Next chapter time! And it's written with my brand new laptop! Having a laptop means I can type anywhere I want to now so even if I'm stuck somewhere I don't want to be, I can still type! Woo! That being said, I believe it's time to start the next chapter. I've been looking forward to this one for awhile now so I hope you enjoy it!

Disclaimer: I still don't own Fullmetal Alchemist.

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Edward ran through the unfamiliar woods for as long as his bare foot could take it. When he finally stopped, he sat down on a tree root and took in his surroundings. Not that distinguishing one thing from another in a forest is ever easy, of course, but nothing looked familiar. Hopefully, that meant he couldn't be found.

"Well, where are you Kayt?" Ed said to himself with a chuckle. "This is the kind of moment you seem to enjoy showing up at." The only response was the hoot of an owl. "Kayt?" Still silence. Ed started to look worried. "Kayt? Where are you? I know you're there. I know you were watching!"

Silence.

Ed started breathing heavier. Kayt was always there when something happened and he needed to talk. Always. So where was she?

"Kayt? You aren't still mad, are you?" Ed asked looking like a frightened child. "I didn't mean what I said. You were right; they don't care." He lowered his voice to a mumble. "If they cared as much as they say, I never would have gotten this far."

Still the only sound was the sound of the forest.

He pulled his legs closer to his body and buried his face in his hands. He didn't want to cry, but he couldn't help it. Nothing was going right. His only family was gone, he was being watched like a hawk, he had people continuously trying to get into his business, Kayt was mad at him, and now, to top it all off, he was lost in the middle of nowhere. Everything was going downhill, and he didn't see any way things could get better.

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Roy was panicking. He hadn't expected Edward to actually leave the house so he didn't follow right away. After a moment, he didn't hear any sounds coming from anywhere else in the house so he got up to see where Ed went. In the kitchen, he met a simple sight that, under different circumstances, wouldn't have been a big deal, but under the current circumstances, couldn't have been more horrifying. The door was cracked open.

He ran outside and looked in every direction. No Ed.

"What's up?" Hughes asked. Gracia stood behind him with Elysia, looking concerned.

"Did you see him?" Roy asked in full-out panic mode.

"Who?"

"Ed! He's gone!"

"What!"

The next few minutes were complete chaos. Gracia put Elysia to bed and took her post in the kitchen just in case Ed came back on his own. Hughes and Roy scrambled for the lanterns and ran out to the woods, Hughes taking one side, Roy taking the other.

Roy sprinted through the forest, ignoring the pain from the limbs and shrubs that scratched at his clothes and skin. He frantically looked in every direction, desperately hoping to catch a glimpse of Ed's blond hair, and wishing that Ed had put on his bright red jacket. He didn't think he'd said anything particularly bad, but still, he felt guilty. He'd never forgive himself if they didn't find Ed.

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Ed had started wandering around the forest. Every step was forced, and he didn't care where he was going. He was already lost. Occasionally, he'd notice other lake houses nestled in clearings. Once, he even thought of knocking on the door of one to see if anybody was home. He wasn't sure what he'd say if they were though. Only a couple were obviously occupied anyway.

Near one of the clearings, he passed a tent with a couple of children. They waved and invited him over in their story telling. He waved back, but declined their offer, although some part of him wanted to stay and enjoy the rest of the night. But if he stayed, he'd surely be found.

After wandering around for what felt like a couple of hours (but probably wasn't more than a few minutes), he came across a smaller clearing close to the lake. He could make out the silhouette of a roof not much farther away through the trees. A fisherman definitely stayed in that house because the clearing was obviously a fishing spot. Two chairs were set up facing toward the lake. A net was tied to a tree and partially sitting in the water, and three tackle boxes were stacked next to a tree. The top box was open, and something caught Ed's eye. A knife.

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Roy ignored his pounding heart and aching sides and continued pushing himself as fast as he could go. There was still no sign of Ed. He prayed that Hughes had found him already. There would be no way of knowing that unless he went back, but he couldn't bring himself to stop searching. His instincts told him to keep going.

He passed by several empty houses and some occupied ones. He didn't stop. After some time of this, he had to stop. He didn't want to, but his body refused to keep going. A short distance away, he thought he could hear laughter. He forced his feet to move until he saw two children playing outside a tent.

"Isn't it a bit late to be up," he asked the kids.

"We're gonna stay up all night!" one of the girls said.

"Just like that other kid!" the other said.

"Other kid?" Roy asked wondering how many little kids were in the woods that night.

"Yeah, he was walking around barefoot. We told him he could play with us, but he didn't want to."

"Barefoot?" Something clicked in Roy's mind. "Was he blond?"

"Yeah!"

"Which way did he go?" Roy asked, his energy coming back.

"That way!" both the girls said pointing off past the house.

"Thanks!"

Roy took off in the direction they were pointing before they could even say another word. He still didn't know exactly where Ed was, but at least now he could throw aside the awful thought he'd been having. He'd been scared that Ed might not even be in the woods and had went straight to the lake. He quickly pushed aside the image of an unconscious Ed floating in the lake and pushed himself as fast as he could go.

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Ed turned the knife over and over in his hands. The handle was slimy from all the objects inside the tackle box, but the metal was cool and smooth. He ran the blade over his fingers. It was sharp.

He fell to his knees and shut his eyes, trying to take a moment to think. The knife stayed tightly gripped in his hand.

Ed tried to follow Gracia's advice. He thought of the good times. …Honestly, there weren't many. None that he could remember in his current state of mind, that is. Every time he tried to bring a new pleasant thought to his mind, a terrible one would invade. His father leaving. Trying to bring his mother back. Kael. Al. Kayt.

"Why don't you just go die! See if I care!"

He brought the knife to his throat.

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Roy could no longer feel the branches swiping at his skin, and he paid no mind to his pounding heart and feet. He knew he was close. He had to be!

He felt his stomach do a flip. He saw yellow. He didn't think it was even possible, but he picked up speed. The branches slapped at his face, and one barely missed his eye, but he continued as though they weren't there. He pushed through the trees into the small clearing.

He froze.

There was Ed alright, but he was holding a knife to his own throat. His eyes were shut, and a single tear ran down his cheek.

Roy took slow steps toward the boy. Startling him now wouldn't be too smart. He reached out for the knife, not even breathing.

"Ed…" Roy said softly as his own hand closed around the handle.

Ed's eyes shot open, and he jerked his head toward the colonel. For a moment, he was frozen to the spot, but that quickly changed to panic. Roy yanked the knife away, afraid that Ed might have hurt himself in his panic. There was blood on Ed's throat, and Roy almost panicked, but it was only a tiny cut. Roy threw the knife away. He fell to his knees and wrapped his arms around Ed's neck. Ed stopped panicking at once. He blinked away his tears long enough to see that Roy was crying. No, not just crying. He was bawling, and it didn't look like it was going to stop anytime soon.

"Colonel?" Ed choked out.

"Don't ever scare me like that again, Ed," Roy answered through his tears without releasing his grip on Ed. It was as though he thought Ed would vanish if he let go.

"You were scared?" Ed asked quietly.

Roy kept his hands on Ed's shoulders but looked Ed in the eyes. Roy looked like a mess with his teary and scratched up face. "Yes, I was scared. I've been looking for you all night."

"…I thought you didn't follow."

Roy brought Ed back into the hug. Ed didn't resist.

"Never do that again," Roy ordered, although to Ed it sounded more like a plea. "Promise me you'll never try anything like that again."

"…I promise," Ed said and returned the hug.

Neither noticed Kayt standing off to the side, a genuine smile on her face.

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The end! No, not really. Truth is though, with the addition of an extra line at the end, that was the original ending spot. I think it needs more. There's still too many questions to be answered to leave it there. Of course, if you want it to end there, I can always just add the extra line and end it, but I can't imagine that many people would want that. I know I don't want to end it there. So I won't. Which is why I can still say, until next time!

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