Finally after some small, fucking annoying events (Lan Fan and Fu finally finding their young lord, Ed transmuting as ugly mask for Lan Fan to make up for breaking her original one during their fight, Lan Fan in turn kicking him in the face, Al then making a mask for the girl and Ling making the angry girl say 'thank you') the group of six set off for Central.

Edward and Winry sat next to each other on the train while Ling sat between Tauriel and Al on the opposite side (Al at the window and Tauriel squashed up against the railing). Ed scowled at Ling as the train drove off, his finally repaired Automail arm twitched.

"We would already be in Central if it wasn't for your two lackeys. We wasted so much freaking time getting my fucking arm repaired."

"Maybe if you didn't break it in the first place that wouldn't have happened." Winry angrily countered.

"Whatever."

Ling laughed loudly as he put his hands up in mock surrender when Ed settled his fiery glare on the Xingese boy again.

"I scolded those two, so don't worry!" Ling put his arm around Tauriel's shoulder and patted her head when he reached his hand up. "This one knows what they are: my bodyguards. The young girl is Lan Fan and the old man is Fu. They're from a family that have served my family for generations."

"They'll have nothing to serve if you don't stop touching me." Tauriel blankly stated.

Ling slowly pulled his arm back with a nervous laugh.

"Why do you need bodyguards?" Ed asked rudely. Glee then spread over his face. "It is because you're too scared? Fancy that! You're a man and you're too scared to cross a little desert!"

"Well I guess it is dangerous for a young teen to travel all alone." Said Ling casually.

"Young teen?" Winry looked shocked.

"How old are you?" Al inquired curiously.

"15."

"Aren't you almost 16?" Winry whispered in Ed's ear.

"Yeah Eddy, aren't you?" Tauriel chuckled darkly, having heard the whisper from Winry.

"Stand up." Ed commanded, he stood up and gestured roughly to Ling to do the same, ignoring Tauriel and her badly contained laughter.

Ling did so and it went as well as you'd expect.

Ling, who was at least a head or taller than Ed, stood with a peaceful look on his face as Ed growled and hit his head against the train seat.

"You…."Ed raised his Automail arm, his finger coming up to point at Ling. "You….YOU UGLY FACE!"

Ling gasped at Ed as Winry, Al and Tauriel spluttered with laughter at Ed's reaction.

A sword came flying down of the ceiling of the moving train, Ed dodged it and fell on the ground on his face. His face pale and his eyes wide as he stuttered uncontrollably.

"Lan Fan….?" Al nervously asked.

"How dare you bad mouth the young lord…."Lan Fan's voice filtered into the compartment.

"IS SHE ON TOP OF THE TRAIN?!" Al screeched. "SO IS OLD MAN FU!"

"ARE THEY OKAY?!" Winry gasped.

"THEY'RE STEALING A FREE RIDE! SECURITY!" Ed exclaim.

"They won't be caught that easily!" Ling laughed joyously.

"IF THEY TRY TO STAB ME I'LL THROW THEM OFF THE TRAIN MYSELF!" Tauriel threatened.

Ling continued to laugh until Tauriel hit him upside the head.

She was then nearly stabbed by Lan Fan, Tauriel in return had to be restrained by Al when she tried to climb up on top of the train to fight the young girl and old man.

"Tauriel," Winry looked at the Ishvalan girl with a sweet smile when they had all calmed down and sat back in their seats. "Ed told me you were from Dublith, how is – "

"I'm not from Dublith, I've never been there actually." Tauriel answered. There was something in her tone that unnerved Winry, there was a dullness to her eyes that reminded her of Ed when he had just lost his arm and leg, when he had no hope and there was just sadness and dull anger.

"I met Edward and Alphonse in the next town, I'd been travelling for years and I hadn't been to Central in a while so I figured I'd come along." Tauriel sent a forced smile Ed's way, hidden behind the smile was the Ishavlan girl telling Ed to shut his mouth and play along.

"…Yeah." Ed finally agreed, his hands clenched but he managed a smile.

Tauriel had begun to make a new identity for herself. Once she'd killed the Fuhrer she would run to a new land, she'd change her name and start again. If her heart didn't still ache she'd had forgotten the Devil's Nest gang already. She had forced herself to forget her parents – which hadn't been hard but difficult for a young child to do – but she couldn't seem to shake her life in Dublith, she had laughed for too much and smiled too often to forget so easily. But still, she endeavoured to try and to succeed because she didn't want to feel that ache in her chest for the remainder of her life.

Al didn't say anything, his thoughts drifted to memories he had in his brief stay at Devil's Nest. He remembered the way Tauriel looked at Greed with eyes that practically shouted "I would do anything for you, I would give up my life to save yours", at first Al had wondered if Greed would have done the same thing but remembering how angry Greed had been fighting Bradley, how horrified he seemed at the deaths of his friends…Al knew Greed would have died to save what was his. And he did in a way, his last dying words were directed to Alphonse asking him to look after Tauriel. Now Al didn't know why Greed had said that because from all Al had seen so far, Tauriel could look after herself just fine.

But still,

He had promised Martel, Docletto and Roa the same thing.

So many people counted on him to protect the young Ishvalan girl, he couldn't just ignore their wishes.

Winry stuttered, looked at Ed then looked back at Tauriel before coughing, regaining her composure and throwing the girl a smile.

"Ed's known for getting his facts wrong." Laughed the blonde mechanic as she slapped the side of Ed's head.

"That he is." Tauriel replied coldly.

Edward could only sigh and wonder what he had gotten himself into.

"FINALLY!" Tauriel shouted, she stretched her arms above her head as she hopped off the train, her legs shined under the beams of the sun, the metal reflecting into Ed's eyes as she kicked her legs up.

"Oi! Watch it!"

"Oops."

Ed's eye twitched at her unapologetic tone.

"Anyway," Ed muttered. "Let's first go check out the headquarters, Hughes should be around there somewhere. We can visit him!"

"Sounds like a plan!" Winry agreed happily picturing the man's smiling face.

"I wonder if he's still trying to find information on the Philosopher's Stone…." Al wondered.

"Dunno, the Fuhrer is keeping eyes on 'im though…" Ed stated.

At the mention of Bradley Tauriel's blood ran cold but she shook it off.

"The Military Is helping you find the Stone?" It was a shock to say the least, why would the Military help two teenagers find something that powerful?

"Well….Not really." Al laughed nervously. "Lt. Colonel Hughes is a good friend of ours though."

"HEY!" Fu's voice shouted, the two Xingese bodyguards came running up behind the group of four with horrified expressions.

"Where's the young Master? I thought he was with you the whole time."

Silence took over the group as Winry looked left, Ed looked right, Al looked above them and Tauriel looked on the ground.

"Not here." They all stated.

Fu and Lan Fan seemed to deflate like balloons, they fell to the ground muttering "not again", and a depressing aura surrounded the two as onlookers stared.

"Too bad so sad. Let's go find your Hughes friend." Tauriel turned on her feet, Ed right on her heel, as she walked away from the scene with amazing indifference.

When they reached Central Headquarters Ed stopped as he saw a young blonde woman handing a file to someone. The woman was wearing a Military uniform, her face was sharp but sweet, her eyes were beautiful but they held the look of a murderer – Tauriel noticed that as soon as she laid eyes on the comely woman who looked about in her mid to late 20's.

Tauriel clenched her hands, her back was tense and her eyes hard as she watched the Military officers walk about. Their gaze landed on her from time to time and they froze or they sneered or they pretended not to see her and move on.

"Lt. Hawkeye! What are you doing here?" Ed exclaimed.

"Oh," Lt. Hawkeye turned and politely smiled at the group. "Edward and Alphonse, how have you two been?"

"Same old same old." Replied Ed.

"So, shit." Muttered Tauriel under her breath.

Ed stomped on her foot with his flesh foot, yelping in pain he stepped back.

"You're that lady…" Winry's face was clouded with memories trying to re-surface.

"And you're that young girl from Resembool." Hawkeye smiled.

"Yeah! It's Winry."

"My, you've grown up to be so beautiful." Gushed the Lt. with a hand to her cheek.

"Miss Riza you've grown your hair so long!" Winry gushed back.

Tauriel was still snickering at Ed's pain and Hawkeye looked passed Winry to see what the older Elric brother was groaning about. Her eyes darted across brown skin, white hair, her hawk like eyes took in the two Automail legs, the one glass eye and the scars that surrounded her face and her neck.

"I'm afraid we haven't met before, Miss…?" Hawkeye regained her calm to smile at the Ishavlan

"Tauriel." The girl replied with bitterness, her voice was cruel and cold. "I do know who you are though."

Riza Hawkeye prided herself on her composure but in that moment her façade crumbled, her face fell and her arms hung limply by her side as the war flashed before her eyes.

Tauriel knew that was what the Lt. was picturing because she had seen that very same look in Docletto, Roa and Martel's eyes – even her own eyes. Guilt bubbled inside her and before Tauriel could register what she was doing the girl stepped forward and out stretched her hand.

"The Elric brothers have spoken of you, so you're the famed Lt. Hawkeye they've gushed about."

Something in Tauriel's tone made it clear to Riza she was lying and the look Ed threw the Ishvalan proved the sniper right. The usually cold and clouded eyes of the Lt. softened, she offered the young girl a smile and shook her hand firmly, the press of brown skin against white reminded Riza of the child she had buried once, at the end of the war. So she gripped the hand tighter as if to be sure it was real and not a cruel nightmare that would end in blood and screams.

"Wait!" Ed suddenly yelped. "If you're here then that means – "

The loud engine of a car froze Ed, his eyes bugged out of his head then he narrowed his them, his teeth seemed to turn into fangs as he practically hissed at the man stepping out of the fancy car.

"Hey, Fullmetal." The deep, laid-back voice greeted lazily.

Tauriel slowly pulled her hand from Hawkeye's grip as she took in the man, her eyes raking his body and face to get an idea of why Ed suddenly seemed to turn into a sulking child.

The man had pitch black hair – just like Ling's – the fringe flopped over his eyes slightly which gave off a 'cool' edge to his overall button-upped look. He was handsome – that was something so obvious, his clean-shaven baby face and sharp cheekbones, small nose and symmetrical features was appealing to anyone. Truly a conventional beauty, Tauriel thought – and he gave off an air of superiority, his eyes seemed to glint with knowledge that no one knew. His eyes were quite like Ling's too, sharp and the same blackness were held in them as when Ling opened his eyes but something swirled in the pools of black that Ling didn't possess. It was that murderous look again, just like Hawkeye had.

Ah, Though Tauriel so this this Colonel Roy Mustang….The Flame Alchemist and Hero of Ishval.

"What are you doing here?" Ed seethed out.

"I was transferred to Central a few days ago," grinned Roy, "What? Aren't you happy to see me?"

"I couldn't imagine why he wouldn't be," Tauriel's voice caught Mustang's attention. His black eyes found the red eye of the grinning Ishvalan girl as soon as he turned to his side. "Now, now Eddy-boy don't act like a child in front of the Hero of Ishval."

Mustang, just as Tauriel had done, took in the girl with his eyes.

She was strewn with scars and burns (Roy could only think they were his doing but dear readers know this, it wasn't but still his guilty heart and scarred soul wouldn't have believed that), her glass eye was circled with a large burn scar and Roy had turn move his eyes away. He could taste ash and smell burnt flesh, he felt hot as if his own skin was burning.

"Who is this pretty girl you've got with you, Fullmetal?" Laughed Roy with forced glee, he didn't want to close his eyes as he knew he'd just see dead, burnt bodies. "You're lucky! Being surrounded by two beautiful girls!"

Ed, who had been staring at Tauriel ready to pull her back if she decided she's attack the Flame Alchemist, whipped his head to growl at Mustang comically. He slapped a hand to his forehead and sent Mustang an embarrassed glare.

"Shut it, Colonel Bastard." Sniffed Ed childishly, he crossed his arms and shifted his weight from foot to foot. "And that's Tauriel." Pointing a finger at said girl who still had a cruel grin pulling at her lips.

Roy smiled.

And it wasn't forced, Tauriel noticed.

It was just sad.

It held years of pain and regret, years of guilt and memories that kept the man awake at night as it had done Docletto who often woke the Ishvalan up with his screams of terror in the night.

It wasn't a pity smile,

It was apologetic and oh so human.

Tauriel had to look away because she didn't want to consider the man a human, she wanted to hate him and to wish death and pain on him because he was a monster with no feelings.

"What are you doing here anyway?" Mustang asked turning back to look at Ed and Al.

"We're here to gather more information." Answered Al politely.

"We wanna look up stuff about the Stone and Homunculus." Added Ed still keeping an eye on Tauriel whose grin discouraged the small Alchemist.

"Homunculus? Gimme a break." Deadpanned Mustang with an annoyed sigh, he didn't sound like an annoyed commanding officer but an annoyed father who had told his son 'no' too many times. "How the hell do you expect to find information about that from a Military that restricts human transmutation?"

"Is that so?" Tauriel muttered remembering the times Martel, Roa and Docletto had re-told their stories of the Military's experiments on them. She then shook her head and jogged to walk next to Winry.

"Oh yeah, one more thing!" Ed smiled; beautiful and radiant and full of life, life Tauriel hadn't seen in a long time. Tauriel hadn't seen a smile that happy on the older brother's lips before. "We wanted to say hi to Hughes, how is he?"

Mustang's shoulders tensed and he repressed a flinch, his chest ached as the smiling face of his best friend flashed before his black eyes.

Tauriel noticed the way Mustang's back now stood straight instead of the comfortable slouch, she saw the way his eyes narrowed and darkened.

He looked so beautiful standing there, so brokenly beautiful.

"He's not here."

Hawkeye closed her eyes, her mouth twisted as she stopped herself from walking closer to Mustang to make her presence known to him, to tell him all was well and he needed not worry about the future and his pain but she stood still, waiting beside her Colonel like she'd done for years.

"He went to live in the country…There's been a few disturbances in Central and Hughes took his kid and his wife to the countryside….I've head he's taking over a family business."

Oh how it pained Roy to simply write Elicia off as the 'kid' and Gracia off as the wife. The two girls had become his own family as they became Maes', Elicia had taken to calling the man 'uncle Roy' – something that always made Maes smile and Roy himself blush. Gracia had always loved Roy, he was her true love's best friend, his brother. To her Roy was a dearly loved friend, she cared for him like no one had cared for him in quite a long time.

Roy Mustang had never had a close family, never in all his years he never truly felt 'at home' but sitting there with Maes, Gracia and Elicia in their dining room, their laughter filling his ears and their smiling faces overtaking all he saw – well Roy was sure that was as close he'd ever gotten to having family.

"Oh…" Ed's tone pulled Mustang out of his thoughts. "That's too bad….But good on him I guess."

"The military is dangerous work." Al nodded, he would have looked sad if he could.

"Aw," Winry pouted. "I wanted to see him and his family."

"Which countryside?" Tauriel couldn't stop herself from asking, her voice came out equal parts curious and humour laced – the look of desperation Hawkeye threw her way pulled at the Ishvalan's heart until, once again, she had to look away.

"So the Stone and Homunculus, right?" Mustang asked. His voice was calm and sturdy, he acted as if the dark-skinned girl's question hadn't shaken him to his very core. He hid it well, he had learnt from the best. Before his war days and his military career Roy had to learn to hide weakness and develop a poker face that could fool anyway. He was a Mustang after all, they were raised to be sneaky and cunning, to hide their emotions as to never be compromised.

"I'll contact you boys if I find anything."

Al nodded while Ed placed his hands on his hips staring at Mustang with an annoyed gaze.

"Let's go Lieutenant." Mustang ordered.

"Yes sir." Hawkeye saluted.

The pair walked ahead, leaving the group of four behind them.

Mustang halted, turned his head to the side slightly as if he was going to look back, then then turned back and put his hands in his pockets.

"Fullmetal," He called gaining Edward's attention. "Don't go jumping to conclusions and getting yourself in trouble."

The younger Alchemist looked taken back, heat rose to his cheeks in embarrassment at the concern his usually sarcastic commander threw his way in a simple passing comment. The blonde boy shoved his hands in his pockets and nodded, upon realising Mustang couldn't actually see this action, he coughed.

"Sure…Whatever." Ed reluctantly said.

Tauriel stared at Mustang and Hawkeye's retreating backs.

In her mind she saw the white of their war uniform but before her eyes Tauriel only saw two people who were hiding far too much pain, they reminded her of the patrons of Devil's Nest. The way they hid their hardships, concealed their grief and moved ahead with their shoulders tense and narrow and their heads forced high.

Tauriel could smell burning flesh and she saw, in her vivid mind, bodies falling but right before her eyes Tauriel could only see the sidewalks of Central.

She wanted to see monsters and to hate, she wanted to shot the hero of Ishavl and scream and yell, she wanted to cause pain and anguish; she wanted despair to fill his eyes like they had done hers during the war.

But Tauriel then felt a tug at her sleeve, she turned to see Winry smiling at her with that beautiful, kind smile and the young teen smiled slightly and followed the blonde.

*Finally Roy shows up! I love Roy, he's just amazing and wow he's just FREAKING GREAT! As I will do with Ling I will write about Roy's past, his family and life with Madame Christmas - It'll all be my personal headcanons so if you disagree with me just send me a message and I'll try to change it!

Turiel's finding it slightly hard to hate the military, with Devil's Nest she only saw soldiers as monsters with no hearts but seeing Mustang and Hawkeye showing such human emotions is making it hard for her to mindlessly hate them*