There will be some language, which I usually won't do, but I felt that I could not demonstrate the strange friendship between Roy and Ed without it. Also, without it I don't think I'd be able to portray their personalities correctly. This story will have the words "bastard" and "ass" as well as a few I may forget until later.

Chapter 1: A Lead

Edward Elric P.O.V.

I never regretted giving up my alchemy to save my brother, but that didn't mean that I didn't miss it, or wanted to be reminded of what I lost.

But of course, Mustang wanted to bring it up five years later and meet where I had preformed my last transmutation. He had called a few weeks ago, saying that he had important information that could not be discussed over the phone. I told him that I couldn't just leave Winry alone with our two kids for an unknown amount of time and that I had been discharged from the army when I gave up my alchemy. But then he said something that caught my attention and made me care about that blasted conversation.

"You could get it back, Fullmetal. There is an alchemist who may be able to return it to you free at no cost to her patient or herself."

I drew my breath before cautiously asking, "What's her name?"

"No one knows her real name, age, or face for that matter. She just showed up at the test a year after yours, refused to give any information, took the test, and had such a high score that we had to let her in. Which was either really stupid, or just a better way for them to keep an eye on another possible sacrifice. She was able to transmute without a circle."

Everyone who was close to me knew what it meant to be able to transmute without a circle. It meant that an alchemist had attempted human transmutation. "I wonder what she had to give up in order to receive the type of knowledge that could help me." I murmured. Then something else Mustang said stood out to me. "What do you mean no one knows what her real face?"

"Ever since she first showed up, the woman has always worn a navy blue cloak with a dark grey mask that covers her entire face, save for her blue-ish gray-ish eyes. I can't divulge any more information until you meet me at the spot where you lost it."

"One last question Mustang, what do I call her? What is her alchemist code name?"

"The Masked Alchemist, that's her code name. Now Fullmetal, what is your choice? Will you meet me there?"

I told him to hold on a second so I could talk with Winry, who insisted that she could handle our three year old son and 13 month year old daughter just fine on her own and even threw a wrench at me for doubting her ability as a mother. Some things never change.

I picked the phone back up and asked, "Can I bring Al?"

"I thought you said one last question?"

"Aw, come on Roy. I know that you're a heartless bastard, but you usually aren't that way towards Al. And besides, you're the one that contacted me after five years of not contacting me for some random mission that I know very little about besides the fact that I could be getting my alchemy back." I retorted.

"Fair enough Fullmetal. Yes, Alphonse can come." He replied in submission. "Be there in three weeks. I'll have the portion of information you need at the time and the supplies you'll need as well." Then he hung up.

So now, all because of that conversation, Al and I are walking through central headquarters to get to the meeting place. Wherever I go there is complete silence accompanied by a thunk as my automail leg hits the hard concrete ground. Huh, probably need to just tighten a bolt to make it stop. I notice that when someone sees Al and me that we get salutes and respectful nods. They recognized us the two brothers who helped save Amestris while protecting and saving each other at all costs.

We stopped and waited for Roy at the last transmutation circle I had made, and the only transmutation circle the country had decided to preserve. Suddenly, two large wrapped around Al and I, pulling us into a rib crushing bear hug and our feet dangled quite a few inches from the ground.

"Edward and Alphonse Elric!" A voice boomed. "How good it is to see you two again, and after so long! You both have grown a lot! Ah, I see you both are so happy to see me that you're speechless!"

"More like breathless." I gasped. "And we can't see you when you're crushing us."

"Put them down Armstrong. You can catch up on your little road trip." Mustang said as he came to stand in front of us as the Major set us down. "You have grown Fullmetal. You're not as short as I remember."

I smirked. Good old Roy is trying to get me to lose my temper again by the small jibes again, but this time it wasn't going to work. I had my knees currently bent from landing, making me a little shorter than Al, and Mustang hadn't noticed. I straightened my knees and walked to stand right in front of him and I smirked again. "You're right. I had a pretty good growth spurt before I stopped growing. Now I'm a good inch taller than you."

He frowned at loosing his ability to make me lose my temper, but it quickly vanished and his mouth became a thin line and he said, "Now Fullmetal, Major Armstrong will take you and your brother to the supplies and will assist you in reaching the Masked Alchemist."

My brow furrowed. Why would Al and I need Armstrong to come with us? Al and I were adults and I'm able to take care of myself even without my alchemic abilities. "Why? I'm not ungrateful that he is willing to do this... again... but Al and I can handle ourselves."

"I know, but there are still alchemist out there that if given the chance, they'd kill you in the blink of an eye. They would overwhelm your brother in time and your physical skills would only get you so far before you tired and became easy prey." He explained.

I had to admit, he did have a point.

"Alright, that's reasonable. Three more questions, why are we only hearing about the Masked Alchemist now and why are you so eager to see my alchemic abilities return? What is in it for you? And what's this so called mission you need me for?"

The still relatively new fuhrer stiffened at the questions but he knew that if he didn't tell me, he would not get me to leave on a possibly long mission away from my family. "She lives on the far western side of Amestris and she rarely contacts us and we rarely contact her except on extremely difficult mission and she only turns in reports through the mail, so we were surprised when she called us and said she might have a way of to give you your alchemy back so that you can return to the army for a terrible war that's coming. Normally, we wouldn't trust something as nutty as that, especially since Amestris has experienced nothing but peace for the past five years, but some of my sources says she may know where my niece is." He finished with a mournful look in his eye. "I also want to prepare just in case her nutty prediction is right. I feel as if the world is holding their breath, as if waiting for something major to happen."

If I had been sipping water right then, I would've done a spit take. "You-you have a niece?"

"Yes, on my brother's side. He and his wife were killed in the war with the Ishvalans, they were in the military too, and I was to assume custody over her, but leaving an eight year old girl on her own as long as I was forced to before I could take her home was not a good idea. When I arrived to pick her up they told me that she had been missing when her temporary caretakers showed up and blood had stained the carpet. A body wasn't found and she's still missing to this day." He muttered mournfully as the three of us listened to his tragic tale. "She's just a year younger than Ed. She's be twenty-one right now. Man, between you, Fullmetal, and my niece, I feel so old. Maybe Hughes was right. Maybe I should get a wife and have some kids."

"You've been searching for all these years?" Al asked.

"Yes, I was very close to my brother and his family. I loved it when my niece would climb into my lap when I broke my right arm once and she tried to feed me. She and I were very close."

"Oh! What a touching display of affection! Don't worry Fuhrer, we'll find your long lost niece and have you two reunited!" Major Armstrong exclaimed as he ripped of his shirt to show his sculpted body and twinkling pink stars appeared as tears poured out of his eyes. "I will not let you down. No one in the Armstrong family has let anyone down in many generations! Now, just tell me her name so that we may inquire of her everywhere we go!"

"He hasn't changed much." I muttered.

"Brother! Don't be rude!" Al scolded.

"Her name is Royal, Royal Mustang. It's spelled like royal from royalty, but is pronounced roy-al." He said in a dreamy, Hughes like state, showing how much he cared for his niece and how much he missed her. "She has long, pitch black hair and blue grayish eyes. Her skin is a milky white and soft as silk. Her laugh is like a gentle flowing waterfall."

He would've continued but I snapped my fingers in his face and said, "Earth to to Roy. We've got her description. You don't need to tell us about every sound she makes."

"Brother!" Al scolded again.

"I'm sorry but I don't want to waste all day listening to him describe his niece."

Roy cleared his throat, "Yes, now here's the plan. Armstrong will take you to your supplies and you'll take a train heading west. Now, no one but me and a select few know about this trip, so if anyone asks you what you three famous people are doing you are going to tell them that you guys are going on a trip to catch up on old times. Once you reach the farthest town you can reach by train, you'll have to walk 40 miles to reach her. She lives in a small town that still uses cobblestone roads. Once you reach her, you'll have your operation or whatever done, and before, during, if possible, or after you'll ask her questions and see if she knows where and/or who my niece is. Then you'll come back to central to report to me. Depending on what happens, I'll fill you in on my suspicions." He explained. He was once again the Roy I knew.

"Alright, come on Al, Armstrong. Let's go."