Oh goodness, another update? Clearly, the end of the world is upon us.

I don't own FMA, if I did, I'd be a cow...not sure how I'd feel about that. Enjoy?

The walk back to the house seemed even longer than the one they had taken to look for Roy. Ed kept his eyes forward and his feet seemed to be on autopilot since receiving the news from Mustang. He tried his best to sort through his thoughts and figure out another way to obtain a cure for Winry and anyone else that needed it, for that matter.

Al was also thinking of the condition of their childhood friend. He had seen how the Colonel averted his eyes when he spoke with both he and his brother. Usually, he was very straightforward with Ed at least, probably because it was just how they had come to know each other, almost like a father and son. It wasn't as if Ed would ever admit it, though.

"That bastard," Ed muttered, proving Al's point that he had made inwardly. The young blonde absentmindedly kicked the dirt beneath his feet. He couldn't remember the last time he had been this upset, even with Roy.

The heat dragged on, causing Ed to wipe the sweat from his brow to stop it from reaching his eyes. He knew that Roy had lied to them. He always did the same thing when he was hiding something; he would avoid looking Ed in the eye and talk out of both sides of his mouth, never giving a straight answer.

"I don't care what he says," he grumbled under his breath, "I'm finding a cure." he wasn't about to let his higher ups stop him. He never had before, and he sure as hell wasn't about to start now.

At last, the yellow house upon the hill came into view, causing Ed's stomach to churn. How would he tell the Rockbells that he hadn't found anything yet? Not that he was going to give up, but he was feeling pretty low at the moment.

Stepping into the house, he saw that there was a small piece of paper on the door. It was a note from Granny Pinako.

Hello, boys,

since you're reading this, it means you're home. I'm glad, because Winry needed more medicine that I had to pick up for her. She assured me that she would be alright alone, but please look after her. I'm counting on you.

-Granny Pinako

Ed raised a brow slightly, wondering why she hadn't just waited until the brothers had gotten there. Then again, relying on them to be in one place at a certain time was like pulling teeth. The elder brother shrugged it off, walking the rest of the way into the house and turning on a light since the sun had began to set.

His eyes widened. His heart was racing and for a moment, he couldn't move or speak.

"Winry!" he exclaimed, running to the side of the girl, who was collapsed on the ground, a small wound on her head bleeding. "Al, get some wet and dry rags!" The younger brother nodded briefly, rushing to do as he was told whilst Ed lifted Winry on to the couch. Examining the wound, he noticed that it wasn't all that bad and the bleeding had stopped. She had more than likely fallen, though she at first looked as if she had been attacked. Just to reassure himself, he checked her pulse and breathing. All of her vitals checked out, though her heart beat was a bit slow for his liking.

A moment later, Al came into the room with the rags and handed them to Ed who proceeded to clean off Winry's forehead carefully. All of a sudden, something clicked in his brain, causing him to stop in his actions. It was what Winry had told him before...about what would happen towards the end...

"A comatose state," he whispered almost incoherently. He clenched his jaw, shaking his head. No, he refused to believe that. It couldn't have happened yet, she probably just fainted from the fever or the medicine. Be became frustrated, since he couldn't even go to a doctor now, since she would be put into quarantine. Taking her away from him wasn't an option.

Shaking off the feeling of helplessness, he continued to clean her wound, dabbing it dry once he did so. A knock at the front door interrupted the elder brother's thoughts. He was instantly on guard. Whoever was behind that door couldn't have been good. He tried ignoring it, but the knock came again in a few moments in the form of pounding.

"In the name of the military, we have a warrant to search this house under the suspicions that on occupant is ill," came a voice from the outside. That was the last straw for Ed.

"Al," began Ed, "go upstairs and guard Winry. Hide her in your armor if you have to. I'll take care of the morons..." The younger brother nodded and took himself and Winry upstairs, leaving Ed to answer the door.

He opened it, wanting to do so before they broke in. "Can I help you?" he questioned in the calmest manner that he could stomach. There was still venom dropping from his voice as he spoke.

One of the officers spoke up a bit timidly. "We've been given the right and order to search this home and examine its occupants under the grounds that the ill must be quarantined and-"

"Yeah yeah, I heard all of that," Ed said, cutting him off. "And who ordered that this house be searched?" If the officer said Colonel Mustang, heads were going to roll.

"Um," staggered the young man, "First Lieutenant Rutherford." The other officers nodded in agreement, looking as official and threatening as possible.

"I see," Ed replied, leaning against the door frame and casually pulling out his silver pocket watch, flashing it at the three men. From the looks of their uniforms, none of them were a higher rank than Private, so Ed was able to do the thing that he hated most; pull rank.

"Do me a favor and tell Lieutenant Rutherford that if he tries to search this house again, I'll personally see to it that he and all of his men are court marshaled," he said, eying each officer, "under the order of Major Edward Elric, the Fullmetal Alchemist." And with that, he smirked, slamming the door in their faces and leaving them dumbfounded.

Though he hated himself for it, his smirk wasn't that of his own. It was to much like Mustang's. He was glad that he had the power to do what he had just done, though. Normally, Ed wouldn't go on a power trip like that, but it had been the first time that his rank in the military had actually been of any use to him.

Just to be safe, he locked the door. Any customers that came by right now couldn't be helped anyway. With that, he made his way up the stairs quickly to check on Winry. When he arrived in her room, he told Al that he could relax, since the younger Elric had taken it upon himself to stand in front of the doorway, nearly attacking Ed from the surprise of the door opening. The elder brother sat down in the same chair that he had earlier and put his left hand over Winry's forehead.

"Damn," he muttered, removing his hand and slamming his fist into his leg out of frustration. "Her fever's not that bad..."

Al was thoroughly confused at this point. "How is that a bad thing, brother?" he asked, not understanding Ed's logic, par usual.

"I was hoping that she had fainted from the fever," he explained, though he doubted his brother would understand that either. He checked Winry's vital signs once again and noticed that her pulse was still weak and sluggish. "No..." he whispered, clenching his fists before suddenly standing. He couldn't help it, his anger was in control and he could only see red. "NO!" As he shouted, he picked up the chair that he had been sitting in and threw it against the opposite wall, just barely missing Winry's oversized tool box. How could this have happened? She had been alright when they left, they had been talking...It felt as if a nightmare was engulfing Ed, taking his hopes with him.

Al hesitantly moved towards his brother in an attempt to calm him. "Brother, you shouldn't get so angry," he started but was quickly interrupted.

"This is my fault, I have every right to be mad!" he shouted, glaring daggers at Al. He was only angry at himself, but Al still backed off. His brother's gaze was hardly ever so intense.

"Maybe if you just explain to me why you're suddenly so upset, I could help you," Al offered quietly. Ed's head dropped slightly, his bangs casting a shadow over his eyes.

"I'm losing her, Al," he told him, his voice shaking. "This is the last symptom in the disease before..." he paused, not even willing to sting his tongue with the acid that those words would bring. Ed's throat ached and his stomach twisted. He felt nauseous, so he sat down on the cold hardwood floor, considering he didn't have a chair anymore.

Just as he was actually beginning to get a few deep breaths, there was another knock at the door. Hoping that it would just be a customer this time, Ed stood up and headed down the stairs to answer the door. He unlocked it and swung it open rather violently. His nostrils flared and his lips curled at the sight.

There, standing with a cool, blasé expression, was none other than Colonel Roy Mustang.

Oh, what could possibly go wrong! I wonder if Roy will keep his teeth through this encounter. Ed might have something to say about it...

Reviews are much appreciated~!