Little post-series AU I thought of after watching FMA. For some reason Mustang doesn't know about Al.

Roy Mustang was in a shopping center with Her. Riza Hawkeye. 'She looks even more beautiful with her hair down' he muses. As if sensing his thoughts she turns and gives him a dazzling smile, which he happily returns.

Izumi, her husband Sig, and their young charge and pupil Alphonse Elric were in Central. Izumi having business to conduct in the city.

"Teacher?"

"What is it, Al?"

"Is it okay if I explore the market?! I'll be really careful and I won't cause any trouble! Please Teacher!"

Upon seeing the enthusiasm of the 10 year-old she agreed, "but only if Sig is close by. —And no talking to strangers! Understood?"

"Understood. Thanks Teacher!"

As he was running off she said to her husband

"You can do some grocery shopping while he's playing. I'll be back in less than an hour."

Sig looked to his wife and seeing the worry there said,

"Don't worry I'll take care of him."

She smiled at him and went her way. Sig glanced around to see Al beckoning frantically to him. He called the boy over and said,

"I want you to stay within hearing distance if you need me just holler. I'll be over here buying some supplies. And I want you to check in every few minutes, okay?"

"Sure thing!" the kid replied, running in a random direction.

Al walked between the stalls looking at various things, sometimes stopping to admire an odd fruit or trinket. In between a couple of stalls selling food he saw something—or rather someone that caught his eye. It was a man, early thirties maybe, he had dark hair and a patch over one eye. For some reason Al found this man oddly familiar, like someone out of a dream.

Roy's soldier's sense told him he was being watched, looking around he met the eyes of a young boy, no more than ten years old, peering intently at him.

Al realized he was staring and looked away from the man, berating himself for being so rude, he cast one more perplexed glance at him and started to walk away. That was when the fight broke out, right in front of him. There were two boy in the market and they started to shove each other more and more violently, until one of the teens fighting had full out punched the other one in the jaw, sending him into a stall and knocking several things over. The one who'd been punched scowled and lunged at the other boy, sending them both to the ground and partway into an alley or side-street of some kind.

Roy saw the commotion and went over to see what is was about. When he got through the gathering crowd he saw a pair of teens fighting and the strange little boy advancing towards them calling "Hey what's all the fighting about?! Quit it, you guys!" he then tried to break it up, deftly dodging and blocking the clumsy fails coming towards him. One of them pulled a knife and Roy decided to step in before someone got hurt. The boy took a step back and slid into a crouch. He wanted to yell at the kid to get away from them, but just as he was about to he saw the telltale blue flash of Alchemy.

Al had had enough and when one pulled out a knife, it was the last straw. He took a step back, crouching, and pulling out a piece of chalk. He drew the necessary transmutation circle and activated it. Just as Roy reached the boy's side two stone hands rose out of the street and held the boys a few feet apart, they cried out in shock, and anger that their fight had been interrupted.

Izumi saw Sig scanning the crowd and walked up to him saying,

"I'll find him. You go ahead and finish up here."

He nodded gruffly and turned to finish paying the vendor, and she away walked in Al's general direction.

"Why are you people fighting like this?! Someone could've gotten hurt."

Roy's eye(s) widened at the sound of the all-too-familiar voice.

'What is Al doing here… I didn't even hear him walk up.' Roy looked upwards, towards the voice and saw… nothing?

"That's strange I could've sworn I heard him…"

"Heard who?" the voice said again, from right next to him.

He looked down and met the quizzical gaze of the boy, before something on the ground caught his eye. The boy still had his hands on the transmutation circle,

'This little kid was able to transmute that?' he stared, wide eyed at the boy.

"What?" the boy asked self-consciously. That voice. That voice. That voice.

"Riza! Get over here!"

Thinking something was wrong she ran to him, ready to fight. She was rather annoyed to find that nothing was wrong, but what was strange was that Roy was crouched down next to a little kid, his right eye open wide to stare at the boy, who appeared to be getting a little nervous when he saw her approaching.

"What is it Roy? I thought you were being attacked or something," That was when I noticed the transmutation circle, and the brawlers, still struggling against their stone prisons.

"What is going on here? And quit staring at the poor kid your freakin' him out!

"I thought we agreed you wouldn't use Alchemy today. It draws too much attention!"

"I didn't. It was Him." She studied the boy once again, her head tilted, as if considering him.

"This transmutation was expertly done.," Al's face lit up at the praise "He can't be any older than 10, I see no way this boy could have possibly been responsible for it" and immediately fell again.

Al decided to stand up against the blonde lady

"Hey, I might be 10, but that doesn't make me incapable! My Alchemy is just as good as anyone else's!" as soon as she heard his voice she froze.

'It can't be;'

"What?" 'why are these people staring at me like I've grown another head?'

"I have to be going now, I'm not supposed to talk to strangers." Al said, turning to walk away.

Suddenly the man grabbed his shoulders with both hands saying,

"Wait!"

Al winced in pain at the tight grip and cried out,

"Teacher! Help!"

"Step. Away. From. The boy." A voice dark with anger and venom stated, from behind Roy and Riza.

Izumi allowed a small smile to surface when she saw him, but the smile turned into a worried frown when saw that he was in an alley with a strange couple. Did she not, just 20 minutes ago, tell him not to talk to strangers? She was now close enough to hear what he was saying

"I have to be going now, I'm not supposed to talk to strangers." 'Good boy' He had seen her and was walking toward her when the man grabbed him by the shoulders. She saw pain on his face and felt her rage begin to rise. How dare he hurt her baby! When she heard him crying out to her in pain and fear it served only to enrage her further. She managed to grind out a single sentence,

"Step. Away. From. The boy," she growled at the dark-haired man

Something I wrote a few years back after watching FMA. I reread it and decided to post it to get the fanfiction ball rolling. I may continue it if I get some feedback.