Disclaimer - I do not own Bleach or FMA; just having a little fun with the characters.

Chapter Thirty - Traitor

Some time had passed since Hitsugaya and his group had returned from their fruitless search in the Rukongai. An annoyance that had proved to be a complete and utter waste of time that could most likely have been better spent doing other things. Apparently drained from everything that had been going on the white haired captain had fallen asleep at his desk and Matsumoto threatened the physical well being of the others should they wake him. It was odd for her captain to give any sign of weakness or even to show fatigue so the blond haired vice captain knew that he must really be exhausted to have fallen asleep in such a manner.

And with a room full of people no less.

While the Squad Ten Captain slept most of the others discussed possible battle strategies for the next time they encountered Tucker or anyone else who seemed able to use alchemy combined with kidou. Being a born leader and strategist Mustang was leading this conversation, which could have been one of the main reasons why Ed was completely ignoring it. Or it could have merely been because the blond Shinigami had other things on his mind but either way it was completely annoying to Mustang, who narrowed his eyes at his former subordinate.

"Hey Fullmetal…"

Completely oblivious to the words spoken to him by the raven haired man the blond youth remained lost in thought. That is until he heard the one sure fire word to break him out of any trance, no matter how deep.

"Pipsqueak…"

Ed jumped to his feet, a vein popping out on his forehead as he rounded on his former commanding officer, anger etched plainly on his features. "WHO ARE YOU CALLING A MICRO-SIZED RUNT?"

"I didn't take it that far," Mustang mused, a smirk playing across his face as he gazed at the young man. It never failed to amaze him the amount of vigor that Ed could put into these protests over any jibe about his height, whether it be real or imagined. Watching the boy's outbursts over such things had always amused him, though he would never admit to this fact. "But I'll have to keep that one in mind for the next time."

"I hate you," Ed growled, looking as though he would like nothing better than to punch the man in the nose. And, sensing that this was the case, Al moved between his brother and the former colonel. He was trained to be the peacekeeper between his brother and… well everyone, so it was second nature for him to do this.

"Brother," the younger male chastised mildly.

Tossing aside the magazine that she had been reading Matsumoto got to her feet, narrowing her eyes at the group. "I thought I told you to…"

This statement, and the threat that was about to accompany it, was cut short as another voice joined in. "You're too damn noisy Elric," a somewhat groggy voice stated, tinged with a hint of annoyance.

Glancing over simultaneously the group discovered that Captain Hitsugaya was once again awake, though he didn't look none too happy with that fact.

"It could be worse," Ed quipped, not really sounding all that remorseful that he had interrupted the white haired prodigy's nap.

"I've yet to figure out how," Hitsugaya said, regaining some of his customary composure as he returned to full alertness. He was a bit disturbed by the fact that he had fallen asleep while this group was in his office but hadn't been able to keep his eyes open. No matter how hard he had fought against it, sleep had claimed him against his will.

"I guess it was the use of alchemy," the prodigy mused to himself as his teal eyes surveyed the room. Most of the inhabitants seemed serious enough though there were two exceptions to this; Ed looked annoyed while Mustang looked smug. And, having heard the outburst from the blond haired member of Squad Five, Hitsugaya was well aware of the cause behind both of these looks.

Though he chose to ignore it.

"Try having to put up with that guy on a regular basis for years," Ed stated calmly, pointing toward Mustang as he spoke. "THAT would make it worse. Much, much worse."

Mustang scowled but before he got the opportunity to offer up a retort Hitsugaya suddenly leapt to his feet as he felt a surge of reiatsu. It was radiating from quite a distance, which only served to increase Hitsugaya's concern over the situation. It wasn't just one person; he could pick out several distinct reiatsu signals but none of them were ones that he recognized. Which meant that the situation needed to be investigated. "Matsumoto!" he exclaimed as he grabbed his Zanpaktou and rushed toward the office door.

"Yes Captain," Matsumoto said, following along behind him.

Ed felt the reiatsu as well and he quickly fell into step behind the two Squad Ten officers, thinking that they might need backup. The others weren't far behind and together the group once again made their way toward the Rukongai.

Rushing toward the gate that separated the Seireitei from the Rukongai, the white haired captain of Squad Ten paused briefly as the gatekeeper appeared. "We've got this under control," he stated in a commanding tone. The gatekeeper nodded as he allowed them access to the Rukongai.

"Guess he doesn't want anyone else to crash the party," Ed thought to himself as he and the others followed along behind Hitsugaya. He was grateful for the white haired prodigy because, although he could sense the reiatsu, he would have been lousy at tracking it. That wasn't exactly his strong suit after all.

Hitsugaya led the way out into the Rukongai, following a reiatsu trail that appeared to be moving away from them. The thought that this was a trap entered into the young captain's mind, since when he had first felt the reiatsu signal it had been stationary. With this thought in mind he came to an abrupt halt, turning his attention to those who were following him.

"What is it Captain?" Matsumoto asked, gazing at him with a questioning expression in her blue eyes.

"There's a strong possibility that this is a trap," Hitsugaya stated calmly, his gaze shifting to each member of the group in turn. "So if any of you would prefer not to go any further then I would suggest that you turn back now."

"Are you going ahead?" Ed questioned, locking gazes with the white haired captain.

"Yes," Hitsugaya replied without hesitation, his tone indicating that any other option was out of the question.

"Then I'm coming with you," the blond Shinigami stated; a sentiment that was soon echoed by every member of the group. Hitsugaya looked thoughtful for a moment before nodding his head and resuming his trek toward the reiatsu.

Before long the group arrived at a decimated town in the 53rd district. Flames consumed the small huts that comprised the town, smoke filling the air as the screams of the inhabitants rose up to join it. It was obvious that this had just occurred and Hitsugaya scanned the scene for those responsible.

His teal eyes widening as his searching gaze fell upon a group of five Shinigami, all of whom were smirking.

"You!" Ed snarled as he too noticed them. Stepping forward he clenched his hands into fists and narrowed his golden eyes at the apparent leader of the group.

Tomori… the man who had seemed determined to make his life as a Shinigami unbearable.

"Took you long enough to get here," the man sneered as he looked at the group. He seemed slightly surprised to see a captain among their ranks but quickly banished this emotion. It wouldn't matter in the long run… he had accomplished his mission. He waved his hand around casually, gesturing toward the carnage. "You could have prevented all of this if you'd only picked up the pace a little."

"You're going to die," Ed snarled as he drew his Zanpaktou.

A/N - End of another chapter, hope that you enjoyed. Please leave a review and tell me what you thought.