Well, it seems like everyone who read chapter 1 at least liked it. That's good! I thought it was awful! Oh well. I was actually surprised at my own ability to find a way to get rid of Al (without killing him…that would make me sad). I love Al, but in order for things to get "messy" we're going to have to get rid of him. Nothing personal. All right, on with the story!

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"WHAT?!"

That yell could be heard all throughout Central. It even silenced the crowds, if even for a half a second, before they returned their normal chatter.

Ed was the only person who seemed unfazed by the screamed question. He calmly continued to pack his bags for the long trip to Yock Island.

"Yeah, it's true, Al. You can't come," Ed replied dully. He bowed his head a little. "Sorry."

"I can't believe this! You're going to a tiny island, far away from here, and you're going to stay there when there's a murderer on the loose who uses a sword that can cut through metal," Al roared indignantly. Usually he never got that mad, but when they were putting his brother in danger like this…

"Then I have to go, Al. I'm a dog of the military and the higher-ups have my leash," Ed said in the still bored, monotone voice. It made him guilty that Al upset like this, but in order to move forward he had to do this. "Come on, I'm going to miss my train."

It was not, in general, a pleasant walk from the headquarters to the station. Al stormed in front, still mad about Ed's dangerous new mission. Ed lagged behind, going from angry to guilty to sulky in less than five minutes. He was having extreme difficulty carrying his bags. He had packed for two weeks, making it a heavy load.

Central Station was not a far walk. Ed couldn't help but feel extremely annoyed by the familiar coal-black train with the great white puff of smoke bellowing from the top. He had just been on a train yesterday, and now he was going on one again. He couldn't stand having to hold still with nothing to do, especially when there was so much to get done.

Ed began to lift his suitcase up to the luggage train, but was stopped when a cold metal hand was placed gently on his shoulder.

"Brother, stop," Al's small voice said.

Ed turned around to face his brother. "What is it, Al?" he asked, trying to keep his voice as kind as possible to avoid another fight.

"I'm sorry, brother. I'm just so worried. A knife that can cut through metal and no eyewitness descriptions…it just doesn't even sound like a human is causing these killings," said Al.

"I know," said Ed. "But I'll have people with me, so you'll know I'll be careful!" He puffed up in a way that would be impressive, but wasn't because of his stunted growth.

Al chuckled a little. "Just be careful. Don't do anything stupid, and please don't come home injured again," he said in a serious voice.

"Like hell I will," said Ed, grinning cockily.

Al sighed. "Get on the train. See you later, then."

"Bye!" called Ed as he ran toward the entrance of the train. Al couldn't help but feel a little worried. Sure, he's handled killers before, but Ed was just…Ed…

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Roy Mustang was going to kill Ed if he did not get on the train right now.

It was getting close to the time when the train would leave, and he needed another alchemist with his group there. So far, he was the only one there. Sure, Riza Hawkeye was invincible with her guns, but still, she couldn't be everywhere.

This killer sounded extremely dangerous. Roy could only dream of a sword so sharp it could pierce through metal. But it may be the work of alchemy…that's why he needed Ed. The kid could figure out this kind of stuff in seconds. He really knew his stuff when it came to alchemy.

Lucky for him, Ed burst into the door seconds before the train left. Roy looked up from the newspaper he was reading and simply muttered, "You're late," as a greeting.

"Sorry, sir, I had a little detour," said Ed smartly before taking a seat. "So…you say we're going to Yock Island?" he asked.

"Yes," said Master Sergeant Fuery, the technological wizard of the group. "There have not been any inhabitants there, ever, until now, so it's only obvious that a serial killer would show up in such a new colony."

"Yeah, no inhabitants," said Ed in a surprisingly sarcastic voice.

"What's the sarcasm for, chief?" asked Lieutenant Havoc, who was leaning back in his seat, arms crossed.

"I was there with Al for a month! It was deserted back then. Our teacher left us there with no food or shelter, and even crueler is that she told our friend Mason to go there in a mask and beat us up!" Ed said, annoyed.

"Harsh," said Lieutenant Breda after a short silence.

"But if there are no eyewitness descriptions of the murderer, than couldn't he or she be in disguise like that psychopath, Barry the Chopper?" asked Ed.

"That's why the military is taking care of this, Ed. Between the lack of descriptions and the tough daggers that can pierce metal, this might be the work of an alchemist," said Roy, still not looking up from his newspaper.

"Like Scar," whispered Ed, pondering.

"No, it couldn't be Scar. Ishbalans do not kill those of their own kind," replied Roy.

"Could it just be another soldier in the rebellion?" asked Ed.

"That's not likely," said Hawkeye, speaking finally. "Think about it. Only a highly accomplished alchemist would be able to kill like this one. Such a talented alchemist would probably be a State Alchemist now, instead of a lower officer that is seeking revenge."

"Yeah, unless…never mind," Ed responded.

"I can't help but think you may have an idea on this, Edward," said Roy, finally looking at the young alchemist.

"Trust me sir, if I had any idea I would have told you," said Ed, but he still had that tone of suspicion in his voice. It was driving Roy crazy…every time Ed was going to say something of relevance, he cut himself off.

But surely, Ed wasn't stupid enough to keep an important thing hidden in a murder case, unless he was trying to protect the others. Which was a possibility…

With Edward, you never knew what was going to happen. That was when Roy noticed the danger they were in at Yock Island.

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Ed was surprised by how much this place had changed.

For starters, a rather large rowboat was waiting for them at the dock. It was larger than the one Ed had ridden so many years ago, when he was only eleven and his heart was full of hope to learn everything he should know about alchemy.

It was a positively beautiful day. The sun was shining, and the skies were a deep, transparent blue. The waves on the water sparkled in the sunlight. Even though Ed was stuck with the job of paddling, he didn't mind. He liked to look at the sparkling water, to see the golden droplets sprinkle all over the place as he slapped the paddle on the shimmering liquid.

Yock Island was a small island, but it looked different, somehow, from when Ed was a kid. It also looked bigger. There was a small village of wooden huts, each one having a heavy, bolted lock on the door. Ed supposed the Ishbalans didn't want to take their chances with a serial murderer in the middle of the night.

The island was practically deserted, except for a few Ishbalans that had stayed there. They kept their distance, obviously not trusting the military. Ed didn't blame them. He himself was disturbed after he had heard the truth about the Ishbal Rebellion. It had, in fact, been a massacre, where the military came and slaughtered everyone in sight, women and children as well as men.

Roy assigned everyone a room, but, sure enough, Ed had gotten the smallest.

"You take up the least space, Fullmetal," he said patiently when Ed had demanded why.

Ed felt strangely jumpy that night. He decided to investigate a few files of the killings that night, but he felt nervous when he was alone and the serial murderer was lurking about.

Not only that, but he was exhausted. It was late at night, and he hadn't slept that well on the train for fear of Breda pulling pranks on him. It didn't take long before Ed fell asleep, his head on the report he was supposed to be reading.

Little did he know he kept the door unlocked.

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Done! Well, I didn't really like this one either, but it was better than the first! Expect some action next chapter. We're getting there! Review, please. for those wonderful virtual hugs/handshakes/cookies!