Reaching up, Riza slowly placed a hand over her heart and held it there, feeling the dull thuds resonate through her chest. Something wasn't right. It almost seemed as if there were a… disconnect. Looking up at the creature that sat cross-legged before her, she murmured, "I don't feel it anymore…"

When the silhouette hummed in reply, she looked up at it, searching its blank and expressionless face. "What… What does this mean?"

"What does 'what' mean?"

The reality of it all suddenly dawned on her, the realization filling her with despair. She could no longer feel it. She could no longer sense it. Her body… Why couldn't she feel it anymore?! All there was was the rhythmic beating of her heart, but the connection… The connection she held so firmly to had seemingly vanished.

Her lifeline, the one thing that bound her to her body, had slackened.

Looking up at the creature, she unbelievingly murmured, "What happens when a spirit is broken," though she feared she knew the answer.

And just as she had suspected, the creature grinned madly and answered, "Oblivion."

He should have known something was different the moment he laid eyes on her that morning. Something in her eyes screamed of desperation and longing. So when she took his face in her hands and pressed her lips against his, Roy's entire world came to a standstill.

The moment it happened, his entire body tensed, as if the action were completely foreign to him. But this was Riza; she was familiar. Every part of her was.

When his body recognized her, a feeling of security washed over him, his mind begging him to forget his inhibitions. He wanted nothing more than to match her force against his, to again feel as carefree and passionate as they had been before.

However, the thought was short-lived as he remembered why he could not give in.

This wasn't her. It was merely a fragment of the person she was. And even if it was her fighting against Truth's grip to reach him, allowing her to continue was dangerous and selfish.

Despite his body's protests against it, he slowly reached up and grabbed her wrists, pulling her hands away from his face. Taking one step back, then two, he watched as her face fell, the dejection and heartbreak evident on her visage.

Feeling a tightness forming in his chest, he slowly guided her toward him and dropped her wrists, and reached around her, pulling her into a tight embrace.

She gasped quietly before burying her face into his shoulder, wrapping her arms around his waist in an attempt to steady herself as her body quaked.

"I'm sorry," he murmured softly after drawing in a deep breath, weaving his fingers through her hair as he reached up to steady her head against his chest. "I'm sorry I couldn't protect you that day…"

It had been so long since he thought back to that day nearly two months ago, mostly because he knew that it would only bring about despair. So many mistakes were made that day, most of them from him. And now here they were, two lost souls trying desperately to reach out for each other in an attempt to reconvene once more.

He knew, however, that while they would be reunited again, his heart would not be the same. What kind of man would he become, no longer knowing the woman he loved…?

Over her shoulder, he glimpsed Edward and Alphonse as they rounded the corner, the pair watching them with pained expressions. He held his breath as Edward's eyes wandered up to his and fixated themselves on his stare.

And from that gesture, he knew.

Today was the day.

"Do you remember everything, General?"

Startled by the voice, Roy looked up at the younger Elric brother, who was eyeing him with concern. He hadn't realized that he had been idly standing at the edge of the circle, lost in his thoughts.

He remembered alright. Remembered every little detail Edward laid out for him. What he should and should not do. How he should think, how he should act. Everything that would ensure the transmutation would commence flawlessly.

They had worked it out so that he would transmute himself to the Gate in order to bring her back. Once he had exchanged his toll, Truth would release its grip on her soul, and it should return to her; her spirit completely intact.

It seemed so simple, and yet…

And yet it seemed as if there was something off…

Maybe it was the way they had planned, so meticulously and precisely that the entire process was broken down into the simplest of steps. Everything had been laid out and handed to him in order to ensure perfection. Normally it would seem that there was always a factor of unknowingness associated with the greatest of taboos, and yet here they were, the trio having it catabolized into basic science, exposed and complete.

Maybe it was the way the two brothers watched him, their eyes knowing and haunted. They had experienced this before and were now 'experts' in the art… If that's what you could call them. Edward's golden eyes reflected his innermost thoughts all too well. They shined with confidence, and yet, also with a hint of uncertainty. And Alphonse, his eyes portrayed the opposite, gleaming with hesitance…

Or maybe it was because he knew he would return a different man, one unknowing and unrecognizing of the one person that he held so dearly… The one that he loved with his entirety.

Looking toward Riza, he saw that she was watching him from across the room, her head tilted slightly in curiosity. It seemed that after that small 'episode,' she returned back to how she was, as if suddenly naive to any reasoning behind her actions.

That, he now realized, was why he had agreed so willingly to going forward now.

Stepping away from the brothers, Roy made his way over to her and crouched down in front of the chair she was seated on. Taking her hand from her lap, which elicited no protest from her, he held it between his own as he looked into her eyes and murmured, "Please be patient with me." He paused for a moment, not for her to answer, but to collect his thoughts.

Breathing in deeply, he continued softly, "I know that I may not be the person I was, but it doesn't change the fact that I love you." Looking down at her hand as he absently ran his thumb over it, he added, "The memories might vanish from my mind, but that won't change the fact that everything in them did happen. So please," he added as he looked back up at her once more, "Please be patient… And wait for me."

He watched as her eyes flitted about, taking in his features and trying to find meaning behind his words. Even if there was no connection between his words and their meaning, he knew that it needed to be said. Edward and Alphonse would help guide him as well, but somehow saying those words out loud reassured and comforted him.

Then, after a few moments of searching, she smiled back, and that was all that he needed to continue on: the idea that he would still see that smile once again.

"General," he heard from behind him, cutting his thoughts off entirely. Looking over his shoulder, he saw that Alphonse, Edward, and May were watching them intently. He knew by their postures, and the tone of Alphonse's voice, that it was time.

Looking back to Riza, he held her gaze for a few seconds longer before gently raising her hand to his face, and pressing his lips to the back of it momentarily. When he pulled away, he rose to his feet and stole one last, longing glance toward her before making his way back over to the brothers.

He knew he could not dwell on the thought much longer, because by what Alphonse had told him regarding his thoughts, they were running on borrowed time.

Following Edward's gesture, Roy positioned himself at the edge of the array. He took a deep and long breath, filling his lungs to their maximal capacity, before slowly exhaling as his eyes wandered down to his feet and to the array that lie beneath them. Calling upon everything Edward had taught him, he slowly raised his hands and held them inches apart. But before he clapped them together, he looked up one last time.

First he looked toward Edward, who was eyeing him anxiously, the worry evident on his face. He knew that the young man was going over the formula again and again in his mind, wanting to be sure that it was perfect. Judging by his silence, Roy knew that Edward could not find anything flawed in his calculations.

Next he looked to Alphonse and May, who were leaning against the wall on the other side of the room. Surprisingly, the young alchemist and his companion had averted their eyes from his stare. Perhaps it was because the notion reminded Alphonse too much about his failed transmutation so many years ago. Shaking his head slightly, Roy forced the word 'failed' out of his mind, because he would succeed.

Finally he looked toward Riza, who was watching him intently, her eyes never wavering from him.

"Picture what you want."

Roy looked up from the circle and shot a quizzical look toward Edward, who was standing at its edge.

"Picture what you want," Edward said again, nodding toward the array. "You have to visualize what you want. In this case, you want her soul back.

"It's hard to picture, since a soul is a mass of energy, but picture what her soul means to you."

"What she means to me…?"

Just like Edward had explained. Picture what you want.

Taking a deep breath, Roy smiled and closed his eyes, allowing the air that filled his lungs to escape slowly as he exhaled. By closing his eyes, he knew that he'd be able to see her as clearly as ever. How it was when he lost his sight.

To him she was light; a light that illuminated the darkest, deepest corners of his mind. A radiance that never faltered, never wavered, and was always there.

She was happiness. A happiness that filled him every time he looked at her, brushed past her, or held her.

She was love…

So, in a sense, she was everything to him.

So by giving It everything she was to him, he knew that she would be returned to him.

At last he opened his eyes and looked toward her again, allowing a small smile to grace his lips. Seeing this, the corners of her lips twitched upward in reply, as if she knew.

And with that, he knew he could progress. Because everything would be alright.

Holding his hands out in front of him, Roy stared down at them for a few moments, allowing everything to play through his mind once more. Everything would be alright…

Bringing his hands together with a thunderous clap, the array beneath him instantaneously lit up, glowing a deep blue hue. Within moments, a thick fog rose from the ground and began to circle him ominously. He expected it, however, and knew what would happen next…

As if on cue, the shimmering blue circle grew darker, becoming an almost sinister shade of purple. And with it was what he had been waiting for. The Eye of Truth opened beneath his feet, growing wider as It surveyed the one that threatened to oppose It. He, however, would do no such thing. Today he would welcome Truth with outstretched arms. ..

Then, without any warning, a series of red sparks danced and flickered across it, causing the Eye to narrow and squint, as if in pain.

Something wasn't right. That shouldn't have happened. There should be-

The ground beneath Roy's feet trembled as a shower of red sparks poured from the Eye, running into and flooding grooves that had not been present before. And within moments, the foreign red energy had formed a new and complete circle that contradicted the array that had beckoned the Truth.

Looking up in confusion, he saw Edward's lips moving frantically, his eyes widened panickedly, emitting a scream Roy could not hear.

Out of the corner of his eye, he could make out the Eye widening further than before, nearly becoming a perfect circle, its pupil dilated and enraged. But by that time he was too focused on her to care…

Turning and racing out from the circle, Roy frantically sprinted toward Riza, who was watching with a mix of horror and surprise at the show. But as he drew closer, a flurry of elongated black arms surged past him and toward her, the first that arrived wrapping around her wrists and torso.

She did not scream. She did not cry. All she did was struggle and continue to keep her eyes on Roy, reaching her arm out toward him in a futile attempt to be pulled free.

He too extended his arm to her and managed to grab hold of her, only to have her hand dematerialize in his. Frantically reaching out toward her again as he cried out her name, Roy's hand was only met by air as the black arms dispersed and withdrew, leaving behind absolutely nothing.

Before he could even think, before he could even process what was happening, he felt in immense pain in the center of his chest, causing him to falter forward.

Unable to pinpoint its cause, he looked down and saw that one of those child-like, black arms had reappeared and had driven itself straight through him.

She's gone.

Edward was running, sprinting toward Mustang, his hand outstretched toward him.

Gone.

Just like when Al was taken. Torn apart, ripped to shreds, and scattered; disintegrated into millions of tiny pieces.

Gone.

He was closing in, a few strides away, when something small and dark darted past him on the floor, slithering toward the General. It reached him before Edward did and before he could even react, the shadow hand had run itself through Mustang; straight through his chest.

Edward opened his mouth, letting loose a cry of despair as Mustang's head lolled forward to stare down at the foreign entity.

Then Mustang looked up and turned to him, his face paled and his eyes widened in realization at what was happening.

As Edward's reached Mustang, the arm withdrew itself as quickly as it had appeared and dissolved. Reaching out, Edward managed to catch him before he hit the ground.

Desperately looking down at the older man that was cradled in his arms, Edward tried frantically to cause him to stir, pleading his name over and over again as he did so.

But as the moments passed and the fog that had accumulated began to dissipate, Edward finally realized the horrible extent of what had happened as he stared down into the cold and lifeless eyes of Roy Mustang.

A/N: My hand slipped…? Well, what if I told you I knew what I was doing…? O_O;;

… So what did Alphonse do? He seems pretty guilty of something!

Okay, so three more chapters left! I'll try working on them, but with two looming exams before the next break I will be bogged down. At the very least I offer you the name of the next chapter, which will either be "Extinguished Flame" or "Sacrifice."

Per usual, thank you for the reviews, favorites, and follows! You guys are great! *vanishes into the night*