to crouch down and reach out for Al's shoulder, to maybe help him up but Al just smiled and waved him off.

"Just...knocked...the wind-" He gasped in another breath, "Out of me...really good."

Roy really did feel bad, he didn't feel at all like he had gotten some revenge on the kid from breaking his nose the first day (which was still tender at times). He vaguely remembered his own knee driving all of his weight into Al's abdominal area. At that the guilt flooded in and he grimaced.

"Damn. Are you sure you're alright?" Roy asked again, looking up behind Al and noticing some other people standing there. But in this light he could barely make anyone's face out.

Al took several more deep breaths before standing up and patting his stomach gently, "It's fine. I've had a lot worse. I should have known better and moved out of the way. I'm just used to people...seeing me."

At that comment Roy frowned. Was it really his fault that he didn't have the freakish ability to see perfectly in the dark?

"Hey, don't be upset," Al assuaged. "It's really my fault. I heard you coming down the street so I should have called out to you sooner or at least known you were going to run into me if I went to the corner. It's my fault."

"You heard me coming down the street? How were you sure it wasn't some enemy?"

Al smiled, but something seemed to have clicked in his brain when it suddenly disappeared. "...Where's Fullmetal?"

Roy shrugged and he visibly saw Al's throat tighten, even in this darkness. He quickly answered before Al got any ideas. "We had a disagreement and he left."

"He left you?" Al nearly shouted, which had Roy just about recoiling in shock and almost fear. Al had never reacted this way towards him before. He was always the calm, understanding one who used violence as a last resort. And even then he'd try to dissuade the conflict or disappear before it had to be used. Now he was livid looking and Roy had the eerie feeling of deja vu, like when Fullmetal got angry at him. They were almost too similar.

"It really was my fault," Roy started, wondering where the sudden need to defend Fullmetal came from. The stupid kid could protect himself just fine! "I said things on my own part that I shouldn't have."

"Still!" Al hissed, grabbing Roy's arm and steering him further away from the group that Al was with, and started speaking in a low voice, "He should be a leader and not make rash decisions like this! That idiot! You could have been hurt. You can't be left out here on your own, are you alright? You weren't hurt at all, were you?"

Feeling rather embarrassed and humiliated, Roy put his I'm-in-charge-I'm-the-adult voice on and shook his head, "I'm fine, Alphonse. I'm not a child, you know. I know how to take care of myself. I was a former officer of the military, remember?"

Pursing his lips, Al seemed uncertain as he spoke again, "Still. You're not as...adept out here like everyone else. You're new to this. You're not used to this kind of danger. I know you can handle yourself, but here you can't make any mistakes or you could have been seriously hurt. You've already made several mistakes, you know."

Roy furrowed his brow as he stared at Al. "Like what?"

"I could hear you running a mile away, Roy. You're terribly loud...Sorry. You look like you're guilty and scared. Which these guys-" He jerked his head over his shoulder, indicating the others watching them warily, "Would eat you alive for. You argued with Fullmetal. You don't even have any means of protection, no weapons. You could have at least got a-"

"Alright."

"Look. It's perfectly fine. It's not your fault. It's Fullmetal's. He should have been with you this entire time and not acted like a child and left you," Al sighed, folding his arms. "You can stay in my group. We're already finished with the mock mission, we're headed back now."

Feeling utterly relieved, Roy nodded. Thank God or whoever happened to be watching over him, because he got to go home. Al seemed to sense his relief since he was smiling again. He turned back towards the group and Roy followed him but immediately bumped into the smaller boy's back as Al abruptly came to a stop.

"Can you hear that?" he whispered over his shoulder.

Not taking another step, Roy listened. He could hear breathing. Loud breathing. He didn't know if it was his own or Al's but it sounded awfully big.

They heard one of the Brat recruits swear and Al snatched up his knife from the inside of his boot, shoulders hunching defensively.

Whatever it was, Al was definitely scared.

No, no, no! This can't be happening! One of them? Now?

Al steeled himself, looking every which way. He wanted to shout for his brother, wanted to scream at the other Brat'ja to run, but his throat was locked up in a vice grip and he could hardly breathe. The other Brat'ja had a chance at surviving. But if he didn't get them to run quick enough, then he was pretty sure they could team up, but that didn't guarantee everyone would live. They were large in numbers but at the moment, Al could only think of was making sure everyone survived.

The only one who was at the highest chance of dying was Roy.

Swallowing tightly, Roy clenched his fists and stared hard through the darkness. His eyes had adapted slightly to it before, but now, he was amazed.

The fear-inducing adrenaline was pumping through his limbs and he could see. Everything was too loud, but he could see everything. But his heart pounding in his head was drowning out even his own breathing.

There was a loud snap that sounded like a large wood beam splintering and Al turned, staring past Roy, yelling at everybody.

"A Chimera? Run! Now!"

Everybody looked over and Roy felt his stomach drop. He instinctively ducked, his hair rising on his neck, and turned on his heels, staring up at the most fearsome yellow stare he'd ever seen.

It was even more terrifying than Fullmetal's.

When Fullmetal had said "Chimera", Roy thought of the ancient Cretan mythology, of the goat and lion headed, snake-for-a-tail beast that breathed fire. This was less bizarre, but not any less frightening.

It had a thick head that looked like a mixture between a wolf's and a lions, with a long, snarling muzzle. Its brown mane was matted with the city's filth, losing it's sheen. All in all, it was an over grown lion, but mixed with something huge, like a whale or an elephant. The top of its head easily reached ten feet high and it emanated deadliness. Roy could only stare, crouched low to the ground as it stared him down with its teeth bared and its ears pinned. He knew he was a dead man if he made so much as twitched a finger, so he held his breath, waiting for it to make its kill, to sink in its teeth that were each easily as long as his hand. If only it would be quick than he would be happy. He lived quite a unfulfilled and unsuccessful life, but at least he could slow the Chimera down while the others got away. At least he could die knowing that much. Let Al and the others flee while it chewed on his bones like chicken wings.

"Roy." Al said lowly, making the Chimera's ears flick before pinning flat again. Another ugly snarl emanated from the beast. "When I say, run behind me."

Roy couldn't believe what he was saying. Al was trying to save him? But Roy was supposed to be the martyr! He would be a dead man anyway because Fullmetal would kill him for letting Al die. Letting one of your homicidal leader's closest friends die for you wasn't exactly a smart idea.

He almost considered it. What a coward he was.

"No, Al. Just take the others and go. It's already eyeing me. I'm more appeasing than you, it seems." Roy let himself smirk at this and the Chimera crouched. Anyone with a decent sized brain could read that body gesture. Every single damn cat did it, and it meant one thing.

It was going to pounce.

He watched in horror as its shoulders shifted, rocking it in place as it eyed him, toyed with him. Of course it wanted to play with him before it snapped him in two. Just as he braced himself for the massive creature to bound on him and tear him to little bits, he saw a flash of silver and something embedded itself into the Chimera's eye.

It shrieked in pain and rage as it batted at its eye to dislodge Al's throwing knife. Roy blinked in surprise and scrambled backwards from the flailing and screaming Chimera.

"Go!" Al shouted again at the Brats behind them, "That's a direct order from Fullmetal! No fighting the Chimeras!" He was snatching up Roy's arm and tugging him. The other Brat'ja, as much as some of them hated to be cowards, turned and fled. They didn't even bother with questioning how Al was able to give orders while they were still under the deception of him being a recruit like the rest of them, but all the same they ran.

Roy stumbled up to his feet and felt Al shove him, but he grasped Al's wrist and knocked it away, glancing back over at the animal. He felt something like cold steel press against his hand and stared down at the knife Al was handing him. He had his light gray eyes still trained on the Chimera, fumbling at his back for something attached to his belt.

"If you wanna pass assessment, don't die," Al joked grimly, pulling out a dark metal gun, concealed in the waistline of his pants under his shirt. Roy stared at it for a moment as Al took aim before the first gun shot rang out, ringing in his ears.

The Chimera pounced, the bullet doing absolutely nothing, and ignored the knife still embedded deeply in it's eye. It nearly caught Roy by the calf as he threw himself out of the way. Stones and glass cut his free palm as he braced himself against the ground, still clutching the knife for all he was worth.

He quickly turned and scrambled upwards and felt the pain shoot through his leg, but disregarded it.

It seemed the beast actually had landed a blow on his leg after all.

Ignoring the burning blood rolling down his leg and soaking the ripped material of his pants, he surged forward, still high on adrenaline and fear as he hurtled at the Chimera, knife raised and aimed right at it's neck. Al was backing up, gun aimed, but not shooting as the Chimera slowly backed him into one of the brick buildings, planning to corner him.

Grabbing it with two hands, Roy clenched the hilt of the knife and brought it down as hard as he could, sinking it into the neck of the thick, bristly golden-brown fur and heard the satisfyingly loud squelch.

Before he had a chance to withdraw and stab again, the Chimera reared up it's head, taking the knife with it as it howled in pain and swiped out at him, sending him backwards and skidding along the tarmac of the road before Roy clawed his way to a stop.

Sufficiently knocked out of wind, Roy felt the pain explode in his side, causing him to cry out, clasping at his waist.

Fuck, that barely even nicked him and he's still going. How the hell am I meant to kill it?

When he heard Al's yelp of pain, the blood rushed out of his head, leaving him woozy. This was it. They were going to die. Roy screwed up again and he couldn't even save a little boy from the monstrous animal that was batting them around like play toys.

There was a click-clatter and something skidded by him. He heard more yells and he blearily stared at the gun that had skidded to a stop, not even five paces away.

Gripping his wounded side tightly, he scoot-crawled across the road as quickly as he could, reaching for the gun. Al had stopped yelling and his heart was slowly sinking as he scooped up the gun, turning on the wild eyed Chimera as it looked up from Al, staring at him with a boiling hatred, ready for its second kill. Al was cradling a slash mark on his chest as he leaned against the building, eyes clamped shut.

Snapping the hammer back, Roy took aim and pointed it at the furry brown head, gun rattling in his hand. Quickly, just as it took a bound, he squeezed the trigger with his finger and felt the gun kick back and swing his arm back wards, forcing him to let go of the firearm as it flew further down the road.

The screaming howl was loud in his ears as the Chimera slumped to it's side, foam flecking it's flanks as it breathed harshly, staring out at Roy.

Quick! Finish it now!

Blundering up to his feet, side thankfully numb, he moved as quickly as he could hobble over to the stunned beast, glaring malice out at him.

The idea slipped into his mind before he could even think it through. He promptly snatched the knife from the Chimera's neck and drove it into the beasts other eye, knowing the blade was much longer than the previous knife that Al had lodged into it's other eye. Shoving with his whole weight, the Chimera thrashed suddenly, nearly throwing Roy off to the side, but he crammed the knife all the way through it's socket until the hilt had disappeared into the skull.

Still twitching, the Chimera laid there, sides unmoving. Roy shakily took his hands off of it, unconsciously wiping his hands on his shirt, still staring at the Chimera and expecting it to lunge up and attack.

Taking in deep, shuddering breaths, Roy limped to Al, grabbing his arm and pulling him up. He didn't know if the kid was still alive, but he had to get back to the hotel. He had to go now.

With a lot of effort and pain Roy managed to throw Al over his shoulders. He struggled to his feet for a moment, but staggered and started walking.

This was insane.

His whole body was flaring. He could feel his numb side burn to life as it started notifying him that his body was hurt and it needed treatment now, now that the adrenaline had worn off.

Swallowing tightly he hefted up Al, making sure he wouldn't slip and reached the end of the road in what felt like seconds. He could barely even remember walking. All he could think of was the pain, which was much worse than that of a broken bone.

Maybe it was a broken bone. He wouldn't doubt that his hip was out of place and several ribs were snapped like toothpicks, but Al was his priority right now. The kid saved his life so now it was time to return the favor.

"Let's call it an equivalent exchange," Kevin grinned.

But even then, Al was so nice. He would have saved the kid anyway. Al deserved so much more. He deserved a life, a home, a brilliant education. He was so bright. Al was the kindest person Roy had met, and probably would be the kindest he would ever meet. But he could not allow him to die in a place like this. To die like that. To die for him, a traitorous scum bag.

Gritting his teeth, Roy kept walking forward, looking for a familiar, decrepit building, a light, just a sign back to the hotel. Right now he wanted Winry or Kevin. Hell, even Fullmetal. At least then he could care for Al, lead him back to his room. room number 40. He could remember it as clearly as if he were there right now.

A soft groan slipped from the bundle on his shoulder, and Roy blinked, stopping in his tracks.

"Al? Are you awake?" He asked, a little stupidly. Of course he wasn't awake. If he was he would have said something by now. Unless he was in too much pain to even speak.

Beginning to worry, Roy tightened the arm that wrapped around Al's legs and lifted his other hand to Al's back, leaning forward. As he knelt, Al slipped back over his shoulder, and Roy carefully put him on the ground. He stared intensely at him, looking for the subtlest sign that he was conscious, or even alive. In this state of panic Roy couldn't even think of putting his fingers to Al's throat or wrist to check for a pulse.

But he was breathing! Roy could hear it! It was rattling, but it was still there. Sighing in relief he gently tapped Al's cheek, trying to wake him up.

"Al. Al, wake up," Roy persisted, reaching behind the boy's head and trying to lift him up. It was then that he realized that the back of his head was wet. When he eased Al's head back to the ground he withdrew his hand and stared at the fresh dots of blood, which were fresher than the Chimera blood. It wasn't a lot, surprisingly. Since head wounds bled a lot, it must mean that Al hadn't gotten hit hard.

Unless it was more internal damage.

Groaning in both pain and frustration, Roy staggered back up to his feet, looking around. He took a few steps as he looked around, trying to find something, anything, to help him help Al, despite his own pressing injuries.

It was then he heard the familiar shout of horror.

Ed was fraught with fear as he started running towards the shout.

It was from the voice his ears were attuned to, the owner of that voice was the person he was meant to protect with his life. It was his very own little brother. He was shouting.

Pushing off the ground with his automail leg harder than he was supposed to, he took a corner around one of the many brick buildings that had long ago belonged to the city of Central, but now stood dormant and rotting away. He could feel the bite of tears but he ignored them and ran.

Just as he was about to shout out for Al, to tell his brother that he was coming and he was on his way and he wouldn't let anything hurt him, he saw a solitary figure standing near one of the buildings.

A few paces away was a familiar body on the ground, struggling to sit up.

"What did you do?" He screamed, never feeling quite as terrified in his life.

Roy looked over at him and had the guts to look relieved as he pointed over at Al, walking back towards him. "You have no idea how glad I am you came. Al-"

"What? So you can attack me too? Is that it? You're going to hurt a little kid that didn't do a damned thing, you son of a- Stay away from him!" Ed shrieked as he shook with anger, snatching at the side of his belt as he quickly withdrew the gun, the thing he most despised, but at the moment, he was perfectly glad he kept it.

Roy put his hands up in front of him, wincing in pain as he shook his head, "No, no! You don't understand! A chimera-!"

Ed floundered for a moment, then stalked over to him, gun aimed at Roy's head. "You dirty liar. I know they're dead! You think I'm an idiot?"

To his shock, Roy made a pained noise and dropped to his knees, curling around the arms wrapped around his waist. He was shaking, "No. You don't understand! It's back- it's back there- I-"

Al made a keening noise, boiling Ed's fury over the top as he starting walking back towards Roy. So it looked like Al had gotten some hits to the bastard. But at the moment he could barely see as he stopped in front of the man kneeling in front of him and drove the barrel of the handgun into the pale forehead, ready to pull the trigger. He was shaking – he had never killed anyone, not like this, not directly to their faces. His guts flipped and he felt the beads of sweat building up on his forehead and trickling down his nose.

"You're a filthy slime! You deserve to die!" Ed screamed, ignoring the tears that were slipping down his face, mingling with the beads of sweat. "I hope you go to hell, you bastard!"

Slamming the hammer back, he almost pulled the trigger but a voice cried out and a hand snatched his wrist, nearly making him drop the gun out of shock.

"Brother! Don't!"

Roy was pale naturally, but his skin felt transparent with lack of blood as Fullmetal drove the barrel into his forehead with enough force to break the skin and cause a little bead of blood to grow just below the metal mouth of the gun. He shook, his voice was gone, and all he could do was wait until Fullmetal put him out of his misery.

Just as the loud click rang through his ears and echoed in his mind, a voice broke out and he felt a jolt through the gun as he looked up, seeing that Al was clutching his leader's – no – his brother's wrist. His other hand protectively curled against the slash in his chest.

Fullmetal was staring at Al like he had never seen something like him before. The whites of his eyes easily seen in the dark.

"...Al?"

Al pulled on his brother's wrist again, grabbing the gun with his bloodied hand and easing the hammer back into place.

"You've got to stop being so rash, you idiot," Al rasped, smiling weakly. "You almost killed the guy that saved my life."

Completely forgetting Roy, Fullmetal dropped to his knees and threw his arms around the younger boy's neck, pulling him against himself in a tight hug, but mindful of his chest injury.

"Oh god, I thought you were going to die, Al. I was so scared."

Feeling the edges of his vision blur, Roy stared harder, trying to work this out.

His brother?

Fullmetal has a brother?

The back of his head erupted in sharp pain, and he was suddenly looking up at the sky, blinking confusedly as he wondered what was going on and how he got on his back.

"Shit!" He heard Fullmetal swear. "I need to get you guys back. How bad are your injuries, Al? Was it really a chimera that got you two?"

Roy didn't hear any answer from Al but he suspected that he nodded, saving his breath from talking.

"Here, let me check this-"

"Don't. It's not bad, it just really stunned me. I was in shock. You need to get him back, he has the severe wounds."

"But, Al-"

"Now."

"Can you walk? How do you expect me to carry both of you home?"

"Yeah, the bleeding stopped. I might have a few broken ribs, but it's nothing, really."

Roy was slightly shocked at how quickly Al was recuperating from that injury. He had seriously thought that Al was going to die and he said it was nothing?

He felt a slight tug at the hem of his shirt and cold air was biting his skin as he took a sharp intake of breath.

"Oh shit. This is bad. Hey, are you awake?" he heard Fullmetal ask. Someone's hand touched his forehead. He hadn't realized his eyes had fallen shut, so he opened them back up, vision swimming.

"How bad is bad?" He asked, though his voice was still weak.

"Bad enough that you would have died if you didn't save Al. I've been hoping you would just die on your own, but it looks like I'm stuck with you for now."

Roy felt a twitch of irritation as he bit his tongue. Still with the asshole remarks, huh?

"Be nice," Al warned Fullmetal, grimacing as he shifted and scooted over closer to Roy's side, "I'm sorry...you had to go through that..." Al had to breathe slowly and Fullmetal was casting him worried glances.

"Are you sure it's not that bad. It's not too deep, but it looks pretty bad, Al-" Fullmetal began, but Al cut across him.

"My guts aren't hanging out!"

Roy's world skidded to a stop. He saw Al snap his jaw close as his eyes shot a look back over at Roy's, realizing his mistake. Beginning to panic, he put his hands on either side of him and struggled to sit up, but he felt a firm, metal hand on his chest and shoved him onto his back, pinning him with enough force to break his sternum if any more pressure was applied.

"Way to go, Al. Freak him out."

Freak me out?

"I'm sorry-" Al coughed, making a grab for his chest again and Fullmetal grabbed Al's shoulder with his free hand.

"Lay down, right now."

Without much complaint, Roy saw Al disappear from his view as he laid back as his brother commanded. Golden eyes swiveled back towards him and he flinched, but the panic wasn't subsiding.

He fumbled with his hands, trying to feel the wound. His intestines? They were out? They couldn't be! They were supposed to be on the inside!

Slapping his hands aside, Fullmetal gave him a baleful look. "Do you want to bleed to death, moron?"

"What are you going to do? What can you do? Are my intestines really out-?" He started but Fullmetal grinned at him.

"You're in shock."

No shit!

"Just calm down. I'm not letting you die. I'm sure Winry is right on my tail. She'll get here and she can properly sew it, but I need to...rearrange some things."

Oh god. So they were out. Roy felt sick, like he was going to puke, but that would be hard since his stomach was on the outside! Why couldn't he feel it? Shouldn't he be in immense, blinding, white-hot pain?

"When you're in shock you don't feel the pain," Fullmetal told him, reading his mind. "But it's going to wear off pretty quick and I need to give you a shot."

"A shot? You mean injection? You should be fixing the guts pouring out of me, not focusing on something so mundane!"

Fullmetal sneered at him as he leaned backwards and lifted the right side of his jacket, showing a leather pouch attached to his belt next to his gun holster.

"You need a tranq, you idiot. Your guts aren't pouring out. Some of your intestines are showing and one of them is ripped. I hope you know this really grosses me out. Human anatomy is fucking disgusting."

"So happy to give you some sort of grief, Fullmetal."

Roy noticed Al hadn't said a word since he had laid down. He was going to safely assume he fell asleep. If something was wrong, Fullmetal would sense it like a hound dog and drop Roy like a hot rock.

"I bet you are, asshole. Now, you're going to lie still while I do this. You can't move at all." Fullmetal warned, pulling a plastic cylinder from his hip pouch. He frowned at the needle and syringe encased in the plastic. Just how big did the needle need to be? Before Roy could even blink, Fullmetal had uncapped the needle and swiped his skin with something cold and wet and jabbed him with the needle. He resisted, only just flinching at the brutal treatment because Fullmetal had told him not to move.

As Fullmetal drew the needle back from his skin, Roy could already feel his head feeling heavier than it already did. His already swirling vision started spiraling and he felt his eyes start to droop.

"I'll see you in a few days." Fullmetal told him, but he was looking fuzzy... "Have a nice coma."

Ed was trembling when Winry showed up, flanked by Kevin.

"Boss? Are they okay?" Kevin asked, rushing past Winry and dropping next to their leader and staring down at the motionless man. "Hey. Hey, he ain't dead, is he?" Kevin asked, Ed could hear the panic swelling in Kevin's voice, "Al-boy's okay too, right?"

Forcing a smile up at Kevin, Ed nodded his head, "Yeah, they're both fine. Al's just suffering some shock. I think his lungs are bruised and he definitely broke some ribs. Mustang got a slash and it ripped his stomach open."

Winry knelt next to Al, brushing his hair out of his face. His gray eyes flickered and he stared up at Winry dazedly and smiled.

"I'm fine, Win. Just make sure Roy doesn't get an infection. Okay?"

Not answering, Winry pursed her lips and stared over at Ed who wasn't looking at her. "Are you going to explain?"

"... He knows," Ed simply said, shaking his head.

"I'm sorry, Ed." Al whispered, "But you were going to shoot him. I couldn't let you. It just slipped-"

"Woah, woah, woah! He knows your name?" Kevin exclaimed. Winry eyes widened.

"No, of course not. He knows that Al's my brother. I...I thought he hurt Al...I was going to shoot him but, Al stopped me. I just...I don't know what we should do with him now-"

"We're keeping him alive!" Al snapped, sitting up with some difficulty. Winry grasped his shoulders to support him but he ignored her. "We're not hurting him, brother."

"What if he's a spy, Al? What if he tries using you as a hostage?" Ed snapped back, jamming a finger at motionless Roy. "I just drugged him with enough tranquilizers to bring down a fucking elephant. He'll be lucky to even get out of this coma!"

Al's eyes widened as he opened his mouth, "You what? You drugged him? You know better than- You wanted to kill him, didn't you? You know better than that!"

Looking away, Ed stared at the building opposite of him.

Al squirmed in place. "I can't believe you! He saved my life! I trust him, Brother, I trust him. He's my friend, he saved me from that Chimera. He killed it, he could have died, he could have let me die, but he killed it for me! He could have ran with the others but he stayed with me!" He finished with a scream, pounding his fist onto the ground, making Kevin flinch. Winry looked down at the ground, still holding Al by his shoulders.

Ed stared back at Al, eyes narrowing. "I still don't trust him," he huffed.

"You don't trust anyone." Al sneered, making Ed grit his teeth. "You don't even trust me."

"Al-"

"No!"

They stared each other down for a few moments, gold trying to split through steel.

"I won't let him die," Ed finally said, listening to Kevin's exhale of breath and watching Winry wrap her arms around Al carefully in a soothing hug. Winry's eyes met Ed's and they both knew that the other still didn't trust the man, despite Al's claims.

Al nodded slowly, looking away, but his fists were still clenched.

"So he really killed a Chimera on his own? And Al-boy couldn't?" Kevin asked in awe, breaking the silence. That was one thing Ed like about Kevin. He knew how to fill those painful silences. "How could he do that when he couldn't even lay a hit on Al before?"

"I don't know." Ed admitted, "Maybe he's a lot better a guy than I thought..." He looked over at Al. "I don't trust him completely, but he's got some of my trust. Does that make you feel any better?"

Frowning, Al shook his head. "No. I want you to tell him. Not me."

Taking a deep breath, Ed nodded and signaled for Winry to come over, "I'm not sure how good my sewing job is, but it stopped the bleeding. When we get back I'll need you to cut them out and re-do them neater. We might need a blood transfusion too, so we'll need his blood type. Kevin," Ed looked over towards the brunette, "I need you to make a trip to the hospital and get some blood for me."

Kevin grinned, "I think I can finally break my stealing-blood-from-the-hospital record. Forty-six minutes was my last time, right?"

Rolling his eyes and suppressing a grin at Kevin's simplicity, Ed straightened up, standing on his own feet, though feeling shaky. "First we're going to have to get them back."

o.O Sorry some of you can't review. I deleted all of the author notes so if you technically reviewed this chapter, then you can't review again. :[

Edit: Some small edits by Orange Singer

Thanks Orange Singer! =D 3