Disclaimer: I don't own Fullmetal Alchemist

Chapter 9

"What?" Ed shouted loud enough to wake everyone in Central city. "What do you mean I have to stay with you?"

"Daniel Tucker is clearly after you." Roy's eyes drifted to Ed's side. "We don't know what he's capable of."

Ed clenched his trembling fists. "I can look after myself."

"Fullmetal, listen to me," Roy snapped, his patience for Ed vanishing. "I don't like this anymore than you do. Unless you'd rather stay with the Major? I've heard that he would gladly let you stay."

"You damn bastard," Ed growled.

"So is that a yes?" Roy asked.

Ed continued to glare at Roy but said nothing. He knew that if he stayed with the Major he probably wouldn't survive the night, but if he stayed with Roy he would have to put up with that bastard until Daniel was caught.

"I'm waiting Fullmetal," Roy said. Ed looked up at him and let out a sigh.

"I'll stay with you." Ed thought for a brief moment. "Only on one condition. You send Al back to Resembool."

Roy looked at Ed with slight confusion. "I thought you would want him to stay with you?"

Ed shook his head and looked down at the floor. "I don't want him to get involved in this. Daniel Tucker is my enemy, not his. I don't want him getting hurt."

Roy nodded, agreeing with what Ed told him. "We'll buy a ticket in the morning." He turned to Hawkeye. "Lieutenant, can you go with Ed when he goes to get his bags?"

Hawkeye nodded and followed Ed out of the room. Ed walked slowly down the hall, trying to think of how to explain it to Al if he happened to be there. He reached his dorm and slowly opened the door. Inside he saw Al and Havoc playing cards while sitting at the table. When Al saw Ed he dropped his hand of cards and ran over to him.

"Brother, where were you?" Al wrapped his arms around Ed, pulling him into a tight hug.

"Al. Can't breath," Ed gasped. Al loosened his grip and Ed took a step back. He looked around, spotted his bag, and began to throw various books and clothes in it.

Al looked at him curiously before asking him what he was doing.

"I have to go somewhere," Ed replied simply. Al didn't say anything after that. Ed continued to pack and when he was finally done he had to do the impossible task in shutting the bag. At first it seemed easy, them after zipping it shut about half way the zipper got stuck. Ed sat on top of the bag and tried to force it closed. Al let out a small laugh and pushed down on the top of the bag and zipped it shut with ease.

"Thanks," Ed mumbled. He picked up his bag and walked towards the door. Before he left he heard Al call his name. Ed turned around and looked over at Al.

"Brother, where are you going?" He asked again.

Ed sighed. "I have to go with that bastard Colonel."

Al looked at him before going back to his card game. Ed shut the door behind him with a soft click and started down the hallway.

Ed reached Roy's office and saw him standing there, tapping his foot in the ground with impatience. "What took you so long?"

"I uh, had some difficulties with my bag." Ed held up his bag that looked as though it was about to explode.

Roy walked out of the office and Ed reluctantly followed him.

Roy borrowed a military car since his was damaged from crashing into the pole. Ed got in and stared out the window. The sky was dark and little light illuminated the streets. Roy began to drive down the street, stopping occasionally for a traffic light. After about ten minutes Roy pulled into the driveway of a small house. Ed got out and looked up at it.

He couldn't see much details because of the dark but he could tell that it was fairly new. Ed followed Roy to the front door where the Colonel began to search for his keys. Roy opened the door and two of them walked into the warm house. A bright light was flicked on and Ed noticed how clean and organized it was.

Ed followed Roy into the living room and saw a bookshelf against the wall with rows of books stacked neatly on the shelves. A leather couch and matching chair surrounded a small wooden table. Ed tossed his bag onto the couch and looked at Roy.

"Got anything to eat?" He asked.

"There's food in the kitchen." Roy pointed to an open door. Ed walked into the kitchen and opened the fridge. He frowned when all he saw was vegetables or fruit.

Ed walked back into the living room. "Hey Roy, why do you only have vegetables in your fridge?"

"There's cereal in the cupboard." Roy sat down on the couch and opened a book.

Ed walked back into the kitchen and opened a cupboard. On the top shelf was a box of cereal. Ed reached up to grab it but the box was well out of his reach. He climbed onto the counter and reached up again, this time successfully grabbing the box. Ed then lost his balance and fell to the floor with a loud thump.

Roy walked into the kitchen and looked down at Ed who lay on the floor surrounded by cereal. The Colonel had to hold back a laugh, not caring that his kitchen was now a mess. "Fullmetal, what are you doing on the floor?"

"Why do you keep your cereal so damn high?" Ed retorted angrily. He stood up with the box and pointed at the mess on the floor. "I'm not cleaning that up."

"There's milk in the fridge."

Ed face turned a pale shade of green. "I don't need any damn milk."

Roy shrugged and left the room. Ed walked into the living room with the box of cereal in his hands. He sat down on the couch and opened his bag. Clothes and books spilled everywhere . Roy looked at Ed and raised an eyebrow.

"Fullmetal, how much mess are you going to make today?" He asked as he placed his book on the table.

"Depends on how much you bug me," Ed muttered. After shoving everything back into the bag Roy stood up and looked down at Ed.

"I'll show you to your room." Roy then walked towards a staircase at the end of the room. When Ed didn't follow he looked back and said, "Aren't you coming?"

"Huh, yeah, I'm coming." Ed grabbed his bag and walked up the stairs after Roy. He walked down a short hall and then walked through a doorway and into a small room. There was a large window on the opposite wall and a bed was pushed against the wall towards Ed's right, and a small table was pushed against the bed. An empty black bookshelf was leaning against the left wall and another desk sat beneath the window.

Ed dropped his bag on the bed and looked over at Roy. "This is where I have to say?"

Roy frowned. "What, you don't like it?"

Ed shook his head. "No, the room's fine. It's just that it's a bit small."

"It's either this or my couch."

Ed decided that he would rather sleep on a bed and began to make himself at home. When Roy left and closed the door, Ed dumped out his bag on the dusty floor. He grabbed his books and stacked them dangerously on the small table beside his bed. He left his clothes where they were and sat down. The bed must have bumped into the table because the pile of books came crashing down on Ed.

The door to his room opened and Roy walked in, looking startled as well as tired. "What are you doing Fullmetal?"

Ed pushed the books off of him and looked at the Colonel. He began to laugh when he noticed Roy was wearing light blue pajamas decorated with yellow ducks. "What the hell are you wearing?"

"That doesn't matter." Roy looked around the messy room. "What did you do to this room?"

"I had a problem with my bag again," Ed admitted.

Roy glanced at the many books that surrounded Ed. "There's a bookshelf over there you know." He pointed to the empty bookshelf. "You can put them there. Unless you needed to sleep with them." He let out a small smirk.

Ed grabbed his books and threw them onto the bookshelf. Roy's gaze drifted to the clothes that lined the floor. He opened his mouth to speak but Ed grabbed the clothes and threw them into his bag. "There, you can go now."

Roy left without another word. Ed closed the door and sat down on the bed. Moonlight spilled into the dark room and a fresh wind blew through a small crack in the glass. Ed lay down on the bed and gazed up at the ceiling, wondering how long he had to stay there.

***

The next morning Ed sat in the kitchen, shoving dry cereal into his mouth. I hope the Colonel buys more food. I can't live off of cereal for the rest of my life, Ed thought as he shoved the last of the cereal into his mouth.

Earlier that day Roy left and went to take Alphonse to the train station, but before he left he looked at Ed and asked him if he could stay alone for an hour without vandalizing down his house and Ed insisted that his house would be in one piece when he got back.

Now Ed sat there, finishing the last of the stale cereal. He stood up, stretched, and walked into the living room. He sat down on the couch and opened his book. For a while he read until he heard the door open. He looked up and saw Roy walk into the house, a bag of groceries in his hands.

"You buy anything edible?" Ed asked.

Roy walked past him and put the bag in the kitchen. Ed watched as Roy put several boxes of cereal and some bread away. "Is that all you bought, bread and cereal?"

Roy nodded. "If you don't like it then tell me what you want before I go to the store."

"You never told me you were going to the store," Ed muttered to himself.

Roy finished putting the food away and then turned to Ed. "I have to go to work. You're coming with me."

"Why do I have to go?" Ed protested.

"I'm not leaving you here alone."

"Why's that?" Ed demanded. "I was alone a few minutes ago."

Roy let out an uneasy breath and said in a whisper, "Daniel Tucker was spotted moments ago in this area."

Ed's heart began to beat fast as he began to panic. He can't be here. He can't. "Fine, I'll come."

"Go get anything you need. We'll be there for the day." Roy walked towards the door.

Ed dashed up the stairs and into his room. He grabbed a handful of books and walked downstairs. Roy was waiting at the door, his car keys clutched tightly in his hands. "Come on Fullmetal." He walked over to the car. Ed followed him and got into the rented military military car. Roy drove down the street and Ed looked out the window.

As the car drove he got a short glimpse of Roy's house but couldn't see any details apart from the white paint before the car rounded a corner and the house disappeared from view. Ed continued to stare out the window at the unfamiliar streets and houses. As they neared Central HQ the streets grew more familiar as well as busier.

Roy soon parked the car in the all too familiar parking lot at Central HQ and got out. Ed followed, holding his stack of books in his arms. The two of them walked silently into Roy's office, startling Havoc who quickly jumped out of Roy's chair behind his desk.

"Good morning sir!" He announced with a salute.

Roy nodded and took a seat at his desk. He wrinkled his nose. "Havoc, could you not smoke at my desk again."

"Yes sir!" Havoc saluted again, a bead of nervous sweat rolling down his forehead.

Ed sat down heavily on one of the couches and opened his first book. As he read the clock slowly ticked by, and he didn't realize the time until he felt someone prodding him in the shoulder. "Fullmetal, I'm going."

Ed looked up from his book. "But we just got here?" He asked, confused why they were leaving so suddenly.

Roy shook his head. "We've been here for several hours." Ed looked at the clock and noticed that Roy was right.

With a yawn, Ed followed Roy out of his office. Why the hell am I so tired? Ed thought, yawning again. He got to the car and got into the passengers seat. Roy began to drive off down the street and Ed rested his head on the cool glass of the window.

***

Roy puled into his driveway and looked over to his right at Ed, who appears to have fallen asleep. He shook the young boys shoulder. "Fullmetal, wake up."

Ed's ears twitched and he opened his eyes. "Huh?" He looked around at his surroundings. "We here already?"

Roy nodded and got out of the car. Ed followed and walked, half asleep, to the front door. Roy fished his keys out of his pocket and unlocked the door. Ed walked into the house yawning and sat down on the couch. Roy glanced at the clock. I should start making dinner, He thought, noticing that it was already six o'clock.

He looked through his cupboards and tried to think of something to cook. He pulled out a few ingredients and began to set off to work. He chopped vegetables up and tossed them onto a plate. He cooked the beef and grabbed some buns. It took about an hour, but he finally had successfully made hamburgers. Roy set the table and walked into the living room, finding Ed asleep again.

"Fullmetal." Roy shook Ed's shoulder. "Wake up. Dinners ready."

Ed woke up slowly and gazed up tiredly at Roy. "Not hungry." He closed his eyes but Roy shook him again. Ed looked back up at him, slight irritation visible in his golden eyes. "I already told you I'm not hungry."

"You need to eat," Roy insisted. "You can sleep when you're finished."

Ed slowly got up, yawned, and followed Roy into the kitchen. The blond sat down on the table and began to slowly eat his food. Roy watched Ed's head slowly dip down and then used the hamburger he was eating as a pillow. Silent snored filled the kitchen and a small laugh escaped Roy.

"Fullmetal," Roy said loud enough to wake the boy. "You're sleeping on your food."

Ed slowly sat up and yawed. Roy had to laugh loudly when he saw the top hamburger bun stuck to his face. Ed looked at him confused for a minute before realizing what he was laughing at. Ed's face turned bright red and he pulled the bun off his face quickly.

"Why don't you get some sleep?" Roy suggested, noticing how Ed could barley keep his eyes open.

Ed nodded and stood up. "Night," He mumbled before heading towards the stairs.

Ed sat down on his bed and closed his eyes. He kept wondering over and over again why he was suddenly so tired. Feeling himself beginning to drift off to sleep, Ed pulled the blanket over his head and within seconds was asleep.

***

Ed looked around at the frozen landscape that spread out before him. Ice covered the frozen lake and waist-high snow buried the ground. Ed took a few cautious steps forward and then stopped suddenly. The wind seemed somewhat ominous. Ed took a step back and listened and thought he heard a faint yell, like someone was in danger.

He walked towards the sound and soon enough found himself facing a mangled body; bloody and broken. With a jolt of horror Ed realized that he recognized the golden hair and red coat. It was him.

"Like it?" A malevolent voice asked him. "It's my specialty."

Ed turned around and came face-to-face with a man that was all to familiar. "D-Daniel Tucker," Ed whispered nervously.

Ed jolted awake. He was still shivering as he imagined the cold climate of his dream. It took his a minute to realize that his room was what was making him cold. Ed pulled the blanket from the top of his head and saw ice creeping along his window and across his walls. The ice continued to slowly row until most of the room was frozen and white.

A shadow then appeared on his wall and Ed's heart thumped loudly in his chest as he watch a man slowly slide into view.

"Good to see you again, my lovely chimera," Daniel Tucker whispered quietly.

Ed's eyes widened. How did he find me? Why did he come here? Questions like that whirled around in Ed's mind. He felt scared, no, terrified at the thought of what Daniel might do to him.

Daniel inched closer. Ed backed away. Daniel stopped walking and frowned. "Why do you keep running away from me?"

Ed couldn't talk. His mind whirled with the thought of what Daniel might do to him. He got off his bed and bolted for the door. His plan to escape failed when he slipped on the ice covering the floor and fell to the ground with a loud bang.

***

Roy looked up from his book suddenly when he heard a loud bang. Placing the book on the table, Roy walked towards the stairs. Ed probably fell out of the bed, He thought. But he knew that wasn't what happened

Roy creaked Ed's bedroom door open slowly and saw the room covered in ice. "Fullmetal?"

"Colonel!" Came a hopeful reply. Roy threw the door open fully and saw Daniel Tucker standing a few feet from him. Roy's eyes quickly scanned the room and spotted Ed sitting on the floor, a small drop of blood rolling from a small scratch in his forehead.

Roy felt his anger rising as he turned to looked directly at Daniel. "What did you do to Fullmetal?"

"I didn't do anything," Daniel replied innocently. He pointed at Ed. "He's the one who fell."

Roy's fist began to tremble from anger. He pulled on his ignition glove and Daniel laughed. Roy was about to snap when Daniel ran. "I'll see you soon, my lovely chimera!" He announced before jumping out of the window.

"Fullmetal, are you okay?" Roy asked when he was beside Ed.

Ed nodded and wiped away the blood on his face. "I'm fine, just hit my head." Roy noticed that Ed's golden eyes were wild with fear.

"Fullmetal, what exactly did he say?" Roy needed to know what he said. If he knew he might be able to capture him for good.

Ed took a shaky breath before repeating what Daniel told him. Roy nodded slowly.

Ed stood up and looked down at the ground. He wiped the blood away again and the looked back up at Roy. "He's not going to stop until he's caught me?" Ed said, unable to make his trembling voice any higher than a whisper.

Roy felt him anger rising rapidly. Edward Elric was innocent, he's never done anything to deserve what Daniel Tucker's trying to do to him. Sure he's done things in the past and committed the ultimate taboo, but he didn't deserve what was happening to him. "Edward, I'm going to get Daniel Tucker and stop this once and for all."