Author's Note: Whoo! I'm doing my best, EdxSayaness is definetly coming! I'll promise that!

Ifyouloveme2: I really hope you enjoy this chapter then! You can make Saya storie for after the movie, just be sure to give credit to me. Oh, would you please wait 'till I'm done this story too? Because I have special plans for how it's going to end.

YourFavouritePlushie: Hohenheim is a good guy who's just trying to protect his sons, that's what I think. I like him too. More EdxSaya-ness in this chapter, and definetly the next couple too. X3 I have a surprise for the next chapter that's Mustang-related, wanna guess?

JuniperScaymoore: XD You'll find out a little of what happens. The next couple chapters are a little slow, you can find out why.

Diminia (anon): Meh, my parents don't let me do that stuff. T-T Tell Avar- wait, nevermind, it would just make him annoyed... just a little.

kyyrin allorma part faerie: This chapter better start satistfying the EdxSaya shippers. If it doesn't, then you have to be patient for the next couple chapters.

kyoskitten14: I feel sorry for Ed too, she has metal hands after all... XD Well, they don't actually meet Hohenheim till the next chappie, sorry... ;

Disclaimer: I don't own FMA

Chapter Fifty-Four: Without Looking for Help

Flames and gunshots and big pointy rocks spun around the basement room. It took a while, but in the end, there were no chimeras left.

Of course, that was the moment that Havoc, Fury, Breda, and Falman burst into the room.

Fury stared. "What… happened here?!"

Mustang shrugged. "Nothing much."

"Nothing much?! But this-"

"More importantly, what is the current situation?" Mustang cut through.

Falman immediately saluted. "Sir! All troops were mobilized, and they headed towards Lior."

Mustang narrowed his eyes. "What?!"

"But in addition to that, a crimson light shone from Lior not too long ago. We have had no contact from the troops since."

Mustang started walking out of the basement. "Get whatever soldiers there are left and prepare to move out. We're going to Lior."


"Why the hell can you run so fast?!" Ed gasped, trying to keep up with Al. Saya had told them to go on ahead, saying she would catch up later.

"Well, for some reason my body is really light!" Al laughed. "Should we take a break, if you're getting tired?"

Ed stopped and tried to catch his breath. "We can't… what you said is probably true…"

Al sobered. "About the Fuhrer?"

"Yeah… This time, the Fuhrer is in command of operations. I don't think that bastard Envy took his place. And… the Fuhrer's secretary was a homunculus. If we were to return to the military, you, Saya, and I would all…"

Al took a step forward. "Then, Nii-san, that secretary person really was-"

"Don't mention it."

"But Sensei said that Homunculi are born from failed attempts at Human Transmutation!" Al argued.

Ed spun. "I said not to mention it!"

His arm connected with Al's, then suddenly… there was a bright light, and the Gate…

They stepped apart, quickly. Ed was severely shaken. "Al…"

Al looked at his hands. "What was that? Those big gates… I've seen them before… Nii-san, was that the truth?"

Ed looked away. "Sensei said it wasn't."

"But… just by touching you, why did that happen?"

"I'm an alchemist, so I must have unconsciously reacted… to the Philosopher's Stone…"

"Nii-san, you can't believe that I've really turned into the Philosopher's Stone! That can't possibly have happened!"

"No one has seen it. It could take any shape," Ed said flatly. "More importantly, don't come too close to me. We don't know what could happen if it became activated… and if you disappear before we regain your body, all of this would've been pointles-"

A horn honked loudly. Ed and Al spun, surprised.

It was… who else? … Saya. She drove a military car towards them, waving. "Hallooooooooo!" she called.

Al stared. "Saya-san, did you steal that?! You shouldn't have!"

Saya braked next to them and made a face at Al. "Well you expect us to walk the whole way? Remember last time we did that? It took a few days, and I'd bet we don't have that much time on our hands, not if the Fuhrer is really a Homunculus." The car she had stolen was a small-ish jeep-like vehicle, two seats in the front and an open trunk. "Well? It's not like I can return it now. You two getting in?"

Ed sighed. "Okay… Al, get in the back."

"Okay," Al said, sounding slightly hurt.

Saya raised an eyebrow. "A little harsh, neh?"

Ed didn't answer. He got into the front seat.

Saya revved the engine. "Okay then, so where to?"

"Reisenbol."

Both Al and Saya looked at him in surprise. "That's the first place the military's going to look," Al said flatly.

"The Homunculus will be after you too," Ed retorted. More quietly and more to himself, he murmured, "If we're going to defeat the Homunculus, there is something I must obtain."

Saya looked at him strangely, but didn't say anything. She revved the engine again. After second thought, Ed put on his seat belt. This was Saya driving.


Archer was taken onto the military train, screaming and bleeding through his bandages.

Mustang surveyed the soldiers who were digging in the spot where Lior used to be, his eyes dark. Fury was reciting his report. "It seems that Kimbley's death was confirmed before the attack on Lior. But at that point, Scar was alive."

Havoc and Breda came to give their report. "It also seems the civilians fled the city before the military invaded. We have found an underground passage, and are now following it."

Hawkeye glanced at Mustang. "That means they never planned on resisting."

"Did they plan to use the soldiers as ingredients for the alchemy array covering the city?" Mustang murmured.

"Ed, Al, and Saya all seem to be fine," Havoc said. "Some soldiers have reported seeing them, and there are also reports of a missing car. It appears they left about an hour ago."

"Did they go on another journey?" Hawkeye wondered. "But then…"

"I don't think they helped Scar create the Philosopher's Stone," Mustang said flatly.

"Colonel." Falman stepped aside to admit the Fuhrer.

Mustang immediately saluted and gave his report. "There were 28 reported dead, 67 severely injured, and 5 under my command. Around 900 are missing. We are performing a thorough investigation into the matter."

"There should be one who knows all the details in this matter," the Fuhrer said.

"You mean Scar?" Mustang asked, when the Fuhrer didn't continue.

"The Fullmetal Alchemist." There was a dead silence. "Why were they in Lior?"

"We believe they were pursuing Scar," Mustang answered.

"Why is that? Were they on a mission to capture Scar?"

"No. They were pursuing a nationwide search, researching alchemy."

"They went to Lior and contacted Scar. There have been about 1000 casualties, both officers and soldiers as a result of this."

"That doesn't mean the Elric Brothers have committed a crime!" Hawkeye argued. "I think we should give them a chance to explain their actions."

The Fuhrer eyed them. "You plan to attend to the matter personally? Fine. But if you let them slip away, you will be the one explaining their case for them." He turned to the squad who had followed him. "Please accompany them."

Armstrong gave the smallest of nods to Mustang.

"According to my information, there is a possibility that the Fullmetal and his comrades are fighting with the creatures who call themselves Homunculi. Retrieve them and bring them back. If they fall into your hands, I grant you permission to pass judgment upon them." The Fuhrer met Mustang's eyes squarely. "And there is also the matter of the girl, Hanabi Saya. There is no isolating her actions from those of the Elric Brothers any longer. Whatever fate befalls them, it is your duty to make sure that she receives the same." Mustang didn't let any expression show on his face. After a moment, the Fuhrer nodded and left.

Havoc glanced at Mustang. "Colonel…"

"It is as you have heard. Let's sort out the information on what we have of the Elric Brother's whereabouts."

Fury looked at the ground. "Are we really going after them? Ed and Al and Saya?"

Hawkeye sighed. "Those are the orders."

"But this was Scar's doing!" Breda argued. "Not to mention the incident with Archer. I don't know what happened, but those three can't be-"

"If we let them go, the Colonel will be punished," Falman said grimly. "We were instructed to kill them if they fell into our hands…"

Armstrng stood behind Mustang. "Shall we go, Colonel?"

Mustang's eyes were dark. "Yes…"

A small silver bell chimed, so real, he looked up in alarm. But there was nothing, just an echo of memory.


They had stopped for the night. Thanks to Saya's, for the lack of a better word, reckless driving speeds, they had gotten out of the desert that very day. They had stopped for the night, but no one was sleeping…

Ed had been laying quietly for a while, but sleep seemed to be avoiding him on purpose. He gave up and left.

Al looked up. "Nii-san? Where're you going?"

"For a walk." Ed stretched, then noticed… "Where's Saya?"

"She left a while ago."

Ed didn't say anything, just left without another word.

Saya was laying down on the soft grass, looking up at the skies above, when she heard footsteps. Sitting up, she saw Ed and grinned. "Yo."

Ed raised a hand. "Hey. Mind if I sit?"

She shook her head. They sat next to each other, a little awkwardly, not saying anything. Saya was pointedly avoiding eye contact. "Um…" She cast around for what to talk about. "Why are we going to Reisenbol? You mentioned that you needed something…"

Ed's eyes darkened. "When I defeated Greed… he told me that to defeat Homunculi, I need a part of the body that failed to resurrect. So to defeat that Homunculus, I…"

Saya sighed. "I see. That one we saw in Lior, right?"

"Yeah…"

Saya's face grew troubled. "But then… that one… Vanity, wasn't it? There's no way I can defeat her then… Mama's body was blown up. I won't be able to do anything against her."

"We'll find a way," Ed said.

Saya looked at him. "'We'?"

"You don't think I'm going to just leave you on your own, do you? I'm not leaving you alone, ever, understand? You'd do something that would get you arrested again or something stupid like that if I didn't." Ed met her eyes squarely, even though he knew his face was probably getting red. He hoped the dark was hiding it…

Saya smiled. "Ed… thanks."

Ed averted his eyes. "No problem," he mumbled. He peeked at Saya through the corner of his eye. She was looking at the sky, the stars reflected in her eyes. He'd never quite thought about her this way before, but at that moment, she was…

He coughed lightly into his fist. "Um, Saya…"

She turned her head. "Yeah?"

"I… well, um, what I want to say is that…" Ed gave up. "Saya, if you were a guy and there was a girl you liked, just hypothetically speaking, what would you do?"

A picture of Rose immediately popped into Saya's mind. "Well how should I know?" she said sourly. "I'm not a guy."

Ed hastily tried to recover. "Well, that's not what I mean-"

Saya stood abruptly. "Well if I was one, I'd probably just tell her, then kiss her without giving her any time to think," she said flatly. Without thinking, she added bitterly, "And I bet she'd like it, the way you're both always hanging off each other!"

Ed stared. "What the hell are you talking about?"

"As if you don't know!" Saya's gaze was burning with malevolent flames. "I don't even know why I should care! You can take care of yourself, and that beautiful Rose too!"

"Saya, you thought tha-"

"NO I DIDN'T." Saya turned on the ball of her foot, facing her back to him. "Just think about yourself. This is getting us nowhere."

"That's my line!" Ed stood. "What the hell are you talking about?! There's nothing between Rose and me!"

"Right. You can do whatever." Her tone barely implied sarcasm. Saya's hands clenched into fists. "I just want you to be happy," she said helplessly.

Ed blinked. "Saya, I… I am happy," he said awkwardly. "Happy that you and Al are with me, wherever I go."

There was a thick silence. It stretched out thinly over what seemed like a long time.

"Thank you, Ed," Saya said quietly. "I really mean that. But it's getting late. We've got to sleep, or we'll never make it to Reisenbol. We've got to keep up our strength." She turned and grinned at Ed, grabbing his arm and dragging him back to the clearing.

Al looked up as they came back into the clearing. Saya claimed the front seat of the truck and stretched out with an enormous yawn. "Goodnight," she sighed.

There was a short silence before Al whispered, "Nii-san, what happened?"

Ed sighed. "Nothing much…"


Winry squinted against the rising sun, and made out a large figure against the blinding light. She smiled. "You spent the night here again?"

Hohenheim looked up and smiled. "Oh, hello. My perception of time is a little off, it seems." He stood up and looked down at the tombstone he had been leaning on, Trisha Elric. "How many years has it been since Trisha's death?"

"It's been six years now," Winry said, a sad smile on her face.

"Is that so? The kids must've been very sad…" He spotted a name. "Sara Rockbell? Sara, isn't that you?"

"Didn't I already tell you?" Winry asked. "Sara was my mother. I'm Winry."

After listening to the story, Hohenheim bent down and touched the name engraved in stone. "I see… during the war…"

"Not simply during the war," Winry said. "They were murdered. To tell the truth, it was by our own soldiers, because they treated enemies and allies alike."

"How sad," Hohenheim murmured.

Winry turned. "Please don't say it that simply! It's not sad… I know the person who killed my parents. But I also know that he's not a bad person, and because of that… I don't know what to do."

"Hence…" Hohenheim's eyes were dark, and his next words had a heavy weights. "Hence… it is sad."

Pinako watched the pair of them, smoking her pipe quietly.


Schezka looked blearily at the ceiling. Everyone was gone, she was bored and had nothing to do… suddenly her stomach gave off a loud rumble just as someone knocked.

She immediately brightened. "Winry-san! I'm starving!" she moaned, opening the door. Once she saw who the visitor was, she froze. "L… Lieutenant Ross…"

Bloch appeared behind Ross and grinned. "And Bloch!"

Schezka started spazzing. "So we WERE being followed! We must have seen something that we shouldn't have! We really were being followed! No, we're all going to die!"

Ross sighed and stepped to one side, letting Bloch walk into the house.

Coming up the road, Winry heard Schezka scream. Running into the house, she found a panicked Schezka and a thoroughly beaten Bloch. She blinked. "What…?"

After it had been explained (slowly and clearly to Schezka) the reason they were there, Winry led them to the ruins of what had once been Ed and Al's house. Ross stared. "I didn't know that those kids didn't have a home…"

"What did you mean, when you said they were being chased by the military?" Winry asked.

"We received an emergency call from the East," Bloch said grimly. "By order of the Fuhrer, the Fullmetal Alchemist and his companions are to be captured. It is believed that they may have a connection with the leader of the insurrection in Lior."

Winry looked at the ground. "Those guys… what the hell are they doing?" she muttered bitterly.

"We were told by the nearby information department that as of now, an investigation group is being formed under the command of General Hakuro. They must have already contacted the local police," Ross said.

Bloch shrugged. "And then, she suddenly said she was taking a day off. Damn, I thought it was a date!"

Ross made a face. "Didn't you enjoy the nice fresh air out here?"

"And you purposely came here to give information to wanted people…"

"What are you saying?!" Ross snapped. "Even if this is an order from the Fuhrer, I can't believe it! Those three aren't traitors!!"

Winry blinked. "The three of them? But Saya's technically a civilian, right?"

Ross sighed. "She's traveled with Edward-san for too long to not be associated with their actions, now considered criminal."

"But will they really come back here?"

"They will." Ross met Winry's eyes. "Even if they don't have a home, this is still their hometown. And you are here as well."

Winry smiled.

"A long time ago, there wasn't a railroad here," a voice remarked. Hohenheim sat against the burned tree. He pointed to a mountain. "People used to cross over that mountain to reach this place, through that valley."

Winry stared. "We used to play in that valley… that's right! They'll surely come back that way!" She ran off. "Thanks Uncle!"

"Un… cle?"

"If an investigation group comes here, we'll delay them!" Ross called after them.

"Thank you!"

Ross suddenly looked at Hohenheim in surprise. He said there wasn't a railroad here… but that was more that a hundred years ago!

Hohenheim suddenly caught Ross staring at him, and smiled charmingly.


They had made good time. By the next afternoon, they had ditched the car and were crossing over the mountain into Reisenbol.

Ed suddenly stiffened. "We need to hide!"

"What!?"

Ed made a blanket of leaves. "Nevermind, just hide!" Saya helped Ed cover Al with the blanket before they both hid behind trees.

Falman and Breda came marching down. "So what?" Breda was saying. "Isn't he only doing that for a promotion?"

"I wouldn't say that's the only reason," Falman argued. "You know the Colonel."

"HE was the one that said it. If he lets them get away, he'll be held responsible for what happened in Lior!"

Ed narrowed his eyes. "The Colonel? If that's the way things are, then it can't be helped…"

Saya's face was pained. "Mustang-san…"

There was a click. Ed and Saya turned to see Havoc and Fury behind them. Havoc was grimly pointing a gun at them.

Fury looked uncomfortable. "Eh… Edward-kun, Saya-chan…"

"It was like the Colonel predicted," Havoc said. "You used your old shortcuts to get to your hometown." His face softened, and he stopped pointing the gun at them. "So, shall we go?"

Ed stood. "Move."

Both soldiers blinked.

"I won't… return to the military!!" In a flash of movement, Ed grabbed the gun's barrel. "Try shooting," he dared. "We'll see if you can pierce my automail and get away with it!"

"Ed-kun, why?" Fury said, confused.

"Just try it!" Ed's eyes were hard and cold.

"STOP!" Al yelled.

Surprised by Al's appearance, Havoc accidentally pulled the trigger. The gunshot echoed through the woods.

Havoc and Fury were kneeling in pain. There was a hole going right through Havoc's hand, and the bullet had hit Fury in the head.

Ed's face was horrified, then it hardened. "We won't go back," he told them, then started to run. "Al, Saya, let's go!"

Saya's face was tight. She couldn't help it. She clapped her hands together and touched their injured parts. Green light flashed around her hands. They didn't heal completely, but they stopped bleeding so much. "Sorry," she said. "I'm…"

She turned her backs to them and ran after Ed and Al, just as they faced Falman and Breda.

"Please come quietly!" Breda said, lunging forward towards Ed.

Ed didn't waste any time. He made Breda's and Falman's uniforms inflate so they couldn't move a single inch. The three of them ran.

Mustang bandaged Havoc's hand. "Saya healed you, you say? Well then be grateful, this isn't as bad as it could've been."

Hawkeye looked at the ground. "Do those three really plan on becoming our enemies?"

"We'll know once we catch them," Mustang said. He looked at his comrades. "You all, next time, don't hesitate!"

"Colonel, um, can you grab the thing in my pocket for me?" Havoc asked.

Mustang reached into the pocket, pulling out a box of cigarettes and matches. Havoc chuckled nervously as Mustang stared at them for a moment.

"I'm confiscating this."

Havoc's jaw dropped.

As everyone laughed, a faint screaming was heard. It gradually grew louder… and louder… and louder…

A strange machine crashed through the bushes, Winry and Schezka riding on it and screaming.

"MAKEITSTOPMAKEITSTOPMAKEITSTOPMAKEITSTOPMAKEITSTOP!" Schezka was screaming.

Hawkeye calmly shot the machine, which promptly broke into pieces. They tied their wrists together, and brought them along.

As Ed, Saya, and Al were jumping down the rocks to reach Reisenbol, a barrage of pointed stones suddenly rained down on them. Dodging, they came face to face with Armstrong's squad. Ed took care of that… by transmuting a huge boulder of doom. After it ran over the soldiers, there was a snap, and it exploded.

Ed coughed. "Dammit…"

"Why are you running away?" Mustang asked calmly.

"Ed, Al, Saya!" Winry screamed.

Ed's face hardened. "You're the one chasing us, aren't you? Dogs are quick to run, if you chase them."

"A disciplined dog won't oppose his master's orders," Mustang retorted.

"Master?!"

"If not, when did you go back to being a stray dog?"

"Calm down, Edward-kun!" Hawkeye snapped. "You were the one who accepted being called a dog of the military to reach your goals, weren't you?"

"I quit being a dog of the military!" Ed growled.

"Does that mean you will return to being an obedient and powerless child?" Mustang asked coldly.

Saya's hands clenched into fists. "This…"

Mustang glanced at her. "And Saya, I'm surprised you're backing his decision."

Saya couldn't look at him, the one who had taken care of her, saved her life, looked out for her, had always been someone to turn to… She fell to her knees. "Ed, I'm sorry," she whispered. "I can't do this…"

"You don't have to do anything, I'll do it," Ed growled. He clapped his hands together, and a large stone erupted out of the river, spraying water everywhere, including Mustang's ignition glove. Ed grinned. "You were too soft on that one, Colonel. Al, Saya!"

They ran.

Mustang looked at Armstrong. "Major!"

"Sir!" Armstrong punched a big rock, turning it into a spike. Mustang took out one of Havoc's matches and made the rock explode, resulting in a large number of spiked rocks flying towards Ed and Saya. Al jumped in front of them and blocked the rocks.

Armstrong watched. "I made hollow rocks…"

"And by heating the air within them, I set them on fire," Mustang finished. "Quite an effective assault, was it not?"

"Being in Ishbal must've been handy for you," Ed retorted.

Mustang made a towering rock above them explode. Boulders came cascading down around the trio's heads. In the end, a wall of high boulders surrounded them, cutting off all escape routes. All Mustang would have to do would be to light one match, and then… it would all be over… He advanced slowly, one step at a time. Saya looked away, biting her lower lip. Ed glared at Mustang.

"STOP IT!!" Winry screamed. Mustang stopped. She fell to her knees. "Please… stop…"

Mustang sighed. "Long ago… I killed two people. They were doctors. Everyone was a patient to them, neither friend nor foe. That's what they said during battle. But some of the people they saved became our enemies. The military asked them to stop treating our enemies, again, and again, but they wouldn't listen. In turn… I was ordered to kill them. From that time on, I swore… that even if I was ordered to, I wasn't going to obey irrational orders. That I would gain a position where it wouldn't matter if I obeyed or not. The reason I chased after you three wasn't because of my orders… it's because you made me angry!"

Saya looked up, hardly daring to believe it. Then this meant…

Mustang's face twisted. "Why?! Why did you all run away without asking for my help?!"

Ed grinned a little. Saya sighed and stood, relief washing through her chest and undoing the tight knots that had formed there. Mustang wasn't their enemy… he was their friend.

Next: Ed comes home, so add Hohenheim, Saya, Al, Winry and her dangerous tools, Schezka, oh, don't forget Mustang and Hawkeye... and you get a whole bunch of... what's the word? Oh, right... CHAOS.