Chapter 4: Divided

Roy couldn't believe the mess he had gotten himself into the previous night. He was trying to be so careful, so cautious, but something inside him needed to touch out. Whether it was to reassure him that Ed was still there or just to have physical contact Roy absentmindedly had felt up Ed's arm. Stupid. Ed was so pissed to find Roy leaning over him, almost laying on top of him. In Roy's defense it was his house and he was merely just checking on his subordinate, but Ed didn't see it that way. And to Roy's surprise he had really liked the feel of Ed's arm. It was weird, he didn't consider himself gay, nor was he attracted to muscled arms, but there was just something about Ed that drew him in. It wasn't like that when he was with women. It was more of a get it, get off, get her out type of deal. But with Ed he just needed to touch him, "what the hell did I get myself into?" Roy thought while he sat at the kitchen table sipping his coffee. In front of him where the papers and documents concerning Fort Briggs. He still couldn't wrap his mind around it, why did they take out the snipers? Now a new piece of information was bothering him... who would be sent as their replacements for the time being. Roy was in way over his head, first with Ed and now with Briggs. Roy needed a vacation. He took another sip of his coffee and heard a noise coming from the stairs. A very groggy and disheveled Edward Elric wandered in looking like he had woke up from a coma. Roy's body went rigid and stiff. Why was Ed having this effect on him.

"Get enough beauty sleep?" Roy asked coyly.

"I was until some bastard tried to jump me in my sleep," Ed growled as he pulled a chair out and sat down. His eyes looked so dull and there were bags underneath them. Ed looked defeated, like he had just given up. At that moment, Roy didn't feel like he was sitting down with the Fullmetal Alchemist... this was just Edward Elric.

"I was only checking up on you, you hadn't moved all evening. I wanted to make sure you were still here." Roy commanded as he placed down his mug and continued to look over his papers as if they were a giant puzzle in which he was missing all the important pieces.

"Whatever you say Mustang," Ed replied tartly.

The truth was at first he was kind of startled by Mustang's sudden appearance. He wasn't dreaming, but he wasn't in a dreamless sleep either. He was just at piece and then he felt this pleasant sensation running down his arms which roused him awake. He never imagined he'd see Mustang hovering above him. Ed decided not to read into it too much. He knew he looked like hell from the bandages, dried blood, and ever present bruises consuming his chest. He looked down at the table and noticed all the paper work. He had to smile to himself, Hawkeye sent him home with homework. It was funny how even without a gun pointed at him, Mustang always obeyed her as if she was positioned outside with a rifle on him waiting to take him out.

"What's all that?" Ed inquired as he leaned over the table trying to sneak a look.

Mustang pushed all the papers together and shoved them aside.

"Nothing you need to concern yourself with. You have other matters to deal with," Roy said as he stood up and put all his papers into a binder, "if you're hungry I made some pancakes, they're on that counter behind you."

Ed's eyes widened, "you can cook?" he gasped as he spun around to grab the stack from behind him and started eating. Through mouthfuls of fluffy pancakes he managed to say, "at least you're good for something asshole."

"Good to know," he said he put on his military coat and did up the buttons.

"Just in the future, if you're going to perv on me while I sleep bring food as a peace offering so I don't try to strangle you," Ed said as he finished the last bite.

The Colonel smirked as he made his way by Ed, "I'm going to start the car. Meet me out there when you're ready."

When Roy arrived at Central he could tell something was off. There was a bad omen looming over the building. He walked through the halls with Ed falling into place behind him. When they reached his office they were greeted by a very upset crew. No one spoke, but Roy could see by their faces something was up and someone had neglected to tell him what the was going on. Roy sat at his desk while everyone worked around him in silence. No one talked, no one coughed, burped, sneezed... nothing. Ed took a seat in the corner of his office with some books and was scribbling down some notes. Roy had given Ed thirty minutes to scan through the library and find anything he thought would help them find Al and then he was to return here to do his work. Roy was upset, this silence was killing him, then almost as if someone had hit him in the back of the head Roy realized something... Hawkeye wasn't present.

"Where's the Lieutenant?!" Roy barked angrily.

"What do you mean sir?" Fuery gulped.

"What do I mean? Where is First Lieutenant Riza Hawkeye?" Mustang yelled, more angrier than before.

She was always present in the office in the morning. She was usually the first one there and last one out before him. The weird occurrings of the previous night had left him feeling... what was the word he was looking for, flustered? No, not that, curious and a bit out of place. He should have noticed she wasn;t there the minute he entered the door.

"I'm here sir," came her voice as she entered the office with a letter in her hand.

Roy tensed a bit, he could tell by her posture something was up. Her shoulders were slightly hunched, and just as Ed had earlier, she looked defeated as well.

"Everyone," he addressed as he looked at the rest of his subordinates, "you're dismissed for the time being."

They all left in somewhat of a hurry. Mustang looked back to Riza, "what's happened?" he asked.

"I just met with the higher ups sir. I'm being reassigned." She managed to say, but her voice didn't hold the fearful tone it normally did, she sounded so... upset.

No this couldn't be happening. First those asshole at the top decided to take their time with the paper work to make him Fuhrer and now they were sending away his first lieutenant and he couldn't do a damn thing to stop it.

"What do you mean? Who ordered this? You're a member on my team. I'll see to it that you stay here," Mustang said angrily even though he knew there was nothing he could do to stop it.

He started for the door, but Riza grabbed his hand with a tight grip.

"It's no use sir, you've been overruled."

"I am the future leader of this country, I'll be damned if they try to overrule me," Roy stated firmly.

"I know you're the future leader of this country, but until then you have no power in this matter. They already made it perfectly clear that there is no way around this. I'm being transferred to Fort Briggs. I leave first thing in the morning sir."

Roy was beyond outraged. He was the future leader of Amestris, hell he was the Fuhrer as far as he was concerned. All he was waiting on was the ceremony which the higher ups were setting up so he could rightfully become Fuhrer and now behind his back they were sending his First Lieutenant to Briggs. Someone was going to pay for this. From the corner of the room Roy heard a scuffling noise, like papers being ruffled. When he peered over to the corner of the room he saw Ed still deep in his research as if he never heard the order to leave, but it wasn't the books from the library he had. On the desk in front of Ed were Roy's documents on the invasion of Briggs. "How did he even get those," he pondered. Roy thought back to when they got out of the car, he never grabbed his binder, Ed did. In an instant Roy incinerated the papers into dust. Ed jumped from where he was sitting and stared at Roy.

"What the fuck did you do that for asshole!" Ed roared from across the room.

"Those papers were none of your concern Fullmetal, in the future I would appreciate it if you would mind your own business. Those documents were classified," Roy bellowed back.

"Yeah and now they're destroyed dumbass."

"There's still other copies, ones in which I'll make sure you don't get your hands on."

"Whatever happened to being partners?" Ed shot at Roy, "I'm still part of this team, I have a right to know what's going on."

"We're partners in the sense that I'm your babysitter and I'm helping you find your brother, Briggs has nothing to do with that situation. And like I told you before Briggs is none of your concern," Roy hollered back.

He knew he was being an ass, but this was the only way he knew how to stay in control. When everything seemed to fall apart he could still count on the fact that he was the leader of his team and that kept him in control. Yes the higher ups could take away members of his team, but he could still control the ones he had. Ed should have left when ordered.

"Fucking ignorant prick," Ed said spitefully as he exited the office.

"Sir," Riza said as she looked at Roy, "if you want Ed to open up to you, you can't talk to him like that."

"I'll talk to Fullmetal anyway I please and that is none of your concern, First Lieutenant," Roy was getting really worked up, why did Ed have to do this, be so nosey and stubborn.

He turned to face his window overlooking the general public, from behind him came Riza's voice.

"Permission to speak freely sir,"

"Permission granted," Roy hated when she did this, Hawkeye never needed permission to speak her mind, but always had the decency to ask.

"It may not be any of my concern sir, but Ed's wellbeing seems to be higher on my list of priorities than yours. If you want answers out of him don't treat him like a child and show him more respect. If you really are partners he needs to be treated as an equal. None of this is easy on him sir."

Roy was about to say something back, but when he turned to face Riza a gun was touching him in the center of his forehead. Riza was good like that, she moved fast, so fast Roy didn't even hear her draw her weapon. That was why she was the best sniper in Amestris, well in his eyes at least.

"I know you care about him sir, but you're going about this whole situation entirely wrong," she said as she kept her gun aimed steady between Mustang's eyes, "I will be at Briggs and I won't be able to watch you or how you interact with Ed, but mark my words, just because I'll be miles away doesn't mean I still won't be able to shoot you right between the eyes."

Roy smiled at her as he thought back to when he battled Fuhrer King Bradley. He didn't think he would escape there with his life. And he tried so hard to save Selim too. The last thing he remembered was exiting the burning house with the young child cradled in his hands. Even though he was gone he couldn't let the boy burn inside. His mother deserved to be able to bury her child. He remembered getting out and seeing a half man half machine aiming a gun at his head. Before the mechanical being had a chance to pull the trigger it collapsed and shortly after Mustang did too due to exhaustion. When he woke up Hawkeye cared for him and they spent some intense moments together. In that moment Roy truly believed he'd fallen in love, she'd said

"But I should have gotten there sooner to protect you."

And he had replied, "Nothing's perfect. The world's not perfect, but it's there for us trying the best it can. That's what makes it so damn beautiful."

That moment they shared, it had opened his eyes to how much he needed Hawkeye in his life. He should be outraged that she was being relocated and he was, but only as her superior officer. The love he thought he should feel just wasn't there. He knew she would always have his back and he would do anything to keep her here. Which was why he was going to bring her back the minute he got his promotion. But they weren't meant to be lovers, he knew that now.

Roy smiled at her as she withdrew he gun and placed it in its holster, "so does this mean I still have to do paper work?"

Ed was confused, he was confused and he was hurt and he didn't understand why he felt the way he did. All he was trying to do was see why Hawkeye was being sent to Briggs. Why were the five snipers targeted, there was no way it was just coincidence. And above everything why was Mustang such an ass. The thing that pissed Ed off the most was that no matter what situation he found himself in, he had to listen to Mustang. It really wasn't like before when he could just take off with Al. Mustang was taking this "partnership" seriously, and using AL against him. Ed would do anything to get his brother back, and Mustang was taking full control of that. Mustang really got on his nerves, every last fucking one of them and he hated that the man had that kind of power over him

Ed fell back against a wall and tried to calm down. He was too overwhelmed and honestly all he wanted to do was march back into Colonel Bastard's office and punch him square in the face. Ed's eyes lulled back into his head. His automail was starting to ache again. Why was it so damn sore, why couldn't he remember. Just then he felt him memory strings tugged back to that place.

A soft hand placed itself on Ed's shoulder.

"Edward, Edward are you okay?"

Ed looked back as he tried to focus his blurry vision, but truthfully slipping back into blissful unconsciousness sounded so much more appealing. A figure was kneeling beside him. He could almost make out her features. Tan skin, dark hair with a pinkish hue to the bangs. Big sad eyes, which were puffy and wet from crying. With tear soaked cheeks. She wore a giant white ball gown with golden trim, but the dress had red tinted stains all over the front.

"Rose," he said.

"Ed, it's me I'm here," she answered in a sob and hugged the blond alchemist close.

"Where... where's Al?"

"Ed, he's gone. I saw... I saw that gate swallow him, it took him. He was destroyed. Ed... Al isn't coming back," she cried.

"No, I brought him back. He's alive."

"Ed... I saw it happen."

-LunaMaye