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Disclaimer: I don't own Fullmetal Alchemist, but I do own Kararu Rinamino, and Silvermoon15 owns Shikou Stone, I'm just borrowing.

All's Fair in Love and War

Chapter 3

Mustang jolted awake at the sound of an explosion.

"Just peachy!" Mustang growled, quickly rolling off the bed and onto his feet just to fall back onto the mattress as the hotel shook beneath him with the accompaniment of a loud boom.

"Kararu!" Mustang yelled once the shaking ceased. He got to his feet and quickly ran into the hall, his heart skipping a beat to see that Kararu's door was open. He dashed towards it, looking in through the doorway to find it empty.

He had to grab onto the doorframe behind him as the building shook again.

"How the hell'd they get bombs!" Mustang thought, waiting desperately for the shaking to stop. As soon as it did, he ran to the room Hughes was staying in.

"Maes, it's a bomb raid!" Mustang yelled to the man sitting up in the bed, looking royally confused.

"This is just what we needed!" Hughes said as he pulled his feet out from under the sheets.

"What do you expect!" Shikou yelled as she ran in. "We're in the middle of a war!"

"Here's something else you're not going to like!" Mustang yelled over another loud boom.

"What's that?" Hughes asked as they started to make their way over to the door.

"Kararu's not in her room!"

"Now this is really what I needed! A bomb raid and someone missing the middle of the night!" Hughes grumbled as they started to run down the hall.

"Incoming!" Shikou yelled, hearing the whistling of a bomb with her sensitive hearing. They all grabbed onto a doorframe just in time to feel the building rattle and shake beneath them.

"Where would Kararu go?" Hughes yelled over to the others while they waited for the shaking to stop.

"I don't know! She was upset last night and she said she…no, no she wouldn't!" Mustang yelled, then took off down the still shaking hall, running down the stairs, Shikou and Hughes looking at each other before going after him.

"What's going on Roy?" Hughes yelled.

"She said that she just wanted to die!" Mustang yelled as he ran for the door to the inn.

"Where are you going? You can't go out there; not in the middle of a bomb raid!" Shikou yelled.

"I have to go to find her! If Edward is still alive, I'm already dead for not being able to help her, but he'd have my head for sure if I let her get killed!" Mustang yelled back.

"But why would she do this?" Shikou asked.

"She loves him. She just wants him back." Hughes answered.

Mustang ran out the door without them, continuing to run as a bomb exploded near him. He almost lost his balance, but managed to stay up before taking off again.

He ran to the top of a hill that overlooked the Elric and Rockbell estates, and was almost there when he saw a figure just standing there.

"Kararu!" Mustang yelled just as another bomb exploded…right where Kararu was standing. "NO!"

He had to shield his face with his arms, a few rocks flying to hit his arms, then fall to the ground. When they stopped falling, he opened his eyes and saw the cloud of dust around him.

When it settled a minute or two later, he quickly ran to the top of the hill to see that no one was there.

"No, dammit! I'm not going to loose her, too!" Mustang yelled angrily, frantically searching for Kararu around the hill, bombs still exploding around him.

Hughes was running around searching for her too until a bomb hit too close for comfort.

"Roy, we need to get back to the Rockbell residence and make sure that everyone's safe in the cellar!" He yelled.

"No! I'm not going to let Kararu die out here!" Mustang yelled stubbornly.

"Roy! Let's go!" Hughes yelled, another bomb hitting a few feet away from them. "Come on, you'll get killed!"

"I'm not leaving!" Mustang yelled as he continued to search.

"Roy, I'm really sorry about this…" Hughes said as he came up behind Mustang.

"Sorry about wha-" Mustang started, but suddenly felt himself get punched forcefully in the stomach, effectively forcing him to the ground as he was stunned.

"That." Hughes said, picking up Mustang just before he lost consciousness. "Shikou, let's get back!" He yelled over to the wolf that was helping them search.

The wolf ran over, motioning for Hughes to put Mustang onto her back with her tail, then for him to get on as well. Hughes nodded and then set Mustang down, getting on behind him.

The wolf took off, leaving behind the land of destruction that wouldn't be recognizable by morning.

XxXxXxXxXxXx

xxThe Next Morningxx

Havoc slowly came out of the cellar, looking around. The house was amazingly still intact, but everything around it…was destroyed.

He called the others out to help him clear rubble to make a path up to the house, knowing it was safe since the bombs had stopped a few hours before.

Hughes, Al, Shikou, Hawkeye, Pinako and Winry all came out from the cellar, looking around with rather depressed expressions as they started to help Havoc clean up a bit. After an hour they managed to create a path, and Hughes went back into the cellar to collect Mustang, who was still out cold from being knocked out a few hours before.

Once inside, Winry and Pinako went into the kitchen to fix their weary friends breakfast.

"What hit me?"

All eyes shifted over to the couch to see Mustang sitting up, rubbing his stomach.

"I did." Hughes answered from his seat a few feet away.

"Why?" Mustang asked, shifting to a more comfortable position on the cushions.

"We were in the middle of a bomb raid, and all you could think about was-"

"Kararu! Where is she?" Mustang asked, looking around frantically. "Did she come back?" He asked.

Everyone averted their eyes.

"I…I guess not…" He whispered. He stood. "All right. I'm going to search the bomb field to see if I can find her. Anyone who wants to, come and help." Mustang said, then walked to the door without waiting for a reply.

Al, Hawkeye, Havoc, Hughes and Shikou all looked at each other, then nodded and quickly stood, following, Al calling back to the others, "We're going to search the bomb field! We'll be back!"

Once outside, Mustang started to look everywhere for any sign of Kararu. He knew that he couldn't loose her…not now. He was determined to find her…find something, at least, that would lead him to her.

As he searched, he saw something poking out from under a pile of dirt. He quickly ran over, seeing a piece of shining metal peaking out through a hole in the earth around it.

His heart racing, he quickly started to shovel the dirt over to the side. He dug faster, and a few minutes later, he couldn't believe what he saw.

He fell to his knees, his eyes wide, too shocked to move or call the others over.

"Roy! Have you found anything?" Hughes called, seeing Mustang kneeling. When he didn't move, Hughes came over, his eyes widening as well.

"EVERYONE! GET OVER HERE!" Hughes yelled. The information of what he had just found finally sunk in and he fell to the ground as he promptly fainted.

On the ground before him…was Edward Elric.

XxXxXxXxXxXx

"Yes! The plan is working!" The woman exclaimed with a triumphant cheer, her lavender eyes lit with glee. Behind her, the door opened and a woman stepped through.

"Lady Dante, we have her ready downstairs, and Envy is ready as well." She said, her grayish brown eyes glittering evilly.

"Wonderful! I shall accompany you back down, Sloth. Everyone here has done so well…I think it's time to have some fun to get what we want…the ultimate weapon." Dante said with a grin, then turned to walk out the door, her maroon dress swishing around her ankles as she walked.

Once downstairs, Dante grinned evilly, Sloth opening the door ahead of her for her. Dante walked through, seeing a figure sitting in a chair.

"All right, what the hell do you want from me!" The girl growled.

"Oh, there's no need to be feisty, little girl." Dante said with a soft smile.

"Shut up and answer my question!" She said, her tone low and that of a demon.

"Oh…no wonder they call you Demon…Miss Kararu." Dante grinned, knowing that she was going to have fun messing with this girl's mind.

"Wha…how do you know my name!" Kararu asked in shock as she tried to escape the restraints of the chair.

"You will know in due time, Miss Kararu…but for now, just try to relax. The chains on that chair are unbreakable, and alchemy proof, so your circleless alchemy won't do you any good…even if you could clap your hands at the moment." Dante grinned.

"Wha…what are you saying?" Kararu asked.

"Just look…someone's here to see you." Dante said, motioning to the door in front of Kararu. It opened and Kararu's eyes snapped to it.

"M-Mustang?" Kararu gasped.

"Demon, you are a disgrace to the military." Mustang snapped at her.

"But…what are you talking about?" Kararu asked, sudden guilt hitting her full force like a forceful slap to the cheek.

"I knew you were never meant for us. You're just worthless. Pathetic…I only let you join the ranks because I felt sorry for you. I knew you would get killed in battle, or at least taken as a prisoner of war." He growled. "You're just a waste of my time! The military doesn't need you anymore…just go home!"

"But…how can I do that if I have no home?" Kararu asked.

"JUST GO!" Mustang yelled.

"You know what? I'm getting so sick of your crap!" Kararu yelled at him.

Dante grinned. This is just what she wanted. "Now…just a little bit longer…and she'll loose all control over her anger…and soon, with everyone else that Envy can change into, she'll loose control to her anger…and with all the power she's capable of…she'll be the new Goddess of Alchemy, and I can use her against the military in this forsaken war!"

"Kararu, you are just a waste of my time!" Mustang said.

"You know what? I always knew you were like this! I'm getting sick of your touchy-lovey crud on me! You never respected me, or know what I've been through! You never really understood what they did to me in Laboratory Five! I knew that you were going to crack sooner or later! And yes, I HATE YOU TOO!" Kararu yelled. She then got a shocked look on her face as she realized what she had just said.

"What did I do?" Kararu whispered. Mustang then turned and walked out of the room. "What did I just do?"

"That's what you've been holding in, dear." Dante told her.

"Holding in?" Kararu repeated.

"That's right. There's no telling what else you have cooped up in that brain of yours. Your love is gone…what use do you have to live for? Why not go ahead and let it out before you let yourself die?" Dante asked, then the door opened again and this time Hughes walked in.

"Uncle Hughes…don't tell me that you hate me too…" Kararu whispered.

"Uncle? I seriously doubt that. I'd never treat you like any family of mine, after everything that you've done!" Hughes snapped. "And why should I tell you I don't hate you? Would it put your silly fears to rest? I don't see why you just don't shut up!"

"Uncle Hughes…why are you doing this?" Kararu asked, not knowing that it wasn't Hughes standing before her. She thought that each person that came in was real; she didn't know that every person was just Envy, coming in after changing his appearance each time.

"Why am I doing this? Because you are a disgrace to everyone and everything around you!" Hughes said. "No one likes you! Everyone hates you! The only reason Edward said he loved you was because he felt sorry for you!"

"You little liar!" Kararu yelled, not knowing where her anger came from. Where it was really coming from, though, was from her being on the edge of her sanity.

"Edward and I love each other! You wouldn't understand a thing like that! I hate you as well! I knew you never loved me, but I thought that deep down you did! Edward doesn't hate me! He loves me more than I could ever imagine!" Kararu yelled.

Before Hughes turned to walk out, he said something that made Dante laugh in her mind, knowing that it would make Kararu wonder…and when the time came, to let her rage out on the illusions that Envy created for her.

"Are you so sure about that?"

XxXxXxXxXxXx

"HE'S ALIVE?" Winry shrieked.

"Winry, keep your voice down!" Hughes said, trying to keep her from waking Mustang from his dead faint.

"I'm sorry…I'm just…I didn't think he would be alive…after all this…" She said.

"I know…I didn't think we'd find Edward alive either, but…"

"Did you…did you find Kararu?" Winry asked. Hughes averted his eyes and shook his head sadly. "I guess not…"

"When I last saw her, last night…she was on the verge of insanity…I'm afraid that she didn't have enough sanity to tell right from wrong." He said.

"You…you mean…"

"She's dead? I don't know." He said with a shrug. "We can't give up now…not now that Edward's alive." He said. "But finding him gives me hope."

Winry nodded. "That just means that he wasn't taken as a POW…" She said.

Hughes shook his head. "Not entirely. He reappeared at least a mile or two away from where he disappeared on the battlefield." He sighed. "He still has the bullet wound from when he was shot…but other than that, he's in perfect health…other than being in a coma." He said.

"So…so he might never wake up?" She asked.

Hughes nodded. "That is possible…but we won't be able to give him the medical attention that he needs. The hospital was destroyed during last nights bomb raid, and the tracks on the railway were destroyed by the rebels…there's no telling what could happen now."

As if waiting for someone to mention anything could happen, a small groan came from the room Ed was in. Winry and Hughes looked at each other, then both ran for the bedroom.

They ran in to see Ed sitting up, looking around at everything with bleary, slow-focusing eyes.

They smiled at him, Ed looking around, then saw them. His expression became one of fear and worry.

"Where's Kararu?"

XxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXx

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