Ch. 10

A soft breeze carried Roy's hair in a slow, calming dance in the warm air. The two alchemists lay in the serenity of the park for a good couple of minutes before Roy opened his eyes. He shot up from his place in the clover patch. Something was off. Edward rolled over and rested himself on his elbows and titled his head. "What's wrong, Colonel?" Roy scanned the area, looking past every building's edge and into every shadow.

He could feel him.

He knew he was there.

Just watching, waiting for Roy's next move.

A growl emanated from the chimera's throat and Edward watched as his feathers bristled with hate. "Hey, what is it? Is there something out there?" He stood up and looked around the pavilion, but saw nothing except the shops and the children playing around the flower shop. He swallowed. "There's nothing out there, Mustang… Nothing."

Roy continued to growl at the unseen presence. "Hey!" Ed nearly shouted, shoving the chimera gently. "There's nothing there. Calm down." Roy glanced at Edward and then returned his attention to the shadows.

There is definitely something there…

Edward sighed loudly and looked at the sky. The clouds, while not menacing, were getting thicker and soon would be pouring another shower on the town. Ed groaned. "I wish this place didn't rain so much! It's ridiculous how much it does… Ow…" he trailed off, massaging his shoulder port. He raised his automail up and took note to the squeaking and the jittery movement. "Damn. Winry's gonna kill me once this is all said and done! Automail's all rusted up."

Roy's eyes widened at the statement and he turned around to see the mechanism in question. He stood up and leaned in close to the metal arm. He squinted as he saw the slight orange tint from behind the shield grill and he could smell a distinctive irony-watery aroma wafting from the inner coils and bolts behind the shield. He shook his head to free himself of the smell before nodding at the boy to confirm the statement. Edward huffed a sigh and looked back at the courtyard.

"I don't think anybody's wanting to talk today, Colonel, so we might as well head to the library. Sound like a plan?" he asked the chimera. Roy gave one more scan of the area before nodding. The two began heading back to the collection of books.

A quiet chuckle began to echo from behind the winery, its sound low and warm.

Roy's head whipped around and his eyes tried to locate the origin. "What is it now?" Ed asked, becoming annoyed. Roy didn't answer, his full attention focused on finding the source of his dread. Edward rolled his eyes. "C'mon already, let's go!" he spoke through gritted teeth, grabbing Roy by the tail. He pulled at the chimera until it gave in to following him. Behind the winery, a large toothy grin began growing out of the darkness as the laughter subsided. "My dear soldier, just wait. In due time, you will return to me… And all…" the voice trailed as the creature faded back into the shadows, the last of the sunlight trailing across its emerald eyes.

"And all… Will be forgotten…"

Edward closed his book with a yawn. He put the item back on the shelf as he pulled out his pocket watch and he groaned, reading the time. "Man… We've been here for nearly three hours, and still nothing on chimeric transmutations!" Roy sighed in response, closing his book as well. I knew it wouldn't be easy, but good God, this is unbelievable. He looked over in the direction of the archive room that Alphonse had been in the previous day and he frowned. He really did clear everything out. Edward stretched out his back, a quiet popping coming from his vertebrae. He exhaled and looked over at his commander. He watched as the talons on the wrists of Roy's wings held the books gently and carefully. He pursed his lips as he analyzed the surprising dexterity and control Roy had over them. The chimera placed the books back on the shelf as he would if he were still human, but he had to tilt his wings to get the correct leverage to keep the book upright. His long feathers were controlled and restrained from knocking over any other books, showing a fine-tuned connection in Roy's brain to his new form.

Edward thought over what he had brought up the previous day in the hotel yard. He spoke up. "Hey, maybe we should try getting you airborne?" Roy froze, a book falling from his grip. He looked over at Ed with a blank stare. "What? You clearly have good motor skills with your wings, so why not try using them for the action they were intended?" Roy frowned before bending over to pick up the fallen book. He placed it back on the shelf, watching Ed from the corner of his eye.

I… I just can't bring myself to fly.

Edward leaned his back against the shelf, remembering to be careful about his action as it has just previously been restored from Roy's attack before. "Come on, Mustang, who knows? Maybe you could be like… Like a badass, feathered dragon. You know, like swooping in and raining fire upon the enemy forces who refuse to…" he trailed off as Roy gave him a not so pleasant facial expression. "Um… Too much?" "Mm-hmm," Roy nodded. No shit. Edward huffed. "Well, even so, flight could be an asset to graphing out the town. I mean, don't get me wrong, I love surveying a dangerous village on foot and unprotected just as much as the next poor bastard, but flying would be safer and quicker."

Roy sighed and he swished his tail around as he thought it over. I don't know… What do you guys think?

FLY

FLY

FLY

Roy groaned. Well, fine, then. Guess that settles it. Roy turned to Edward and nodded nervously. Edward grinned. "Sweet."

Roy waited in the branches of the oak Edward had picked out to be their take-off perch. Come on, Fullmetal, you climb like a drunken monkey! Edward struggled to climb up to Roy's level. The chimera had made his way up the tree with incredible speed, much to Edward's surprise. "Colonel, how about we… Trade attributes for a bit… Say… My heavy as hell… Automail… For your… Ugh… Claws… Whew!" the teen panted through gritted teeth as he neared the roost. Roy gave a faux laugh. Not a chance, kid.

Ed's automail creaked loudly as all of his weight was transferred to the metal. Without warning, the bark underneath his fingers snapped free of the tree. Before the boy could even gasp, he found himself swinging in midair from one of Roy's feet, the talons hooked around his prosthetic. Roy sighed with relief. Pulling the boy up higher to where the bark led to the branch, he held tight to the arm to insure the child wouldn't fall. Scrambling up onto the tree limb the boy panted with delayed stress. "Th… Thank you…!" he panted, eyes squeezed tight. Roy turned away with a scoff.

Repositioning himself, the teen sat down next to the man and looked over the town, rubbing his shoulder as he did so. "Wow… What a view! Almost makes falling to one's death worth it, huh?" Ed joked, but he recoiled as he saw Roy give him a look of angry concern. "Oh… Probably shouldn't talk about falling considering… Eh… Heh heh… Yeah I'll shut up now." The boy turned away from the chimera and analyzed the sky, now noticeably darker and more foreboding. Roy exhaled shakily, and felt his heart pound wildly with anxiety.

The birds inside of him fought to gain control of his body, to flap their wings and rise into the sky, but Roy kept having to remind them that the body they all shared was larger and less aerodynamic than their older, respective ones had been. They paid no mind and continued squawking and screeching to be in control and to soar. Roy whimpered. He really didn't want to do this. Edward pat him on the shoulder, causing the chimera to bark in surprise and his feathers to flare up. "It's okay, Colonel, you'll be fine!" Edward grinned cheerfully as Roy expressed a mask of concern.

"Now, you know we can't stay here all day, so let's get this show on the road, shall we?" Ed asked, trying to edge the man on. Roy swallowed loudly, as his feet clung tightly to the tree bark. He didn't want to let go. "…Ergh… Erghgroooh…" I can't! I can't do it! Edward turned to the man and gently patted his back. "It's okay! Look, just try and glide—that means no flapping, no soaring high—just staying still until you're to the ground." Roy gulped, his whimper growing more human-like than dog.

Edward sat staring at the scared beast until an idea hit him.

"Do you know, Colonel, how a bird learns to fly?"

Roy closed his eyes and grumbled. Edward, not now, I'm trying to—but he was cut off by the sensation of being thrust forward.

"Momma kicks the babies out!"

Roy couldn't help a shrill shriek as he found himself flailing around as he began falling to the ground.

OH MY GOD OH MY GOD OH MY GOD OH MY GOD

"Open your wings, ya dumbass!" Ed shouted loudly, now panicking at the sight of his commander falling. Roy hurried to position himself correctly in the air. Opening his wings, Roy felt himself thrust back upward as the feathers splayed apart like a parachute. He flapped them awkwardly as he tried to glide forward to the ground, resulting in a rather unflattering landing on his face.

"Ouch… Not really what I meant by gliding, Colonel!" Ed called out with hands cupped around his mouth. "The whole point of gliding is not flapping wings!" Roy growled angrily and he crawled over to and up the tree with great speed. He was quickly face to face with the teen, who was caught off guard by just how fast Roy had moved. "Uh… I mean… Good job! That was uh… That was good!" Ed stammered, set off by the looming chimera.

Roy smirked and knocked Edward from his perch. Edward started to scream, but was caught around the ankle by Roy's talon foot. "D-damn it, Mustang, you almost killed me! I don't have wings to save me like you do!" Roy rolled his eyes and crawled higher up the tree as to set Edward back on the branch. Edward hugged the limb like it were lifeboat. Roy hopped down and landed next to the boy.

"You bastard…"

Roy looked down at the ground and he felt a bead of sweat form on his neck. Edward was right; from the height they were at, a fall would definitely kill a man, and would without a doubt kill a child. He looked over at his tiny subordinate and flashed a sheepish smile before coughing awkwardly into his wrist. Edward carefully rose back to a sitting position with a death-like glare set on the chimera. Roy could feel the daggers piercing his chest and he coughed harder, as it had turned into an actual cough.

He flapped his wings slowly, testing them out as actual wings as opposed to how he had been using them. He looked back to the ground and gulped. Well… I almost killed the kid… Might as well try to please him. Roy spread out his wings, closed his eyes, and he jumped.

He was still rough at first, but he held his breath, and let his wings stay out. He opened his eyes when he heard a faint cheer behind him, and he saw that he was gliding over rooftops and was far from where he had started. He flapped his wings to stop and he landed wobbly on a chimney top. He turned around and saw that he was almost a block away from the tree Ed was in, but his heightened vision could still see the boy in detail. The kid had his arms above his head and his hands were in two thumbs-up as he nodded. Roy laughed, stunned. He looked down at his wings and he felt the blood flowing through them.

He understood now why the birds wanted to fly—it was an adrenaline rush in all the best ways. He hunched over and tried to lift himself up by flapping his wings. It was rocky at first, but soon he was a good meter or so above the chimney. He tried maneuvering his limbs as to go in a direction other than up, and soon he got the scooping motion that provided just the right means for motion. He was panting from the unfamiliar exercise, but it was a welcome burn to the stiffness that his wings usually felt when they were folded against his sides.

The chimera began to fly toward the old oak that Edward was now standing in. When he got to the final house top, he locked his wings and glided to the trunk. He gripped it like it were a blanket, and he crawled up to the roosting branch.

"WAY TO GO, MUSTANG! AHAHAHA! WOOHOOOOO!" Edward cheered gleefully, jumping once before wobbling to regain his balance. "That was awesome!" Roy sat down, gasping for breath, but he was smiling a mile wide. He had flown. Not in an air balloon, not on a glider, but actually flying. He was still rusty, of course, but by God he was flying!

He let his shaky wings fall past the branch and he lay on his stomach. Edward laughed at the sight of his commander sprawled out like a squirrel on the tree branch. He sat back down and he ruffled the feathery hair on the back of Roy's neck. "Not bad, Colonel Bastard. Not bad at all…"

Edward's feet sloshed in the mud as he and Roy walked back to the hotel. Despite the rain coming down like a monsoon, Edward remained mostly dry thanks to Roy shielding him with his wing. The chimera was absolutely soaked as a result, but he insisted that Edward stay drier than he. While the teen couldn't understand why, Roy was intent on keeping him in as prime a condition as he could.

"Seriously, Mustang, you're soaked to the bone! Just let the rain fall on me so we can run back—which, may I remind you—we can't do with your wing out like a damned umbrella!"

Roy scoffed as he shook his head. No, Fullmetal, your automail is screwed up enough as it is. You don't want your little girlfriend to beat you up anymore over it than she has to. Edward sighed and continued walking under the protective shadow of Roy's wing. It was a few more blocks until they were back at the hotel and it took them a good ten minutes. They turned their final corner only to find Hawkeye standing outside the hotel with her arms crossed. She was soaking wet and she looked pissed.

"Where have you boys been!?" she asked harshly, causing Roy's head to droop in solemnity. Edward chuckled nervously. "Uh, well we originally were out trying to talk with some of the townspeople (with mixed results) but then we headed to library only to have little to no leads…" he trailed off as he and the chimera entered the lobby, bringing rivers with them. Roy walked off a little farther than Edward to shake himself off properly without whacking the boy. "Then we decided since the weather was still fair for Mustang to try his hand at flying." Riza couldn't hide the look of shock on her face. "What?" She blinked away the expression. "For the colonel to do what?" she inquired, hoping for a clarification.

Edward took down his braid and began squeezing the water out of it. "Try flying. I mean, since he has wings and all…" The sniper looked over at her boss and watched him preen his feathers clean of rain water. He felt her gaze and peered up under his bangs, some primary coverts still in his mouth. He smiled awkwardly, trying to let go of his feathers, but one stayed stuck in his teeth, resulting in the consequent removal of said feather from his wing. Edward laughed warmly at this display, but the lieutenant was still not impressed.

Roy tried to wrap his talons around the feather, but he couldn't. Groaning with embarrassment, he walked over to Edward to have him pull it out for him. Ed smirked as he tugged the feather out of Roy's teeth, the chimera pulling back and licking the boney structures to insure their cleanliness. Riza sighed sadly and looked off at nothing in particular. Edward noticed this and his smile turned to a frown. "Uh… He's still a bit rocky on take-off and landing, but once he's in the air he's pretty good! Um… He practiced it until it started raining and then we started to head back. Unfortunately the roads got all muddy and then Colonel Bird-Brain decided to delay us a good half hour by insisting on shielding me from the rain! Like, I told him not to, but he insisted!"

Roy rolled his eyes, miming the teen's mouth flaps. Hawkeye turned back to the colonel and she felt his forehead, causing his feathers to bristle a bit. Um… Not that I mind your contact, but what the hell are you doing? Riza felt Roy's cheek next, then his neck under his ears. She sighed. "Well, you don't have a fever, but if you keep getting stuck in the rain, you will. You are so useless in the rain, you know."

Roy's face blushed with anger as Edward howled with laughter.

"OH MY GOD THAT'S RIGHT! I completely forgot about your incompetence! Man, the irony of being in the rainiest town in Amestris! AHAHAHAHAHA!" Edward continued laughing much to his commander's contempt. Roy pouted as he shook the last remaining water off onto the boy. "H-hey! Watch it!" Edward scowled in Roy's face but the chimera only grinned out of spite. Riza massaged her temple as she groaned. "Edward, you should go wash yourself clear of that mud and rain. I need to talk to the colonel in private anyway." Roy and Edward blinked. They exchanged worried glances before the teen nodded and headed upstairs.

Riza motioned for the chimera to follow her and so he did. He followed her down the hallway and into a room he hadn't been in yet. She flicked on the light and closed the door behind Roy. The man could only stare wide-eyed at the sight before him. Near the back of the room lay a chimera—dead from what seemed to be gunshot wounds. Roy swallowed nervously, trying to take a step back, but his lieutenant stopped him mid-movement. She walked over next to the fallen beast and motioned for Roy to follow suit.

She squatted down and Roy did as well, though he was being careful as to avoid getting his feathers bloodied. "This is the one that attacked our men this morning." Roy looked up at her at the statement. He stared, but she didn't divulge any more than that. He sighed and returned his gaze to the corpse.

It was large, larger than Roy in actual body mass rather than fur. It had wings, but they were of scale and skin, implying it was part bat. Its muzzle was long like a horse's but had sharp, protruding fangs like those of a snake. Riza took her gun and used it as a probe to push the eyelids back. "We know chimeras are unique in that their eyes almost always follow a similar style no matter the animals used, but…" she ended. Roy tried to hold back a howl of fear as he stared straight into the bright green, almost glowing eyes.

He fell backward, crawling away from the satanic creature.

"S-sir?! What's wrong?" Riza asked worriedly.

Roy's breathing quickened.

His muscles trembled with adrenaline.

The animals inside of him all screamed, making him let loose a hauntingly dissonant wail.

He jumped to the nearest wall, scraping and gripping at the brick like it were a ladder and he pushed himself back into the highest, farthest corner away from the dead body. Hawkeye hurried to her feet and she spread out her arms to try to calm her superior down. "Colonel Mustang! It's alright, I promise you! It's dead! It can't hurt you!" she pleaded.

Roy pushed himself farther into the corner, his claws so tightly clinging to the wall that the brick was showing signs of chipping. "Colonel, please! Sir, it's okay!" Riza begged. Roy's face was still contorted into the face of true horror and his monstrous wail was replaced with human-like moaning. His mouth drooled saliva and his ears rang with the tolls of the town clock tower down town as his vision tunneled to the chimera only.

His moan turned to a snarl.

His snarl to a growl.

His growl to a hiss.

His hiss to a roar.

His roar to an ear-splitting shriek.

Riza plastered her hands to her ears and her eyes watered. She swayed on her feet as her brain reverberated inside her skull. She watched helplessly as Roy threw himself at the door, splitting it in two. The chimera cried out as it fought to get off the splintered wood and away from his cell. "S-sir! Wait!" the woman called out.

Roy scrambled to his feet and ran for the nearest exit. He didn't hear anyone scream his name, or any of the soldiers shouting at him to stop, or Edward fumbling back into the clothes as he ran down the stairs. He heard only his fear and his instincts.

Oh my God he's found me.

He's found me.

Dear God, no.

No.

NO.

NO!

NO!

NOOOOOOO—"WAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAUUGH!" Roy screamed as he rammed into the hotel doors. He fell back to the floor with a painful crack. His vision was still tunneled, focused only on what was right in front of him, and he saw only large forms of eerie darkness looming nearer to him. He hissed evilly as he scuttled away past the couch and up into the chimney, sending waves of dust and ash down under him.

"C-colonel! Hey, you bastard, wait a second!" Ed called out after the chimera. He ran up to the chimney and looked into it, gasping at the sight.

Roy was wedging himself up into the grill and he was practically foaming at the mouth. When the chimera saw Edward it roared, sending more ash down to rain on Ed. The boy coughed as his lungs filled with the soot. "M-mustang! Come on now, look at me! Really—look at me—see who I am!" he pleaded, the chimera still growling with saliva dripping down onto the boy's head.

Roy's expression froze and then softened. His vision widened and he saw Edward looking up at him from the chimney base, covered in ash and soot. Oh my God… Oh my God!

"Roo… Rooguuarghoor!?" Roy stammered. His grip on the brick loosened and he began to fall down to the bottom of the tube. He clawed at the walls of his tunnel but he couldn't grasp the bricks as he had before and he would soon be crashing down into the iron rods in the cement base. The sound of crackling echoed through the chimney and Roy felt himself fall against the ground much softer and much… Sooner than he had expected. Looking down he found he was in a large, transmuted hand, made soft by the ash it was formed from. He curled in on himself as Edward lowered the creation down till Roy was visibly out of the chimney.

"COLONEL, WHAT THE HELL WAS ALL THAT FOR!?" Ed practically screamed. Roy looked over the boy frantically, his heart lurching at the sight of dust and spittle all over the boy. Roy couldn't stop the sorrowful moan that came from inside of him. He bent over himself, his wings wrapping around his head. Edward knitted his brows as he moved to comfort the chimera.

Roy recoiled at the touch with a deep hiss but his hissing cracked apart when he saw it was Ed's automail. He shook his head slowly as he felt another wail overpowering him. He flailed out of the fabricated hand and ran across the lobby, hopping over soldiers to the staircase. He gripped the side rail and crawled up until he got to his room and he lunged forward into it. A deafening slam echoed throughout the parlor as Roy shut himself away.

He gasped for breath and he could hear Edward running up the stairs. He hurried over to the wardrobe and pushed it in front of the door. Ed couldn't so much as get his hand on the knob before a terrifying crash was heard and the door was pushed deep into its hinges. Edward held his breath and rested his ear against the door.

"Colonel?! Colonel, please! Just let us help you!"

"NUAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAGH!"

Edward pulled away from the door as the chimera screamed from the other side. He could hear items being thrown about and slashing noises against wood. He furrowed his eyebrows and clapped his hands together. Slapping them onto the door, alchemic energy poured from his palms, enveloping the wood with a bright blue-white glow. Particles moved apart at his will and soon the door was nothing but an entanglement of sticks around the door frames.

Hopping over the fallen cabinet, Ed stood before the assault of the hotel room. The beds were both turned on their sides and were in a single corner, forming a sort of fortress. The bedside dressers were piled on top of the beds and pieces of the floorboards completed the castle-like nest. Edward inched forward, careful not to fall through the now shambled floor. He tried to look through a crack in the shell and saw the chimera huddled inside.

"… Colonel…?"

The chimera jumped and wailed in fear. Edward could see Roy hugging himself tightly, his tail even pulled over the back of neck. He then noticed the ritual-like muttering under the beast's breath. While unintelligible, it was clear it was a coping mechanism, as Roy was rocking back and forth with wide eyes and faster-than-lightning mouth flaps. Edward got closer to the fortress and looked inside closer.

Roy's feet had clawed away what shine was on the floor and had even ripped a few fissures into their lines. Feathers decorated the chamber glistening with sweat and ash. Roy had his knees up to his shoulders and his wings almost completely around his body. His back was arched over like a crossbow and it shuddered and lurched with every breath.

"wathuagh neih. wathuagh neih. wathuagh neih. wathuagh neih. wathuagh neih."

The chant chilled Edward to the bone, and to his horror, he could make out what was actually being said.

"Oh my God, Colonel…!"

Roy continued rocking, his feathers bristled out and trembling. Edward felt his knees shake as the chimera chanted on, each breath replenishing the oxygen needed for the rite. He squeezed his eyes shut as he heard the terrifying message through the garbled panic.

"watching me. watching me. watching me. watching me. watching me."