Dark and miserable was the assent into a long lost part of his life. His prosthetic leg, dangles from the leather straps that held it together as he struggled to get up the steep stairs. The long forgotten ancient city had been passed a while ago, the streak through it taking at least two hours.

As Edward pushed through the long forgotten churches doors he couldn't help but cry out for something seemed to be eating his skin. It was a sensation of tiny bugs crawling underneath his skin and nipping away at his insides.

Ed knew what was wrong so he just ignored the pain and stumbled on to the streets of Central looking for familiar sights to lead him to headquarters. He found the normally unpacked streets to be overwhelmingly crowded.

He had no way to get around unnoticed to the common folk, so he went for Plan B.

Walk proudly and pretend no one's staring at you.

Of course, that seemed to never work. For as he passed the market a old woman seemed to take pity on him in her own way.

"Son," her gentle voice seemed to give off a caring vibe, "are you hurt. Can I help you?" Just by the way he walked being so injured gave the wise old lady a hint about how prideful he must be.

At first Ed thought just to ignore her and keep struggling along to Central but he knew that his leg would probably give out before he even made it half way.

"Yea." He gave her a half grin but before he could ask for her name he felt a dizzy spell coming on and something creeping up his throat. Ed throw-up a watery display of stomach acid and bit of something that was unrecognizable.

The old lady gasped and ran to the closet pay phone as the boy collapsed onto the ground after gagging some more.

The ambulance came sometime later to find a the old lady sitting on the ground with Ed sitting next to her, puking from time to time. She would rub her wrinkled hand up and sown his back trying to comfort the young man.

The paramedics came up with a stretcher between the two.

"Excuse me." The paramedic was surprised to see weary golden eyes meet his. "What is your name?"

"Edward Elric." Ed found that the two paramedics looked at each other before looking back at him on the ground.

The first one stopped a chuckle almost choking on it before continuing, " The Edward Elric? The Fullmetal Alchemist?"

Ed just rolled his eyes, which he regretted instantly for he felt the world spin around him. "What! You think I don't know my own name?!"

The other paramedic with brow hair shook his head, "You never know these days…" His mumbles caused Ed to cock an eyebrow. "But you do seem to fit the description the Bridger General sent out so maybe…"

But before he could finish the boy started to gag and then with much surprise, fainted.

Roy sighed as he hung up the phone. There always seemed to be another poser who didn't' seem to get that a little hair dye would not fool any military officer.

But this one was apparently a bit promising since a doctor had mentioned on the phone the phrase 'golden eyes'. He was still skeptical about it and didn't bother telling anyone else had it happen to be that it was another idiotic scheme to get attention.

Nobody, especially Roy, wanted to break Al and Winry's hearts again.

He couldn't believe it. The boy was there, on the bed, looking quite ill but there all the same. Roy then started to uncontrollable pace back and forth.

What to do was one of those questions he found himself asking a lot. Apparently something was wrong with the Fullmetal Alchemist to end up in the hospital but the doctors had told him they had no clue what the strange burn like injuries were on the alchemist's chest.

Something called common sense told Roy that it was some kind of infliction Edward had received wherever he had been for such a long time. But where had he gone and why and how…

"Colonel…?" His thoughts were abruptly interrupted by a weak voice.

"No, Fullmetal, Bridger General." Roy turned looking at the boy as he moved to prop himself up against the backboard of his simple metal brass spring bed. He couldn't help himself but to stare at Ed, being he though he would never see him again.

Ed smirked knowing exactly how this would be for everyone you knew him before. It was as if Ed had come back to life to the others. "Oh, really. Traded your eye for the position?"

"Don't start now, shrimp." Roy said now converted back to his old self. Ed saw an opportunity to tease some more.

"To tell you the truth Bridger General, I am pretty certain we are the same height now."

Roy just gave his oh-you-think-so grin. "On the contrary Fullmetal, are height may be the same but you will forever be the shrimp who came in my office seven years ago looking for a job."

Ed just rolled his eyes and finally took on a serious demeanor. "General, would you know were Al is?"

Roy followed suit, the grin replaced by a morbid face. "Yes. Actual he is in Central."

Ed looked at Roy hoping to god that Roy wouldn't tell him that Al had joined the military. Roy knew amazedly what that face meant. "No, he didn't. He's actually here because he is a prestigious guest at the new memorial the Fuhrer built."

"What memorial?"

Roy looked at him and chuckled as he noticed the irony. "Yours."