This is a major chapter! Whoooooo! The mystery of Noelani is about to be solved! Well, her destiny is about to change too, and it isn't pretty. From now on, you guys are gonna know the disclaimers. It's getting seriously repetitive.

"What did you call us back for?" Ed asked as soon as he walked in the door.

Mustang turned around from staring out of the window and said, "Where's Noelani?"

Armstrong answered, "She'll be here shortly, sir."

Roy nodded and looked back at Edward silently saying, "You'll know then."

"Should've gone with her," Ed mumbled, "I hate waiting around in here."

"You don't have to stay, Edward," Hawkeye said without looking up from her work.

"Well," Ed began, "I don't want to go somewhere only to have her show up while I'm gone."

"So why don't you try sitting down and being patient?" she asked.

Ed sighed and both brothers sat at the large table in front of Roy's desk.

Mustang turned around to look back out of the window and smiled. He would never admit it to her, but he truly admired Riza. She could handle the Elrics better than he could, and she always worked until the very end. She never wavered and always kept her eyes on the road, even if she couldn't see the end.

Hughes was always there to repair Roy's wings, but after he was mysteriously murdered they were broken permanently, but Riza kept him walking.

Of course, he found her attractive, but he would never ask her out. She wasn't like other women, or other people for that matter. He respected her too much…or was it that he actually cared about her, too?

Roy's thoughts were distracted by the sound of a door flying open. He turned around and saw Noelani, leaning against the door frame and staring at the ceiling. She looked extremely exhausted.

"Sorry I'm late," she said, breathless.

"It's only been…" Roy looked at the clock. He saw that at least half an hour went by.

"What did you call us back for?" she asked. Unlike Ed, she was very polite and always minded her tone. Roy made a mental note to thank her parents for raising her so well.

"I really don't want to tell you across the room."

She walked calmly over to in front of the colonel's desk. Ed and Al followed suit.

"Ed, I think you be interested in these," Roy pulled out a file from under a stack of paperwork, "It explains in… further detail what I told you over the phone last night."

Ed pulled out the papers. Photos of something were in front of the papers, and Ed looked at these first. Noelani leaned over to see them.

"What?-" he began. Unless Mustang was pulling a joke, there was a dead chimera that was part horse, part human in each picture.

"Something has been happening, and I want you to find out what."

Noelani, for the first time, looked a bit panicked, "What's going on? I don't understand!"

Mustang ignored her, but for some reason, it pained him, "Some of them tried to attack, but our firepower overcame them. We brought some of the back so we could do an autopsy and study them."

Apparently, Noelani got the message to let Mustang finish, but he didn't want to say anything else until Ed read the documents.

"So, there are links between vanishing caravans in the greater Ishbalan desert area and these… whatevers?" Ed asked after he finished scanning the papers.

"Yes. The centaurs, we believe, are the cause of the missing caravans, but we want someone to find out for sure."

"And that would be me?"

Mustang would have smiled, but he didn't because he knew he was about to upset Noelani, "We just want you to go with the one I'm sending," he glanced over at Noelani.

Noelani looked like she would explode.

"She's not military, sir!" Hawkeye angrily protested. Apparently she was listening to the conversation.

"Yes, but as it so happens to be, the Alchemy Exams are being held on the first day of January," he said without looking at her.

"They won't allow it!" Riza knew of Roy's plans, but apparently, her attachment to Noelani made her lose her cool demeanor.

"They'll allow it if we say she's of age. She looks old enough, anyway," Roy couldn't remember if he'd ever actually fought with his most loyal 1st lieutenant before.

"Why me?" Noelani finally said. Roy didn't know, but she knew exactly what was going on as soon as she saw the dead centaurs.

Of course, Roy isn't easily fooled for long, "You've been hiding something, and by the sweat on you're face, I think I've discovered what. You knew about these things, and for all I know, they're the cause of your appearance," this was the first time he was ever hard on her, "I think it's time you told us just how you got here."

Noelani sat down at the table, a dead look on her face, "We were traveling to find water again. I don't remember much of it, but I remember the sun setting. Then I saw a dust cloud in the distance, indicating someone was coming. We immediately got ready for the worst and kept moving. When the centaurs came into view, they charged us. This would be my first battle. Our warriors, including myself, drew our weapons and met the charging enemy. I didn't last long. I don't know what happened to the others. I charged my target, swords ready. However, he grabbed Arabia's reins and threw her off course, throwing me off balance. I knew I should've held them. He grabbed my neck with his other hand and threw me, and I went completely blank. I thought I was going to die, but I woke up in a cargo train car. Arabia and I were in the only ones in that car, but I think I heard my comrades in other cars. Then again, I was really dazed. I almost lost hope, but Arabia didn't. She wasn't even close. She was kicking at the wall of the car, and she was even smart enough to stop when the train got to a station. Eventually, she kicked a hole in the train. That lifted my spirits greatly and I pulled some of the wood away while she chewed to form a hole big enough for both of us. I remember panicking when we were about to jump out of the speeding train, but Arabia jumped without my permission. I suppose that was the best thing to do. I could never repay her for getting us out. I don't think any other horse would've done it," she said nothing more.

Roy was amazed she was willing to tell them everything, "Thank you, Noelani," he said.

She smiled her smile, and then said, "It feels better to get it off my shoulders."

"Are you willing to take the Exam?" he asked.

"I'd do anything to find out what happened to my hijura," she said quietly.

Roy looked to Riza. He couldn't believe he needed her approval.

Riza had a worried look on her face, but said, "Fine."

End of chapter 7

Vocabulary time! Hijura can be singular or plural. It means friend, family, comrade, and such. Universal.

Will she become a Sate Alchemist? Will she even be allowed to take the exam? Will Edward solve the mystery of the centaurs?