A/N Second chapter is here! I was wondering the other day if this fandom is still going strong, I hope it is, cause I wanna write all the RoyEd of my heart but I would be sad if no one reads it hahaha.

Hope you enjoy this chappy!

The teens in front of them paled, eyes wide as they stared at Ed in horror. Then, they looked at each other unsurely.

"Is there a way to…unbind them?" Ron asked quietly.

Ed narrowed his eyes, his grip on his biceps tightening where he'd crossed his arms. "I will find one."

With that, the parents came back in from the kitchen. Roy had asked them about the Medium, but no-one knew who or where the traveller was, or where she'd go next. She was completely untraceable.

Roy walked alongside Ed as they exited the house, both of them quiet as the information settled in their minds. Ed's hands were in his pockets as he walked, his gaze on the ground, distant. He had discarded his coat, now slung over a forearm. Roy took in his right arm, now flesh, noting the muscle flexing through, the golden hue of his skin. A few months ago that arm had been pale and scrawny, and now…Now it was almost like he'd never lost it in the first place.

Almost. Peeking through the tank top, he could discern parts of the nasty scar on his shoulder, from where the automail port had once been installed. Roy was embarrassed to admit he often wondered what that scarred flesh felt like – flesh that had been severed from an arm only to have it alchemically sewn back on. Did it hurt, tingle? Were the nerves damaged, numb?

He didn't have the nerve to ask.

But Roy had accepted a while ago that he lacked the nerve to ask Ed a lot of things.

Ed stopped walking, jolting Roy out of his inner musings. He looked at the blond expectedly.

"I want to sketch the array before we go."

Roy nodded, looking over at the clock tower in the distance. He'd told Ed on the train that they had two locations they needed to check out. This place was one of them. The next, another half an hour on the train.

If they found the same array in the second location, they would have to report back to Grumman – he could send search parties for the Medium, track her down. Ed hadn't revealed his thoughts on the array, but the fact that he hadn't jumped in to analysing it out loud, expertly pointing out its parts and how they all worked together, and instead wanted to sketch it, to study it, told Roy Ed had never seen this array before in his life either.

And that caused worry to sink into him. Over the years, he had come to lean on Ed for various alchemic matters – there was no array that was entirely foreign to Ed. The blond knew alchemy like a language – even if he didn't know the specific array, he could read it, and from there get to its power, its purpose. But this, he'd just stared at, the only sure part of it being the swirl at the top, a swirl Ed knew intimately, had drawn it with his bloody finger on a suit of armour. A soul array.

They walked towards the clock tower, quickly ascending the steps. Ed got a small notebook out of his pocket, a pen bound to its side, and started sketching. Roy stared at the array, watching Ed sketching and thinking…

The teenagers had seemed…well. Okay. Unharmed. Two souls bonded together, but for what? The first step to deciphering any foreign array was figuring out the balance – the equivalent exchange. They knew what had come of its power – two souls bound together. But what had been the price?

"What did it take?" he mumbled out loud, absently watching Ed's scratchy lines as he drew the array. Ed paused at his words.

Paused a moment too long. Then, he whispered, "I have no idea."

The train ride had been a quiet one, both Roy and Ed lost in their thoughts, the array taking up a permanent residence in their brain.

Ed had his nose buried in his small notebook – sketching, writing, taking notes of questions, thoughts, ideas, theories.

But Roy's mind didn't work like that, so he opted for staring out the window. He was itching to get to Central library and find all the books he could on soul alchemy. But the unsettled feeling in his gut hadn't gone away – he wondered, how would he have any chance of finding the answers if Ed had said the words no idea?

Maybe he really did put Ed on a small pedestal.

Ed huffed out a breath of frustration, letting his notebook fall in his lap as he crossed his arms. "I'm just going round in circles."

Roy could feel the headache coming, the stress he should be used to by now straining his body. "If the array in the second location is the same, we return home and bury ourselves in Central Library." He paused, remembering Ed's request for leave which he'd approved at the end of last week. He was meant to be going over to Resembool, check on Alphonse and his recovery.

Roy wasn't sure if he was waiting for a fight, but Ed just pursed his lips and nodded tensely. Roy felt the guilt despite himself. He'd promised Ed to grant him whatever time he wanted to see Alphonse and make sure he was recovering properly. "I'm sorry, Fullmetal."

Ed shrugged, but the annoyance was obvious. "It needs to be done."

And despite himself, that just made Roy even more worried. If Ed was willing to stay, without so much as a fight, then this array really was a problem. One Ed knew they had no chance of fixing without him.

The train pulled up at the station, Roy and Ed hopping off and heading for the exit. They ignored the stares – Roy was used to people reacting to his uniform. Perhaps they knew who he and Ed were too.

He'd marked the street they were headed for on the map, and Roy led the way, Ed silent behind him, his hands buried in his pockets.

After the Promised Day, Ed had calmed down immensely. The constantly tense, fiery blond had become broodier, instead of screams and shouts showing his displeasure through those glaring golden eyes. He had surprisingly wanted to stay in the military, though turned down a promotion to Lieutenant Colonel. He said he just wanted to keep doing what he always did, and wanted nothing to do with the military hierarchy.

Roy had found his thoughts drifting to this new subdued Edward multiple times a day, wondering just what was going through the blond's mind. Why had he stayed in the military, after showing so clearly just how much he hated it? Was he upset he'd lost his alchemy, had given up his Gate?

They had never spoken of it. Ed hadn't really needed his alchemy after the Promised Day – his focus had been entirely on Alphonse recovering, and strengthening his right arm. And Roy had been busy himself, restoring Ishval a main priority of his after he'd gotten his vision back. Months and months had passed, and now here they were.

Roy hadn't seen Ed perform alchemy since that day, and the more he thought about it, the more uneasy he felt.

Ed without alchemy, the world just wasn't right.

But the coward he was, he hadn't asked. He couldn't ask. It felt too personal and he and Ed weren't…like that.

"This one," Roy said, pointing to a door on their right.

Roy knocked on the door, Ed beside him, a sense of dejavu creeping up on him.

A tall, broad man opened the door, causing both Roy and Ed to look up. The man huffed. "Military."

Roy nodded. "Apologies for the disturbance. We're here to ask a few questions about a report we received from this address."

The man narrowed his eyes at Ed, who raised an eyebrow in a silent challenge.

The man silently walked into the house, leaving the door open for them. Entering the living room, there was a blonde woman sat on the couch, her back straight and stiff, her hands gripping each other in her lap so hard her knuckles were white. The air in the room was thick with tension, and Roy wondered what they'd interrupted. A brunette woman emerged from the kitchen, her hands holding two hot mugs. She paused as she took in the new presence in the room, but then resumed her walking, handing a hot cup to the woman on the couch and taking a seat next to her. One hand came to rest intimately on her lower back, seeming almost protective.

The man nodded towards him and Ed as he addressed the women. "Military dogs responded to our letters."

The women looked towards them. "Thank you for taking the time to come, we have been so worried by this," the blonde one said, her face pale and strained.

Ed was surveying the women with narrowed eyes. He was staring so hard Roy thought to joke he was checking them out, but kept the joke to himself. He knew it wasn't true anyway. Ed must've felt the power he'd felt, emanating from the two women on the couch. The same energy that had emanated from the teenagers. The women were soul bonded.

The man plopped on the couch as Roy and Ed stood – they hadn't been offered a seat, and Roy wasn't about to point it out. It was obvious they were only invited in out of desperation.

The man looked at the two women. "Tell them what happened."

The brunette glared at the man. The blonde woman looked worryingly at him, and then her gaze went back to Roy and Ed. "Please forgive my husband, he doesn't trust military. But this – I know if there's any chance to reverse what has happened, the Fullmetal Alchemist will be the one to do it." She gave a nod of acknowledgement to Ed.

Ed didn't acknowledge the compliment. He simply stared, eyes narrowed, thinking.

The women explained – they had been out shopping, deciding to take a shortcut home through an alleyway on the way back, their hands aching with the bags. All of a sudden there was this white flash of light, it was only after that they'd realised they'd stepped on an array. They saw a woman – a traveller, who told them 'And now you are one, as you are meant to be' before vanishing.

They said they'd felt fine, thought it a cruel prank. Until they had separated to go to their respective homes – they had both doubled over in pain after a few strides, the pull to come closer to each other an unbearable ache in their chests. And then they noticed the faint, golden thread – binding each of their wrists, its touch a faint caress. It had been barely noticeable in the light of day.

By the time they'd finished talking, Roy's head was pounding.

He and Ed went to the alleyway the women had mentioned, saw the array on the floor. It was much, much smaller than anticipated – no wonder they hadn't seen it. Roy was surprised it had even worked, if it had been pure luck that they had stood on it. Normally, an array had to be proportional to the thing it was transmuting – by no means a rule, but this…

Two women had had their souls bonded, and yet the array was small enough to cover one of the cobblestones on the floor. It had been etched into the stone.

One look at Ed, and he knew the same thoughts were flashing through his mind. Ed was glaring at the array as if taking personal offence at its small size.

"Penny for your thoughts, Fullmetal?"

Ed's eyes shot to him. He could see the anger simmering in them. "This woman – the traveller. She's giving something for this. She must be."

Equivalent exchange. The people affected appeared unharmed, so the maker of the array – assuming, the traveller – had paid a price, and met the balance. Roy's mind seemed to draw the same conclusion as Ed's – people. She could be sacrificing others. Living beings.

"A soul array isn't cheap," Ed grumbled in front of him, still glaring at the array. As if having a mind of their own, Roy's eyes glided to Ed's right arm.

Ed had given his right arm to bind Al's soul to a suit of armour – an inanimate object. What would the cost be if two souls were bound to each other?

And one question kept niggling in the back of his mind, the worry gnawing at his gut.

What would be the price to separate them?

They had been ready to leave the alleyway when a young woman ran in, her face frantic.

"Officers!" she yelled, stopping just behind Roy as she panted. "You're investigating the weird array aren't you? The one Monica and Carrie stepped on?"

Roy pursed his lips – this was meant to be kept under wraps, but people around here all seemed to know about it. It wouldn't be in their best interests to keep the reason for their visit a secret, not when it meant possibly getting a lead. "Yes, we are."

The woman looked both terrified and relieved as she said, "I found another one!"

Without another word, she led them through the town streets, bustling with activity. Looking at the sky, Roy picked up his pace. It was getting dark, and they hadn't booked a hotel for the night – they needed to get back to Central. He was going to report to Fuhrer Grumman and then he and Ed would lock themselves in the library.

"I was with my brother, he saw it. Thank goodness, otherwise we would've touched it!"

They entered an alleyway on their right, and it immediately felt different. The breeze dropped a few degrees, an energy in the air Roy couldn't place.

The array was active, waiting. As if it knew someone had come to trigger it.

The woman stood next to a young man, presumably her brother, and shivered at the sudden drop in temperature. Roy thanked them for their help, dismissing them. It was evident that this array hadn't struck yet, so he and Ed had to render it useless before they could leave.

Now alone in the alleyway, the last of the sun's rays dipping on the horizon, he and Ed looked at each other wearily, the array on the stone between them. They were both tired, Roy's headache pounding in his temples, and Ed looked as though he could fall asleep standing.

Ed crouched down, surveying the array. "Do you have any chalk? It'll be hard to erase it as it's been etched into the stone, but maybe if I draw something over it it'll lose enough of its markings."

Roy crouched down to Ed's level, digging into his pockets. Nothing. "I don't carry chalk anymore." He could clap now, alchemy ready at the tips of his fingers.

Ed seemed to forget as he cursed. "Anything sharp? If I can carve a line across it–"

"Our pocket watches," Roy said, digging into his pocket. Made of metal, they could scratch. He bent a part of the chain, blue light emitting from his fingertips as he transmuted part of the metal into a jagged edge.

He handed it over to Ed. He could not risk touching the array himself, for fear of the alchemy at his fingertips accidentally triggering it. But Ed, no longer possessing a Gate, perhaps would be safe.

Ed seemed to think the same thing for he didn't hesitate, dragging the jagged edge of the chain across the stone, slicing the array into two.

They felt the brewing energy vanish, the air becoming lighter, and Roy let out a breath he didn't realise he'd been holding. He and Ed stood up, Roy pocketing his watch as they surveyed their handiwork.

And watched as the array vanished from the stone before their eyes.

Roy blinked. The stone between him and Ed now looked unmarred, as if it hadn't had an array etched onto it a mere second ago. Ed seemed to be at a loss for words, his brows pulled into a deep, concerned frown as he stared at the now pristine stone.

"What the fuck?"

Indeed.

But Roy was suddenly finding it hard to breathe, what just happened causing an uneasiness to settle in his gut, a panic he only felt when he'd been majorly taken off guard, his body half expecting something to jump at him from the shadows.

It had gone dark now, the sun gone completely. The illumination of the moon was the only light they had in this creepy alleyway. Roy didn't like it one bit.

"Let's get out of here, we can discuss on the train."

He turned to get out of there so fast, his mind intent on getting to some streetlights, he failed to notice the energy that had once again started coating the air. Ed was next to him in a second, a hand grabbing his forearm so hard he stumbled backward–

"It's moved somewhere else we need to be care–"

Ed's words got cut off as a bright white light blinded them, Roy closing his eyes on instinct.

It was gone as quick as it came, Roy blinking as stars danced in his vision. He looked down, only to see an array, etched onto the cobblestones, and under his foot. He recoiled, noticing Ed still had his forearm in a death grip. Slowly, his eyes rose – in front of them, stood a woman, long grey hair almost reaching her ankles in a braid, her dress a pale yellow, adorned by a crimson red shawl.

She gave them a smile, her tanned arms rising to the sky, her eyes glinting in the moonlight. "And now you are one, as you are meant–"

One second Ed was by his side, gripping his forearm, and the next he was lunging forward, tackling the woman to the ground. The woman let out a loud yelp as she fell, Ed pinning her with his entire body weight.

"Who the fuck are you," he snarled in her face. The woman only stared at him, eyes wide in shock.

Roy's heart was pounding, his mind screaming but also blank. Frozen on the spot. He looked down again, noticing the array, but the energy had gone from the air, the array having used up its power reserve. But it was still there, somewhere…

Roy felt the dread curling in his stomach at the power he felt in his chest, a power Roy hadn't experienced before; it was thrumming through his body, through the deepest part of him.

Ed hoisted the woman up. The shock had left her face, an unnerving sense of calm and composure in its place. She dusted off her dress while Ed held onto her, refusing to let go in case she somehow vanished.

He pushed her against the wall, and she grunted. "You are going to tell us what the fuck this array is, and how to undo it. Right now. " Ed snarled at her, and Roy thought he should snap out of it, help Ed, ask the woman questions, but he was distracted.

Distracted by the thin, golden thread curling around his left wrist. It barely touched him, he didn't feel it physically, but instead felt power, flowing around his wrist. He followed it with his eyes, followed as it softly flowed from him to Ed, curling around his right wrist. A thread so thin, intangible. It was light itself, glowing in the moonlight as it connected him and Ed.

Connected their souls.

A/N Reviews are appreciated, let me know what you think! :)