Roy was still sitting on Ed's bed when Riza came for a brief visit. He was surprised that she was risking herself by coming, but he was also grateful. She looked at the two in the cell for a moment before smiling.

"I take it you talked to him?" She asked, gesturing to Ed, who was sleeping peacefully, his head resting on Roy's leg.

"Yes. He should be fine now."

"You know, you don't have to sit there."

"I know, but I don't want to disturb him. And besides, my leg's numb."

Riza laughed. "You'd make a good father."

"What makes you say that?" Roy asked, genuinely confused.

"Look at him," Riza said, gesturing to Ed. "He trusts you. Even if he doesn't admit it, it's obvious. Besides, why do you think he came to you first?"

"Probably because there wasn't anyone else he could turn to," Roy muttered.

"But he knows where my apartment is, and it's much closer to where he was than yours is."

"But you were gone."

"But he didn't know that. And he said it himself, didn't he? He went directly from where he woke up to your place. And it took a while, but didn't he willingly explain everything to you? And," Riza continued. "Look at his face. I don't think I've ever seen him so peaceful after something so traumatizing."

"Not even when he spent the night at your place?"

"His mind was younger then. I'm talking about the incidents with his normal state of mind."

Roy looked at Ed. The young alchemist's hands were curled into fists, and he had lost much of the look he'd gained since meeting Envy. "I guess I can see that."

Roy looked down as Ed shifted his weight and opened his eyes. It took him a while to understand what was going on. Then he looked at Roy.

"Hey," Roy said, a smile tugging at the edge of his lips. "Would you mind moving your head? I'd kind of like to be able to feel my leg."

"Oh. Sorry." Ed slowly sat up, and Roy managed to get off of Ed's bed and onto his own.

"Feeling better?" Roy asked as he tried to bring feeling back to his leg.

"I guess." Ed crossed his legs and leaned against the wall. "It doesn't hurt as much to move anymore."

"Good." But then Roy realized it wasn't good. At least, not if they wanted to avoid going back to Central. He decided that something needed to be done. "Anyway, I'd appreciate if you didn't fall asleep on me like that. It's rather awkward having such a little kid using my leg as a pillow."

Ed did what Roy expected him to. "WHO'S SO SHORT THAT EVERYONE THINKS HE'S A LITTLE KID WHO NEEDS EMOTIONAL SUPPORT FROM A WET MATCHSTICK WHEN HIS BROTHER ISN'T AROUND TO HELP HIM INSTEAD?!?!?!?!?!!" Ed screamed this as he got up and punched his superior in the face, losing his balance in the process and falling to the hard floor with a cry of dismay.

Roy ignored his throbbing face and reached down to help Ed back onto the bed. He was somewhat surprised to see blood running down his face from his mouth. That got the nearby soldier's attention. "Hey, what happened?"

"He got angry and lost his footing," Riza calmly explained, shooting Roy a death glare that said she knew exactly why he had provoked Ed.

"Ah, damn, we need to get some help."

As the soldier ran off, Riza disappeared, leaving Ed and Roy alone for the moment. Roy looked down at Ed's face, hoping that he hadn't overdone it. Ed opened his eyes and gave Roy a death glare. Roy saw a movement down by Ed's waist and saw that Ed had curled his hand into a fist, and was holding out a certain finger in order to get a certain message across to Roy.

-------------

Roy was standing in the medical room when Olivier came to ask about the incident in the prison that had resulted in Ed being injured (again). When the doctor lady pointed to Roy, she turned on him, her face a mask of fury.

"Just what did you do? And how the hell did you get a black eye?"

"He called me short so I punched him," Ed muttered from his position on the bed. "It was completely worth it, too."

"Okay… any reason you chose now to provoke him?" Olivier asked, her voice quiet enough so that Ed wouldn't hear her.

Roy shrugged. Olivier glared at him for a moment before signaling to one of her soldiers. "Get him out of here."

Once Roy was gone, Olivier turned to the doctor lady. "So what damage did that moron Flame Alchemist do this time?"

"Well, he was almost to the point where he would be able to travel, but thanks to all this, we'll have to wait a few days."

"I'm sure the Fuhrer and his little friend will be disappointed," Olivier muttered. At that moment, someone entered the room. Speak of the devil…

--------------

"So, we're stuck here for a while longer," Ed muttered.

"That's right."

"And you knew that's what would happen when you said that to me."

"Yep."

Ed was quiet for a while. "Well, it was still worth it." Ed shifted so that he was lying on his side, facing Roy. "But you know the best part?"

"We won't be going back to Central just yet?"

"Nope. I just nailed you in the face and you can't do anything about it."

"What makes you think I can't do anything about it?"

"How many people do you think would be happy to know you attacked a severely injured boy just because you wanted revenge?"

Roy laughed. "Ha, you think I'd go for physical revenge? No, when the time comes, I'll just tell your girlfriend about that one incident a few years ago…"

"You wouldn't dare."

"You think so?"

"If you do that then I'll tell Hawkeye about the time you-"

"That was all Havoc!"

"No it wasn't," Ed replied with a laugh that he cut short.

"Something wrong?" Roy asked, concern written all over his face (with a pink sharpie).

"Just… a little painful… and someone's coming to visit." Ed tensed and closed his eyes. "I'm not here, okay?"

"Wha-"

"I didn't mean literally! Besides, I've dealt with them more than you in the past few weeks."

"Okay, okay. I'll deal with it for you. Just… don't do anything stupid."

Ed took a pillow and put it over his head. "I never do anything stupid. Your standards are just too high."

Roy was about to retort when the door opened. Sure enough, Envy and Wrath came into the room and walked up to the cell. One of the soldiers accompanying them unlocked the door and signaled to Roy, who got up with a certain amount of unease. Ed didn't move.

--------------

Envy watched as Roy and Wrath walked out of the prison area before turning to Ed. "Come on, I know you're awake."

Ed grunted. Okay, whoever you are, I need help.

What do you need?

How do I deal with this?

Ed heard a sigh inside his head. He's here to see if he succeeded. Show him that he did.

How am I supposed to do that?

I don't know… just see what he has to say first. Don't let him see your face.

"Hey."

Ed grunted again. Envy pulled the pillow away and grabbed Ed's head with one hand. "Do I have your attention now?"

Ed pushed the hand away. "What do you want?"

"I'm sick of you trying to hide it."

"Hide what?"

"I know you're feeling the effects of this." Ed felt a hand on his side.

"Yeah, it makes me feel like crap."

"No, that was me."

Ed started laughing. He laughed for a minute before Envy dealt a blow to the head. "Shut up!"

Ed cringed and gripped his head. Yeah, so much for him being nice…

Hey, you're the one who just started laughing at random.

But I was trying to show him just how damaging he could be.

No, you were laughing at a mental image of Envy swaying in the wind with many other palm trees.

Yeah, well it probably had the same effect either way.

Ed slowly let go of his head and looked up. Envy had sat down on the bed across from him with his arms crossed. He glared at Ed. "What the hell was that?"

"I don't know…"

"Okay. Let's try again. What the hell is different about your body?"

"Isn't that something you're supposed to know already?"

"No. That's why I'm asking."

Ed's mind raced as he tried to come up with a way to avoid the question. He decided to start laughing again. Envy looked at him with shock and dismay. "What the hell?"

The laughter quickly died down as a jolt of pain ran through Ed's torso. Envy grabbed Ed by the shirt and pulled him to his feet. "Hey, I want to know what's so funny."

He's imagining you as a palm tree again, Ed's strange inner voice said.

I can't tell him that, though, Ed thought before saying, "I don't know."

"So you're laughing at nothing?"

"I guess so…"

Envy dropped Ed none too gently and stormed out of the cell. Ed watched as the homunculus stormed out of the prison with some satisfaction.

Great, now he thinks you're insane, and this helps us how?

I dunno. Maybe he'll stop being such an asshole.

You really think that's possible?

In the area of him beating the crap out of me every chance he gets, yes. And besides, don't they just want me to be obedient?

I guess so…

Ed returned a wave of greeting from one of the soldiers outside his cell before lying down. Anyway, now that that's settled, why don't you tell me what the deal is?

You want to know more about me?

Yes.

From the beginning?

Not right now. At the moment all I really want to know is what you're doing in my body.

The voice was silent. Ed stared at the ceiling, waiting for that silence to be broken. Finally…

I've always been a part of you.

Eh? Then how come you're only coming out now?

Because I couldn't before. Until now, I was simply a part of your body. However, when Father did what he did, he made it possible for me to… well, do this. I didn't say anything at first because you would have panicked, so I just gave you help in different ways.

Like being able to feel the homunculi when they get close to me?

Actually, that's more because of something else.

I'm confused.

Then I'll start from the beginning. You remember seeing Envy in his true form?

Of course I do.

And you understand the basics about your father?

Yeah, I think so.

Then you should know what I am.

You're… a part of the philosopher's stone?

Something like that. Now, Ed, when a man and woman love each other very much…

What the hell?

I have to say this. Please don't interrupt me.

Sorry.

Anyway, you know the whole deal with reproduction, right?

Yeah…

Well… it's kind of awkward to say, but… I sort of got… 'transferred' to your mother, and…

Ew!

Hey, at least you didn't witness it. Want me to tell you all about it?

NO!

Okay, I won't. Anyway, I went from being a part of your father's body to being a part of your body. And so I probably know you better than anyone else does, maybe even better than you know yourself.

That would be weird…

Everything about this is weird, Ed.

So then…

No, this doesn't make you not human. They just think it does because they don't realize I managed to retain some of my humanity. To them, I'm just a form of energy.

But isn't that what the philosopher's stone is?

Yes, it is. However, I also have the ability to think for myself.

Why do you want to help me? Don't you want to be in control at all?

No. It's been so long since I've been in control of my own body that I wouldn't know what to do. Besides, I want you to beat the ones who did this to me. I don't want to be this way anymore.

I'll do my best. Ed heard a click and looked up to see Roy entering the cell. He wasn't too happy.

"Mustang?" Ed asked cautiously as Roy practically fell onto his bed.

"Oh, hi. How did your talk with Envy go?"

"I pissed him off. He stormed off and he probably thinks I'm a raving lunatic now."

"Why's that?"

"I started laughing while he was talking to me. I never realized how well Envy would fit in on a tropical island."

"What?"

Ed folded his arms behind his head. "I got a really funny mental image of him swaying in the breeze like a palm tree. Don't ask where it came from."

Roy gave a small laugh. "Way to go. That should get him to leave you alone."

"I'd hope so." Ed was quiet for a while. "So, what now?"

"I don't know. You obviously can't do anything until you've healed some…" Roy trailed off and frowned. He looked as if he were deep in thought.

"What?" Ed asked.

"If you have the Philosopher's Stone inside you, then why haven't you regenerated at all?"

"Um, because…" Why is that, again? Ed asked.

Before that incident, it just wasn't possible, and after that…

Yeah?

I wanted to wait until a time when you really needed it. Considering how things are going, you're going to need it very badly soon.

"Fullmetal?"

"I don't know. Sorry."

"That's fine. You just scared me for a minute there."

"How so?"

"Your expression was dead serious."

"And how is that scary?"

"I didn't think it was possible for you to be serious."

Ed shifted a bit so that he could kick Roy in the leg, but he regretted it as pain shot up his spine. He went back to talking to his new companion.

What do you mean by that?

I want to be able to help you, and I will definitely give myself up so that you can regenerate, but not unless you have a very good chance of dying. Oh, and also…

What?

I'm not the only part of the stone you have within you.

Eh?

There is another soul, but it's resigned itself to waiting for you to give yourself a fatal wound, like me. I don't know much about how the regeneration thing works, but I'd say you have two deaths. Two times where it'll be like you're a homunculus, but then after that you're on your own. We won't be able to help you.

Wait, why haven't I heard anything from the other soul?

Because it hasn't wanted to say anything. It's simply waiting for the end.

Ed closed his eyes. "I need sleep…"

"You always need sleep, Fullmetal," Roy remarked while rubbing his knee. "But you don't need to kick me so hard."

"About your question earlier…"

"Yes?"

"I guess regeneration will only happen if I'm about to die. I… have two chances. Or something like that."

"How do you know that?"

Ed shook his head. "Long story…"

---------------

Al sighed as he walked down the street, keeping his head down to hide himself from the soldiers that were patrolling nearby. Havoc had been healed, and was now making his way north to help the others. Al was going to stay in Central, but he had something he needed to do before he went back to studying with Mei Chan.

He entered the yard and made his way up to the front door, pausing for a moment before knocking. A minute or so passed before Gracia Hughes opened the door. She smiled with uncertainty as she looked at Al.

"Can I help you?"

Al blushed slightly. "Um, you probably don't recognize me, but uh…"

"Alphonse?"

Al nodded. Gracia smiled. "I heard from Winry that you succeeded. You look like your brother. What are you doing here?"

"There's… something I have to talk to you about."

Gracia nodded. "Come in."

Al sat quietly on the couch and watched as Elysia sat in her mother's lap. Gracia turned to Al. "What is it?"

"Well… the thing that Hughes found out… there's a lot involved with it, but there's a good chance of… well… it isn't safe in this country anymore."

"Not safe? In what way?"

Al took a deep breath and explained the situation as well as he could. Once he finished, he looked out the window. "So it would be a good idea to get out of here."

"That's really what's going on?"

Al nodded. "We're working as hard as we can to prevent it, but there's a chance that we might not… and I wanted you to have a chance to get out of here."

Gracia smiled. "Thank you. I have distant relatives who moved to Xing several years ago. I can take Elysia and live with them. Where's Winry?"

Al shrugged. "As far as I know, she's in Drachma. I don't know much else, though."

At that moment, the phone rang. Gracia set Elysia down and excused herself. As Al waited, Elysia made her way over to him and looked up, her eyes big.

"Why does mommy want to leave?"

Al smiled at Elysia. "She just wants to take a vacation for a while. Don't you like traveling?"

Elysia nodded. "It's fun."

Gracia came back into the room in a sort of daze. She sat down and looked straight at Al. "That was someone from the military. It seems your brother found out who killed my husband."

-------------

Olivier watched as the construction crew began the process of digging through the ground. She was following Bradley's orders without a complaint, although she had questioned it for a moment. His excuse was simply that it was for the good of the military. She had accepted that answer. She didn't want her cover to be blown.

"How soon until it's done?" asked the Fuhrer as he came up to the Major General.

"Shouldn't be too long now."

"Good, good."

At that moment, Envy walked up with a scowl on his face. Olivier looked at him questioningly as he stood next to them.

"Having troubles?" she asked.

"None at all," Envy hissed. Olivier took this moment to excuse herself, saying she had something to do.

She went to the prison in which Ed and Roy were staying. Ed was staring at the ceiling, and Roy was talking to one of the guards. She got Ed's attention and he sat up.

"What exactly did you say to Envy?" she asked.

"I didn't really say anything. He just thinks I'm insane."

"You really pissed him off. I didn't feel like being around someone like that, so I came up here." She took a nearby chair and sat down. "So. Any new information?"

Ed and Roy exchanged glances before nodding. "Yeah. A lot."

"Let's hear it."

Ed was about to divulge some of what he had learned when someone came into the room. He saluted Olivier before speaking. "The team has broken through. The Fuhrer wishes for the two prisoners to go down to the tunnel with him."

"Of course," Olivier replied. "We'll be down in a moment."

-------------

"This is embarrassing," Ed muttered from his place on Roy's back.

"Would you rather walk?" Olivier asked.

"Yes."

"Too bad, Fullmetal. If you wanted to walk you shouldn't have gotten yourself injured. I am not taking any more chances with you. We need you for this fight, understood?"

"Yeah, but why him?" Ed asked, poking Roy in the face.

"He seems to have gotten used to carrying you around."

Roy wanted very much to drop Ed right there and make the alchemist walk on his own. He made it a point to ignore the banter until they arrived at their destination. Then he dropped Ed, only semi-softly. Ed glared at Roy as they stood at the entrance, waiting for the ladder leading into the hole to be fully stabilized.

Envy made it a point to walk much closer to Ed than he needed to. Ed shuddered as he thought about what would happen when the homunculi found out about the disappearance of Sloth. He looked around. Bradley had waved their escort away a while ago. Roy had been left with them as well.

As they walked, Ed's mind raced to think of something, some excuse for why Sloth wasn't there. But they never came to the end. Instead, they stopped and had Ed sit on the ground.

"Now, then. We're both aware of the fact that you do have powers that come from the Philosopher's Stone. And both of us would very much like to know what those powers are."

Ed kept his head down and his mouth shut until he had a sword under his chin, only a millimeter away from his throat. He looked up. Wrath had another sword pulled out, and he did not look happy.

"You should think about answering. We may be keeping you alive, but that doesn't mean we'll be treating you kindly."

Ed glared at his captors for a moment. "Fine."

Wrath didn't move the sword until Ed had finished the basic description of how his body had changed. Ed had kept his tone neutral throughout it all, hoping they wouldn't think he was happy to have these powers. He left the soul he'd talked to out of it.

"So you could track one of us if you wished?"

Ed nodded.

Envy observed Ed's face for a moment before turning to Wrath. "I say we test it out."

"Very well."

Envy pulled out a length of cloth and wrapped it around Ed's head, successfully covering his eyes. Then he walked a few feet behind Ed.

"Where is he?" Wrath asked.

"He's three meters behind me."

Envy moved.

"How about now?"

"He's leaning against the wall over there."

Envy moved again, this time behind Wrath.

"Now?"

Ed was slightly irritated by this point in time. "He's standing behind you, jumping on one foot and spinning around in circles with a stupid grin on his face."

Envy stopped jumping. "Damn, he's good."

"Are you done yet?" Ed asked.

"Yes." Envy removed the blindfold and had Ed stand up. "See, it isn't so hard to tell the truth, is it?"

Ed glared at Envy, who patted him on the head and continued walking down the tunnel. "So, you know what's at the end of this tunnel, right?"

"No."

Envy stopped. "What are you talking about? You've met him before…"

"Who?"

"Sloth, you moron! Can't you sense him?"

Ed shook his head. He could sense the homunculus, but only faintly, and the homunculus definitely wasn't at the end of the tunnel. Envy glared at Ed with suspicion.

"You can't?"

"No."

"Why not?"

"How should I know?"

Wrath watched Ed with suspicion. "Let's continue on our way, shall we?"

---------------

Ed stared at the end of the tunnel with a dead look in his eyes. He was waiting for the blow to come, knowing that Envy would do something to him. But to his surprise, Envy did nothing.

"Where is he?" the homunculus asked instead.

"I don't know," Ed replied. Seriously, he didn't have a clue.

"Then who would know?"

"I don't know."

"You… if you're lying…"

"He isn't," Wrath interrupted. "Someone from this base must be working against us. Let's go to the surface."

"Right."

Ed trudged behind the two homunculi through the tunnel. When they arrived back above ground, Ed was sent back to his cell. He collapsed on his bed and didn't move until Roy poked him in the face.

"Leave me alone. I'm tired," Ed mumbled into his pillow.

"What happened?"

"They know someone here's working against them. And I had to tell them."

"What did you tell them?"

Ed picked his head up. "Just… what's different about me. I left some things out, though."

"So do they know that this entire place is against them?"

"I doubt it."

Roy stroked his chin for a moment. "Let's hope it stays that way."

------------------

Olivier stared at the hole in the ground as she contemplated the meaning of everything the homunculi had said. "You're saying it's gone?"

"That's right. The only trouble is, we don't know just how anybody from here could have possibly gotten down there. After all, I saw the construction you did to patch up the hole, and it would be impossible to have a secret entrance."

Olivier used this opportunity to gain the Fuhrer's trust. "Unless…"

"Unless what?"

"It's quite possible that someone created another entrance. We do have a few alchemists here, and one of them could have a grudge against the country. It's a shame, really. Up until now, I had assumed that they were trustworthy, or at least not stupid enough to do something so rash."

"Ah, yes. Alchemists tend to have a mind of their own when it comes to the affairs of the country. At any rate, I need to make some phone calls."

"Of course."

Once they got to a phone, however, the line was dead. This came as a surprise to Olivier, since she hadn't told anyone to cut off communications just yet. However, her surprise seemed to be all the Fuhrer needed to be convinced of her innocence.

"It seems not everyone in Briggs follows your instructions, Major General. I would like a ride into town."

However, the roads were in bad shape due to the storm that had been raging for the past several hours, and a ride to town was not an option. Olivier counted that as lucky.

-----------------

Al practically collapsed after a day of rigorous training with Mei Chan. Despite the way she looked, she was a very strict teacher, and Al had barely managed to keep up with everything. He lay on the ground and stared at the sky, wondering whether he had the energy to get to his feet and eat something.

"Shouldn't you be studying?" Al heard Scar ask from nearby. Al groaned.

"I've been studying all day. I can't anymore."

"How do you expect to fight against the enemy if you don't know how?"

"What are you, my mom? I'm not going to get better if I spend every minute doing whatever."

"Speaking of which, where is your mother?"

That caught Al off guard. He sat up and faced the Ishbalan. "You want to know?"

"Yes."

"She died when we were little."

"Ah."

It was quiet for a while. Then Al realized something. "Hey, why do you care? Didn't you hate us a while ago?"

"Your brother's not someone I want revenge against." Scar observed Al for a while. "Why are you so willing to trust me?"

Al shrugged. "I don't really know. I guess it's because my brother trusts you."

"But why would he?"

"How should I know? I'm not him…"

"No, I suppose you wouldn't know."

Al fell back and went back to staring at the sky. "Maybe he doesn't trust you anymore. I mean, even after he got his memory back, we didn't talk much about what's been going on. Most of the time he didn't even speak when I visited him."

"He didn't?"

"No. He was in the process of healing."

There was an awkward silence. After a while, Scar spoke. "You know, I wasn't trying to kill-"

"I know."

It was quiet once again. Then Scar stood up. "What would your friend say if she knew we were working together?"

Al raised an eyebrow. "Winry?" He paused. "I don't know."

"They didn't deserve to die."

"No, they didn't." Al sat up. "That's why you said you didn't deserve our protection, isn't it?"

Scar began walking away. Al watched him walk away, debating whether or not to follow him. He decided not to. Instead, he spoke. "You know, I don't hate you for what you did."

Scar paused. Al continued. "I hate what you did, but I don't hate you."

"Even after I tried to kill you both numerous times?"

"I never said I liked you. I just…"

"Forget it. I know what you're trying to say."

Al watched as Scar left the area. Then he laid his head down and closed his eyes. He was asleep within minutes.

-------------

Yay, I finally updated:D