Hello everyone! It really has been a long time since I uploaded anything, huh? And i do apologize for that. I went through a period where I absolutely hated my writing and then I improved my writing and you can now see the fruits of my labor. I had some troubles at home and school but those were taken care of easily. And my health issues were resolved too so I can now write more! Yaaay!

Well I have tried a different sort of story then I am used to writing so I would appreciate feedback! And I hope I still have readers! Yes, this shall become a RoyxEd fanfic, so no worries there. well I will keep this short but I promise updates will happen fairly quickly unless things come up. But for now, enjoy~

Chapter One

Roy Mustang leaned against the iron railing of his apartment's porch, dark, troubled eyes fixed upon the horizon where a colossal river stretched almost like a giant lake across it, tiny boats floating on its surface almost like toys. A frown darkened his pale, handsome features, and gloved hands tightened their hold on the railing as if in response to whatever dark thoughts the man was thinking.

The raven haired man leaned further against the iron railing of his porch, several stories above the noisy streets of New York City, a brief sigh escaping his lips as a hand came up to rub tired eyes. The retired military Colonel turned detective was in the middle of a troubling case, and clues were too few and fleeting for his taste. The man sighed once more as the shrill ringing of his cell phone cut through his thoughts.

He straightened as he took out the blaring contraption and absently checked who was calling him. Seeing the name of one of the officers in his unit, Roy answered the phone with a tired "Mustang speaking" as he massaged his temple, hoping to banish the oncoming headache. The familiar and lazy voice of Jean Havoc answered him through a laid back exhale of smoke from the man's ever present cigarette.

"Wow Chief, it didn't take you forever to answer the phone this time" the man drawled almost playfully, before turning serious "We have another scene, sir."

The detective's frown immediately darkened and his voice turned cold and serious. "Dammit, another one? We're still recovering evidence from the last two scenes! Doesn't this bastard take a break?"

Havoc laughed darkly, his own frown detectable in his voice. "Don't we wish that was true. But you should come while it's still fresh." Roy hummed in assent as he walked back into his apartment and closed the sliding glass doors that had led to his porch. He held the phone between his head and ear as he pulled on his shoes and tried not to trip over the slight mess he had around his living room. He hadn't spent much time in his apartment for the past two weeks because of this case and it showed.

"How long ago?" he asked, referring to approximately how long it had been since their victim had died. Another exhale of smoke could be heard as Roy finally slipped into his jacket, a long black overcoat that billowed dramatically behind him when he walked.

"Umm...Feury is still trying to get a more accurate T.O.D, but he estimates about five or six hours." Havoc answered, his voice slightly distracted. Roy hummed slightly at this information. He knew very well that these odd murders had their mortician and coroner Kain Feury working his ass off to earn his paycheck. Roy could then hear other voices from Havoc's end, muffled enough so that he couldn't tell what they were saying.

"If that is true, this would be our freshest scene." Roy muttered, more to himself than to Havoc when the voices died down. But the other man murmured his agreement and then seemed to pull the phone away to yell at someone before returning to Roy.

"Hopefully the fresher scene will give us some more clues. I'll send you the address to your phone via text." Havoc said stiffly "And you better hurry, we are gathering quite the crowd here." Roy sighed and shook his head, making one last check around the apartment to make sure he had everything and then heading towards the sliding glass doors to make sure they were securely locked.

"I will be there as soon as I can. But you know what to do. Make sure those idiotic gossips don't ruin our crime scene." Roy's voice was now tinted in irritation Oh how he hated spectators. All they wanted to do was gawk and spy so they could go and brag that they had all this "classified" information on what would be tonight's news headline. They got in the way of their work and many times contaminated evidence with their snooping.

"Got it Chief" Havoc answered, his own voice filled with the same irritation "See you soon" And then there was only the dial tone, signaling that the other man had ended the call. Roy pocketed the black cell phone and looked out of the glass doors. The city really did look beautiful in the warm golden glow of the sun. However, he knew, like every other member of the NYPD knew, that there were hundreds of dangerous and cruel people hiding in the shadows of the countless buildings within his line of sight.

He had almost lost his best friend, Maes Hughes, to one such person. Two years ago they had led a raid on a house suspected to be a meth lab. There they had encountered a teenager with odd green hair, high off of some methamphetamine, and wielding a gun with a wild look in his unfocused violet eyes. He has shot Maes before leading the police on a brief car chase that ended with the teenager crashing the stolen car into a wall and being killed on impact. The other officer had been in critical condition but he had survived. Barely, but he had survived.

Roy shook his head to clear his thoughts, not wanting to think about the weeks where his best friend had laid in a coma, the normally cheerful man pale and silent. He pulled at the doors, nodding when they did not open, and turned around to head out his door and to the crime scene, a small ding from his pocket indicating that Havoc had sent the directions. He once again took out his phone, briefly scanned the directions, before stuffing the device back to his packet and sweeping out the door, turning off the lights and grabbing his keys before he left.

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The crime scene, luckily, was only a short car ride away from his apartment. Traffic was also surprisingly good for being the middle of the day and the detective was able to make good time. Roy parked his car among the squad cars that signaled the crime scene was near, and got out quickly. Dark eyes scanned the area, frowning when he saw how many onlookers were milling around. News crews were already on scene, reporters talking rapidly in front of the camera and probably distorting any and all details that they had managed to acquire.

He scowled and closed his car door harder than he had intended too. Reporters and journalists were the bane of every officer. They were like vultures, trying to corner people that were involved in the events they were reporting on and trying to pull information from them. And much of the time they did not care if the information was classified or could endanger the investigation was well as any surviving witnesses. No, they were selfish and hoping to advance their careers with these headline stories, trying to seem human by using that old, repeated line of "the public deserves to know".

The man took a deep, calming breath, knowing that he had to stay calm even in the face of idiots that he wished he could shoot. And when he deemed himself ready to face the vultures of the media world, he walked forward towards the scene closed off with yellow police tape, face emotionless and eyes cold. The crowd parted immediately with a few sharp words and the flashing of his badge.

At seeing the badge, the reporters and journalists immediately flocked to him, speaking at the same time in rapid-fire, hungry voices and demanding a statement from him. It was times like these that he wished he had a hat or something, in order to hide his eyes from the flashing lights of the cameras and have a barrier against eye contact. Perhaps a fedora, like the detectives in the old movies wore. He could pull it off and he had always loved those movies as a child.

Somehow he was able to avoid all the cameras and microphones coming his way from all sides, and he made it to where he could see his unit and other officers securing the scene. He casually lifted the usual yellow tape up and he ducked below it, flashing his badge at the cop keeping the crowd from getting any closer to the scene. He walked deeper into the closed off area, his arrival catching the attention of his partner, Riza Hawkeye.

The blond woman walked swiftly to Roy, her face pale, lips set in a thin line and sharp brown eyes serious. She was dressed in brown dress pants and a simple white dress shirt with a brown jacket pulled over it all, her blond hair tied back in a tight bun. In her hands was a folder and a clipboard full of pages of notes. "Mustang" she said sharply, wasting no time in getting the man up-to-date on their newest body. She looked down briefly at her notes before continuing, her voice crisp and professional. "We have identified the victim as Ariana Pental. 25 years old; Caucasian; Organ donor. Her ID, like the others, was taped to her left inner arm."

Roy nodded and walked forward, his face grim as he stopped just a few feet in front of the body and looked down. The victim was a young woman, long black hair with red highlights spilling over the green grass of the park. She, like the others, was dressed in an odd white attire. His eyes narrowed, as he took in the outfit. "She's dressed as a white rook." And he didn't need Riza's nod to know he was right. Being an avid chess player himself, he recognized the costume their victim had been dressed in.

Ariana was merely another victim in the serial "Checkmate" murders that had begun two months ago. As much as they investigated, they could find no useful clue, connection or lead on these murders. All they knew was that the bodies were found, cleaned and dressed as different chess pieces. Their ID would always be taped to their left arm and on their right arm was always a message carved into the skin. Always the word 'Checkmate' and a number. They did not know the significance of this and this detail was not told to the public so not to encourage a copy-cat.

In the two months since the bodies began to show up, there had been a total of 6 murders including their most recent one. And they could not find a connection between any of the victims, this killer seemingly not caring about race, gender or age. Roy shook his head in disgust, before bowing his head slightly in respect of the lovely young woman that lay dead before him. Another life had been ended way before its time and he had to work harder if he didn't want this list to continue growing. He knew how many pieces in total were in a chess set, 16 black and 16 white, and he didn't want that many victims.

"It took you less time than I thought for you to get here Mustang" The voice reached them clearly, drawled lazily through a lit cigarette. Roy rolled his eyes as he turned to the voice he had heard twenty minutes ago informing him of this latest scene.

"Not everyone is as lazy as you are in getting to a scene on time, Havoc" Roy drawled back, an elegant black eyebrow rising slightly as he gazed at the man strolling leisurely closer. Jean Havoc was a rather lazy looking man, with dirty blonde hair set into natural spikes on top with dark chocolate brown highlighting the back of his head. He wore the usual police uniform with a black coat pulled over it, his ever present cigarette bobbing slightly as the man talked.

"Whatever Chief" Havoc rolled his eyes slightly before getting serious "We have Breda finishing taking pictures and Hawkeye here" At this point, Havoc nodded over to Riza as she stood silent a bit behind Roy "Took the witness statement from the jogger that found the body." At this info, Roy couldn't help but let out a tiny snort of amusement. This was his first cliché crime scene. The body of a beautiful young woman found by a jogger in Central Park? Yes, very cliché. But he waved away the looks of curiousity that his two subordinates sent his way.

"Did the witness give us any clues?" Roy asked, even though he knew it was probably a futile question. Central Park was known for shady characters. Heck, New York City was known for shady characters. And people have been paranoid with the murders that had been happening so he didn't hold his breath for a clue. And he was proven correct when both Riza and Havoc shook their heads at him, identical looks of frustration on their faces. The raven haired man sighed in irritation was he ran a hand through his hair in irritation. "Well let us check the area once again to make sure we didn't miss anything. And tell Feury he can take the body back to headquarters now."

Havoc gave a lazy salute before running off to find out where Feury had run off to, while Roy and Riza walked back to the body and crouched down. He absently accepted the gloves that his partner gave him before putting them on and carefully raising the woman's right arm. His eyes narrowed as he gazed at the now familiar sight of words carved into the skin. 'Checkmate and the number 43...Again, what does this mean?'

Suddenly his eyes widened and he cursed, letting the arm fall back onto the ground. Riza looked at him sharply, a frown darkening her pretty features. "Sir, what's wrong?" Roy merely pointed to the arm and cursed again.

"How could I have been so stupid. It is obvious what this means if you look at it in terms of chess...Which is what this whole case seems to be about!" Roy ranted slightly, fuming at such a simple message stumping him for so long. Riza's frown darkened and her eyes flashed, demanding a straight answer. Roy shook his head, knowing that his team did not know about chess, at least not to the same extent as he did. "Checkmate is the term used in chess for a move that directly attacks the enemy king and for which there is no defending response." Roy breathed out, sounding almost like a chess rule book at that moment.

He stood up and sighed, gazing down at the woman with a blank face. "The object of the game is to checkmate the enemy king and one way the game can be concluded...And the number could mean how many moves it took to get a checkmate."

Riza had risen as well, now understanding the frustration her partner had. And she cursed herself mentally for overlooking what could have well been a message from their killer. She had known the term as it was one heard frequently and even the people who did not play, knew the word. But its significance had eluded her and it still eluded her in this context. "So now we have what could be a message from our killer but not what it could be." And Roy nodded, ideas spinning in his mind. Some were logical and some downright insane.

"We will think about this more when we get back" Roy decided, rubbing at his eyes tiredly. Like the others, he had slept very little for the past two weeks. Their police chief had been pushing them harder recently as this case became more famous, and that had left little time for restful sleep. "Riza, go make sure that the transportation of evidence and the body goes smoothly. I will meet you back at the station."

The woman nodded and turned sharply on her heel. She easily made her way through the crowd of officers still coming the scene for any extra clues that might have been overlooked and was soon out of sight. Roy sighed once again and looked down at the woman, who was now being covered by a white sheet as it was getting ready to be transported. The man paused for a second before spinning on his own heel and going back the way he came. There wasn't anything else that he needed to do here, as most of the scene had been processed by the time he had shown up. So he would meet up with his team at the office and begin to sort through the evidence that they had gathered.

Once again, bright flashing lights nearly blinded him as he ducked under the yellow tape and walked into the mass of reporters and journalists. He kept his face blank, an upside to his military training, as he walked through the mob and easily ignored the shouted questions. He shook them off as he got closer to his car and they were distracted by other officers leaving the scene. Ah, wasn't the media such a joy?

"Idiots" he muttered under his breath as he unlocked his car, a sleek black '58 cadillac fleetwood, and got inside. He turned it on and had to wait a moment as a few cars passed by, stopping as the light just up ahead changed from green to red. Traffic stopped and Roy looked at the line of cars. A flash of gold from the open window of a limo closest to his car caught his eye and he bit back a gasp at what he saw. In the back seat sat a male in his early twenties, with golden blond hair tied back in a thick braid. But what both shocked and captivated him were the male's eyes. They were pure gold, a few shades darker than his hair and filled with determination and knowledge. Their gazes locked for a long moment before the light turned green and the limo sped away.

Roy just sat in his car as an odd shiver ran down his spine as he thought about those gold eyes. They seemed to be filled with gold fire and almost challenged him even though they had only locked eyes for a second. He felt as if he would see the man again but he tried to shake the thought away. He couldn't let himself be distracted from the case, especially not by a pair of eyes.

He merged into traffic and sped away towards the station but those gold eyes seemed to be burned into his brain, as if he was drowning in the color gold. It was...Not an unpleasant feeling, only a strange one as he had never felt that way before. Roy sighed and his shoulders slumped slightly. If he was so affected by a boy, then he really had gone too long without a lover. But even as he successfully shifted his thoughts back to the case, his knew his encounter with the boy in the limo would not be a onetime thing.

And Roy Mustang did not realize then, just how much that man would help in both solving the case and banishing the demons of his past. Demons that had a connection to the very case that he was currently trying to solve.

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"The 5:45pm train from Boston is now arriving on Track 6. Again, the 5:45pm train from Boston is now arriving on Track 6. Please watch the gap between the train and the platform. Thank you for riding Amtrack and have a nice day."

Golden eyes blinked open sleepily, glancing outside the window as the conductor's voice pulled him out of his half-asleep state. "It seems I'm here...Finally" 22-year-old Edward Namikaze muttered to himself softly as he straightened in his seat. The train came slowly to a slow stop, and passengers quickly rose from their seats and grabbed either suitcases or small children and filed out of the compartments. Edward allowed himself a moment to stretch and rub the sleep out of his eyes before grabbing his own rather large suitcase, two duffel bags and a book bag and exiting the train.

As soon as his feet touched the platform, he looked around the busy station and blinked, slightly overwhelmed by the sudden rush of movement and sound. Ed set his bags on the ground, fixed them so that most of the bags hung from his biggest suitcase and absently lifted the handle and began to roll it behind him as his eyes flickered around and looked for a sign that would lead him outside or perhaps to a cafe or restaurant for he had not eaten much all day. He had been traveling almost constantly for the past 12 hours and train rides were never easy to endure. Those unique golden eyes brightened as they spotted a sign signaling a restaurant that had been set up in the station. He knew that the place would most likely be overpriced, but the food would be good and he didn't have the energy nor the desire to look for something less expensive.

The golden blonde wheeled his way down the hallway, yawning widely as he brought up a free hand to hide it. He was dressed in black well-fitted jeans and a black dress shirt partially open to reveal a white t-shirt. He wore black combat boots, white gloves and a long crimson overcoat finished the outfit. Long golden hair was tied back in a neat braid that went to mid-back and swung slightly with each step as long gold bangs framed the young face of the 22-year old. Soon, Edward stopped in front of the restaurant, a small and cozy looking place called 'Gateway'. He entered through the doors cautiously and was immediately greeted by the hostess and taken to a seat. The staff knew to be efficient, quick and polite as their patrons were usually in a rush.

He was left at a table in a quiet corner of the main dining area, a glass of water, a basket of warm bread with butter, and a menu presented to him and his drink order taken before he was left alone to look through said menu. But as he looked he took out a black and red cell phone and absently took off his gloves, pushing them into a pocket of his coat which now hung over the back of his seat. He unlocked the screen with a swipe of his finger and dialed a very familiar number before bringing the phone to his ear.

The blonde smiled slightly as the phone began to ring, his eyes scanning the menu and humming slightly when an interesting item caught his eye. All too soon the other end picked up and a young voice answered, cheerful and bright. "Edo-nii! Edo-nii! Hi hi!" A giggle followed the excited answer and Edward couldn't help but laugh as well, a genuine smile lighting up his face.

"Hi there Naru-chan" Edward greeted back cheerfully "And how are you today?" The little boy on the other end giggled again and it was obvious that he was jumping around even as he talked.

"Good!" Naruto chirped cheerfully "Daddy took me to the pwark and I got to pway on the swings! And Daddy went down the swlide with me and I saw my fwiends! We played tag and there were so many leaves! We jumped in them Edo-nii~" The boy kept on talking, detailing his outing. And all Edward could do was listen and laugh quietly, dutifully adding a soft "Really?" every now and then. His three year old brother, Naruto, was always a cheerful bundle of energy. Bright as the sun and sweet as sugar, he charmed all the people he met and seemed to brighten any day.

"I'm glad you had fun Naru-chan" Edward said quickly as Naruto took a breath to keep speaking "But is Dad home?" His gaze flickered back to the menu as he finally selected on a very appetizing looking pasta dish. A waiter came and set down his drink and Ed handed over the menu and put in his order as he half listened to Naruto yelling for their father to come to the phone.

The waiter had smiled as he heard the young voice, the two sharing an understanding smile at the energy of young children, before the man had left to take Edward's order to the kitchen. Soon, you could hear the phone exchanging hands and a rich, soft male voice answered. "Edward?"

"Hi there Papa" Edward answered back warmly. This was his adoptive father Minato Namikaze, a man that Ed greatly respected and adored. Years of growing up without a father figure had made his independent and unwilling to trust but Minato was the one that gave him a family again. Edward's golden eyes darkened in anger at the thought of his biological father, who had abandoned his family and didn't deserve to be called a father, but those thoughts were soon brushed away when he heard Minato laugh happily.

"We were wondering when you would call" Minato said cheerfully "Your Mama and Naru were getting worried!" The blonde laughed sheepishly, taking a sip of water before speaking again.

"I couldn't call you on the train." Edward explained "It was way too noisy and I couldn't get a signal." Minato laughed, and Ed basked in the familiar sound. He missed his family, having left them in Konoha, a village that was practically in the middle of nowhere in the woods of upper Maine. But he was here on a mission and he wouldn't let homesickness and slight culture shock stop him from completing it.

"We understand. I had thought it was probably something like that." Minato answered back, warmth and love in every word "So you're in New York City right now, right?"

"Yup. I am getting some food here at a restaurant in the station and then I was going to find a cheap hotel to stay in for a while." Ed said and took a piece of the bread that had been placed on the table

There was a brief pause before Minato spoke again, as if he was thinking something over. "Well, you could stay in the hotel that I usually stay in when I am on a business trip in New York. I could cover the costs for however long you'll be there." Edward gasped and frowned slightly, ready to reject such an offer. He had money from his own job and he could pay. He didn't want his father to spend unnecessary money. And it seemed Minato knew his son would argue and continued before Ed had a chance to speak. "I mean it Edward. I have enough money that I can cover this cost with no trouble and you can focus on finding Alphonse. This will be my way of helping you find my other son."

This caused Edward to smile, even if the expression was somewhat bittersweet. Minato and Kushina Namikaze had been his fourth foster family and he had come to them distrustful and angry, not at all how a nine year old should be. And they, unlike his other foster families, tried to understand him and yet not change him to what they wanted. It was because of this that he had relaxed his guard around them to the point where they did adopt them. And he remembered their promise to help him find his younger brother, who had been separated from him and sent to another foster home.

"...I...Alright Papa. What was the name of the hotel?" Edward gave in with little fight. He would have argued more but he knew his father would not take no for an answer. And if he had tried to argue, then Minato would have handed the phone to his wife and not even Ed was brave enough to argue against Kushina Namikaze. And, by the tone of Minato's voice, he knew that it was the thought of his wife that had caused Ed to give in so easily.

"It's The Towers at The New York Palace." Minato answered promptly, and Ed rolled his eyes playfully at the triumphant grin he could hear in his father's voice. "It's a five star hotel that has a contract with my company."

Ed hummed in acknowledgment, knowing that his father had many contacts with hotels in the major cities he did business in. Company functions held in the city the hotel was in were always held in said hotel. And everyone who goes to the city on company related business stays in the hotel the company had a contract with. In exchange for the steady business, the hotels charged lower rates on the more luxury rooms. "Okay, so what shall I do?"

"You're eating now right?" Minato asked instead. Edward nodded, even if Minato couldn't see that, as he answered "Waiting for my food but yes."

"Okay, I will make the necessary accommodations. You just eat and I will call you a bit later to tell you what I set up for you." Minato began to explain "Your stay will be for an undetermined amount of time so I am sure me and the hotel can come to an agreement."

"Okay Papa. It's not like I am in a hurry." He spotted the waiter coming out of the kitchen with his order and turned his attention back to his phone call "Papa, my food is coming. I'll wait for your call then."

"Okay son. Enjoy your meal. Love you" Minato said distractedly, already beginning to make the accommodations. Naruto, who had been quiet until then, trilled happily. "Love you Edo-nii! Bye bye!"

"Love you too Papa. And you be good, okay Naru-chan? I'll bring you back a present if you are, okay? Love you!" He heard Naruto squeal happily at the promise of a present and he babbled a toddler's promise to be super-extra-good. "Bye bye." Edward ended the call with a fond smile and set the phone down on the table as the waiter stopped at his table and set a plate of steaming food in front of him. "Here you are sir. The Penne Alfredo with ham and spinach in a bread bowl. Would you like anything else?"

Edward shook his head as he took in a deep breath of the steaming dish. The scents mixed together in an intoxicating blend of spices that made your mouth water. "No, I'm good. Thank you" He nodded to the waiter with a small smile, and the man bowed slightly and left. Edward grabbed his fork and sighed happily, his stomach grumbling loudly now that it smelled food. He took a bite and sighed in pleasure, even as he distantly noted that his parent's cooking was so much better. However, after hours of travel, hard seats, and fast food, this was practically heaven. And so he ate, waiting for his father to call back and tell him where he would be living during his stay in the Big Apple.

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Forty minutes and a tiramisu later, Edward was back in the station, sitting on a bench and looking at all the people that hurried past him. His suitcase sat by his feet, close enough so that no one could see an opening to steal it. After all, this was a big city and crime would be higher here than back home. You couldn't be too careful.

It was now that his phone rang, the screen showing his father's number. With a smile he picked it up and said "Hello~"

"Hey son. Finished eating?" Minato's voice asked. Ed grinned, remembering the delicious dish ha had ordered. "Yup" he answered "Not as good as yours or Mama's but still good." Minato laughed at that.

"Well I'm glad we're still your favorite cooks then." Minato chuckled "And your mother will be glad to hear that as well." Ed smiled at the mention on his fiery, red haired mother. "Oh yeah, where is she? With Naru at gymnastics?" Naruto had so much energy that they had signed the child up for different activities. And the one he enjoyed most were gymnastics and swimming. The boy just kept going and going.

"Yup. And it's the only way to somewhat tire that child out." Minato sighed, as aware as Ed was in the amount of energy his son had. "But, back to you and your living accommodations. I placed a call to the hotel and managed to get you one of their best suites for you to use for an undetermined amount of time. And I shall be charged for it through the company's contract with them."

"Good" Edward sighed in relief. He hadn't really been looking forward to wandering around such a large city looking for a somewhat cheap hotel to rent a room at. "So where is this hotel?"

"Oh don't worry, if you go outside to the front of the station, the hotel is sending a limo driver to pick you up." Minato informed his son cheerfully. He adored spending money on his children but was rarely able to do so. It was a testament to their upbringing that despite having so much money, the Namikaze family remained humble. Humble when it came to money and it's luxuries at least. In their skills and knowledge, they knew they should be proud but never to the point of blind arrogance. "Papa!" Ed exclaimed, eyes wide "Are they sending it or did you ask them to send it?" Minato merely laughed, not answering Edward's question.

"Now you should hurry to the front of the station from wherever you are" the older man said cheerfully "They will be holding a sign with your name on it so don't keep the poor driver waiting!" Ed grumbled under his breath for a moment, causing Minato to laugh some more. But Ed sighed, a grin on his face. As much as he hated such fancy accommodations and special treatment, it made him smile that his father only wanted him to have the best. And if he could provide his loved ones with a higher quality of life, why wouldn't he? It wasn't showering them in gifts to win their love, but providing them with anything they needed that he could provide.

That was what a real father did and that was why Minato was his father, not Honenhiem. "Thank you Papa" Ed said softly. Minato knew what Edward was thinking and smiled; his eyes warm but a bit sad. After all, his son was far away from him and no matter how many times they had been a part due to work, they always missed each other. "I love you Edward. Call me when you get settled into your hotel okay?"

And Ed smiled, feeling that he was one of the luckiest people in the world. He had had an amazing mother. And when she had died, he had been taken in by two amazing people that he loved as dearly as he had loved his mother. And this was just another reason he wanted to find his little brother. He wanted to share his amazing new family with him and let his little brother be a part of it. "I will Papa. I love you too. Bye." And when he heard Minato whisper "Bye" back to him he ended the call and wheeled his suitcase towards the exit. He had a hotel to check into and a search to start. And there was only one thought on his mind just then.

'Don't worry Al...I'll find you. We'll be together again soon little brother.'

And that is the end of chapter one. I hope I intrigued a few of you so that you'll read on. And for those who caught onto the fact that Ed's adoptive family are Naruto characters, there is a reason. One of my best friends is "helping" me write this fic by giving me "challenges" and "rewarding" me when I complete them. Chapter One's challenge was to incorporate at least two Naruto characters in supporting roles. So they won't show up frequently but they will be there. And the use of the Japanese suffixes will be explained a bit later so be patient. Ed is only going to use them with his family. My prize? Chocolate! A candy bar a day for two months. She's loaded, I swear! Anyway! Hope you enjoyed it! Til next time!