I'm still sick, but I still have school. x.x If any of you are religious, pray for this hopeless nerd. XD

Disclaimer: Alright, alright. I'll be serious for once. I do not own Fullmetal Alchemist, nor The White Rabbit Restaurant. All rights go to their owners. ... ALL THIS ALCHEMY YET YOU STILL DON'T FEEL A REACTION!

"Hey, Al! Al!? Where are you?" A young Ed shouted happily as he raced in the backyard of their small country home. He ran past the clothes hung out to dry in search of his little brother.

When Al heard him, he dutifully got up from his spot in the dirt to go see him. "What is it bro-" The young boy's collided, hitting each others heads, and fell to the ground. Ed laughed it off, but Al crossed his arms and pouted. "That wasn't nice."

"Oh come on, Al! I didn't mean to!" Ed said, ruffling his hair. "I have something to show you!"

"I don't want to see it." Al pouted, turning his back to the other.

"What? Why not?"

"Because you didn't say sorry!"

"What!? That wasn't on purpose! It didn't even hurt! Stop being such a baby, Al!"

Al turned to face his older brother and glared. "I'm not a baby!"

"Oh yeah? Then come on!" Ed grabbed his arm and lifted him off the ground. He started pulling him away from the house and into the fields.

"S-shouldn't we tell mom where we're going?" Al asked, glancing back at their house that was starting to grow farther away.

"It'll only take a second!" Ed replied, happily tugging Al, determined to get him to see whatever it was.

"Brother, I dunno. Mom told us to always tell her when we go exploring." Al reminded his stubborn older brother, who had likely forgotten, or didn't care.

"It's not that far! You're not going to tattle, are you?" Ed asked, glancing back at him.

"I'm not a tattletale!"

"Sure you are! You rat on me all the time!"

"Do not!"

"Do too!"

"Do not!"

"Do too!"

"Do no-"

"We're here!" Ed interrupted their bickering and pointed to a dirt path. It led into a dark forest. Al gulped as he stared up at the menacingly tall and dark trees.

"T-this?" he gulped nervously.

Ed grinned and walked to the beginning of the path. "Yeah, this! We have to go in here! I bet there's something awesome inside!"

Al shook his head and took a step backwards. "Brother, I don't wanna."

Ed grumbled, annoyed. "Fine. You can stay out here and be a big scaredy cat! I'm going in!"

"Brother, wait!" Al called out, but Ed was already disappearing into the dark forest.. Al didn't want to go in there, but he also didn't want to be outside alone. "Brother! Come back, or I'm telling mom!" he shouted and chased after him.

Ed glanced back at him and smiled his signature big grin. "Then I'll just tell her it was your idea!"

Al sputtered for a reply and chased after his brother angrily. "That's not fair! You're the on-" Al froze as his brother disappeared and his surroundings grew all too dark. "B-Brother?" Al looked around the dark area, the hair on his neck standing up. An uneasiness settled in the pit of his stomach as he continued walking. "Brother? This isn't funny, Ed!" Goosebumps crawled along his skin as the cold air hit him. "Stop hiding! You're freaking me out!" Al yelled, but got no reply.

He heard rustling among the bushes and gasped. He held his arms tightly to his chest in fear. "Brother!" He called out again, trying not to cry. He heard the sound of a blade briefly. It made a strange swooshing sound, one that he felt he had heard before. He looked down and saw a path of automail parts leading deeper into the forest. "This is Brother's," Al said, noticing his voice sounded more mature. He realized he was taller and older too. "What?" he questioned in confusion. He shook it off and continued walking. He started picking the parts off of the ground. "Winry is going to kill him. What has he gotten himself into this time?" He had a pile of automail pieces in his hands when he reached two trees with a curtain of moss hanging over them. He walked inside and froze. All the pieces fell out of his hands as he screamed.

Ed was bleeding with his newly restored right arm cut off again. There was nothing salvaged of his automail leg other than the pieces he had dropped. He had several slashes down his stomach, and a bullet wound in his shoulder. He was clinging on for dear life when Al arrived. Al covered his mouth, wide eyed, and ran to his side. "Brother! Holy hell! What happened!? Stay with me!" He pleaded as he saw the light in his eyes start to dwindle. "No, no!" He panicked as he tried to tend to the wounds and stop the bleeding. A swarm of curses escaped his lips, something he only did when he was extremely terrified, extremely angry, or both. "Brother, please hang on! You can't leave me! You can't!"

"I told you," a voice he recognized whispered lowly. Al froze and clenched his fists as he turned to meet Vincent. His clothes were stained in blood, and the fresh red substance dripped from his sword. "If you said a word..." Vincent didn't give Al time to respond as he cut through him. "YOU'D DIE!"

Al gasped and panted heavily as he woke up. He felt dizzy and placed a hand on his forehead. It took a moment for reality to register into his mind. He saw that he was in a red chair. A theater chair, to be exact. There were rows of chairs below and behind him. He was at the front of a balcony view. On the stage, two actors, a man and a woman, were still performing. He sighed in relief. "I must have fallen asleep." He shook his head and rubbed his eyes. Who could blame him? The play was in a language he didn't even understand. While he could put together bits and pieces based on the acting alone, it had been hard to stay awake. He looked and saw that a few seats away, Macarthius and Vincent were sitting together. Even though it had been a dream, Al stiffened at the sight of Vincent. He knew he had been getting too comfortable in the prince's presence, and in a strange way, thanked the dream for the reminder that he was dangerous.

However, it was hard to believe that when he had his arms crossed and was pouting as Macarthius kept a tight grip around his shoulders. He looked pretty small slouched into the seat, with a red and gold outfit on that almost looked to big for him, and even his weapon was nowhere to be seen. Al wondered why he had been dragged along to this, but Macarthius wouldn't let him get out of it. So, there they were. Al was watching a play he didn't understand a word of, and Vincent was getting crushed with brotherly love by Macarthius.

Al stood and when Vincent looked at him he just whispered that he was going to the restroom. He excused himself past other audience members and walked down the red carpeted steps. Once he reached the bottom, he slipped past everyone and to the door that led out into the main hall. The theater, in Al's opinion, was more magnificent than the Amestrian ones. In the main hall, there were posters of other plays hung about. A grand chandelier hung from the ceiling, and there were stands with merchandise from the shows playing. Al maneuvered his way through the crowd and managed to reach the restroom before encountering another problem.

He couldn't read the signs on the doors.

He gulped. He knew he had to start studying the Drachman basics. He stared at the characters written, trying to decipher which one meant male and which one meant female. It was too hard to tell, so he decided to just sit back and wait for someone to exit.

Minutes flew by, and his need grew. Nobody had entered or left, and it was starting to drive him up the wall. Just when he was going to just leave it up to luck, someone pointed at the left one. "That one's the men's restroom, buddy."

Al sighed, happily relieved. "Thank you so mu-" he froze. "Clyde?"

"Alphonse?"

"Clyde!" Al cheered and his face lit up. "What on earth are you doing here?"

Clyde smiled. "I could ask you the same question! Small world, huh?"

"Yeah, it sure is." Once the excitement died out, Al remembered his problem. "Uh, would you mind waiting just a moment?"

Clyde laughed. "Sure, I don't mind."

"I'll be right back!" Al said and ran into the restroom. Once he washed up, he left and met Clyde leaning against the wall. "Sorry about that."

"Hey, it's no problem. I can only imagine how long you've been waiting out here." It was evident that he was trying not to laugh.

Al shook his head, grinning slightly. "Yeah. What are you doing in Drachma?"

"It's a long story. My mom is an Amestrian, but my father's Drachman. They're divorced, but I get to come see him every summer!"

"Oh, that's cool," Al tried to chose his words carefully, but realized he failed anyways. "I mean- not that they're divorced! That isn't cool at all! I-I meant-"

Clyde burst out laughing. "R-relax, Al. I get what you mean." He took a deep breath to stifle his laughter before speaking. "It is pretty cool, though. My dad owns a sweet apartment! So, where are you staying?"

Al shifted on his feet. "Oh, uh, at a hotel." He had forgotten to ask the General how much they were allowed to share about their trip.

"Which one?"

"Oh, uh..." Al trailed off.

Clyde laughed. "It's alright if you don't want to tell me."

"I-it's not like th-"

"Don't sweat it!" He pulled out a small notebook from his pocket and a pen from his shirt pocket. He scribbled something down and handed it to Al. "That's the address to the apartment my dad owns. You should stop by sometime if you need anything."

Al smiled and took the paper. "Thank you." They engaged in conversation and walked around to the main hall. Suddenly, a group of photographers and reporters got active. There was a loud commotion, and Clyde and Al nearly got squished by the forming crowd.

"I wonder what all of the fuss is about." Clyde stood on his toes, trying to peer over and get a look.

"Your Highnesses! What did you think of the play?" one of the Amestrian speaking reporters asked. Al sighed. That explained it. He was thankful that he had gone to the bathroom. He would've hated to get ambushed and asked questions. Questions like who he was and why he was hanging around royalty.

"Woah, the prince brothers are here!" Clyde grew excited and smiled.

"Oh really?" Al asked, pretending to be surprised. There was a lot of people speaking in Drachman, but he heard Macarthius's voice answer the reporter in Amestrian.

"It was truly a beautiful and marvelous play! I adored it, but Vinny here enjoyed it the best!" he said loudly.

"Did not! Shut up!" Vincent snapped back. To Al's surprise, reporters stopped huddling the both of them, and only focused on Macarthius.

"How do you plan to handle the recent development with Amestris?" "Do you think that war is the answer?" "Are you going to try to make peace?" was all Al could make out from the commotion. Macarthius answered some in Drachman and some in Amestrian. Al looked over to Vincent to see him glaring with jealousy and crossing his arms. Clyde seemed really excited and was about to go say something when a reporter beat him to it. "Pardon me, your Highness, but did you enjoy the play?" they asked.

Vincent growled and broke their camera. "Don't ask me nonsense like that! Don't you want to hear my opinion on the war too!?"

In a flash, reporters were storming around, and muttering something about the young prince assaulting a reporter. "Damn, that's gotta be a tough life to live," Clyde voiced, backing away from the crowd, and pulling Al with him.

Al frowned in sympathy. "Yeah, it seems like it."

"Oh my, this isn't good." Macarthius said, suddenly behind Al. Clyde seemed extremely surprised when he rested his arm on Al's shoulder. Al just looked over at Clyde sheepishly, knowing that there was no way he could hide it now. "It looks like Vinny has gone and gotten himself into trouble yet again."

"H-h-h-h-hello y-y-your Highness," Clyde stuttered out, clearly extremely nervous. Macarthius chuckled and waved before going into the crowd to rescue Vincent. "Do you know them!?" he asked in shock and with eagerness.

"Uh, yes. My brother had to come to Drachma on business, and I got to come along. We are actually staying at the, um, palace."

"The palace!?" Clyde's jaw looked like it would drop all the way to the floor at this point.

"Back off!" Vincent shouted at the crowd, losing his cool again. He ran over and grabbed Al's arm. "We're leaving! Now!"

As Al got pulled away, he waved to Clyde. "Bye Clyde! I promise I'll visit soon!"

Macarthius bowed to the reporters. "Farewell, wonderful people of Drachma! I must depart now! I bid you all farewell, and may you have a marvelous day!" After posing for a few photographs, he followed Vincent out the door. When they got into the car, Vincent was fuming.

"I have never been so humiliated! The nerve of them!" he went on.

"You need to learn to handle that temper of yours better," Macarthius advised.

"Shut it! I'm not the problem; they are!"

Al sighed and sunk into his seat as an argument ensued. It was pretty easy to read why Vincent had snapped at the reporters and resented his brother. He just wanted to be important to his country too. Instead, they treated him like a child. Even Ed got mad at being looked down upon like that. In a way, Al could understand him.

Remembering his brother, he remembered the horrible dream. He shut his eyes tightly, trying to rid himself of the image of his brother bleeding to death right in front of him. The car came to a stop after a while. "We're here!" Macarthius cheered.

Vincent's anger seemed to melt away as he looked at the restaurant. When Al stepped out of the car, he couldn't help but to gasp. When they entered the restaurant, Al marveled at the interior design. It was a fine dining area, with tables with silk table cloths and chairs with cushions. Some tables had couches for chairs instead of a booth. The floor was clean and polished wood, and shined in the reflection of the lit candles and chandeliers. The most incredible part was that the walls and roof were a glass dome, like a green house. "Wow," Al whispered.

When the workers saw them, they approached immediately. "Welcome, Prince Macarthius!" they greeted with a bow. "Oh, and you too, Young Prince Vincent!" a girl worker chimed in.

Vincent glared but didn't cause a scene. A few more workers came speaking in Drachman to assist them.

"We have reservations. I would be most delighted if you led us to our seating," Macarthius said.

The Drachman waitress nodded. She motioned for them to follow. Al had started to follow the waitress when he was grabbed by security. "Step away from the royal Vavilovs!" one of the security guards said.

"H-huh?" Al asked, stunned as they held onto both of his arms.

"Hey!" Vincent barked, approaching them. "Let him go! He's with us! You wouldn't want to be fined for assaulting an honored guest, would you?" he asked, glaring at the security guards with intensity.

"No, your Highness! Sorry!" Al fell to the floor and sighed in relief. Vincent helped him up and they sat down on one of the couches. Macarthius sat on the other couch across from them, with a glass table with lit candles between them. Al, weak to the feeling of comfort, cuddled in on the couch in delight. "It's so soft," he whispered.

"Straighten up," Vincent ordered.

"Y-yes sir!" Al sat up straight, earning a chuckle from Macarthius.

"You know, Vinny, you shouldn't boss your friend around like that," he lectured.

"Just be quiet." The waitress returned and handed them their menus. Al was thankful that it was also translated in Amestrian. He scanned the menu, and was both interested and confused with the choices. He wasn't familiar with Drachman food at all. Vincent pointed at one of the options. "Get that one. Most tourists from your country choose that dish."

Al nodded. "Alright. Thank you."

Vincent stood up. "Excuse me. I need to wash up." he walked away, and Al started looking around the restaurant when Macarthius cleared his throat. Al looked over and was about to ask what was up when Macarthius spoke.

"Is something the matter with him?"

Al shook his head. "I'm afraid I don't know him very well to tell. It seems to me he always acts this way."

Macarthius frowned. "Interesting. Indeed, he has always had a temper. However, I've never seen him lash out at the press when he knows it will cause a scene. I know he doesn't like me very well, but he wasn't as outspoken about it before."

"I see."

Macarthius shifted in his seat and looked Al directly in the eye. "I just want to know what's going on with him. If you know anything at all, I demand you tell me."

Al gulped and shook his head. "I honestly don't know. We have only known each other for three days."

Macarthius's eyes widened. "Only a few days and yet he's already a friend of yours?"

Al waved his hands. "I-I wouldn't say we are friends," he tried to explain for the one hundredth time.

Macarthius was practically sparkling with joy as he clasped his hands together. "You must teach me your secrets!"

"I-I don't have a se-"

"It would mean the world to me!"

"I didn't do any-"

"Please?"

Al sighed and his eye twitched. He was starting to get annoyed with the elder prince. He knew he meant well, but he didn't do anything. He was just another one of Vincent's men and an advocate of peace. He gained his confidence and sat up straight. "Listen here, and I mean really listen. I do not know him well, and I don't have a secret. If you think there's something wrong, and want to know what it is, then just ask him yourself."

Macarthius was silent. Al almost regretted his reply, but then Macarthius nodded. "You're right. I didn't mean for it to appear as though I was sneaking around him. I just want to know what has changed. When we were younger, he used to look up to me. I would give him piggy back rides around the palace, and we got into mischief together. We were quite the duo, you know. It was so much fun!"

xxx

"Arthur? What are you doing over here?" A young Vincent asked as he sauntered over to where his older brother was tampering with a table leg. He fidgeted with his itchy light blue tie that was becoming uncomfortable. They were both wearing black and white suits with light blue ties. They had been invited to a wedding, so of course they had to dress for the occasion. The ceremony had ended, and the adults were talking among themselves and drinking wine while the kids played outside and waited on the food.

Macarthius cried in victory and put away the pocket knife he had out. "You're going to love this."

"What did you do?" Vincent asked, crossing his arms.

"Oh, nothing. You'll just have to see later."

Vincent pouted. "That's not fair, Arthur! I want to be in on it too! Just tell me."

Macarthius shook his head at his stubbornness and smiled. "Alright, but you have to keep it a secret from mom and dad," he ordered, motioning over to where their parents were talking with the Xingese royalty.

Vincent's eyes sparkled and he grinned. "I will! I will! I promise!"

Macarthius handed him the knife. "Be careful with that." he pointed to a table filled with desserts. "I want you to hide under the table cloth and loosen the table legs."

"How come?" Vincent asked.

"Because it'll be hilarious when it falls down!"

Vincent started getting the idea and laughed. "Mom and dad are going to kill you!"

"I believe you mean us," Macarthius corrected.

"I haven't done anything yet."

"So you're backing out?"

"On this? No way!" Vincent walked over to the table and then froze. He looked over at the big wedding cake. In his mind, he imagined the large cake and all of it's layers crashing down. He knew it was against his better judgment to be apart of this at all, but he just couldn't resist. He looked at Macarthius, who gave him a reassuring nod, and ran under the cake table. He flipped the pocket knife to the screwdriver setting. He unscrewed the screws half way until they were strong enough to stand but too weak to handle any more pressure. He was about to crawl out when he recognized his mother's heels. He gulped and slid deeper in under the table.

"Mom!" Macarthius called over. "Mom, you have to see this!" he said, leading her away.

Vincent snickered, thankful for the help, and crawled out without being noticed. Now all that was left to do was wait.

Once the food was done being cooked, the waiters set all of the food into the table. Once the groom leaned against the table to give a speech, it shifted, causing the table and all of the food to crash and fall. Gasps echoed around the room, and Macarthius and Vincent had to stop themselves from laughing.

"How did that happen?" one of the guests asked.

"This is awful!" A female guest shrieked.

"MY FOOD!" The chef cried when he ran out of the kitchen to see the mess.

The groom's suit had gotten dirty with some of the food that fell on top of him. His shoes were drenched in sauce and he didn't look too happy. As people swarmed to help him, he denied it and smiled. "I'm sorry, everyone. I'm not sure what happened. At least we still have the cake," He walked over to the cake and his bride did the same. As they were cutting the cake together, the table leaned and the large cake fell on both of them.

While there was a commotion of the guests trying to help them, Vincent and Macarthius were roaring with laughter. The other kids were doing the same. Vincent gulped when he saw their mom glare their way.

"Do you think your kids did this, or mine?" one of their mom's friends asked.

Their mom's glare intensified. "Oh, this is definitely the handiwork of my boys."

"Uh oh. Run!" Macarthius shouted. He grabbed Vincent's wrist and led him outside. They ducked under a bush, scared to make a sound.

"Did you see the look in her eyes? Mom's really mad!"

Macarthius covered his mouth. "Be quiet! You'll give away our location!"

"Boooys?" their mom called out in a sing song voice, causing them to stiffen and bite their tongues.

After a minute of not hearing her, Vincent whispered, "we're dead."

Macarthius laughed nervously. "Yeah. I wonder how long we will be grounded this time."

"This is your fault! Now father won't let me take fencing lessons!"

"You're the one that went along with it! And mom's going to take away my knife!"

"You tempted me!"

"No I didn't!"

"Yes you di-"

"Quiet!" Macarthius held up a finger to his mouth and made a 'shh'ing sound. After a moment of silence, he sighed in relief. "I think she gave up."

Vincent gained some hope. "So we won?"

Suddenly, they were both being grabbed by their ears and pulled out of the bushes. "I don't think so, boys! Walk with me."

"Ow, ow, ow, ow, ow..." the brother's chanted in union as they were taken back to the car.

"Do you have any idea how much trouble you've caused those poor newly weds?" She asked as she shoved them into the back seat.

Vincent and Macarthius pointed to each other at the same time. "It was his fault!" They shouted.

"It was both of you!" their mom said. She held out her hand at Macarthius. "Knife, mister."

"What knife?"

"Now."

Macarthius took it out of his pocket and handed it to her in defeat. She stuck it in her small handbag. "Two weeks. You're both grounded for two weeks. You'll get your knife back when you're ungrounded."

"What!?" they both asked.

"Macarthius, you're not allowed to go anywhere near a weapon for the next two weeks. No more radio shows either. You both are to do your schoolwork without complaints and I expect perfect behavior!"

"Ha! Have fun, Arthur! I don't even listen to the radio!"

Macarthius shook his head. "Idiot."

"And you, Vincent," she looked over at him. "I'm taking away your access from the library."

Vincent looked like his whole entire world shattered. "You can't do that! What's wrong with reading!?"

"I don't know how else to punish you. No fencing lessons either."

"Why can't dad just punish us?" Macarthius asked.

"Because your father will go too soft on you. You boys need to take the free time to reflect on your actions! A wedding is a very important event that they spent months planning for! You wrecked it!"

Both Vincent's and Macarthius's eyes filled with sadness. "We're sorry, mom," Macarthius whispered and hung his head low.

Vincent nodded and looked at his lap. "Yeah. Sorry."

Their mom sighed and ruffled their hair. "What am I going to do with you boys?" She calmed down and shook her head. "You're forgiven. I'm going to go find your father. If you stay in the car and wait for us to come back patiently, I might allow you two to eat dessert tomorrow."

The boys smiled and nodded. "We'll be good!"

xxx

Macarthius laughed softly and shook his head. "The older we got, the more distant he and I grew. I know that he has changed, as have I, very much so. Now, he hates me, and I don't know why. I sometimes wish we could go back to the previous days filled with childhood innocence and playful bickering. As painful as it may be, I accept that those days are over and won't return."

Al couldn't help but feel sympathy for him. While he and his brother didn't argue often, when they did, it made his heart feel heavy. During their time traveling and searching for the stone, he often longed just to go back to the days where they played outside and got to see their mother's smile. "They might be over, but you can still have a close relationship. It doesn't have to end with the two of you separated."

Macarthius smiled. "You have a kind heart, Alphonse. That's something people lack nowadays more than before." He stood up and dropped a wad of rubles onto the table. "I'm afraid I must be going now."

"Huh?" Al asked, surprised. He was scared that he had offended him.

"It's getting late. I have somewhere to be. Tell Vinny I'm sorry for losing track of time once he returns. I'll be taking the car, so tell him to phone Grigory or Irina once the two of you are done here to pick you up." Before Al could say anything, he left the restaurant. Through the window, he could see him getting crowded with reporters.

"So he left again?" Vincent asked. Al jumped in his seat. He hadn't noticed that he was standing there.

"Y-yes. I think I might've upset him. It's my fault. I'm sorry," he apologized, looking down.

"Ha! Not likely. He's always on the move with his oh so important matters." Vincent sat in the couch that Macarthius had previously occupied. He flipped through the wad of cash. "Free food is free food. I don't give a damn if he's here or not. In fact, I'm relieved that he's finally gone."

"He really does worry about you, you know."

"So he says." Vincent picked up a menu. "He's just a liar, and you're foolishly falling for it. Now shut up. The sooner we eat, the sooner we can go about our lives. Our plans for being at headquarters for the day was ruined, so once we are done here, do whatever you want."

Al smiled. "Okay!" He had been wanting to spend time with Ed in Drachma. He wanted to go explore the shops and streets with him. He had been so busy that he unintentionally neglected him. He wondered if Ed was enjoying his time in Drachma at all. The waitress came to take their orders and scurried off into the kitchen. They talked about G.A.G. a bit, and Vincent filled him in on what the play was about. Contrary to earlier, Vincent did seem like he enjoyed it. After eating, they left the restaurant and the security apologized to Al yet again. He told them it was fine and that they were just doing their jobs.

Once on the streets, Vincent looked around for a telephone booth. The streets were lively and bustling with people walking back and forth. The buildings had gorgeous architecture. Though they were just buildings, they looked like cathedrals and miniature castles. Vincent saw a telephone booth up ahead. Al stopped admiring the scenery when he noticed someone in the crowd. "Brother?"

Ed stopped and looked at him. He smiled happily and walked over to them. "Hey, Al! What have you been up to?" Vincent took a few steps backwards.

"Oh, just a foreign play. I couldn't understand a word of it, but I've heard it was good."

"Well, that makes two of us. You need to learn Drachman with me. It took me forever to order my lunch because I didn't know what the hell I was getting. The crap I got didn't even taste good!"

Al laughed. "I wonder how we will do in Xing."

"Eh, we'll figure it out once we get there."

"Right; we always have." Al looked around. "Are you here alone?"

Ed stretched his arms. "Yeah. The Emperor's not at the palace, and General Bastard went off on his own. I got sick of sitting around doing nothing, so I thought I'd check out the town."

Al frowned. "I'm sorry, brother."

Ed arched an eyebrow. "For what? You didn't do anything."

"Its just, I want to enjoy Drachma with you, but I've been so busy with other things."

Ed looked over at Vincent and then back at Al. "Don't apologize for that, you goofball!" Ed ruffled his hair, which alone stirred up some childhood memories. "I'm glad you're making friends! It's about time you met more people your age! If you can make friends with a prince, you'll be Mr. Popular in no time!"

Al laughed. "I don't want to be popular, Brother. And we aren't exactly friends. I keep trying to tell everyone that. We just work together."

"Well, whatever you call it, it sure makes you happy, so I'm happy."

Al couldn't help but smile. His brother was too kind. He knew Ed had to have been getting lonely though. "Brother?"

Ed fidgeted with the tourist map he got. "Hm?"

"Do you want to go sight seeing with me? I really want to check out some of the shops here."

Though he tried to hide it, Al could tell Ed was happy about the notion of them finally getting to spend time together. "Sure, Al; that'd be great! But," Ed looked at Vincent.

Vincent shook his head. "I was just going to take a ride home. I'll leave you two be." He said and walked away to make a phone call. He entered the telephone booth and was about to call the palace when he froze. He entered a different number and waited.

"Friend or foe?" the other line asked.

Vincent shook his head. "It's me. I'm glad to hear you're back from Amestris, Voris."

"Boss!?" Voris asked, strangely panicked. "I've been waiting around for you to get here! What have you been doing!?"

Vincent arched an eye brow. "I had unexpected plans! Why is it so important!? Can't you hold the fort on your own!?"

"You know I can, but this is different!"

"What happened?"

There was silence, and then, "It's the Flame Alchemist. He's here."

"So, Al," Ed said, holding up the map. "Where to first?"

Al was examining it when he heard a loud "WHAT!?" He looked over to see Vincent waving his arms around and almost breaking the phone in half. "Uh, could you excuse me one second?"

Ed looked over at Vincent, confused. "Yeah, sure thing Al."

Al ran over to the telephone and swung the door open. "Uh, Vince-"

"This is your fault!" He shouted, unable to compose himself. "I knew he was trouble! I should've- GAH!"

Al gulped. This couldn't be good. "W-what happened?"

Vincent looked over at Ed, who was watching them. "I'll explain on the way there. We have to go. Right. Now."

Al's heart sunk. He didn't know what happened, but figured it was important. "Alright. Give me a moment." He walked over to where Ed was waiting. He could already see that Ed's intelligent mind had put together that they weren't going to spend time together. "I'm sorry, Brother. Something's come up. One of the kids at the orphanage has gotten sick."

Ed smiled and patted his shoulder. "Then you better get over there!"

Al frowned. "I'm so-"

"Don't apologize," Ed cut him off, smiling brightly. "You do what you've got to do Al. I was heading a different direction anyways. I'll catch you back at the palace!" Ed smiled again reassuringly and vanished into the crowd. Al walked over guiltily to Vincent who was yelling at someone to pick them up. "Alright. What happened?"

Vincent glared at him. "That, that rat! That filthy, prying rat! Your friend The Flame Alchemist is at G.A.G.!"

Al eyes widened and he felt as if the world was spinning. "W-what?"

"My men are holding him until we get there! He just couldn't leave it alone, could he!? Filthy Amestrian!"

"W-what does he want?" A million thoughts raced through Al's mind. What was the General thinking? Does he have any idea what they could do to him? Why couldn't he just trust him!?

"I don't know! He won't talk until you and I get there! I have half a mind to just end his troublesome life!"

"You cant!" Al yelled. He noticed people were starting to look. He lowered his voice. "I'll talk to him, okay? I don't know what he's doing, but please, don't kill him."

"I told you, if he got in the way, I would!"

"But has he? Did he attack?"

"Well-" Vincent stuttered and then groaned. "No, but I don't trust him! And neither should my men! He killed innocent people!"

"Y-you don't know tha-"

"Then prove me wrong!" The car finally arrived and Al and Vincent practically threw themselves into the car. Irina sped out of the town, almost crashing into people, and onto the path to the mountains. Vincent held his arms crossed and looked at Al. "If he attacks anyone, he's dead. You better get your friend in line."

Al nodded, determined. "I will!" In truth, Al was angry at the General. He definitely wanted to give him a piece of his mind. "Way to go, sir. You could mess up everything I've worked for," he whispered. Al didn't get angry often, but he was beyond angry at the General. He better have a good explanation for his reckless actions.

xxx

Ed pouted and grumpily trudged through the streets. He knew Al was going to grow up eventually. He knew Al was going to make friends. He knew Al was going to get a job. He knew he was going to marry some lucky girl and live away from him. Ed knew all of these things, yet he couldn't stop being upset about it. All his life, since their mom died, he had been Al's legal guardian. He had watched over him every step of the way. They were never apart for long, except when he had to go into hiding until the promise day. They did everything together, shared everything, and experienced everything. Now, Al was living his own life, shouldering his own secrets, and he certainly didn't need his overbearing big brother all the time anymore.

Ed sighed and plopped down on a bench. He knew he was being ridiculous and pathetic. He knew he was being a weak ass, but he couldn't help it. He wasn't ready for it. He wasn't ready for Al to grow up and become distant. Ed chuckled and pushed his blonde bangs out of his vision. "I'm pathetic as hell," he criticized himself. He knew he needed to grow a pair and accept that this was how things were going to be. It's just how adulthood is. He sunk into the bench and buried his face in his knees. He sat there, silently, until someone disturbed him.

"Fullmetal Alchemist Edward Elric?" someone asked.

"That's me. Who's asking?" he asked, lifting his head. He met a man with brown hair and blue eyes. He wore an Amestrian uniform. Ed straightened up and looked at the man.

"I'm State Alchemist Matthew Faust. I need you to come with me."

"Why should I?" he asked, leaning against the bench and patted the seat. "I'm just fine right here. It's pretty damn comfy." There was something off about the man, but he couldn't place a finger on it.

"It's orders from the Fuhrer. You've been summoned."

Ed arched an eyebrow. "Really?" He stood up. "Why's that?"

"Your service is needed. Come with me."

The man started walking, motioning him to follow. Ed began to follow, when he froze. "Just one question."

The man looked over at him. "Go on."

Ed pointed at his pocket. "If you're a state alchemist, where's your pocket watch?"

In a flash the man took off running. "H-hey, hey! You get the hell back here!" Ed chased the man through the crowd, but he lost him. "Damn!" He scanned over the heads of people, but he was nowhere be seen. "What the hell?" He scratched his head, trying to put together the situation. "Well that was weird." He looked around some more, even going as far as to climb on a roof top, but he knew the man was gone. He had lost him.