As much as Alphonse wanted to stay away he really had nowhere to go. After being gone for about two hours, he grudgingly headed back to the hospital. Maybe by now, Ed's attitude had changed or the doctor was able to determine what was going on so that they could leave. Walking through the waiting room, he noticed there wasn't a single person there, not even the nurse at the desk. Slinging the automail leg over his shoulder he headed down the hall to Ed's room. He stopped short in the doorway when he noticed the bed was empty.

"Where'd he go?" Alphonse knew that despite how stubborn his older brother was, there was no way he'd try to leave without his leg. He had too much dignity for that. Turning around, he noticed a nurse hurrying from a supplies closet to a nearby room. Shrugging to himself, he decided to follow her further down the hallway.

oOoOo

Edward launched from the roof but not fast enough as the blade in Rivers hand sliced through Al's arm, almost cutting all the way through. Ed managed to land on the man hard, slamming him face first into the ground.

"Just say you're guilty so we can get on our way." Edward was always being underestimated, whether it was for his height or age. Going up against guys like Rivers was nothing new for him. Stepping off of the thief, he got a better look at Al's arm. The knife was still stuck in the armor and he attempted to pull it out. Without warning, the solid weapon dissolved into a clear liquid. "What in the world? What just happened?" He leaned down and poked a finger at the puddle now at Al's feet. Just as Ed turned to ask Rivers about the weapon, the man was already up and running down the alley. "Dammit! He's getting away!" Ed got to his feet and turned back to Al. "Come on!" Bringing his hands together, he fixed Al's arm in the blink of an eye. They both took off running but Rivers was gone.

oOoOo

"Quarantined? Why, what does he have?" The younger Elric was having a hard time understanding why the doctors had gone to such an extreme. The young doctor adjusted his glasses on his face as he glanced over his notes.

"We aren't sure how contagious he is but somehow he came in contact with this infection. It started out pretty slow but has become very aggressive." As much as Alphonse wanted to go see Edward, he knew they wouldn't let him in the room. He could always show them that he didn't have a body that could catch whatever Ed had, but decided against that. Besides he had a good idea where the infection came from. Walking over to the door, he could see Edward from the small window. He seemed to be sleeping which was best for everyone. If he knew they were not only keeping him, but also wouldn't let Al see him, he'd throw a fit.

"Guess it's up to me then." Al handed the automail limb back to the doctor and hurried for the exit.

oOoOo

By the time they returned to the house, it was dark out. Instead of being polite and knocking again, this time Edward decided a more forceful way in. The door didn't stand a chance as his foot went right through it.

"Aw, Dammit! That usually works!" Unfortunately his foot was the only thing to go through and his entire leg was stuck in the wood. Alphonse shook his head and quickly helped him out.

"Serves you right, why can't we just be quiet about this." He was so exasperated as Ed brushed himself off.

"Fine, we'll do it your way." Al went over and reached through the hole. Finding the handle, he got the door opened. There were no lights on inside, making it difficult for them to see. Trying not to bump into anything, they wondered into the kitchen. Nothing was out of place and they moved towards the back of the house. Pulling back the curtain, Al let moonlight bath the room, revealing they were there alone.

"Maybe he's not here." Ed crossed his arms and walked around the room, noticing the books in a book case and the mail that was opened on the coffee table. Next to the mail was a cup of water, condensation still on the outside of the glass.

"No, he's here alright." A faint unnatural light caught Al's eye in the far corner. It was coming from under a door. Ed noticed as well and they crept over to opened the door. The staircase before them headed down to the basement. "Come on, Al."

A/N-Review request! XD