Alteration-

"I started noticing him back when I thought companions were a worthy and valuable asset. Whenever I would become upset, angry, or even slightly violent, he came and took over me. Dare I say it was not possession? Hardly. I still can remember what happened during those instances and still am able to recall what I felt as I injured people around me. Whether it be with words or actions.

He was like a voice, always lying presumably dormant inside my head, and docile he would stay, as long as I did the same. But, when I lost control, he came into power with an absolute dictatorship.

Coaxing me into doing things was his favorite hobby. Not necessarily things that were wrong and dirty. More like convincing me it was okay to punch Al when he called me short."

'The brothers, forsaken with another disagreement due to their impending teenage years of disobedience were having another war. This time with fists instead of words. Ironically, after the fact, neither could remember what they were arguing on in the first place.

Edward, although somewhat shorter, was older and stronger when it came to brute force with muscle, hence he could easily shove Al to the ground.

However, when Alphonse chose that moment to retort a comment back suggesting that Ed's height was undoubtedly laced in with the capacity of his brain to understand a situation, the everyday brotherly fight turned far more violent than necessary.

Come now, Chibi. Can't you see? He's mocking you. You didn't cry at Mother's funeral, now did you? That's what he's angry about. Our brother is jealous, because you acted stiff and rigid, whereas he could barely contain his sobs. After all, we all know that grown men like us shouldn't cry. Isn't that right?

The elder sibling listened to the voice whispering in his ear, and decided that he agreed with it. So, when more nudges and pushes came from a darker half, he punched Alphonse clear across the nose. The impact drove the boy back down to the floor that he had rose up from in retaliation. Bits of blood darkened their carpet, staining the victim's face and the executer's conscience.

What the hell did I just do? He screamed to himself, ignoring the calming voice that had persuaded this act.

Ed watched Al slowly pull himself off of the floor, shakily bracing on the sofa before standing a full height brokenly.

Staring into his brother's golden eyes, into the face of the one who was his role model and near best friend, Alphonse hissed a deadly message. The implication was so strong, that it hit Edward's ears as a cry.

Suddenly, he recalled what had started this. Being the more optimistic of the two, Al had been asking him when their Dad would come home (disregarding that he left when their Mother departed this world).

For an unknown reason, this had always irked him. He hated his old man and preferred not to think of him if given the chance. To let the waters of their rocky relationship cool was his backdrop, something he relied on daily. And yet, his little brother seemed so determined to disrupt the balance.

Am I not good enough for him? Ed had wondered, and that maybe that was why Al was so insistent that their Father would come back.

Rather than dismissing the queries like he realized he should have, he spurted out something akin to the man not giving a damn about them.

I hate you. His Alphonse hissed dangerously at him as he walked past and stormed up to his room.'

"I mean, in reality I knew that he didn't mean it. Hell, he didn't even remember saying it the next day, but it was something I would never forget.

Sadly, that one outburst of my brother's usually calm temper was the straw that broke my back.

I was weak then, completely unaware of the advances of my newly adopted darker half.

You saw me, depressed and looking like I couldn't give a shit about anyone or anything. It was logical of you to assume that I did not.

But honestly, I cannot thank you enough for staying with me, even though you really had no idea what was going on. And, I'm sorry I neglected to tell you."

Edward buried his face into the shoulder of Roy's jacket, trembling for all he was worth, though he continued talking as if he had to get it out of his system.

"There was a girl; I don't know who she was. He told me that if I didn't kill her, that he would kill Al. And I believed him." Ed laughed bitterly. "It's not like I could have run to the police and told them that someone was posing a threat and that someone was myself. I would have been locked up before I knew it."

"So I did it. I shot her with a gun and watched her die." He turned his shining eyes up to Roy, "You remember, don't you? I said I had a headache, and then I cancelled out on our date."

Mustang nodded. He did remember, and only wished that he had known sooner.

"But there was one day -I think it was in April- that he told me to do something that I couldn't. Not matter what he threatened, I just couldn't."

'Kill him Chibi.

No! He yelled, gripping the edges of his temples, nearly ripping out sections of his hair in the process.

I said do it. The voice, calm and seductive as ever rarely got angry as he did.

Not him… Please not Roy. In anguish he began to sob.

Edward curled himself onto Mustang's pillow, inhaling the deep scents his chest heaving with each breath.

When the faint sound of a door opening met his ears, Ed's heart skipped one too many beats. He heard Roy calling for him, trying to figure out where he was. And all he could do was to think how desperately he wanted to scream at Mustang not to come any closer.

Ed wasn't sure when it was that the voice, who called itself Pride, had become jealous of his lover. Because in reality, that was what this was all about. When he became too close to Al, Pride would intervene and split them apart further, and it appeared that the same would now be true for the one Edward could not stand to lose.

I hear him coming, Chibi. Pride cackled.

The footfalls were growing louder and louder, they were echoing inside of Ed's head.

The voice yawned, Time to say goodbye Edo.

Edward was on the verge of responding, and was damn near ready to beg Pride. Although, with a slight tilt of his head downwards, Ed noticed that a gun had somehow worked its way into his hand. He whimpered.

Not him-

The blonde's hand rose of its own accord, finger already on the trigger.

-Please! Ed cried out to Pride, hoping that it he was broken enough, the voice would give up on this sick little game.

The bedroom's door handle turned, and Roy's face peeked into the door, sighing in relief when he spotted the blonde haired boy sitting on his bed. Darkness of the evening hung about the east side of his room, eluding him from catching more than a shadowed outline of his young lover.

I brought you some cinnamon rolls that Gracia made. They're a little cold from my walk, but good all the same. Roy placed a paper bag on the end of the fluffy quilt adorning his sleeping area. He began removing his uniform with his back facing Ed, secretly preparing to snuggle the kid to death. It was so damn cold outside.

A small click pierced the silence as the chamber rotated to the next round.

Roy turned back to Edward, but froze at the up close view of a steel gun.

E-Edward… What are you doing with that? The voice was panicky and slightly erratic. Mustang inched closer to him, hoping that he could divert the teen's attention long enough to swipe the weapon. Too bad Pride wished to say something else of his plan.

When the trigger fully pulled back Ed screeched out a NO! for both Roy and Pride to hear.

Gaining a brief lapse of control over his own body Edward titled the firearm back and brought the assault upon himself.'

"You know, I was really scared then. But I thought that I could hit two birds with one stone, I could save you and get rid of Pride for good."

Roy, who was near a breakdown himself, pulled Edward completely onto his lap and wrapped his arms around him.

They had just returned from the crime scene. If not for Ed's obvious behaviour, after hearing what he just did from the blonde's own mouth, Mustang knew that he was the culprit.

He remembered the hurried trip to the hospital where doctors tried to save the kid that died twice on the table, and all he could do at the time was think how this was his entire fault.

Eventually came the police reports of what had happened, how Roy had found Ed, who shot him, and so on. Could he really say that to him it looked as though Edward had tried to commit suicide before him? One thing was for sure, if he did, neither he nor Alphonse would likely see Ed for a long while. So, Mustang lied.

He said that he had shot the kid, thinking he was a burglar entering his home unannounced.

After a proper trial, Roy was gracefully demoted to his standards at present, his staff however, refused to believe a word of it. But respected him enough to let him go along with his own decisions.

"Then why did you leave after that?" Roy whispered loud enough to be heard over Edward's bawling.

Luckily for them, it was late at night, and a bench placed nowhere in particular with an area deserted greeted them, of which they had seized the opportunity.

"Because. What if it happened again? What if I couldn't stop him?" Ed choked out and it was then that Roy understood why he had been willing to put them both through years of separation.

Edward had done it to protect him.

"But, isn't he-?"

"No."

Mustang lightly pulled Ed away from him to get a better look of the tearstained face. "I thought you said that you got rid of him that night?"

Edward shook his head, "I can still hear him inside my head. He just won't die."

When the sobbing ensued once again, Roy vowed that this time he would not back away, even if it was what Ed wanted. This time, he would stay.

Lover's duty or not.

AN: Well, that about sums up the background of what had happened, and I hope you readers are satisfied with the outcome.

Comments to go around if you were, and if you weren't, try to keep the civil so as not to banish me into a fit of tears.