"So, when did her die?" Ed asked, joining Cierra on the roof as the sun came up.

"Last year…" Her answers were blunt and to the point, it was obvious that she didn't want to talk about it, but Ed continued despite that.

"How?"

"A bunch of people from the military came into town burning a bunch of houses, but they were really only after him, he refused to give them his research so he was considered 'a liability' or so that's what he told me. Our entire house was set on fire with a single snap of this guy's finger."

Ed could hardly contain his anger, he knew who had done it now, there was no doubt in his mind, Mustang was the only person he knew who could do something like that. "How did you get out?"

"I was in Dad's research area cleaning up, he went home ahead of me, I arrived just in time to watch it all, but Kai swore to them that I was his sister and not related to the Shigawas so….here I am. " She said looking at her feet as she hugged her legs.

"Wait, his research area? So, his research, you still have it?" Ed said with a hope in his heart.

"Yeah...Why do you want it so badly anyway?"

"I made a mistake that cost my brother- a lot. I think that your father's research can help us find the philosopher's stone, so I can give my brother back what he lost."

"Oh, so it's not what I thought at all. I thought that the military sent you to retrieve it. Well, if your stories true, I don't see why I shouldn't let you see it. I have most fo the books translated into English." Cierra stood up as the wind blew her cloak back and forth. "You promise that it's for your brother….don't you?"

"I promise." He said seriously before he stood up and followed her to her study and took the 5 enormous translated books.

Ed read for five or six hours straight, writing things down in a notepad as Cierra and Al played about a hundred games of go-fish, Cierra won every time. "Ed, come on, take a break. It won't kill you, and I promise, they'll be there when you get back." She laughed prying the book from his hand. "Let's at least get something to eat." She begged with a puppy dog face as he stood up in compliance. She squealed with happiness. She turned back to Al, she had forgotten that he couldn't eat. Well, she shouldn't have known at all, but during on of the games she got mad and hit his head, which caused the helmet to fall off, although she was freaked out then, after a brief explanation she was cool with it. "Al, you can come, you don't have to-"

"No, no." Al said shaking his hands. "It's perfectly alright, you guys go on ahead, I'll try and perfect my strategy." He said pushing them out the door.

She smiled. "Alright Al, we won't be long." She waved to Al as her and Ed walked down the street. "You know, I guess I had state alchemists all wrong…I always thought of them to be theses mindless drones that do whatever their higher officer tells them to do, but you're not like that at all."

"Don't be fooled, I'm not like most of the other state alchemists." Ed said holding the door open for Cierra as they walked back into the same diner as the day before.

"I thought you would be going home…." Said the annoyed Kai, glaring at Ed as he brought them both water, apparently he worked there.

"I thought you'd look better in the dark." Ed shot back.

"Maybe I do, how can you tell, your head doesn't even reach my waist." Kai sneered wiping the table next to theirs.

"WHY YOU SON OF A-"

"Enough!" Cierra yelled pushing Ed back into his seat. "Both of you….don't make me give you a time out." She said laughing halfway through her statement. "Kai, ease up on Ed, He's not a bad guy., and your temper." She said shaking her head.

"Is there an Edward Elric here?" asked the manager of the diner from out of the back room.

"That's me." Ed said confused as he stood up.

"You've got a phone call."

Ed rushed over and took the phone. "Hello, Edward Elric." He answered only to hear the infamous Roy Mustang.

"Fullmetal, I've yet to hear news of your exploits."

"Oh, don't you worry about a thing Colonel Pyro," Ed said saluting him, though he could see it from his office in central. "Seeing as you'll find out anyway, I'm doing research in a town called Tengoku. A girl named Cierra Shigawa is helping me do some more research on the stone. You know it's actually very interesting….."

Ed continued on but he didn't hear anything else after the word 'Shigawa' "So, there is another one." He mumbled. He covered the phone and yelled, "Fury, Breda, Havoc, Hawkeye, pack your bags, we're leaving tonight!" He said before turning back to Ed who had been yelling 'another one of what' for the past minute over and over again. "nothing, thanks for your report, I'll check in with you tomorrow." And he hung up.

"What was that about?"

"I don't really know, my Colonel had some desire to check up on me…"

"Ok" Cierra shrugged, not thinking much of it,. The rest of the night was pretty quiet, except when Ed got to the part in the last book, where it started explaining Cierra's necklace, which, in turn, explained the vine the previous day which made him extremely happy that he knew what she had done, and even though he didn't yell, or brag, the smirk on his face said it all.

That morning they were awoken very abruptly as their door was knocked down and footsteps could be heard throughout the house and Kai was heard screaming his lungs out. "Leave her alone! She didn't do anything!"

"What's going on?" Ed asked, meeting Cierra and Al in the hallway.

"I dunno…"

"Cierra Shigawa? I have orders from Fuhrer Bradley to take you into custody and bring you back to Central." said the same man who torched her house a year ago, and the same man who called Ed the day before, Colonel Roy Mustang.

"What the hell do you think you're doing?" Ed yelled at Mustang. He would have hit him in the face, but Al held him back once again. By this time Cierra had let Fury handcuff her and led her down the stairs. Havoc walked out the study with the five books and carried them off, despite Ed trying to grab them away from him.

"What the Hell is this!" He yelled pushing Al off of him. "What did she do?"

"That is not of your concern fullmetal." He said walking out of the house.

Ed's heart sank as he saw her being put into the back of truck with bars on them like she was a criminal. A tear ran down her cheek. "You promised…" She sniffed as she ducked her head out of his view shaking her head.

"She doesn't deserve that! She's not some criminal! What right do you have to do that to her without anything reason!"

"What right do you have to meddle in things you know nothing about.. I advise you to drop it Ed, for both of your sakes." Mustang said getting into the car.

"Sorry I can't comply." Ed sneered. "Al, pack our stuff, we're taking the next train to central, "