Reread this all last night and found many errors. Hopefully, I caught them all. Please enjoy the new and improved mildly edited version of this story.

Chapter 1

Roy was sick and tired of hunting this guy down. He was a rogue alchemist, quite powerful and stirring up heaps of trouble, and the young Colonel had chased the man all the way from Central to Dublith. Charles Shultz was his name, a man who had joined the military as a State Alchemist in the Ishbal war, before deserting and then eventually popping up again to cause trouble all over Central. And Roy had been fitted with the unfortunate task to bring him in.

Dublith was far more rural than Central, with dusty streets and kids that ran around barefoot-he doubted there was even a school around here. Most of the citizens treated him with a cold tolerance; it was clear that the majority of the people here disliked the military and all of its factions. But what the people thought of him didn't matter. Roy had a job to do, a job that would probably lead him into the next city anyway.

"Have you seen this man?" Roy asked for the umpteenth time, holding up the photo but only to receive a rude negative in response. He sighed.

"I doubt he's still in the city," Hawkeye spoke up. She had been at his side during the entire operation, never once voicing a complaint about how this was all one massive wild-goose chase.

"Hm," Roy muttered in reply. All the trains were under intense security, and all other roads were guarded as well. Shultz would be hard pressed to get a ride out of here. Which meant either he was doing an excellent job at hiding, or he really was somewhere outside the city. Maybe he found some other way to get to the next town, or perhaps he was simply hiding out in the forest for a few days. That was when Roy received a tip that smoke had been spotted rising from a tiny island in the middle of a lake, a mile or so outside the city. York Island, it was called (why they bothered naming something so small was beyond him) and the informant had been a fisherman who often worked in the area. Of course, the man hadn't bothered with letting any authorities know that he had seen smoke coming from an uninhabited island. "Not my business," he grunted in reply. "But I'll take you out there, for a pretty coin." Roy thanked him and set for the island immediately.

Roy slipped on his ignition gloves as they pulled ashore, careful to not get them wet as he stepped out. "Lieutenant, check around the perimeter," he said to Hawkeye. "Look for his boat, or any sign that he's already gone."

"Yes sir," Hawkeye replied, pulling her gun from her holster and setting out towards the left. It was probably only a mile across, two all the way around, and it wouldn't take her long to finish her inspection.

"Stay here," Roy ordered the fisherman, who shrugged and pulled out a pipe. Flexing his fingers, he headed for the treeline.

It was a pretty stupid move, setting himself up on an island. Roy wondered what Shultz's ploy was as he slowly scanned the trees. Something alchemy related? Roy's thoughts briefly flashed to Hawkeye, and he hoped she was alright. She was an excellent fighter, and the sharpest shot in probably all of Amestris. But Shultz was quite creative with his alchemy, and there was only so much a bullet could do against the powerful science.

Roy pulled out his gun, hoping that it would be sufficient and he wouldn't need his gloves (though he did keep them on, just in case). He really didn't want to set the whole island ablaze, but he would if he had to. He hoped Shultz hadn't slipped away already, halfway to the next city over and leaving Roy in the dust. He was really going to enjoy throwing this guy in a cell.

There was a rustle, and Roy whirled around, gun cocked, just in time to see a small boy leap from the foliage, a sharpened stick extended. He looked ready to impale a rabbit that scurried underfoot, when suddenly he noticed the stranger before him and dropped his makeshift weapon in surprise. Unfortunately, Roy had his gun raised, expecting an attack, and despite lowering it, the boy looked absolutely terrified. What in the name of-

"I'm sorry!" the boy quickly squealed, holding up his hands and backing up. He eyed the gun warily and said, "Please don't hurt me!"

Quickly, Roy put the gun away, and went to kneel in front of the little boy. "It's okay," he said, "I won't hurt you. You just startled me." The boy stopped edging backwards, but there was still fear evident in his golden eyes. "How did you get here?" Roy asked. Only years of military training kept him so straightforward in such a bizarre situation. "Where are you parents?" Maybe he's on a camping trip? "Is anyone else on the island with you?"

The boy's eyes widened, and he quickly shook his head. "N-no! It's just me." He still looked terrified, as if he was still expecting Roy to do something to him. Not only that, but a closer inspection showed a vague savagery about him. His clothes were dirty and ratted, hair greasy and face all scratched up and bruised. He was missing a shoe, and half of his shirt had been replaced by a large leaf.

Doing his best to put on a friendly smile (Roy was so not good with kids) he said, "Hey, don't worry now. I'll get you back to your parents. I'm Colonel Mustang. What's your name?"

"E-Edward," he answered. "And...I don't have any parents."

"Oh…" How the hell did this kid get here? "Do you have a guardian?" he asked next. At Edward's confused look, he said, "Who takes care of you?"

"Well, Granny Pinako usually, but that was back in Resembool."

"Did you run away?" This seemed like the most logical explanation, since Resembool was a ways away, except that still didn't explain how he ended up on the island.

Edward shook his head. "No, she knows I'm here." There wasn't any resentment in the boy's eyes, but that didn't mean anything. His grandmother knowingly knew he was on an uninhabited island by himself and didn't care? Looks like Roy's job just got a little more complicated. "Am I in trouble?" Edward asked when he saw the look on his face.

"No, no, you're not in trouble," Roy assured him. "You don't have to worry anymore. I'll get you out of here." Edward looked confused as Mustang stood, removing his gloves and replacing them in his pocket. "Come on, I have a boat waiting," he said, and turned to go, but Edward didn't move.

"I can't leave yet," he said. "Sensei will come get u- me in a few days. I'm almost done."

"You can't stay here all by yourself," Roy told, not quite sure what the boy was talking about, or why he would ever want to stay here. Again, he wondered how he even got here. "Come on," he prodded as gently as he could, reaching out to grasp Edward's hand. He began pulling him towards the beach, the boy offering minimal resistance. He looked like he was afraid to make Roy angry, but also equally afraid of leaving.

"Wait!" he cried. "I have to stay here!" Roy really had no idea what was wrong with this boy, but there was no way he was just going to leave a little kid out and alone. He looked like he was barely eight, for heaven's sake.

Edward kept making similar exclamations, his tugging becoming more insistent. Roy tried to reason with him once more before giving up when the child suddenly became dead weight. With an annoyed sigh, Roy hauled him up, throwing him over his shoulder and carrying him the rest of the way back. Edward kicked a few times until he held his legs down, and then he simply clung to his military jacket, struggling to push himself up but not quite managing.

When they finally came out onto the beach, Hawkeye had just finished her rounds, gun back in her holster, a salute ready and mouth open to report when she noticed the squirming child on Roy's shoulder. The Colonel set him down once they reached the boat, and Edward made a dash for it. He made it approximately three steps before Roy's hand shot out and caught him by the arm.

"Uh, sir…" Hawkeye trailed off, confusion and vague amusement in her eyes (she'll probably never let the whole carrying bit go).

"I found the source of our smoke," Roy sighed in explanation. The fisherman cocked an amused eyebrow at the boy, but said nothing, simply continued to huff on his pipe. "Let's get out of here, Lieutenant," he said, and refrained from adding This was a waste of time. In finding Shultz, it certainly was, but at the very least, a little boy wasn't stuck on an island all by himself anymore. Even if he was a bit of a hassle. He didn't know that fearful eyes watched from the brush as Roy lifted Edward into the boat, that another little boy broke down into tears as they began rowing away. Alphonse was all alone.

-0-

Edward kept looking back nervously at the island, looking like he had half a mind to jump out and swim back. Roy wondered what actually happened to the kid, but he didn't look up to talking very much. Hawkeye was, of course, still completely confused, while the fisherman seemed completely unperturbed by Roy's strange find. Eventually, Hawkeye spoke up, Roy's brief explanation obviously not satisfying.

"Hello," Hawkeye started, giving Edward a warm smile. "My name is Lieutenant Hawkeye. But you can just call me Riza. Can I know your name?"

"Edward," he mumbled in reply. "But...you can just call me Ed."

"Alright then Ed. Can you tell me why you were on that island?"

The boy twisted his fingers nervously, and looked back at the slowly shrinking trees. "I need to go back," he replied stubbornly.

Hawkeye raised a confused eyebrow to Roy, who only shrugged in response. Parents? she mouthed, and he shook his head. Lips pursed, her turned her attention back to Ed. "Why do you need to go back?" she asked him gently.

"Because...it's a test," he answered. "Sensei said that if w- I survived on the island for a month and solved her riddle, then she'd teach me alchemy."

Alchemy? Roy knew that some masters had...interesting techniques when it came to teaching, but to do so with a tiny, helpless kid? Roy understood the merits in the "punch 'em till they punch back" type of learning, but what did surviving an island for a month have anything to do with alchemy? Maybe the intent was for Ed to use alchemy to help him survive, except that would more be a 'final test' type of exercise, rather than the admissions exam. Besides, there's no way a kid this young who hasn't even begun his 'real' training could know and have the skill to perform such kinds of transmutations. Roy began to suspect that this 'Sensei' of Ed's might be a bit senile.

"So, you're...sensei left you there," Hawkeye summed up, a frown on her face.

Ed nodded. "And you have to take me back!"

"We can't take you back, Ed," she told him firmly. Roy could almost imagine all the protocols they would be breaking, the lawsuit they could face for purposefully putting a child back in danger.

"Then can you take me back to Sensei?" he asked instead. Oh, yes. Take him back to the crazy lady who left a little child by himself on an uninhabited island for a month. Did nobody care about these things in Dublith?

"We're going to take you to the military headquarters here," Roy told him. "You can stay there until Lieutenant Hawkeye and I finish up here, and then we'll take you back to Central. You'll get taken care of there."

"Oh," Ed muttered glumly. His shoulders slumped and he stared back at the island for the rest of the trip.

Hawkeye scooted closer to Roy and whispered, "Central, sir?"

He nodded. "Considering what Edward told us, I don't quite trust the social services here. He said he came all the way from Resembool."

"Ah...should we do something about his sensei?"

"Hm…" Roy glanced back at Ed, who was still staring off into the distance. "Maybe just keep an eye on her. Make sure she doesn't terrorize any more children." Hawkeye nodded and he turned around, calling, "Edward. What's your sensei's name?"

The boy looked up at him, eyes narrowed. "Why?"

"We just want to make sure everything turns out okay," Roy told him. Not a lie. Not really.

Ed crossed his arms and glared at him. "You think it was bad, that Sensei left me on the island. But I think I get it now. It has to do with her riddle." He mentioned a riddle earlier. Roy had no idea what he meant, but it was clear that they'd get no further with him.

"Or, we could just ignore the sensei and hope for the best," Roy murmured with a sigh, running a hand over his face. If he really wanted to, he supposed he could find the sensei. Eventually. But it really wasn't worth the time or resources. They still had a certain rogue alchemist to catch, after all.

-0-

Roy could see most of the bar from his position in the alley, but Shultz kept moving in and out of his view. Whatever was going on in there, he really wasn't sure. The alchemist was probably trying to bribe his way out of the city or find himself a hideout until things blow over. He didn't know the military had found him yet. That was good.

Their informant had been a young woman, a real sleazy looking girl who had a constant glare in her hardened eyes and a demand for a reward on her lips. Roy told her she'd get her reward if the tip proved true. She hadn't liked that very much.

A signal from Hawkeye up on the roof told Roy that everyone was in position. The bar was surrounded, and Shultz had nowhere to run. With a nod, Roy slowly moved from his crouched position, ignition gloves on and gun ready. With civilians close by, this had to be handled very...delicately.

Roy inched closer as the undercover officer slipped inside the bar. She was pretty good, sidling right up to Shultz and acting like she came to sketchy places like this all the time (who knows, maybe she did). Roy edged to the door of the bar, another officer beside him and more ready at the back. The one inside tapped two fingers with her thumb in between against the back of her thigh; that was the signal. In the next moment, she had pulled her gun on Shultz and Roy burst into the room, his backup right behind him and several others pouring in from the back. A man ducked under a table and a woman in a red dress screamed. Roy barely had time to lift his gun when the transmutation circle on Shultz's hand lit up with energy. And suddenly half the bar had been blown apart.

Roy had to duck for cover, and by the time he was up again, Shultz had grabbed the woman in the red dress and was holding a gun to her head. "Back off!" he warned. "I swear to god, back off or she's dead!"

Nobody lowered their guns, but nobody moved closer either. Roy glared at the man. "There's nowhere for you to run, Shultz," he called to him. "Just come quietly, and no one has to get hurt."

Shultz seemed to notice him for the first time. He whirled on him with an angry snarl, pressing against the counter. "Colonel Mustang!" He spat out the title with unconcealed rage. "You murderer! I won't go back! You're a fool! Don't you see? I won't go back!" There was something like a wild fear in his eyes, and Roy had to wonder if the man finally went insane. "What happened in Ishbal...you murderer!"

"It was war, Shultz!" Roy shouted back, angry. He shouldn't let his words get to him. But it was getting late. He was exhausted. He had been chasing this guy for nearly three weeks. He just wanted to end this already and go to bed.

Forcing a calming breath, Roy lowered his gun a fraction of an inch and scooted just as much forward. Shultz pressed the gun closer to the woman's head, who was openly sobbing now. "Not another step!" he warned, but then his voice changed again. "It's all going to hell! You're a fool, Colonel Mustang! Die!" In an instant, the gun had moved from the woman to Roy with his finger about to pull the trigger, and suddenly a shot rang out...and Shultz fell to the ground, blood pouring from the hole in his head. Up on the rooftop, Hawkeye removed her rifle from its position and pulled the strap over her head, letting it to rest comfortably against her back.

Well...that settled that then.

-0-

It was very late by the time everything was cleared up and taken care of, and Roy was finally able to return back to military headquarters for some much needed rest. Hawkeye was a silent companion by his side, never mentioning what happened earlier. She did, however, flash him a brief, rueful smile, and a sigh that told him everything he needed to know. She got it. She understood. She fought in Ishbal just like him. Roy nodded to her in return.

They were halfway to the military dorms when a young private who looked vaguely familiar ran up to him, a panicked look on his face. Roy remembered him after a moment. He was the one he put in charge of watching Ed.

"Sir!" the private greeted quickly with a salute. "V-very sorry sir, but that boy you brought in disappeared!" He looked terrified to find out what Roy would do to him, his arm held up in a perfect salute and eyes staring straight ahead.

It took Roy about five seconds to comprehend what the young man was saying. And then his eyes widened in alarm and anger. "What?!" he demanded. "How did you manage to lose an eight year old boy?!"

"I-I took him to the bathroom," the private stuttered, his salute slackening a bit. "But then he was taking a long time and when I checked there was a hole in the wall and a transmutation circle and-"

"A transmutation circle?" The kid mentioned once or twice (or about a million times) that he needed to get back to his sensei so he could learn alchemy. But this kid wasn't supposed to be trained yet! And besides, breaking out of military headquarters isn't exactly an easy task in the first place! It must be Dublith...

"I've been looking for him everywhere, but I have no idea where he went and I'm really sorry sir, I-"

Roy held up a hand to stop the blubbering private. It was really late, and Dublith was no place for a kid to be wandering around at night by himself. Wearily, turned to Hawkeye and said, "Lieutenant-"

"On it sir," she told him, whirling around to begin her search.

"What was your name again?" Roy asked the private, with a scowl. He needed to make it clear that this would not go unchecked. Really, how hard is it to keep track of one, tiny boy?

"Ch-Cheyins, sir," the private gulped. "Daniel Cheyins."

Roy nodded and heaved a disgruntled sigh. "As you were," he grumbled, before turning around to also look for Ed. Hawkeye would need some help, and he was the only other person who knew who they were looking for. Besides the private, of course, but he was clearly too incompetent to aid in the search.

First, Roy observed the hole that Ed made, and couldn't help but be impressed by the kid's skill. His transmutation circle, drawn with a pen he must've found laying around, was perfect. The hole itself had very few transmutation marks, so few that if it weren't for the circle on the ground, Roy might've wondered if he somehow cut his way through. With this skill, Ed probably could've transmuted himself a boat to get himself off the island. If, of course, he hadn't been so obsessed with passing his sensei's 'test.'

Looking through the hole, Roy wondered where Ed might've run. There were no visible footprints in the grass, but he could guess that he'd head straight for the buildings, in order to hide himself. Roy started there, walking across the street and slipping in between houses and shops, eyeing every alleyway in search for the missing boy.

It took him nearly half an hour to discover the huddled, shivering figure huddled next to a crate. "Edward!" Roy called out once he spotted him, which was a bit of a bad idea in hindsight. Immediately, the boy leapt up and raced in the other direction, leaving a very grumpy Roy to chase after him. Eventually, he came out onto the main street, with Ed nowhere in sight.

An old woman sat out on her porch, rocking away in her chair as she sipped what looked suspiciously like a whiskey. Stifling a yawn, Mustang approached her and asked, as politely as he could, "Excuse me ma'am, but have you seen a boy around here? Blond hair, really small-"

"WHO'RE YOU CALLING SO SMALL YOU COULDN'T FIND HIM WITH A TELESCOPE?!"

Roy frowned at her porch and said, "Nevermind. If you'll excuse me…" He went and looked under the porch, where he found a little figure curled up on himself, glaring at him. "So, you don't like being called short?" Roy asked, only vaguely amused. He was much too tired for this.

"I'm not short," Ed grumbled as Roy pulled him out. He kept a firm hand on his shoulder, to make sure he didn't run off again.

"Sorry kid," the woman said, sipping her drink. "Maybe you shouldn't yell when you're trying to hide from someone."

"Thanks anyway," he muttered.

"Come on, Edward," Roy told him, gently tugging at his shoulder and leading him away. He'd need to somehow let Hawkeye know she found him. But first, he had a kid to chew out.

"What do you think you were doing?" Roy demanded once they were out of earshot of the old woman.

"I need to get back to Sensei," Ed replied, as if that was the most obvious thing in the world.

"Your 'sensei' left you on an uninhabited island by yourself," Roy reminded him. "Did you even know how to find her?"

Ed looked down. "I'd find her eventually. Hopefully, she'll still teach me alchemy." Roy held back a sigh.

There a few moments of tense silence when Ed asked, "Am I in trouble?"

Roy looked down at him, to see that his bottom lip was trembling. Damn. He must practice that look in front of a mirror or something. "No, you're not in trouble," Roy told him, just to get that horribly adorable look off his face. "You just had me worried. And you shouldn't run off on your own."

Edward nodded, looking down. Roy heaved a sigh and brought up a hand to rub his face, hoping Ed wouldn't run off this time. Instead, however, he did something even more alarming. He reached up and grabbed his hand. Roy was so startled he nearly pulled away, but managed to stop himself in time. Hopefully, it was late enough that nobody would see when he got back to headquarters.

By some stroke of luck, Roy spotted Hawkeye checking an alley and called her over. Ed was yawning widely at this point, and his shoulders were slumped. He still gripped Roy's hand, but he was now almost using it for support. Hawkeye noticed the scene and very wisely hid her smile. "He looks like he might fall asleep right there," she commented offhandedly, but Roy knew full well what she was trying to get him to do. He picked up the kid when he needed to get him back to the boat, but there was no way in hell he'd carry a sleeping Ed back to the dorms.

"Well, we're almost there," Roy replied to her half-hidden smirk. Sure enough, headquarters was just around the corner. All but the main lights were off, signaling that everyone had gone home or gone to the dorms. Roy dragged Edward up the steps and brought him to one of the private dorms on the second level. The kid only managed to tug off his shoes before collapsing on the bed, mouth hanging open as soft snores escaped his lips. Roy set about removing anything that could possibly be used to draw or make a transmutation circle with before turning to go. A quick glance back showed that Ed had pushed up his shirt, showing his belly, his other arm spread out as far as it would go. Roy smirked and then left, locking the door behind him. Now it was time for some much needed sleep.

I think Ed would be frightened and/or distrustful of the military. Between Pinako and Izumi, he's had basically no good thoughts towards them. Not to mention Roy practically pointed a gun in his face, even if it was on accident.