Sight for the Sightless

Disclaimer: Moje ime je Anemone. I'm learning Croatian, and I do not own Fullmetal Alchemist.

Desperation emanated off of Roy Mustang. It filled the empty room in the back of his house, making the air thick and musky. Even though he was panicked, his movements were sure and precise as his fingers etched an array into the floorboards.

It had been two days, one hour and ten minutes since Lieutenant Hawkeye had come into the office and given him the news.

"Sir," she had said as she picked up a freshly signed stack of paperwork, "I've just received word that Alphonse Elric is back in Risembool. In his human body." Sherry eyes held happy relief, but her tone was grim.

"What about-?" The General began, but she cut him off.

"There hasn't been any sign of Edward, Sir." Her eyes were downcast, voice low and quivering slightly with emotion. "Alphonse was brought to the Rockbells roughly three days ago."

His eyes had gone wide, fingers snapping the pen in his hand into a broken mess of plastic and ink. He knew that, to get Al's body back, Ed had sacrificed himself. Because Ed was selfless. The rest of the day was spent making preparations.

It had now been five days, ten hours and thirty-two minutes since Roy had last seen Edward Elric.

Now, here he was, drawing an array so similar to the one he had seen smeared with blood in the Elrics' basement so long ago. He finished the last piece to the complex circle, offering pleas to whatever higher power was out there, and stepped to the edge of the white outline.

The instant his palms touched the floor, Roy felt the swirl of alchemic energy. Rays of yellow and blue light filled the room, enveloping him. Coal eyes widened as a giant eye blinked out of the center of the array, shooting out little black hands from its pupil.

Grabby, greedy little fingers tugged at his long-sleeved black shirt and dark trousers. Roy didn't resist as he was pulled into the iris.

"Well, well, what do we have here?"

The hands pulled Roy to face a white humanoid form. He was surrounded by a blindingly white mist which swirled around two stone doors. Wonderstruck for an instant, all he could do was absorb his surroundings.

"Come now, Alchemist, I know you can speak." The thing said.

Roy snapped to awareness, straightening his posture and summoning all his authority. "I don't really care who or what you are-."

"I go by many names," the thing said, completely ignoring Roy. "I am the Universe. I am One. I am All. I am Truth."

'Well, it does make it easier if I have something to call it,' Roy thought.

He continued on as if Truth hadn't interrupted. "You have something I want."

Truth scoffed. "Now that's just silly. What could I possibly have?"

"Edward Elric, the Fullmetal Alchemist." Roy's voice was cold, eyes hard, as he demanded, "Return him."

"Oh, him," Truth gave a dismissive shrug. "I'm afraid I can't do that. He paid the price. Equivalent Exchange. Surely you can understand that."

Roy Mustang wanted nothing more than to punch the white form in the face. Instead, he clenched his fists at his sides and, with a calm voice, said, "Name your price."

A wide grin crawled across Truth's lips. A small chuckle bubbled up in its throat as it stepped closer to the black-haired man.

A slight shift of the mattress and tug of blankets pulled Roy from a vivid dream. He had dreamed of That Day. The day he had pulled Edward from beyond the Gate and brought him back to Amestris – back to him – where he belonged. Those memories often plagued him on rainy nights such as the previous one.

He rolled from his back onto his side, not yet ready to start the day, and pulled the cause of his disrupted slumber to him.

"Mmm, too early." Edward's voice was muffled by a pillow.

Roy said nothing, just burrowed his nose into Ed's soft hair, smelling apple shampoo and the tang of sweat and late-night sex. He heaved a contented sigh and tugged the blankets tighter around them, keeping his eyes closed.

Slowly, his fingers dragged through Edward's hair, down his neck and along his spine. This action was repeated several times before an irritated automail hand slapped him away.

"Quit it. Sleeping," Edward grumbled, clearly not a morning person.

Roy smirked, then moved his nose from those silky locks, tilting his head back. He steeled himself for the onslaught of sunlight that was pouring in from the window. He could feel its warmth, and he knew that it was just biding its time, waiting for him to open his eyes.

Slowly, his eyes slid open.

His face scrunched in a bewildered expression. "What time is it, Ed?" He asked, poking the younger male in the ribs when he received a mumble of profanities.

Edward shifted, pulling himself into a half-sitting position. "Eight in the morning. Who the fuck gets up at eight in the fucking morning?"

"Sane people, usually." Roy murmured, mind boggling. He knew the sun was up. He could feel its warmth coiling around him like a cobra around its prey. "Are the curtains drawn?" He asked, knowing that, if they were, he wouldn't be able to feel the sun this warmly.

"…No." Ed said after a moment.

"Huh," Was Roy's dumbfounded response.

"Are you okay?" Concern was clear in Ed's voice. He sat up, taking Roy's hand with his flesh one.

"…Yeah," Roy said after a minute's pause. "I just can't-."And then the memory hit with the force of a bomb blast.

"You want him back, do you?" Truth questioned, sneer leaking into its tone.

"Of course." Roy said as if it were the most obvious thing, looking at Truth as if it were the stupidest thing in all of Creation.

With a small snap of white fingers, those small shadowy hands appeared. In their grasp was Edward. Roy bit back his anger.

"For the return of your State Alchemist," the white form gestured to Ed who was being restrained and gagged by the hands, "I shall require your sight."

"Take it," he didn't hesitate, didn't pause to consider the consequences. His gaze was focused on Edward who had begun to struggle for freedom. "Just release him first."

With another snap, Truth obeyed his demand. Edward fell to the floor on his hands and knees, and Roy rushed forward, scooping him into his arms.

"C-Colonel?" Edward stammered, disbelieving, and Roy didn't care about correcting his rank.

"Do I look like your commanding officer right now, Edward?" Those dark eyes bore into amber ones. So much emotion was held in that gaze as Roy clutched the boy against his chest.

"Roy," the blond breathed, arms wrapping around the older man.

"I thought I'd lost you," Roy's voice was choked with emotion as he held the younger man close to him.

Ed's body shook with unshed tears. "I was terrified," he confessed, all bravery crumbling away at the sight of his lover.

A snicker caused both gazes to snap back to the center of the void. "What a touching reunion," Truth's voice was mocking. "But I believe it is time for my payment."

Roy's gaze locked back onto Ed. If he was going to give up his sight, he wanted this face to be the last thing he saw.

Golden eyes were transfixed as those dark pools of onyx turned to a dark shade of gray.

He saw a flicker of red and gold before Roy's world went black.

"It's been three years. You'd think I would've gotten used to this by now," Roy sighed. 'You'll never get used to it,' his mind whispered.

"I'm sorry." Edward's voice held a weight of sadness.

Roy snapped out of his inner pity party. "Do not blame yourself, Edward." His gunmetal gray eyes were fierce as he looked in the youth's general direction. "I chose to give up my sight to save you. You had no say in the matter."

"But-." The guilt Edward felt was clear in his tone.

"No buts." Roy's voice was firm. He put an end to the discussion by untangling himself from the covers and standing up.

"Where're you going?" At the pout in Ed's voice, Roy debated crawling back into bed for a cuddling session.

The stabbing pain in his head quickly put a halt to those plans. "Coffee," he said, rubbing his temple.

( ) ( ) ( )

To Be Continued.

AN: I've noticed that there are a lot of fics in which characters lose their sight. I decided, since I'm an actual visually impaired girl, I could write stories like this like… Well, like a boss.