Hey guys! Look who's back! This is the companion story to "Come Hell Or High Water"! It will be in 2 parts because it's gotten pretty long xD I sincerely hope you enjoy it and I want to give a shout out to IzXaRose for helping me get this story out faster than I normally would have. Seriously, it would have taken longer simply because it is easy to lose faith in yourself when you take longer than you meant to get something done. Ya know? And also, thanks to everyone else who reviewed "Come Hell Or High Water!" It made me so excited to know that you all loved my work! :D Anyways... I hope you enjoy this first half and I will have the next half up in a few days :D Stay rockin'!
Many things were noticeable on this particular day. The brilliant blue sky didn't leave anyone to wonder how hot it was outside, with the occasional bird chirping. It was the perfect day for footsteps to be heard inside the large building called Central. And it was on this particular day that no one should have shown up late to work.
At least, that's what one would have expected. Yet, it was nearly mid-afternoon and the only thing that could be heard was a pen, meticulously tapping on the mahogany desk. It was obvious to each member of Mustang's team that their colonel was irritated. And it irritated him further that they acted like they had to walk on eggshells just to get anything done.
Mustang looked out the window of his office, unable to concentrate on the paperwork. It irritated him that the day didn't seem to match his mood. Birds should no longer be making noise. Not at this hour of the day. They were too happy of creatures, and it wasn't the first time that day that Mustang wished he could silence their voices; and it irritated him as well that he had no more power to silence them as he did controlling the weather.
Overall, Mustang was irritated.
With a quipped sigh, Mustang stood up, choosing to pace the office floor. The one that Mustang was most irritated with was Fullmetal. The kid, albeit reckless, had a small sense of responsibility and tended to give him a call when a mission was finished. Yet he'd heard nothing from the alchemist since he left for his mission.
Now, on occasion, Ed would forget to give Mustang a call and then he'd receive a call from Alphonse to explain the reasons. But Alphonse had not gone with Ed this time round and so, to hear this silence - especially after such an easy mission - worried Mustang. And it irritated Mustang that he felt worried because he shouldn't be this worried about one of his subordinates.
His men knew how to take care of themselves. He could trust them. And that included Fullmetal. After all, Fullmetal was a part of his team too. Unfortunately the kid had a tendency to act like a kid and rebel if he felt he could. Mustang sometimes felt like a father disciplining his child whenever he'd chastise Fullmetal about some such thing or another.
And unfortunately, Ed had a tendency to cause Mustang to needlessly think about him when he had much more important things to think about. Like paperwork (that he would glare at all day until he had to rush to get them signed). But because of one damn phone call that had yet to be made, Mustang couldn't focus. The kid should have been arriving in his office any time now. But when no shouts or yells that said "here's your damn report" came forth, Mustang finally cracked.
"Where the hell is he?" He harshly set his pen on the desk. No amount of walking was going to help his situation any.
"Sir," Hawkeye - with her silent and watchful presence on an irritating day such as this - took that moment to make herself known, "would you like me to have someone ring the hotel Edward is staying at?"
"Hm," Mustang grunted, then sighed, "Yes, please." His mutterings put a small hint of a smile on Hawkeye's face, unbeknownst to Mustang, and she quickly left the room. For all his irritation, his heart pounded in anticipation. Surely Fullmetal would be there, biding his time just to tick Mustang off. It almost seemed too hopeful in Mustang's mind. And that worried him even more.
Less than ten minutes later, Hawkeye entered the office, her expression scarcely giving away the conversation.
"It would seem that Edward is missing, sir. Apparently he had mentioned something about leaving in the morning but never showed up to check out."
Mustang, now sitting at the desk once more, slammed a fist down, "dammit!" A half sigh, half groan escaped his lips. This was getting to be more trouble than he had expected. "Call our intelligence in that area and see what they can ground up about Fullmetal. I want feedback by twenty-one hundred hours tonight."
"Yes sir," Hawkeye gave a slight nod as she walked out the door. Mustang watched her leave then took a glance at the pile of paperwork on his desk. It was going to be a long day.
Indeed, the sun casually made its way across the sky, as if taunting Mustang with its cheery light, all the while the clock ticked with ease. His subordinates stayed clear of his presence for most of its entirety, which left Mustang to contemplate why it was he felt almost physically ill about Fullmetals disappearance.
"Why do you have me so damned worried, Fullmetal?" He questioned allowed, staring blankly at the paperwork on his desk. His heart pumped a little faster, recalling his assurance to Fullmetal before he left.
"They've had some disputes in the past with the military, but that shouldn't be much of a problem." He groaned, aggravated with himself. What a fool he'd been, to have said something so obviously uninformed. And now he was paying the price. They all were. One look out his office door, and he could see the worry oozing through the air. It was as plain as day on their faces, though they'd rather not admit it aloud themselves.
He couldn't wait to hear the news from Hawkeye. Surely she would tell him that Fullmetal was just acting irresponsible. Surely she would say that he was pulling a prank on them just to rile him up. But deep down, Mustang knew he was wrong. So very wrong.
Too anxious to read the words properly on his paperwork, Mustang stood and decided to take a walk, needing to clear his mind. Or rather, try to escape his thoughts of Fullmetal. Instead, he decided to inquire information about the town, to see if maybe there was any clue to their ill will towards the military.
Briefly letting his men know his whereabouts, Mustang walked with purpose towards his destination, feeling a sudden haste to find the answers he was seeking. Upon entering the designated room, Mustang found and pulled out the information concerning the backup soldiers intended to help the Mayor at the time, as well as information concerning their attitude since that time.
It read: The city of Canan requested backup for a certain kidnapping and ransom. Backup ensued, but it was a failed mission. The Mayor's daughter was deceased before rescue was possible.
Mustang had heard about the rescue mission, having only been a lieutenant at the time but not a part of the rescue himself. And while at the time it had saddened him to learn of the young girl's murder, he hadn't thought much of incident since. Now though, he was disturbed to realize the citizens had such a negative reaction.
Farther down the notes it read: Citizens of Canan have not responded well to the soldiers sent to help. Many have been arrested for attempt to harm officers of the law. The more Mustang read, the more his eyes grew wide as he saw the conflicts between each city.
He really was an idiot. Such tiny details that seemed so inconsequential before were now glaringly obvious, and now Fullmetal was missing. Of course he was missing. What could the other possibilities be? Once again, he groaned, knowing what he had to do next but having no desire to do it.
Leaving the room, Mustang walked briskly, hoping that Hawkeye had information waiting for him when he returned. But she was not in the office when he entered, so he simply slammed his personal office door closed, shutting out all sounds of human life with it.
Several hours later, Hawkeye finally entered the room, her attitude grim. The news was not good and Mustang knew it.
"What information do you have for me?" He opened up the topic, wanting no distractions.
"Sir, it has been confirmed that Fullmetal is missing," Mustang gripped his pencil tightly, threatening to break its thin body.
"It's also been discovered that he was kidnapped."
"Dammit!" Mustang slammed a fist on the desk, not caring that he now had a pencil mess to clean up. "Have we figured out who is responsible?"
"They believe it to be the ex-mayor of the city, Ex-Mayor Myolees. Apparently he has held a grudge all this time."
Mustang clenched his teeth, unable to put his anger in check. He didn't care who the ex-mayor was, if they had done anything to Fullmetal, there would be hell to pay.
"Thank you, Hawkeye," He finally said, "it looks like we're going to need to get some men out to that city and search for Fullmetal," he stood up, "and make sure I'm on that list."
"Sir!" Hawkeye saluted, then turned on her heel and left the room. Mustang plopped tiredly back into his seat, suddenly feeling so exhausted. The day was only half over and already Mustang was feeling its affects. He sat with his eyes closed for a few moments before he realized Alphonse was still in the dark about his brother's situation. Briefly, he contemplated whether or not this needed to happen right away, but fundamentally, Mustang knew Alphonse needed to know.
Wanting this next conversation to be over and done with, Mustang swore once again. He couldn't help his anger. Not only was Fullmetal kidnapped, but now he had to tell Alphonse all about it. This was not the type of conversation he wanted to have ever again.
Ridiculous as it was, Fullmetal had been kidnapped before, so Mustang had experience in dealing with Alphonse. But in his gut, Mustang felt something acutely different with this kidnapping, and that was his reasoning to call.
Once again, a part of Mustang hoped that this was some sort of obnoxious practical joke that Fullmetal was playing, that when he called Alphonse, Ed would answer and laugh in the annoying way he did, throwing it back in his face how worried Mustang was.
But Mustang was keenly aware of his stomach rolling with anxiety, and knew that this would not be that type of phone call. Blowing out a breath, Mustang picked up the phone, and dialed.
"Hello?," Alphonse answered on the third ring,
"Hello, Alphonse, this is Colonel Mustang, how are you doing?" Mustang waited, the nervous tapping of his pen once more creating sound.
After a short pause, Alphonse replied, "What happened." The statement was short and shared a thousand meanings. A humorless smile played upon Mustang's lips. He couldn't fool Alphonse even for a second.
"Just as observant as Fullmetal, aren't you?"
"Yes." Both men paused before Alphonse spoke again, "what happened to my brother? Is he alright?" Mustang let out a breathe. It seemed that sighing was the sound of the day. Pressing two fingers against the bridge of his nose, Mustang responded,
"Unfortunately, we don't think so. We believe that Fullmetal has been kidnapped."
"Again?" Although Alphonse answered calmly - which had Mustang quite impressed - there was an urgency to his question that only someone who knew him would have heard.
"Yes," He repeated just as calmly. How absurd was it to say that Fullmetal had been kidnapped more than once? It was ludicrous when he thought about it, but not too surprising considering who it was they were discussing.
"Now, I know you had been expecting Fullmetal back today, but that doesn't look likely at this point."
"I seeā¦" Alphonse paused for a split second, "Let me help you find my brother. I want to help!" He offered, as he always did in this situation. Maybe more for his own personal self more than for Mustang.
"For now, just stay put. If this goes on longer than usual, we'll give you a call."
"Promise?"
"Yes."
"Let me know once you've heard something more. I want to help find him!"
"Don't worry, Alphonse, we will give you a call if we need your help." It was once again the reassuring to a kid that had Mustang contemplating what it must be like to be a father. Surely, it wasn't so stressful as this! Hughes had always made it seem easy.
Before he could contemplate that tragedy any further, Mustang talked with Alphonse a little longer before hanging up. He closed his eyes, resting his head lightly against clasped fingers. There was no way he would be getting any rest until they found Fullmetal. If anything happened to that kid, Mustang didn't think he would handle it well. Losing Hughes had already been too much, and he wasn't even responsible for him.
Taking a long breath in, Mustang readied his paper and tried not to think about the worst possibilities that could come from this. He then stood, grabbed his coat and walked out the door.
"I'll be back," he said to no one in particular. His crew watched him, though, anxious looks on their faces. He could only give them a nod of assurance that he didn't even feel himself, before walking out of the office once again. Time to pack up. Hopefully they wouldn't be gone for a long time. The sooner they found Fullmetal, the sooner Mustang could get his feelings back to normal. Worrying about the kid was too irksome for his liking.
Because of responsibilities, they were unable to leave until the next day. After a quick rundown on what was going on for the next few days or more, Mustang, Hawkeye, Havoc, Breda and several other men were ready and waiting at the train station, their train arriving with ten minutes to spare. They stood silent until they entered the train finding seats near each other to discuss their next course of action upon entering the city.
"Listen up," Mustang called to attention, "Here's what we're going to do." Emphasizing a pile of paper with orders written on them for each person, Mustang handed out each one to their respective owner, then proceeded to explain in full detail where each person would be called to attention, including his subordinates, each person studying their role in the rescue mission once they arrived in Canan.
The mood the entire train ride was somber. When Mustang explained what had happened in the city those years ago to the newer military recruits, it became considerably clear what kind of trouble Edward may have found himself in. The furrow to Hawkeye's brow indicated that he wasn't wrong to send out this rescue mission. Something was amiss, and in his gut, Mustang knew they had to act fast.
They couldn't have arrived in Canan fast enough. The second the train stopped, Mustang jumped up, ready for action. He felt restless and useless sitting on a train. If there had been a way to arrive faster, Mustang would have taken that route. With Hawkeye and the rest following his lead, they quickly left the train station.
On the streets of Canan, every military man scattered, heading to their respective positions to find more information on the Fullmetal Alchemist. Mustang and Hawkeye made their way to the police station in the center of the city, while Havoc and Breda spoke to citizens near the hotel Ed had been staying at.
A bell rang as the door opened. Dressed in their signature blue, Mustang and Hawkeye stood out in comparison to the officers of the town. A small amount of chairs were positioned for people in need of help, and a small flurry of officers were rushing around, and a receptionist hidden behind a wall with a window opening, glanced up as she shuffled papers. When she saw who it was, she gave them both a sneer of disgust. In fact, as Mustang looked around, every officer had nearly the same expression on their faces. It put him on the defensive almost immediately.
"Officers from Central, eh?" The receptionist with a nametag that said Sadie on it spoke up, "What can I do for you?" She frowned, as if telling them by her expression that they better not have anything they want.
"We're looking for someone, maybe you've seen or heard from him?"
"It's not that short military kid, is it?" She asked, raising an eyebrow, her attention going back to her paperwork. "The one that was wearing the red coat?" Mustang's heart skipped a beat. She knew who he was looking for!
"Yes, actually." Mustang said, feeling almost hopeful. Despite their disdain for the military officers, this girl was being more helpful than he had expected.
"I haven't seen him in a few days. Why? He decide to leave that bullshit of a job you call the military?" She mocked before he could even say anything more. Mustang's frown deepened at the tone of the young girl's voice. Hawkeye moved her hand with obvious intentions towards her gun, warning Sadie that they were not here to mess around.
"I'd be careful what you say around me or my officers," Mustang said darkly, his eyes thinning as he met Sadie's gaze, "now, I need to know what you have heard about my subordinate." Sadie blew out a puff of air, flipping her ash-blonde hair behind her as she did so.
"Like I said, he's not been seen or heard from in a few days. If he's not with you, then he probably ran away. He seemed young enough to be that kind of kid, ya know?" The further she spoke, the more agitated Mustang became. A glance around the room stated that the other officers were in no hurry to help them out, either.
"Do you have any idea what would have happened to him?" He inquired, ignoring the onslaught of glares around them, and his growing anger. Sadie pouted at him with annoyance before sighing loudly.
"As I've told you, twice now, he's not been around. But if you really want to find this precious boy who, in my opinion, left of his own accord, you might want to check with those people who worked under our previous mayor several years back." She turned away from him, as if his presence did nothing to cure her boredom. "I've heard tell tale that there is much hatred among his group."
Mustang stared at Sadie, then clenched his hand that was resting on the receptionist desk, before bowing his head, trying to restrain his anger. If he hadn't known about the resistance of their previous mayor, he might have thought Sadie to be mocking him even more so than now.
With a curt 'thanks' Mustang and Hawkeye walked out of the police station.
"Well at least that wasn't an entire bust," Mustang mentioned as they walked into the crowd on the street.
"No it wasn't," Hawkeye agreed, "Now all we need to do is find out where this ex-mayor is hiding away. If we could find some of his men, I'm sure it won't be much problem." Mustang nodded in agreement, his admiration for his 'queen' leveling up a notch higher. Her determination, along with her skill, were a few of the reasons why he had chosen her as his right hand man. He could trust her with his very life, or, as at the moment, the life of his subordinates. She gave him greater reason to want to change this world. It might not have started that way in the beginning, but somehow she had managed to change his reasoning. Even if a little bit.
Mustang quickened his pace, desiring now, more than ever, to find Ed. They searched the town square, talking to everyone they could to gain any information that would lead them to Ed, but they were unsuccessful. Every person they spoke with had the tone of defense and hate, leading them to give as little information as possible. Mustang pounded a fist on the table they had briefly sat down at to eat, frustrated at the progress they'd made.
"Relax, sir, it's only been one day. We'll have more time to search tomorrow." Hawkeye broke the silence as she finished eating, trying to assuage Mustang's internal worry.
"I know that." He replied, a little more terse than he had intended. Sunset was nearly at its end and people were dispersing from the streets. He'd chosen a restaurant with outside seats to gain the advantage of sight. The cool breeze felt good on his face, but it did little to calm his worry. He stared at the people left on the streets, barely able to see their faces now. "I just hope that when we find Fullmetal, it won't be too late."
"I think we've done what we could for today. We should head back to the hotel. With some sleep, we'll be able to think more clearly."
Mustang stared down at his half-eaten burger.
"I think you are correct," He stood from his spot, "let's head back to the hotel and see what the other's could find. Hopefully they were more successful than we were." Hawkeye stood as well, and in the dark, they headed back.
In the hotel, they met the other's. They sat in the lobby, their small chatter making sound. The mood was somber as Mustang and Hawkeye had a seat on the surprisingly comfy couch. The chatter died down as they all waited for Mustang's direction.
"So boss, you look just as tired as I feel," And Havoc certainly looked tired, a visible expression of what his day must have beheld.
"Yeah, no kidding." He swiped a hand over his face, exhaustion setting it. It had only been one day of searching, but Mustang could've sworn it was a lifetime. He looked around at everyone for a second, "So, did anyone find anything?" He looked around at the small mass of soldiers. They glanced around, having already discussed their day with each other, looking as if they would rather be shoveling horse poop over telling him their intel.
"I think I can speak for all of us when I say we haven't been able to find anyone who has come in contact with Fullmetal for the last couple days." A groan nearly escaped Mustang at Havoc's announcement, "but Breda and I did learn the whereabouts of former associates to the previous mayor."
"What?" Mustang's heart skipped a beat. This could be the lead they needed! "Where? Were you able to get any information from them?"
"Just a general location. But I think it's worth a look."
"I agree." Mustang stood, "tomorrow, we will look deeper into this. But for now, I think it's best we get some rest." Every soldier looked relieved to hear that, and Mustang almost felt bad for being so rigid. But then he remembered why he pushed them so hard and realized it was necessary.
They walked to their respective rooms, Hawkeye staying in the one across from Mustang.
"Sleep well, sir." She said with a small salute. Mustang saluted back before entering his own hotel room, falling asleep almost immediately despite his worry.
Hope you enjoyed this first half and are looking forward to the second half! Please R&R! It always makes my day :D
