Here's chapter 3! Many thanks to all those who reviewed! It really motivated me to write more. ^^

Anyway, hope you enjoy!

Disclaimer: I do not own Fullmetal Alchemist.

Previously:

'Edward Elric, find Alchemist Adonai Negrescu and bring him here to meet his judgment once more.'

'Only one word left his frozen lips as the tears erupted in his eyes when he recognized who it was that stood in front of him,' "Al..."

The Rogue Alchemist

"Boss!" exclaimed Havoc in happiness, reaching forward to hug Ed out of joy, but all he grasped was thin air, awarding him a slight chuckle from his girlfriend, Riza.

Edward had flung himself onto his little brother, hugging him tightly – almost to the point where Al felt like he was suffocating, but Ed was too emotional to care, though he was still cautious about his automail. Secretly, Ed was pleased that he was slightly taller than his brother, though only by a centimeter, but Al had his body again! That meant everything had worked out! He had truly accomplished his life-long goal and made amends to the sins he had committed when he was ten years old.

"Al, I've missed you," he murmured, not caring about his audience, "I've missed you so much!"

Al's face, at first confused, lit up like a Christmas tree as soon as he realized that it was his long lost older brother rambling on and on about how he was sorry and glad at the same time. The hood of the cloak had fallen off at Ed's sudden actions and a familiar loosely-tied ponytail confirmed Al's recognition.

"Brother!" he cried, hugging back, "I've missed you too! I can't believe it! I've been searching for you for five years, and now you're back! So it wasn't a coincidence that I suddenly remembered everything! I have so much to tell you, about Winry, Grandma Pinako, and everyone! We all missed you, Brother!"

"You remembered everything?" asked Roy, surprised once again. Honestly, this evening was filled with surprises that Mustang was sure would last him a life-time, but with Fullmetal around, he knew he would be proven wrong.

Al nodded over Ed's shoulders, "I was just coming to tell you, General. We almost got home when suddenly all the memories came back."

"I freaked out when I saw Al on the ground clutching his head in pain," admitted Havoc, "I was about to call the ambulance when he suddenly started crying and saying that he needed to see you. He told me what happened on the way."

"Are you fine now, Al?" asked Mustang, the worry clearly in his voice.

Al was about to reply yes when he felt his brother stiffen at the conversations going on, "Brother?"

Ed silently pulled away, his blond bangs shadowing his expressions. He turned to face Mustang, keeping one hand on his little brother, unwilling to completely let go.

"You lied to me, Mustang!" growled Ed, "You told me Al had nothing to do with you anymore!"

"What? I've been coming and going for these past five years," said Al, "It was the only way I could get information about you. Winry would always burst into tears if I even mentioned your name."

Suddenly, Al regretted saying those words. He could feel trembles of anger rolling off his brother. He didn't understand why Ed was so angry, but he knew that one more push, and Mustang would probably find himself bleeding.

Al tugged on Ed's arm, hoping to prevent anything from happening. After all, Mustang had taken such good care of him over the years – giving him half his salary so Al could wander around Amestris looking for clues leading to his brother. Needless to say, Mustang had become someone incredibly important in his life, and it hurt him to see his two most precious people fighting, even though they both had feelings for each other. Yes, Al remembered everything, including those times when he caught his brother staring longingly at Mustang. He remembered those small warm smiles that shown on Ed's face when Mustang was "nice" for once. He didn't miss out on those looks that Mustang had given his brother either, though at first, he was very against it, constantly using that huge body of his to shield his brother from view, but that was before Al knew that Mustang could truly love just one person. He wasn't a "playboy" as everyone thought. It was just an act, until the right one came along, and now he was back. Al fervently hoped that this time, they both could get their feelings laid out before they ended up regretting it, just as Mustang did for the past five years.

"Mustang, explain yourself!" snarled Ed.

Roy shrugged, "It was interesting to see your reaction." Besides, Mustang wanted to know if he had any chance with the blond. If there was, he would take it in a heartbeat. He finally had a second chance, and he wasn't going to lose it without a fight, but he didn't want to ruin his relationship with Ed if he didn't share the same feelings. It would pain Roy far more if Ed chose to avoid him because of awkwardness or disgust at liking another man.

Ed fumed, preparing to smack the General on the head. He knew he was quick enough to do it and get away – he hadn't been in Germany for five years for nothing – but he didn't want to leave Al's side. It had been too long, and it was almost as necessary as air to be glued to Al right now.

He sighed, letting go of his anger. He slipped his arm around his brother's shoulder, running a weary hand through his hair. The familiar tinges of exhaustion were enveloping his body. The tension or fury he had from before was the only thing that kept it at bay, but once Ed let it go, it burst through the dam and hit him hard. It had been like this ever since he came back from the Gate. Something about the Truth invading his mind truly did take a toll on his body, but nothing a good-night's rest couldn't cure.

Edward was so tired that he didn't notice the concern filling Mustang's eyes again. Roy was alarmed to see the fatigue on Ed's face. A minute ago, he was so full of life. Mustang feared that he was sick or something serious. He didn't want to see Ed in the hospital fighting for his life. He had just gotten back! With a jolt, Roy Mustang realized that he developed an abnormal paranoia in the few minutes upon their return – one that Ed was going to 'disappear' once again. He shook his head. No, Ed was strong. He wouldn't let something as small as an illness beat him and he wouldn't leave his brother again now that they were reunited. It made Mustang slightly jealous, that he couldn't hold the same amount of power over Ed's heart as Al did. He was sure that Ed only returned for his brother. Roy's heart squeezed painfully.

Maes nudged him, knocking him out of his stupor, "The Gate worn Ed out, and he's still recovering," he whispered, trying to consol his friend. He could see the worry that clouded Roy, and he shared the same concern for the blond. Last time Ed looked like that, he had passed out ten minutes later. "Look, we have no where to stay. As much as I want to see Gracia and Elysia again, Ed doesn't want anyone to know of our return until you've gotten all the stories for us straight. It'll be difficult for us to blend back into society after our 'deaths', and Ed really needs to rest right now."

"Brother, are you alright?" asked Al, feeling the heaviness of his brother. He was actually struggling to support the staggering alchemist. He was surprised at how much heavier Ed was, unless…Ed was equipped with automail still?

"I'm just tired…" sighed Ed, closing his eyes for a moment, "Where are you staying at, Al? I'll join you."

"Ah…" Al looked hesitant. He knew of Roy's and Ed's feelings for each, and he was worried what would happen if they both stayed under the same roof.

"He's staying with me, Fullmetal," replied Roy, shuffling up his papers and shoving them into a briefcase.

Normally, Ed would've spluttered in anger and defiantly refuse to even step into Roy's house, but he was simply too tired…

"Fine…As long as there's a bed, food, and Al, I'm good with whatever."

"Havoc, go get the car. We're going home," said Mustang, patting Maes on his back with a smile.

"Hmm…" smiled Ed, "I like the sound of that."

"Welcome back, Brother," Al said, a smile matching his brother's.

"I'm home…"

Lights rushed by as Havoc drove the car down the street. Roy glanced behind him to see Hughes staring fondly at the two brothers next to him. Ed had fallen asleep, his head on top of Al's shoulder. The peaceful and awfully young expression on the Fullmetal Alchemist softened Roy's face and he found himself smiling gently. He never noticed Al's brown eyes staring at him, or the mischievous look in them. If he truly paid attention, Mustang would've realized it was the same expression as Ed's when he had decided to meddle into someone else's business.

Oh, yes. Alphonse Elric was going to meddle, and there was no one to stop him. In fact, he was absolutely sure that everyone else would join his side. After all, everyone wanted the Fullmetal Alchemist and Flame Alchemist to be happy – and they would, together.

"Ed, come on, we're home. Wake up. You can go back to sleep in a little bit," coaxed Hughes, trying to wake up the young man.

Ed mumbled, but he could not pull himself out of the darkness that enveloped him. Sighing, Hughes pulled out of the car to shake his head at Roy. "He won't wake."

Havoc grimaced. When the boss was like that, the best thing to do was not to force him awake. The last time something like that happened, Havoc was nursing a black eye. Al, on the other hand, didn't fear Ed like Havoc did. He merely tried pulling Ed out to carry him in to the house, but Ed's weight proved to be too heavy to him. Unlike Ed who actually trained during the five years he was absent, all Al had been doing was burying himself into alchemy books to find a way to bring Ed back. It wasn't that Al was out of shape – he was thin and handsome – but he just didn't have the physical strength he had when he was in the armor where muscles didn't matter.

Al staggered, and almost dropped his brother when strong arms reached around him and firmly grasped Ed. Swiftly, and without any indication of any effort, he lifted Ed and began carrying him princess style towards his house. For once, Al was glad that Ed was asleep. If he was awake, he would not stand to be treated so gently. Being kind to him confused Ed, and especially if it came from the General. Not to mention, Ed would be thoroughly embarrassed at this situation.

Mustang quickly went up the stairs to his door and found Hughes already waiting there with the door open. Roy offered him a quick smile of thanks, but his eyes told Maes that he was going to be questioned later on how he was able to get his hands on a key to his home. Maes just chuckled and let his best friend through. Luckily, Ed was around, otherwise, Maes would never get away with the fact that he had staked out Roy's house once and discovered where he kept his spare key. Seriously, how else was Maes supposed to get information to hold over Roy's head?

Quietly, Roy slipped into the familiar darkness of his home and headed up the stairs. He was enjoying holding the little blond in his arms and hoped that there would be a time when he could do so in broad daylight, though he knew it was unlikely to happen. Still, he was surprised at how light and lean Edward was. It was almost as if his weight was only composed of his automail. Mustang glanced down at Ed. Over the five years, Ed had become even more handsome, if possible. His hair had grown longer, but only by an inch or two, but it was still as silky and shiny as before. His fair skin was paler than usual and unblemished by any scars or acne, common of people his age. His face still hid that unfathomable guilt and pain, but it had faded in his sleep as he was undisturbed by any sinister nightmares of his past.

Gently, Mustang laid the Fullmetal Alchemist onto the same bed that Al was supposed to sleep in. He was sure that was what Ed would've wanted. From what he had seen in his office, Ed was very reluctant to leave his brother's side, which was understandable. Until five years ago, Ed had only lived for Al. It made Mustang wonder what would happen now, after Ed had fulfilled the Gate's wishes. What reason would Ed have for living? After all, Ed is the kind of man who is driven by purpose. What would happen if he had none?

A small knock made him tear his gaze away from the sleeping form of Ed. Al stood in the doorway with an understanding smile on his face, "General, do you have any extra clothes Brother could borrow? I would give him mine, but oddly enough, I'm shorter than him, and I want him to be as comfortable as possible."

Edward wearing his clothes? The sound of that made heat rush to his face. Roy was so glad that it was dark in the room, but Al's piercing eyes seemed to see right through him and the teenager's smile grew more prominent. Mustang cleared his throat, "Sure, I'll bring it over."

"Thanks."

Al watched Mustang rush past him, his sharp eyes catching the slight flush on his face. He smirked. Old men and their dirty thoughts, though he guessed he wasn't any better. He was often flustered around Winry too, so he understood, but he was sure he was nothing like Mustang who had pined away for Ed for five whole years. Al shook his head in disbelief. He wouldn't have been able to handle not seeing Winry for that long. He would first die of heartbreak. Then, he glanced at his brother. It was probably harder on him. Ed didn't see anyone that he loved for those lonely years. He had no one in the other world, at least none that he knew of.

Edward Elric truly was strong. No one could deny that.

Softly, Al approached his brother's supine figure and took off his dark cloak. Underneath, he saw familiar clothing – a black tank top with black jeans. His muscles were well toned, but instead of flesh, Al saw the silver arm hidden underneath Ed's body. Tears filled Al's eyes. After all that Ed had gone through – after all that he had sacrificed, why couldn't he have gotten back what he deserved?

At this time, Mustang suddenly appeared next to him, carrying white pajamas, and placed a comforting hand on Al's shoulder.

"Why?" Al quietly cried, "Brother has always wanted to be whole again! He is afraid that no one will love him if he is so damaged, and after all that he has done for me, I can only cry for him! It's so unfair!"

"Ed was whole for a short time, Al. From what he told me, he was going to return here with all his limbs intact, but he found Maes in the Gate and he couldn't just leave him behind. Your brother sacrificed his arm and leg to bring him back."

Al sniffed, "He was always so altruistic. He may have seemed to always act without thinking, but that is only because he is only thinking about the safety of others. He never cared what happened to him, even though he knew it worried me so much."

"It's late, Al. You can lecture and yell at Ed so much for never thinking about himself when you both wake up in the morning, alright? Get some sleep, Al."

"What about Ed's clothes?"

"Just leave him be," replied Mustang, looking at Ed, "He looks comfortable right now, and I don't want to disturb him."

Al nodded, "Good night, General, and thank you for letting us stay here for tonight."

"You two can stay as long as you wish. It's no trouble at all. Good night, Al," responded Mustang as he left.

He lingered at the door, and Al could've sworn he heard the General say "Good night, Ed," before Mustang disappeared, but Al might have imagined it, though he highly doubted it.

Al, feeling tired from today's events, climbed into bed next to Ed and just lay there, watching his brother's sleeping face. Ed was now twenty-one and he was twenty, though his body was still stuck in the past around the age of sixteen – an effect of the Gate taking his body for so long. Al almost laughed when he thought that he would grow much taller in the next few years, no doubt surpassing his brother, but for now, he would just let his brother enjoy his days as actually being the 'taller' one.

With a smile on his face, he slowly drifted to sleep, side by side with his brother, just like in the past.

Ed found himself walking along an unfamiliar street. He wasn't in Central or Germany anymore, but his mind seemed to be slow with catching up to his body and he couldn't figure out where he was. A ball tumbled in front of him and he paused. Wasn't a child supposed to come running after it? That's what Nina always did before she…Ed shook his head, banishing the depressing memory. He bent down and picked up the rubber toy. He let it roll around in his hands for a few moments before setting off towards the direction where he thought the ball had come from and turned into an alley.

The ball dropped from his frozen hands as he absorbed what lay before him. Bodies were strewn everywhere, blood covering the entire place like red paint. Women, children, and men lay lifeless with their eyes staring blankly into the sky. There was no way to tell how they died, but from the pain-filled expressions of the dead, it was clear that they died in agony.

Ed felt a severe tightening in his stomach and he dropped to his knees, vomiting everything he had in his stomach. Crying, he lifted his hands to wipe his mouth and tears, but he stopped as soon as he saw how his hands were covered in the blood of the people in front of him.

A deafening scream filled the air.

It took Ed a good minute before he realized that it was him who was making the horrible cry of anguish.

Ed woke with a start, cold sweat sticking to his body. For a minute he couldn't figure out where he was and terror filled his very soul. He thought he was back in that bloody alley and he fought with himself to gain control over himself. His flesh hand touched something warm and alive, surprising him. He looked over to see his little brother sleeping peacefully next to him, ignorant of the nightmare that still haunted Ed's mind. Not wanting to disturb his brother, Ed quietly slipped out of the bed, deciding to grab a cup of water to ease his nerves.

Once out of his room, something gnawed at his stomach. It was a gut feeling telling him that something was very wrong. He took another step, and then suddenly, he could sense the nauseating killing aura hanging around the house.

He frowned. No one that he knew was capable of such a horrible presence. Not even the Homunculi gave off the feeling of immensely enjoying murdering others in cold blood that he felt from this person.

With a jolt, his mind clicked, and he sprinted down the stairs to find a man standing in the middle of the living room with his back facing Edward.

The man had silvery white hair and he was tall and slim, but Edward could tell that this man was very strong and brimming with alchemy.

"Adonai Negrescu, I presume," called Edward, his body tensing with the prospect of a fight.

"And I presume you are the man the Truth sent after me?" asked Adonai, his voice cold and dead. He slowly turned around to reveal a deformed face. Scars marked every piece of the right side of Adonai's face, as if it had been severely burned and never healed properly, but that wasn't what disturbed Ed the most. It was the man's eyes. Those ghastly red eyes shone with malice and just pure evil, even though the Adonai seemed to be smiling with pleasure.

Ed shook off the chill of terror and faced his opponent. Roy and Al were both upstairs, and based on his dreams and what the Truth had said, if Adonai had the opportunity to get past him, they were both dead. "You found me pretty quickly. How?"

"I didn't mean to, to tell you the truth. I was merely trying to have fun in this new world of yours and seek battles with the strongest alchemists known here. I'm not here for you, Truth's paper boy. I am here for General Roy Mustang."

Ed felt his heart stop for a second, and then his eyes narrowed dangerously, "You won't touch him. I won't let you!" he growled.

"Oh? Are you going to stop me?"

"You will not take a step past me," declared Ed, dropping down into a fighting stance, his hands out in front of him, ready to clap as soon as Adonai proved to be a threat.

The man smirked and then suddenly disappeared from sight. Ed's eyes widened in surprise, but his sharp eyes caught Adonai's movements a split second before anything made contact with his body. Ed jumped back, swiftly clapping his hands in mid-air and changing his arm into a blade. He rushed forward, not giving Adonai any time to react. He swiped at Adonai's face a couple of times, but Adonai's speed was on par with Ed's, if not quicker.

A clang met Ed's ears and his automail blade was blocked by another sword – one that had formed from Adonai's entire arm.

"What the fuck?!" swore Ed, as Adonai pushed against Ed's arm, completely breaking off the blade and frankly, destroying the automail completely and rendering it to flap uselessly at Ed's side.

With a grin, Adonai raised his left arm – the normal one – and in front of Ed's eyes, changed it into a sharp rapier. Ed was too dumbstruck to even react quick enough to completely dodge the keen steel. He gasped in pain as it managed to slash him deeply in his right side, right under his ribs. He stumbled back, his left arm placing pressure on his wound. Blood dripped through his fingers and landed on the carpet below. With slight satisfaction that Mustang who have a hell of a time trying to get rid of the stain, Ed staggered to regain his footing. Al, Mustang, and even Hughes were upstairs. He had too much to lose if he gave up now.

He pretended to fall to the ground in defeat, and Adonai sauntered up to him looking smug. As soon as man was close enough, Ed clapped his hands together and slammed them onto the ground. A giant fist of whatever the floor was made up of caught Adonai by surprise and flung him right through the wall of the house, leaving him to cough out blood.

After a second, Adonai slowly stood, wiping his mouth with his sleeve as he laughed hysterically, "I'm so glad I came to kill the Flame Alchemist. I found something much more interesting."

"Stay the fuck away from Roy, you fucking bastard!" Ed roared, trying to give the image that he could still kick Adonai's ass, but he was screwed without his right arm, and he knew they both knew it.

Adonai chuckled, "I'll leave you be for now, Truth's Alchemist, and your little lover, but I will be back. You have made my life much more intriguing. Don't die on me before I get the chance to tear you apart bit by bit with my own hands. I can't wait to see your strong spirit break in the face of death and hear you scream with agony like my other victims."

The images of his nightmare resurfaced, and Ed had to fight hard against the chills he felt at Adonai's words. "Fuck you!" he shouted shrilly.

Then, right before him, Adonai vanished from sight again, and he heard a ghostly voice next to his ear breathe, "Until then, Alchemist…"

And then the heavy presence disappeared.

The next thing Ed was aware of was the intense trembling of his legs which were now unable to hold him up anymore. He collapsed to the floor, wincing as his left hand shot back up to his wound.

He was suddenly conscious of a hand on his left shoulder, trying to pull his arm away from his injury. He flinched without realizing it and found himself looking at Mustang's worried-filled onyx eyes.

"Ed, are you alright?" Mustang asked quickly as soon as he was sure that he had caught Ed's attention. Roy had heard the sounds of a fight and rushed downstairs, coming at the last moment, hearing Ed's shout to leave 'Roy' alone and somehow catching a glimpse of the silver haired man before he disappeared as fast as Ed earlier in his office, but that didn't matter. All he saw now was the blood on Ed's hand and side.

Ed's wide eyes recognized Roy's face and voice, and instantly, he returned back to Amestris with an unpleasant feeling – a sharp lancing pain underneath his fingertips. He hissed, his left hand pressing harder to stem the flow of blood, "What do you think, moron?" he growled at Mustang.

Mustang ignored the comment. "Take off your shirt, Fullmetal, and use it to keep pressure on the wound."

"What the fuck do you think I've been doing?" snapped Ed, the pain making him extremely irritable, but he obeyed his superior officer anyway.

As soon as Mustang was sure that Ed had done things right, he quickly rushed into the kitchen to return with a first aid kit. Rapidly, Roy pulled out the antiseptic and administered it to Ed's wound. Ed grimaced at the burning sensation, the agony numbing his mind. He clenched his fists tightly as a distraction and bit down on his lower lip to prevent any sounds from escaping, but when Mustang started to bandage the injury, Ed couldn't help but let a low moan out.

Roy snapped up to look at Ed in alarm. He was afraid that he made things worse. "Ed?" he asked, tentatively.

"I'm fine. Just get this over with," came the quick reply. Ed's face had lost most of whatever color there was earlier, either from the loss of blood or the pain. Mustang suspected a little of both as he finished up knotting the bandage tightly.

"It's pretty deep, Ed. You need to go to the hospital."

"No. Not until both Hughes and I are reinstated into our previous lives. We can't afford any rumors spreading now. We'll lose any chance we have of letting our lives return to normal."

So that was what Edward was so afraid of, and Roy couldn't blame him. If the military knew of Edward's capabilities, they would take him to a lab and experiment on him. Not to mention, Hughes had returned from the dead. He would be a very interesting subject as well.

"Ed…"

Ed cracked open a golden eye to glance at Mustang, "I'll be fine. Don't worry your pretty head over this."

Pretty head? Amusement filled Roy, and he smirked at Ed, "Actually, I was thinking that you should at least get yourself checked out before your mechanic sees what you've done to your automail."

If possible, Ed paler even further at Roy's comments.

"And, you will fix my house, do you understand me, Fullmetal?"

Ed glared at Roy and silently clapped his left hand to his useless right together, and pressed them onto the ground. The wall rebuilt itself with the hum of alchemy in front of Roy's eyes. Even though Roy had seen Ed's powers, it still amazed him how much of a prodigy Ed truly was.

"Happy?" grunted Ed, looking very grumpy.

"Not quite," replied Roy just as Hughes and Al stumbled down the stairs, a little bit late. Both surveyed the scene before shooting off questions. The room was in a mess; Ed's bloody shirt lay by his bandaged side, and Mustang was obviously shaken by what he had seen.

Ed looked at the two wearily. He wanted to sigh at their expressions. Honestly, was it really all that surprising that he had gotten himself hurt again? He thought they would've all been used to it by now, considering the amount of times he had landed himself in the hospital over the years he was with the military.

"What happened here, Ed?" asked Hughes.

"Brother, are you alright?" demanded Al at the same time as Maes.

"Someone attacked, I fought him off, and yes, I'm fine," Ed responded dully.

"Edward, who was that man?" questioned Mustang.

Ed stiffened at his question. He hadn't expected Mustang to see him. It made him wonder what else Roy had heard or seen. Did he hear his sudden shout to protect Roy? He did refer to the General by his first name for the first time out loud.

"Ed, who was he?" pressed Roy.

Ed glazed straight into Roy's eyes, his face expressionless, but his eyes showed slight fear at the mention of the attacker.

"You had a report on your desk back at your office regarding an unknown alchemist killing all the high ranked state alchemists, no?" he said.

Roy nodded, "What does that have to do with anything?"

"Everything. That rogue alchemist of yours is the man ranked the most dangerous person in the entire history of the world – the one who the Truth wants me to bring back."

Roy felt his mouth go dry, "What is his name?"

A moment of silence, and then, a soft reply, "His name is Adonai Negrescu. He's the man trying to kill me."

So hope you enjoyed chapter three! By the way, I have no idea what the age differences are between Al, Ed, and Roy. I'm just going off what other people had - 14 years difference between Roy and Ed, 1 year between Ed and Al, although, as mentioned before, Al's body is a bit slow catching up to his true age. Body-wise, Al would only be 16. Just clearing that up in case of any confusions.

Anyway, hopefully chapter 4 will be coming up soon!

Thanks for reading and please review!

~ Kanae Yuna ~