Hey readers. Sorry about my crappy updating skills... my bad.

I've just had a lot of writers block on this story lately... me and my excuses. :\

But summer will be coming soon so hopefully I can write less sporadically. And also, my beta will be probably less busy so that's a plus.

Thanks for everyone who reviewed last chapter, I appreciated it a lot. :)

Hope you enjoy.

Alphonse stared down the deserted road while he tried to take it all in. Boxes left on the side of the road, filled with possessions that people could not manage to take along with them. Empty houses with the doors open wide. Smashed windows on houses and cars with litter lining the street. Not a sole in sight, not a sound could be heard, and everything illuminated by the soft morning rays of light.

"When was the last time anyone lived here?" Russell asked as he kicked an empty can.

"Probably not for a good year," Hohenheim said as he walked down the road slowly. "Maybe even two. Lots of this surrounding area has been evacuated for a while now."

"Makes it easier for us to move around in the daytime," Fletcher said as he looked down the vacant road. "Do you think there's anything in the houses?"

"Probably have been picked clean by now," Hohenheim said. "But it'd be worth a try."

"Do you think it is safe to rest in these houses?" Mei asked as she stared at an empty house tentatively.

"I don't see why not," Alphonse said before he stifled a yawn. "Maybe we should rest and then see what we can get from the houses."

"Sounds like a good idea."

"Alphonse. Wake up. It's time to get going."

Alphonse's eyes flew open as if he had been zapped awake with electricity, instead of being shaken gently awake. He turned and, after a slight moment of disorientation, saw his father standing over him. Their traveling companions were lying all over the large and dusty living room, all in different stages of consciousness. Al's eyes focused on the partially filled burlap sack that sat next to Hohenheim.

"What'd you find?"

"Well, there wasn't a whole lot food wise but there were a few things I managed to find," Hohenheim said as he looked through the bag. "The pipes weren't too rusty yet so I have some water. Some bandages and some medicine. A few kitchen knives I managed to find hidden in one of the closets."

"Better than nothing," Alphonse said as he stretched and got up from his spot on the old rug.

"I also managed to find a map in a neighboring house," Hohenheim continued as he spread the heavily crinkled and marked map onto the ground. "We're probably only an hour or two walk away from the battlefield."

"Really?"

"Yeah. If we start moving we can probably get there right at nightfall."

The group of five quickly got up, made one last search for anything useful, and then left the house, not bothering to make it appear as if they hadn't been there; it appeared as if several houses had been used as lodgings for travelers.

"What do we do next?" Alphonse asked as the abandoned houses slowly shrunk into the distance. "What do we do when we finally get there?"

"We'll have to start asking around," he said after a moment. "But we'll have to be careful not to draw attention. Maybe you and Russell and Fletcher could steal some uniforms and blend in. I doubt they'd care all that much about some escapees there."

"It's worth a shot," Russell said. "Maybe we could find out what exact area Ed had been assigned and then maybe we could get a better idea of who might know where he is."

"It's all just speculation. We'll just have to do what it takes to find him."

The sun was slowly descending into the horizon and even though they could not see anything that gave away their location, the sounds and smells surely told them all how close they were to the battlefield. Gun powder lingered everywhere around them and the popping sounds of gun fire and the more earth-shaking rumbles of bombs never seemed to leave their ears.

The earth was desolate and if any structures still stood, they appeared as if one good gust of wind would knock them over. No grass covered the ground anymore, only sandy, grainy soil that would hold no vegetation. It really appeared as if they had reached the end of the line.

The empty road seemed to never end though, because by the time they reached the very edge of the battlefield, the sun had long since set. Even though Alphonse felt some relief as they stepped foot onto the warzone, which was completely ridiculous because a battlefield was probably the last place one would feel relief, he also felt desperation fill him.

There were just so many places Ed could be, if he was even still alive at all! Where would they even start? How would they even start? Would anyone even know where Ed was? Would anyone know who he was? There were so many soldiers out here, new ones being sent in everyday, it wouldn't surprise Al if they couldn't find anyone who could remember him.

Alphonse was only broken out of his deep thoughts when Russell clapped him roughly on the shoulder. He turned to look at the light-haired teen, who smiled at him.

"We'll find, Al," Russell said confidently. "That little pest is out there somewhere."

"Yeah, Ed'll be just fine," Fletcher said, smiling warmly at Alphonse. "I'm sure someone here knows where we can find him."

"Well… we better get started, huh?"

After some discussion, they decided to spit up into groups; separated, they would not only cover more ground, but attract less attention. Alphonse, Russell, and Fletcher were one group, Hohenheim and Mei made up the other. The three boys, who blended in so seamlessly with the hundreds of other younger men, would investigate through a more direct route. Hohenheim and Mei, who stuck out like sore thumbs, one being not only a tiny female but a foreigner while the other was a larger, older man, who's description was recently broadcasted over the airwaves, would be investigating through stealthier means.

Alphonse had been initially hesitant to travel so boldly into the campground. Surely, someone somewhere would notice the three and question them and when their answers were insufficient, they would be taken care of. However, after almost two hours of questioning, no one seemed to notice or care that they were there. No one, it seemed, appeared to care about anything at all. Everyone they passed, whether it be soldier or field medic, looked like a zombie: faces expressionless, body's slouched, and eyes devoid of any life. Every one of them was like a hit to Al's gut.

Did Edward look like them too? Eyes devoid of any life or emotion, moving around this hell like a robot. No matter how hard Al tried, he just couldn't imagine his brother ever looking like this. One of the most important things about Ed was how his eyes were filled with such life, a spark that could not be put out. Alphonse just could not picture it.

"Who are we even supposed to ask?" Russell asked some time later as he looked around at all the dead faces. "There are so many people here."

"It's insane," Fletcher commented, looking around, looking sick.

"What time were we supposed to meet up with your dad?" Russell asked Al, who snapped out of his thoughts slightly at the question.

He glanced at the watch they had managed to find some time ago and saw that their allotted searching time was almost up. They had been searching for almost three hours and they had an hour to find their way back to the agreed meet-up location. Al sighed, feeling more than a little defeated. There were just so many places Ed could be… so many people here who had no idea he even existed…

"We should start making our way back," Al answered, trying to sound as calm as he could manage. "Dad said to be back in an hour."

Together, the three young men turned around and began to fight their way back through the crowd of zombie soldiers, hoping with all their might that they might find one soldier in particular.

Hohenheim and Mei weaved around the edges of the camp, heads ducked low and covered as they looked for anyone they trusted to ask for help. Everywhere they looked, they saw nothing but emotionally and physically drained men.

"We have to ask someone," Mei whispered to Hohenheim as they passed a group of clearly defeated soldiers.

Everyone in the vicinity jumped slightly as a loud bomb went off in the distance. Mei turned and looked at it with wide, slightly horrified eyes. The soldiers around them quickly went back to whatever they were doing moments before, as if a colossal bomb had not just gone off so close by. It was astounding.

She's right, Hohenheim said, breaking out of his thoughts. We need to start asking around or we'll never find Edward.

Hohenheim scanned the desolate campground for a moment before his eyes landed on a large, lighted tent that was marked with a red cross. A medical tent. Surely, a doctor would be willing to help them, right?

Hohenheim placed a gentle hand on Mei back before he led her over to the tent. He glanced inside and noticed instantly that it was almost empty of able-bodied personal. The only upright person appeared to be a tiny, old woman at the far side of the room. Feeling confident that she would at least be a little willing to help, Hohenheim walked inside, and made a noise to let his presence me known to the woman.

"Who are you?" the woman asked, looking at them through heavily smudged glasses. A pipe hung from the corner of her mouth and the smock he wore over her clothes was covered in what could only be blood. "What are you doing here? Only patients and doctors are allowed in here."

"I'm sorry to disturb you, ma'am," Hohenheim said calmly as he took off his head covering, "but I'm looking for someone. I was wondering if you might be able to help me."

"You're not a soldier," she said slowly as she took in their appearances.

"No," he said. "But we're looking for one."

"Well, I'm not sure I could help you with that," she said "There are so many men here, new ones coming in everyday, it's like trying to find a needle in a hundred haystacks."

"His name is Edward," Hohenheim said with a hint of desperation hanging on the end of his sentence. "Edward Elric. He's got blond hair and gold eyes. About this tall-"

"Stop," the woman cut in.

The old woman walked forwards, looking Hohenheim square in the eyes, which was a difficult feat, seeing as she was half his height. After a pause, the elderly woman's face broke into something reminiscent of a grin and Hohenheim felt his heart sore slightly.

"Well I'll be damned," she said as she shook her head ever so slightly. "But I actually know where you might find him."

As Alphonse, Russell, and Fletcher slowly made their way back to the hill Hohenheim has instructed them to meet, Al searched every passing soldier in hopes of stumbling upon his brother, although he knew that would be highly unlikely.

A sudden slurry of stumbling soldiers made their trek back even harder. The zombified soldiers didn't appear to care where their feet took them and didn't care if they rammed into people passing in the other direction. Twice, Al was almost forced to the ground due to the force of the hits and poor, tiny Fletcher had already fallen once.

As Alphonse swerved to the right in an attempt to avoid an oncoming zombie, he received a rough hit to his right shoulder, which sent him tumbling to the ground.

"Sorry about that," the soldier said as he stopped and extended a hand towards Alphonse. "I didn't see you there."

"It's alright," Al said as he accepted the hand and was pulled upwards.

He looked up at the soldier and took in his appearance. He was probably only a few years older than him, but it was hard to tell because the war appeared to age everyone so severely, with dirty blond hair, and pale blue eyes. Unlike so many passing soldiers, his eyes had not quite turned dead to the world. Sure, they were clouded with the misery of the war, but there was still life in there. The spark of life made Al feel better, if only slightly.

The soldier looked Alphonse over critically as he placed a cigarette in his mouth, making Al feel nervous. This soldier could probably tell he was not a soldier. They'd be in trouble any second now for sure.

"You look like someone I used to know," the young man said, surprising Al slightly.

"Really?" Al asked. "Who?"

"No one…" he sighed as he stared at the ground. "Just some kid who I came here with… haven't seen him in a while though…" the young man looked up at him again with a hint of a smile on his face. "You just kinda reminded me of him. You kinda look alike."

"Wait, what was his name?" Al asked quickly, feeling excitement flood his veins.

"Ed," he said slowly. "Ed Elric."

"Wait, wait, wait," Mei snapped, interrupting the two adults. "I'm confused here. So… Edward was here and he got hurt and then he was taken to some underground bunker?"

"Yes," the woman, who eventually introduced herself as Pinako, agreed.

"But that place got attacked."

"Yes."

"And then he went on the run out of the country to another safe house?"

"Yes."

"So he's not even in the bloody country anymore?" Mei exclaimed, round eyes popping out the sockets.

"Yes," Pinako answered. "But I know exactly where you would be able to find him. They're supposed to stay there until further notice."

Pinako threw back the rest of her drink before she surveyed Hohenheim, who had been rather quiet through the entire story. Or, at least he had been quiet only after Pinako had informed him that he had been severely wounded.

"I can give you the exact location and the instruction on how to get there, if you'd like it."

"That would be very helpful, thank you," Hohenheim said, finally breaking out of his reverie.

"Now I wouldn't be too worried about him," Pinako said after a long pause as she wrote down some things on a slip of paper. "Your boy is in good hands. The best hands I could think of. I'm sure he's alright."

"I can only hope he is alright," Hohenheim said as he stood up, accepting the slip with the instructions.

"Now, the journey will take some time but the journey is not necessarily hard," she said, handing him the map. "You'll want to bring some supplies along with you."

"Thank you, Pinako," Hohenheim said gratefully as he placed the map and instructions safely into his pocket. "I don't know what I could do to repay you."

"How about you buy me a nice drink if we ever get out of this blasted war."

Oooh, can anyone else see a reunion coming up in the future?

Okay so HOPEFULLY I can get to updating the next chapter soon but you all know how bad I've been lately so...

Please leave a review and I'll try my best to get to updating soon.

-FSK