Roy Mustang knew The Fullmetal Alchemist, Edward Elric, was not, in the least, normal. He was stubborn and determined, hardly willing to fall or grovel at a persons feet. He was egotistical, not that Roy didn't see that in himself, and stroked his selfish nature almost as if he were possessed. But he had a good head on his shoulders, and was selfless and loyal, choosing the people he cared about over himself.

Not that Roy Mustang would ever admit to Fullmetal being anything more than a half pint midget with growth defects.

Roy Mustang had silky raven black hair that hung untidy in front of his fierce and cunning midnight blue eyes. He had a small face and a strong square jaw that was usually tight with anger or irritation. His face was unblemished with the exception of the faint tired wrinkles that surrounded his eyes and mouth indicating just how stressful his life was. He had an aristocratic narcissistic posture, and was usually dressed in the sophisticated blue uniform almost never seen in anything civil or normal. He was filled out, the wiry muscles on his arms and stomach quiet determinable. He was a notorious womanizer and lascivious playboy, having nearly half the female population clutch at him, begging for his sensual attention. Roy knew; quiet well, how to take advantage of that.

So how in the world could Roy be talked into this?

Roy slumped against his mahogany dresser, glancing up under his eyelashes at the clear mirror in front of him. He was shirtless, picking out an outfit by the plethora of clothes and accessories that were scattered through out the modestly large room. He was wearing a pair of grey skinny jeans, which clung tight to his muscular legs. A small silver chain led from his pocket to his belt loop, indicating his status as the infamous Flame Alchemist.

He ran his hands through his hands, tightening his grip as if to punish himself and yanked at it slowly. A frustrated sigh broke through his lips and he clenched his jaw, closing his eyes slowly and savoring the peaceful stillness of his fairly large apartment. He reached out blindly and touched the cool mirror, clamping his fist and weakly punching the smooth surface. He growled, obviously annoyed in himself and abruptly jerked away from the desk, turning around to observe the disaster that was suppose to be his bedroom.

Roy grabbed a random black shirt and threw it on, thrusting the white buttons through the holes with skilled fingers. He grabbed his blue zip up jacket and slung it over his shoulder, snagging his house keys from their place on his bed and stuffing them into his right pocket. He pulled the curtains close, flipped off the light switch, and, glancing at the blinking green numbers on his alarm clock, closed the door softly behind him.

He walked down the stairs two at a time before jogging into the kitchen and pulling the tallest cabinet open and groping attentively for the rough fabric. He jerked it out, slipping the white gloves; which had an intricate transmutation circle on the top, into his back pocket. He patted his pockets briefly, checking things off inside his head before switching off the light in the kitchen. As he walked out, an irking melodious sound hit his ears in the piercing tune of 'Mary had a Little Lamb'.

Mustang opened his door, locking it, before pulling it close behind him. He made his way down the old fashioned medal stairway, sliding his hands on the railing in familiarity, and jumped off the bottom step, turning to his right to confront the source of the honking.

A stylish black car was parked by the sidewalk and a flustered Meas Hughes fought an eager Edward Elric for the horn, Hughes restraining Ed with one hand against his chest, pushing him away as Fullmetal's arms faired and reached, a slight blush from overexertion on his cheeks and nose. Muffled shouts carried to him and Roy resisted the urge to slap his hand against his face.

Roy opened the passenger's door and grabbed the animated teenager by the collar of his long red cloak, pulling him away from the wide eyed Hughes.

"What is going on here?" He said in his unusually deep voice.

"Thank God!" Meas shouted, still cringing into the driver's seat, kicking his leg occasionally as if unused to the empty space next to him. "Look at what he did! He made my car into a Clown Car!" an outraged Hughes shouted, pointing to the horn on the steering wheel. The wheel was transmuted into three rubber balloon-like horns, each of them sticking obscenely from the steering wheel's round center. Mustang's eye twitched "He did it just so he could play 'Mary had a Little Lamb'!"

Roy chuckled darkly, taking the runty Edward Elric out of the car and looking him into his eyes.

"Car. Normal. Now."

Edward grumbled inaudibly as Mustang let go of his collar and climbed back into the sleek car, clapping his hands together and slapping them onto the steering wheel.

A flash of white light burst from the tinted black windows and Edward crawled out of the car, looking up at Roy with a familiar scowl on his face.

Roy Mustang smirked.

"Now get in the back." He said, pushing Ed towards the rear with measurable force. The Fullmetal Alchemist opened the door and slid in just as Roy did, just in time for him to catch the murmured sentence:

"Why do I get the back?"

Mustang glanced back at him, sneering.

"Because only big kids get the front,"

"ARE YOU CALLING ME LITTLE?" An angered Fullmetal screeched.

Mustang laughed, and muttered, while rubbing his head as a headache started on, "Maybe,"

A huff came from behind, and he watched in the rearview mirror as Edward crossed his arms and slumped into his seat.

"It was my idea, so why can't I sit up front?"

Roy narrowed his eyes.

"And it's your fault that I am going, so shut it."

Edward Elric shut up.

XXXXXXXXXXX

Roy Mustang could not believe he had been talked into it; he simply couldn't fathom the sight that lay in his vision and would probably haunt him forever. He leaned leisurely against the grey gate, rubbing his forehead, growing increasingly aggravated at the 'Party' he had been forced to participate in (all thanks to a certain stern lieutenant and a gun barrel thrust into his face)

"So tell me Fullmetal," He started, wanting nothing other than to pull on his gloves and snap his fingers at the abomination before him, "For your 18th birthday, why the hell did you choose to go to an Amusement Park?"

Edward, his back to Roy, placed his hands on his hips and glanced back at him through his peripheral vision.

"Because I enjoy Amusement Parks, and today whatever I say goes." He retorted, spinning around in a swirl, to face Roy fully. He leaned in on his toes and pointed a gloved finger at the Flame Alchemist.

"And you are not going to ruin it with your sour mood swings; I thought girls were only supposed to PMS." He accused raising one golden eyebrow, as if to say 'I challenge you to a duel!".

Mustang pulled his white gloves from his back pocket and began to pull them on, wanting no more than to scare the Fullmetal Alchemist until he was finally able to think appropriately, with some common sense in that head of his. The familiar 'click' sent him spinning around, only to face with the barrel of Hawkeye's gun. Roy gulped, quickly hiding his gloves behind his back while he stuffed them into his pocket.

"Well hello there Hawkeye," He nodded nervously to the stern faced woman, "Hawkeye's gun." He finished, staring pointedly at the sweat-worthy metal monster that was pointed in between his eyes. The gun lowered and his blonde lieutenant, hair twisted into a trademark bun, nodded in acknowledgement and replied, "Sir, I do not appreciate you bulling on Edward, especially on his birthday, and wish to ask if you would refrain from such activities."

Like he had a choice, Roy thought quickly nodding his head vigorously hoping to quell her need for his blood. She turned away, seemingly pleased with his immediate reply and confronted Fullmetal, smiling warmly at the small boy, before replacing her gun back into its nearly indistinguishable hip holster, which was hidden under her light blue blouse. Covering the upper half of her legs was a knee length purple skirt that rustled lightly in the warm summer, revealing her elegant calves. She was talking with Edward, and appeared to be engrossed in the conversation.

Roy shivered, remembering with melancholic regret how this beautiful young woman would never be his, never in the least. As if on cue, his left hand man, Jean Havoc walked up behind Riza Hawkeye, wrapping his arms around her waist and grinning sheepishly up at her as he rested his head onto her neck. His heart jumped to his throat, and he swallowed it down painfully, feeling self-disgust at the envious feelings that crept into his system.

He took a deep breath and turned back to the entrance, watching for the rest of his subordinates and friends to show up for Edward Elric's birthday.

Roy was just twitching by the time Haymans Breda showed up at the entrance, showing the brown haired girl his Free Entrance wrist ban, before striding towards them purposefully. He was clad in a large brown shirt which was tucked into his blue ripped jeans. He was rather large in the waist, cherishing it greatly, and had red hair and tanned skin. He grinned impishly at his superior officer, slapping his hand on his shoulder causing Roy to stumble forward. He glared at the big boned man, straightening up and tugging his collar back into an appropriate position before greeting socially, "Good afternoon Breda,"

Haymans grinned back at him, looking past him and shouting out a casual hello to Jean, Riza and the source of the gathering, Edward.

Mustang grumbled stubbornly, refusing to have any relative enjoyment at this Torture Park. A timid "Hello General," rang to him and he turned, to find a shy Kain Fuery wringing his hands nervously together before pushing up his glasses up his nose. Fuery was small, and young, with an innocence that seemed to remain with him despite the horrors he had seen. He had black hair that stuck up in different directions and small black eyes behind a set of midnight glasses. Behind him was Vato Falman, standing tall and lean in a grey sweater and dark blue jeans. He raised his hand in salutation.

A commotion started behind him and he noticed a tall golden brown haired man walking towards them, his arm wrapped around a pretty blonde girl.

"Brother!" The man said, picking up his pace to meet the golden headed teenager. The blondes face lit immensely, and Roy, being a little slow, came to conclusion that the man walking towards them was Edward Elric's younger brother, Alphonse Elric. It was still a bit strange to see the sixteen year old boy in flesh instead of the suite of armor he inhabited for nearly six years.

Edwards's arms wrapped around Al's waist and Roy was surprised to see that Al was at least a head taller than the older boy.

"I've missed you Al!" Edward said in a boisterous tone. The younger of the two wrapped his arms around the smaller and smiled, closing his eyes in a personally bliss and sighing loudly, leaning into the older brother's touch.

"I missed you too Brother!"

Roy rolled his eyes to hid the strange warmth he felt from that picture, then, clapping his hands together impatiently and rubbing them in the most disturbing manner, walked up to the embracing brothers and patted them both on the back.

"I just love this brotherly love!" He exclaimed, shaking his head in a facetious way, causing the couple to brake up and stare at the strangely affectionate man. Edward was the first to pull away, seeming to be uncomfortable under the Flame Alchemist touch. Of course, he didn't realize his mistake, and Roy, encouraged by the discomfort that seeped out from the runty teenager, slumped against him and draped his arm across his shoulders, smiling innocently down at Ed. Edward's face contorted, and he carefully pushed forward, trying to shake the persistent sadist. The man simply smirked and walked up with the kid.

Sighing Edward Elric, turned and tried to ignore Roy Mustangs annoying touch. Roy looked at the boy.

Edward Elric had long golden hair, braided skillfully; it met the bottom of his shoulder blades, longer than the last time Roy had took his time to look at it. He had a soft feminine face with big golden eyes that held ferocity and passion. He had long lashes that were quiet noticeable, seeing that they were, strangely, a darker tawny color, causing his eyes to jump out. His bangs were parted in the middle, cradling his face fondly. A stubborn piece of hair stuck up at the part in his hair, and Roy had his suspicions that he intentionally pasted it that way to appear taller. He wore tight black leather pants, with his Alchemist watch's chain sticking from his hip to his pocket; like Roy's, and an unusual stripped shirt that was black and hot pink. Roy wondered what possessed him to dress so anomalously.

He was strong and determined, stubborn and loyal, never turning his back on someone who was in need. He was more than a little egotistical, smirking at his achievements and sticking his successes in the faces of others for nothing other than to prove them wrong. Edward did not tolerate harassment, and hated it when people underestimated him. But he had a good heart and was willing to sacrifice his life for the things he believed in.

And Roy had to respect that.

"Shall we go to the Roller Coaster first?" Havoc asked and Mustang snapped back into focus, realizing that Fullmetal was now ahead of him. An eager nod from Edward sent the group scurrying towards the monstrous structure, an audible groan coming from him as he was pulled along, mostly by a hyperactive Hughes, talking about his 'adorable little princess' and his 'gorgeous queen'. Roy ground his teeth and followed the group as they traveled to the front of the line, cutting the rest. He held his arm out towards the attendant, flashing his red Free Entrance wristband, sympathizing with her bored look and slumped posture.

He watched as Edward climbed into the front seat, dumbly watching as people filed in.

"Come on Roy, we're going to leave without you!" Havoc called out, sitting down next to Riza and wrapping his arm around her lovingly, she leaned willingly into his touch, smiling heartedly at her boyfriend. Roy grumbled as he slipped in the front seat with Fullmetal, the last available seat. He shouldn't have stood there like an idiot and should have snatched a seat the farthest away from Ed.

Edward narrowed his eyes, and he scowled, turned away, and seemed to be lost in thought. With a strange gut wrenching lurch the machine started to move forward, turning around a bend slowly. Ed's face lit up and he held onto the confining bars that served as seatbelts with a blissful twinkle in his eyes. As much as Roy hated to admit it, he had never been to an Amusement Park, let alone a Roller Coaster. He also, despite his immediate objection, was afraid of heights, and Mustangs stomach clenched as the coaster let out an earsplitting screech that indicated they were on the track. The machine continued upward, letting out a groan. Roy's palms became sticky as in reached the top, and he gripped the bar with such force he was almost certain that he would break it.

Then they reached the top.

The coaster spun into action; pushing forward with intensity he wasn't sure possible. Roy's stomach clenched and dropped as his heart suddenly became lodged in his throat. The vehicle's momentum and mass pushed it downward faster and Roy let out a terrified yelp as it lurched to the side, spinning around in a loop before continuing towards the ground. He was suddenly pulled upward, going up until he realized they were in a loop. He screamed shortly as they were thrown to the side and he smashed unintentionally into Edward. They turned the other way and Ed was abruptly squishing him, causing the metal walls to grind into his ribs painfully.

Then in was over.

He let out a breath and put his hand to his heart, trying to stop it from jumping out of his chest. Roy lumbered out, breathing hard and wide eyed. He was fairly certain he was going to have a heart attack, or something relatively dangerous that involved his heart and stomach.

"That. Was. Awesome!" A pleased voice declared, and Roy found himself looking into a very happy Edward Elric's face. Everyone quickly nodded in agreement, and he finally comprehended what was now obvious.

No one could save him now.

XXXXXXXXX

"Come on, please! You're the only one left!"

Roy's eye twitched and he clenched his fists in irritation, wished to kill the boy in front of him, begging, something Roy did not expect Ed to ever do. And for this he did?

"No." He answered, keeping his arms at his side incase he accidentally caused the Fullmetal Alchemist's death.

"Come on Mustang! Pleeeeeease?"

Strangely enchanted by the way he groveled; he muttered a single unhappy "Yes" and walked towards the nearly abandoned Roller Coaster, Edward pulling him towards it by his wrist. Roy scowled into the back of his torturer, irrationally hoping, with his luck, that someone would jump out and kill him.

They slid into the front seat yet again, and Mustang glanced back at the only other person who was crazy enough to allow the monster to torture them. He was small, his face shrouded in a black shadow from the hood of the dark blue Sweatshirt, which was pulled up discretely. His hands were stuffed into his pockets, his head bent as if in prayer. Roy's eyes narrowed in suspicion, an unsettled feeling poking around in his gut. He then turned back to the front, secretly glancing at the stranger through the corner of his eyes.

The ride then started and Roy ground his teeth in tension, not liking the dark clouds that had apprehensively gathered over the Fair grounds. As the first slope passed he thanked the heavens that he had not screamed, considering the fact that everyone had joked about it, just to irritate him.

Then it lurched to the side.

The feeling of a hand made him turn abruptly, and he flinched suddenly at the sight of a very realistic Raven mask, small red ruby eyes glinting maliciously in the gloomy light. The Raven Masked Stranger lurched forward, one hand wrapping around Mustangs neck, a sharp blade jutting from the ripped fabric, metal glimmering, pinning him against his seat, and the other hand slipping into his pocket, snapping the chain of his Alchemist Watch and pulling out his leather wallet. The Stranger then slipped away, nicking Roy's chin with the Automail dagger, jumping from the machine as they fell downward towards the ground.

Roy pulled free of the metal restrainer, getting ready to chase after the culprit, when the coaster unexpectedly heaved upward, twisting in the air.

"Mustang!"

The shrill voice screamed, and Roy watched as Edward reached out, grabbing onto the Flame Alchemist arm in desperation. The Roller Coaster looped malevolently, and Mustang felt as he fell slightly downward before jerking to a stop. A loud gasp and scream of pain caught his attention and he looked up to see the Fullmetal Alchemist staring down at him, a grimace of pain on his young face. His left hand gripped the metal seatbelt that had once kept them from falling out and his right gripped Roy's hard, nearly breaking Roy's fingers with it's strength. Ed's feet dangled from the cart and then it was over, and they were thrown back into their seat, Mustang crushing Edward with sheer muscle mass.

The Roller Coaster screeched to a stop, throwing Roy and Ed out of their seats and onto the track. They fell from the open holes in the track to the ground below, which just happened to be only a few yards; their luck saving them from a tremendous fall and a painful death. Roy's breath came out and he gasped, eyes open with horror. Then he turned to the side and threw up, hacking up any food he consumed that day. After that he spit out the bile from his mouth and turned to his companion, frightened for him. The young Alchemist was busy puking his guts up, blood and vomit mixing. He wiped his mouth, cradling his Automail arm as if it pained him. Then he heaved again, a number of spasms taking over his body before he hurled again, this time more blood than anything. The strong metallic smell of gore filled the air, and Roy gagged as the vile smell of vomit reached his nostrils.

"Sir! Where are you? Edward? Edward! Where are you two?" Hawkeye called frantically. Her figure coming into view and he tried weakly to call out, but instead groaned and began to gag again, clutching his empty stomach in pain.

"Oh my god! Over here, they're over here!" She called out to the others, jogging over swiftly. She knelt in front of him, subtly avoiding the mess he left, and took his face into her hands, turning it side by side, working his jaw to see if it were broken. He made a weak sound of protest, and pointed over to Fullmetal, looking up at her to see if she got the message. Her lips were in a tight thin line, but she nodded and stood up, walking over to him and crouching before him.

Mustang's gut clenched as he say the extent of Edward's injuries. His Automail arm was bleeding at the port, blood quickly dripping to the ground in a puddle, shining as the grim light bounced of it. His right cheekbone was swollen, turning a grotesque black and green, his eye swelling shut. Roy watched as Riza forced Ed's shirt up, surprised to see his shake his head profusely, despite the immense pain he must have been in.

"Damn," He said, clutching his stomach and gasping despite the intense minutes that had passed.

"Boss, god you look like crap! What the hell happened?" A familiar voice remarked, and Havoc appeared a few seconds later, getting on his knees at the side of him and pulling his hand away from his stomach, sliding it over Jeans shoulders, wrapping his hand around Roy's waist and rising up.

The sound of puking caused his to look at Ed, in time to see him vomit a pile of blood as Riza tried to get him onto his feet. A loud moan followed and Mustang winced, feeling guilty and worried for the runty teenager's health. The rest came running towards them, carrying small hand weapons, paramedics following after them.

Roy felt dead as he was placed in the ambulance, right next to a reluctant Edward Elric, his breath was hoarse and his chest hurt, he barely made a protest as the Paramedic placed an oxygen mask onto his face.

One thing he knew for sure was that he was never going to an Amusement Park again.