Disclaimer: I promise, that if I ever own Fullmetal Alchemist, I'll tell you.

Seven Problems

By Cho (legasp, really?)

Roy Mustang slammed the phone down on its receiver. It had been the sixth time he had called Edward Elric. He had been due at the HQ at seven, and here it was 15 until noon. He had become to bored that he had actually resorted to doing his paperwork. It being finished, he stood up, scooting his chair back so fast in anger that it tipped over. He left his office without so much as a good-bye and walked fast down the sidewalk, engulfed in anger.

He arrived at the Fullmetal Alchemist's apartment and knocked on the door loudly. He repetitively knocked on it until he finally reached for his own key, sticking it in the lock and opening it. He ventured down the hallway and into the familiar bedroom, where he saw that the lights were off, the bed's covers where a mess, and a large lump sat in the middle of them.

"Edward!" Roy yelled sharply; the lump jolted. "Get up! It's noon!"

"Go away," the lump shouted, the voice sounded rather high, "I'm not supposed to talk to strangers!"

"…Strangers?" Roy raised his right eyebrow, "Edward, are you okay?"

He heard a light scratching against the headboard, and a small light emitted from it. Sure enough, a small, weak-looking, wooden spike came whizzing towards Roy. He easily dodged it and walked toward the bed.

"Edward," He reached for the covers, "Quit acting like a child. What's wrong with—" He was cut off when he was met with the sight of a tiny, short haired boy who looked to be about seven. His hair was the same golden blonde as Edward's, but he had two automail limbs that looked far to large for him. Was this… Edward? In any case, he needed to get this boy checked out, so thinking in child terms, (which was quite difficult for the 'anti-child' mind of Roy Mustang), he thought of a way to coax the child.

"Er… young man, you must be hungry." He forced a smile, "I'm only here to help." He paused to think. "Didn't your mother tell you it was okay to talk to police officers? Well, I'm like a police officer… but I use alchemy!" He tried to make it sound exciting.

The boy sniffed and rolled over; unmistakable golden eyes looked into Roy's black eyes.

"Edward…" Roy whispered under a gasp.

"Sir… I," he whimpered, "I dunno why I'm here or where and why my arms are gone… or… or anything." He was on the verge of tears, and sniffled again to try to keep them in.

"Come with me, son. I'll get you something to eat and we'll get you back to normal—er, get your safe."

The boy tried to stand, but couldn't on the uneven legs, and wobbled until he tipped over. Roy grabbed him and held him up in his arms, letting him nuzzle sleepily into his neck. This was an Edward he had never known: a sniveling, normal boy who had known no troubles. Leaving the apartment, Roy headed straight for Central Headquarters. wishing that he had taken his car.

"Sir?" Lt. Hawkeye watched questionably as her superior rushed in with a sleeping child on his shoulder. He laid the boy down on the couch that was in his office, letting him curl up. The clothes he was wearing were obviously too big and looked like they belonged to Edward.

"Lieutenant, I have reason to believe that this young boy is Edward Elric. I need to call this number and have Ms. Rockbell come to Central; I need her to bring some pictures of Edward as a child, as well." He tossed her a small crumpled ball of paper and watched her salute before leaving the room. He turned to the child, who was soundly sleeping with his real thumb stuck in his mouth. He smiled weakly at the child and walked to his dsk. Not sure how to tend to the boy, he waited impatiently at his desk. Sighing deeply, the door opened a few short minutes later, and the blonde Riza Hawkeye slipped in silently, walking to the side of Mustang's desk.

"Sir, I called Ms. Winry; she will be here in about three hours."

"Alright."

"Now, sir, about this child…?"

"Well, I'm not completely sure," He said. I've never actually seen the kid this young, he thought, "… but his features are remarkably like Edwards's, and coincidentally, Fullmetal has gone missing.

"Also, look at his limbs." He kneeled down and lifted the automail arm gently. "These are automail, and they're far too big for him."

She examined the boy as well, and any surprise she might have experienced was contained easily. She stood back from where she was leaning down. "An excellent point, sir."

"Well," he stood back up and stretched, "I guess we'll just have to wait until he decides to wake up. In the mean time, we need to get a professional in here; a professional in both investigations and children."

He quickly walked out of the room and down the hall. Seeing that he was heading for a particular room, the 2nd Lt. couldn't help but wonder who he was getting.

Okay, so this is going to be my new story. I really liked this idea for some reason… (plus, Edward is adorable when he's little.) The name isn't final, I just thought of something that would work… ok… see ya!

-Cho