Spirit Animals

by TheFullmetalBitch

This is my retelling of FMA where every character has a Spirit Animal. Major canon divergence. Please give it a go and R&R! I do not own FMA or it's characters. *Art by Procastinagoat* This story will be updated every Sunday, Eastern Australia time

35. Chapter 35

Chapter 35 –

The next morning found the boys getting ready to start the new day in their hotel. Their visit to the Second Branch Library had proven as fruitless as Ed had feared. Though an impressive size, the Second Branch had nothing on the First Branch and Ed knew it was likely a waste of time when the librarian the boys and Animals had approached hadn't looked hopeful when she'd heard their request. Despite the fact that she didn't believe they'd find anything of use in the books, the librarian still went ahead and pulled all the books she could find. Bringing them back to the table the boys and Animals had claimed, she wished them luck in their search. Ed, Ayala and Chester had shared a grimace at how few books there were in front of them and how much they'd likely need the luck that the librarian had wished them.

Still, the boys and their Animals had read through every text or report that had so much as hinted at alkahestry. Even Chester had joined them in their reading, despite the fact that he found it a little tedious. Unfortunately, they'd been forced to admit that nothing in the library would be of any use after about three hours of searching and reading and Al had used it as an excuse to get Ed to agree to go back to the hotel and get a few hours' sleep. Ed had eventually agreed on the condition that Al wouldn't argue against him talking to Mei the next day.

"We don't even know if she's conscious yet!" That had been Al's argument as they left the building the military had procured to act as the library.

"Laika is though and he told me that Lan Fan had asked after Mei when Knox checked on her arm. She'd been told that Knox was expecting her to wake up in the next couple of hours," Ed had told him. What Ed didn't tell Al about was the relief he'd felt when Laika had reached out. Ed had been extremely worried about the marten and the longer he'd slept, the more his once run had grown.

"Fine but," Al said as they headed for the hotel, "you have to call Doctor Knox before you go to visit, just in case," he said, laying out his only condition in a tone that told Ed he wouldn't budge.

"Ugh, I suppose I can," Ed sighed, relenting to Al's demand. Truth be told, he likely would've done that anyway since he didn't think Knox would appreciate another unannounced visit from them, whether they needed his skills or not.

"He definitely wouldn't have. In fact, I'm almost certain he would've just slammed the door on us," Ayala had said dryly in response to Ed's private thoughts.

"That would've probably been the nicest response he would've had," Ed had said in response.

The rest of the walk back to the hotel had been mostly in silence since it was so late in the evening and Ed hadn't wanted the hassle of someone complaining about them making too much noise. The four of them were also still on high alert and wary of their surroundings but they'd made it back to the hotel with no issues arising. Al had barely given Ed enough time to give the front desk employee a greeting before he had his older brother and their Animals in the elevator and heading up to their room.

Despite his nap earlier in the day, Ed had fallen asleep fairly quickly after he'd gone for a shower and dressed in his sleep clothes. Ayala and Chester had both curled up on his bed with him; Ayala because Ed was her human and Chester because he wanted to sleep next to a warm body. It wasn't the first time Chester had needed that kind of connection and for several months during Ed's automail rehabilitation, he'd refused to act on it. At first, it had been because he hadn't wanted to hurt Al's feelings but Al had told him he understood and wouldn't be angry or upset over it, once he'd figured what had been causing his leopard such distress. Still, Chester couldn't bring himself to do so and soon his answer had changed to not wanting to accidentally hurt Edward since he was still recovering from his injuries and the surgery and the bed didn't offer a lot of extra room but then Ed had used his new-found connection with the leopard and discovered what was wrong.

Once Ed had found out, he and Chester had had a lengthy conversation. Ed understood Chester's guilt about wanting something his human was unable to give him more than most people would've been able to. By the end of the conversation, they'd come to an agreement. Chester could seek him out at any time if he needed a warm body to sleep next to with no questions asked. Ayala hadn't done much more than budge over the first time Chester had joined them for a nap so he had some room. It wasn't very often the leopard needed that kind of comfort. In fact, as Ed felt Chester settle against his legs, he was certain that the last time Chester had done this was a month or so before their disastrous run-in with the rogue alchemist who targeted Animals with his alchemy. As he settled himself further into the bed, Ed did nothing more than wish Al and the Animals a good night before he drifted off into sleep.

---

When he'd woken up the next morning, Chester and Ayala were both already awake though only Ayala was still on the bed with him. Al and Chester were missing from their room entirely but a quick question sent to the leopard had Ed relaxing when he was told that they'd just ducked out to pick up some breakfast for them all. Ed used the time Al and Chester were gone to get himself showered, dressed and caffeinated so he would feel slightly more human when their two missing family members came back.

"We're back," Al announced completely unnecessarily as he and Chester walked through the door. Al was carrying three medium-sized bags that emitted a mouth-watering aroma and a large coffee. Both Ed's and Ayala's stomachs let out growls as the scent hit them.

"We can see that," Ed told him before making grabby hands at the bags.

"Hold your horses, Ed!" Al laughed at his brother's antics. "I need to sort them out. Go sit at the table," he instructed as he walked around his now scowling brother and into the kitchen. He was nice enough to give Ed the coffee first though.

Ed did as he was told and sat at the small, round table that was the only thing that gave any indication there even was a dining room in the hotel room. Ayala and – at Al's order – Chester joined him, sitting themselves on either side of the blonde, making sure they could both peer over the table so they could stare Al down. The suit of armour ignored the three sets of eyes boring holes into him as he removed the food from the bags and plated it.

"He wouldn't let me have anything while we walked," Chester sulked to Ed.

"Now that's just rude," Ed told him before looking at Al. "How could you deprive your own Animal of food like that?"

If Al had a flesh body, Ed had a feeling his eye roll would've been of epic proportions. "It was a less than ten-minute walk and he survived, didn't he?"

"Cruel," Ed said as Chester nodded vigorously.

"Are you going to call Doctor Knox after breakfast?" Al asked, ignoring his brother and leopard.

"Yeah, I probably should," Ed said. "I don't know his number though," Ed told him.

"How did you not get his number before we left yesterday?" Al asked in disbelief. He was finally finished plating breakfast and was now carrying it over.

"He was busy kicking us out and I didn't get the chance!" Ed said hotly. The scowl at being questioned by Al disappeared when the food was put in front of him. Three breakfast wraps were waiting for him but he first took a plate from Al that was loaded with the same quantity of food and gave it to Ayala.

"Maybe you can ask Nala. Colonel Mustang might give you his number," Al suggested as he gave Chester his breakfast and Ed nodded, stuffing as much of the first wrap as he could into his mouth.

"Good idea," Ed said around his mouthful of food. Both Chester and Ayala gave him the reprimanding look he knew Al would've given him if he could've. Swallowing his food, he gave them a slightly sheepish look. "Sorry," he offered. "I'll ask her after breakfast," Ed told Al, who nodded in agreement.

Thanks to how hungry he was, it didn't take long for Ed to finish his breakfast. Both Ayala and Chester had finished long before he did so they were both having a post-breakfast doze on the couches while Al sat up against the couch Chester was on with a book in his hand. Swallowing the last bite of food and washing it down with remaining coffee Al had bought him, there was a moment's hesitation before Ed got to his feet and cleared up the dirty breakfast plates. Once he'd thrown the empty coffee cup in the bin, Ed went and sat next to Ayala and reached for his link with Nala.

"Hey, got a sec?" Ed asked the lioness.

"For you? Always," Nala said warmly. "What's the matter?" Nala asked and Ed huffed slightly.

"I'm hurt that you'd think something was wrong. Can't I just want to check up on you?" Ed asked, tone faux offended, and was rewarded with Nala's laughter.

"Of course you can but I think you've forgotten that I can sense your thoughts. I know you aren't just checking in on me," Nala told him.

"Alright, you got me," Ed grinned. "I need Knox's number. We couldn't find any information on Xingese alkahestry in any of the books the Second Branch Library has so we want to talk to Mei. Al wants me to call the doc first to make sure Mei is up for visitors before we head over but I never got Knox's number when we left," Ed explained.

"That was a bit silly of you," Nala teased lightly. Ed rolled his eyes, making sure Nala knew what he was doing. "I'll ask Roy for it. Hold on a moment," Nala said, chuckling slightly. There was almost a minute of silence and with each second that passed, Ed could feel his patience grow a little thinner but before he could act rashly, Nala was back. "Ready?" She asked and Ed nodded.

After rattling the number Nala gave him to Ayala, Ed turned his attention back to the lioness. "Thanks, Nala," he said, making sure she could sense that he truly was thankful.

"You're welcome," Nala said and he could feel her smile. "Though I did have to tell him why you wanted it and explain why it was a good idea for you to call Knox first rather than dropping by unannounced," Nala told him, answering his unasked question. "Honestly, he's been friends with the man for over a decade and he actually asked why you wanted to call him first." Ed could feel Nala's eyeroll and he was honestly impressed.

"I'm sure I've said he's an idiot before. You can't refute that now," Ed said gleefully and Nala huffed in laughter.

"As his Animal, it's my duty to defend him so all I'll say in response is that you're not wrong," Nala laughed. "You should call the doctor before it gets too late. If you're lucky, you'll catch him before he's due to go into work now," Nala told him.

"Right, no worries. Thanks heaps, Nala. Talk to you later," Ed said, letting her offer her own goodbye before disconnecting from their link. "Alright, I've got Knox's number," Ed told Al.

"Let's go call him now," Al suggested, unknowingly echoing Nala which made Ed grin.

"Sure. Let's go," Ed said, already climbing to his feet.

Both Ayala and Chester followed their lead, causing Ed to raise an eyebrow at them in amusement. After all, they were only going down the hall to make a phone call. A two-Animal escort seemed a little excessive to the blonde. While Ayala was content with just giving him a flat look in response to his thoughts, Chester gave a verbal one. "Trouble follows you around like a love-sick puppy. I wouldn't put it past your luck to be attacked while you're just making a phone call," Chester drawled.

The snort Al gave had Ed shoot him a glare as he flipped the leopard off. Ayala's muttered comment about how Chester wasn't wrong weren't appreciated by Ed either and he scowled at her to make sure she knew. His scowl deepened when the golden wolf looked remarkably unaffected by it. When they reached the phone, Ed would internally admit he picked the receiver up and dialed the number with a little more force than necessary.

"What do you want?" A gruff voice snapped once the phone connected to the number Ed dialed was picked up.

"It's Ed Elric," Ed said in lieu of a polite greeting. He had a feeling the doctor wouldn't be any more pleasant if he gave him one anyway. "Al, the Animals and I were wondering if your youngest patient is up for visitors yet. We want to talk to her about her alchemy," Ed said.

"Well, good luck with that," Knox said. "She's gone."

"What do you mean she's gone?" Ed asked. He felt Ayala's worry as well as Chester's. "When did she leave?"

"Sometime this morning," Knox grumbled.

"Did she say where she was going at least?" Ed asked. Any hope he had was dashed when Knox snorted softly.

"She didn't say anything to me," Knox told him. "If that's all you're calling to bother me about, I'm hanging up," Knox warned him.

"Yeah, that's all. Thanks, doc," Ed said with a sigh. He placed the phone back on its cradle and looked back at the Animals and Al.

"She left Knox's, huh?" Chester asked and Ed nodded.

"We can still find her. Go out and look," Ed suggested, not willing to give up on this. Mei was their best chance at being able to fight against Father with their best weapon; their alchemy.

"This city is huge, Brother, and we don't have any clues," Al pointed out but Ed was already shaking his head.

"But we do," Ed told him. "Her panda is unusual enough that people might have noticed it," Ed pointed out.

"But what if people haven't? They could've just assumed the panda was Mei's Animal," Al argued.

"Good point," Ed said, putting his chin in his hand as he thought the problem through. Moments later, Ed snapped his fingers and gave the three of them a grin. "Her clothes! They don't exactly blend in here. The combination of the tiny panda and her exotic clothing is sure to stick in people's minds so we'll start there," Ed decided. He could feel himself getting pumped up now they had a plan of sorts.

"That might actually work. Xingese people visiting Amestris is rare enough that her ethnicity might help even more," Ayala said, her human's excitement rubbing off on her.

"Ayala has a point," Al agreed when Ed repeated what she'd said for his brother's benefit. "I think it could work," Al finally said.

"It will work," Ed told him. "Let's head back to the room and try and get some kind of sketch done to help jog people's memory," Ed said. He'd already started heading back to the room before he'd finished speaking.

"Why don't you let me draw the sketch, Brother?" Al asked, mind already thinking of ways to convince Ed. He didn't want any small children to be scarred by the sketch his brother would produce. "You can contact Laika while I do so. See if Mei told Lan Fan or Old Man Fu where she was going," Al suggested. He flicked Chester's ear lightly before Ed could see or sense the leopard's laughter.

"Yeah, that's a good idea but I'm not gonna hold my breath that she did," Ed said, oblivious to Al and the Animals amusement. "I don't think her clan and Ling's clan get along too well so I doubt she would've told either of Ling's guards."

"It wouldn't hurt to just check," Al said as they entered their room. He shut the door once everyone was inside.

"True," Ed hummed in agreement as he dug through his signature red jacket's pockets. "Here, think quick," Ed said as he tossed his journal at the suit of armour.

Al caught it with ease. "Are you sure you want me to sketch the picture into this? I can just use my notebook," Al told him.

"Nah, just tear a page out of that and use it," Ed instructed as he sat on the couch. "I'll contact Laika now. Also," Ed said suddenly, giving them a slightly evil look, "don't think I didn't notice you making fun of my amazing drawing skills. I will get you all back for that at some point," Ed promised, pointing a warning finger at them all.

"Consider us warned and appropriately fearful," Chester said, sounding far more amused than Ed was aiming for. Ed's response was to flip him off before he closed his eyes to better concentrate.

"Hey, Laika, got a question for you. Is now a good time?" Ed asked, ignoring any noises around him.

"Hello, Edward," Laika greeted warmly. "What do you need to ask?"

"We heard from Knox that the little Xingese princess left his care this morning. Did she happen to tell Lan Fan or Fu where she was going?" Ed asked.

"Not that I know of but let me ask Onyx," Laika said. Ed felt his connection with the Marten become slightly unfocused as Laika's attention was away from their bond. It didn't take more than a minute for Laika to come back with a response. "Onyx asked Lan Fan but she says that neither she nor Fu spoke to Mei before she left and no one overheard her mention a destination," Laika told him apologetically. There was a note of something else in his voice that had Ed struggling to identify until he realised the Marten seemed to be feeling conflicted about something.

"What's wrong?" Ed asked and he heard Laika's mental sigh.

"It's the Chang girl," Laika admitted before continuing when Ed nudged him into doing so. "I don't like the fact that she's here in Amestris. The Yao and Chang clans so not get along since we're two of the lowest clans. I can't remember there being a time in Xing's history where our clans have worked together," Laika said.

"I get that but why are you worried about Mei? I mean, I get your clans don't get along but it's not like you're being forced to work together," Ed said and Laika nodded.

"She's here for the same reason we are. To seek immortality," Laika said and Ed nodded. He wasn't truly surprised to hear that. "But the thing that has me so conflicted is that I admire her," Laika told him. "The Chang clan is a tiny clan. There aren't many left in it and it wouldn't take much effort on the part of any other clan to wipe them out. No one would really blink if they did so since the Chang's aren't influential in Xing. So the fact that Mei was willing to leave her clan so she could cross the Eastern desert with no more than her panda for company so she could try and find something to win the Emperor's favour is something I can't help but admire her for. As a Yao, we don't really have the same struggles. Ling, Lan Fan and Fu leaving to head to Amestris wasn't a massive deal because our clan's position isn't so unstable that we would truly fear returning home to find our clan decimated. Even if Ling doesn't find the secret to immortality before we return to Xing, it wouldn't be as devastating for us as it would likely be for the Changs," Laika told him and Ed had a feeling he'd been needing to get all of this off of his chest for a while. "I find myself almost hoping she finds the secret before we do but at the same time, I don't want her searching for it at all."

"I get why you're conflicted and I don't know enough about your clans and your country to truly give you any sort of advice about how you should feel but I don't see why you can't admire Mei's devotion to her clan while also not wanting her to succeed," Ed told him. "I'm sure there are plenty of people out there who don't like someone but admires something that person did. It doesn't mean that they're suddenly best buddies or something," Ed told the Marten.

"I didn't think of it like that," Laika admitted. "Thanks, Ed," he said with a mental smile and Ed felt the Marten's internal war cease.

"Happy to help out," Ed told him. "How are you going now? With the thing with Ling and everything," Ed asked. No one knew what to expect when it came to the effect Greed would have on Ling and Laika's bond so Ed was still worried and had decided he'd take any opportunity he could to check on him.

"I'm doing as good as could be expected," Laika told him. Ed wasn't sure if the Marten had even bothered trying to hide his sadness from the blonde. "I'm worried about Ling's soul. I know it's alright for the moment since I'm still here but how long will that last? How long can Ling survive his soul being unattached from his body like this?" Laika asked, his voice sounding slightly hysterical, but Ed had no answers for him.

"I don't know, Laika. Ling's as stubborn as me and more so when it comes to saving his clan so I doubt he'd give in or let himself be destroyed any time soon but I can't give you a specific time frame," Ed told him. "All we can do is hope that Ling holds out long enough for us to figure out what to do about Greed." Ed paused for a moment. "Can you track him? Using your bond?" Ed asked but his hope was dashed when he felt Laika's mental shake of his head.

"No. Lan Fan already asked me but I can't. Greed being in charge of Ling's body must block everything a bond is supposed to let us do. I can't sight-share, talk to Ling or track him with the bond. I'm not even certain I would be able to use my healing energy if I got injured like I would if Ling was unconscious because I don't know if this counts as him being unconscious," Laika told him and Ed felt a flash of fear for the prince's Animal. "Lan Fan and Fu have already informed me that I'm not allowed to do anything that could end up with me injured. They told me that they couldn't do anything more than try and find Ling right now but they certainly wouldn't be letting me take unnecessary risks in the meantime because they wouldn't allow the 'young lord's Animal to get injured when there was no guarantee he would be able to be healed'," Laika said a touch sullenly and Ed had a feeling that his reaction at being told that had been a little more heated than his retelling.

"They just want to make sure you're safe," Ed told the Marten and got a long sigh in response.

"I know but I want to be able to help them!" Laika exclaimed.

"I understand that but you have to be smart about it. If you can't be healed than Lan Fan and Fu would be distracted trying to keep you safe if you got into a fight. The best help you could offer is keeping yourself safe and focusing on your link with Ling. If he manages to break free from Greed's hold on him, even for a moment, you might be able to get his location and Lan Fan and Fu can find him, once Lan Fan has recovered from her injury," Ed said firmly.

"I know. I just wish I could help more," Laika muttered.

"You are helping more than that. Every time Lan Fan and Fu looks at you will be a reminder that Ling is still in there somewhere and will bolster their hope in getting him back," Ed told Laika, giving the Marten a mental smile.

"I suppose you're right," Laika said and Ed snorted softly. "Thanks, Ed," the Marten said sincerely.

"No problems. I need to go now but don't hesitate to contact me if you need anything, even if it's just someone to talk to. I'll try and keep you guys in the loop about everything that happens my end if you guys keep my up to date about your search for Ling," Ed said and felt Laika nod in agreement.

"Of course I will. You and your family try and stay safe while you're out there, okay?" Laika said and this time, it was Ed's turn to nod in agreement.

"We'll try but I'm not making any promises," Ed told him with a smirk that had Laika huff out some laughter in response.

"I suppose that's the best answer I'll get, huh?" Laika said and Ed grinned as he mentally nodded. "I'll take it. Talk to you later, Edward. Good luck with your search for the little princess."

"Cheers. You guys stay safe as well. Chat to you later," Ed said and felt Laika's agreement before the Marten pulled back from their link and they disconnected from each other. Ed opened his eyes to find Al still hunched over his journal while Ayala rested on the other couch and Chester sat on the chair next to Al, giving him some pointers on the drawing. "How are you guys going over there?" Ed asked his brother and leopard.

"Nearly finished, Brother," Al told him. "How did your talk with Laika go?"

"No dice. Mei didn't even speak to Lan Fan or Fu while she was there and Laika says no one overheard her mention anything about a place she would be going to," Ed told him.

"Well, we knew it was a longshot but at least we know for sure now," Al hummed. "How's Laika?"

"He's fine. A little annoyed that he can't help Fu find Ling with their bond but he's dealing with it," Ed reported as he walked over to the table to look at their progress.

"I'm sure his human will fight back soon and Laika will find him," Chester said optimistically. Both Ed and Al nodded in agreement.

"Looks good, Al," Ed said as he took in the drawing. The likeness to the tiny panda was remarkable and Ed had no doubt that anyone who saw the drawing would recognise Xao-Mei immediately.

"Thanks, Ed," Al said as he finished putting the final few touches on it. "Do you want to head out now and get started?" Al asked.

"Might as well. We should start in Knox's neighbourhood and work our way from there," Ed said decisively as Ayala hauled herself off the couch and joined them.

"Should we work our way towards the city centre?" she asked and Ed considered her question.

"That's probably a good idea. Even if it takes us a few days to find a lead, the city centre makes sense since everyone has to go to the shops at some time," Ed finally said. "Once we've covered Knox's neighbourhood, we'll head there and ask around. Hopefully we'll get lucky." Ed didn't sound overly confident that they would though but no one commented on it.

"Alright, I'm all done. We can go now," Al declared as he carefully tore the page the drawing was on out of Ed's research journal.

"Awesome," Ed said as Al and Chester moved away from the table. He took back his journal and placed it in the pocket it usually lived in. After a moment's consideration, he slipped his red jacket on. He'd almost not worn it since it was so identifiable but he then realised it didn't matter if people knew who he was and that he was looking for Mei. She had helped Scar escape their custody so he could just claim that was why they were searching for her if anyone asked. "Let's get going."

---

The next week saw them going through the same motions with very few exceptions. They'd started and covered Knox's neighbourhood with a couple of hours to spare before dinner. They'd not uncovered any leads and had made the decision to head to the centre of town to start asking around there when Leo had contacted Ed to let him know that Hughes would be home in half an hour and would be happy to start Ed's lessons if he was still willing. Torn between wanting to go to the Hughes' since it had been his idea and the lessons would be immensely beneficial for him and continuing their canvas of the townspeople, Al had eventually made the decision for him by offering to stick with the search while Ed went and got the lessons.

"Are you sure, Al? You could use any tips he offers as well," Ed had asked and Al nodded.

"I'm sure. You'll tell me everything you've learned and this way we don't have to stop our search. Tell Hughes and everyone I said hello," Al had told him and, sensing his little brother wouldn't let up, Ed and Ayala had promised they would and left for Ed's lessons.

The lesson had proven a boon for Ed as he'd learned several new things from Hughes that Izumi hadn't taught the two boys. Hughes had even helped him create a set of throwing knives of his own by giving him feedback on every knife he'd made until he'd gotten it perfect, according to Hughes. They'd spent an hour working on Ed's aim and stance and Ed was a little surprised to realise that his automail made it so he had to change his stance far more than he thought he'd had too. He'd known, of course, that his automail arm would affect how he'd used to throw bladed weapons but Hughes had had him adjust for his left leg as well. Ed had made the minor adjustment Hughes had suggested, thinking he'd humour the man but wouldn't see any improvement only to have his jaw hit the floor when the next knife he'd thrown had hit the target with more accuracy and speed than before. Hughes' smug smirk had stayed on his face for the entirety of their lesson.

Ed had left the Hughes' after dinner that night – having joined because Elysia had begged and Ed had found himself unable to say no – and met back up with Al and Chester. They'd resumed their canvasing but after a couple more hours, they'd still come up with no leads and the number of people on the street were rapidly dwindling. They'd picked up food, despite the fact that Ed and Ayala had eaten at the Hughes' and headed back to the hotel room.

"I saw Lieutenant Havoc today while you were gone," Al had mentioned as they headed for the hotel, food in Ed's hands.

"Really? How's he going?" Ed had asked. A flash of guilt swept through him as he realised he'd not spared the four reassigned men a thought the entire day.

"He's alright. He says that he and the others have finished packing their belongings and have bought their train tickets for tomorrow. Warrant Officer Falman will be the last to leave Central and Sergeant Fuery will be the first to catch his train west," Al had told him in response.

"Maybe we should head to the train station tomorrow and question people there. It is possible someone visiting Central has seen Mei on their travels, if she's left the city already," Ayala had suggested casually. Ed knew the ulterior motive behind his wolf's suggestion and gave her a grateful, yet reprimanding, look.

"The train station is a good idea," Al had said and Ed's eyes flicked over to Chester, who was doing his best to look innocent. "If we're lucky, we'll run into the guys and get to say goodbye to them and ask them to keep an eye and ear out for any news about Mei. We did promise them that we'd see them off," Al then reminded him. The hope in his brother's voice had been the only reason Ed had bit his tongue with the automatic dismissal of the idea he'd been about to voice. Ed had then felt another surge of guilt as he realised what he'd been about to say and the only reason he had was because he still felt guilty over their new orders.

"Yeah, that's true. Let's head over there tomorrow morning. We can spend the day there until Hughes summons me for my next lesson," Ed had said decisively. "Plus, we can't break a promise like that," Ed had said with a grin. The two Animals had made affirmative noises while Al had simply nodded.

---

The next day, they'd done just that. A quick question from Ed to Kara had confirmed Fuery's train's departure time and they'd gotten to the station, armed with two drawings of Xao-Mei this time, with an hour to go before Fuery was scheduled to leave. They spent the thirty minutes it took for Fuery and Kara to arrive asking the people at the station about whether they'd seen the panda in the sketch or a young girl with long, braided hair and pink and white robes recently. When Fuery and Kara did turn up, the boys and Animals had stopped to take a break and grab a coffee with him.

"I'm worried about moving to Western Command," Fuery had admitted when Al had asked whether he was nervous about the move. "There are reports that Aerugo has started making threats towards Amestris. There's a very real possibility that Western Command's troops will go to war with them in the near future," Fuery had revealed. Kara let out a sad warble as she rested her head against Fuery's cheek comfortingly.

"Maybe your communications skills will keep you from being on the front lines," Ed had said, unsure of what else he could say. Fuery had given him a weak smile that fell almost immediately.

"I know it's probably a bad thing to think but I'm kind of hoping that Aerugo isn't able to strike before this whole plan gets underway. That way I'll likely be recalled back to help here," Fuery had shared, slightly ashamed.

"I don't think anyone blames you for hoping that. We certainly don't," Al had assured the young sergeant. Ed's nod had backed up his young brother's words. Fuery had relaxed slightly and Kara had thanked both of the boys before the conversation had moved on to slightly less morose topics until Fuery's train had been announced as the next to depart.

"Thanks for seeing us off," Fuery had said as they stood from the table. "Kara will let you and Nala know when we've reached Western Command and are settled in. You guys stay safe, okay? Keep in touch as much as you can," Fuery had instructed, flicking concerned looks between the four Elrics.

"We'll do our best," Ed had promised wryly and Fuery couldn't stop his small chuckle.

"You stay safe as well. Let us know if you need help and we'll do our best to try," Al had said and Fuery had nodded gratefully.

The final announcement had come from the train and Fuery and Kara had disappeared into the crowd with a final goodbye to the boys and their Animals. They'd glimpsed the pair as they took their seats and waved goodbye to them. They watched as the train pulled away from the station before getting back to their canvasing of the crowd until the next ex-member of Mustang's team arrived at the station to catch their train.

---

Breda and Havoc had turned up with Dubuffet and Mark within ten minutes of each other, almost an hour and a half after Fuery's train had departed. Dubuffet had been the first to spot them, having spotted Ayala's golden fur and a flicker of Ed's red jacket and had bolted for the pair, giving his human a heart attack as he disappeared into the crowd. Once Breda had caught up and lectured the pig about once again running off with no warning because he'd spotted the blonde, the six of them had gone to grab a coffee.

They'd just placed their orders when Ed had perked up slightly and sent a message to Mark as he'd sensed the rooster was nearby. He'd not been impressed when Mark had relayed a message from Havoc, asking Ed to place an order for the blonde smoker but he had done so, making sure the waitress knew that he'd send Havoc in to pay for it once he'd arrived. They choose a table and sat themselves down as they waited for the couple of minutes it would take for Havoc to meet them. The lieutenant had pouted when Ed informed him that he had to go pay for his meal and had grumbled something under his breath when all Ed did in response was smirk.

Unlike their earlier conversation with Fuery and Kara, this time the atmosphere hadn't been filled with a depressive note. There had been a tinge of sadness at the fact that this was the last time they'd likely have coffee with each other like this for several weeks, if not months, but Breda, Havoc and Al had been seemingly determined to not let it dominate the tone of the conversation. They told Ed and Al about their last day in Mustang's office and how Mustang had been on his best behaviour for the entire day so Hawkeye wouldn't be forced to put a bullet in him on her last day under his command. Ed had pouted at the fact that they didn't have an entertaining story for him but his pout had disappeared when an announcement sounded through the station, telling those that the train bound for South City was five minutes from departure.

Breda and Du had taken to their feet but stopped them when Havoc, Mark and the Elrics had gone to follow him, telling them that they didn't need to see his train off. His parting words to Ed and Al had been very similar to Fuery's and Ed had scowled when he realised that Havoc and Falman would likely have him promise them the same thing. They'd exchanged goodbyes and watched as Breda had headed in the direction of his train, Du following dutifully behind once Ed had given the pig one last scratch under the chin. Only a couple of minutes later did they hear the sound of the train's warning whistle and its engine exuding a lot of energy to get itself going.

Havoc, having sensed Ed's disappointment with the lack of threats to Mustang from Hawkeye the previous day, had spent the next fifteen minutes entertaining the brothers with Mustang's reactions to the files he'd been given that morning on his new team. The highest-ranking officer was a 2nd lieutenant while the others had been a warrant officer, sergeant and master sergeant but it hadn't been their ranks that had irritated the colonel, it had been their service records. For one reason or another, none of the four new team members had seen any decent kind of combat and would be considered barely competent compared to the standards their ranks demanded. Ed had found himself barely able to breath as he cackled at the mental images his mind had painted of Mustang scowling at the files as he realised he would actually have to get up off his arse and do more work than he was used to with a team as excellent as his had been. Al, however, had asked why Mustang had only been given four new team members when he'd lost five.

"The bossman is getting five new people under his command," Havoc had told him. "However, his fifth isn't military. They're civilian and they'll be taking over most of Lieutenant Hawkeye's duties. From what I understood, it's Kate who has been assigned the position," Havoc had revealed and Ed's eyebrow's had shot up in surprise.

"Kate? As in Fuhrer Bradley's secretary? That Kate?" Ed has asked, stunned. Both Ayala and Chester weren't in any better shape and Ed could've sworn he heard Al's gasp of surprise.

"The very same," Havoc had confirmed. "I'll tell you now, Chief. She didn't look awfully impressed when she'd reported to Mustang yesterday morning, confirming her duties and what time she should expect to report to his office each day."

"I can't imagine she would've been," Ed had said. "My guess is she thinks that Hawkeye and her switching jobs is likely a result of something Mustang and herself had done to displease the Fuhrer. Being the Fuhrer's personal secretary was probably a cushy job too so it's likely she'll be suffering a significant pay loss as well," Ed had surmised and Havoc nodded.

"Could be. Just figured you guys would appreciate the heads up. I don't think Kate is someone who will likely put up with the same things Lieutenant Hawkeye did so you should watch yourself," Havoc had warned. Ed would've commented on the unnecessary warning except Mark had spoken first.

"Mustang and Hawkeye believe Kate will likely be acting as a spy for Fuhrer Bradley," Mark had told him. Ed had been quick to pass the message on to the two Animals with him and trusted Chester to pass it on to Alphonse.

"Cheers for the heads up, Havoc," Ed had said instead. "I bet Mustang is looking forward to having to act like respectable officer people think he is rather than the lazy bastard he actually is."

Havoc snorted and grinned while Al had berated Ed but before he could say whatever he'd been about to, his train was announced and Havoc has sighed. "Guess that's my cue," he'd said as he got to his feet. Mark ruffled his feathers next to his legs and looked around at everyone. Unlike Breda, Havoc hadn't stopped the Elrics from joining him and Mark on their walk across the station to where his train waited.

"Have fun in East City. Say hi to Grumman for us," Ed had said as he, Al, Ayala and Chester came to a stop next to the train.

"Will do, Chief. You guys keep yourselves out of as much trouble as possible," Havoc had said, smirking as Ed hadn't been able to hide his scowl quickly enough. "You won't have me here to patch you up so try your best not to get injured, Chief. I'm not sure Mark would be pleased if he got a frantic message from Ayala or Chester asking for instructions on how to patch you up." Mark had clucked in agreement, causing the other two Animals to laugh silently.

"We'll try and keep him out of danger," Al had promised but his tone had betrayed just how fruitless he thought that endeavour would be, causing Havoc to chuckle.

"Good luck with that, Al," Havoc had said dryly. "Make sure you say hello if you're ever in East City before I get back to Central," Havoc had instructed and all four Elrics had nodded.

"Will do," Ed had promised, giving Havoc a wave. Satisfied with their response, Havoc had loaded himself and Mark onto the train and found their seats. Once Ed, Al, Ayala and Chester had located the window he was next to, they moved back. "Make sure you keep in contact. Let us know if anything happens," Ed had said, tone serious.

Havoc's response had been equally as serious. "I will, Chief. You do the same." Ed had nodded in agreement. The train whistle had blown piercingly, causing Ayala and Chester to snarl in annoyance, and causing the humans to wait until it had finished before speaking again. "See you when we see you next." Havoc then raised his hand in goodbye and the boys had mimicked his actions. Moments later, Havoc's train started moving and soon enough, was out of sight.

"Let's get back to work," Ed had sighed once Havoc's train was gone and got no resistance from the other three.

---

It had been just after lunchtime when Falman had turned up at the station, Rachel floating around his head. Ed and the Animals had just decided that they should stop and grab a bite to eat when their stomachs had all growled almost simultaneously, causing Al to laugh at them. Ed had been about to snap at his brother when Rachel had interrupted, letting him know that she could sense they were at the train station and wanting to know if they wanted to have lunch together. Ed had immediately accepted the invitation and led the group to where Rachel had told him they were waiting.

Falman had greeted them with the level of enthusiasm he normally did while Rachel let Ed and Al give her a small pat hello before her human suggested they head into the café Ed and Al had had coffee with the others earlier in the morning. The waitress had greeted Ed with a slightly confused look, obviously wondering why he was ordering from her for the third time inside four hours but she didn't end up saying anything as she took down his, Al's and Falman's orders. As usual, Al had ordered as though he'd planned to eat and drink but he'd made sure he'd ordered the same coffee Ed had and a sandwich that all three members of his family would eat, just in case they decided to share.

Once the orders had been placed, the three bonded pairs had headed for the same table Ed, Al and their Animals had sat at with Breda, Havoc and their Animals. Though Falman had never been one for small talk unless it was necessary for getting information from someone, he started bringing Ed and Al up to speed on everything he'd sussed out on the new team Mustang would be in charge of as well as any gossip and rumours he'd overheard around the base. News had broken almost immediately about the team being split up and removed from Mustang's command – with the sole exception of Ed – and the base had been buzzing, wondering why such a prominent and effective team would be split up with no warning.

They'd continued talking about the rumours and new team for the majority of the time they spent at the café table, pausing only when their lunch and coffees had arrived. Falman had also made sure to pass along instructions from Mustang that the colonel expected Ed to be at the office the next day to meet the new team, since it was likely that Ed would have to interact with them at some point before the homunculi's plans came to fruition. Ed had rolled his eyes but immediately sent a message to Nala, telling her that Falman had done as he was told and that he would be at the office tomorrow before lunch. Nala had been grateful for Ed's agreement to be there and Ed's curiousity was piqued. It took a little prodding but the lioness had finally fessed up that Mustang didn't want there to be any reason for any spies amongst the new team to report anything negative back to the Fuhrer and that having Ed there would likely give the impression that they were taking the Fuhrer's warnings to heart.

Unfortunately, Falman hadn't been able to talk with them for long as his train's departure was announced over the system only minutes after the waitress had cleared their table of dirty plates. Getting himself to his feet, Falman had been completely unsurprised to see Ed, Al and the Animals do the same thing. Despite having expected them to do so, their unspoken decision to accompany him and Rachel as far as they could did warm his heart and he'd allowed himself a small smile. They'd paused next to the train Falman and Rachel were scheduled to board and the warrant officer turned to face the four of them.

"I'll be sure to pass along anything of interest or note to you as soon as I can," Falman had promised them. "I'll also do what I can to talk to Major-General Armstrong and convince her that what I say is true while I'm there."

"We'd appreciate it," Ed had said in response. "Thanks, Falman."

"It won't be a problem, Edward," Falman had assured him. "Make sure the four of you don't get yourself into any unnecessary trouble. Keep your noses down unless you don't have another choice."

Ed had almost rolled his eyes but had refrained when he saw the concern flicker in Falman's eyes. "We'll do our best but we aren't promising anything more," Ed had told him firmly.

"I'll take it," Falman had said with a nod. Another whistle sounded and – like they had for Havoc – the boys, Chester and Ayala had located Falman once the grey-haired man and his stingray had found their seats. "If you're ever up north, let me know. I might be able to find a reason to get out of Fort Briggs to meet up with you while you're there," Falman had suggested and both boys and their Animal nodded.

"We will," Al had promised. "Stay safe in Fort Briggs, Officer Falman." With a final nod, Falman and Rachel had soon disappeared from their sight as their train left the station. They'd stood in silence as the train left, occasionally being bumped and jostled by passing people who were trying to get where they needed to be before Al had broken the silence. "Should we get back to our search?" He'd asked and Ed nodded before letting out a small sigh.

"Might as well," Ed had said, sounding slightly unenthusiastic about the whole thing. Neither Al nor the Animals had commented on it as Al pulled out his sketch of Xao-Mei and joined Ed in searching for the missing panda and alkahestrist.

---

The day after Falman, Havoc, Fuery and Breda had been shipped off to their new posts, Ed had been awoken by Ayala reminding him that he'd promised to go into the office and meet the new team before lunch. Ed had groaned, feeling his muscles stretch and loosen as he did so. They'd ended the previous day's search for Xao-Mei and Mei when Leo had contacted Ed, letting him know that Hughes would be home shortly if he was good for another lesson. This time, Al and Chester had joined them, something Elysia had been delighted about when she'd opened the door to reveal the four of them standing on the other side.

Ed had grumbled about being woken up before he saw the time and cursed when he saw it was nearly 10:00am. He'd pulled himself out of bed and into the shower, grabbing clean clothes on the way to the bathroom and barely giving his brother or their Animals a proper good morning. Once out, he drained the coffee cup Al had wordlessly handed him in three big gulps. As the caffeine started waking him up, Ed poured himself a second cup and sat at the table with Al, drinking it a lot slower than he had for the first one.

"What are we doing today, Brother?" Al had asked, cleverly waiting for Ed to be half-way done with his second coffee before asking him questions.

"Well, I have to go and see Colonel Bastard and meet the stellar new team Bradley forced under his command. You and Ches are welcome to join us or you can start asking about Mei in the city centre again. Up to you," Ed had told him.

There had been silence as Chester and Alphonse discussed their options before Alphonse finally spoke. "We'll come with you, Ed. It's probably a good idea for us to meet them too," Al had told him and Ed nodded in acceptance. He'd figured Al and Chester would come to that decision anyway.

"Alright, let's get going then. We can grab breakfast to go on the way," Ed had ordered, sculling the rest of his coffee before putting the cup in the kitchen and grabbing his red jacket. The three others had followed with no complaints and Al shut the hotel room door behind them, ensuring it locked before catching up with his brother and the Animals.

Breakfast had been scoffed down as quickly as possible. Partly because the group had wanted to get this over and done with so they could get back to their search but mainly because Ed and the Animals were starving by the time they got to the small restaurant they'd decided to have breakfast at. As Ed had said before they left the hotel, they'd elected to buy breakfast food that the Animals would be able to eat quickly and that Ed could eat while walking. Bacon and egg rolls had been the unanimous decision and Ed had ended up ordering eight of them for the three of them to share. Ayala and Chester ate one of theirs every time they'd been forced to wait for traffic to clear so they could cross the road while Ed was able to eat his as he walked.

When they'd finally gotten to the base, Ed had flashed his watch and was waved through by the security guards. Nodding his thanks since his mouth was full of food, Ed had led the way through and towards the office. He gave Nala a silent heads up that she'd thanked him for before he finished the last of his roll and disposed of the rubbish. Wiping his face on his sleeve had resulted in Al lecturing him about manners and how he should be acting in public. Ed had, for the most part, ignored the familiar lecture, though he had questioned why the Animals still found it funny despite this being a monthly occurrence. He hadn't been impressed when they told him that that had been the reason why.

When Ed had reached the outer office door, he knocked but entered immediately without waiting for permission. Instead of being greeted by the five people he was used to seeing in the office, Ed found himself looking at four complete strangers and one person he would loosely classify as an acquaintance. Kate glared at him as he stepped aside to let Ayala, Chester and Al walk through the door before he shut it. "Major Elric," she'd greeted tersely. "I'm sure you're aware that protocol dictates that you should wait to be granted permission before entering a room."

"It certainly does," Ed had agreed. "Mustang in?" He'd asked, jabbing a thumb at the inner office door and Kate scowled.

"He is," she'd told him. "Let me see if he's available to see you since you aren't in his schedule for the day," she'd said pointedly.

"Weird. It's almost like I never told him I was turning up. Ayala?" Ed had looked down at his wolf who smirked slightly.

"Nala says he's free," Ayala dutifully reported.

"Nala says he's free," Ed repeated as Kate lifted the phone to her ear and went to dial. Kate had either not heard him or was flat-out ignoring him because she dialled the number to Mustang's personal line.

"Colonel Mustang, Major Elric is here to see you. Do you wish for me to permit him?" Kate had asked, glaring at Ed. He didn't take it personally since the Fuhrer's ex-secretary had never taken a liking to him the few times they'd met. "Very well," she'd said, bringing Ed's attention back to herself. "You may enter," she told him and Ed had given her a thumbs up before gesturing to the others to follow him.

"Brother, you shouldn't be so disrespectful," Al had hissed, keeping his voice low so no one else would overhear them.

"I don't care," Ed had told him simply. "I'd rather them be pissed off with how I act so they don't try and cosy up to me to get me to spill anything." Al hadn't been happy about it but he'd accepted Ed's reasoning. Though Ed didn't kick the door open as he normally would've, he didn't knock as military protocol dictated he should and he was almost positive he heard Kate's teeth grind together as she gritted them and he'd been forced to hide the grin curling his lips upwards. "What up, Mustang? Hey, Nala," Ed had greeted as he entered the inner office, shutting the door behind him. He'd made sure it wouldn't count as a slam but only just.

"Good morning, Colonel Mustang," Alphonse had greeted far more politely than Ed thought was necessary.

"Fullmetal, Alphonse," Mustang had said, barely looking up from his paperwork.

"Hey, Ed. How are you feeling today?" Nala had asked as her eyes roved over his form as though she would be able to see any injuries he might've recently acquired and was hiding from them.

"Completely fine," Ed had told her honestly as he joined her on her couch. Ayala and Chester quickly followed suit while Al chose to sit on the other couch. After a moment, Chester had also chosen to sit on the other couch with Al and had changed direction mid-stride, leaping up onto it and settling himself next to the armoured boy.

"I take it you've met the new team," Mustang had drawled but Ed had a feeling he hadn't been the only one to hear the faint notes of moroseness in Mustang's voice.

"If by 'met' you mean walked past them as Kate took her secretarial duties to the extreme by calling you when I already knew you were free, then yes, we've met," Ed had told him and Mustang hadn't looked awfully impressed with his response.

"I suppose I should introduce you to them properly," Mustang had sighed. "Before I do though, why am I getting reports of you and Alphonse conducting a canvas of your own?"

Ed had sighed and sunk back into the couch. "Mei left Knox's care and didn't tell anyone where she was going. We're looking for her so we can ask her some questions about alkahestry," Ed had told him. "We figured since her alchemy still worked while ours didn't that she might be able to give us some tips on how her alkahestry works. That way we might be able to mix her alkahestry with our alchemy somehow so we stand a chance if we find ourselves in that kind of situation again," Ed had explained when Mustang had raised a questioning brow.

"You don't say. Xingese alkahestry," Mustang had mused. "I'll ask around and let you know if I hear anything about her or Scar's movements."

Ed's retort about not wanting to be any further into Mustang's debt had been interrupted by Nala before he could voice it. "He's not offering so you'll owe him anything. He's offering because he wants to help and he thinks it's a good idea even if he's too emotionally stunted to tell you that himself," Nala had said, shooting Mustang a nasty look that had his eyebrows shooting up in surprise and confusion.

"We'd really appreciate that, Colonel Mustang. The more eyes and ears, the better. Right, Brother?" Alphonse had said, emphasizing the last part of his statement and causing Ed to roll his eyes.

"What he said," Ed had told Mustang, jabbing his thumb at his brother. The mutter Al had given under his breath had been too low for Ed to hear him clearly. That hadn't stopped Ed from smacking the back of Al's helmet, making a clanging noise ring through the office and causing Al to yelp in surprise. "Don't sass me."

"Be nice to your brother," Ayala had admonished Ed. His response had been to simply stick his tongue out, which had caused Ayala to flick him lightly on the arm with her tail.

"If you're quite done acting like a child, we should go out and introduce you to the new team," Mustang had drawled, watching the four of them with a raised brow.

"Technically, we still are kids," Ed had reminded him, causing Nala to chuckle lightly, before he got to his feet. "But you have a point. We need to get back to looking for Mei so let's get this over and done with," Ed had said. Al had followed his brother's movements, creaking slightly and the three Animals had also followed their lead, leaving Mustang to be the only one not on their feet.

Mustang hadn't gotten to his feet immediately, despite him being the one who first decided they really should've been out in the outer office. Instead, he'd taken a couple more minutes to sign some more paperwork, testing Ed's patience to the point where Ayala had to remind him that striking or manhandling a superior officer was an offence that could have him court-martialled. Finally, Mustang had gotten to his feet and gestured for Ed, Al and their Animals to lead the way.

Once in the outer office, Mustang had been the first one speak after he'd dismissed the salutes his new team had automatically given him. "Everyone, I'd like to formally introduce the sixth member of this team. This is Major Edward Elric, the Fullmetal Alchemist," Mustang had gestured to Ed before continuing, "and his brother, Alphonse Elric. Alphonse is not a member of this military but has clearance to shadow his brother on his missions and with his research as granted to him by Fuhrer King Bradley." Mustang had paused before continuing.

"Fullmetal, I believe you know Ms. Kate Messer," Ed had dipped his head towards the slightly glowering Kate as Mustang continued. "These are 2nd Lieutenant Scott Coleman," Mustang gestured towards a man who had black hair cut like Havoc's and a face that reminded Ed slightly of a rat. His Animal was a large blue and golden macaw that sat perched on the back of the chair Coleman was standing next too. "Warrant Officer Taylor Murphy," the man Mustang gestured to had brunette hair that was cut similarly to Brosh's, Ed noticed, and his smile was friendly enough. His Animal was a large, mostly white koi fish that was swimming lazily around his head. Ed and Al nodded to him as Mustang continued. "Master Sergeant Robert Harper," the man whose name Mustang had just said looked up from the box he was unpacking. His blue eyes sparkled with nerves as he nodded towards Ed and Al and his Ibis made a gentle click of its beak that made Harper relax slightly. "and Sergeant Samantha Buckley." The final person to be introduced – and the only other woman, aside from Kate – had given a small wave as her name was mentioned. She had strawberry blonde hair tied back in a low ponytail and her green eyes were hidden behind glasses that reminded Ed of Sheska's. Her Animal was a large bearded dragon whose scales gleamed orange and sat perched on her shoulder with its tail wrapped behind Buckley's neck.

"I'll leave you all to introduce your Animals," Mustang had said, stepping back and placing his hand on the doorknob of his inner office door. "Fullmetal, I expect you to resume your search for the girl assisting Scar promptly." Mustang hadn't given Ed the chance to reply as he and Nala slipped back into his inner office.

"Let your human know he's an arse and that I'll get him back for this," Ed had told Nala whose response had been laugh and promise she would.

"It's nice to meet all of you," Al had broken the awkward silence that had threatened to take over once Mustang had left the room. "This is my Animal, Chester." Al had then ruffled Chester's ears to indicate who he was speaking about.

"This is Ayala," Ed had said, taking his brother's cue. Ayala had made an obvious show of looking over all of the strangers with an aloof indifference.

"It's good to meet you, Major Elric. I've followed your career as a State Alchemist for a while now," Murphy had said, getting up from his chair to shake Ed's hand and Ed was slightly amused to see his koi fish raise a fin in its own 'hello'. "This is my Animal, Stella," Murphy then went on to say, raising a hand and letting Stella brush past it as she swam through the air.

"Pleasure," Ed had said, accepting the handshake. "Don't bother addressing me by my title. I don't care about it. Ed, Edward or Fullmetal is fine," Ed had told them. The only one who didn't look taken aback by Ed's bluntness had been Kate.

Eventually they had worked through the team and everyone's Animals had been introduced to Ed, Al, Ayala and Chester. Kate's budgie was called Adam, something Ed and Al hadn't known even though they had met the woman a few times over the last few years. The macaw's name was Lindsay, the Ibis' name was David and the final Animal to be introduced was Buckley's lizard, Eli. The boys and the Animals had been polite and stayed for a couple of minutes making small talk with the new team, trying to get a feel for them and giving Ayala and Chester an opportunity to form an opinion before Ed had sent Chester a silent message to have Al remind him of Mustang's orders, something his brother did with no hesitation.

"It was a pleasure to meet the four of you. We're thinking of holding a team dinner later, once we're all settled in, assuming Colonel Mustang is happy to do so. You're welcome to join us," Murphy had offered, looking at the rest of the team and receiving confirming nods from them. Even Kate had nodded, though she hadn't looked awfully enthusiastic about it.

"Yeah, if we're in town and aren't needing to do research we should be able to join," Ed had said, carefully wording his answer so he would be able to refuse any future invitation if he wanted or needed to. The new team had seemed to accept it as an answer and soon both Ed and Al were saying their goodbyes and leaving the office with Ayala and Chester following them out into the corridor, ready to get back to the search for Mei and her panda.

---

The next two days had passed without any distractions to their routine of trying to locate Mei. Neither day had produced any viable leads and by the time Leo had contacted Ed to see if he would be coming by for lessons in the afternoon, Ed and Al had been more than eager to get off the street and do something that would yield more productive results, even if those results had nothing to do with their search for the Xingese princess.

---

On the fifth day, just after lunch, the four of them had decided to swing by Doctor Knox's house when Ed had received word from Lan Fan that Knox had declared Lan Fan's possibilities of dying from her injuries low enough that the two Xingese could leave his house. They had called the doctor's house the moment they'd gotten the message as they hadn't wanted to risk the doctor's anger. Knox hadn't been pleased but when Ed had said they wouldn't be there longer than ten minutes, he'd reluctantly agreed and given them permission to arrive after lunch.

Knox had opened the door with a grumble once Ed had knocked and permitted them entrance into his house. Brian was lounging on the armchair Knox had sat in while Mustang and Ed had caught Al and Knox up on what had happened with the Fuhrer and Father. The bulldog had looked up at their entrance but didn't bother to move from his position. Knox had disappeared into the back of his house, leaving the boys and their Animals with instructions to get out of his house as soon as possible.

"Edward, Alphonse. We weren't expecting you to visit," Lan Fan had said once the boys had entered her room after Fu had opened the door for them.

"Sorry for dropping in on you guys unexpectedly. I thought Knox or Laika would've mentioned we were heading here today," Ed had said as Fu closed the door.

"Laika had told Onyx that you had called but neither he nor Knox had mentioned anything," Fu had said. "May we ask why you're paying us a visit?"

"Two reasons," Ed had told them.

"We wanted to know how you were going. We know Doctor Knox has said you could leave his care but we wanted to see for ourselves," Al had admitted.

"I am healing sufficiently. Doctor Knox believes that I should be able to have automail surgery in a few days," Lan Fan had told them. Onyx let out a happy chirp as she rubbed up against her human's chin. Fu had taken a seat in his usual spot on Lan Fan's left and a quick look had confirmed that Laika was curled up on a small bed that must've been moved into the room since the last time they'd seen the Xingese.

"That's awesome to hear and actually brings us to the second reason we dropped by," Ed had said, giving Lan Fan a genuine smile at the news of her recovery. "I did promise you that I'd introduce you to one of the best automail mechanics in Amestris," Ed had told her.

"We decline," Fu had said, surprising the four Elrics. "We appreciate such a kind gesture but you've already helped us enough. I'm sure we can find a mechanic on our own if we must."

"Are you sure? She would have no problems taking you on as a client," Al had said. "We want to help you somehow after everything the four of you have gone through to help us," Al had insisted but Fu shook his head.

"The enemy has clearly seen Lan Fan's face," Fu had told them. "We refuse to risk the life of your mechanic friend." The expression on Fu's face and resolution in his voice told them that he would not be changing his mind and a look at Lan Fan had told them the same.

"Alright than," Ed had said, submitting to their decision. "Thank you for everything you've done to help us."

"There is no need to thank us," Fu had told him just as Knox entered the room. "We should be thanking you. You and your commanding officer were the ones who brought Doctor Knox in to help my granddaughter," Fu had said before turning to Knox himself. "You are the only reason my granddaughter is still alive. You have my eternal gratitude," Fu had said sincerely before swooping into a low bow.

"What?" Knox had exclaimed, staring slack-jawed at the bowing Xingese. "Do I look like the kind of doctor that wants gratitude?!"

"Thank you, Doctor Knox," Lan Fan had said, ignoring Knox's protests as she bowed as much as she could in the bed she was still seated on. "Thank you for saving me."

"Just clear out already!" Knox had almost shouted, clearly uncomfortable with the appreciation he was being shown. "I'm not such a pushover that I'm gonna let you take my spare bed for an extra night! Now get out!" With that, Knox had left the room, muttering under his breath about his house not being a hospital or a hotel.

"Every day that passes is another day the Emperor is closer to making a decision as to his successor. Without the Young Lord, we cannot return and hope the Yao clan will be named. We won't have much time to find Prince Ling and his secret to immortality," Fu had said solemnly. "We need to get moving." He had looked at Lan Fan, who had shared a look before nodding in agreement and determination.

"Right," Lan Fan had said. "I promise that we will help you rid this country of the evil I can sense in it. Once we find a mechanic for my automail and I have healed from the surgery, we will come back to help. Don't forget about us."

"We won't," Ed had replied. "We'll keep in contact with Laika as much as possible while you're gone and keep you up to date with everything that happens here. You guys make sure you look after yourselves and if you do end up needing our help, don't hesitate to have Laika ask us for it. We'll do whatever we can to help," Ed had told them sternly and once more, Fu and Lan Fan bowed.

"Thank you for your offer. If we need to, we will be sure to reach out so long as you do the same for us," Lan Fan had said and both Ed and Al had nodded their agreement.

"Keep safe, Laika," Ed had said to the Marten, using their bond to do so.

"You too, Edward. I'm sure we'll meet again before too long. You were right in your assumption that Lan Fan is strong. It won't be long before she's back at full health, I'm sure," Laika had told him, making Ed smirk in agreement.

"I'm sure you'll be proven correct," Ed had told him before focusing back on the Xingese in the room. "We promised Knox we'd be in and out so we'd better go before he comes back. Thanks again for everything you guys have done."

"And thank you for everything you have done for us. We will forever be in your dead for your help in saving Lan Fan and Laika's lives," Fu had told him, bowing once more. Lan Fan mimicked his actions and even Onyx and Laika had given their own versions of bows.

With nothing left to say to the Xingese or the two Animals with them, the boys and their Animals had left them to finish getting themselves ready to leave while they headed out to continue their search for Mei Chang. They'd made sure to say goodbye to Brian so he could tell Doctor Knox that they had left the house within the time they'd said they would. With a heavy sigh once they were outside, Ed had suggested they head back into the town centre and keep questioning people there. With no arguments forthcoming from any of the others, that's exactly what they did.

---

By the time a week had passed since starting their search for the elusive princess, Ed was slowly losing faith that they'd ever find any trace of Mei or her panda. The lessons with Hughes were still the only thing they did during the week that wasn't a complete waste of their time. They'd finished up with the Hughes' after the seventh night of lessons and fruitless searching and headed back to their hotel room. Al had tried to keep Ed's hopes up by telling his older brother that maybe the next day would give them more than false leads as Ed crawled under the covers of his bed. Ed had acknowledged the attempt with a murmur that he hoped so before he and Ayala fell asleep.

The next morning had been spent with the four Elrics doing the same thing they had been doing every morning for the previous week. After a shower for Ed and breakfast for the three who could eat, they left the hotel armed with the worn and crumpled sketches of Xao-Mei to keep going with their canvas. Unlike previous days though, Ed got a surprise in the way of Nala contacting him just as Ed was about to suggest to the others that they stop and get something to eat and drink.

"Hey, Ed. Got some news for you," Nala said in lieu of greeting, startling Ed badly enough that he jumped.

"Jeez, Nala. Give a guy some warning before you do that," Ed complained as Ayala and Chester's laughs filled his head. He gave them a look that told them to expect retribution at some point. "What's up?" He asked when he felt the Animals with him were appropriately fearful.

"Roy's heard from a contact who spotted Mei heading north. She was in the company of an older man but it wasn't Scar," she reported and Ed felt the dying ember of hope in his chest flare up once more. "The contact is reliable and Roy was able to confirm with a couple more sources who spotted a young girl wearing the same clothes you described with a small black and white panda on her shoulder boarding a train bound for North City," Nala told him before Ed could ask if Mustang actually trusted his source.

"That's awesome. Thanks for telling us, Nala," Ed said, sighing in relief. They finally had a lead and a strong one at that. "We gotta head north now and see if we can catch up to her."

"Roy said you'd say that. He wants you and Alphonse to come into his office after lunch. He has a new mission for you," Nala told him. A flash of annoyance and a general 'is he serious?' feeling rolled through Ed but Nala was quick to stop him from thinking or saying anything about where Mustang could shove his mission. "You need a reason to go north and Mustang can get you as far as North City." Ed sighed as he realised that his anger might have been unfounded.

"Alright, I get it. We'll grab some lunch then head over. See you soon," Ed said. Nala said her own goodbye before they disconnected and Ed focused on the group again. "Mustang came up with a lead. We're heading north and we've gotta head into the office after lunch to get mission details," Ed told them.

"Mei's heading north? I wonder why," Al said curiously but all Ed could do was shrug.

"I dunno but I guess we'll find out once we manage to catch up to her," Ed said. "Now, let's go order some lunch so I don't smack Mustang because he says something dumb and I'm too hungry to be held accountable for my actions." This time when he heard Ayala and Chester laughing in his head, he joined them. The only one not laughing was Al.

"You shouldn't hit him anyway," Al muttered, causing Ed to roll his eyes. "But getting some food into you wouldn't be a bad idea. At least it'll save us from listening to you complain about how hungry you are on the way to Colonel Mustang's office," Al drawled.

"I don't appreciate the attitude, Alphonse," Ed sniffed, ignoring Ayala and Chester's giggles.

"I don't care," Al told him. "Where do you want to eat? We should head there now so we can leave as soon as possible," Al said, ignoring Ed's grumbles.

"What about that restaurant near Central Command? The one that does that really good chicken caeser wrap?" Chester asked and Ayala immediately nodded in agreement.

"I second that suggestion," Ayala said and Ed nodded.

"Yeah, let's head there. I wouldn't mind one of those wraps," Ed said. "We'll head to Colonel Bastard's after that."

"You should stop calling him that, Ed," Al said before realising Ed and the Animals were already walking towards the restaurant. "Ed! Chester! Ayala! Wait for me!"

---

"Major Elric. Colonel Mustang informed me that you were expected some time this afternoon and had left instructions that you are to be allowed in his office once you arrived," Kate told him the moment he stepped through the door. All members of the team, with the exception of Murphy, were present in the office when Ed, Al and their Animals arrived.

"Cheers," Ed said, returning Buckley's small wave and Harper's slight smile. Coleman was too busy with whatever he was working on to notice Ed or the others walk in, something Ed was a little amused about. Since he knew Nala had already told Mustang he was in the office, Ed didn't bother with knocking on the door before he entered. He didn't notice any reaction from Kate which he was mildly disappointed about but Ayala nudged him forward before he could try anything else.

"Ah, Fullmetal. I didn't expect you quite this soon," Mustang said once Al had closed the door behind them.

"Nala said to turn up after lunch. It's after lunch. Not my fault you didn't specify a time to expect me by," Ed told him as he and Ayala took their customary seats on the couch Nala was on. "So I'm heading north, huh?" Ed asked.

"Yes," Mustang said as he handed Al the file Ed had pretended not to see him pick up as the blonde walked past his desk, "you are." He didn't look overly impressed with Ed but Ed figured that was nothing new so he wasn't overly fazed by it as he accepted the file from Al. "It's been nearly a month since you allowed Colonel Moon to run point on your investigation into the isolated quakes reported up north. Technically, you are still in charge of that investigation even if you physically aren't working it. I'm ordering you to head back up north so you can get a report from Colonel Moon and conduct any further interviews if required. You are to leave tomorrow," Mustang told him as Ed flipped through the small file in his hands.

"Cool," was all Ed said in response. "Is Moon expecting me?" Ed queried and Mustang nodded.

"He was made aware that you would be in North City tomorrow. Kate has procured you your train tickets heading there and a hotel room. Colonel Moon will call the hotel and leave a message for you with them regarding a time for a meeting," Mustang told him. "You'll also be expected to book your own tickets back since we can't be certain when you'll be finished in North City. Just charge them to this office," Mustang instructed.

"I would've anyway," Ed told him. "I take it since the tickets and whatnot aren't in here, Kate has them?" Ed asked and Mustang nodded.

"She should've organised them already for you," Mustang said. "If you have no other questions, you're dismissed." Mustang looked pointedly at the door and Ed rolled his eyes.

"You didn't get anything more solid from your contacts? Just the direction?" Ed asked as he stood up. Ayala followed him quickly, as did Chester – who'h had claimed the other couch – but Al had stayed standing.

"Only what I've told you. Scar's accomplice was seen sneaking aboard a train bound for North City with an older man who – according to my contact – was not Scar. She only glimpsed him but she described him as a white male in his late forties to early fifties. He was wearing a white jacket with a hood or scarf and what she saw of his face she described as badly damaged. She didn't see any animal with him, Spirit or otherwise, but she did spot the panda on the girl's shoulder," Mustang told him. Ed's brow furrowed as he tried to figure out who the mystery man was.

"Mei did call Scar the servant of the man who rescued her, remember, Brother?" Al piped up. "Maybe it was him with her?" he suggested and Ed shrugged.

"I dunno. It's as good a theory as any," Ed said. "We'll find out once we catch up to her." Ed gave Al a smile before turning to Nala. "See you later."

"Let me know when you're in North City," Nala requested. Ed rolled his eyes at her slightly fretting tone but nodded all the same as he gave the lioness a scratch behind the ear.

"Will do," he promised, giving Ayala a look and silently asked her to remind him. His wolf mimicked his eye roll but agreed. "Let's go pick up our tickets, Al," Ed said, heading for the door.

"Try not to get yourself in trouble, Fullmetal. I do not need another stack of papers to deal with because of you," Mustang said from his desk. Ed's response was to flip him off before he disappeared through the door, Al's tired reprimand following him as the suit of armour headed after his brother.

"Have a good afternoon, Colonel Mustang. I'll make sure Ed checks in with you," Al promised as he held the door for Ayala and Chester to walk through. Mustang could hear Ed talking to Kate out in the outer office.

"You too, Alphonse," Mustang said, inclining his head at the youngest Elric before the door shut closed, leaving only Mustang and Nala in the office once more.

---

"Al, there you are. Kate gave me the tickets and whatnot we need. We're leaving on the 10:00am train tomorrow," Ed told Al once the youngest boy joined back up with his brother and their Animals.

"So we'll have time to see the Hughes' before we leave. Elysia will like that," Al said as he took a look at the information Ed held up to show him.

"Yeah," Ed agreed. "We should head back to the hotel first. Pack all our crap up and see if Hughes will hold it for us," he said and Al nodded in agreement. "Thanks for getting this for us, Kate," Ed said, nodding towards the brunette woman. "Let's go, you lot."

Ayala was the first to lead the way to door and made an impatient noise when she saw the new team holding her human up so they could question him about where he was going. Unfortunately this team wasn't as well trained as the old team was so they didn't recognise the noise Ayala made for what it was, something that Ayala was extremely unimpressed with. Giving the two who were predominately holding up her boy – Buckley and Harper – a flat look, she headed back to Ed and grabbed him by the sleeve and started tugging on it. The unsubtle gesture was definitely noticed by Buckley and Harper, both of whom grinned, unaware that most of Ayala's impatience was because of them.

"I think Ayala is ready to get out of here, Sir," Harper said and Ed shot him a glare. "Er, I mean, Ed," Harper was quick to correct and Ed nodded in satisfaction.

"Yeah, she gets impatient when she's hungry. See you guys later," Ed said, letting Ayala pull him away slightly before he wrested his sleeve back from the wolf before she could accidentally tear it.

"Bye, Edward," Buckley said as Harper and Coleman – who had just noticed Ed was even there – waved goodbye. Kate merely gave him a nod, her lips still pursed in annoyance, likely because the three team members in the office weren't doing their work.

Finally released from the clutches of the new team, Ed and Al left the office with their Animals in tow. They got a couple of corridors away when Ayala gave Ed an irritated look. "Did you really have to use me as an excuse?" she asked and Ed raised a brow at her.

"You were the one who was tugging on my sleeve like a toddler," Ed reminded her. "Besides, what else could I have said?"

"You're their superior officer, technically. You could've just told them to leave you alone so you could go," Ayala grumbled at him.

"You know I don't like using my rank like that," Ed told her and she sighed.

"Yeah, I know but you still didn't have to say that about me! Now that's all they'll think when they see me," Ayala whined. Ed couldn't help it; he laughed even as he rolled his eyes.

"Next time we see them, we'll make sure they get to see how fearsome you truly are," Ed promised hastily when Ayala turned to glare at him.

"Good," she said with a nod.

"I don't even know what the two of you are talking about but I'm sure it's not so important that you can't pay attention to where you're going," Al said flatly, bringing Ed and Ayala's attention back from themselves only for them to find that they'd almost walked completely past the corridor they were supposed to turn into to leave the base.

"Oh," Ed said as he and Ayala doubled back. "Cheers, Al."

"That's what I'm here for. Making sure you and Ayala don't get lost in a base you should know backwards by now," Al teased lightly.

"Now that we're on the right track, what's the plan?" Chester asked as Ed tried to glare holes into Al's helmet.

Ed sighed, glancing at Chester before he focused back on where he was going. "We'll do as I said before," Ed said. "We'll head back to the hotel room and pack everything up. I'll ask Hughes if he can keep whatever we aren't taking to North City with us at his and if he can't, maybe Miss Riza can," Ed told them. "After that, it depends on Hughes. If he can look after our stuff or if we're still good for a lesson this afternoon, we'll head over there. If he can't do neither, we'll see if Miss Riza can keep our stuff and we'll figure out what to do while we wait to catch tomorrow's train."

"I don't think Mr. Hughes would have a problem with keeping our things and he never told us about anything possibly stopping us from having another lesson today when we were at his yesterday," Al said and Ed nodded.

"True but you never know," Ed said with a shrug. "Come on, let's get something to snack on before we get to the hotel room. I'm hungry again and you two," Ed gestured to the Animals, "better not bother lying about you not being hungry. I can sense it," he told them sternly.

"We weren't even going to try," Chester told him, voice amused as Ed narrowed his eyes as though he was scrutinising him before finally nodding. Chester rolled his eyes at his human, something that made Al have to try and stifle his chuckles so Ed wouldn't hear him. Ayala gave them a knowing look as she kept pace with Ed. Al raised his hand in an apologetic manner, something the wolf seemed to accept as she turned back to watching the path in front. Chester gave Al a grin as they continued following behind the two.

---

At 9:30am the next day, Ed, Al and the two Animals left their hotel room for the last time for this stay so they could get to the train station in time to catch their train bound for North City. Ed had already given Rachel a heads up that they would be in North City today and would likely be paying Fort Briggs a visit if they could manage to come up with a halfway legitimate reason to risk the Ice Queen's wrath after she explicitly told them to leave her fortress. Ed had a feeling that she would've also ordered them never to return if it hadn't been for the fact that he, Al and the Animals had left before she could.

As they had done when they were waiting for the train that took them to North City for the first time, Ed and Ayala headed to the bakery to grab some coffee and stock up on snacks for the trip while Al and Chester went to collect their tickets from the booth. Once they'd all completed their missions, they boarded the train so they could have first pick of the available seating and settled in for the trip. The only major difference had been the fact that Falman and Rachel weren't with them on this trip.

"Hey, Ed. Has the train left yet?" Nala asked suddenly and causing Ed to jolt. He hadn't been expecting to hear from the lioness until they were close to North City.

"Hey, yourself. No, it hasn't. Why? Has something happened to change our plans?" Ed asked telepathically, not wanting to disturb his brother or their Animals unless he needed to.

"No, Roy hasn't said anything of the sort. He's asked me to let you know that Colonel Moon has contacted Miss Messer and has told her that he has cleared two slots in his schedule for the two of you to meet. The first is at 4:00pm this afternoon but he has also slotted you in for 8:00am tomorrow morning just in case your train runs in late and you can't make the meeting this afternoon," Nala told him and Ed felt surprised at how eager Moon was to accommodate him. In this kind of case, Ed would've expected the superior officer he'd requested a meeting with to schedule only one time for him to show up before dropping comments about how busy they were and how Ed shouldn't expect them to be able to fit him in again for a while if he was late to the scheduled meeting.

"Moon really is eager to talk to me about these tunnels," Ed commented incredulously and Nala giggled.

"I think so. Maybe he found proof that it is a homunculous who is digging those tunnels," Nala said optimistically.

"Eh, I don't know. I think Bradley or Father would've had him killed if he had," Ed told her and felt her hum in agreement.

"Yeah, you're probably right. Unless," Nala said conspiratorially, "he was smart enough to keep the information to himself until he could tell you."

"You could be right. Though I would've thought that if he'd discovered something like that, he would've contacted me or Mustang to ask me to visit North City again so he could tell me about it," Ed said, leaning back against the bench seat's back. The train's whistle pierced the air suddenly and Ed almost startled when he realised he must've missed the announcement for the train's departure while he was talking to Nala.

"I assume the train's about to leave and on time for once. It's a minor miracle," Nala drawled though Ed could hear the smirk in her voice.

"Yeah, it is," Ed told her, a laugh in his own voice. "Did Mustang turn up late this morning? Has Kate thought about getting herself a gun so she can emulate Hawkeye?" Ed asked as the train started pulling away from the station.

Nala let out a bark of laughter before she answered. "Actually, Roy has been a model colonel since the team was replaced. He hasn't been late once and he hasn't neglected his paperwork. In fact, he's been working on it so diligently that he's even finished early a couple of times," Nala revealed and Ed didn't even bother hiding his shock. It would've been too difficult anyways.

"Really? How come I haven't heard about that from Hughes? I figured Mustang would've been crowing about that accomplishment from Central Command's rooftops," Ed said and Nala chuckled.

"You would've been right any other time but he's not been leaving the office until his day is supposed to end and he hasn't told anyone he finished early so he doesn't have to answer questions about why he's been staying his office until knock-off time if he could leave early," Nala told him. Ed felt his confusion grow at her words.

"Why wouldn't he be heading home early? I'd have thought any chance to escape his new team, he would've taken it," Ed said.

"He doesn't want the Fuhrer to think he's sneaking away to continue investigating and plotting against him, the homunculi and corrupt military higher-ups," Nala revealed. "He believes that by turning up for work when he should, leaving the office at the time he should be and behaving in the way that's expected of him that anyone keeping an eye on him for the Fuhrer or Father will eventually get bored or complacent enough that they won't notice him doing anything against the orders he's been given," Nala explained and Ed nodded without even realising he was doing so.

"I'll never say this again but that's pretty smart," Ed said begrudgingly. Almost immediately he felt Nala's smugness roll through their bond in a thick wave and knew what was coming before it did.

"I'm so telling Roy that you said that," Nala told him. Ed could picture her grinning widely and resisted the urge to groan out loud.

"He'd never believe you," Ed immediately said but to his dismay, Nala chuckled.

"Oh, yes he will. He knows I wouldn't lie to him about something like this," Nala said.

"You're a horrible lioness, do you know that?" Ed groaned. All Nala did was cackle in his mind as he sunk lower into the train bench, scowling at nothing since he couldn't aim the glower at the one who deserved it.

"How about we change the subject, hm?" Nala offered and Ed didn't get to do much more than internally sigh in relief when Nala continued. "How did Elysia take it when you and Al told her that you were going on a mission again?"

Ed sighed through his nose as he patted Ayala who had moved to curl up so her head was on his lap. "She wasn't very happy about it. Especially when we couldn't tell her when we would be back in Central. Actually, I'm not too sure who was more upset about it; her or Hughes," Ed told Nala.

"I bet he wasn't happy. About the fact that you were leaving on a mission and the fact that Roy never told him," Nala said and Ed nodded in confirmation.

"I'm pretty sure he plans on paying Mustang a visit today, assuming he can get past Mustang's guard secretary," Ed told her. "Give me the rundown when he does. I can't imagine that being anything less than hilarious," Ed said, a smirk on his face as he imagined how the scene would play out.

"As if I would keep that from you," Nala scoffed, faux-offended that Ed would even think that, something that caused Ed to laugh lightly. "Do you think you'll be able to visit Fort Briggs? Get another crack at convincing Major-General Armstrong that you're telling the truth about everything?" Nala asked after a couple of moments of silence.

"Not unless she asks me back to Fort Briggs herself," Ed told her. "I told Rachel that we would be in North City so she can tell Falman. I imagine that he will either tell Armstrong himself or he'll let it slip to someone so the rumour can circulate through the fortress until she hears about it herself. If she wants to talk to us, she'll know to contact the Northern Command Centre by tomorrow, I guarantee it," Ed said confidently.

"You think the gossip will have reached her by then?" Nala asked.

"Yeah. Gossip circulates quicker there than it does in Central. Seriously, we made it through ten interviews last time I was there before the next person asked me if I was the State Alchemist conducting interviews about the tremors," Ed told her. "It was unbelievable how quickly word spread!" Nala laughed softly at his exclamation.

"I'm not truly surprised to hear that. It's not like those soldiers and civilians would have anything better to do at knock-off than pass on interesting information they've heard," Nala mused and Ed felt himself nodding in agreement with her words.

"True," was all Ed said. He felt Nala go to say something else when she was distracted for a couple of moments.

"I have to go. Roy is heading to a meeting with a general and I have to accompany him." Nala sounded as enthused as Ed would've if he were in her position.

"Sounds fun. I'll let you know once I'm in North City," Ed said after she'd huffed at his first statement.

"No worries. Have a safe trip," Nala said. Once Ed had thanked her, they disconnected from their conversation and Ed was able to wholly focus on the train ride and those travelling with him.

"Who were you talking with, Brother?" Al asked as soon as he realised Ed was no longer speaking to someone only he could hear.

"Nala," Ed told him before he rummaged through one of the paper bags for the chocolate muffin he'd bought.

"What did she want?" Ayala asked, looking up at him from where she lay her head on his lap. Chester was watching Ed intently from where he sat next to Al on the opposite bench.

"Just to tell me that Moon had contacted Kate with a time for our meeting and pass on some gossip about Mustang," Ed told her, speaking out loud since he knew Al would be asking that question as well.

"Oh that was good. When do you need to meet with him?" Al asked.

"Actually, he's scheduled two meetings," Ed told Al. "One for 4:00pm this afternoon but he's also got me booked in for 8:00am tomorrow morning in case the train isn't in on time." Ed could feel the slight surprise from the two Animals.

"That's considerate of Colonel Moon," Al said after a moment and Ed almost failed at hiding his laughter at his brother's slightly stunned tone.

"Yeah, it is," he said in agreement once he'd managed to shove down his laughter. "Either he's found out something really intriguing or interesting or he's just really excited to talk about his progress. Those tremors have been his personal obsession for decades and now he finally gets to study them on the military's cenz. I wouldn't blame him if that's all it ends up being," Ed said.

"From what you told us about your first meeting it's him, I think it's most likely he's just excited to talk about it," Al agreed.

"I've never been more grateful that the two of you are obsessed with interesting things like alchemy. I couldn't imagine the boredom I'd feel if your obsession wasisolated tremors," Chester said dryly from where he lay curled next to Al.

"I dunno. Dirt is fascinating. Who knows? Maybe after this whole thing with the homunculi is over, we might start studying it closer," Ed said with a shit-eating grin.

"I know you're teasing but I'm gonna request that you never joke like that again," Chester said, causing the other three to laugh at his serious comment.

"Don't worry, Ches. We wouldn't do that to you or Ayala," Al assured his leopard, giving him a scratch behind the ears as an added promise.

"Aw, Al, you spoilsport. Imagine the fun I could've had teasing Chester with that," Ed whined. Though he couldn't show any expression, Ed just knew that Al was levelling him with a flat look.

"Don't be mean to Chester," Al ordered as the leopard in question gave Ed a smug grin.

"Yeah, don't be mean to me," Chester echoed. Ed's only response was to flip him off as he squirmed to get himself in a comfier position on the train bench but that only caused Ayala and Chester to laugh at him while Al muttered something unflattering about his maturity level.

---

Thanks to the train being forced to stop halfway through their journey because of an obstacle on the tracks, the Elrics didn't arrive in North City until half five that afternoon. Ed had spent the last half of their trip pissed off because his offer to help move the obstacle – a massive dead tree that had been uprooted during a storm the previous night that no one had noticed since the train Ed, Al and the Animals were on was the first to take this route today – was turned down until almost an hour had passed with no headway being made by the railroad employees. One transmutation performed by a smug yet irate blonde alchemist later had the tree in tiny pieces stacked on either side of the tracks for anyone living nearby to help themselves to for firewood come winter and the train back on route.

Once in North City, the four of them headed immediately for their hotel – having stayed in the same one when they were here previously – so they could relax after the trip. Their only stop had been to grab some dinner for Ed and the Animals from a place that had smelled too irresistible to leave until later. Once dinner had been eaten and they'd rested for a bit, Ed grabbed his winter coat and the four of them had decided to head out to find the State Alchemist's library. Al ended up stopping a random soldier – despite Ed's hisses that they didn't need to – and asked for instructions when they realised they had no clue where they were supposed to go.

The soldier and her Animal – a massive polar bear that loomed over his human's shoulder to watch them – did one better and escorted them to the library. She waved off their protests that it wasn't necessary and they didn't want to take up her time with assurances that she didn't mind and claims that it was easy to get turned around in the snow-blanketed city if you didn't know it well. The bear led the way with his human and the four of them admitted defeat and followed the pair, making sure to keep an eye on their surroundings so they would be able to find their way back to the room that night. Once they were at the foot of the library, they thanked the soldier – Jess Connors – and her Animal – Graham – for helping them before entering the library, Ed flashing his pocket watch, once the pair who'd escorted them had left.

Though not as big as the library in East City, it was far bigger than the Second Branch Library in Central and Ed could feel an ember of hope glowing strongly in his chest that there might be some information on Xingese alkahestry in amongst the books lining the shelves. Back in Central, once they'd realised how little information the Second Branch had on alkahestry, Ed had realised that it was possible that East City Library might have more since it was closer to the desert, thus closer to Xing. As they approached a librarian, Ed decided that he would talk with Al, Ayala and Chester and see if they could find some excuse to get back to East City so they could utilise the library there if they didn't find any information in the North City Library or Mei herself.

"I think it's a good idea. If we're lucky, some East City alchemist went to Xing to study their alkahestry and wrote a step-by-step instruction manual on how to utilise alkahestry," Ayala said as Al spoke to the librarian.

"I don't think we'll be quite that lucky but I would settle for more information than what we got from the Second Branch Library," Ed told her.

"Xingese alkahestry?" The librarian asked, bringing Ed's attention back to him as Al nodded. "We don't have much on that subject. If you'd like to find a table, I'll pull the books we do have," he offered.

"We'd appreciate that. Thank you," Al said. Ed gave the librarian a nod to show his own thanks and the man left them to find the books as he'd promised. "Come on, Brother, I think there's a table just over there," Al said, pointing across the room to an empty table.

"Okay, let's take that one," Ed agreed.

Ayala and Chester led the way to the study table and Ed took the opportunity to have a look around properly. The library was only one floor with books lining nearly every wall and at least three dozen bookshelves spaced throughout the middle of the room. Each shelf stood at least four metres tall and there were ladders placed within easy reach of each shelf. Ed glimpsed another librarian sorting through books and one more with an armful of books amongst the shelves. Ed didn't spot any other alchemists or soldiers in the library but Ayala and Chester both told him they could sense more Animals throughout the building so he knew there were some other people in the library.

The Animals settled at the table while Ed and Al decided by silent mutual agreement to spend the time waiting for the librarian helping them out by checking out what was on the shelves closest to their table. To Ed's disappointment, it didn't take too long for the librarian to find them. In his arms were the books he'd found regarding alkahestry and Ed's disappointment grew when he saw how few the man carried. With a jerk of his head at Al, gesturing to the man, the two brothers headed back to their Animals and table.

"This was everything I could find solely on the subject of alkahestry. There are a few books that mention it or have a few paragraphs discussing the topic if you'd like me to find them," the man offered as he relinquished the books to the two boys.

"Thank you, Troy," Al said and Ed felt his brow crease as he tried to remember when they were told his name before realising it must've been when he and Ayala were talking. "We'll let you know if we do."

"No problems. I'm assigned to the front section where you found me for the rest of my shift if you need to find me for any reason," Troy told them and with a final nod, left them to their own devices.

Ed and Al settled at the table next to their Animals and Ed sighed as he looked at the dozen or so books in front of them. "I guess we won't be here all night," he said as he split the books between him and Al.

"Try and be positive, Ed. Maybe one of these books will give us some tips," Al said, trying to be optimistic as he sifted through his own pile.

"Well, I know these two won't since I read the copies Central had," Ed said as he placed two books back in the middle of the table, leaving him with five. Al didn't say anything as he placed a book of his own on top of the two Ed had discarded, leaving him with seven. Wordlessly, Al handed Ed one of his own books to even out their piles. "Let's see what these tell us," Ed said, settling into the cushioned seat he and Ayala were sharing and grabbed a book at random, flipped it open and started devouring the words in front of him.

A/N - So here is chapter 35 for all you wonderful people! Though, I really have to say I'm extremely upset because I only got one review on chapter 34 and honestly, that's extremely disheartening. I really don't know what else to say in this author's note other than I truly hope you like this new chapter and that you feel nice enough to leave me some kind of review please.