Disclaimer: I do not own any aspect of the Fullmetal Alchemist franchise and do not profit from this story.

Führer Grumman was dead. Roy Mustang shook his head in disbelief and sank into his chair. It had only been five years since the defeat of the Homunculi. Five years since he had transferred to Ishval. Five years since Grumman had assumed power. He leaned back in the chair and sighed. It was time.

"Sir?"

Roy looked up at his blonde assistant. She had followed him to Ishval. Would she follow him to the top? He felt a smile creep up from the corners of his mouth. What am I thinking? How could I ever doubt her resolve?

"Hawkeye, find us a train. We're going to Central."

####

Alphonse felt a cool breeze wash over him as he stepped down onto the gleaming tiles. He turned back and smiled at the old man, who was leaning against the door-frame of the driver's carriage. "Thanks for the lift, sir."

The old man shook his head and grinned. "There's no need to thank me, young man. In any case, I should be thanking you. Without your help in fixing our boiler we would have been stuck in the desert for days."

Alphonse's smile broadened. Alchemy had its uses.

The old man continued, "I heard that they're going to build a rest station halfway across to prevent that sort of thing from happening. It's a good thing that you were there this time." The old man scratched the back of his head and turned to face the inside of the train. "Well, I've got some cargo to unload. I'll see you again sometime."

Alphonse thanked the driver again and turned his head to examine the railway station. The granite tiles and bright, yellow-bricked walls shone in the afternoon sun. He spotted a noticeboard on the wall about halfway down the station and made his way across the platform to it.

Under the words, "Ishval: Main Station", there was a list of all outgoing trains. Alphonse began to scan the list. His face fell when he noticed the hastily applied red stamp at the bottom of the paper. "CANCELLED" He sighed and eased around to lean against the wall, letting his bag slide from his hand to the floor. Perhaps he could-

"Alphonse!"

He started, nearly falling to the ground as he pushed himself into an upright position. He blinked, glancing sideways until his eyes fell upon the blue uniform of a blonde Amestrian officer. "Lieutenant Hawkeye!"

She gave him a slight smile. "It's Major Hawkeye now, Alphonse."

Alphonse grinned. "Congratulations, major," he said warmly. "It's nice to see you again." He gestured to the red mark on the noticeboard beside him. "I'd guess that you have something to do with this."

She nodded gravely. "All trains that follow the Central line are cancelled for security reasons. General Mustang is about to travel to Central." He voice softened. "Alphonse, führer Grumman is dead. Heart failure."

His face froze. "Oh, that's-" Comprehension sparked from behind his eyes before he could continue. "That means the the colonel, no, the general will become the new führer."

Hawkeye nodded again. "That seems likely."

A silence held the air between them before Hawkeye routed it. "So, Alphonse, I hear that you're looking for a train."

####

General Mustang surveyed the train station through the window of his carriage. He hadn't left Ishval for more than a few days in five years. This time it might be permanent. He thought of all the uncompleted projects that had been started and of those that hadn't even been begun to be implemented yet. He sighed and returned to scrutinising the station. At least some things were finished, he thought. The amount of money that had been poured into the construction of the Ishvalan rail infrastructure and the Xingese rail line had made Ishavl the envy of the other areas.

His train of thought suddenly derailed as he saw Hawkeye walk onto the train with a young, blonde man in tow. He allowed himself a smile and stood up to greet them. "Alphonse Elric, you sure have picked a great time to return."

Alphonse smiled widely in response. "It's good to see you to, sir."

Hawkeye stepped forward. "Sorry to interrupt, sir, but the train's about to leave. I suggest that we take our seats."

"Right as always, Major," said Roy as he settled back down into his seat, gesturing for the others to follow suit. "I suggest that we keep our minds off recent events for a little while."

Alphonse nodded as he sat down with his bag on his lap, noting the tired look in the General's eyes. "What do you want to talk about?"

"Well, I'd like to talk to you about some home news, but first I'd like to ask you about your journey."

"What do you want to know?"

Mustang's mouth twisted into a sly smile. "How's Mei?"

Alphonse turned red and Hawkeye gave a strained smile, her fingers to her forehead.

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