A/N: Hello again… This idea came when I thought about all the sick-Ed-and-Roy-taking-care-of-him fanfics. And well, I hope it was worth it. I wrote the rough draft of the whole story and now the final draft of the first chapter. I just hope you enjoy it. More parental will come on the later chapters. ;D

-Messed up timeline… I mean, there is Homunculi and Roy, Ed, Al know them. And they also know they are sacrifices. It's not really that important in the story but just to fill in gaps in the later chapters.

ENJOY!

Chapter 1: Attack

"Hello?" Ed answered the phone in front of the hotel lobby.

"Hello, Fullmetal, you need to bring me your report by tomorrow."

"Oh yeah… I'll bring it today. See ya."

Ed slammed the receiver down without waiting for a response. He sighed. He could already imagine the Colonel yelling at him on the other end.

The Colonel bastard was already going to give him a headache when he got there anyway. Edward didn't need him to rant over the phone.

He put the paper he'd written about his previous boring mission and inserted it into an envelope. Sealing the top, he wrote his name on the corner.

"Al?" Ed called to his brother who was reading a book. He replied without looking up.

"Yeah?"

"Colonel wants the report. After that, I was thinking we should go to Dublith. To teacher. I have a few questions I want to ask."

Al looked up. "Sounds good."

"Alright. Go to the station and buy the tickets. I'll meet you there after I give in the dumb report."

Al stood up, nodding his head. "Okay, brother."

Ed left his red coat in the inn, not bothering to wear it since it was pretty warm outside. He folded the envelope and put it in his pocket. He waved off the his brother as he began walking towards Eastern Center.

He suddenly got a weird feeling. His eyes widened as he looked behind him. He took a few steps backwards and checked the streets, the alley and the windows. Since he didn't see anything or anyone suspicious, he continued on his way.

But never had the thought to look at the roofs of houses…

There was only one soldier in front of the main entrance. And he was sitting on the floor, eating.

Oh yeah… It's lunch time, I forgot.

"Major Elric." The soldier stood up saluting him. Ed saluted him back and walked inside. It was silent as always. But this time, the murmurs that usually surrounded the corridors where missing. Everybody was in the dining hall. Edward had had his breakfast late that day. And he didn't usually eat lunch. He didn't have time for an extra meal. He had things to do.

Now I have to wait for him to get back.

He still had the annoying sensation in the pit of his stomach like someone was following him. Ed usually trusted his instincts, but the halls were empty. He pushed the thought on the back of his head, ignoring it completely. Ed walked into the Colonel's office, which was of course empty and flopped down on his favorite couch.

Why can't I just leave it here and go?

But he knew he couldn't do that. If he did, the next time he came, the Colonel bastard would have prepared a longer speech for him. There was nothing he could do but wait.

Ed felt a presence behind him and jumped away just before a vase connected with his head. He stood up, positioning himself to fight as he stared at his attacker.

It was most likely a man, judging by the muscles on his arm. Dirty blond hair showed behind the plain black mask that covered his entire face.

The attacker dropped the vase on the floor, which rolled until it hit the feet of the couch.

"So I was right. Someone was following me. And I was wondering when you'd make an appearance."

"You're observant." came the rough voice.

The man took out a dagger from his back pocket and threw it at Ed. Instead of dodging, Edward lifted up his right arm. The dagger connected with the metal with a pang and fell on the floor.

"Automail. I can see why your name is Fullmetal."

"Who are you and what do you want?" Ed yelled.

"I just want to kill you. That is all."

"And why? What have I done to you?"

"I'm afraid that has to stay as a secret until you die." This time, the attacker threw three daggers.

Edward didn't have a lot of space but he might still be able to dodge the blades.

One of them flew over his head as he kneeled. The other hit his automail arm. And the last one slashed his shoulder, making a cut as little as a paper cut.

"I'll keep dodging and then attack. Is that your plan?"

Ed felt dizzy. He put a hand on the wall to make sure he didn't fall. His limbs…he felt heavy. And weak.

"What did you..?"

Then he spotted it. One of the daggers on the floor, something glinted off its blade.

"I've tipped all the daggers with a paralysis agent. Soon you will not be able to move anymore. But the best part is that your nerves are still intact which means you can feel pain. This is my first time using this on someone so I'm not sure if you'll be able to talk. It's a little amount, so it should work for ten minutes or so. Which is all the time I need to accomplish my mission. Shall we begin?

Ed's knees trembled under him as he fell on his side. He blinked, trying to stop the spinning as the man walked towards him. He put a shaky hand on the floor to use to hoist himself up. But then the strength left him completely. His arm flopped down uselessly

The unknown attacker kneeled next to him, dark eyes showing behind the mask. He pushed Ed onto his back with one hand as he grabbed one of the daggers from the floor. He wiped the substance on his shirt and turned to the blond boy.

"You bastard…" Ed mumbled.

The man put the knife under Ed's throat.

"Should I end it quickly?"

Then he pointed it at Edward's chest where his heart is.

"Or should I let the blood spill from your heart?"

He brought the dagger back up, placing it next to the right side of Ed's neck.

"I'm guessing you won't die right away if I cut here. Unless I do it deep enough to cut the carotid artery…"

The man swiftly pulled the dagger through the right side of Ed's neck as he clenched his teeth in pain. He felt the warm liquid spilling under his head while he couldn't do anything to prevent it.

"Judging by the blood, I don't think I cut a major artery. But you'll be a goner in fifteen minutes at the most."

The attacker stood up and stabbed the bloody dagger on the wall. He calmly walked towards the window and burst it open.

"Goodbye, Edward Elric, the Fullmetal Alchemist."

And then he was gone.

"Hello?" Ed yelled, his voice sounding hoarse to his own ears already. He could towards the door. He couldn't move. "Anyone?" he tried again, trying to ignore the pain in his neck. He could feel the warm blood growing in a slow rate under him.

No one entered.

His eyes hovered around the clock above him.

Only five more minutes had left till the lunch break was over.

He felt sleepy. But he knew. If he closed his eyes then he might never wake up again. He stared back at the door, unable to do anything. He was hoping the effects would wear of soon. Hoping that the man he'd not really want to see would come.

Please… Hurry… I can't hold up much longer…"

"Yes, lieutenant. He told me he'd be here today. And then shut the phone to my face. That impolite little brat-"

Colonel Roy Mustang entered his office, only to freeze in shock.

On the right side of his room lay Edward, sprawled on the floor like a broken doll. He starred up at him as if he'd just woken up from his sleep. There was a bloody dagger on the wall above him, along with two others. And two other on the floor.

There was a dangerous amount of crimson blood on the ground, and it seemed to be spilling from Ed's neck.

How long had the kid been like this?

Edward's name played on his lips but no sound came out. Lieutenant Hawkeye stood behind him, also frozen.

"Colo…nel…" Ed said, his voice barely audible. Finally, Roy's senses kicked in.

"EDWARD!" Roy ran beside him, kicking the vase at his feet in process. "Lieutenant, prepare the car!" He heard quick footsteps fading in the distance.

"How long have you been lying here?" Roy asked, putting an armor under Ed's legs and another one under his neck as Ed gave a pained yelp.

"Five minutes…I think…" Ed whispered.

Roy basically dove inside the car, avoiding the looks of other soldiers. He noticed how Ed was despite the heaviness of the automail. Not that he looked at the front doors, he could see that the guards were nowhere to be found.

Damn it! What's happening?! Who did this?!

He slammed the door shut as Riza pressed on the pedal.

"I feel… very sleepy..." Edward mumbled, eyes closed half-way.

"No!" Roy yelled, trying not to sound too frantic and worried. "You are not sleeping Fullmetal! That is an order!"

The amount of blood Ed was losing had begun to scare him. He had gently pressed the sleeve of his coat in a vain attempt to stop the bleeding.

Ed clutched Roy's uniform. "Then don't let me." He closed his eyes. Roy filled with sudden panic once again as his heart beat against his chest.

"NO, NO, NO!" he began shaking him gently. "Wake up! Don't you dare!"

Edward opened his eyes, remembering something. Roy saw his hand slowly move to his pocket as he took out an envelope.

"The report…" he muttered, holding his hand out. "For you."

Roy stared at it, dumbfounded. "You idiot! You're bleeding to death yet you're still at that?! Screw the damn report!" he snatched the envelope from his hand, and put it in the back of the car. Leaving bloody fingerprints on it, it looked like some sort of dying message.

He shuddered.

"Al…"

"What?"

"He's waiting…at the station…Tickets…for Dublith…Can you tell him?"

Of course, that's what he'd be thinking about.

"Shh, save your breath. I'll tell him. Just don't fall asleep, alright?"

Ed gave a pained groan which probably meant okay.

"Do you know who did it?" Roy asked after a brief silence.

"No…" Ed whispered. His arm fell to the side and his eyes closed.

"Damn it!"

The blood had totally soaked the cloth by now. Sure, there were no cuts on his main artery but still…

Roy sprinted out of the car as soon as it stopped. He ran inside, laying Edward on a stretcher. "He's lost a lot of blood. Hurry up!" he yelled, unaware of Lieutenant Hawkeye silently standing behind him.

"He said his brother was at the station. Tell him, Lieutenant."

"Alright, sir."

Riza turned around and left a worried Roy Mustang in the observation room.

Soon later, Roy turned his head from the operation as he heard the clanking of metal. Alphonse ran inside, staring inside at his brother.

"Brother…Colonel, what happened? He…what? When did..?" Al said, frantic.

"Al, I'm sorry. When lieutenant and I came back, he was on the floor…bleeding. He stayed conscious the whole ride, but he…"

Stop sounding like that, you idiot. You have to be strong. Don't be stupid.

"It's alright, Alphonse." He continued after a pause. "He'll be alright. He dealt with a bunch of other things. Like automail surgery He'll pull through plus he has you. And us…"

"Yeah…" Al answered without taking his eyes away from the operation.

Why? Who would do this?

Questions ran inside Roy's head. He glanced at the boy sitting next to him. Even though he didn't have a body and Roy couldn't see his face expression, he could feel the worry radiating from Alphonse.

Why was it that it was always them who had unfortunate things happening to them? Was it fair?

This wasn't like any other hospital visit. This injury hadn't been caused because Edward had fought with someone on a mission or stuck his nose into dangerous business while searching for the Stone. This time he hadn't been reckless.

Someone had actually tried to assassinate him.

And for what reason?

Roy sighed.

The old doctor removed his glasses as he walked out of the room. They could see Ed inside, breathing, but they just had to ask.

"His condition was critic when he first arrived, but now he's been stabilized. It's a good thing we had a pint of his blood type. It was our last one, I guess he was lucky. If you had brought him five minutes later, then he'd be dead. We can let him out in five days. The cut isn't that bad either. So…you want to see him or what?"

They all ran inside after these words, but of course Alphonse was the first to sit beside his brother's bed. Edward's face was in a scowl, as if having a bad dream. There was an I.V. going up his left arm and the covers were up to his waist, despite the heat in the room. There were tourniquets wrapped around his neck.

After a while, Ed stirred and opened his eyes, immediately bringing his automail arm to block out the light.

He looked at the person holding his hand and immediately propped himself up on one elbow.

"Alphonse! No one tried to kill you, right? Are you okay?" Ed asked frantically.

"No brother. You're the only one." Al said as he gently pushed Ed back on the pillow.

"Thank goodness." He sighed in relief as he turned to Roy and Hawkeye. "Thank you."

They just merely smiled.

Maes Hughes came bursting through the door.

"Hey Ed! I heard what happened!"

Roy stared at Hawkeye and she shook her head.

"How are you?"

"Fine really, just a headache."

"Doesn't seem fine when I look at Roy's uniform." He retorted cheerfully.

Roy looked down at his blue military uniform to find that it was almost completely blood-soaked.

Well that's going to take some time to clean.

"How long till I get out this time?" Ed asked, touching the bandage on his neck, wincing.

"Five days." Alphonse answered.

Ed scowled but didn't protest.

"Put that aside, why don't you tell us what happened?" Hughes asked, taking out a notebook and a pen as he sat on Edward's bed.

Ed sighed.

"Colonel called me in the morning to tell me about my report. So I told him I'd be there."

"You shut the phone to my face." Roy cut him.

"Whatever. So then I told Al to buy tickets for Dublith. When I came, everyone was off to lunch so I just walked in our office and sat on the couch. There was only five minutes left of the lunch break so I didn't bother going in the dining hall. Then this guy in a black mask tried to hit me with a vase."

"Description?" Hughes asked again.

"He was a man, well-built and had dirty blond hair. He was also pretty tall. Anyways, when I dodged he started throwing daggers at me. I asked him who he was and why and he just said he wanted to kill me."

Roy raised his eyebrows.

"Aren't you trained in combat?"

Edward rolled his eyes.

"Yeah but then one of the daggers cut me on the arm." He said pointing at the little red cut.

"That looks like a paper cut." Hawkeye said.

Ed scowled again and looked away. "That's the thing. He said he tipped the daggers with…paralysis agent. He said it was some sort of serum that wouldn't knock you out but make you unable to move. And you still could feel, see and hear everything. And then I fell on the floor unable to move till he decided how he was going to kill me. Cowardly bastard…"

Al gasped along with Hawkeye.

Hughes stopped writing as Roy stared at Ed.

Paralysis agent. He had learned about it in the military academy. What a perfect way to torture somebody.

Roy felt something snap inside him. He imagined Ed, lying on the ground, helpless, unable to move as a crazy psychopath cut your neck. The word helpless didn't fit Edward. And it never would.

And you bleed to death while no one comes to your help.

Edward had only been admitted to the military two years ago. A kid of thirteen (1) shouldn't go through that much torture. But well, Edward never acted like a kid.

"You will be assigned some guards. It won't take long for that guy to figure out you aren't dead. And he'll eventually come back."

Ed groaned in anger. "Why does this have to happen again? Another week at the hospital with no personal space… There's Alphonse here with me."

"Still Ed, you never know what the attacker's up to." Hughes said placing the notebook in his pocket. "Thanks for the information."

"Uh huh."

"Well, Fullmetal. I'll get going now. There is a ton of paperwork waiting me at the office. And I command you stay here for five whole days."

Ed gave him a glare that soon turned to a smirk.

"Good luck with the paperwork." he said. "And all the blood in your office."

(1) I know that Ed is supposed to be fourteen if he joined the military two years ago since he joined when he was twelve. But you'll learn why in the later chapters…

A/N: I never thought the first chapter would be so long! Anyways I'll update next week or maybe sooner… Hehe... Next chapter is where the actual parental starts! Well I mean… (look at the plot) XD.. This story will be so fun to write.

THANKS FOR READING AND REVIEWS ARE APPRECIATED!