Four

Roy

Roy hated trains. He didn't like to travel. If he needed to go somewhere, he preferred a car. They were smoother and certainly more private and while he was able to procure a semi-private car on the train, he still stood out. He did, however, enjoy working in the field and it wasn't often he received orders that sent him out of the office so when a lead came up, one that couldn't be taken by someone from intelligence, he leaped on the opportunity to get away, away from Riza's expressionless looks, away from that insufferable phone that refused to ring. Besides, Ed hadn't called all week. It was unlikely that he would call within the next twenty four hours while he was away.

It wasn't like Roy was waiting for the phone call with bated breath but the looks he kept getting from his Lt. suggested that he was. He would be the first to admit he was more than intrigued by Edward. The kid was smart and was the first person that had come out and drawn a transmutation circle before Roy started the test like he knew what the hell he was doing. It made Roy wonder how the teenager had learned and who he had learned it from. That was the only reason he watched the phone a little more closely than he usually did and nothing else (he wasn't quite ready to admit to himself that the teen was gorgeous in a way no woman could be and he was attracted to him). Damn Hawkeye and her assuming looks. Granted, he was a bit twitchy and it got worse as the week progressed, nearly leaping on the phone that morning only to find it was his friend, Lt.-Colonel Maes Hughes, probably to call and brag about his eleven year old daughter again.

"Hey, Mustang," was the enthusiastic greeting and Roy had to resist the urge to roll his eyes, mentally growling at his stupid pounding heart that was sure it had been the Elric boy calling.

"Hughes," he responded, keeping his voice cool, catching the look Riza was giving him and returning it with a bland one of his own.

"Did I tell you what Elysia did the other day—" and the man continued on that vein for ten full minutes, oblivious to the attempted interruptions on Roy's end. A tick was starting on Roy's forehead; really, Hughes was too doting on his daughter. "—and really Roy, it wouldn't be so horrible if you decided to settle down, find a nice girl—"

-SLAM-

Roy huffed angrily, glaring at the phone he had just rocketed into its cradle. How the hell did Hughes go from talking about his daughter to telling him he needed to get married? It was infuriating…Riza was glaring again.

"Colonel, please don't take it out on the phone," to which Roy ran his hands through his hair, completely exasperated.

"The man is insufferable!" he growled, glaring at the phone some more as if he could melt it with his eyes. He and Hughes, despite appearances, were actually close friends, having fought in Ishval together the first go around, watching each other's backs and sharing precious intel. Roy knew Hughes well enough to know that behind the doting father exterior, he was intelligent and observant and his information-gathering skills had helped Roy in a few tight spots.

Which was the only reason that Roy answered the phone when it wailed to life again.

"Mustang," he was careful to keep his voice flat.

"I don't know why you get so upset, Roy! You're a handsome guy, you'd do well in—"

"Hughes!" Roy barked, cutting the other man off sharply and Roy could just see Hughes's glasses glinting in the sunlight as he smirked. "What was the real reason you called me and don't tell me it's to brag about your daughter or to set me up on a date because I'll hang up again," and he wasn't joking this time. There was a laugh on the other end.

"Sorry, sorry. She's awesome, though, isn't she?" Roy dropped his head into his free hand, feeling a headache coming on.

"Hughes…" he groaned. It sounded like a plea.

"Fine, fine. I have received a report about the Ishvalan that's been sneaking past the front lines and has been killing alchemists. It seems he's been spotted a few towns outside central…"

And that is how he ended up on a train away from Central, in search of a criminal with a cross-shaped scar on his face and who was killing alchemists indiscriminately. It tasted gloriously like freedom but Roy knew better.

Reality would be back all too soon in the form of a murderer and his past. Roy closed his eyes against the country side disappearing out his window and wondered what kind of alchemy Edward did…

Despite his best efforts at finding the man with the scars, Roy was back on the train the next morning with no new leads and a fantastic headache. He had looked all night, spending too many hours wandering the streets and sitting in bars in hopes for a clue or a rumor. The only evidence he had was the young alchemist that had turned up dead inside the town, his body torn apart from the inside. But that was exactly what he had started out with.

The victim had already been buried and Roy had slipped into the quiet cemetery after a long night of hunting to find the freshly covered grave.

Rodney Gill it said on the gravestone and his chest tightened when he saw the dates under the name. The boy had only been nineteen years old. Nineteen! The worst part was that the boy had only been an apprentice alchemist, home for a visit. Until then, the only victims had been state alchemists, every one of them a soldier of Ametris. It must not be enough anymore; anyone who worked with alchemy had become a possible target.

If the conflict all those years ago had been handled properly, like it should have been, this boy wouldn't have died and every alchemist in Ametris now in danger would be safe. With a frustrated sigh, Roy offered the smooth face of the grave stone a whispered apology and a short salute. After everything he had done, both following and defying orders, it had meant nothing and another life was lost. All the blood that had been shed, that he had shed in an attempt (naive as the notion had been) to do his part in making the world a better place to live in was for NOTHING.

He didn't move the entire two hour train ride back to Central, another name now added to the long list of names in his head. Names of all those that had been killed for no reason at all.

By the time he was back at headquarters and slouching towards his office, he had a towering headache that originated somewhere between his eyes and spiraled outwards and he had every intention of calling Hughes with the lack of findings, grabbing an armful of paperwork and leaving early, already relishing the tempting early start to his weekend. The thought of his nice warm bed at home made him almost sigh with longing.

He was half way through the outer office occupied by only Hawkeye as everyone else still seemed to be on lunch break when his thoughts of sleep were interrupted.

"Colonel, you have an appointment," Riza's curt voice made him start and he looked up in confusion. He didn't remember scheduling an appointment with anyone for today.

"Lt., I don't—" but she cut him off, pointing to the open door of his private office and he glimpsed afternoon sunlight spilling through the large windows behind the desk.

"Mr. Edward Elric, Colonel. He called yesterday after you had left and I saw no harm in having him come in this afternoon," she kept her face as bland as ever but he saw that spark in her dark eyes when he blinked rapidly at the name. Of course the teenager had called while he had been away. It was just as well, really. Deciding to ignore the look in the blonde's eyes, Roy gave a tired sigh, resigning himself to a longer day than anticipated and while he was glad to finally be able to talk to Ed, he was just so tired.

"Thank you, Lt.," he said softly and walked the rest of the way into his bright office.

He saw Ed as soon as entering the room, the teen sitting, slouched, on one of the leather couches that graced the Colonel's large office. His gold hair was pulled up tight in a long ponytail, shimmering slightly as the golden light of the sun flaring through the windows hit it. One foot shimmied slightly against the hardwood floors, making soft thunks in a steady, nervous rhythm. Golden eyes were searching the book shelves on the far end of the room, as if making a note of the titles jammed haphazardly there. He was nervous. Roy ran fingers through his hair, something he knew he only did when anxious or agitated, and cleared his throat softly.

Ed jumped a foot and whipped around to pin Roy with wide, startled eyes.

Good Lord, could a person drown in a color?

"Edward-san. I apologize. I was just informed that you were here and I apologize if you were made to wait long," Roy found himself saying, running anxious fingers through dark locks again, making his way over to the other, unoccupied couch so he could sit down.

"Ed, please," said the visibly embarrassed teen and Roy couldn't help but smirk, "I'm sorry to come in on short notice…I-I didn't know…that you were…" and Edward waved his hands vaguely as if searching for words to finish, giving up with a helpless shrug. Roy smiled slightly and crossed his legs as he leaned back into the cushions, pushing thoughts of sleep from his mind. He had been waiting all week to talk to this kid again, and he certainly wasn't going to let this chance slip away.

"It's fine. I've just returned from a… a trip. How are you?" the question earned him a sideways look.

"I'm fine, thank you. But aren't you wondering what I came to talk to you about?" ah, so no formalities, it seems. This intrigued Roy. He'd never met someone quite like Ed before, blunt and smart and intense with a temper that Roy had a feeling he would certainly be seeing more of.

"Of course. I assumed it was to be a continuation of what we spoke of earlier in the week," he said calmly and received another appraising glance. Ed was still nervous, foot still tapping the ground and his gloved hands were playing with the edge of his leather jacket. It made Roy wonder.

"Yeah…" Ed started and his eyes slipped away, circling around the office as if running from what Roy might find in their golden depths. Roy sighed and the pounding in his temples deepened slightly, making him frown.

"I see," he started, folding his hands over his crossed knee, "Then I suppose I should ask you first, how much alchemy do you know?" he could have sworn he saw Ed twitch at his question and still those eyes avoided his own gaze.

"Some…" there was a pause and Roy waited because he sensed Ed wanted to say something else. His mouth opened and closed before sound came out, "I…I had to…teach myself…over this past week…" he stammered, dropping his eyes to his hands in his lap where they clutched at the material of his jeans. Roy could have sworn he heard metal creak in protest. He narrowed his eyes. What the hell did he mean by that? When the teen showed no signs of continuing, Roy voiced the question, if a bit more gently than he had in his head. When the gold eyes finally returned to his, he saw fear in them and uncertainty.

"I did something…a-a long t-time ago and I lost all everything that I k-k-knew about…about alchemy," he said and then clamped his mouth shut, pressing his lips into a pale line as if terrified he had already said too much. Well, if that wasn't a tease. Roy wondered what the kid could have done to have lost something like that. Amnesia, maybe? But if that had been the case, the memories would have returned in time. He studied Ed's face, the sharp nose, tanned skin and wide, golden eyes that reminded him of a cat.

Roy let out a huff that Ed heard and made him pull his shoulders up closer to his ears, as if to protect himself.

"So you knew nothing when I spoke to you on Monday?" he asked, skirting the more obvious questions he wanted to ask. The look his received in return was almost grateful.

"Not really, no."

"So then the transmutation circle you drew on the desk…?"

Pause.

"I…saw it in passing…in a book. I figured I used to know how to do it, it couldn't be that hard…" the blonde's head was bowed, almost in shame, as if he had been caught doing something he shouldn't have been. Roy tapped his chin thoughtfully. If he hadn't known alchemy then, than why bother? Had he been trying to show off?

"So then why did you pretend?" Roy asked and he didn't like the way Ed flinched at his question. He wasn't mad; he just didn't understand this boy at all. He was plucking at the gloves he wore to hide his automail hand, blond bangs hiding his face.

"I…don't know. It felt like the right thing to do," he shrugged shyly then glanced back up at Roy. "Does it matter? You need alchemists, right? I would like to help, if that's possible…" and he broke off, as if embarrassed, though he continued to keep eye contact with Roy. Roy blinked at the younger male, completely thrown. Then blinked again, as if making sure he hadn't actually fallen sleep. Where did this kid come from?

"Well," Roy started slowly, trying to swallow all the questions that were thick on the back of his tongue, "It's not as simple as enlisting in the military. You have to take a test to become a State Alchemist and they aren't looking for just any ordinary alchemist. You have to show exceptional skill and even then, you might not pass. The test has gotten harder too. We're looking for weapons, not more soldiers," The stark reality of the Colonel's words clattered to the floor boards and seemed to darken the room as Ed's eyebrows drew down in a frown. He almost hoped he had thrown the teen off the track, crushing any misplaced nobility out of existence. Which is the only thing this could be, given the boy's sudden drive to want to help. Roy could have snorted at the preposterousness of it. Then Edward lifted his head, face going quiet and the stark determination Roy saw in the boy's eyes left him breathless.

"When do I take the test?"

Ed

The idea of taking a test terrified Ed.

Not just any test; the State Alchemist test. As he sat on his bed, the moon making square patterns on his floor, he pondered what the Colonel had told him about the test he was to take, though the details were still vague as the test seemed to vary depending upon the alchemist taking it. Beyond the promise of contacting him when he was able to secure a date, the Colonel had been sparing about how much he told Ed about the test and what he had said now had Ed's stomach twisted in knots. What had he been thinking? He'd been doing alchemy for about a week, regardless of how good he had been when he was younger and there was no way the few measly transmutations he managed now would help him pass any test.

He didn't sleep well that night and was glad that the following day was a Saturday. He lay on his bed, tangled in sheets, memorizing the flat expanse of the ceiling over and over again and by four he was ready to give up on falling asleep. Untangling himself from the sheets, he slipped into the living room which now resembled the kitchen in the amount of books strewn across the room and plopped onto the couch, turning the TV on as he did. The images flickers across the screen without the aid of sound and the flash of color was mesmerizing.

It wasn't so much the test that Ed was worried about. He tested well. But this test wasn't an exam in high school that meant nothing more than a grade added onto a whole list of other grades. This was important. Ed couldn't remember wanting to do something so bad for a long time and determination burned within his chest. Yet what if determination wasn't enough? Sure, he was smart. Sure, he could cram as much knowledge into his brain about alchemy as he could but for some reason, he was sure it wasn't going to be enough. For some reason, he couldn't bear the thought of not passing the State Alchemist test. What would he do afterwards? Go back to school? Get his high school diploma? He snorted in desertion at the thought, immediately disregarding the idea. So pointless. A diploma wasn't going to help him and for some reason, once the idea of becoming a State Alchemist was implanted in his head, he couldn't shake it. It didn't matter that he had lost everything he knew about alchemy when he was eleven. He had been a genius in the field and he still had the same brain.

And yet, the thought of failure still gnawed at him.

Then there was that nagging feeling he got every time he drew a transmutation circle, like he was forgetting something important. The transmutation always came out as he intended but as he was pressing his hands to the circle's edge, there was a brief tug at the back of his mind, as if he was missing something. Every time it happened, he tried to ignore it but he was pretty sure that the feeling wasn't normal. For some reason, he couldn't bring himself to ask Al about it either, afraid of finding out that he was not supposed to have physical adverse affects from performing a transmutation. He was afraid he had lost more seven years ago than two limbs and memories of both love and knowledge.

That was when the dreams started.

One dream, really, but it occurred every night, sometimes twice or three times in a night.

He couldn't remember the dream the first time he had it when he woke up later that morning to the smell of toast and eggs wafting in from the cluttered kitchen. He neck was sore from sleeping at an odd angle against the arm of the couch and he groaned as he sat up, feeling as if he had been run over by a car.

"Oh! Good morning, brother," greeted Al's bright voice as the tall blond grinned at him from his place in front of the stove and Ed found himself glaring at his younger brother. Was it necessary for the guy to be so frickin'…cheerful in the morning? When Al just giggled at him and turned back to what was sizzling quietly on the burner, Ed sighed and scrubbed a hand through his disheveled hair. He shoulder and thigh where the automail connected to his body ached fiercely, which meant rain. Probably a lot of it, as the pain was unusually intense this time. Wonderful. He hated when it rained. He hurt when it rained.

Al must have noticed his grimace because when he brought over a plate of scrambled eggs and toast, he also handed Ed a large glass of orange juice and two aspirin. He took them with a grateful look at Al, though they both knew the pills only took the edge off the pain for an hour or so. The eggs were heaven, though and he told his brother so in between giant bites, shoveling the food in as fast as he could. God bless food and his brother who, in his opinion, made the best food he's ever tasted. Al laughed.

"Brother, you're going to choke!" which made Ed shove in as much as he could and grin around the food, which, predictably, made Al roll his eyes and laugh hysterically. For a moment, as Ed choked down the large mouthful of eggs and laughed along with his brother, he was strangely happy.

It had been steadily raining for three days and any trace of contentment Ed may have felt was gone as the insufferable rain refused to stop and the ache in his limbs became a constant companion, making him irritable and more short tempered than normal. He remembered the dreams upon waking now and would shake in fear sometimes for hours upon waking. They didn't seem any different from the regular nightmares he usually had except that these made no sense at all. The nightmares he could understand, vividly, graphically but these…? These were chaotic at best leaving him dizzy even in his dream. What was worse was that he knew the dreams had something to do with that feeling that he got, the one where he was positive he was missing something when he did alchemy. Like they were offering the puzzle pieces but those pieces were in the form of riddles that he couldn't make head or tails of.

Despite that, Ed continued to cram as much information into his brain as he could, starting as soon as he dropped Al off at school and not stopping until three or four in the morning. He ignored Al's pleas to sleep more, fascinated, perhaps almost enthralled in the subject he was submersing himself in. By the third day of the rain, his suspension from school was over but Ed had no intention of going back. He was going to pass this damn test if it was the last thing he did.

The pain from his automail had dulled somewhat, which as a relief of sorts but the sky was still grey and weeping buckets of cold rain onto Cental by Wednesday and Ed stood at his window, for once distracted from his books to watch the curtain of water descending upon the city. If this didn't stop soon, there was going to be some major flooding. The only reason it hadn't started flooding yet was probably because of the river that ran through the city, taking the brunt of the water and sending it swiftly outside the city. Yet even that wasn't going to hold out much longer. Worry made his golden eyebrows knit together. The river was only two blocks from their apartment and the route that Al took from school went over one of the bridges arching over the rushing water.

The worry was needless because almost as soon as the thought made its way through his mind, a city transportation bus stopped at the end of the block and he could just see a tall figure with a light golden mop leap from the bus and dash up the street towards their apartment. Ed suppressed a smile as he watched his brother sprint through the rain, trying to stay as dry as possible with out and umbrella. What had he done with the umbrella? Ed knew the younger teen had it when he left the house that morning.

Even though Ed had seen him whipping up the steps, he still jumped when Al slammed into the house in a very unlike-Al manner. The tall boy's eyes were wide and he shook rain all over the front all in his hurry.

"Al, what—" Ed didn't get very far, shocked at his brother's unusual excited outburst.

"Quick, brother! The river's flooding and there aren't enough people! They need help!" Al cried eyes wide and concerned. Ed let his breath out in a puff. Of course, he had to just go and think shit like that. It was a given that they would go help but Ed really, really hated the rain. The two snatched rain jackets from a tiny, cluttered hall closet (it was a miracle that they found them at all) and flew out of the house, just remembering to lock the door behind them.

He was soaked as soon as they stepped from the building, the rain unyielding as it poured from the sky and Ed was suddenly reminded of a faucet that had been forgotten and left running full blast. If only there was some way to turn off the rain. The rain jacket that he had yanked carelessly on over his clothes did absolutely nothing, the water seeping in through the opening in the hood and drenching his clothes, icy drops clawing down the back of his neck. The water also found its way up the plastic covering as he splashed through puddles and mini streams on the sidewalks until he swore he could probably wring out his underwear too. Fabulous. Good thing automail was water proof or he would be pissed.

The brothers sprinted around the last corner and were met with chaos.

A section of the concrete wall that had been erected just in case something like this were to happen had collapsed and the swollen river was seeping out of the alarmingly large section of wall that was missing. There was an assembly line of people, men and women as they tried to fill sacks with sand and resurrect a semi circle around the opening to prevent the flow of the water from leaking out into the streets. It looked like a losing battle.

Al was already throwing himself into the fray, going up to a man in a black trench coat and getting directions. Ed hung back, taking note of the familiar blue uniforms scattered through the shifting action. So the military was worried about this too. It seemed that the bags of sand weren't working because as he walked closer, he was ankle deep in water and panic among the civilians was almost tangible.

There had to be a better way to do this.

Ed eyed the problem critically. If only a solid, seamless wall could be raised around the offending area but there was no way he could draw a transmutation circle here.

"Ed?" a familiar voice shook him out of his reverie and he turned to find none other than Colonel Mustang standing behind him, wearing a black trench coat over his uniform and looking particularly miserable. Huh, seemed he wasn't the only one who hated rain. Ed pushed his dripping bangs out of his face and grimaced.

"Hey, Colonel," he shouted over a sudden crack of thunder. Jeeze, why did he feel like a school girl with a crush every time he saw this man? Rain water was pouring down into his hood, soaking his t-shirt and the only thing he could think of was that he probably looked like a drowned rat. How did anyone get as soaked as they were and not look like crap? Somehow, the Colonel was managing it.

"Why don't you fall into a line! We need all the help we can get!" it was raining, if possible, harder and Mustang was now raising his voice to be heard, glaring at the sky as he did. Ed couldn't help an amused smirk.

"Sur—" he was cut off by a sudden panicked shout and everyone stopped and turned as a man came running up to the crowd, arms waving frantically.

"It broke! It broke!" he was screaming, as he skidded to a stop in front of Ed and Mustang, terror making his eyes bug. He was pointing wildly upstream from where he came running but was unable to elaborate for the confused stares he was receiving. The Colonel took the initiative, taking the man by the shoulders and giving him a sharp shake.

"What happened? What broke?" His voice sliced through the pounding of the rain and some of the panic seemed to leave the stranger's face.

"The dam! The one upstream! The water's breaking the wall as it goes!" silence fell and every action ceased as everyone stared at the rushing water in shocked dismay. There was no way the weakened state of the wall could hold if a dam had broken and all that water pounded against it. A half of the city would be under water in the matter of minutes.

Then Ed saw it, the wall of water, swollen to twice the size of the already bloated river, taking no heed of the barriers set up in an attempt to tame it should such an even occur. It was as if the river bank didn't even exist, the maddened water seething over the suddenly flimsy confines of the wall like a beast. And they were directly in its path.

If only he could use alchemy!

Of course, he had no idea what that would accomplish in the face of such a disastrous force as his alchemy pertained only to small transmutations. And yet…and yet….

People were running, trying in a vain attempt to get as far from the roaring wave as possible. No one was going to escape on time. But he couldn't move. He stared at the oncoming wave and a strangled helplessness rose in him. What good was he if he couldn't do something? Why couldn't he do anything?!

Hands, around his ankle, pulling his shoulders, latching to his torso, small hands whose touches burned. They were pulling and laughing and he was screaming…

There was someone calling his name, a voice like silken thunder and he loved the way his name sounded being screamed in that tone. He felt he should answer but he couldn't turn his head. Frozen, useless…

The voices were still laughing at him, always sneering, so many eyes, staring, judging. Being pulled toward the one place he feared the most. The place with the pain and the screams. The place with the answers.

Another voice was calling him, this one holding more fear. It was calling his name desperately, as if he was the only thing in the world that mattered. But how could that be? He was useless. How could he matter to anyone after making so many mistakes; one trespass after another? Still the wall of water came at him and the answer was so close. He was tired of being useless, tired of being rescued. He was tired of missing pieces.

The Gate swung open. It swallowed him whole…a void, all was void and they were hysterical, those voices, crying and laughing and saying his name.

Edward! Edward!

"EDWARD!!!!!"

He was going to drown. He always thought he would go out with a fight. It was his style, to fight things he didn't like and he was sure he wouldn't like dying. Yet was the roaring wall of water screamed towards him, he stepped forward. It was then, as images from his dreams bombarded him like the cold rain from the sky, he knew he wasn't going to die. Not yet.

…and he saw it, as it exploded around him, sucking him through, showing him, making him see. He had seen the Truth.

The Truth

And it boiled in his veins so that he was able to ignore the two men crying his name behind him, ignore tears and fear. He knew now what was missing. He understood. Then the water was upon them, breaking over the wall. It was so simple now. With a detached calm, yellow eyes shining, he clapped his hands together. So simple. He just needed a circle and his mind could see the rest. Could comprehend…

Ed knelt to the wet ground, he just needed contact. Plunged his hands through icy water now almost reaching his waist.

Made contact with the ground and told the power trapped in his hands what he wanted.

A brilliant flare of alchemy, snaking with shocks of blue electricity up his arms.

The world froze as a towering wall some hundred feet high shot into the air all along the bank of the river, the ground shaking with the sudden displacement of the river bank and the wave of water disappeared abruptly behind the grey beast that now held it confined. As far as they eye could see the wall raised, both up stream and down, protecting the city from the destruction that had come so close.

Ed stared at what he had done in shock. Honestly, he hadn't meant to make it so big. Feeling somewhat subdued and a lot relived, he turned at find every single person that had been fleeing staring stock still in the rain, mouths on the ground, staring at the wall he had erected. Al was blinking at his brother, amber eyes wide and shining in the gloom. His mouth worked like he wanted to say something but the words had been taken from his throat. Ed liked the Colonel's reaction the best, though. The man stood there, looking like a fish on land, black eyes wide and he wasn't staring at the wall. He was staring at Ed, disbelief in his wide eyes.

Ed felt like he should say something, should rub the back of his head in that sheepish gesture he reserved for when he did things that surprised people (which was often) felt like he should be doing something. Yet his body wouldn't move. He couldn't even blink. Where was everyone going? Where they just going to leave him here?

When did it start getting dark?

He didn't notice the two alarmed cries as the ground came rushing at him, reaching up to embrace him. He didn't feel the two strong arms that caught him and held him tightly to a rain slicked trench coat.

He just saw swirling, peaceful darkness and he welcomed it with a smile. Maybe he wasn't so useless after all.

Roy

Roy Mustang didn't like surprises.

Sure, a pleasant surprise is always nice; when someone holds the door for you even if they don't have to, a birthday card from a family member who lived far away, a kiss from the beautiful brunette he took out last month. Yet that's the point, isn't it? To be pleasantly surprised. The whole purpose of such things is to feel a little better than before they happened.

What Roy didn't like was the earth-jarring, jaw dropping kind of surprises that left you gasping and at a complete loss.

Yet every time he met Ed, the kid was a constant, unbalancing surprise.

Take the first time he met him. Those big, yellow eyes of his had just near enough knocked him over and then later that day, Roy had watched the kid fight with a single minded precision that even most soldiers in the military didn't have. Needless to say, Roy had been surprised. That in itself wouldn't have been terrible but it was the way the teen had surprised him, over and over, throwing him completely off balance and often leaving him at a loss. Roy was never at a loss.

Ed had further surprised him when he had dragged the blond away from the fight only to find out the kid knew alchemy. That one had been more of a pleasant revelation because despite having known Ed for all of fifteen minutes, he had already decided he liked the kid.

It was the bombshell Ed had dropped a week later, when he had come to Headquarters that had left Roy completely confounded. It seemed that the entirety of their relationship would consist of Ed shocking the hell out of him and leaving him to flounder around like some poor fish on the end of a line.

None of that could even come close to the sheer magnitude of shock that nearly knocked Roy flat this time.

He had been surprised enough when he had been approached by a tall, familiar teen while trying to organize some semblance of order as the rain poured down from the sky and the river they were attempting to tame was spilling over its confines. Al was the kid's name and Roy had leaped on the offer of an extra hand, sending Al to one of the lines that seemed to be struggling the most. Movement to his right had caught his eye and he had turned to see another familiar blond in a raincoat that didn't seem to be doing very much except studying the damage in the wall intently. Roy ignored the little half-skip his heart did and called out to the teen.

"Ed?" The rain dripped from dark gold hair and down a wonderfully tapered chin, disappearing under the rain coat and Roy noticed Ed looked particularly disgruntled. Admittedly, the kid did look like a drowned rat.

"Hey, Colonel!" he almost didn't hear the greeting over the sudden screech of thunder but he did notice the blonde's face had lit up a bit upon seeing Roy. Surely that was just his imagination…

"Why don't you fall into line? We need all the help we can get!" Roy managed, getting rain water in his mouth as he did so. Lord, he hated the rain. He always felt awkward and useless while dripping wet. Ed started to agree when hell decided it was time to break loose. As if the situation wasn't bad enough already. When the man came running to them, frantic and incoherent, Roy had attempted to calm him down but he felt like panicking himself when the stranger began babbling about how the dam up stream, just outside the city had broken and all that water was headed right towards them. A surge of water like that could flood half the city and sweep anyone away foolish enough to stand in its way. Like them.

He was already sprinting back to the group on the bank, telling them to run, barking orders at the soldiers he had brought with him to get everyone out of there safely. He knew he wouldn't have to ask twice. It wasn't an organized retreat and when Roy turned, he realized why the screams had started. The water roared towards them like some feral beast, flooding over the wall as it came.

Then Roy's heart stopped.

Ed hadn't moved, staring at the oncoming wave as if he had been enthralled.

No, no! Why wasn't he running? Roy was moving towards the teen before he realized it, heedless of the calf deep water he sloshed up his uniform pants, desperate to get to Ed.

"ED!!" he was screaming but the teen was staring, transfixed. Another voice was screaming with his and he saw out of the corner of his eye Al had realized his brother wasn't running and he was turning back for him. Fear beat its black wings in Roy's face. He wasn't going to make it in time.

"EDWARD!!!" the yell was torn from his throat but there was no indication Ed had heard him. Instead, the blond was walking toward the river, closer to the cold death that was rushing towards them and Roy felt his lungs stop drawing in air, heart faltering madly. He watched as Ed dreamily brought the palms of his gloved hands together, begin to kneel down, almost disappearing into the water that had risen and was lapping at the middle of Roy's thighs. He could hear Al's screams and felt his own being painfully squeezed from his raw throat.

The powerful onslaught of alchemy nearly knocked him off his feet as the tell-tale blue light suddenly surrounded the almost invisible Ed then up from the ground rose a giant blockade, rushing up to meet the wave of water that was by now upon them and cut off its greedy attempt to swallow the city and everyone in its way. Up, up the wall rose, lengthening out to stretch both upstream and down until it was lost from sight.

They had been saved by a boy who a week ago didn't any alchemy at all.

He heard the astonished exclamations of the few that hadn't been fast enough in running away and Al's gasping "Hoooooly…" as they stared at the giant wall behind which the angry river now rushed safely behind, no longer posing a threat. But Roy couldn't take his eyes off Ed, who looked just as shocked as he felt.

Roy's brain was frantically trying to catch up. There was no way what Ed had just done was remotely possible. He'd had no time to draw a transmutation circle and to erect something of that magnitude. He shouldn't have been able to do anything remotely close.

The sheepish grin on Ed's face suggested he had no idea of the enormity of the thing he had just done and it made Roy's heart twinge again. If he only knew.

Then the blond was falling, those magnificent eyes rolling into in his skull and Roy was moving before he knew it, catching the lithe body to his own before the teen could crash to the ground, worry gnawing at him. There was no way the kid could have done something like that and not feel its affects.

"Brother!" Al was next to Roy in a matter of seconds, amber eyes wide with alarm, unconsciously fisting a hand in Roy's dripping trench coat. He looked like Roy felt, terrified, wide eyes moving from Ed's still face to Roy's worried one, "What happened?! Ed! Brother! Wake up!" pity welled up in Roy's chest at the look on Al's face. What had happened to these two that at the barest sign of one of them hurt and the other was ready to lose their sanity?

"He's fine. He just passed out from the strain. Don't worry, if he can withstand an automail operation, he'll be fine," Roy managed to say soothingly, the weight in his arms heavy and warm. What he wasn't saying was that if most anyone else had even attempted what Ed had, they'd had died on the spot. However, he felt there was no need to frighten Al anymore than he already was. There was a little sigh at his shoulder over which the tall boy was peering and the hand disappeared from the jacket.

"Are you sure?" Roy lifted his eyes at the little forlorn whisper and found Al staring down at his brother's face like he was never going to see those golden eyes open ever again. Roy forced a smile and shifted Ed's unconscious form, trying not to think about how pretty the kid looked asleep.

"I'm sure. He just needs to sleep. Do you live nearby?" Al nodded, eyebrows still knotted over the amber eyes dark with worry and fear.

Yup, Colonel Mustang hated surprises so he couldn't figure out why he was so drawn to the boy that had surprised him more times in one week than anyone else had his entire life.

"This way," Al was waving him along and then Roy was following through the wet streets, past the people still marveling over the wall, sparing a few glances filled with awe and gratitude at the prone form of the boy that had risked his life to save theirs. Roy couldn't blame them. The feeling that was nudging worry aside with something akin to awe but there was something else. He studied the still face as he walked, not seeing the covert looks he kept receiving from the broad shouldered youth striding along in front of him. Rain drops pooled in the corners of Ed's lips, running over and streaming down the sides of his face. Roy wondered what that water would taste like if he were to lick it away. He imagined it would taste like sugar and fire, silken and golden upon his tongue. Moisture had gathered on the thick eye lashes that hid two miniature suns, brushing against wet cheeks that were too pale under the tanned skin. Then, he wondered what Ed would think about his face being exposed to the rain like it was and Roy sighed, shifting the surprisingly heavy body so he could just reach the hood of Ed's rain jacket and draw it around his face.

Water struck Roy's own face, making him shiver and he chided himself for not paying attention for they had reached a small apartment complex and Al was already at the door, letting himself in. He hurried after the teen, growling to himself as he slipped past Al through the doorway, glad that there was no Hawkeye as she would have known everything he had been thinking. He was glad too for the startling darkness of the hallway, as it hid his sudden blush.

Perhaps it was a good thing that he hadn't been paying much attention because he would have seen the sharp light that had sprung up in Al's eyes as the Colonel slipped past him and the uncontrollable knowing smirk that curled on his lips.

Al

Al was worried about his brother, of course. Who knew that Ed could perform alchemy like that? He wasn't sure if the Colonel was right about Ed just being drained and had, for a brief moment, thought to question the man.

But then he had noticed something about the dark haired man. Something about how he had gone back for Ed even with the contents of the broken dam rushing at them. Something about the way the man had screamed his brother's name. And now, how he held Ed's slight form against his own, pressed gently to the soaking wet uniform jacket. Al had seen the way the man's black gaze had focused on Ed's face, worry warring with something else, something softer. The hands that had drawn the hood over his brother's face had been kind and it was then that Al knew.

Something had drawn the two together and Al, usually protective over his brother, felt something warm slip into his chest. The happy smirk was somewhat unconscious on his part but it didn't matter. The Colonel was too concerned with Ed to notice.

Al suppressed a grin for all he was worth. He thought he was beginning to see just what he brother saw in the Colonel.