DUDES. I feel bad. This is actually probably sooner than I've updated in a while, but I still feel bad because I already finished this chapter when I posted Twenty-Eight. So I feel bad for that. But at the same time? It feels freaking awesome being able to update without having done anything. So gnarly.

Have you been keeping up with English Brotherhood? How do you like Al's new voice, EH?

Lovely Daaaarlings!

xXKaminari-TsubasaXx: Very reckless! Makes for great stories. xP And no, it probably isn't a very good idea.

Ausumist: Is it wrong to be confused by that too random remark? O.o Ah well. I don't know if you've gotten up-to-date yet, but she isn't as random as she used to be.

Fmagurl123: Very awesome indeed. Can't wait for it tonight! And why thank you! I feel flattered. Characters In Character FTW.

Totally CRAZY and Hyper: Thankies. I'm glad you like Riley~ 8D And of course! Ed is two parts Hothead and one part metal. He has to over-react sometimes so he won't explode, you see.

Katsekala: Glad you like Riley! Romance stuff will be soon. Just not this chapter. They still have to forgive each other(Shifty Eyes Here.) xP

PixieStixys: x3 Why thank you, mah dear. I'm very flattered.

Want to Be a Lovely Daaaarling? Review! Bwahaha.

As you should know by now, I don't own FullMetal Alchemist. If I did, I'd use some highly advanced technology and the money I earned from the show and make a machine that creates beams of light and loud sounds every time I clapped my hands together. But alas, I do not own FullMetal Alchemist. Therefore, I'll stick with Riley and Hannah. So get your own OCs and plotlines.

Chapter Twenty-Nine:
Oh. Shit.

"That jackass… Thinks I'd betray him! HAH! He isn't even that important to betray!" Hannah let out a long sigh as she followed me through the woods. I still hadn't told her what happened, but she knew enough after the hour long rant I was having. "Screw him. Screw him and his brother both! And definitely Winry! I'm done with them all!"

"Al isn't that bad though…," Hannah interjected.

I glared at her, "He's related to Ed, that's good enough!" She sighed again and continued to follow me. I was beyond pissed at that point.

"I think Nicole's right," Hannah mumbled under her breath. I stopped. Dead in my tracks.

"You're just jealous a homewrecker hugged your man," Nicole said.

"Your man."

Spinning around on my heel, I glared at her. "What?" I hissed.

She nodded, crossing her arms as she looked down her nose at me. "You like Ed. That's why you're over-reacting."

Over reacting? Oh HELL no. "He accused me of betraying him, Hannah! What was I supposed to do, laugh and agree?!"

She glared and followed as I continued walking, thinking to myself angrily, "To think she thinks I like Ed! She's either an idiot or a traitor… She's a traitor, that's what she is!"

Third Person Point of View
(It Had to Happen.)

"Brother?" Al asked. Ed didn't respond. They were on the wagon, going south again. They had already taken Lidia back to town, but the epidemic got to everyone. They just had to move on. He sat against the edge of the wagon, arms crossed as he glared at the ground. Partly because of what happened with the village, but secondly because of Riley.

He was worried.

He didn't want to admit it. He wasn't going to admit it. But it was true. What if something happened? He shouldn't care, seeing as how he still felt a little betrayed by her contact with Mustang; But it was too late. Riley Mauler had gotten to Edward Elric, and something like this couldn't change that. Ed sighed at this realization and glanced to his brother, "What, Alphonse?"

Al paused before asking the question he and Winry were both wondering. "What happened back there with Riley? Why'd she storm off like that?"

Ah. That was why he was mad. He had almost forgotten. With a scowl, Ed replied, "Forget about her, Al."

With a sigh, Al shook his head, "What did you do this time, Brother?"

Ed glared up at him, "What do you mean what did I do?! She was the one that started it! She was talking to Mustang!"

"And?"

Falling silent, the elder brother looked on in shock. "And? She's probably been giving him information about us this whole time!"

"Why would she do that?" Winry asked, confused. Both brothers looked over at her and she sighed, "Guys… I'm going to be honest. I never really trusted Riley, but I wouldn't necessarily go that far with it."

Ed sighed, looking away from his brother and friend. This wasn't helping his stress.

Back With Riley.
(Because isn't it FUN?)

"Excuse me, sir?" I asked dully, peering over the counter at the man. We were inside a bakery, and it was the last stop in our, "Let's-Ask-Around-And-Hope-Someone-Has-The-Balls-To-Tell-Us-Where-Radley-Is" plan.

He looked down at Hannah and me and nodded with a smile. He was a big man, brown hair with an apron on. "Yes? What can I do for you ladies?" He asked kindly.

"Yeah, smile while you still don't know our question…," Was something I was sure went through the minds of both Hannah and me as I let out a sigh. "We're looking for a man by the name of Radley Blackburn," I replied. Hannah stood by my side, waiting quietly.

The man tensed and shook his head quickly, "We have no Radleys around here."

"Are you sure? He could've just got here recently," Hannah piped up hopefully, as well as exhaustedly.

He waved his arms back and forth as he shouted, "There are no Radleys here!"

I glared. That was obviously a bunch of crock… Stupid old man. We left the restaurant and looked around. I felt like we hit a wall. No, actually, I felt like we started in a box. We started nowhere and ended up in the same place. No one was saying a word about Radley. Growling, I ran forward and kicked a trash can over. "This sucks! It's like they want to help him kill them!"

Hannah sighed, "Maybe they're just too afraid to give any answers. Or they don't know he's back."

We both sat down on the curb of the path and I looked over at her. "Then what do you suggest?"

"Well…," She looked at me, "What is he like?"

I fell silent. Looking away, I rubbed the back of my neck, "I… Don't know." Her expression turned deadpan and I sighed, "All I've ever known about him is he's a psychopath that likes dissecting people."

Hannah nodded and began to look around from the curb. "So you'd think he'd want to stay somewhere away from the public eye, but where there's a lot of people too…" I stared at her dully, wondering if she realized how contradictive that sounded. She suddenly blinked and smiled, "I wonder if there's a house around the entrance or exit of the village."

When a scream reached our ears, we both snapped our hands in the direction of it. Jumping up, we rushed toward it, hoping it was(and wasn't at the same time) Blackburn. We reached an alley where there were several people standing around in shock. "'Scuse us," I mumbled as I squeezed my way in between people to get to the alley, Hannah following suit.

We reached the front and stopped when we saw it. A man was laying on the ground, dead. It was obvious he was dead. Not by the bulging bruise on the back of his neck, but by the fact his eyes had exploded. Hannah covered her mouth, eyes wide as she shook. This was definitely Blackburn's work. I took off out of the alley and spun around on my heels, looking for anyone even resembling him as my fists clenched in anxiety. No luck.

Damn it.

With Ed and Al.

"You're worrying."

Ed sighed and glanced to the voice. Winry sat there, staring at him in concern. "So what if I am?" He spat back stubbornly as he looked back out the window. It was getting dark so they stopped at a hotel for the night. That was Ed's reasoning, but Al and Winry assumed it was because he was waiting for Riley and Hannah.

Winry shook her head, looking down at her friend. "If you're so worried, just look for them. What's the big deal?"

"She wants to help Mustang, that's the big deal," Ed replied.

His friend paused. Was she really going to try to help her claimed Frenemy? She sighed. "Ed… No matter how annoying that may be, you know you're still worried. Don't regret not doing anything." Ed said and did nothing. Winry sighed, walking away as she gave up. Temporarily.

Al watched Winry leave, and then looked to his older brother in silence as he thought back to the day he and Ed were leaving the hospital, and Riley would be staying back to heal…

"Al!" Al turned at the voice and saw Riley running down the hall to him. He was waiting outside the room as Ed got ready to leave.

"Yes? What is it?" He asked, looking down at her.

She sighed, "I don't know how long I'll be looking for Hannah, so I want you to give this to Ed, alright?" She then held out a small carton-sized box, wrapped in simple red wrapping paper. "I know his birthday was recently."

If he could've, he would've smiled. He nodded, "Alright! I'll be sure to give it to him. What is it?" Riley was about to reply, when she heard the door opening. Her eyes widened and she quickly opened the small latch where the stomach of Al's armor was. Shoving the present into it, she slammed the latch shut and looked over at Ed nervously. Al was rubbing the back of his head at her dramatic actions.

Remembering this, Al opened the latch and dug down into his armor. Once he felt it, he grabbed the box and pulled it out. He looked down at it exasperatedly. The box, previously a perfect rectangle shaped box, was now lumpy and beaten. He looked up at his brother, wondering if he should give it to him.

Back with Black(burn)

"The bruises on his neck were basically a lot of tissue damage. It's odd seeing that much when he was just in an alley. There was that, and then obviously the eye problem," A doctor told me as he sat down at the table across from me. Hannah was waiting outside, not wanting to hear his damage report.

I nodded. "I take it the eye damage was instant death."

"No actually," He shook his head, "Inside the eye lies a gel. According to the evidence, this gel began to melt. It then exploded. That was what caused the damage. He was close to death after that, I'm sure, but the injury to the neck paralyzed them. Both would've killed him, and around the same time too. I can't really tell which caused his death."

Sighing, I shook my head, "I don't suppose it matters. I know what happened, that's enough."

"So who do you think did this anyways, Ma'am?" He asked as he took off his gloves.

I paused before replying with, "A man by the name of Radley Blackburn."

The doctor froze, falling silent and stiff. Hurriedly taking off his gloves, his shook his head, "I'm… I'm sorry, but I'm really busy. You should probably be leaving."

With a scowl, I stood from the table, "I figured as much…" I left the building and looked to Hannah who waited for my explanation. I nodded at her. "It's Blackburn."

She sighed and stood from the step. "So what are we going to do?"

"Look for his house. He may not be there, but I need to know about this guy…," I muttered as we headed out of the village. Hannah nodded in agreement. "I want you to go back to the hotel."

Hannah blinked, surprised. "What? I'm going with you!"

Sighing, I shook my head. "It's best you don't. He may be there and if that's the case, I don't need to worry about it."

She pouted, not wanting to, but knowing I had a point. "Fine… But take care of yourself, alright?"

. . .

I had been walking for about an hour now, looking for a house around the outskirts of the village. I yawned as I looked around the area. "This sucks… I'm a run away State and still doing grunt work for him!"

Hearing a bush rustle, I spun around to it, now on even more alert. It was total silence. I picked up a rock and threw it at the bush, wondering what it was. The rock went passed the bushes, hit something, and then bounced off it. The contact caused a grunt and an, "Ow..!"

I glared at the bushes, "Come on out!" The bushes rustled some more, and two kids walked out. One was a boy with red choppily cut hair and brown eyes. He was in jean overalls and a white blouse-style shirt. The other kid was a bit taller, a girl with black hair in two high pigtails. She wore a green denim-looking dress with a black jacket over it. The two were dirty, leaves in hair and mud on faces, but their clothes were for the most part, completely clean. They looked to be about eight. "Who the hell are you two?" I asked bluntly.

The girl placed her hands on her hips proudly, "My name is Lisa, for your information! And this is my brother, Mark! We're the rulers of these outskirts!"

Mark nodded. "Now who are you?"

"Riley Mauler…," I replied dully. Where'd these kids even come from? Oh wait! Blinking, I hurriedly looked over at them. "Have you seen a man ye' tall(I motioned the height with my arms), dark red hair, pale skin? By the name of Radley Blackburn?"

The two paused, looking to each other. They nodded. "Yep," Lisa replied, "So you're the girl asking around for him."

"Great!" I smiled, "Where is he?"

"Well…" The two looked to each other again and Mark rubbed the back of his neck, "We haven't seen him… We've seen his house."

I shrugged, "That's just as good. Where is the house?"

"Come with us!" Lisa exclaimed before running off. Mark and I followed.

Finally reaching the destination, Lisa and Mark stopped. I looked up at the house. It looked more like a cabin, really, with a metal door and two windows on the front. A chimney climbed its way above the roof, and a small porch was in front of the door. "This is it?"

The two kids nodded as we headed inside. I didn't expect what I saw. Along the walls of the room were shelves, along with a desk to the left. The shelves were mixed with papers, books and statues. To the right was a small kitchen area, rust along most of the appliances. There was a round green rug in the middle of the room, a small light hanging above it on the roof. I walked around in surprise. All this valuable research for alchemy, it was amazing. The thought that a man such as Blackburn had once stood in this house however, not so much. I pulled out a book which happened to be a journal. Opening it, I saw neat handwriting and complex graphs.

I've done it. I've finally done it. The dissection on my first set of eyes. They're amazing. There's so much. So many elements such as a gel like substance on the inside, around the veins. I'm not sure what all it is, but I can already tell most of it is water. There's so much here… So much an alchemist can use against an enemy.

I scowled at the passage; That was how he damaged the dead man's eyes. He controlled the water inside the man's eyes. It was brilliant, but so morbid. Suddenly I heard the door behind me slam. Spinning around, I walked over to it. "Guys, you could've caught the door!" I complained as I grabbed the knob.

The door wouldn't open.

"G-Guys?" I shouted as I began trying harder. "Guys! Open the door!"

In response, I saw Lisa's head peak up into the window to my right. With a glare, she shouted, "This is what you get for messing with Mr. Radley!" I banged on the door as I heard the two kids run off.

Shit.

Big big shit.

Be Responsible. Don't Flame and Drive! Rawr.