GM: Holy crap guys! I made my deadline! Wooo! Lol, okay, anyway, here's the next chapter~

Edward burst through the door of the apartment, howling and cursing. "Envy! Envy you bastard, where are you?" the teen was furious.

"What'dya want, pipsqueak?" Envy's head lolled to the side to look at the blond. He sat up from where he was laying on the floor in the bare living room, stretching his arms out.

"You said I could have anything I wanted," Edward strode up to the other homunculus, ignoring the 'small' remark, "and now I want to know what the hell is going on. Who am I, and what relation do I have to the military?" Edward pulled a silver pocket watch from his back pants pocket, showing it off.

"Where did you get that?" Envy asked, blatantly ignoring the question.

"I knocked a Colonel out and took it from him. Answer the goddamn question." Edward snarled. They had to know. They had to at least have an idea of who he was.

"I don't have to tell you jack shit, Pride," Envy sneered, "we saved your ass. You're obligated to stay in our little family." He added.

"Well, you're a—," Edward had to stop where he was, doubling over and retching. A thick, red substance spattered onto the floor.

Envy lifted a brow. "You're still puking up the stones?" He asked. Edward could only nod through his fit, brows creasing at the strain that his body was under. "That's not possible. It only takes three days for your body to absorb the stones! Surely you're not rejecting them. Unless..."

Edward stopped after a few minutes, and as soon as he did, Envy reached out and snagged his jaw. "You still have it! You still have your soul, don't you?" The normally mellow homunculus was pissed.

Edward jerked away from him. "Don't touch me!" He hissed. "I'm leaving. And none of you are going to stop me! You hear?" Edward turned on his heel, leaving the room.

Envy snarled. "Hey! Get your ass back here, Pride!" He bellowed, following after him.

"Fuck you!" Edward called back to him flippantly. As Envy followed after the blond, the slam of a door was heard and Envy knew he had left.

"Dammit!" The dark haired homunculus swore, striding to the door and forcing it open.

The blond was already gone.

"I want every inch of Central searched. Include the borders." Roy spoke as he walked, Riza writing down notes in a folder as she followed the Colonel.

"Sir, we can't expect to find him so soon after he disappears. He could be gone for weeks." Riza was trying to reason with the man, yet Roy wasn't listening. He kept on walking, shoulders straight and head held high.

"It's my job as Colonel to put a stop to anything that falls into my lap. That's mu duty, lieutenant. I was told to put a stop to the case of the strange blond alchemist leaving mysterious circles all over Central. So that is what I'm going to do." Edward was a threat. How big of one, Roy didn't know. Injuring an officer was one thing; if the teen was out for blood, it could be a different case altogether.

"Hey!" The voice came from a few yards back, yet Roy placed the voice almost immediately. He whirled on his heel, arm outstretched and hand poised to snap. The colonel's eyes narrowed at the sight of Edward moving quickly in their direction.

"Finally showed yourself, did you?" Roy asked, almost venomously.

Edward slowed to a stop. "Listen, I don't care what beef you have with me," he stated, "but my supposed 'family' isn't answering any of my questions, and you seem to know who I am." He crossed his arms as Roy lowered his hand. The older man stepped forwards, stopping just a foot away from the blond.

"So, you're coming to our side?" He asked.

"What choice do I have?" Edward replied, irately. "No answers from that side, so this side seems to be my best option."

To this, Roy smirked almost coldly. "Good choice." He said, then cocked his arm back, letting it pitch forward and strike the teen in the cheek. "That's for earlier!" He said as Edward stumbled back, landing on his ass in the snow.

"You bastard..." Edward slowly got to his feet, spitting blood from his mouth. He glared at his former superior officer, yet made no move to hit the man back.

"Right then. Lieutenant, head back to headquarters and update the situation. I have to have a word with Pride here." As Riza nodded and disbanded from the group, Roy grabbed Edward's arm and trudged ahead through the snow.

"Hey! Let go of me and answer my damn questions!" The blond hollered, trying to pull away from Roy.

"Not until we get to my house." Roy grunted in reply, still tugging the small alchemist along. Edward grumbled, a few less-than-friendly words hitting the older man's ears. When they made it to the house, Roy opened the front door and shoved Edward inside, closing the door behind him as he stepped into the entryway.

"How could you!" Lust was furious; it was taking all of her willpower not to spear Envy right on the spot. Gluttony stood beside Lust, not sure what to make of the conversation. "Do you know how angry Mother will be if she finds out what happened? You just let an important piece of the puzzle slip through your fingers!"

"It wasn't my fault! He decided to leave, and by the time I got to the door, he was nowhere to be found! We might as well just give up on the twerp. His soul is still rejecting the stones." Envy crossed his arms, gritting his teeth. "We don't have to have him on our side. He's useless, anyway. The only worthwhile thing he's been doing is leaving those transmutations around so we can blow the main military headquarters up. The fuhrer won't know what we're doing until it's too late." (1)

"I don't care, Envy. That was reckless, and Mother won't be pleased." Lust replied. "We need to find a way to get him back."

"Edward. What would possess you to trust Envy, of all people?" To say that Roy was pissed was a bit of an understatement. "Tell me why, Ed!" He slammed his palms on the table, yet it didn't seem to scare the blond or surprise him. He just sat back, arms crossed and feet propped up on the other side of the table with a scowl on his face.

"I don't know. The earliest thing I remember is running into him outside. He told me about a deal. That he could help me with what I was looking for. I told him to prove it, but he said that he couldn't. So I refused him, and he didn't like it so he made me go with him by force. On the way there, he just kept talking about how I was on the wrong side and how the military wasn't going to help me. He said they were planning to use me as a weapon of the state." Edward replied, shrugging.

"And you bought that garbage? Really, Ed?" Roy's anger was simmering, yet it was being replaced by frustration.

"He told me the red stones would make me powerful enough to gain whatever I wanted! With those stones, I could get my memory back! All of it...but instead, all it did was make me forget everything else. I don't even know who I am or if I have a family, or if I had a life before that. But you said you knew, so now it's your turn to speak up." Edward stared hard at Roy, daring him to say otherwise.

Roy sighed. "It'll be a long explanation. Just..sit back and listen, and hold the questions until I'm done." He went on to explain everything he knew about the blond; the failed human transmutation, the two brothers' journey to restore their bodies, their many downfalls, and the day they succeeded to restore Al's body, and how his body had never been restored. Then came the car crash, as well as everything he knew of after that. By the time he finished explaining things, it had been a good hour.

"So...Alphonse doesn't know I'm alive..." The memories seemed to fit to him. Even while not having them, he could feel the connection. Already, images from his past were manifesting in his mind. "And why don't I have my automail anymore?" he added.

"Alphonse isn't aware, no. He moved back to Risembool a few weeks after you passed. As far as your automail goes, I can only assume that the body you're in was created by the gate, based on your previous physical make-up. So, since the automail wasn't actually part of your original body, it wouldn't have been copied." Roy shrugged.

"I see..." Edward nodded his head, wincing at the action. "Damn, think you could have picked a different place to assault me, Mustang?"

Roy took a moment, studying the damage. "Must have hit you harder than I thought." He mumbled, yet he showed no regret or guilt over it. This angered Edward, but he said nothing.

"Bastard..." Edward tossed his head to the side, snorting angrily.

"Ah. I'll get you some ice." In truth, the bruise would probably get quite bad overnight. Roy was sure he would have to keep an eye on it. When he returned with a makeshift ice pack, he dropped down to one knee and held it up to Edward's face. "Sorry," he apologized, "I wasn't intending to hurt you that badly."

Edward could tell he was telling the truth, but that did little to quell his agitation. He lifted his own hand, resting it against Roy's own. It was a gesture that he felt oddly comfortable with, despite hating the man.

"I don't like you." He said, more so to convince himself than Roy. "I'm here because you haven't done anything to keep me from my goals." He added.

Roy 'hmmed' in reply, eyes slipping closed for a moment. "I'll help you." He said.

"What?" Edward replied, blinking.

"I'll help you get your memories back. I'll help you reach whatever goal you are looking to achieve. I'll even put it first priority, if you want." Roy said.

Edward was speechless. He gaped like a fish, trying to come up with a reply. "...Why?" He finally asked, pink tongue darting out to swipe across his dry lips, "why would you help me...? You're just my former commanding officer." His voice felt tiny; like he was miles away from his voice. It was a big deal that Mustang was saying that he was helping him. What had he done to deserve the Colonel's help? What would he have to do in return?

"I care about you, Edward. I care about you a lot." Roy replied. His eyes were still closed, but he seemed at peace. "I'd do anything to make sure you were happy." He added. Edward's eyes grew huge, and he just stared at Roy as his throat went dry. Surely this man...

"No!" Edward snarled, shoving Roy's hand from his face. "Stop toying with me!" Roy's eyes opened in surprise at the outburst. Edward stood abruptly, towering over his crouched form as the ice pack fell to the floor. "You can help me, but you'll never care about me! Stop pretending that you do! I would never accept someone like you! Ever!"

Every word that flew from the teen's mouth hit Roy hard. It stung, crushing his chest with every syllable. Edward didn't care. He didn't care that he, Colonel Roy Mustang, would do anything for him. He was ignoring his feelings, taking them and throwing them right back in his face.

"Edward, I..."

"Shut up! You fucking disgust me!" Edward shoved him, storming passed his trembling form and heading for the back of the house.

He was scared. Why did Mustang have to say those things? Like they were lovers or something! They were strangers, and that was the end of it! Edward slid to the floor, sitting with his back pressed against the wall. But..if he truly did feel that way towards the man...why was his heart tearing in two? Why did it hurt so badly? "Dammit.." The blond swore as unwanted tears spilled from his eyes, rolling down his cheeks and splattering to the floor. He was just so confused... "Dammit...! Dammit, dammit, dammit!" His fist clenched, and he turned to strike the wall behind him. He struck the wall, over and over again until the dry plaster cracked, lines splintering out like a spiderweb around his fist. He pulled his fist away, looking down at the blood covering his knuckles. He clenched his teeth hard, before burying his face into both of his hands and starting to sob.

He didn't care that his face and the floor were being sullied by his blood. He didn't care that an overwhelming feeling of nausea was sweeping over him in a massive wave. Roy was wrong. He was wrong, God damn it! A scream tore from his mouth, strangled and quiet. He then shoved his hand over his mouth as bile rose to the back of his throat. He staggered to his feet, stumbling out of the room and down the hall. He wasn't surprised to see Roy sitting at the table, arm wrapped around a bottle of whiskey. The man sure did take rejection hard. Edward shook his head, nearly tripping over his feet trying to get into the bathroom.

He crashed to the floor hard, both bile and remnants of the stones being emptied from his gullet. The bile kept coming even after several minutes, and Edward was becoming scared that it wouldn't stop. He jumped when he felt fingers move through his hair. Someone was touching his hair. The long blond locks were brought together into a sloppy ponytail, and Roy crouched down next to him to rub his back.

"Wh-Why.." Edward's shoulders trembled as he retched and coughed, before another round of vomit rose up the back of his throat. After several agonizing minutes, the stuff stopped coming up, the remnants of the stones floating in the toilet. Edward trembled still, both exhausted and disturbed by the contents that had poured out of him. He backed up from the toilet, head whipping around when his back made contact with not the wall, but something else entirely.

Roy silently pulled Edward into his lap, wrapping his arms around the teen's shoulders and burying his face into his neck. Edward made no move to push the man away, instead pressing himself further against the older man. "R-Roy, I didn't mean to—," he croaked, eyes wide and shaking.

"Shh." Roy shushed him, pressing his lips to the blond's neck. "Don't say anything. I forgive you." The words were slurred, but Edward was grateful to hear them. He shifted, leaning his head against the older man's chest. They both fell asleep like that, Roy's arms wrapped around Edward while Edward drifted off listening to Roy's steady heartbeat.

(1) In this story, the fuhrer (as pride) abandoned the homunculus family to supposedly do it "his way". So he's also an enemy to the homunculi, which means the military as a whole is their target.