"Can't catch me!"

"Just you wait, Brother!"

"Too slow! Haha! C'mon! Can't catch me!"

Such a childish game, Roy mused, Tag. But then again, are they nothing but childeren?

Roy, Ed, and Al had decided about 2 days ago that they would go on a week long camping trip. Why? To get away from it all. The military. The constant issues popping up here and there. Pretty much everything.

At the momment, the brothers were playing tag to pass the time. Running up and down the steep river bank, tagging eachother back and forth, laughing the entire time. At anyother time, Roy would have found this awkward to watch, but now, here in the middle of the forest, it seemed normal. It was normal to sit ontop of a hill and watch the two brothers play by the river below...Just so normal.

Roy continued to watch this on going game, with joy, he found. Alphonse had started to catch up to his older brother, and was now reaching a hand out to tag his back. Ed turned his head around, eyes wide. He yelped when Al's hand firmly pressed onto his back.

"Tag! You're it!" Alphonse stated with glee, as he turned on heel and ran the other way.

"Not for long!" Ed turned and started to run after his younger brother. The pebbles beneath his feet suddenly shifted when he lifted his foot to begin his run. They rolled down the bank and fell into the river. More pebbles followed, the ground beneath Edward's feet shifting contantly. In surprise, he slipped on the rolling rocks.

He fell into a steeper area of the bank, and unintelltionaly rolled towards the steep drop into the rushing river. In panic, Ed's hands worker furiously to get a grip on the ground, only to have the pebbles seep out from under them, slidding him ever closer to the edge of the bank. Now, seeing the rushing river closing in, Ed yelped in alarm, and tried more desperatly to get a foothold on the shifting ground.

Alphonse, hearing Ed's little yip, turned to see the scene set before him. He immeditaly started to run back towards his older brother, calling Roy. "Colonel!"

Roy had zoned out and was staring at the trees, but he now looked towards the younger Elric and then to the older. "Fullmetal!"

Roy lept from his place on the hill and half ran, half fell, towards the slipping alchemist. Ed was still fighting for a grip when his legs slid off the edge and dangled over the dark water below. Now truly panicing, he screeched has his hands still couldn't find a hold. He fought against gravity now.

Roy neared closer, sprinting at a break neck pace. Ed wasn't even visible anymore, just his hands. When Roy got five feet away... he disapeared all together.

"NO!" Roy almost dove over the edge, when he got close enough to see Ed hanging onto a root sticking out the eathy, river beaten wall. He clung to it, shooting glaces between the river below and Roy above. Roy reached a hand out to younger alchemist, hoping he would be able to make a grab for it.

Ed stared at Roy's hand for a second, before reaching out and taking his wrist. Roy clenched the boys wrist back. The branch Ed was holding onto cracked and snapped off, leaving the Fullmetal Alchemist hanging by the Flame Alchemists arm. They both stared desperatly at each other, before grinning. Ed, once again, had dodged death.

But death wasn't so forgiving...

Their grins disapeared when Ed started to slip. Their gloves! They were falling off! Roy reached his other hand out to Ed, who took it quickly. Alphonse started to hold onto the Colonel's legs to keep him from following his younger brother down the bank. Their gloved hands still slipped. They held each others hands now.

And then...

Gravity won the battle.

Ed tumbled in the air before splashing into the dark water.

OMG I'm SOO evil! This is going to be a two part chapter. Because I'm evil, I gave you a cliffy. HAHA!

Yeah, keep in mind I like to switch the plot of the anime in my head. In this, Ed still has his automail and Al has his body. Sooo...Yeah...

Keep reading and keep a look out for River: Part Two! The next post will be a short little tease, while River: Part Two won't be out for a while! Sorry, but that's how school works!

Have a good one! Please review!

~Hawky