Title: Rain
Author: AkizukiSakura
Pairing(s): Roy/Ed
Spoilers/Warnings: As far as I know, the spoilers are minimal. This diverges from both the manga and the anime, and I wouldn't be surprised if I get some facts wrong anyway (like the ages they were when each major even occurred). Also, this is YAOI. Don't like it, don't read it. Period.
Disclaimer: I do not own Fullmetal Alchemist. I make no monetary profit from the writing and posting of this, or any, fanfiction.
Notes: Hey, look! A real chapter!

Proser seems to be fairly busy this week so, for now, I'm posting this un-beta'd. I'll put up a clean, edited copy later.

Chapter Five: In Which Roy Learns Things

Edward was giving him an uncertain look – as well he should be, Roy thought, because what the blonde was suggesting was ludicrous. "Xerxes?" Roy questioned finally when it seemed that Ed wasn't going to elaborate any further. "You mean like… ruins?" he hedged cautiously, though he doubted that was the case. Ed wouldn't be giving him that strange look if he meant 'ruins'. Even so, Roy wanted to hear it from the blonde rather than jump to conclusions. Ed toyed idly with one of the buttons of the jacket draped over his shoulders and, despite the situation, Roy had to force his thoughts away from just how good Ed looked wearing Roy's uniform jacket…even if it was several sizes too large.

"Don't give me that naive bullshit," Ed growled, breaking into Roy's inappropriate thoughts. The words lacked the usual bite; from the way Ed was favoring his right foot as he paced, Roy had no doubt that the hot sand had not been kind to the younger man's flesh during their walk to this oasis. "I've been to the ruins of Xerxes before, remember?" Ed continued, either not knowing or not caring that Roy was staring closely at him. "It wasn't that long ago. Those," he emphasized with a pointed finger, "are not ruins." Ed hobbled over to Roy, grumbled, and flopped down on the relatively cool sand under the palm tree, having apparently tired of pacing. Roy cast a surreptitious glance at Ed's flesh foot and winced inwardly, noting the eye-smarting shade of red splashed over his heel and the ball of his foot. Typically, Ed was doing what he did best when he was injured: ignoring it.

Roy sighed and got up, fishing in his breast pocket for his handkerchief. "Forgive me for my ignorance, Fullmetal, but what you're suggesting…" Roy dipped the square of cloth in the water and wrung it out, glancing over his shoulder at the younger man. "Alchemists have been theorizing about the concept of time travel for who knows how long?" He turned and casually meandered back over to Ed, ignoring the puzzled look the blonde directed at the handkerchief.

"That's what I said when that nut-job suggested it, and yet, here we are," Ed retorted snippily, the sweep of his flesh arm encompassing the desert at large.

Roy was used to Ed's attitude under normal circumstances, but the constant belittling right now was getting on his nerves. He frowned at the blonde, opening his mouth to rebuke his subordinate for his behavior, and paused. Roy scrutinized Ed for a moment, noting the tightness to the younger alchemist's lips and the faint wrinkles at the corner of those bright amber eyes. Ed had always been tense, less so after restoring Alphonse, but Roy had the vague feeling that if he pushed the blonde over right now Ed would break. He's in pain, Roy realized belatedly. Likely that drug isn't as worn off as he's pretending. Pursing his lips, he grabbed Ed's ankle and gently propped the burned foot on his thigh.

"What the fuck, Mustang?" Ed snapped predictably, complete with the insistent attempt to withdraw his foot; Roy simply tightened his grip on the blonde's ankle. "I don't need your damn coddl – ahhh!" Ed blanched and twitched involuntarily as the General pressed the wet cloth to his foot.

Roy fiddled with the 'kerchief until it covered the majority of Ed's foot and tied the ends rather sloppily, calmly ignoring the scorching glare Ed was currently gracing him with. "You should have said something about this earlier," he reprimanded Ed, knowing his anger showed and not caring. "We don't know where we are. For all you know, that city could be abandoned. We don't have any kind of medicine and the last thing either of us need is for you to get an infection." Roy was only slightly mollified when Ed shifted uncomfortably and appeared mildly chastised. After all, Roy did know burns. "Now, please continue your explanation; preferably without the insults to my intelligence."

Ed huffed predictably but some of the tension had leeched away with the application of the handkerchief on his burns. "If Dmitri hadn't explained it to me, I probably wouldn't have gotten it for a while," he admitted grudgingly. Roy knew it was all the apology he was going to get and gestured admittedly with some impatience, for Ed to continue. "A lot of it is theoretical bullshit, but the gist is that he's using something in my blood to forge a connection to the past and then amplifying his alchemy with a Philosopher's Stone to build a bridge."

Roy whistled faintly in surprise. "I'm shocked that it actually worked," he commented, watching Ed lean back on his palms and scratch idly at his nose. A flicker of jealousy snaked through Roy. Ed's complexion had always been golden. Part of it was his heritage, but the rest, as Roy well knew, was Ed's tendency to travel. Unlike Ed, who merely tanned a darker caramel color, Roy could feel the tell-tale tightness of his face that was the beginning of a nasty sunburn.

"If he didn't have the Stone, it wouldn't have worked at all," Ed replied, breaking into Roy's somewhat childish musings. There was a very pregnant pause before Ed added, quietly, "It probably still wouldn't have worked if Dad wasn't our father." Roy raised an eyebrow at Ed, asking silently for an explanation. Ed scowled darkly but obliged. "Think about it. All the Xerxians were wiped out except for Dad and that...thing, and we don't even know if that thing counts. Still, for Xerxian features to crop up in Amestrians, there must be some blood still flowing through people, however thin it may be. Traders and travelers probably carried a bit of it to Amestris before Xerxes was wiped out." Ed's hands clenched into fists in the sand. "But because Dad is a full-blood Xerxian, that makes Al and me half-blood, which is a lot more than any of the others running around Amestris."

"The murdered children," Roy realized, feeling vaguely ill. The feeling only intensified when Ed nodded affirmation. "So he did a bit of research, learned what the Xerxians looked like, and somehow came up with a Stone?" Roy puzzled through what he knew of the Stone and decided he really didn't want to know how the man had come up with one. "For what purpose? Why come to the past at all?" He was surprised when Ed crossed his arms and his expression morphed into one of disdain. Roy recognized that look – Ed's upper lip only curled like that when he came across someone he truly thought was stupid. "Fullmetal?" he questioned after several moments of silence.

Ed rolled his eyes. "Fucker read more than just what Xerxians looked like," Ed sighed. He glanced in the direction of the city. "You don't know much about alchemical boosters, do you?" he asked Roy finally.

Roy raised an eyebrow at his subordinate's abrupt change of subject. "The military was working on synthetic boosters for a time. Before the Red Stone project," he clarified when Ed made a questioning noise. "Nearly everything they came up with was either toxic or had…unpleasant side effects. The Red Stone was the first – and only – amplifier that didn't really have any unwanted effects, if you discount the chances of a rebound. Why do you ask?"

"Well, Al and I chose the Philosopher's Stone as the most likely method to restore ourselves," Ed explained mildly. "But even then, we knew that there was a good chance it didn't exist. After all, there are plenty of myths and legends about things that never happened or never existed." He slanted his eyes at Roy and the older man had a sudden feeling of foreboding. "It seems Dmitri did the same thing, only he chose to focus on a different myth. Ever hear of something called the Fountain of Youth?"

Roy snorted in spite of the gravity of the situation. "Yes. I had a book of myths when I was a child. The Fountain that can cure all ills and grant the drinker immortality and eternal youth, right? It was one of my favorite stories when I was a child," he admitted.

"All myths and legends have some basis in fact," Ed said, his voice taking on a decidedly lecturing undertone. His expression suggested he was a little miffed at Roy's reaction. "I never paid much attention to it even as a kid." Then again, as children Ed and Al had been studying alchemy, so perhaps that wasn't surprising. "Dmitri had a scroll he said was from the time of the Xerxian kings. Since I was a bit restrained at the time, I didn't exactly have a chance to examine it, but he read it out to me. From the way he talks, I think the Fountain was something like a natural Philosopher's Stone."

Roy pondered this information for several minutes. "So you think it's essentially a more potent version of the Red Water?" he asked finally. Ed nodded and shifted, then winced when his foot grazed the heavy wool of Roy's uniform trousers. Roy glanced down at Ed's foot and wordlessly untied the handkerchief. He walked back over to the water to re-wet the cloth. "That still doesn't explain why he wanted to come to the past, though I think I'm beginning to piece it together."

Ed hissed as Roy reapplied the handkerchief to his foot. "He said the 'key'," Roy noted with faint amusement that Ed used air quotes, "to the Fountain was in a Xerxian library held by the king," the blonde said, glancing once more at the city in the distance. "I'm guessing his goal was to go back and find the library and, eventually, the Fountain. He didn't say what he'd do with that kind of power. Probably take over the world or some shit. Seems to be a trend these days…"

"So, what do you suggest we do?" At Ed's incredulous look, Roy gave in to the temptation to roll his eyes. "Obviously you know more about Xerxes and this situation than I do. It'd be foolish of me to try and take command of a situation I know nothing about."

"Well, since it's getting dark, I suggest we camp here for the night. I don't think we want to wander around an unknown town at night." Ed gave him an appraising look that made Roy very uncomfortable. "If that's really Xerxes, I'll be fine, but you're going to stick out like a sore thumb." Ed picked up a handful of sand and sifted it through his fingers. His lips moved. Roy suspected he was testing its composition. From his frown, Roy guessed that Ed wasn't happy with it. "No usable minerals," the blonde muttered, dusting his hand off on his white trousers. "I was hoping to dye your hair."

"You wanted to - ?" Roy began in disbelief. "To what color? Blonde? I would look utterly ridiculous." The smirk on Ed's face said to Roy that Ed knew very well how silly Roy would look.

"It doesn't matter anyway," Ed said, his expression turning serious once more. "I can't do anything with this." He directed a glare at the sand momentarily, sighed, and looked at Roy again. "Oh well. The next best thing is to hide your hair as long as we can. Let me have your clothes." Out of everything Ed could have said, that was definitely not what Roy was expecting. He opened his mouth to demand why and nearly choked on the unspoken words when Ed shrugged off Roy's military jacket and then promptly followed that with the white tank top and trousers. To Roy's relief – at least, he hoped it was relief – Ed left the white boxers alone. "See something you like?" Ed asked dryly and Roy realized he'd been staring. To his horror he felt a blush just grace his cheeks. Hopefully his sunburn hid the color.

"May I ask why you want me to strip, Fullmetal?" Roy returned just as wryly. He was slightly placated when Ed gaped at him for several moments, obviously doing his best impressions of a fish. Roy expected Ed to be angry, but the blush that exploded over the younger man's cheeks was intriguing.

"Bastard!" Ed snapped, still flushed. "We obviously can't waltz into town dressed as we are. I'm going to transmute us new clothes, but I need all the material I can get, since some people are freakishly tall." Roy had guessed the reason for Ed's request, but the blush highlighting Ed's cheeks was worth invoking the blonde's ire. Smirking faintly, Roy began removing his clothing.

Bastard, Ed seethed inwardly as he set his tank top and trousers aside. He spared a moment to glare at the sand-stained white fabric. His thoughts invariably turned back to Dmitri and he clenched his fists unconsciously, hardly aware when Roy deposited his white button-up shirt on the pile of white cloth. Ed had dealt with plenty of madmen over the years, Father notwithstanding, but Dmitri was a whole new level of insane, not least because he had actually been right. Perhaps not about the Fountain, as that still remained to be seen, but Ed knew in his gut that he and Roy were no longer in present-day Amestris.

The soft thump of heavy fabric hitting the sand cut through Ed's sour musings. He glanced at the pile of blue fabric and realized quite suddenly that Roy was essentially naked. It wouldn't have been a big deal if not for the fact that Ed had to actually look at Roy to ensure he got the man's measurements. He glanced at Roy and, predictably, began to blush. He knew Roy could tell, too, because the man was wearing that infuriatingly smug smirk again, but Ed did his best to ignore it.

"Why, Edward," Roy began teasingly, but Ed cut him off.

"I currently have your clothes at my mercy, asshole," Ed threatened, eyes flashing dangerously. "You really want to finish that statement?" Roy's already pale complexion whitened noticeably and he shut up. Ed examined his superior in the fading daylight. Roy had a swimmer's build: Muscled upper body, tapered waist, lean thighs. It surprised Ed a little bit. Somehow he doubted most people would connect the Flame Alchemist with swimming. Thinking about the man's usually fluid movements, though, tapered that surprise somewhat.

Ed drummed his fingers on his thigh thoughtfully as he sorted through all the fabric at his disposal, ignoring the eyes he could feel on him. Most of the cloth, unsurprisingly, was blue. Luckily for the both of them, the military uniforms had a lot of extra fabric. Ed clapped his hands together. Sparkling blue light arced outward from his palms, radiating in a flash of sparks and heat away from him. He noted distractedly that Roy had shaded his eyes as Ed wrestled with the complex arrays skittering through his head. Measurements melded with the circles in his mind as he directed the flow of energy into the cloth twitching at his fingertips.

Several minutes later Ed wiped the sweat from his brow and sat back to examine his handiwork, knowing that Roy was likely going to have a conniption when he saw what Ed had crafted. Without waiting for the General to examine the clothing too intently, Ed tossed a bundle of cloth to the older man. "Put that on," he instructed brusquely. "And before you start complaining, remember where – and when – we are." With that cryptic statement Ed turned away to afford the man some privacy and picked up his new clothing. Despite Ed's warning, a moment later he heard an incredulous sound from his superior, followed by a quiet curse word.

"Fullmetal…"

Ed tucked a fold of blue-trimmed white cloth at his hip and glanced over his shoulder, doing nothing to hide the wicked smile he knew was on his face. "Yes?" he asked innocently, not even flinching when Mustang glared at him.

"Since you're wearing this absurd garment, too, I can guess it isn't a joke, and while I shudder to think of where you learned how to wear one of these things properly, I must admit to my lack of education." The General's tone was one of both resignation and warning. Ed suspected that if he chose to ridicule Roy right now the bastard would find ways to make him regret it later.

Ed shook his head. "Since you asked so nicely." In Mustang's defense, wrapping a toga wasn't something easily done. He grabbed the fabric from Roy. "First, hold it horizontally like this, and wrap it around you." It was awkward for Ed to be helping a grown man dress himself, particularly because Roy was considerably taller than him. As Roy wrapped the long rectangle of cloth, Ed transmuted one of Roy's uniform ribbons into a safety pin to hold the garment. "Now throw the end over your shoulder," he instructed, showing Roy where to tuck the fabric. Then he handed Roy a blue wool cloak with a hood, fastened at the throat with a clasp transmuted from more of Roy's ribbons. For once Ed was glad Mustang had plenty of the fiddly little things. Now he and Roy looked alike except for a few variations – Roy's toga was only knee length whereas Ed's was ankle-length, and Ed's had sleeves on his to hide his automail.

While Mustang fiddled fussily with the fit of his new clothes, Ed transmuted Roy's boots into two pairs of lace-up sandals and took Roy's socks. Wearing Roy's dirty socks was not something Ed was looking forward too, but it was necessary; at least he'd been able to separate out the sweat and dirt. The cloaks were a little out of the time period, but they could always pretend to be from a different tribe, which would also help explain the changes Ed had to make to his outfit. He did not want to know what would happen if anyone happened to glimpse his automail. Ed tugged on a pair of plain white gloves as Roy examined himself.

"Here," Ed said when Roy gave no sign that he was going to stop anytime soon. Roy glanced up and took the gloves Ed offered him, surprised to find that one of them was one of his vellum gloves. "It was in your jacket pocket," Ed informed him.

"Hmm… I believe we have Lieutenant Hawkeye to thank for that," Roy remarked, rasping his fingertips together to produce a tiny spark.

Ed rolled his eyes. "Too bad you didn't think to do it yourself," Ed said, but there was little bite to his words. "I usually keep a few sticks of chalk sewn into my jacket," which had been Al's idea, actually, "but since that psycho decided I 'look better in white', I just have to hope we don't end up having to fight, or my automail will rip this flimsy silk to shreds." Ed's expression said clearly how shallow that hope was. "Anyway, it's going to get fucking cold tonight."

Roy glanced around the tiny oasis, frowning. "I can make fire, obviously, but it'll need fuel, and I don't see any." He plucked at his cloak. "Luckily this was my winter uniform, so it's wool, but it isn't very long." He directed a halfhearted glare at Ed's ankle-length toga and cloak, but Ed knew it was for show. Roy undoubtedly knew just as well as he did that his automail needed to be covered at all times.

"Well, we can either resign ourselves to a miserable night, or cuddle," Ed deadpanned. He was going for nonchalant but he knew his cheeks were heating again. Luckily darkness was fast approaching and his blush wasn't so easy to see. It was Roy's turn to roll his eyes but, surprisingly, the General didn't say anything at all. He merely sat down and opened his cloak, raising an eyebrow at Ed when he hesitated. Ed scowled and settled uncomfortably against Roy, shifting his cloak so that it covered their front while Roy's covered their back. After a few minutes it warmed considerably and Ed found himself relaxing in the heat and leaning unconsciously against Roy. Apparently Ed was more tired than he thought because before he knew it he had drifted off.

Sunlight striking his eyelids woke Roy in a brusque manner that he was unaccustomed to; typically he drew the drapes in his bedroom before going to sleep. He opened his eyes reluctantly, squinting in the too-harsh sunlight. For a moment he was confused. Even leaving the curtains open, it shouldn't have been nearly as bright as it was. It was only when his eyes finally adjusted to the harsh light that he realized he was not in his bedroom. The endless sea of sand was certainly a big clue.

The weight resting heavily against his right side was another indication that all was not as it should have been. Roy glanced in the direction of the oddity and stilled suddenly, eyes widening fractionally in disbelief.

Edward was sleeping next to him, his head resting innocuously on Roy's shoulder. Thinking on it, it was a miracle that they had maintained their positions the entire night. Roy knew for certain that he was usually an extremely restless sleeper. In spite of his best attempts to ignore the fact that his youngest subordinate was sleeping so innocently next to him, Roy couldn't help but examine the sleeping blonde. The Fullmetal Alchemist was a strong symbol of the Amestrian army. People respected and revered the young alchemist, even though Edward was barely sixteen years old.

Roy wondered what the people would think if they could see the terrifying People's Hero asleep like this: Ed scowled even in his sleep, but he looked considerably more relaxed in his sleep with his eyelashes splayed over his cheeks and his lips slightly parted. Roy realized with some surprise that he'd never before seen the Major look so vulnerable. Even with his arm blasted to bit, Ed had still somehow always managed to exude confidence and a cocky, in-your-face attitude. Roy found that, for the moment at least, he had no desire to antagonize Ed. He also realized with a slight wince that if Edward woke up and realized Roy had seen him like this, the blonde would likely turn volatile.

Carefully, Roy shifted away from Ed, gently lowering the young man to the sand so that he could sleep a little longer. God only knew how completely Fullmetal must have been to fall asleep so quickly, and Roy still had no idea what Ed had been drugged with. There were dozens of drugs that had paralytic natures. For all Roy knew, Ed had been poisoned by this one, or it might have had an addicting nature to it; Roy had seen plenty of horrible drugs in his day. He grimaced as he got to his feet, realizing that the idea of Ed being poisoned affected his thoughts more than he would have liked to admit. Instead of dwelling on his feelings for his subordinate, Roy looked around for the sun. From its position, resting just over the horizon, it was early, probably not yet eight o'clock. Assuming, of course, it was still autumn. In the dessert, it was hard to tell.

Roy was splashing water on his face and wishing for a razor when he heard the tell-tale signs of Ed finally deciding to wake up. Guessing that Fullmetal probably wasn't much of a morning person, given the blonde's typical late nights, Roy wisely chose to say nothing while Ed stumbled blearily around. Ed didn't even acknowledge Roy's presence until after he'd relieved himself behind the tree and washed his face. Roy watched him covertly, observing that Ed was still limping noticeably.

Typically, Ed said nothing about his foot at all. "We need to get going," were his first words of the morning, spoken as he finger-combed his hair and pulled it up into a messy ponytail that was only slightly neater than his sleep-mussed hair had been. Though his words were sharp, he slanted a look at Roy that implied his statement had been more of a suggestion than an order. For whatever reason, Ed was actually choosing to acquiesce to Roy's superior knowledge when it came to desert survival.

Roy tucked his surprise behind a mask of indifference and got to his feet. Retrieving his cloak, he shook the sand out of the blue fabric and fastened it around his neck. Without waiting for Ed to remind him, he raised the hood to cover his dark hair. "Let's go, then," he replied neutrally, waiting for Ed to grab his cloak. Once Ed was ready, Roy gestured for him to lead the way. Ed gave him a suspicious look, hesitating, but in the end he shrugged and began to walk. The blonde's stride was conspicuously slower and shorter than usual and, surreptitiously, Roy matched it. Ed would never complain about his foot, and Roy knew if he brought it up Ed would only shoot down his concerns. At least this way he could keep Ed from overexerting himself.

"Have you any idea what we're going to do when we reach that city?" Roy asked after they'd been walking in complete silence for nearly half an hour. Even though the city had been visible, the distance was deceptively long, and the day was rapidly heating up.

Ed huffed faintly, as though irritated, but replied anyway. "Not really. Thought planning shit was your thing." There was a hint of a barb in the younger man's voice; no doubt Ed was alluding to Roy's constant reminders of how the older Elric tended to rush into things without thinking.

Roy ignored the sharpness of Ed's tone. "Under normal circumstances, that would be the case," he said calmly. "However, while I know more about the desert, I'm fairly certain you know more about the Xerxians." Ed glanced back at him, shock clearly evident on his angular features. Roy very rarely acknowledged the instances where Ed could claim superior intellect.

"I suppose," Ed said finally, obviously still surprised. He fell silent, but this time it was contemplative. He did not speak for ten minutes after that, but Roy recognized the pensive expression on the blonde's face and chose not to interrupt his thoughts. "…The best story we really have to go with is that we're travelers from another clan," Ed said slowly. "From what I remember reading, Xerxes had very little interaction with anyone else, but there were a number of merchants and caravans that occasionally came through." Ed glanced at Roy. "It's best to keep things vague. The more detail you put into a lie, the easier it is to find out. We can say we're from the east if asked. That would help describe your features."

Since Roy's mother actually was Xingian, this idea was very sound. It wouldn't explain why he was traveling with Edward, who looked very much like a dessert-dweller, but it was at least a plausible excuse for his dark hair and darker eyes. "And what's the plan?" he asked conversationally, noting vaguely that the city was looming noticeably closer. "If the key to the Fountain is guarded by the king…?"

"It's in a library," Ed said, his tone dismissive. "How hard can it be to break into a library?"

The city was an enormous, bustling conglomeration of locals, merchants, children, and animals. To Roy's surprise there were even a number of horses adding to the clutter of the streets. Roy didn't know much about Xerxes, though he supposed the horses could have been acquired through trade. As it was, those individuals who were mounted were very richly dressed and held themselves with the poise of old-blood aristocracy. It surprised Roy just how similar they were to Armstrong in that moment.

On the outskirts of the city, the dessert had crept right up to the buildings and the dry breeze whipped up the fine particles of sand, stinging his eyes. As they drew further in, however, the sand gave way to grass and desert flowers. Roy vaguely recalled reading something about how Xerxes had been fairly fertile due to the yearly flooding of the large river that divided the city in half. When the river flooded, it brought with it deposits of nutrient-rich soil and provided much-needed water to the desert people. If Roy remembered correctly, the water was brought downstream from the mountains far, far to the north of the city.

He was garnering a few stares because of his hood, but he suspected it was more the color of his and Ed's cloaks than anything that drew whispered speculations. Most of the people milling about wore white or undyed togas. Color was limited to borders or stoles, and it seemed that more of the people who walked around with their noses in the air wore colors. Roy realized belatedly that dyes were considered luxury items. He glanced at Ed to gauge his companion's reaction and was only mildly surprised to realize that Ed wasn't paying any attention at all to the gawkers. It occurred to him that Ed was probably used to people staring at him.

"Do you actually know where you're going?" he asked Ed quietly. The last thing he wanted to do was draw attention due to their odd language. As it was, he had no idea what any of the merchants were yelling.

Ed glanced at him, briefly, before slowing his pace. He shook his head. "No idea," he murmured back, looking somewhat sheepish. He glanced around as they walked, obviously trying to spot some sort of indication as to where this fabled library would be.

Roy followed him in silence, more intent on not losing his subordinate than anything else. Ed was a very distinctive person in Amestris, with his golden hair and amber eyes, but here he would blend in too easily, blue cloak notwithstanding. The last thing Roy wanted to do was end up separated. Though Ed was searching the surrounding buildings, he seemed distracted for some reason. So intent on trying to puzzle out what was wrong with Ed, Roy didn't noticed the small toddler that ran out in front of him until it was almost too late.

It wouldn't have been such a big deal if not for the fact that the toddler, who appeared to be chasing a reed ball, had not run out into the path of a trotting horse. Roy, used to reading situations in an instant, immediately reached out, gloved hand snagging the back of the boy's toga and yanking him back and up into his arms just in time. The horse trotted by, the rider either oblivious to the fact that he'd nearly run over the child or simply not caring. Ed turned, having caught Roy's sudden movement, just as the child blinked up at Roy and reached up. Before Roy realized what he was doing, the little boy had grabbed at the silver pin holding his cloak closed and pulled on it, yanking it to his mouth with the clear intention of sucking on it.

The movement startled Roy, particularly when it immediately tugged his hood down. Hurriedly, he set the child down, groped for the hood, and pulled it back over his hair, but not before a number of people around them caught sight of him, including a woman who was apparently the boy's mother. The woman – a teenager, really – gathered up the child in her arms. She was scolding the boy, that much was obvious from her tone, though Roy still had no idea what she was saying. It might not have been overly troubling had the girl not retrieved his cloak pin from her son's wet fingers and offered it back to him, this time speaking directly to him. He stared at her blankly even as others who had seen him gathered around to gabble at him.

It was at that moment that Ed stepped in front of him, crossed his arms, and replied to the young woman in her language. Roy knew he was goggling in a most unattractive way at Ed, and he knew Ed was studiously ignoring him as he conversed with the locals. As Roy listened, though, he realized that Ed's speech was not nearly as smooth as the others', something they seemed to notice, for several of them wore suspicious expressions. One of them, a young man with short golden hair and bronze eyes was openly gesturing at Roy, his words sharp. Ed, arms still crossed, replied just as tartly. Roy recognized Ed's tone. He'd been on the receiving end of Ed's irritation enough times to realize when Ed was annoyed no matter what language he was speaking.

It took almost a quarter of an hour by Roy's estimate for Ed to both calm the locals down and manage to relax. It frustrated him that he had no idea what these people were saying, and it was even worse because he didn't understand Ed at all either. Finally, though, Ed raised a hand in farewell, reached back to grab Roy's hand, and pulled him out of the gaggle of people.

For several moments Roy was too flabbergasted by Ed's firm grip on his hand to say anything at all. It wasn't until they were standing outside what looked like some sort of inn that he managed to rein in his scattered thoughts enough to form a coherent sentence. "Since when do you speak Xerxian?" he demanded. It wasn't the only question on his mind, but it was the most pressing.

Ed half-turned to see him. "It's best to talk about it in private," he said, pointedly glaring at the people who were staring at them. Though Roy didn't like it, he gestured for Ed to lead onward. Ed rolled his eyes and turned back to the inn, disappearing into the building. With a sigh, Roy followed him. He said nothing at all as Ed spoke to a man who seemed to be the inn's proprietor. He even managed to keep his expression perfectly neutral when Ed pulled out a number of coins; they were obviously payment. The owner raised his eyebrows in clear surprise and bowed to Ed, leading them to a room. He and Ed exchanged a few more words before the man left them alone. Roy crossed his arms and stared at Ed expectantly.

"Tch. I didn't really speak Xerxian before today," Ed began, scowling when Roy made a disbelieving noise. "Shut up and let me explain or I'm not going to tell you," the blonde threatened irritably. "Anyway. A lot of dad's old books were written in Xerxian. Al and I learned how to read it, but we didn't know how to speak it at all; kind of hard if you've never heard it spoken before. I've been listening to the people ever since we got here. I'm not that good at it, but I can at least get us around."

When it seemed like Ed wasn't going to say anything else, Roy cleared his throat. "And the gold, Fullmetal?" he asked, putting a note of authority into his tone. As if in recognition of the fact that Roy had briefly stepped back into his role as a Brigadier General, Ed scowled. Even so, the frown fell a moment later and Roy could have sworn that Edward Elric actually looked somewhat ashamed.

"Picked the pockets of some of the people we passed," Ed muttered, obviously unhappy. "Just a coin here and there, and don't ask me where I learned it, you bastard! I feel bad enough as it is."

Roy released the breath he'd taken to berate his subordinate, letting a stern expression cross his face. "Just don't make a habit of it, Fullmetal," he said finally, smoothing a hand over his face with a sigh. With that taken care of, for the moment anyway, he looked around the room they'd been given. It was a decent size, though there was only one bed. A thick straw pallet lay near the hearth. Roy raised an eyebrow at it.

Ed seemed to read the question in his eyes. "Er," he began, suddenly looking nervous as he, too, glanced at the simple pallet.

Roy glanced at him sharply. Whenever Ed was anxious during his reports, it usually signified bad news. Somehow Roy doubted this was going to be any different. "Spit it out, Fullmetal," he ordered shortly.

"Well… They sort of…think that you're my slave," Ed mumbled. It took several long moments for Ed's words to sink in. When they did, Roy threw a furious glare at Ed, who raised his hands in the universal signal of Calm the fuck down! "Don't kill me yet, General Bastard," Ed said hastily, taking a step back at the expression on Roy's face. "Slavery is very much legal right now, and it's the best explanation as to why you're traveling with me."

"And what," Roy seethed, "gave you the idea that I would be all right with this?"

Ed cut him off before he could really work himself up. "One of the merchants asked me if you were mine," he said quickly, and to Roy's utter astonishment a blush spread across Ed's tanned cheeks. The implications of that statement were not lost on Roy. "They were already suspicious of you, so I told them I'd brought you from my home." Ed's golden stare took on a vaguely beseeching cast. "It calmed them right down, so at least it was worth it?" he tried.

Roy sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose in irritation. "I can't do anything about it now," he said. "In the future, however, I would prefer that you at least let me know before you make those kinds of statements." He watched as Ed nodded in response, sat down on the bed, and carefully unlaced his left sandal, pulling it and the sock off a moment later to examine his burned foot. Unsurprisingly, Roy noted, Ed's foot didn't look any better at all. Walking on it for nearly two hours in the heat probably hadn't done Ed any favors. He was lucky it hadn't blistered yet.

Luckily for Edward, the inn owner chose that moment to knock on the door. Roy opened it, accepting a tray of food and a pitcher of some sort of liquid from the man. A girl, probably a slave, bore a basin and another pitcher. She set her burdens down on the small table and left without a word. The innkeeper glanced at Roy, frowned, and said something to Edward. The blonde rolled his eyes skyward and replied with less hesitation than before, and to Roy's surprise his subordinate managed to put a note of haughtiness in his voice. The innkeeper bowed, though he was still frowning, and departed.

Roy set the tray of food down and sniffed cautiously at the contents of the pitchers. The one the girl had brought it contained water, presumably for washing up, and the one he had was clearly some type of wine. "He didn't seem pleased," Roy remarked casually, though he knew his tone wasn't as bland as he would have liked.

Ed flushed faintly and looked away, idly tugging his gloves off and tossing them aside. "He said your manners need work," the blonde replied. From Ed's tone, Roy surmised that whatever the man had said had likely not been as polite as Ed was making it out to be. "I told him, basically, to fuck off."

Roy shook his head as he poured some of the water into the basin and set it down on the floor. "Soak your foot in that to draw out some of the heat," he ordered.

"You know you're not actually my slave, right?" Ed asked after a moment. He was staring at Roy in surprise. Roy was not given over to coddling his men.

"Just do it, Fullmetal," Roy said, shaking his head. Ed grumbled something under his breath but, to Roy's relief, he did as he was told. Roy handed Ed a small bunch of grapes and a hunk of bread. He leaned against the table as Ed ate, helping himself to a handful of dates. "I don't suppose you learned anything about this library?" he asked. He was unsurprised when Ed shook his head.

"It's not a good idea to just start asking around about it," Ed replied, startling Roy. When had Ed become so perceptive? Ed, seeming to notice Roy's shock, glared at his superior. "After all those shit missions you sent me on, you really think I'm that stupid?" Ed snorted, picking grapes off the stems and popping them thoughtfully in his mouth.

Roy found himself momentarily distracted when Ed stuck a finger in his mouth and sucked the grape juice off. He almost missed Ed's continuation.

"If this library is really all it's cracked up to be, two travelers wandering in and suddenly asking about it is bound to cause suspicion. I'm going to have to be careful." Roy opened his mouth at that, but Ed seemed to realize what he was about to say. "You don't speak Xerxian, and you're supposed to be a slave. How, exactly, do you expect to do anything here? Besides follow me around and look pretty, that is."

Roy bristled. "I'm not useless," he snapped, the comment coming out harsher than he'd intended.

"Yes, you are," Ed replied, but the faint amusement in his eyes belayed the insult. "I'm not just going to leave you here, you idiot. I'm not that stupid. Besides, even if you don't speak the language, you read people better than me."

The compliment from Ed shut Roy up more effectively than if Ed had taped his mouth closed. Ed was not prone to acknowledging his shortcomings. That he did so now said that, no matter how nonchalantly the blonde acted, Ed was worried.

That made Roy worry.

"How odd," he remarked, chin braced lightly on his fist as he inclined his head ever-so-slightly to the side. To anyone else who observed him, he simply seemed bored. His posture gave no other indication that he was listening to someone standing in the shadows of a pillar just behind him.

The fact that travelers had come to the city wasn't exactly common, but neither was it really anything to remark upon under normal circumstances. However, the description of one of the travelers had caught his attention, something that his informant must have known when he'd brought the information.

"How very odd…"

Word Count:7,300

AN: At least it didn't take almost two months this time, right? ...Right? Who am I kidding? I know the interlude was little more than a teaser for everyone, but I really wanted everyone to know that I haven't abandoned this story, nor do I plan on it. It just happens that I'm starting the process known as 'throw shit out so I don't have to pack it', also known as 'donating to Goodwill'. Also, I know from experience that leaving the packing to the last minutes sucks, so I'm trying to spread it out – no small feat with my daughter trying her damnedest to walk.

As it happens, I'm not really the kind of author who can set a specific date for a new update and have a chapter ready by then. I usually leave the chapter open on my computer and sit down to write whenever the urge strikes me and when I have the time. Usually this is during the short window that is my daughter's nap time, and sometimes once she's gone to bed – though typically, by then I'm so exhausted that I go to sleep, too.

On the 'toga' thing: A bit of research, and a perusal of the FMA wiki, suggested that Xerxes was very much like Ancient Greece, hence my choice in dressing Roy and Ed. It has the added bonus in that I've never seen a story where they dress in such clothes, so there's a bit of originality for the grumblers out there. I should warn you all that I know very little about Ancient Greece, so any inaccuracies should be chalked up to the fact that this is fiction and Xerxes isn't actually Ancient Greece. It happens that I've drawn in a bit of Ancient Egypt as well, as some of you may have noticed. From the pictures I've seen of Xerxes, it was quite green and lush, so I gave it its own 'Nile River Valley', and I'm sticking to that.

On the 'wool uniform' thing: I don't know about other military branches, but in the Navy we have two dress uniforms. We have dress whites, which everyone usually associates with sailors, and we have dress blues. The whites are a summer uniform, authorized roughly between May and September (depending on where you're stationed) and are made of linen. The dress blues are always authorized and are made of wool, making them ideal for cold weather. Since present-time Amestris was already headed into fall, Roy's uniform is wool.

Also! I am co-writing a story with Litai. It's called Traumerei. Our writing styles are very different, and we're alternating writing the chapters, but the plot is interesting. It's the first time I've really written anything like it.

Finally, once again I ask that, if it isn't too much trouble, everyone please visit my profile and vote in my poll. That poll with help me decide what to work on next.

Regards!

~AkizukiSakura