Author's Note: Many thanks to Barbara Akers, Basser, and tennis-tensai for their reviews! Basser – Izumi is way too badass to be left out, and heck, Al is half the story of FMA. How can I not write about him? ;) All right, on with the show!

Central

Izumi had never been fond of cities, and Central City was no exception. The constant jostling as people pushed by her on the crowded streets grated on her nerves, and the endless noise of cars roaring by and hawkers shrilly crying their wares did not help. In addition, she had to keep on making sure that she didn't lose Al, who in his ten-year-old memory had never been to any city larger than Dublith. He would often stop and stare in wide-eyed wonder at exotic merchandise hanging in shop windows, buildings that stretched taller than even the tallest tree, and people of different skin colors wearing clothing he had never seen before. She would sometimes keep walking without realizing that he had not followed her, and ended up fighting the flow of the crowd to search for him. Al was much harder to keep track of now that he was no longer a gigantic suit of armor.

When at last they reached their destination, Izumi breathed a sigh of relief at finally being able to walk on open ground instead of being lost in a sea of humanity. The destination itself, however, was not a cause for relief, at least not for Izumi. She and Al walked up a short set of steps to one end of a long, open courtyard that looked like it was designed to hold a large audience of people. At the other end stood an imposing building that was adorned only by a green banner of a rearing white lion draped over the front.

"Sensei, is this Central Headquarters?" Al asked, gazing in awe at the stark stone walls of the edifice before them.

Izumi studied the building's utilitarian front, and her mouth twisted as though she had tasted something bitter. "It is. Come on, let's get this over with."

She started down the courtyard without waiting for Al. So far, there was nothing about this visit that she liked, and she had the distinct feeling that she was going to like it even less once they were inside.

The inside of Central Headquarters was no less stern than its exterior: mottled gray tiles covered the floor, and the white walls were bare except for the occasional portraits of past generals and war heroes. Across from the front entrance was a receptionist's desk which was occupied by a young woman in standard issue military blue, taking phone calls and filling out documents.

When the receptionist got off the phone, she noticed the new arrivals standing there. "May I help you?"

"Yes," Izumi said. "We're here to see—"

"Izumi?"

Two soldiers were coming down one of the side halls toward them, a man with dull blond hair and a woman with short black hair. It was the woman who had spoken.

"Izumi, is that really you?"

"Second Lieutenant Ross. Second Lieutenant Broche," Izumi said, acknowledging each one in turn. She remembered them from the fateful day when she and Edward had stormed the military headquarters in search of the Fuhrer. "Yes, it really is me."

Broche laughed and said, "No, we're Lieutenants, now. We both got promoted for having the guts to stand up to that madman Archer. But anyway, what are you doing here in Central?"

"We have business with Mustang," she answered in carefully measured tones.

"The Brigadier General? What do you want to see him for?" Broche asked. When Izumi only frowned, he scratched his head and said, "Ahh…bad question?"

It was then that Lieutenant Ross stepped in to relieve her partner from further awkwardness. "So, who's this little fellow with you?" she said, and leaned forward with her hands on her knees so she was at eye level with Al.

"I'm Alphonse Elric!" Al said. Then, proudly pointing a thumb at himself, he added, "I'm Edward Elric's little brother."

"Alphonse…Elric?" Ross said, stunned. Broche could only gape at the young boy.

"You and Lieutenant Broche used to watch over us, right?"

Lieutenant Maria Ross gazed wonderingly at this Al she had never seen before. She had not realized how young he had been when he lost his body. To think that this boy had inhabited a towering suit of armor for over four years was incongruous in her mind, but his human eyes still held the same open innocence that his armored ones had. "Yes…we did. We watched over you," she said, and instinctively smoothed back his sandy brown hair with one hand.

"Nice to meet you. I mean, nice to see you again," Al said, hastily correcting himself. "Please forgive me. I'm sorry that I don't remember you."

"That's all right. We know about what happened. Scieszka told us," she said with a smile. Even without his memories, Al was still Al as she had known him.

"You know, Scieszka would really love to see you," Broche said after he recovered from his shock. "You've changed so much, and…ah, no, I didn't mean it that way…I meant…well anyway, you should go pay her a visit." He scratched the side of his head awkwardly as Lieutenant Ross inwardly sighed.

"There will be time for visiting later," Izumi said, thankfully ending that line of conversation. "Right now, we have more urgent matters to attend to."

"Right! The Brigadier General!" Broche said immediately, and beckoned Izumi and Al to follow him. "Right this way."

The four of them took the elevator to the sixth floor, whose atmosphere contrasted sharply with the austere personality of the ground floor. The sixth floor held the private offices of highly ranked officers and was luxurious in comparison. Lush maroon carpet stretched out before them and branched out in different directions wherever the hallways intersected. The doors were carved and polished with intricate designs that Izumi's eyes could not follow, however hard she tried to trace them. The doorframes were fluted on the sides and each sported a wooden crest across the top. The halls were lit by lamps made of blown glass and shiny brass affixed to the wall. It looked like the higher-ups in the military rather enjoyed the material benefits of governing the country, in Izumi's opinion.

The two officers led her and Al down the hall, around the corner to the right and down the corridor. Izumi watched their reflections in the tall cross-hatched windows as they passed, and marveled that she was in Central City at all—and at the military headquarters, no less. She had no love for the military; she had seen too many families broken by Amestris's constant warfare when their sons and husbands did not return from Ishbal. The government whisked them away, and when it was not able to give them back, it issued monetary reparations instead. But what good was money when a loved one was gone forever? Izumi used alchemy for healing, but the healing she did in Dublith during the Ishbal war was of a different kind.

She understood that the military had been manipulated by Dante and her Homunculi for years, but that did not excuse the individual actions of the soldiers. They were just following orders, that was true, but that was because they had become dogs of the military when they chose to join the service. A dog had to do what its master ordered, whether they agreed with it or not. That was why she had refused to become a State Alchemist, even when the military all but begged her to enlist. Little did she know that one of her apprentices would accept the position she so despised. And little did he know, as young as he had been, where that path would take him.

A door suddenly opened not far down the hall, and out walked a man and a woman in cobalt-blue uniforms. The man was pale and had jet-black hair that fell into his face in strands. He wore a patch over his left eye, but his remaining eye was dark and piercing, and Izumi suspected that nothing escaped his attention. A silver chain dangled between his leather belt and his trousers pocket. Although she had never met this man before, she knew who he was before he even opened his mouth.

"Roy Mustang," she said, and stepped forward.

A look of surprise briefly crossed his face. It was obvious that he was not used to being addressed so directly by a civilian. "Yes, I am Brigadier General Mustang," he said. "I don't believe we've met."

"I am Izumi Curtis. I'm the one who taught alchemy to Edward and Alphonse Elric. I have seen your face in the newspapers."

Mustang smirked as though she had said something amusing. "Ah, yes. It seems that I caused quite the uproar."

He was referring to the flurry of press coverage in the aftermath of the Fuhrer's disappearance and the revolution that he had incited. Izumi instantly disliked his smug attitude, and she understood why Edward could not stand this man.

"Well, what brings the teacher of the Elric brothers all this way? Have you come to finally enlist in the service? Or do you plan to attempt an overthrow of the headquarters a third time?"

His calm, mocking manner infuriated her, but Izumi forced herself to bite back an angry retort. "We have come to inquire about a missing individual."

"A missing person? You had better take that up with the Missing Persons Bureau, then."

Izumi stared hard at him. "It's not just any missing person, Mustang."

The Brigadier General returned her stare, as though trying to pick out the real reason she was here. "Lieutenant Hawkeye," he said, suddenly.

The blond-haired woman next to him stood at attention and saluted. "Yes, Brigadier General," she said crisply.

"I would like you to take my spare uniform to the dry cleaner's before we convene for this afternoon's meeting."

"Yes, sir."

"Also, don't forget to pick up a pack of beef jerky. I think we're out."

"As you wish, sir."

"And be sure not to make any plans for this evening. I'm taking you out to dinner tonight."

"Very good, sir," she said evenly, but Izumi thought she detected a faint blush in the woman's cheeks. Evidently the other lieutenants were just as astonished as she was, and there was an uncomfortable silence as they looked from Hawkeye to Mustang. Al was staring, too, but Izumi noticed that his eyes were fixed on a point past the four officers. She scanned the hallway but could not see what Al found so interesting. There was a slight movement out of the corner of her eye, but all she saw was a brief flash of yellow in one of the windows beyond the Brigadier General.

After Lieutenant Hawkeye left, Mustang turned his attention back to Izumi. "Izumi and Alphonse, come with me. Lieutenant Broche and Lieutenant Ross, you are dismissed."

"Yes sir," the two officers said, saluting in unison, and took their leave as well.

"Excuse me, Brigadier General," Al began timidly. "How did you know who I am? No one else seems to recognize me ever since I regained my body."

"I was a friend of your father's, Alphonse. I have seen pictures of you when you were young."

Al ducked his head at the mention of his father; Hohenheim Elric had disappeared shortly before his brother had. Even though Al had no memory of having met his father, Izumi knew that he did not share Edward's hard feelings toward the man. She put a comforting hand on his shoulder.

Mustang led the way into his office, and closed the door behind them. He motioned for Al and Izumi to have a seat on one of the upholstered chairs in the middle of the room, and he himself took his place behind the desk. He folded his hands together in front of him, the twin red alchemy circles embroidered on his gloves now in plain view. "Now, can someone tell me what this is about?"

"On the night of the Fuhrer's disappearance, several people went missing," Izumi began.

"The Full Metal Alchemist," Mustang said soberly, no longer mocking or nonchalant.

"Yes, but Edward was not the only one. There was also a woman named Dante, as well as two Homunculi."

"Dante…do you mean the person who reportedly infiltrated the military with Homunculi?"

"Not only that. She was also the mastermind behind the 5th Laboratory operations. Until she is captured, she remains a threat to our country."

"But the 5th Laboratory has been shut down and thoroughly investigated, and the Homunculi have already been expunged from our ranks."

"Dante is a highly skilled alchemist, capable of deceiving even those who know her well. She has made it her lifelong objective to obtain the Philosopher's Stone, and will stop at nothing to achieve that goal."

"How do you know all this, Izumi Curtis?"

"I learned alchemy from her when I was younger. That was before I knew her true nature. Later on, we crossed paths under less friendly circumstances." That was not entirely true; Izumi had never seen Dante again after she discovered her true identity. But she had to bend the truth a little if she and Al were to accomplish their purpose in Central. "She is most likely in hiding now and carrying out her plans as we speak."

"I see. I will assign someone to her case right away."

"What?" Izumi protested, alarmed. "I don't think you realize how dangerous this person is. Even Edward and Alphonse together could not defeat her."

"What else can I do? My resources are already stretched thin from rebuilding and maintaining the peace in Ishbal and Lior, not to mention providing liaisons between the military and the new Parliament. I can hardly afford to spare anyone as it is."

"Even when this is a matter of public security?"

"To be frank, I don't think Dante is much of a threat. The government is aware of the breach in the military's leadership, and we have ensured that no Homunculi remain in our ranks. We are also on the alert for any signs of activity or research related to the Red Water or the Philosopher's Stone, so it is unlikely that her schemes will go unnoticed. Furthermore, your story is suspect. I find it hard to believe that Homunculi would obey any human being, let alone a single person. But if you're so bent on finding this woman, you may collaborate with the officer on the case."

"Very well," Izumi said, trying her best to sound disgruntled. It was not hard to fake at this point. "Then I request permission to investigate what remains of the 5th Laboratory, since that was where Dante was last seen."

Mustang narrowed his good eye at the hard-faced woman with hair done up in strange black braids sitting before him. Then, smirking, he pushed a button on a radio communicator on his desk. "This is Brigadier General Mustang speaking. Please send up Major Yuki Morris."

"Right away, Brigadier General," answered a staticky female voice on the other end.

Shortly thereafter, there came a soft knock on the door. "Come in," Mustang called.

The door opened, revealing a tall girl with shoulder-length brown hair in a blue military uniform that looked slightly too big for her. She saluted smartly and said, "You sent for me, Brigadier General?"

"I did. Izumi Curtis and Alphonse Elric, I'd like you to meet Yuki Morris, the Soul-binding Alchemist. You will be working with her from now on."