Author Note: I'm sorry this is a day late; I was traveling home from the Buffalo Wild Wings Bowl all day yesterday.

Disclaimer: I do not own Fullmetal Alchemist, but my OC's are mine.

If there had been a clock in the room, it would have been ticking loudly, marking each tense second of eye contact. Ed refused to back down; he couldn't lose a challenge to this guy, even if it was just an impromptu staring contest and, despite what Al said earlier, he was not ready to mature just yet. Besides, milk was disgusting.

The major suddenly sighed and stood up, leaving Ed to celebrate his triumph. "I don't have time to deal with this." He muttered as he walked over to the door. "Listen kid, I am going to have my second in command drive you back to wherever they picked you up from. Then I would appreciate it if you would leave my city." He left the room and Ed sat in silence for a few minutes, congratulating himself on his victory. A few moments later a different man entered. While not being as tall as the major, he still towered over Ed.

"I am 2nd Lieutenant Asus." The man saluted. "I have been instructed to drive you to 3rd and 8th street. Let's go." He was out of the room before Ed could utter a single protest, and the boy reluctantly followed him down the hallway. They went outside and climbed into the same car Ed was arrested with. Ed hadn't paid it any attention earlier, but it didn't deserve any. It was a standard military car, but it seemed to be the only one the military in this city owned. The paint on the left side was in the process of peeling away.

"Sorry about all the trouble." 2nd Lieutenant Asus offered sheepishly over the rumble of the engine. "Major Masters has been searching for Erika for nearly three months now. When he heard someone who looked like her had been arrested, he got his hopes up." As the car pulled away, Ed watched Asus thoughtfully. Like many Amestrians, he had blond hair and blue eyes, and seemed to be in his early 30's. Ed figured he might fill him in with what was happening.

"So why does the Major want to find this Erika person anyway?" Ed leaned back in his chair casually with his hands down by his sides.

Asus glanced at the boy carefully before responding, "She was one of the kids who lived at the local orphanage. You actually look a lot like her, from a distance. A really far distance. But she ran away three months ago, and the Major has been searching for her ever since. It's kind of been an obsession for him." When Ed didn't say anything, Asus continued speaking. "Actually, do you think you could keep an eye out for us? She might be more willing to show herself to other children."

"I guess I could." Ed shrugged. "I'm not a kid, but if I see her, I'll let her know you're looking for her." He flexed the fingers on his metal arm.

"And if you see anything suspicious," 2nd Lieutenant Asus' ears flushed slightly, "please report that too. You seem slightly more competent at deciding what is suspicious than our MP's do."

Ed nodded, and they settled into uncomfortable silence. Ed stared out the window, marveling at the contrast from the early day sun to the late afternoon sun he saw now. The buildings cast shadows onto the car, flashing over it in a repetitive pattern. Asus focused on driving and making the right turns to get Ed back to his intersection.

When they arrived and rolled to a stop, Ed jumped out of the car. "See ya around." He waved as the car pulled away, before tucking his hands in his pockets and looking around the intersection. As expected, Al was gone. Where did he go though?

The list of choices was short, consisting of the train station and the hotel, and Ed decided to try the closest one first. The hotel was about 200 feet away, so it became the most likely option.

The woman behind the counter glared at him as he walked in the door, and he sighed before working his way over to her. She frowned at Ed with clear distaste. He wondered if he should ask about Al, but decided against it.

"My brother and I don't know how long we need to stay," Ed leaned on the counter gingerly, "so how about we open a tab with you, and I'll pay it when we need to leave." He made his best puppy dog eyes at the woman, but her expression did not change. In fact, her frown deepened and her brow furrowed.

She considered it for a moment, "Fine," she said after a long wait, "but only if I can add 2 percent to your bill for the trouble."

"Deal!" Ed grinned. "Thanks a bunch!" He reached over the counter and shook her hand vigorously before running up the stairs to see if Al had made it back to the hotel room. He didn't look back to see the small smile on her face as she recalled being that young at one time. When Ed opened the door to the room, Al was sitting on one of the beds.

"Brother!" He exclaimed, practically leaping the few steps towards Ed. He engulfed his older brother in an all-encompassing hug. "You're ok! How did you escape? Why did they arrest you in the first place?"

"One question at a time Al." Ed chuckled, returning Al's hug. "I didn't escape, they let me go. They thought I was some missing kid who ran away from the orphanage. A girl called Erika."

Al covered his mouth in an attempt to stifle his giggles, releasing Ed in the process "They thought you were a girl?"

"Don't laugh!" Ed scowled, plopping down on his bed and kicking his shoes off, "They want us to keep an eye out for her. Though I don't know if I could get back to their HQ even if I tried."

"The military HQ here is on my map." Al pulled it out of his loincloth and waved it in the air. "So we could find it if we have to."

"I guess." Ed leaned back on the bed. "Though their highest ranking officer is a Major, so we might be able to work around them. On a random note, have I ever told you how weird it is that you keep things in your loincloth?" He raised an eyebrow at Al, who would have been bright red if his body was capable of producing the color.

"Well the only other place to put it is inside me, and that's how I lose things." Al insisted defensively, waving his arms in front of his body. "You could hold the map if you want, but do you remember last time you used a map? I do, and it wasn't pretty."

"I thought we agreed never to talk about that!" Ed jumped up out of bed and pointed at Al, but before he could say anything else his stomach interrupted him. It growled loudly, echoing throughout the room. Ed sighed, "We should go get some food."

"Okay."

End Note: Happy New Year!

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