Okay, I decided to put up this chapter in the morning so that I could see all your wonderful reviews when I got home from work! Please review, that would make my day so much brighter!

Edward really wanted to know where he went wrong in his life. He always seemed to get himself into certain situations out of his control, most of which ended with him in some sort of physical pain. Nothing could rectify this strange fate he always had, but he kind of wished he could spend a nice afternoon not in pain.

When he woke from the pain induced stupor attaching the automail had put him into, he immediately swore, growled, and started looking around for a possible escape route. He was still in the old store room he'd fallen unconscious in, so that meant he hadn't been asleep for that long.

"Hey, sleeping beauty finally decides to awaken." Roy tried to form a joke in order to mask his own worry, but it failed miserably as his brows drew together, his eyes rimmed in red from fatigue, "how are you feeling?"

Edward liked waking up and having Roy be the first thing he saw, despite how corny and cliche it seemed. He'd fallen unconscious two times in the past two hours, and Roy was always his first sight, and it never failed to comfort him. Roy was leaned over him, his warm hands comforting covering Ed's, "I feel like a hundred bucks, how about you?"

"Oh, I'm glad you feel so good, because I feel like shit." Roy laughed, slumping from fatigue, his shoulders slumping in relief from Ed's waking up. Attaching the leg while Ed was in such a condition was a rash thing to do, but it had to be done. Mika couldn't be running around this war-zone holding onto the briefcase for dear life, and Roy needed to be ready to fight, not holding Edward up as he hobbled around. It wasn't an option.

Edward sat up slowly, almost wincing in anticipation of the pain that was sure to sweep his body, but was pleasantly surprised to only feel minor tinges and a slight loss of breath, but nothing compared to the pain he'd felt before he fell unconscious. Sending a single glance toward Roy, he raised a brow, placing his good hand over his chest in wonder.

"Mika." Roy shrugged, gesturing to Edward's chest, and the giant and intricate Alkahestrical transmutation circle drawn upon it. They were leaning against the back wall, large shelves of medical equipment towering over them, but it was almost comforting, the shield they created around the two.

It was silent for the most part outside, but Edward could see smoke seeping under the door, and knew it wasn't over yet. He hadn't been unconscious for more than twenty minutes, and the invaders were taking their time, but they hadn't gone yet. They wouldn't stray from their objective for much longer.

"Where is he?" Edward noticed the definite absence of the man, but wasn't too perturbed by it, seeing as Roy was rather calm about the situation.

"Present!" Mika peeked his head around a large shelf of tools, his smile gleaming as he saw Edward was sitting up and healthy looking, and the sense of humor coming from the injured man was definitely a plus, "I was just checking to see if there's any medical supplies that I could use to heal you up any better."

"I thought you already had." Edward leaned against the back wall, his body feeling limp and clammy, it was almost like he couldn't control his own limbs, but he wasn't in pain, "I don't feel anything at all."

"Ahh, but that is the magic of morphine, my young man." Mika laughed, going back to his search, his voice light and airy but Edward could tell that was just a cover. He could still remember Mika's warning before he'd gone unconscious, and he concluded that he must've gone into shock. It must've been bad if it was severe enough to require morphine, and that must also be the reason Edward couldn't really feel his arms.

Edward shrugged, trying to move around his arms and legs, marveling in astonishment as he saw the automail of his leg shift and move as he willed. It was amazing to have a new leg, and it was simply beautiful. He could almost feel the shift of the metal, and as he ran his fingers over it, watching as each toe shifted and his knee bent perfectly, he wondered how he could have ever lived without a leg.

"It's nice." Roy shifted so he sat just a bit closer to Edward, their arms brushing together as Roy satisfied his own curiosity, running his fingers over the metal of the leg and soothing it down, "How does it feel?"

"Amazing." Edward laughed just a bit, his eyes shifting over so he was looking at Roy, deep yellow glittering in mirth as he practically glowed in happiness, "It's so amazing."

"Yeah." Roy mused, pulling his arm back and leaning back against the wall again, watching as Mika sifted amongst the various objects again. They were planning on exiting the room in just a couple minutes, hoping that the majority of the Aerugian soldiers would be gone out of this section of the hospital by that time.

Roy couldn't keep his eyes off Edward, thinking back to that kiss every couple of minutes, wondering what had come over him at that moment. Why had he kissed Edward? It wasn't like he hadn't thought of doing it before, and he wasn't regretful of it in the slightest, but it wasn't the time nor the place, and he wasn't even sure Edward returned his feelings. He had felt Edward kiss back, but it might have been a figment of his imagination.

"Stop thinking." Edward sighed as he slumped backwards, falling to the side against the Major General and leaning his head on Roy's shoulder, shifting around until he was comfortable, "I kissed back, so stop fretting about it."

Roy laughed, shifting himself so his arm was slung around Ed's waist, the two fitting together like two puzzle pieces, perfect and snug, "That's a relief, I would have hated to forcefully kiss a cripple."

Edward just snorted, not taking the comment to heart, "Oh, yeah, like I would have let you if I didn't want it."

Roy stilled at the comment, his lips pursing together as he held Edward just a bit tighter, tilting his head to brush his lips against Edward's hair, kissing it softly and closing his eyes, "...You're telling the truth? You wanted it?"

"I wanted it from the moment we sat together under that damned tree." Edward was glad Roy was in such a position that he couldn't see his face, for he would have seen Ed's furious blush, and he really didn't need that mocking that would ensue, "I...I don't know when I started feeling what I do, I just know that it's you I feel it for. Call me stupid or immature, but I feel that if you feel this way for someone, then you should act on it."

Roy laughed, but he couldn't stop his heart from beating loudly in his chest, and he almost wanted Edward to hear it, just so the man could confirm he felt the same way, "We've been through so much together, but it was still shocking to me when I started to want to see you, wanted to see your face and hear your voice."

"Thanks, I'll be sure to write that down. Major General Mustang wants to hear my rants about people calling me short." Edward laughed, shifting around so that he could better see the Major General, his eyes glittering in amusement as his lips curled into a devious smirk, although their proximity made a gentle flush cover his cheeks, "I now have blackmail over you, Major General."

"I'll be sure to do whatever you say, then." Roy mused, forming a smirk of his own as he slowly lent down, resting his forehead against Ed's, his fatigue making his breath slow as his body slumped. Today had been one of the worst and best days of his life, for he had been through more stress and worry than he'd like to admit, but he'd also finally admitted the feelings to Edward, feelings he'd been holding to himself for the last few years. He'd like to say these emotions had just revealed themselves in the last month, but he knew the tightening in his chest every time he saw Edward over the last years wan't anger or annoyance.

Their small moment of relaxation, the time they had to forget the world outside them and bask in the feeling of the other's warmth, was allowed for a few more minutes. They were not interrupted until ten minutes later, both of them on the edge of sleep, their bones tired from exertion, but both of their ears on alert for any sound from the outside. So both of their eyes shot open when they heard the scream of Edward's name coming down the hall.

"Teacher! Edward!"

"Dammit, it's Giovanni!" Edward pulled himself slowly away from Roy, shifting around so that he could pull himself to his feet, ready to feel the steady ground under himself. Pulling carefully, noting the edge of sharper pain due to the fading effects of the drugs, he stood straight. It was almost like a miracle, being able to stand, and as he made his way over to the doorway, hesitantly grasping the doorknob, he knew there was no way they would keep him in this damned hospital one more day.

Throwing the door open when Roy came to a stop beside him, Edward peeked his head out hesitantly, only able to see the thick smog from the debris and smoke, but he could hear his student running down the hall screeching for Edward.

Rolling his eyes and scoffing, Edward answered the yells, "Giovanni, get your little ass over here!"

Giovanni couldn't contain his excitement as he saw his teacher standing up on his own two legs in the doorway, his metal leg standing dark in the musty hallway. He still looked rather beaten-up, but he was there, standing strong. So when Giovanni made it to the doorway, he couldn't hold himself back from hugging his teacher tight around the middle, careful of his injuries but his excitement made it hard to control himself.

Edward chose not to announce the sudden shock of discomfort up his spine, letting his young protege embrace him for the time being. He couldn't say he was completely angry at Gio for coming back, and while he would deny the swell of pride in his chest, he was still annoyed with the situation in general, so it would have to be poor Gio that got the brunt of his anger.

"What the hell do you think you're doing?" Edward was pulled back into the storage room by the back of his shirt, stumbling only a bit as he waved his good arm in Gio's general direction, his gaze on fire as he set his glare toward his small apprentice, "Did I tell you to come back into this hospital? What are you, crazy?"

"You're crazy for sending me away!" Gio yelled back, despite his screaming, he still felt excitement for seeing his teacher, and the weight of the book felt that much heavier under his fingers, "And you should have known I would come back! So just shut up about it!"

Roy wasn't surprised when he had to physically hold Edward back from attacking the boy, his arms swinging as he desperately tried to land a blow. Ed's chest was heaving when he finally calmed down, his legs shaking under him. The small amount of pain-killers Mika had given him were wearing off, and he could start to feel the shoots of pain more prominently.

"We need to talk about how we're going to get out of here." Mika's voice greeted them all, calming them down for the moment as he walked over to them, finishing his search for various medical supplies, but his arms were empty and poised on his hips, "This closet only holds the basic pain killers and small wound treatments, there's nothing here that I can use to better help Edward. Plus, he needs to be in a functioning hospital, not being treated by an aging alkahestrist."

"Hey." Edward's brows drew together as he calmed completely, "You're doing the best you can, Mika."

"Yeah, and that's not enough." His voice was strong and loud, he wasn't using this situation to bash himself, rather to help Edward get better medical treatment. They couldn't stay here whining about things they could and couldn't do, "We need to get Edward out of here. I suggest Roy and I go and get the car."

There was a stark moment of silence, the only sound the heavy breathing of Edward, his chest growing more and more constricted with each breath.

Roy was the one to step forward, his brow set as he clenched his hands together, "There's no way in hell I'm going to let Giovanni and Edward stay here while we go get the car."

"It's all we can do." Mika answered, his voice growing an octave, "We can't afford to tote Ed and Giovanni with us, and you and I are the only ones capable of defending ourselves against the insurgents. I can seal the door when we leave, the Aerugian soldiers won't even know they're here."

"But I can't!" Roy knew that it was their only option, he and Mika could fight their way out while Edward and Gio hid. It'd been so long since Roy had used alchemy in general, and many still wondered if he used the power the gate's knowledge gave him. It was the power Edward used to have, it was such a power that it almost intimidated him, but he still felt comfort in using his old flame gloves.

But he couldn't just leave Edward here...

"Go." Edward placed a single soft hand on Roy's arm, pressing down enough to get the man's attention, stark gold eyes meeting deep black, "You have to go. It's the only way."

"Edward, I can't lose you." Roy's voice was tight as he admitted it, only barely hearing the audible gasp from Giovanni. He brought up a hand swiftly, pressing it against Ed's cheek, "Call me sentimental, but I just got you, I don't want to lose you so easily."

"Who knew the infamous Major General Roy Mustang was a romantic?" Edward couldn't keep the blush off his face regardless, tilting his head unconsciously into the hand against his cheek, sighing deeply. Shaking his head only slightly, he smirked, "Well, if you don't want to lose me, you better just hurry up."

They didn't have time to think it over any longer, they could hear the subtle sounds of a battle going on just above their heads, and they knew if would be a matter of minutes before the Aerugian soldiers got to the room. So, with a swift dip and a press of the lips, Roy left the room with Mika, leaving in the trails of smoke. Leaving Edward and Giovanni standing in the middle of the room, staring at the door as it was melded against the walls, disappearing to anyone who didn't know it was there.

Edward's shoulders slumped as soon as the crackle of alchemy had faded from the air, raising his good hand to press it against his chest, heaving a loud and long sigh as his lungs thanked him for the air. The only things running through his mind were the images of getting out of this hospital, spending the rest of his recuperation time with Roy, and walking around in the city on his own two legs again. It was the only thing getting him through the situation the past few weeks, but his lips were still tingling from the small kiss Roy had planted on him, and it was making his mood lighten significantly.

"Well, your lips seem to be zipped." Edward sighed as he looked over at Gio silently, his chest still heaving though he tried to hold it back once again, remembering that his young apprentice was in the room with him, "probably for the better. You can't say anything at this moment that will possibly explain to me why you came back."

"I came back because I love you."

Edward nearly fell over himself in a rush to stare at Gio, not expecting those words combined with those harsh and determined eyes that were leveled on him. It was astonishing to Edward how tall Giovanni was, now that they were standing together side by side. Gio was nearly up to his shoulder, and despite how much Edward wanted to deny it, Gio would probably skyrocket past him in the coming years. But it was that height that made Edward's eyes widen as he was met with those stark eyes, almost angry.

"W...what did you just say?" Edward's chest seemed constricted for a completely different reason, his heart hammering as he heard those words uttered to him, those words he'd probably only heard a handful of times in his entire life. Those words slipping so confidently from that young yet hardened face almost sent him sprawling on his ass.

Giovanni scoffed, turning his head in the other direction, his lips pursing together as he fought to keep the deep blush off his face, though he knew the fight was probably futile, "I said I love you, idiot."

He couldn't describe the feeling in his chest when he'd seen Roy kiss Edward. It was anger, for the most part, a sweltering and bubbling anger that he'd never felt before, so strong and powerful that he could barely speak. He couldn't describe it, not at all, not with any of the words he'd learned in his thirteen-years, but all he knew was that he hated it. He hated seeing Roy kiss Ed, he hated seeing that dreamy eyes that Ed was giving the Major General.

Why couldn't Ed look at him like that?

"No." Edward shook his head, chuckling deep as he moved backwards toward the wall, ready to sit down and forget everything about today, "You don't love me, Gio."

Giovanni wanted to argue but he knew that it would be futile, talking to Edward was like talking to a brick wall. So he remained silent, keeping his distance from the other and trying to regain his calm, taking deep breaths and scuffing his feet along the floor.

Raising a single hand, Giovanni gently rubbed the aged and worn book he had tucked under his shirt, the ridges of the words pressing against his skin comfortingly. The display he had seen just before merely fueled his motives to put the book to use. He just needed to wait for the perfect time.

Giovanni didn't know much about love. He always expected it was just something people wrote about in magazines and books to get people to buy them, spouting things about romance and cutesy emotions. He'd never bought into it, never truly believing in love in such a harsh world. Both his parents were taken away from him at a young age, so he'd grown partially cold to the more warm aspects of life. Love was supposed to make your heart ache and your pulse race, you were supposed to be happy and weepy, sweet and cute, warm and giggly.

He felt anything but giggly. His chest ached, but it hurt and he pined for Edward, wishing for the man to get better, his wounds to heal, and every time Gio looked at Edward, he felt his heart sting at the other man. He always wanted to be around Edward so that he could keep a smile on the blonde's face, he knew the man had a tendency to frown when Gio wasn't around. He just wanted Edward to smile.

They didn't mention love hurting so much.

Edward, on the other hand, was swimming in it. He figured it was about time he felt this happy, just waiting for Roy to get back. He'd felt the same pangs of love as the young apprentice, but for years rather than weeks. Roy was always the man he thought of when he needed to feel better, when moments were at their worst and he needed something, just something to grasp to, something to think about to make it just enough for life to be bearable again.

So, needless to say, he'd been thinking about Roy an immense amount of times these past weeks.

"Teacher-" Gio's hands tightened on the book as he prepared to speak, but he was cut off abruptly as a large explosion sounded overhead. They could hear voices, hear the men speaking to on another quickly and rapidly, their footsteps echoing overhead.

Edward looked up, his vision swimming and head twisting as he moved his gaze too quickly, his whole body reeling. Taking a deep breath, he screwed his eyes shut, willing himself to speak, "Can you hear what they're saying?"

"Just a bit." Giovanni stepped closer, aching his ears out more to listen to the words, only catching a few. There was one thing he did recognize though, and that was a spark, a small zap, then more talking.

Edward heard it too, his breath catching in his throat as he came to the same realization as his young protege, "They have an alchemist."

"They'll be able to get into the room."

It was more silence that met them, the room thick with tension as they both went over their options. Roy and Mika were probably just down the hall on the way to the car, and that was if they hadn't met up with any insurgents. They weren't that lucky, and the odds were against, them. They'd probably have a good thirty more minutes in this room, and that was with time on their side.

There was another explosion, but this time outside the doorway down the hall, the familiar sting of alchemy going through the air as the hair rose on their arms. The situation seemed that much more grave, with the uncertainty of how many alchemists the Aerugian army had enlisted, and not to mention if they were heavily armed. It was just Roy and Mika against them, and Gio and Ed stuck in the store room.

"Teacher?"

"Shut up, I'm thinking." Edward pressed his fingers to his temples, taking a deep breath and trying to think of what to do. With Giovanni's alchemy, they could reinforce the door, but that would only hold out for a few more minutes at most. They hadn't taken into account that the invaders had alchemists, and that just made this a whole new playing field.

"Teacher?" Giovanni took a few hesitant steps forward, lifting up his shirt slowly and pulling the aged brown book out from under it with shaking fingers. He almost couldn't keep the text in his hands, they were shaking violently, turning white with the pressure. He'd gone over this a million times in his head, but he still couldn't keep his hands still.

But this was his only chance, he had to do it now...

"I said shut-!" Edward eyes widened as the large book was slammed alongside his head, just barely able to see the fuzzy image of Giovanni, the boy's eyes and face distraught in worry, before he slumped to the ground, his vision going black.

To say that Mika regretting leaving the boys in that room was a serious understatement. The fact that the Aerugian's had alchemists wasn't entirely shocking to him, merely a inconvenience. Alchemists they could handle, but it was as if the men were flooding in like water, every turn they made five of them appeared, and those five brought five more. They were relentless and angry, not stopping to ask questions, choosing to attack first and swift. The snap of Roy's fingers was ringing in the air, and Mika was drawing transmutation circles faster than he had in his life, barely able to keep up with the barrage of soldiers.

Oh, and did he mention that Roy forgot where they parked the car?

"Mika." Roy huffed as he pressed his back against a wall, eyeing the doorway that stood not ten feet in front of them, "We've been gone for too long."

"I know." Mika closed his eyes and shook his head, quickly throwing down a used pen and fishing another from his pockets, already having gone through four from harsh treatment, all of them broken, "We need to hurry, I've got a bad feeling...we need to hurry."

"A bad feeling?" Roy glanced at the man, before glancing to the ten men, still unaware of their presence, standing in the hallway between them and the door, "What do you mean?"

"I don't know, we just need to hurry."

Roy decided not to argue as he turned and barged into the waiting hoard, his own uneasy feeling growing in his chest. The urgency grew, steeling his shoulders and helping him take just a few more steps.

The feeling was mutual, seeing as soon as Roy took a step around the wall he was barged into by another person, slamming into the man and nearly tumbling into the floor in a flurry of action. Quickly, Roy shoved the other away and raised his fingers to strike, ready to get this attacker out of the way before turning to the others.

"Alphonse?"

Roy scoffed at the younger Elric, raising a single brow as Alphonse laughed nervously as he scrambled over to where Mika was hiding, Roy following him closely with a tick of the brow, his fingers still ready to attack. He still wasn't a huge fan of Alphonse.

Alphonse, on the other hand, had been going through the hallways searching for the others, having left Pinako with Havoc in the Major General's car. He didn't want to admit it to himself, but he wanted to find Edward, get him out of here.

"Where's Edward!" Alphonse nearly yelled, clapping his hands together swiftly and slamming them against the ground, several columns shooting from the ground around the Aerugians, trapping them for the moment.

Mika sighed, "We had to leave him in a store room on the fourteenth floor, just down the hall from his hospital room."

"Left him? With who?" Alphonse knew that they only had minutes to talk, but he was already decided that he was going to book it to the staircase, ready to head up to the room Ed was in and beat the stupid guy senseless for staying in the building.

Roy tried not to think of Edward right now, it only made him want to run back to him himself, so he steeled his gaze on Al, "With his apprentice, Giovanni. You need to go and get them, we'll get the car."

There was, yet again, no time to argue as Al merely nodded hurriedly, turning and sprinting down the hall with one glance over his shoulder, seeing Roy and Mika bolt toward the doorway, the spark of Roy's gloves flicking through the air.

Wiping the sweat off his brow, Giovanni turned on his heel and walked swiftly to Edward, whom was still slumped unconscious on the floor. He'd regretted having to use some of his alchemy to move all the shelving to the sides of the room, but he couldn't move them with his own strength alone.

Bending down and grabbing Edward around the biceps, he hefted the man up, grunting as he struggled to tug and pull Edward across the ground. Sweat was already pooling around his brow, his breath heaving as he struggled, his fingers and arms straining to pull the larger man across the concrete. He just needed to pull him a few more feet.

There was hints of doubt in his chest as he saw the intricate designs over the ground, the circle having taken him a good ten minutes just to get everything down, but he'd practiced at home many times. Everything was perfect, but that unease was deep in his chest. He was used to that feeling, it was a constant emotion settled in his gut, but it grew with every tug of the body over the ground, and when he carefully placed his teacher down, it was almost like a flame in his stomach.

Ed's hair was soft as Gio carded his fingers through it, brushing it to the side gently and drawing his hand down Ed's face, the constricting of his chest lightening when he saw the other's gentle breathing. He was alright, breathing calmly, looking almost calm in his sleep.

It was just the confirmation that Gio needed.

Standing up and almost stumbling in his haste to get to the edge of the transmutation circle, Gio swooped down and snatched the book resting on the ground, flipping through it again and double checking that everything was accurate. His sweat was almost dampening his shirt, and his fingers stuck to the pages as he fought to turn them, but everything was perfect. This had to happen, and now...it was going to.

There were various sounds coming from outside the walls, yelling and various explosions, shaking the very foundation of their room. The enemy was growing closer, but they hadn't realized that there was a room here, not yet at least. Falling to his knees, Gio huffed as the concrete slammed against his body, his bones almost turning to much from nerves alone.

As he slowly placed his palms near the edge of the circle, and it was as if all the sounds silenced, and he could hear the beating of his heart like it was a cannon, the blood running through his veins like fire, and as he wrenched his eyes shut, he had one last moment of uncertainty before the power fled through his fingers. His very blood turned into alchemical power, flowing through his fingers and into the ground.

The light that filled the room was close to blinding, but Gio kept his eyes closed, tightening his stomach and pouring more of his power into the transmutation. His lips pursed, and he could feel the magic working, the power of the alchemy circling and sparking throughout the room, tendrils of light sparking and attacking the various corners. This was working.

"No!"

Giovanni heard the voice rip through his concentration, making his head shoot up and glance over to where the voice sounded, his eyes widening when he saw a gaping hole in the side of the room, and within it stood Alphonse Elric.

It was at that moment that the room went dark, the light and jubilant blue of the transmutation turning dark and sinister, covering them all in a haze of evil and pain.

"'This is my last transmutation, stand back and enjoy the show.' That's what you said just before you last performed alchemy."

"Geez, I thought I got rid of you the last time."

"How rude, you should be pleased to see me again."

Truth sat languidly in front of Edward, it's form almost blending into the background of the pure white world, only the grey outline of a silhouette and it's smile present in the white. It regarded Edward with that same shit-eating grin, and Ed couldn't say he particularly missed it.

Edward sighed as he looked around, half expecting to see a large towering door behind him as he remembered in his dreams. He heard Truth's snicker at his glance, as they both remembered his gate had disappeared the last time they had seen each other.

Edward sighed, crossing his arms and sighing, "You gonna tell me why I'm here or what?"

"You should know that." Truth snickered again, tilting it's head to the side, "Someone performed human transmutation on you."

Edward's world was spun on it's axis, and he found himself joining Truth on the floor, grounded by the statement. He knew it was true, how else would he be here? But who in their right minds would perform human transmutation on him, and what could possibly be their intentions? Was it one of the Aerugians? Those idiots!

"Before you start going off on the Aerugians, it wasn't any of them." Truth rolled its proverbial eyes, if it had any, snickering at Edward's star-struck expression. Tilting its head in the other direction, loving the amusement it was getting from the other, "Let me give you a hint. He's about 4' 11", green eyes, brown hair, thinks you can walk on water? Getting any clues?"

"No, Giovanni wouldn't do this." Edward scoffed as he felt his breathing come back to a regular pace, placing a single hand over his torso when a spike of pain when through his body, "I taught Giovanni to respect alchemy, I taught him everything, he wouldn't have done this."

"People will go to great lengths for the ones they love." Truth mused, it's voice growing with mirth at every passing second, "He's been planning on doing this for quite a while now."

Edward didn't know what he should have been feeling, but anger was a forefront emotion. Human transmutation was the worst of the worst, a horrible act for even worse people, so he couldn't fathom the thought that Gio would do this. The burning in his chest grew and grew to the point where he couldn't breath, and he had to close his eyes to the horrible reality before he punched something.

"Where is he?" Edward's heart thumped painfully again, but this emotion overwhelmed the anger. His whole body surged in realization, fear surging through his blood like fire. Sitting up straight and staring at the other with withering breath, he tried to form the words through his fear, "W...where is he? Where's Giovanni...?"

"I'd assume that right about now, he's being pulled through his own gate." Truth gestured behind itself, making Edward glance back over its shoulder, eyes widening even more at the presence of the large towering gate, not realizing it had been there. It was familiar and powerful.

What had he lost? What had happened? What had Gio gotten himself into?

"What did he want?" Edward gulped, trying to take a full breath, "What did he want to get out of this?"

"Ah, now, there's the question!" Truth laughed boisterously, clapping its hands together, causing the ground to shake around them. It was the moment the walls shook, Edward's chest rattled, and there was a spark of magic around them and in the air. Edward could feel alchemy stinging around his fingers, the blue spark going around the ground as a thin haze of smoke billowing around them.

"That's the question Edward Elric!"

Edward stood quickly to his feet as he felt the metallic shift of alchemy, the sound of snaps and electrical cracks forming in the air around them. His feet felt cold as he saw the sudden formation of a large shadow starting to build itself around him, giving evidence to a large structure being formed behind him. Ed could feel the presence of a large object behind him, slowly building itself together, growing larger and larger, the blue static of alchemy growing more and more powerful.

"Your apprentice, Giovanni...he wasn't anywhere near powerful enough to perform human transmutation." Truth giggled as it brought it's hands up and above, presenting the structure behind Edward with pride. It lowered it's gaze to Edward, lips pursing around its large teeth into a smirk, "But you, on the other hand."

Edward's eyes widened as he felt the blue light twirl around him, the electricity so painstakingly familiar that he could almost shudder. It had been gone for so long, but this power was so familiar and close to him, it was like it never left.

"Your alchemy has been trapped, your information, your portal." Truth laughed, rolling back on its feet as the large shadow grew taller and taller around them, "You remember how your brother's body was trapped in this space, and you kept powering it and powering it with your own essence?"

Edward took a deep breath and finally gained enough courage to glance behind himself, gaping and losing all the air in his lungs when he saw the large stone structure behind him gain the last bits of itself, finishing and presenting itself tall and powerful. Edward's alchemy was swirling and spinning around it, large, larger than it ever had been. The power was shaking the door, threatening to break it, rattling it on its hinges and shaking its very foundation.

Was this really his own alchemy? It had never held this much power.

"Same concept." Truth merely giggled in mirth, bringing a hand up to cover it's mouth. It seemed almost gleefully happy at the gate towering over them, almost hopping from foot to foot. He took a deep breath and rose his arms again, "Your apprentice's power wasn't enough to finish the transmutation, but yours is!"

Ed couldn't say another word as the explosion of power sounded behind him, shaking them and showering them with power and blue light.

It was with a startled gasp that Edward regained consciousness, his heart pounding in his chest as he tried to gulp as much air as he could. He could see the outline of a looming figure over him, hands on his shoulders shaking him violently as he coughed, his eyes watering. He felt like he'd been torn to pieces and put back together again, his whole body was aching and his head was spinning with random thoughts and images. The hands shook his shoulders again, making him clench his teeth and groan, wrenching his eyes closed and violently whipping around to shove the hands off him.

"Where's Giovanni?" His voice came out as a weak and hoarse whisper, his breath lost again as he sat up, his body feeling like jello. It was Alphonse seated in front of him, his brother's bright blue eyes staring at him with a familiar intensity, his brows drawn together in uncharacteristic relief.

Alphonse rose a hand and placed it on his brother's shoulder, this time in comfort as he shrugged and smirked, "You okay, Ed?"

Maybe Ed was going crazy, because there was no way in hell that Roy could profess his love, Gio would perform human transmutation him, and Al would act like they'd actually been friends these past few years. At least not all in the same day.

"I feel like shit." Ed smirked, almost feeling hopeful that Al had forgiven him, but his mind was quickly erased of those thoughts as he felt a familiar spark of alchemy in the air, the fading effects of a transmutation still hanging in the air, "Where's Gio?"

Al sobered, his lips dipping into a deep frown as he glanced over his shoulder, eyes battling with showing remorse and anger, the first emotion losing the battle, "I came in to see him perform the transmutation. He was out of it, but I could see the gate taking him."

Edward's chest thumped and he quickly pushed his brother out of the way, scrambling as fast as his injured body would allow, trying to find his young apprentice in the battered room. There was still a haze of smoke and light filtering over the ground, making it hard for him to see much of anything. Shifting forward and feeling along the ground, his hand slid across the concrete, siding through a sudden wet-

He didn't need to look at his hand to confirm that it was blood.

Ed could see that Al had taken care of Gio first, wrapping the boy's stumps as tightly as he could with bandages, managing to stop the bleeding. He couldn't stop his gaze from traveling around the fallen body, catching the feathery breathing, the light pulse, and his skin was so pale. Al had found a blanket in the store room and covered the small teen's body, and that small covering was the only thing keeping Edward from gagging. There were two dips in the fabric, where Gio's legs should have been, one stopping just below the knee, in the middle of the calf. Edward's eyes widened when he saw Gio's other leg, the boy's appendage not even a stump, not visible at all. It took everything straight to the hip.

Edward had to look away, pressing a shaky hand to his mouth as he fought to breathe. He was sick, sick to his stomach, his head was rolling and he couldn't think straight.

Jumping nearly out of his skin when he felt a soft hand on his back, Ed looked up into the sympathetic eyes of his brother, his brows drawing together as he tried desperately to keep his eyes from watering. It was just too much, too much in too short a time.

"I know this isn't the time, but I'm sorry." Alphonse spoke, his breath light as he saw the tears growing in his brother's eyes, his chest stinging painfully when he saw his usually strong brother's facade start to crack. Moving forward and wrapping a strong arm around Ed's shoulder, he pulled his brother closer, "I'm so sorry, for everything."

Edward was smaller than he was. He forgot that, even now. Alphonse was always the younger brother, but when Edward fell into his arms and embraced him so tightly just then, he was so small.

Face pressed into Al's shoulder, Edward shook his head, mind swirling with all the information from the past couple hours. Letting out a shuddering sigh, Edward hoped Al could understand him as he spoke into the other's shirt, "Is he going to be alright?"

"Yes." Alphonse's frown remained, slowly pulling back and looking his brother in the eye, trying to pull off a confident stare, even though he himself was rattled, "He's going to be alright, I stopped the bleeding."

Edward managed to take a deep breath, his chest shuddering in restrained emotions. Giovanni was an idiot, but at least he was alive, and that was the most important thing. Mika and Roy would be around with the car in a matter of seconds, and they'd get Gio to a hospital. Plus, these injuries weren't the worst part of Gio's situation, he'd hear hell from Edward when he woke up. He'd wish he'd stayed unconscious.

"At least things can't get any worse." Edward offered with a stifled chuckle, his gaze drawn to his small apprentice again, giving a soft shrug. Alphonse offered his own smirk, and it was the happiest Edward had ever seen, his brother's blue eyes sparking in mirth.

It was at that moment that the room around them shook, showers of debris and rock pouring down on them from above, the room filling with even more smog and dust. They could see the tendrils of blue light filtering around them before the walls crumbled, some of the foundation pouring into the room from the lack of support, others merely crumbling into nothing, more dust billowing into the room.

It only took Edward a fifth of a second to curse himself for saying those words, knowing that they were always proceeded with something worse. He didn't have much time to do anything after that, for he knew the sound of a cocking gun when he heard it, and that sound multiplied by twenty really put a dampening on any other plan of action he might've had.

Edward's eyes hardened when the dust and smoke in the room cleared, revealing thirty men around them, all in the Aerugian garb, all of them looking proud of themselves when it was Edward Elric that the dust revealed. They tightened their grips on the guns they held, training them on Edward and Al, not showing an inch of resistance.

"Edward Elric, you are going to come with us." The leader of the small group walked forward, his hands folded behind his back as if he had all the power in the world, his smug and smirk expression making Ed want to punch it off his face. The man only spared Al a glance before looking at Ed again, "Or would you rather you all die here?"

"It's me you want, isn't it?" Edward pushed himself up slowly, not scared in the slightest when the guns all trained on him at the movement, and as he walked forward confidently, his own smirk made its way to his face. His automail clacked against the ground as he strode forward, and with every click, the smirk on his face grew deeper and deeper, "Well, you can't have me if I'm dead, can you?"

"Ah, you caught us." The man raised his arms and tilted his head in fake distain, his frown making him look ridiculous as he tried to look upset with the situation, "Oh, well. I guess we'll just kill those two and take you anyway."

Ed's fist was already flying before the man's words were out of his mouth, and he reveled happily when it connected with the man's jaw and sent him flying backward. He may have been so injured it hurt to stand, but that didn't mean he couldn't deliver a mean right hook. He could feel his ribs shifting around inside his chest, and he could almost see the air as it escaped his chest, his eyes wrenching shut as a startled gasp escaped his throat.

As his arms were wrenched behind him, Edward glanced up in a pained haze to see Alphonse being held by the others, each arm being held by a separate guard to ensure no alchemy would be used.

"Cocky little punk." The general that Ed had decked sauntered around in front of the eldest Elric brother, massaging his jaw with a single hand, his lips stained red. In a swift movement, he slammed his fist into Ed's stomach, smirking wider at he pained yell the man gave.

The situation was again spiraling out of control, and Edward could do nothing to stop it. He could feel the familiar sting of alchemy in his fingers, the rush of electricity through his blood, but he wasn't so hopeful the alchemy was there. Be it the denial he'd been through these past years, or the realization that his alchemy was back was too much to handle, but the tingle in his fingers felt so familiar. Hell, even if he wanted to use the alchemy again, he was so out of it that he wasn't sure he could do much of anything at this point.

He could hear Alphonse yelling his name, screaming for them to let him go, let them all go. The world was spinning around him, his eyes couldn't focus on anything and all he could see was the green of the Aerugian uniform swirling in front of his sight. The hands holding his arms behind his back were making it hard to concentrate on anything other than the pain in his broken arm, and his feet were shaking as they fought to hold him up.

Raising his head, Ed tried to center his gaze so he could look at the leader, not even having to fight to put the smirk on his lips, raising a brow as he regarded the man with unrestrained distain, "screw you."

The man raised a brow, and Edward reveled at the small twitch of his eyes, showing just a hint of annoyance and anger. That was all the encouragement Edward need to take a full breath, his mind kicking into gear again as he sifted his gaze to Alphonse and Giovanni again. Mika and Roy would be here any second, but that wouldn't keep the Aerugians from killing them. They had guns, and despite how magnanimous Alchemy was, it wasn't faster than a bullet, especially if their hands were immobile. There was nothing they could do, surrounded by the twenty men with guns, of which at least one was an alchemist.

The man was already raising a hand to signal them to shoot, his fingers poised to make the command to kill. The men were readying their guns, holding them tighter in preparation for the recoil, getting ready to fire at Alphonse and Giovanni. It sickened Edward, the very thought that these men would kill a mere child, and an unconscious one at that. In any other situation, Edward would have scoffed and made an off-hand comment about that fact, in hopes of delaying the situation, but he knew he wasn't confident enough to pull it off, and his words may make the inevitable come faster.

"Wait."

The man's hand twitched, but he didn't make the command, his hand still in the air as he slowly travelled his gaze over to look at the beaten man, raising a brow in question.

"Don't kill them. I'll go with you." Edward leveled his fiery gaze on the man, getting a bad taste in his mouth from his own words, his body tensing, "Don't hurt them and I'll go with you without a fight, I wont use my alchemy."

"Smart move." The leader brought his hand down slowly, alerting the others to lower their weapons slowly, bringing Gio and Al away from any immanent danger. The ones holding Edward's arms wrestled him to his feet, making him stumble over the cold concrete, his head swimming as he fought not to lose whatever contents were in his stomach all over the general's shoes. As much as he would have loved to, he didn't think he'd be able to stand on his feet much longer if he threw up.

Despite Edward's promise to not do anything alchemy wise, one man held each arm, and far away from his body as they dragged him out of the room slowly, jarring and pulling him painfully with every step. He could hear Alphonse's cries for them to let him go, and it warmed his heart again, but he didn't need it, not this time. Rising his glare to Alphonse, he smirked, raising a single brow and meeting the other's eyes confidently, "Make sure Gio makes it out okay. I can handle myself, Al."

Alphonse smirked at Edward's confident words, but he knew that they were true. Edward was one of the strongest people he knew, despite how sometimes he almost seemed like the most fragile. In the stickiest of situations, Edward always knew how to get himself out, hell, get everyone out, even if it meant a few injuries on the way there.

"Roy is gonna be pissed." Edward smirked as he was pulled further out of the wall, snorting to himself cynically, trying to imagine the Major General's reaction when he figured out that Edward had been taken, "Just tell him I can handle it until you guys come get me."

"Edward..." Alphonse growled despite himself, huffing at his brother's arrogance and bull-headed attitude, suppressing the need to roll his eyes, "What did I say about being a hero?"

"What can I say? People flock to me." Edward tipped his head back with a smug smirk, feeling himself being dragged away further by the attackers, but not quite feeling as though the situation was as dire as it should have been. Sure, he was being kidnapped by Aerugians for some unknown reason, but that didn't mean it had to be a completely bad thing.

He'd just have to think of a bright side later.

Okay, before you yell at me saying "THIS COULDN'T HAPPEN*$&%(", I just want you to know, I don't really know if it could happen, but it seemed plausible. But, even if you still don't like it, deal with it. :) I had a lot of fun writing it, so that's all that matters.