Notes: I'm sorry updates for this are so slow… I published the first chapter in a rather impulsive manner, without much planning, so I had to take more time to get the plot straight. The planning stage isn't complete yet but I have ideas for up to Chapter Ten, maybe, so I'll try to get them up as soon as possible. Thanks for your patience, everyone.

Chapter Three

The young guard was half-asleep when a sudden racket jolted him awake. For a moment he was terrified that it was Livingston again, that he'd escaped – but when he opened his eyes and frantically looked around he saw that the criminal was still in his original position in his jail cell. The noise seemed to be coming from… upstairs. The guard whipped out his gun and tried to hold it steady, sweat dripping into his eyes. It sounded as if someone was running – running very fast. The person was definitely heading this way. The guard prepared to meet the intruder with a bullet; the prison door burst open, and the guard was about to shoot – it was then he recognized that it was Colonel Roy Mustang. The guard was startled. He didn't expect a superior officer to be here at a time like this.

Before the guard could say anything, Roy had shoved him out of the way. His lungs were about to burst, and the thing was still chasing him. He glanced back – there it was, snarling, screeching, still on fire – it was scattering stinking ashes everywhere.

"Livingston!" Roy shouted. "Livingston, you bastard, where are you?"

"O-ho, do I hear the Colonel calling me?" Livingston's voice floated over from one of the jail cells.

Mustang gasped for air as the creature advanced at him. His eyes frantically scanned the prisons, searching for Livingston – damn it, why was he at the other end of the place? Roy cursed, and backed away farther. It was then he was reminded of the guard's presence.

The young man just screamed. He screamed like a little boy and dashed off, going the way Roy had come.

"Damn it. Abandoning your post… That's a demotion for you, kid," Roy muttered under his breath. The wolf-thing still had its red eyes trained on him, even though its form seemed to be half-destroyed, with smoke rising from its blackened flesh. Its teeth, Roy saw with dismay, were still intact.

Mustang had no time to finish, for the creature pounced at the same time. He scrambled backward, just far enough to avoid those nasty-looking claws. Its jaws snapped in his face; he felt its hot breath on his cheeks and smelled the rancid scent of burnt flesh. Desperate, he aimed a kick at its snout, only to have his foot land in its open mouth. The jagged fangs closed over his foot; yelling, Roy yanked as hard as he could. In a moment, his leg was free, his foot having eased out from its boot. The beast roared in anger as it discovered that his prey had gotten away again, leaving it with hard leather in its mouth.

"I'm comin' out, Colonel!" It was Livingston's voice again.

Before Roy could fully comprehend what he was saying, several things happened at once. The beast gave a ferocious snarl, and there was massive boom from somewhere behind Mustang. What seemed like a second later, Robert Livingston was standing in front of him, with what looked like a metal pole in his hand.

"Watch carefully, Colonel Mustang. You'll need to know some things if you don't want to be eaten by these piles of shit."

"You can't kill it – "

"Stab it through the heart."

"But- "

Livingston turned to Roy and gave him a crooked grin. "Their hearts are in their stomachs."

It seemed as though Livingston had meant it literally. The thing leapt at the two men. Livingston didn't flinch; at the last possible moment, he moved and thrust the pole into its midsection. The noise it made was awful. Roy winced as the creature collapsed and lay, twitching, on the floor, what seemed like blood pooling up around it, only it was black instead of crimson. Its red eyes were wide open and unstaring. It looked fairly dead.

Roy slowly got up to his feet, still breathing heavily. "What… what the hell was that thing?"

Livingston glanced back at it for a moment. "Probably some kind of angry spirit… It's hard to tell when it's cooked like that."

"Spirit…?"

"Yeah." Livingston looked at Roy as if to scrutinize him. For some reason, Roy felt uncomfortable under that orange gaze. "Say, Colonel… How did you even manage to see the thing?"

"What do you mean?"

"I mean, did you have to look for it? Did it just show up in front of you? What happened?"

"Why would I go looking for something like that?" Mustang scowled. "I don't know… it… It was just there. In my office."

Livingston looked thoughtful. "Interesting… very interesting indeed…"

"Since you're out here, I'd like some answers. Or I'll have to throw you back inside, Livingston." Roy decided to take control once more. He grabbed the criminal by the arm and made for the door.

"Does that mean you're not going to if I answer your questions?"

"We'll see about that." You probably did just save my life, after all, Mustang thought bitterly.

"So harsh."

"Shut up."

Roy tried not to betray how shaken he was from his encounter with the… spirit, did Livingston say? What did the man mean by 'interesting'? Why was he seeing these things? Why were they coming after him? His head was buzzing with questions that he desperately wanted to ask.

They came to Roy's dimly lit office. He forcefully sat Livingston down in a chair and turned to face him.

"So." Livingston looked up innocently. "First question?"

Mustang took a deep breath. "These things I'm seeing, is it because you put that stuff in my eye?"

Livingston replied with an enthusiastic nod. "Probably."

Roy punched him in the face, hard. "You deserve that, then," he said, panting. "you bastard."

The man only rubbed at the spot where he was hit, and said calmly, "Next?"

Mustang gritted his teeth and forced himself to stay calm. "How come you asked about how I was able to see it? Does that mean other people can't?" Absently, Roy wiped at the cut on his face made by the creature's claws with the back of his arm.

"Well," Livingston said thoughtfully. "Theoretically no humans have eyes sensitive enough to be able to see spirits or anything related to them – "

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"The solution I gave you." Livingston locked eyes with Roy. "To put things simply, it caused your ordinary human eye to evolve into that of a ghoul or spirit. That's why you can see things that are invisible to humans' senses. Also the solution heightens your other senses, which is why you can hear, smell and touch the creatures, too. Most other people can't even feel their presence."

"Why did you do this to me?" Roy's mouth was dry. He was no longer angry, just… drained. "Why me?"

"Good question. I'm actually not sure."

"Not sure?"

"No need to get worked up, Colonel. I'm pretty sure I'll be able to come up with an explanation if you need me to."

Roy's fist clenched involuntarily. "What the hell – " He breathed deeply. "Why did that thing come and attack me?"

"That I can only guess, unfortunately. I'm thinking that it was interested in you for a few reasons. The fact that you were able to see it in the first place. How you radiate a sense of power – "

"What?"

"You do. Your personality, demeanor and how your spirit eye already seems to be all-seeing…"

"I don't understand."

"For me, it took a while to get adjusted to my new vision. A month. Perhaps even two. But you, sir, are already seeing creatures that aren't of this earth with perfect precision. And without much effort, either."

"Why..."

"That's what I want to know."

Suddenly a realization dawned on Roy. Back at the mansion, Livingston had told him that there was someone nearby... Had that been a mere distraction, or something else? Now Roy believed the latter. Maybe there really had been a ghoul or spirit standing behind him, looking angry…

"You can see them, too?"

"Obviously. I gave myself a dose of the solution."

"Are they everywhere?"

"Pretty much, yeah. They usually come out at night. But a lot of them seem to be interested in people in general – they sometimes follow them into their houses. Most of them are harmless, but some, like the one you just met, like to try to eat humans, especially ones that seem to notice them."

"So we've been living with these things all our lives."

"They've existed alongside humans for the longest time."

"Ah."

There was a long moment of silence as Roy pondered this. Just then he remembered something. "Wait. How come that guard could see the thing?"

"Hm? Are you sure about that?"

"I don't know… He definitely saw something."

"Maybe because the spirit was on fire… Yes. Fire makes them visible. But since not many people can actually control fire like you do, no one's been able to see them in that way…"

"Ah…"

Livingston sighed and leaned back casually. "Colonel, it seems like my leg's bleeding again. Am I still going back to that puny cell?"

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The following morning, Edward and Alphonse Elric came to visit Mustang, exactly as he had predicted. The boys, determined to talk to him, got there even before his subordinates did. They were surprised to see the office in disarray, with papers and books strewn all over the place; Ed noticed strange marks on the wooden floor that looked awfully like claw marks from an animal. The Colonel himself was at his desk, asleep, with a band-aid on his face, his uniform crumpled and hair unkempt. Edward was becoming increasingly suspicious.

"Oi, Colonel!" Ed shouted. "Can we talk to you?"

Alphonse looked at him. "Brother! Not so loud – "

"Whatever," Edward rolled his eyes.

"Fullmetal?" Mustang stirred. He gave a huge yawn; his sleepy eyes moved over the boys, then the clock. "Fullmetal! What are you doing here at a time like this?"

"You're really unwelcoming, aren't you," the teen grumbled, brushing his blonde bangs from his eyes.

"What do you want now?" Mustang said tiredly.

"Well, first of all," Edward said, gesturing at the room, "tell me what the hell you've been doing all night. Did you have a party in here?"

"That's none of your business." The Colonel said curtly, getting up and looking out the window. "Anything else?"

"Come on, tell us." Ed wasn't about to give up so easily.

"Colonel," Alphonse said quietly, "did something happen in here?"

Mustang turned to face the two, his eyes hard, cold and emotionless. "I said that it's nothing." Suddenly they widened, and what looked like shock spread over his face.

It was at that moment that Edward could have sworn that he saw a flash of gold from the Colonel's left eye. "Colonel, what – your eye – "

Roy had looked away before Ed could see anything more. "Can you leave me alone for a minute, Fullmetal?"

This time both brothers protested. "But – Colonel – "

"Get out. Please." The tone in Roy's voice told Edward that he was going to tolerate no more. He hadn't seen his superior in a mood like this before.

"Okay," Edward said at last, and backed out, tugging Alphonse along after him.

As soon as the boys had closed the door behind them, Roy whirled around and looked in the direction, his heart racing and eye throbbing dully again. Right there – he could see it so clearly – there was another spirit. It looked like a giant snake with batlike wings. A moment ago, its long, thin fangs had been bared, just inches from Edward's head – now its piercing blue eyes were trained on Roy, him and nothing else. He hardly dared to breathe, wondering if the thing was going to fly in and attack him now. It opened its mouth hugely and hissed dangerously. Mustang slipped his shaking hand into his alchemic glove; prepared to snap –

"Colonel Mustang?" The door burst open, and the spirit fled. It simply darted off, slipping straight into a nearby wall. Startled, Mustang whirled around to see Hawkeye staring at him, and quickly shoved his hands into his pockets. "Sir? Is everything all right?" From outside the office he saw that the Elric brothers were peering in quizzically.

"Yeah, yeah." Roy shook his head. "Good morning, Lieutenant. Did you sleep well?"

Riza raised her eyebrow at her commander's transparent attempt at changing the topic. She also noticed the band-aid; however she said nothing more of the matter. "Yes, sir. Did your work go well?"

Mustang nodded, not betraying his relief, and looked to the Elrics. "Fullmetal. I'll give you that permission slip right now."

Edward very badly wanted to grab the Colonel by the collar and shake explanations out of him. What was he doing, seemingly so focused on thin air? What was with that gold in his eye? Why was he acting so strangely?

Ed was determined to find out.

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"Brother, we really shouldn't be doing this." Alphonse whispered.

"Shhh, Al." Edward hissed. "He'll hear us."

The Fullmetal Alchemist tried not to think about how idiotic he and his brother must be looking, crouched behind a bush at the side of the road. He also tried not to think about what would happen if the Colonel bastard found out that he was being stalked.

So far, everything looked normal. The streets were dark and quiet; Roy was strolling down the sidewalk with his usual confident air. Edward began to doubt himself after sneaking after Mustang for over half an hour. Al seemed to think so, as well.

"Brother, let's stop… This isn't getting anywhere…"

"Al, look!" Roy had stopped. He was standing as if frozen to the spot. Edward couldn't tell how much time had passed with Mustang just standing there like that. He and Alphonse held their breaths, watching, not daring to take their eyes off the Colonel. Ed was certain that there was absolutely nothing and no one nearby.

Alphonse gave Ed a tentative nudge. "Brother… what's he doing?" He whispered.

"I dunno…"

Suddenly, Roy uttered a curse and broke into a sprint. Edward's eyes widened in surprise as his thoughts raced, frantically trying to generate a plan. If he and Al ran after him, they'd obviously be heard, especially with Al's clanking metal feet. But Ed didn't want to simply let the Colonel get away like that… An idea made its way into his head.

Edward rapped on his brother's armor. "Al, I want you to follow him from a distance, so you won't be heard."

"But I'm pretty sure I'll lose him, Brother…"

"It's fine. I'm going after him, too."

"How?"

"Rooftops," Edward replied with a grin, "I'm gonna use the rooftops."

"What?" Before Al could object or react, Edward clapped his hands and put them to the ground, generating a giant palm that blasted him upwards. He landed lightly on the roof and paused for a moment to get his bearings. Seeing Roy, only a few blocks ahead, Edward began to give chase, leaping over boxes and piles of rubbish. Jumping across gaps between buildings, Ed slowly but steadily gained on Mustang.

A few minutes later, Mustang suddenly stopped. Edward skidded to a halt at the edge of the roof; he carefully peered down, making sure that he wasn't visible from above. Ed noticed with surprise that Roy had his white gloves on, and judging by the way a hand seemed to be poised in a snapping position, those were his alchemic gloves. But what was he targeting, anyways? As hard as he tried Edward couldn't see anything that looked even remotely like a living thing nearby. As Ed squinted and tried to look closer, Roy let out a half-shout that almost sounded… panicked. Since when did the Colonel bastard panic? Before Edward could fully comprehend what was going on, there was a small pop, then a burst of bright fire. Dammit, Ed couldn't see a thing from up here. What the hell was happening? What was Roy trying to set on fire?

"C'mon, die, you bastard!" Edward thought he heard Mustang yelling at… nothing. "Why won't you die?"

Was Mustang going mad?

It was the only thought in Edward's head as he watched the Colonel send flames flying in seemingly random directions, looking quite agitated. He very badly wanted to get down there and tell his superior to snap out of it, but he knew that that would be an extremely stupid thing to do. Edward, seeing Al approaching from a block away, quickly slid down a pipe on the building and to the ground. He grabbed Alphonse, pulling him into the alley, and motioned him to be quiet.

"Brother?" Al whispered.

"I saw him," Ed said in a low voice, "and I'm pretty sure he's going crazy or something."

TBC.

Reviews please :)