Orphaned

TrulyWished: Really? Well, thanks for liking it and reading. Hope I don't lose your interest. Thanks for reviewing, and no problem on the reviews!

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Roy approached the large building that he knew as the Underground headquarters cautiously. He walked past the guard, who looked him over, suspiciously, but made no move to stop him. Deciding that the worst was yet to come, Roy continued inside, heart racing with anticipation and just the tiniest bit of fear, not for himself but for Al. The dark-haired alchemist knew he could take care of himself, even against the Underground's toughest (he could at least make it out alive), but if he made a wrong move or got distracted, Al could be dead within seconds. With this knowledge tugging at him, warning him to be careful of what he said and did, he entered the main lobby of the Underground.

"So glad you could make it, Mustang." said that same voice that had brought him here.

Roy turned, glaring at his boss, "Where's the kid?" he demanded. If Al wasn't okay, there was no way these bastards were getting a thing from him.

"Patience, patience." chided the older man, "You'll see him, in time. First, though, I want that." he said, pointing to Roy's glove. Roy cursed himself for having such an obvious weakness, but complied nonetheless. If he didn't go by their rules, they could kill Al in an instant. He tossed the single glove aside and looked back to Mr. Wright, "Good. Now, then..." he snapped his fingers and two men appeared at his side, one carrying a squriming and crying Al, the other carrying a large gun pointed at said boy's head.

"Let him go." Roy said in a stern voice.

Mr. Wright simply chuckled, "We're quite demanding today, aren't we?" Roy said nothing, but just kept his glare on as the brown-haired man continued, "I'll return him, as promised, but in return you must keep up your end of the deal."

Roy continued to stay silent, but gave a short nod. A smug smirk on his face, Mr. Wright motioned to the man holding Al, who promptly let the younger brother go. The latter immediately ran to Roy, who wrapped an arm around his shoulders, "It's alright, Al, calm down." he whispered, "They didn't hurt you did they?"

Al shook his head vigorously, "No." he replied, clamping his hand down onto Roy's.

"Good." the latter whispered before turning his head back to Mr. Wright, "What is it that you want from me?" he asked.

"You've broken a big rule, Mustang, and you have to suffer the consequences." Roy waited for him to continue with his punishment, "Until further notice, you will be monitored very closely. If I get a single report of you or anyone else in your household performing alchemy, I will not be so forgiving. As far as I'm considered, you are no longer a part of this company, and thus are labeled as a Renegade. We will treat you no differently than the rest of them, and your survival will depend upon your skill." With that said, Mr. Wright turned to leave, but paused and glanced over his shoulder, "Starting now." he added.

Roy knew what that meant, and looked down to the boy at his side, "Al, get out of here."

"What?" the younger one asked, looking up at him confused, unaware of the approahing alchemists.

"Go home and stay there. If you can find Ed, tell him..." Roy trailed off, not sure what to say, but knew he had to think quickly, "Tell him I love him."

Al frowned at the regretful tone he detected in his guardian's voice, but nodded, "You'll be home soon, though, right?"

Roy smiled faintly, sending a glare to the approaching men, halting their progress for a second, "I'll try." he said, unsure of his own words. His thoughts of earlier about being able to hold his own were quickly vanishing as he saw exactly how many alchemists the Underground employed. He noticed that Al was no longer at his side and glanced behind him to see the blonde running out the main doors and heading towards home and safety.

Now, undistracted, Roy turned his attention back to 50 or so approaching men, all ready and willing to kill him. People he considered friends, his co-workers, all of them now advanced on him as if brain-washed into believing that he was the enemy. Though, he supposed they were just following orders, he knew none of them wanted to be in his position right now. Still, he would have liked to tell himself that he wouldn't turn on someone he considered his friend just so he could take the easy way out. However, thinking like that wasn't helping him right now as he noticed a flash of blue light and several spikes being aimed at his head. He quickly ducked them, pulling out a spare glove that he kept with him, stopping several of the alchemists in their tracks. Not a one of them turned and ran, but they certainly hesitated more now that he was armed.

He turned toward the one that had nearly taken his head off and snapped his fingers, sending a blaze of flame towards the unfortunate man and those surrounding him. Seeing that he was distracted, one of the more ballsy men swung their alchemically-enhanced, automail fist towards him, making contact with his chest and sending him flying quite a few feet back. He came crashing against the wall and slid to the floor, wincing as his vision blurred. He looked up to see several of the alchemists starting their movement towards him. Roy shook his head, attempting to clear the spots from his sight and snapped his fingers again, creating a temporary shield of fire around him; long enough for him to stand up and prepare for the upcoming fight.

Once the makeshift shield died away, Roy attempted to dart past a few of the weaker ones, trying to get on the outside of the semi-cirlce the had formed around him. It was to no avail, however, as a meaty hand clamped down on his shoulder, yanking him back in the center of the ring of alchemists. Suddenly, a large, blue-ish crystal peirced his shoulder and he gritted his teeth in pain as the familar scent of blood rose to his nose. He glanced to the current threat, and saw it to be Amanda, the woman he had been flirting with only a few days ago. Her face was cold and emotionless now as she sent yet another ice crystal flying at him, intending to pierce his chest this time. He raised his hand, snapping his fingers just in time to send a stream of flame to meet the ice head on, melt it, and continue back towards his attacker. It hit Amanda in the chest, and sent her flying into a few more alchemists.

Roy realized that there were far too many people here for him to fight, and he knew that he would soon be in trouble as he was already getting tired. He stood up, clutching his injured shoulder and looked around. There were still a good 30 alchemists, ready to take him on, and he knew he wouldn't last much longer in the state he was in. He saw no outs until a miracle happened. The ground began shaking violently all around, though the section he was standing on remained stable. He looked as every man and woman eventually lost their balance and fell into each other, tumbling like dominos.

The only standing man looked around in amazement as everytime one of his attackers attempted to stand, the immediate area around them began to shake, sending them flying to the ground once more. Roy, now realizing the other alchemists were no longer a threat, looked past them to a figure immersed in shadows. The only way Roy knew he was even there was the outline of blue that surrounded his figure, as well as illuminating his eyes in that same eerie blue, emitting pure, alchemic power that must have been the cause of the mini-earthquake. The man grinned, his teeth shining in that same color, "Go." was all he said, but it was enough for Roy. The latter nodded a thanks, and turned to slowly limp out of the Underground, vowing never to return again.

"Stupid Roy." Ed muttered, kicking a stone as he made his way through the streets of the nearly-deserted town. He had been gone for a while by now, and it was getting late. He didn't want to return home, though, not until he was sure Roy was ready to pay for lying to him, and for putting his and Al's lives in danger, "Al." he thought. He had yet to find the younger one, but was sure that Roy was somehow to blame, "Damn him!" Ed shouted at no one and nothing, though it did scare a stray cat into dashing across his path. Ed walked over to the small animal, who had moved from digging in one trashcan to another for some dinner. He scratched behind the fuzzy ears and smirked as the too-friendly feline leaned into the touch.

A shadow loomed over the two, blocking the street lamp, and before Ed could look up, a very familar voice rang in his ears, "Brother?"

Ed's head snapped up to see a very frightened Al watching him, slightly confused, "Al?" Ed asked.

"What are you doing in town? Why aren't you home?" the younger one asked, taking a step towards his brother.

Ed stood, "I should ask you the same thing." he said, smiling faintly, "Where have you been?"

Al started to explain everything that had happened to the best of his ability, ending with Roy's message to Ed, "He said to tell you that he loves you." he finished.

The older one snorted, "Yeah, like I haven't heard that before."

Al looked up, slightly confused, but shook it off, "Brother, I'm worried about him. Those people looked like they wanted to kill him, and there were so many of them." he looked down for a moment, "I know you two might be fighting right now, but Roy risked his life to save me, that should mean something."

The other boy thought over his brother's words, realizing how true they were, "Let's go home, Al." he said, placing an arm around the younger one's shoulders. Al agreed and the two made their way back home. Ed looked down the street, a worried expression on his face. He and Roy might be fighting right now, but through it all he still cared for (perhaps even loved) Roy, and as much as he might scream it at the top of his lungs or think it in a moment of anger, he really didn't want the older alchemist dead.
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I know, it might be a little OC of Roy to run from a fight, but hey... maybe he knows when he's in over his head and runs when he should? Eh, either way. Who was it that saved him? I'll tell you right now, if you've never seen Spiral, you won't know him. That's all I'm saying. Review!