Disclaimer: I do not own Fullmetal Alchemist, unfortunately...

A/N: Hello all! Enjoy this Fullmetal Alchemist fic, General Elric, and don't forget to review! They are always welcome!

Sincerely,

Onyx Feloric

General Roy Mustang sat at his desk, signing the slight amount of paperwork that had accumulated on his desk throughout the day. He'd long since discovered that if he did the small amount of paperwork on his desk in the morning, he wouldn't have to sit at his desk the entire day. Of course, the lieutenant had told him that years before, but it didn't have the same profound affect that discovering it on his own had. Though the 'I told you so' lecture from Hawkeye wasn't the most pleasant thing to witness.

Signing the last of his paperwork for the day, he stood up and stretched his arms. Walking to the window, he frowned as he looked out. It was too sunny here in Central. Miles away there was a war going on. A war that didn't need to be fought, but was anyway. He had sent home more notices of death to families than he'd ever thought possible. This time the enemy was evenly matched with them. That, if anything, scared him the most.

The enemy knew alchemy. Oh no, they weren't near as skilled as Central's State Alchemists, but they still had the ability. In the past, alchemists could walk the field of battle unchallenged, but this time, they had to deal with almost a mirror image of their power. Roy frowned deeper. There were fellow alchemists he knew on the fields of battle. There was one in particular that shouldn't have been sent anyway. The Fullmetal Alchemist.

Yes, Edward Elric was called away to the battle field due mostly to his reputation as a one of the most powerful alchemists the State had in its possession. Another was the fact that Edward was extremely hard to keep under control in Central. The Fuhrer had specifically requested Edward's presence. Much to his surprise, Ed had smirked and gracefully accepted the duty.

Roy had been stumped at Ed's reaction and had argued with the boy. Ed had simply given one of his devious smiles and patted him on the cheek patronizingly, reassuring him that it was something he wanted to do. Ed was too young to understand what he was getting into and that, in part, was what thought drove him to distraction.

Roy was a seasoned veteran of war and knew the consequences of being in battle. What Ed was facing was probably more horrifying than anything he'd ever faced. Sure he'd seen and done some gruesome things, but Edward was facing alchemists as well. That had to account for something.

The only thing keeping his spirits somewhat high was the fact that all members of his squadron on the lines had to have death notices sent to him first. So far Ed's hadn't crossed his desk and there was no one else on the field from his command. Hopefully, Ed would be getting a reprieve soon. Ed had been on the field of battle since the war's beginnings, and as such, probably a commander of some unit.

Each unit consisted, anymore, of regular foot soldiers and at least one alchemist, with three being most appropriate. The alchemists' responsibility centered on doing everything in their power to protect the foot soldier's around them, as well as stopping any enemy alchemist. In reality, one unit comprised of all alchemists would be ideal, but the fact that there weren't that many in service made such a dream exactly that. Ed would be in charge of his own unit, making him at least the one alchemist, depending on how many were at his area, which, Roy knew to be little.

From the latest letter sent to his office by the Fullmetal, he was on the front lines in the harshest area. That was no doubt due to his own request, or if not, the Fuhrer's. Roy sat down and grabbed the letter from his drawer. It read:

Mustang,

As of right now, I'm on the front lines in the Buleon district of Sancresia, which, I'm sure you know, is the most volatile area. Lucky me, eh? Well, there's not much to say being as we're at a standstill. Apparently diplomacy is going to give it a try, but it won't work. If it hasn't before, it sure as hell won't now, but I don't want to sound pessimistic.

Roy couldn't help but smile at this. He could clearly see the blonde face as if he were speaking it to him right now.

I'm doing fine, I guess. At least I'm not any more disfigured than I already am. Heh. Don't work your lazy ass too hard. I'll see you and the crew when I get back.

- Ed

That was Ed for you; never tell you what was going on. Roy looked at the slight red smudge on the corner of the parchment and sighed. Blood. At least he hoped it wasn't the Fullmetal's, like he would tell them anyway. He folded the paper and set it back in the drawer that held all his letters.

Roy stood up and opened his door. Riza looked up at him with a soft smile on her face. "Did you get your paperwork done?"

Mustang rolled his eyes and handed her the small stack. "Yeah. I'm gonna grab a bite to eat. Coming?"

Riza frowned. "No. I've got some things to finish up here."

"I'll grab you something." At her nod he passed by the desks and disappeared out into the hallway.

Riza sighed lightly as she proceeded to put the paperwork in it's proper place. She almost hated seeing him so docile. She hadn't had to point a gun at him in months! Though she liked the fact that he was getting his paperwork done on time, she still wished he had some fight in him about it. Hopefully Ed would get back soon.