Unofficial Author's Note: Aaauuugh! I just read vol. 13 of the manga! There was a preview for 14 and. . .and someone PLEASE tell me that Lin(g) doesn't become a homunculus or something! Aaaugh!

Official Author's Note: Ah! 40 reviews! Over half way to my goal of 76! BOHAHAHAHA! Thank you so much to everyone who left a review! It means so much!

Oh, and everyone has been telling me that Lin's name is actually Ling, but since I've already been calling him Lin I decided to just stick with that. Hope that doesn't upset anyone. . .

Okay, people, I've been saying all along that I really need ideas for this story, and please trust me when I say that I'M NOT LYING! My Chocolate-Milk-Glass of Ideas is now officially purty durn dry. I really need help in figuring out what should happen next (thanks to Bar-Ohki for tossing ideas around with me so far.) So if you people are at all interested in this story and would like to see it continue, either give me ideas or pray like heck that my inspiration breaks out of prison and strikes me again!

Disclaimer: I tried to get my insurance to pay for all the things that my inspiration stole when it struck and mugged me, but then I remembered that I don't HAVE insurance. Crap. Still own nothing.

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"Careful, boy. Don't strain yourself."

Roy merely snorted as Alphonse led him slowly down the street. It had been several days since their encounter with Scar and Roy had healed enough to go limping along after Al when the large boy took him out occasionally for exercise. It had been a week since he had first disappeared.

A week. . .he groaned inwardly. The theory that he had been killed by Scar was rapidly gaining popularity among the population at large. Of course, Hawkeye and the rest of them—Havoc, Fuery, Falman, Breda,. . .even Armstrong—refused to believe it, but. . .he sighed and looked at the ground. Hawkeye was becoming more and more withdrawn and cold. Her eyes were still steely with determination, but when she had come secretly to his stable to talk to him (she always did have a soft spot for animals, he mused) he had seen despair lurking deep in her golden eyes. He wanted to both comfort her and slap her to her senses at the same time. Most of all he wanted to kill whoever did this.

Fortunately, while he had been recovering, he had been sort of unofficially adopted into the group like Black Hayate had been, and no one minded when he followed them around everywhere.

Speaking of Black Hayate. . .he glanced over his shoulder and saw the small puppy bounding happily by his side. The dog had taken a particular liking to Roy and whenever Riza left it would run out and trail around after Roy. When Hayate had first seen Roy in his horse form, he had run back and forth between Roy and Riza, barking excitedly. Everyone else (especially Breda) just thought the dog had been possessed, but now that he thought about it, Roy wouldn't have been surprised if Hayate had recognized him somehow. That dog was uncannily perceptive at times.

But still. . .he sighed again. A week in this miserable body and they STILL were no closer to figuring who did it or how it was done. Actually, he still wasn't any closer to showing the others that it HAD been done. He had experimented for a while with trying to use his hooves to scratch out a message in the dirt, but as they could go only go back and forth, the best he had been able to manage was a line. Next he had tried using his teeth, but had even less success in that department. Horses in general are not particularly well-designed for writing.

"Ah! Brother! Lieutenant!"

Roy looked up and saw Fullmetal and Hawkeye, along with Havoc, Falman, and, oddly, Lin and his bodyguard. They had been huddled together, discussing something seriously. Al noticed the concern in their expressions as well.

"What's wrong?" He asked, jogging up with Black Hayate at his heels.

"Scar took out another State Alchemist last night." Ed scowled.

Alphonse's shoulders sagged. "And still no sign of the Colonel?" Roy couldn't help snorting and shoving his head forcefully into the circle at this, but was completely ignored except for Riza absently reaching over to stroke his nose.

Ed slammed a fist into his palm, "We have to go after Scar again. He needs to be stopped and right now he's our only lead to the Colonel."

No! No, you idiots! Scar had nothing to do with it! He wouldn't have turned me into a horse! All that maniac can do is BLOW THINGS UP! Leave him for the rest of the military! Augh!!

"Whoa, what's gotten into Shadow?" Edward edged away from the raving horse.

"I bet he just wants to stop Scar too, don'cha boy?" Al scratched his neck affectionately.

Roy gave up.

"Well," Ed turned back to the group, "The most effective way we've found of luring him out is by using Al and me as bait. It's worked before and--"

"Out of the question." Hawkeye immediately cut him off. "It's too dangerous. You almost died last time."

"Yeah, well we wouldn't be going alone this time!" Ed protested. "Slanty-eyes here hasn't let us out of his sight since that night anyway."

"Well we can't have anything happen to you!" Lin grinned, "If you died, then they'd stop giving me free food!"

"But brother has a point." Alphonse broke in, "If we go out as bait, but have all of you lying in wait for him, then we wouldn't be in that much danger!"

Hawkeye looked like she was about to disagree again, but Ed cut in, "It's the only way to find out what's happened to the Colonel."

She faltered.

"All right." She finally said, straightening up and looking hard at the young alchemist, "But once Scar appears, you are to retreat immediately and let us deal with him, understand?"

"Yes ma'am!" Ed grinned, snapping off a salute. Hawkeye sighed and rubbed her temples.

"All right, how are we going to do this. . ."

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They had decided to set the trap in an abandoned, derelict section of the city so that no innocent civilians would get caught up in the fight. An additional bonus was that if they accidentally destroyed a building or ten they would only be saving a demolition crew work later on.

Hawkeye, Lin, Lanfan, and Havoc were all tucked away out of sight in some of the crumbling buildings while Ed and Al just stood in the middle of the street, looking awkward. They hadn't wanted to let Roy come along, but he put up such a struggle at being left behind that they were forced to allow him to come. He was hidden in a nice little niche where a wall had collapsed and created a convenient little shelter that allowed him to see basically what was going on, yet kept him concealed.

As the minutes ticked by, he began wondering again just HOW they expected Scar to randomly show up. Apparently, Edward was thinking the same thing. And, while Roy had to admit the boy had a few qualities, patience was definitely not one of them.

With an annoyed grunt, Ed slapped his hands together and slammed them into the ground. Immediately pavement and concrete and cobblestones shot into the air like a tower and, once they had cleared the roofs of the surrounding buildings, formed themselves into words.

"SCAR! WE ARE HERE!" Was the message of the giant sign, accompanied by a large, blinking, neon arrow pointing down at Ed and Al.

Nothing if not subtle. Roy stared incredulously up at the towering sign. The Elrics certainly had a unique way of approaching situations. Unique in that no one else could possibly be stupid enough to do what they did. But still, if that didn't get Scar over here, he didn't know what would.

"Um, won't he think it's a trap, big brother?" Al's voice bounced back and forth among the buildings, making it easy for Roy to hear even though he was far away.

"Of course he'll know it's a trap. But he'll come anyway." Ed stated with conviction.

And, sure enough, only forty minutes passed before the Ishbalan appeared.

"Ha!" Ed scrambled up, grinning victoriously, "Got you!"

Before Scar even had a chance to reply, both Ed and Al were charging towards him.

What are those idiots doing?! Roy craned his neck to see. The moment Scar appeared, they were supposed to fall back! He heard a distinct curse coming from Hawkeye's general direction.

Just as Scar and the Elrics reached each other, Lin and Lanfan exploded out from their hiding places and joined the fray. Roy allowed himself a savage grin when he saw Scar's surprise. Four against one, with both Havoc and Hawkeye still hidden with sniper rifles. . .Roy chuckled. This guy was toast.

Knowing what a huge disadvantage he was at, Scar suddenly detached himself from the fight and darted into a nearby building.

Oh crap.

That was the building both Hawkeye and Havoc were in. Roy scrambled out of his hiding place and ran towards the building just as the other four sped in after Scar.

By the time Roy had gotten in, the various thumps and explosions of a fight were coming from one of the higher floors. Suddenly the sound of gunshots was added to the general din. Roy swore as he struggled up the stairs. In these cramped quarters, Scar would have the advantage.

The stairs were giving him considerable trouble, but he managed them eventually. When he finally stuck his head into the room where the others were, the sounds had abruptly stopped.

Scar was slumped in a corner with Ed and Lin holding swords to his neck, Lanfan pressing a kunai into his side, and both Havoc and Riza aiming guns at his head. Alphonse was standing off to the side, holding up his hands and looking a bit overwhelmed.

Roy sighed in relief. See? No problem. Six on one. Why had he been worried? The building shuddered and plaster and dust rained down on him. Oh. That was why.

"Got you!" Ed hissed, pressing his blade harder into Scar's throat, "Now. Tell us what you did to Colonel Mustang."

No, no you fools. Roy looked around worriedly at the unstable structure they were all standing in, Knock him out and question him at military H.Q.! (Not that questioning him will do much good anyway.) But don't stay HERE!

"The Flame Alchemist?" Scar's brow furrowed slightly, "I have not seen him since I came back to Central, though I have been searching."

"You mean. . ." Ed paused, "You mean you didn't kill him?"

Of course he didn't, you pipsqueak idiot!!! Roy bellowed. Even now, he was still surprised when Fullmetal didn't even flinch when called a pipsqueak.

"No, but it was not through lack of effort." Everyone was so focused on this new information that Roy was the only one who saw the tiny, red spark leap from Scar's hand, which was pressed against the wall.

LOOK OUT! Roy yelled and charged forward just as the wall exploded and three stories of already-crumbling masonry collapsed on them.

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A/N: Eh-heh. . .and here I just said that I wasn't the type of author who was really into cliffhangers. –sweatdrop-- I didn't mean to do it, honestly. That was just the most convenient ending point. Anyway! Please, please leave reviews! Even if you didn't like it, please tell me why!

By the way, would SOMEone please explain to me why the Royai pairing is called Royai?