I ran through the halls of Central Headquarters. I had to. Word of my arrival was going to spread like wild fire to my father, and I couldn't let that happen. I just couldn't. I was kicked out of school...again. It wasn't like I wanted to get kicked out this time. It was one fight and getting chased by the MPs and I'm the one dubbed unfit to attend this school. Well, in my defense, I never wanted to go in the first place and there were a few others who've attend that school and got caught with worse. Maybe the school had my thick school record with my problems of being in schools away from Central City.

My heeled boots clicked rapidly as I ran down one of the floor corridors, trying to look for a closet to hide in. Lieutenant Colonel Hughes was of no help to me. I could hide in his office, but I'd have to hear all about his little daughter, Elicia. While I've loved that little girl to death and babysat for the Hughes family on occasion, General's never let me stay in Central long before he'd send me to another private school. After being in nearly every private school in the country-my record for getting kicked out and why is like seeing a serial killer's crimes-I thought General would have ran out of private schools everywhere else but in Central, where I wanted to be.

I wanted to be in Central. I called it home. It was where my mother died when I was four and where my cousin helped raise me while General was trying to make his reputation greater by playing the single-father card. It made me sick. He used a personal family tragedy as his personal gain. I knew for a fact that even Brigadier General Mustang wouldn't do that if he could. I knew Brigadier General Mustang wanted to become Fuhrer, but seeing how he's the world's biggest womanizer, he'd be better than my authoritarian father who also wanted to take Grumman's place when he either steps down or dies.

I looked rapidly at the passing doors. When I found what I thought was a closet, I went in. If I could hide from General, my chances of making it to Taylor's office. She was sharing the same office as Brigadier General Mustang for now. Training him to do the complicated paperwork was something he just wasn't catching. I wondered if he ever did the paperwork when he was a Colonel.

I shut the door to the room I thought was a closet and looked at the door handle. The brass door handle that shined in the artificial light of the room. My hand was still on it, my head bowed to see the door handle and the small details, trying to catch my breath. My dark gold, purple streaked hair curtained my face as I thought about worst-case scenarios. The worst of them all, I concluded, was General finding me and immediately sending me away to somewhere in the North- like there was anyone who wanted to go and be under the command of General Armstrong.

"Can I help you with something?" a voice asked from the other side of the "closet".

I looked up and realized this was a well-lit closet. It wasn't until I turned around that I realized the worst. It was an officer's office. My heart sank when I looked toward the desk where the officer was sitting. With my hand finding the brass door knob, I opened my mouth, trying to play the innocent card to someone who looked rather young to have a commanding officer's position.

"Uh, sorry, wrong room!" I said as I turned around to open the door with the brass handle that refused to open.

I could feel his eyes on me. "It's alright. Tell me where you're going. I could help point you in the right direction."

I stopped. There was something in his voice that made me. Was it the genuine willingness? I turned to him. His golden hair shined in the light. He was still seated at the desk, staring at me with those eyes. "Willing to help someone hide from another?"

He chuckled. "Maybe."

I walked further into the office, closer to the increasingly sexy guy that was still seated behind his desk. My buckled, heeled boots clicked against the floor. "Thanks, Colonel."

One thing I learned from my father was to call all ranking officers by their rank followed with their last name. If I didn't, it was met with an equivalent punishment. Before it was skipping meals, now it was threats of sending me away and sometimes out of the country. The only person I could call by name was my cousin, Taylor. After General got his ranking of General, he even stopped letting me call him any variation of the name Dad.

The guy chuckled quietly to himself. "I still can't get used to the rank. Part of me still thinks I'm still a Major."

"How long have you been a Colonel?" I was finding it easier and easier to talk to him.

"A few years. I helped with the Promised Day and they promote me two ranks," he said. He shook his head. "My superior officer gets promoted to Brigadier General with a new office and I get his old fucking office. How ironic."

I chuckled. He had some authority issues, like I did.

"Who was your superior?" I asked as I sat on his couch and crossed my legs, propping my elbow up on the arm rest.

"I'll always see him as a Colonel or as a bastard. But others know him as Brigadier General Mustang," he said, almost growling the name.

I chuckled, letting the name sink in. "Wait, you were Brigadier General Mustang's subordinate?"

He chuckled, setting his pen down. "Yeah, you could say that." He looked at me, letting his eyes fall from my wavy-curly, streaked, dark gold hair, to my black leather riding jacket with my white spaghetti strap and one of my long gold necklaces falling and resting on my chest. I tried to hold back the blush as his eyes went to my dark, faded jeans; they were my favorite. And finishing off with my black, high-heeled, buckled boots. "What's your name? If I'm going to hide you, I want to know your name."

It was my turn to eye-rape him. Like him, I started with his gold hair and drifting down to his matching liquid sunshine eyes. I was getting lost in those eyes. I lowered my gaze to his uniform, silently cursing the fact that he was wearing his uniform and wishing I could see what more was under there. His uniform was undone a couple buttons, letting much to the imagination. He looked around my age. I smiled to him, feeling more eased.

"McKenzi," I said, purposely leaving out the Lockert part. The last thing I needed was for him to kick me out of his office because I was related to the most hated General in the military. "Call me Kenzi or Mick."

He smiled. "Kenzi; I like it."

It was my turn to smile. Most just call me Mick and screw the Kenzi name. He was different.

"How about you, Colonel?"

He chuckled. "It's Edward Elric. You can throw away the Colonel part. I'm only twenty-three."

My eyes widened, and my heart quickened. "You're the Fullmetal Alchemist!"

Holy shit, my hero! He always did away with the rules and did whatever the fuck he wanted. Something I prided myself on when I was in some private boarding school.

"I take it you've heard of me?"

"Colonel Elric, thank you for destroying the private school I was at when you were in the West. I was about to be kicked out."

"How many times have you been kicked out of school?"

"After this time," I counted the times with my hand, "about seven since I was thirteen."

"Seven?" he said in utter shock. "Damn you know how to get yourself kicked out of boarding schools."

"Yeah, and Daddy is running out of school everywhere else in the country to send me to," I said with a sarcastic tone.

He chuckled. I could tell he was becoming more interested in me than his paperwork, which was understandable. He set down his pen and rested his chin in his hand.

"Sounds like you like your father."

"Hell. No. I try not to associate with him as much as he likes to associate with me when it isn't to boost his image."

I kicked off my heeled boots and crossed my legs on his couch. Something I only did in Taylor's office. I faced him with a smile. Ed chuckled.

"Lockert doesn't talk about you much," he said. "I wonder why."

I scoffed and snickered. "We have a mutual no-talking relationship. You wouldn't see it when he drags my ass out of school to make his reputation look better with appearences, but we don't talk to each other."

That came because both of us hated the thought of each other. General would send me away and I'd do everything in my power to harm his rep and get myself kicked out. Central was home, not some boarding school on the other side of the country. Taylor could atest to my personality and thoughts. She'd be the one to take responsibility of me when I did come home.

"So, Colonel Elric, how about you? You can't be that interested in the homelife of General Devon Lockert." That was probably the only time I would refer to General by his full military name.

He chuckled, looking to his desk. "Nothing much about me. Parents died. It's just me and my brother, though I am just waiting for him to propose to a childhood friend of ours. He's been with her since we got home to Risembool."

"You're from Risembool?"

"Yeah. Why?"

I shook my head. "Nothing. I never got to see the country much; just when I head to a new boarding school. The country is like that space between cities for me. I never got to see it all."

It was true. I wanted to see how peaceful the country, or a town like Risembool, could be. However, trains don't really allow you time to find out.

Ed smiled to me. "Maybe the next time I go to Risembool, I'll bring you too."

I turned a slight shade of pink. No one had really offered to take me anywhere except for the back of cars, dark, small rooms, and their beds. Not to mention meeting thier parents because they think being with a General's daughter is just awesome. Let me tell you, none of those boys got much farther than making out.

"I'd like that a lot," I said as I sat back with a soft, true smile.

There was a flash of a scene that crossed my mind. It was dark and raining. The only light to see him in was from the headlights of a car and from around the city. Both of us were soaking wet, the rain glistening off us from the lights of the headlights. His hair was pulled into a ponytail while mine was down, falling in heavy waves and curling at the ends. His arm was around my waist as he kissed me passionately, our tongues dancing in an errotic dance only we knew. One of my arms was around his neck as the other one gripped his bicep. His other hand was feeling my curves, making the water splash up as he guided his hand against the grain of the water running down my body. My hair wasn't streaked with color and his hair wasn't in a braid. Everything was perfect for us, until the clap of thunder made me jump.

"Kenzi, get under my desk," Elric said as he looked to his office door.

"Why?"

"Someone is at the door. You don't want General Lockert to find you, do you?"

I stood up, getting ready to climb under his desk when the thought occured to me. "I am not sucking you off down there."

He sighed, shaking his head. "Then get in my closet. I don't care where you go in my office, just hide." I walked to his closet, opening the door. He placed a hand on it, ready to shut it. "For the record, I wasn't even thinking about that."

With that, he shut the door, leaving me in the dark closet with the crack under the door the only light shining in. I looked to my toes, seeing the light. I froze when I heard Colonel Elric speak.

"Hello, General Lockert, sir!" I could tell he was saluting. You salute the bastard when you see him. He has that arrogant aura of 'I could get you fired so quick if you don't follow orders'. Around me, it's 'behave or I'll send you to a boarding school as far away from Central as I can'.

"Hello, Colonel Elric," he said. His tone was arrogant, pompous, and nothing like the father he once was.

It took all I had not to growl or say anything. Instead, I looked to my feet, the realization of the fact I was without my boots hit me like a punch to the stomach. Fuck, now General was going to know I was in there, or that Colonel Elric was just screwing someone in his office in the middle of a work day because he'd see some girly, buckled, heeled boots next to his couch.

"What is it you need, sir?"

I swear, no one would have guessed Colonel Elric had a problem following orders or protocol with how much he was calling General sir.

"I am looking for my daughter. She's about this height." I knew he was gesturing to about how tall I was against his body, not that I'd get that close to him long enough for him to get an accurate estimate. "She has blonde hair and blue eyes." Gold, gold, he's forgetting about the gold in them.

There was that short pause as Ed "thought" about if he's seen me or not. I silently begged for him to use common scense and not give me away. The last thing I wanted was to be yelled at and lectured by General in front of Ed.

"Sorry, sir, I've never seen your daughter before," he said.

I shot my head up and looked at the door. Did he just lie to General?

"Thanks for your time, Colonel," General said as he opened the door to his office.

"You're welcome, sir." There was a small pause. "Sir, may I ask what her name is in case I see her?"

Colonel Elric, you've already seen me. My mind trailed to the thought of him. My heart fluttered. God, he was sexy.

"McKenzi," he said. There was another pause. "If you do see her, tell her that she better get home before I do. I am sure her cousin would help."

"Yes, sir. Have a good day, sir," Colonel Elric said as he watched general leave, making sure the door clicked behind him.

I heard the door click shut and Colonel Elric give an audible sigh. He walked to the closet door where I was hiding and opened it, letting the artificial light fill the small closet.

"I know I shouldn't say this, especially to you, but I really don't like your father," he said as he rested most of his weight on the door.

I stepped out. "Join the club. He has more haters than fans, and you could call me the president of the haters club."

Elric chuckled and went behind his desk, grabbing my boots. "You left these out, so I hid them for you."

I smiled to him. "Thanks," I said as I took them, sitting on the couch and putting them on. "You know, you didn't have to lie to General like that. A simple no would have done the job."

"I know but it felt right. Besides, from the sounds of it, it sounds like he isn't your biggest fan either." He paused, thinking about something. It was written in his eyes. "Who is your cousin?"

"Taylor Mera, the Mirror Alchemist." Her name I could say with ease.

"You mean, Brigadier General Mera? She's in the same office as Mustang."

"I feel bad for Mustang then. She'll make sure he gets his paperwork done properly and on time. Knowing his reputation with paperwork, it'll be hell for him," I said. Being a military brat, you get the scoop on nearly every officer and their reputations.

Elric chuckled. "Good, he'll need it." He scanned me over again. "Is it true you fought to get kicked out of school one time?"

"One time? More like a few times. Taylor taught me everything I know about hand-to-hand combat."

He smirked. "What to spar me in the courtyard? I am sure General Lockert won't look outside to where we'll be."

I nodded. "You're on. Lead the way, Colonel."