I'm back! Here is a story that I thought of and decided to make it a reality! I'm not entirely sure how many chapters it will be at this point, but I guess we'll see! I hope you all enjoy it!

In this story, Mustang had just been transferred to Central, and Hughes is still alive. There will definitely be some Parental!RoyEd, but it will not be too apparent at the beginning.

I unfortunately do not own Fullmetal Alchemist.

Ed sighed and looked out the window of the train, trying not to look at the person he was stuck on this train with. That didn't last long.

"Pouting won't make the train move any faster, Fullmetal."

Ed glared at his superior. He chose to remain silent. A snarky retort would only give the Colonel the satisfaction of getting a rise out of him. He thought back to the previous day, which led him to his current predicament of being stuck on a train with Colonel Bastard.

*flashback*

Ed stormed into the office like a mini hurricane.

"This better be important, Colonel. Al and I are leaving to pursue a possible lead out west and our train leaves tomorrow."

Mustang sighed and put down his pen.

"There's a small town called Kanon. It's around thirty miles east from South City. There's a mine there that needs to be inspected," he began.

"Okay, what does this have to do with me?" the young alchemist asked.

"The Fuhrer called me in personally. He wants both of us to go to Kanon and inspect the mine. He says the people there are anti-military and he isn't comfortable just sending in one alchemist to do the inspection. Al can't go either. Since the town hates the military, he fears that a suit of armor could be seen as a threat by the people. The inspection will already be difficult enough as it is."

Mustang watched with an amused expression as Ed realized what this would mean.

"So let me get this straight," Ed started in an eerily calm manner, "I have to go to a small town to inspect a mine...with you of all people."

"Yes," came Mustang's smooth reply.

"How long will this take?"

"About three or four days, figuring in travel time. If you want, you can head out west as soon as we're done with the inspection and meet up with Al."

Ed just nodded, although his eye was twitching slightly.

"When do we leave?" he asked.

"The train departs at nine o'clock tomorrow morning."

Ed nodded again while Mustang raised an eyebrow at him, as if he was expecting some sort of outburst. Ed turned on his heel and exited the office. After calmly closing the door, he let out a long string of curses that made the rest of Mustang's team cringe. He could have sworn he heard Mustang chuckling in his office, but he was too shocked and outraged to know for sure.

*end flashback*

As much as Ed didn't want to go on this mission with Mustang, he supposed it could be worse. At least Mustang was allowing him to meet up with Al instead of making him return to Central. However, he was not looking forward to going to an anti-military town.

Mustang was reviewing the file with the information concerning the mine he and Ed were to inspect. Upon hearing a yawn, he glanced at his subordinate.

"Tired, Fullmetal?" he asked.

"A little," Ed mumbled.

The young Colonel glanced at his pocket watch.

"We still have around five hours before we arrive in Kanon. Why don't you get some rest?"

Ed sighed as he turned sideways in his seat and curled in on himself. They were only three hours into their eight hour train ride. A little sleep couldn't hurt.

"I think that's the first good idea you've ever had, Colonel," he said with a tired smirk.

Mustang rolled his eyes and turned his attention back to the file. Despite knowing everything he possibly could about the mission, he felt like there was something he was missing. Why the Fuhrer would order him and Fullmetal specifically for this assignment, he would never know. He understood that there were Amestrians that absolutely despised the military, but most of them had enough common sense not to mess with a state alchemist. Those few who did were quickly put in their place.

He sighed and closed the file. He looked at Ed when he stirred a bit in his sleep and couldn't help but smile. Ed only looked his age when he was sleeping, which was something the Colonel didn't see him do very often. For a brief moment, he almost forgot that he was looking at the Fullmetal Alchemist. The peaceful look on Ed's face suddenly disappeared. His brow creased with worry.

"No," the kid mumbled in his sleep, "He's my brother."

Mustang deduced that Ed must be having a nightmare. He reached over and shook Ed's shoulder.

"Fullmetal," he said, trying to get the kid to wake up.

Ed bolted upright immediately with a gasp escaping his lips. Slightly startled by the sudden movement, Mustang fell back into his seat.

"Are you okay, Fullmetal?" he asked.

Ed calmed his breathing before answering.

"Yeah. I'm fine."

Ed scooted closer to the window and just stared. Mustang had considered asking his subordinate if he wanted to talk, but part of him knew that he wouldn't. If the fifteen-year-old hadn't opened up to him after three years under his command, he probably wouldn't now. The two just remained silent for the rest of the train ride.

The train halted to a stop. The Colonel let out a groan as he stood up and stretched.

"Come on, old man. This mine won't inspect itself," Ed said with a smirk as he grabbed his suitcase.

Mustang glared at his subordinate.

"I'm not even thirty, so I'm not old. I'd be careful when you try to insult me. Remember you are stuck with me for the next couple of days, you little brat."

"WHO ARE YOU CALLING SO SMALL YOU COULD SQUISH HIM UNDER YOUR FOOT?" Ed roared as Mustang pushed him off the train.

"That would be you. We're supposed to be meeting the mayor…." Mustang trailed off as he saw a brown-haired man not too much older than himself approaching him.

"Ah, you must be Colonel Mustang! I'm Michael Rowan, the mayor of this lovely town," the mayor said with pure joy as he shook Mustang's hand. He turned to Ed and shook his hand as well. "And you must be Major Elric. I was told to be expecting you two. Welcome to Kanon! The inn that you two will be staying at is right across the street. You both can drop off your suitcases. Since it's so late, I thought I would just show you where the mine is. You all can return to the inn to rest and start the inspection tomorrow morning."

Before either alchemist could say a word, Michael guided them across the street to the inn.

"Hello, Dahlia! This is Colonel Mustang and Major Elric, the two state alchemists the military sent to inspect the mine," the overly enthusiastic mayor said as he entered the inn.

"Well it's a pleasure to meet you both!" the elderly innkeeper greeted the two newcomers. Her eyes widened when she got a better look at Ed. "Oh my! You're a bit young to be in the military, aren't you?"

"Yeah, just a bit," Ed chuckled, a little unsettled by the lack of hostility that he was expecting.

"Well you think you've seen it all when you get to be my age, but I guess not! Here is the key to your room! It's down the hall and the last room on the right!" she said as she handed Mustang the key.

"Thank you, ma'am. It was a pleasure to meet you," Mustang responded with his usual charming smile as he took the key.

He and Ed grabbed their suitcases and made their way down the hall to their room. Once they entered and the door shut, they quickly turned to look at each other.

"I thought the people of this town hated the military," Ed said in a hushed tone.

"That's what the Fuhrer told me. I guess he was wrong?" Mustang said with a question at the end, but that wasn't even a possibility.

Fuhrer King Bradley was never wrong. He always seemed to know everything.

"Unless Dahlia and the mayor are just a few of the ones that don't," Ed suggested.

The two met back up with the mayor and headed toward the mine, which was just under a mile outside of the town. Since the two alchemists now knew where the mine was, the mayor left them to eat and get their rest. As they walked through the town to the diner the mayor suggested for them to eat at, they were surprisingly not met with glares from the other citizens. Some of them were even friendly enough to smile and wave. This just further unsettled the two alchemists.

"Why would the Fuhrer lie about the people hating the military?" Ed asked his superior while they ate.

Mustang just shook his head and shrugged.

"I don't know, Fullmetal. At least our stay here will be more pleasant than we were expecting."

The Colonel really hated not knowing why the Fuhrer lied to him. He considered the possibility that Bradley just didn't want to put up with any objections from him about working with Fullmetal, but it wouldn't have mattered if he had anyway since he had to follow the Fuhrer's orders no matter what, and there were definitely worse things than working with Ed. He was a very skilled alchemist after all. This ate at Mustang all through dinner and even the short walk back to the inn.

Once the two had arrived to their room for the evening, Fullmetal took off his shoes and jacket and collapsed onto the bed. Mustang looked at his young subordinate sprawled out on the bed and chuckled. He figured the kid was just tired after the long day of traveling, especially considering he was as well. After making a quick call to check in with Hawkeye as he had promised her before they left, he turned off the lamp in their room and crawled into bed himself, not looking forward to another long day tomorrow.

*break*

It was dimly lit in the mine, but he had no trouble seeing his predicament. He was surrounded by four men, and they were quickly closing in on him. He desperately looked around for the Colonel, but couldn't find him. Alchemy would be his only way out of this. He clapped and was about to perform a transmutation when a voice stopped him.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you, Edward Elric," a voice chuckled.

The men closing in on him paused, looking in the direction the voice had come from with smirks on their faces. Ed looked as well, and his eyes widened at the sight before him.

Mustang was on his knees. Two men were restraining his arms, grasping his hands so the Flame Alchemist couldn't snap. The one who spoke to Ed was behind Mustang, keeping him in a tight headlock. Ed made eye contact with his superior. Fear flared through him when Mustang didn't look as calm and collected as he usually did. His face was starting to turn red from not being able to breathe.

"Cooperate," the same man demanded, "Or I'll snap the Colonel's neck."

Ed was definitely panicked at this point. He looked back to Mustang.

"Run!" he managed to choke out.

For once, Ed actually followed orders. However, he only made it a few steps when he heard a sickening crack. He looked over his shoulder and saw his superior slumped over, dead.

"NO!" Ed screamed.

He sat up and ran his hands through his hair, finding it to be soaked with sweat. The lamp in the room switched on. He looked to find Mustang staring at him with a tired, but concerned gaze.

"Fullmetal?" he slurred, not completely awake yet, "Is something wrong?"

Ed took in a few shaky breaths before he responded.

"It was just a dream," he said, not entirely sure if he was just trying to convince himself or if he was answering Mustang's question. "It was just...a dream."

"Do you need to talk about it?"

Shocked, Ed looked at the Colonel. It was already bad enough that Mustang saw him having a nightmare during their train ride, but he couldn't help but feel a little grateful for the offer. However, there was no way that he would admit to Mustang that he had a nightmare about him dying.

"No."

Mustang just shrugged and looked at the clock. It was just after seven. It was almost time for the two alchemists to get up anyway.

"We need to be up soon anyway. Why don't we just go ahead and get started on the inspection?" he suggested.

Ed nodded and got out of bed. The inspection would hopefully get his mind off his nightmare. The two got ready in silence. They stopped by the diner and ate a quick breakfast before heading out to the mine. The walk to the mine was also silent. Mustang was about to walk right on in when Ed grabbed his arm.

"Colonel, you wouldn't let anything happen to you, right?" he asked.

Ed may not always get along with his superior, but that certainly didn't mean he wanted the man dead. Mustang almost staggered back at the question. Never once would he have thought Fullmetal would show any concern for him. He cleared his throat before answering him.

"Of course not…." he trailed off when he had a sudden realization as to why Ed asked. "Does this have to do with your nightmare?"

Ed refused to meet his gaze. The Colonel put a hand on his shoulder, knowing that the sudden contact would cause Ed to look up at him.

"I won't let anything happen to me. Besides, Hawkeye would kill me if I died," he tried to joke.

It seemed to work. Ed visibly relaxed a bit. The two entered the mine to begin the inspection. When they wandered deeper into the mine and couldn't see due to the lack of sunlight, the Colonel snapped and lit the torches that were lining the walls of the mine.

"Looks like you're not completely useless after all, Colonel Sparky."

Mustang met him with a glare at the insult, and they went back to the inspection. A crash further into the mine grabbed their attention. No one was supposed to be in the mine aside from the two alchemists. Mustang and Ed looked to each other. Ed transmuted his automail arm into a blade while the Colonel pulled his ignition gloves on both hands. They quietly made their way further into the mine. Both nearly jumped when a rat scurried past them. Looking where the rat came from, they saw what appeared to be a broken bottle.

Ed sighed in relief and transmuted his blade back to normal. Mustang chuckled softly, not wanting to believe it was just a rat that startled him. The duo turned around and were met with four figures dressed in black, blocking their way back to the mine entrance. Quiet shuffling was heard behind them. Before either of them could react, they were each tackled to the ground by a black-clad assailant. The other four moved in to assist in restraining Ed and Mustang. Ed was a skilled fighter, so he easily got his assailant off him. Unfortunately for him, there were others still hiding deeper in the mine and he found himself surrounded. He clapped and transmuted his arm, ready for the fight.

Mustang was also skilled in combat, but whoever was attacking them knew exactly who they were dealing with. Immediately after freeing himself from the one that tackled him to the ground, two sets of hands grabbed his arms and pulled him to his feet. Strong hands clasped around his own, keeping them apart and preventing him from snapping. He struggled against the two holding him, but he realized just how strong these two were when they seemed to have no trouble keeping their grip on him. He saw Fullmetal fighting off his various attackers, and he seemed to be holding his own. He hoped the kid could fight his way out and escape, but there were so many of them and only one of him.

"It's so nice to formally meet you, Roy Mustang."

Mustang almost didn't hear the voice. It was quiet compared to the ruckus Fullmetal was causing with his assailants. The only thing that caught his attention was the presence of a slight accent, but he couldn't remember where he heard it before. The two holding him turned him to face the speaker. A man a few inches taller than himself approached him, his long, black hair swaying back and forth as he walked. The man looked like Kimbley almost, just about ten years older. Mustang guessed that this man was the leader of their assailants. He would have responded, but he couldn't help but look back to his subordinate. Two hands grabbed his face and he was forced to look the man in the eyes as he spoke.

"It's so nice of you and your subordinate to finally join us. We have been watching you both for quite some time now."

"What do you want with us?" Mustang growled as he tried to pull away from the man's grip on his face, but that grip held firm.

Denying to give the Colonel an answer, the leader looked over at Ed fighting with his men and sighed. A few of the attackers were unconscious and four more went to close in on the young alchemist, who looked like he wasn't about to give up anytime soon.

"I knew your subordinate was feisty, Colonel, but this is a bit ridiculous," he grumbled as he moved behind Mustang, obviously frustrated with his men.

He knew that he only had one option to get the Fullmetal Alchemist to stop fighting. He kicked the back of Mustang's knees out from under him and caught him in a headlock before he could hit the ground, successfully cutting off his air supply. Seeing that Ed was about to engage in combat yet again, he decided that he needed to intervene.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you, Edward Elric," his voice bellowed throughout the mine.

Ed completely froze when he heard the voice. A look of horror crossed his face when he saw Mustang's position.

"Cooperate," Ed heard the leader demand, just as he had in his dream, "Or I'll snap the Colonel's neck."

Mustang desperately tried to tell Ed to run for it, but the arm around his throat tightened, causing the words to get caught in his throat. Ed seemed to get the message, but chose to ignore it. He transmuted his arm back to normal, and Mustang's eyes widened.

"No...Full…metal..." he managed to choke out, but it was too late.

Two men grabbed Ed's automail arm while only one grabbed his flesh arm. He was dragged over to Mustang. The leader of the group released Mustang from the headlock to stand in front of the two alchemists. The Colonel coughed as he took in big gulps of air.

"Your cooperation is appreciated, Fullmetal Alchemist. Unfortunately that might not last long seeing as I wasn't completely honest with you. We need you both alive for the time being."

At this, Ed had a look of pure rage on his face. The leader chuckled.

"If it's any consolation, it was very noble of you to give yourself up to save your superior. I found it quite touching," he continued as he approached the young alchemist.

Mustang's eyes widened as he realized where the accent was from. Hearing the man talk more allowed him to figure it out.

"You all are from Drachma."

"You would be right, Colonel," the man said as he pulled a syringe out of his pocket.

"What do you think you're doing?" Ed shouted, eyeing the syringe and struggling against those holding him.

"We need to move you two. You both will put up a fight, and that will waste time that we don't have," the leader answered.

He tilted Ed's head to the side and plunged the syringe into his neck. Ed's struggles ceased almost immediately and he slumped in his attacker's arms. Once Ed was unconscious, he approached the Colonel and took another syringe out of his pocket.

"I know you have several questions," he said with a sinister smile as he inserted the syringe into Mustang's neck, "I will give you some answers in due time."

Mustang's knees buckled as the drug took effect. The last thing he heard before he lost consciousness was a voice whispering in his ear.

"You and your little subordinate will be completely broken by the time I'm done with you."

Well there's the first chapter! I hope you all liked it! Let me know what you all think. I'll update as soon as I can, but I'm not entirely sure when that will be. I hope soon!