"Hello?" Colonel Mustang asked, picking up the phone in his office.

"Hey Colonel, it's me. Just checking in." Came Ed's voice on the other end.

"Have you left that little town yet?" Asked Roy, sounding somewhat annoyed.

"The train should be here any minute. Then I can finally get started on my mission." Ed answered.

Roy sighed heavily and rubbed his temples.

"It's too late for that, Fullmetal. I already sent someone else out there. It's probably best that you just come back to headquarters."

"Um, okay. Sorry about that. I'll be there ASAP." Ed answered nervously, hanging up the phone.

"He'd better be." Roy said, hanging the phone as well.

"Edward is coming?" Riza Hawkeye asked her superior officer.

"Yeah." Roy sighed, resting his forehead in his hand.

MEANWHILE!

"Well brother? Are we off to the next town?" Al asked as he saw his brother hang up the phone.

"No. Mustang said we took too long. We have to go back to Central." Ed answered with a sigh.

"But that's not our fault! only one train comes through each day, didn't you tell him that yesterday?" Al said, sounding shocked and appalled at the same time.

"Geez Al, calm down. You sound like mom getting worked up over something." Ed laughed.

"Ed, shh! She can hear you, remember?" Al reminded his brother.

"Heh heh. Yeah, I almost forgot. Sorry mom!" Ed called.

"Hey Ed, it's almost 2 o'clock, isn't it?" Al asked, his voice suddenly sounding sad.

"Yeah." Ed replied, just as sadly.

2 o'clock. The time when he and Al had gotten off the damn train yesterday. "The train comes in and out everyday at the same time." Those were the words Hazel had said the previous day. Was it really almost that time already?

Earlier, after Hazel had been patched up by Mr. Miller, Ed and Al had escorted her back to her stepfather's mansion so she could pack her belongings in order to properly move in with Mr. Miller and David. It didn't take her long, her stepfather didn't care enough to give her more than just enough clothes to make seem like she was being raised properly. Her possessions were few and mostly related to her mother. Although there were a couple books on alchemy that she had packed ("I find the concept intriguing" she had said).

The walk back to Mr. Miller's had been silent. When the brothers watched her walk back into the bar without so much as a goodbye, they figured she was coming back to the train station after she had dropped her things off. But now it didn't look like she was coming. The train could even be heard off in the distance.

"Well Al, looks like we're almost on our way to Central." Ed said sadly.

"Ah, we're going to Central then?" a voice asked. But it wasn't Al. this voice was female. In fact, it sounded like...

"Hazel!" Al called, turning his attention to the girl. Ed looked back to see her. Behind her was Mr. Miller, David, and May.

"You all came to say goodbye to us?" Ed asked, getting a little cocky.

"Well, we did." Mr. Miller said, resting a hand on his son's head.

"Goodbye Miss Hazel." May said, hugging the girl, not hearing Ed.

"Wait, goodbye? Where are you going?" Ed asked, confused.

"Didn't you just say we were going to Central?" Hazel responded, breaking away from May's hug to turn to the elder brother.

"Wait..." Ed thought for a second.

"You're coming with us?" Al asked in a delighted tone, noticing the suitcase that he had just recently seen her pack.

"Of course!" Hazel told him cheerfully.

"But I thought you were going to move in with Mr. Miller. I mean, you did go in the bar after we dropped you off there." Al reminded her.

"I was just stopping in for one last drink. It was really rude of you guys to just leave like that you know. But that doesn't matter now, because I'm coming along with you." Hazel answered cheerfully.

"And who said you could come along?" Ed crossed his arms and stared angrily at the girl.

"Aw, the little shorty doesn't want me to join him? Or is he just nervous about having to stay with a girl?" Hazel said with sly grin on her face.

"WHO'RE YOU CALLING SO TINY THAT HE COULD NEVER HANDLE BEING IN THE PRESENCE OF A FEMALE?" Ed hollered at her. Hazel snickered.

"Well then, you'll let me come along if that's case." She said. Ed thought about what he had just said.

"damn." He said quietly, bowing his head in defeat.

"Oh wow, this is so great!" Al exclaimed excitedly.

"Just one question though." Ed realized, looking up. "Where are you going to put that suitcase?"

"This? Well, I suppose I don't really need it anymore since I emptied out the clothing." Hazel said, looking at it.

"Why did you do that?" Ed asked suspiciously.

"This is the only outfit that really fits me." Hazel said, looking down at her clothes. "I'm only keeping the suitcase because I need to put the books somewhere."

"We'll buy you a book bag once we get to central!" Al said excitedly.

"What? Now wait just a minute Al, we are NOT wasting our funds over her." Ed argued.

"Will you two shut up? The train's here!" Hazel called out, getting on. The brothers looked up to realize that there was indeed a train there and scrambled to board it before it left.

"Bye bye Hazel, come back and visit someday!" David called, running up to the window that the girl was sticking her head out of.

"I will. Bye now David. Bye Mr. Miller, bye May!" she called as the train started pulling out. She and Ed waved goodbye until the platform was out of sight (Al wouldn't fit in the window).

As soon as the train was no longer visible, David burst into tears.

"Oh, David stop crying, she'll come back." Mr. Miller tried to comfort his son. The boy didn't seem to hear him.

"Master David, please don't cry. Your father is right, Hazel is coming back." May reassured the boy.

"But not for a long time." David said, pouting.

"You know, when she comes back, she's probably going to have a present for you. Not to mention all of the exciting stories she'll have to share. Just think about that." Mr. Miller tried. David's face lit up at that.

"Okay daddy!"

MEANWHILE!

Hazel opened her eyes.

"Looks like you're going to have to buy more than just a bag for me Ed." She said suddenly. The boy jumped at her voice, he had assumed that she fell asleep.

"What do you mean?" Ed asked.

"Mr. Miller just promised David that I'd come back with a present for him." She told him, smiling out the window, ready for her new life with her new friends.

It's over! OVER! Although, the last sentence completely sucks. Hey, it's late and I'm tired and I couldn't think of anything else other than that cheesy line. LIVE WITH IT!

Meh, this is a short chapter... and you know, the last seven chapters actually all took place on the same day. I've never done that before. Wow.

And just to tell ya'll, the sequel is going to take a while, because I need to catch up on my other fanfics. Until then!