Chapter 3

Disclaimer/author's note - Well, I haven't got any votes either way, so I'm choosing the 3rd option!

As promised, here's the other disclaimer: all Kingdom Hearts characters belong to Square Enix. I've set this after KH 2 so that I can have Sora and Riku together, but I haven't actually played KH 2 (seeing as it hasn't been released at the time that I'm writing this), only watched the opening and ending, so please forgive any inaccuracies. I may try to correct it after I do play the game, but for now, if it bothers you, just say it's AU. ;;

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"Sora, behind you!"

Sora spun around, slashing the Heartless that had been about to strike. Two more repaid hits from his keyblade finished the monster off, and he looked warily around for more.

"I think that's the last of them," said Riku, lowering his own blade. "They're not very thick in the world, it seems."

"That's good, because I'd rather not have to find and lock the keyhole of every single world we go through. We'll come back later, once we get a new gummi ship." Sora sighed. "When the gummi ship crashed, I thought we'd be trapped in that last world, but then we found that door. Now I swear there's another one nearby. I can sense it."

"So you think that if we keep going through those doors, we'll eventually come to a world we've been to in the past and be able to get help?"

"That's the plan."

"Well, I can't think of a better one right now, so lead the way."

The door was even closer than they expected, in a small cave in the foothills of the mountains they had been traveling towards since that morning. Sora opened it and they stepped through cautiously, trusting their other senses, as the light from the doorway was blinding. When the light faded, they found themselves in a peaceful, green meadow, complete with a fast-flowing stream. There was no sign of the Heartless at first glance, but that did not mean they weren't there.

"Hey Sora, do you see smoke over there?" Riku pointed down-river, and sure enough, tendrils of faint smoke - probably from chimneys - were drifting up from behind the trees.

"Think it's a town?"

"Let's go find out. Maybe we can get some information, or at least find a place to stay for the night."

"I hope the Heartless haven't found this world yet."

"If that's the case, then we better not stay here long. They're attracted to your keyblade, right? So even if they're not here yet, they will be soon if we stick around."

"Right." Sora started walking briskly, following the stream, with Riku close behind him, watching their backs.

After they had both finally made it back to Destiny Island together and reunited with Kairi, Riku had remembered something he still needed to take care of in another world. He and Sora had taken the gummi ship and completed Riku's minor task, but it had malfunctioned on the back. They had been forced to make a crash landing on an unknown world, and the ship had been broken beyond repair. At first, they had both been afraid that they would be stuck there, but then Sora had found a door much like the one that had taken them back to their island. They had no control over where these doors took them, however, and raveling randomly through them proved much more tedious and obviously less accurate than using a gummi ship, but for now it was their only choice.

That looks like it might be a small hotel... maybe," Sora said as they neared the first building.

"Looks like just a big house to me."

"Well, even if we can't stay there, maybe they'll tell us where we can. Just remember not to meddle."

Riku gave him an annoyed look. "You don't have to tell me that every time we find another world, Sora. Anyway, haven't you meddled with other worlds more than I have?"

"That's not true!" Sora cried defensively. "You caused a lot of trouble in the beginning, remember?"

"All right, whatever. Let's not argue."

"Fine."

-

Knock, knock, knock!

"Al, could you answer the door?" Winry called from her workshop, where Ed was using alchemy to help her repair some things. Alphonse jumped up to obey.

Two boys stood outside. One looked to be about the same age as Al, with shoulder-length, silver hair, aqua eyes and a pointed chin. The other looked a year or two younger, with spiky brown hair, blue eyes, and a cheerful, innocent face. Al was slightly surprised to notice that they both had the look of fighters as far as build and fitness went. They wore brightly colored, unusually styled clothing.

"Can I help you?" he asked, glancing down briefly when he felt Lucifer weaving around his legs, begging for attention. He took a moment to pick the cat up and hold it in his arms.

"We're just passing through and need a place to stay for the night," answered the taller, silver-haired one. "My friend thought this place might be renting rooms."

Al shook his head. "Um, no, but I can tell you how to get to this town's inn. Just follow -"

Suddenly, Lucifer stiffened, laid his ears flat, and hissed loudly, then struggled out of Al's arms and ran back inside. At first, Al thought he was reacting to the strangers, but then he noticed a movement on the ground just behind the younger boy.

"Look out!" he yelled, pushing the boy out of the way, then clapping his hands together and creating another spear like the one he had used last time.

Six shadow monsters had appeared, two of them wearing armor. Al took out one right off the bat, then watched in surprise as both boys drew strange-looking weapons and proceeded to thoroughly wallop the remaining monsters. In a matter of moments, all six had vanished into nothingness.

Sora and Riku sheathed their keyblades and shared a look of mixed emotions while Al returned his spear to its original form in the earth.

"So there are Heartless here..." Sora murmured.

Al looked at him sharply. "You know what those things are?"

Riku sighed and gave Sora a withering look, but Sora didn't notice.

"They're called Heartless and the steal peoples' hearts. That's pretty much it. What I want to know is where that spear you used came from, and where it went. It looked like it was made of solid stone!"

"It was. I made it with Alchemy. A weapon like that is pretty simple." Despite his own words, Al looked pleased by the strangers' astonishment.

"What's alchemy?" asked Sora.

Riku answered before Alphonse could.

"Alchemists believed that it was possible to turn lead and other common metals into gold. Of course, that's impossible. They also tried to make something called the Philosopher's Stone, which could supposedly be used to give a person immortality, but that failed, too."

Needless to say, Al was very startled by this comment, not just because he was a skilled alchemist, but also because he had actually experienced being the Philosopher's Stone. He was more familiar with it than anyone else alive. "What are you talking about? Of course alchemy works! It's more complicated than that, though!" He held up his index finger in an explanatory pose. "Using alchemy, you can transmute any object or substance into any other, so long as they share the same basic elements and mass. It's called the Law of Equivalent Trade. The Philosopher's Stone is supposed to let a skilled alchemist bypass that law, but it doesn't always work. Even so, it is definitely real."

Sora was curious, but Riku looked skeptical.

"Here, I'll show you." Again, Alphonse clapped his hands together and then placed them flat on the ground. Up sprang a statuette of a rearing horse. Al patted the sculpture on the head to prove it was real, then restored it to the ground, because he didn't think Winry would appreciate it if he and Ed left the results of their practice scattered around her front yard. On the other hand, if she ever actually requested a yard decoration, the brothers would happily comply. "Most alchemists must draw a transmutation circle under whatever they're trying to change, but my brother and I know how to do it without one."

"What I would like to know," Edward's voice said from the doorway, making Al jump, "is why you two don't already know about alchemy. I thought everyone was familiar with it... Everyone from this world, anyway," he added, narrowing his eyes suspiciously.

Sora sweat-dropped. There is no other way to describe it. "Er, well..." he laughed nervously.

Al, who had been starting to think the same thing, tried to reassure the boy. "Don't worry about keeping it a secret. My brother and I were stuck in another world for three years, and only just got back a couple weeks ago! We thought those monsters must have come from another world, too. Is that right?"

"Um, yeah..." Sora said, giving up. "Since you already know about other worlds, I guess I should also tell you that what the Heartless are after is the heart of each world."

"What happens if they reach the heart of a world?" asked Ed.

"That world will disappear," Riku told him seriously.

"And how do we stop that from happening?"

"This world's keyhole has to be locked," Sora supplied, and drew his keyblade, brandishing it for the brothers to see. "That's what this is for, besides being a weapon."

"So all you have to do is lock the keyhole with that and the Heartless will leave?" Al asked hopefully.

"Sounds too easy," commented Ed before either Sora or Riku could reply. "Let me guess: you don't know where the keyhole is?"

Sora shook his head, and Ed continued, "do you have some way of finding it other than running around randomly? This world is pretty big, you know."

For some reason, Sora looked embarrassed. "Not really. Eventually, the Heartless will find it and gather in the spot where it is, but by then it will probably be too late..."

Edward heaved a great sigh and turned his back on them, calling into the house, "Winry! Noah! We have a problem!"

-

The group gathered around the coffee table was becoming a very familiar scene, but this time it included two new arrivals. To Edward's annoyance, before he had a chance to repeat what the two strangers had told him, Winry insisted on introductions. Okay, so she had no way of knowing how serious this was without actually hearing about it, but she should have known by his expression and tone of voice, he thought!

"So, what are your names?"

"I'm Sora and this is my friend, Riku," Sora said cheerfully, which irked Edward further.

"My name's Winry Rockbell, these are Edward and Alphonse Elric, and this is Noah. Now what has Ed so nervous, anyway?"

Seeing as no one else seemed to be taking things as seriously as he was, Ed took it upon himself to explain the situation. Winry at least looked discomforted by the news.

"We should help them find it, then!" she said with conviction. "You said you wouldn't get involved unless Rizenbool was threatened, Ed, but if the whole world goes, so will Rizenbool!"

"Brother! Does this mean we're going on another journey?"

The Full Metal Alchemist looked at the other faces in the room. Al and Winry's excited, Noah's curious, and Sora and Riku's too calm for Ed's liking. He sighed, but allowed a small smile to appear. It occurred to him then that he had rarely enjoyed himself since the day he and Al returned, and that surprised him. There was nothing he could do about what Sora and Riku had told him except for helping them find the keyhole. He might as well have fun along the way. Yes, a journey would do him good. "I guess so, Al."

"Hey Sora, I thought you said you didn't want to lock they keyholes of every world we pass through yet," Riku commented, earning a very fierce glare from Edward.

Sora grinned and rubbed the back of his head. "Yeah, but something tells me we don't have a choice this time!" he said with nervous humor.

"Damn right you don't!" Edward yelled, looking as if he was on the verge of pouncing on them if either one tried to leave. "You're going to lock this world's keyhole, and we're going to help you find it! Got that?"

Both of the boys nodded hastily, even Riku being rather disturbed by Edward's violent expression. Al and Winry were giving each other knowing looks, and Winry hid a smirk when Alphonse mouthed, 'he's back...' Luckily, Ed was satisfied with Sora and Riku's answer, and immediately put on a more pleasant face. "Alright, where do we start?"

Just then, a crumpled ball of paper came bouncing out from under the sofa, followed by the tabby cat that had caused it to do so. Lucifer crouched, waving his tail in the air, and then tackled his toy, performing a somersault with it held in his teeth, then carrying it proudly back across the room and depositing it at Edward's feet. Ed stared at the paper a moment before picking it up and unfolding it. The others watched his expression change to one of recognition combined with annoyance, and guessed what it must be.

"Cat... that was not the answer I wanted, but..." he sighed and brushed a lock of hair out of his face. "Oh, fine..."

-

"What are we going to do with the pets?" asked Al, taking a break from their preparations to play with Lucifer. "With all of us gone, the house will be empty..."

"Don't worry," Winry answered, "I'll just ask one of the neighbors to feed them. The weather's pretty warm now, so I think they'd be fine even staying outside. That way they wouldn't get bored and tear up the house."

Alphonse still looked unsure. "I know Den stays outside all the time, but what about Lucifer? What if he gets lost? He was pretty bad off when we found him..."

Winry smiled reassuringly at her friend. He was such a gentle person. "Don't you know? Cats never get lost. If a cat runs away, it's only because it wants to, and Lucifer would never run away from you. You're the best master a cat could have."

"I'm not his master, I just take care of him." He smiled when the cat in question nodded its head at that moment, as if in agreement. "Anyway, what if he thinks we're not coming back? Or what if he tries to follow us?"

Winry sighed and shook her head. "Look, if you think you can take care of him while we're traveling, then I won't try to stop you, but it really could be dangerous to bring him. Cats don't get lost because they know how to navigate in their own territory, but if we're always moving from place to place, he won't have time to learn each area. If you're afraid of him running away, we could ask one of the neighbors to keep him in their house."

Al still did not look satisfied, but he knew Winry had won. With a forlorn sigh, he stroked Lucifer's soft fur slowly, and the cat responded by licking his hand. "I guess you're right..."

-

As it turned out, Alphonse won after all, even though he had already given up. They were filing onto the train that would take them to Central. Edward, Winry, and Noah were already inside, and Al was just stepping on when a frantic meow made him stop and turn his head. It seemed the cat had wanted to be left behind as little as Al had wanted to leave it. "Lucifer!" he cried his pet's name as it leaped into his arms and dig its claws into his shoulder. He winced slightly, but did his best to ignore it. The thought came to his mind - along with memories - that feeling the mild pain from his cat's claws was certainly better than not being able to feel at all. An empty suit of could not enjoy a peaceful sleep, taste a good meal, or feel any physical sensation, whether painful or pleasant. It had taken a long time to get used to it, and he had never liked it. Even now, years later, he still felt a wave of joy and victory when he thought about this human body that his brother had won back for him. If only there was a way to fix his brother's arm and leg. By now, though, neither of them had much hope for that.

He was broken out of his reverie by one of the people who worked aboard the train - a tall, average-looking young man with sandy brown hair. "Do you have a leash or a carrier for your cat?" Al shook his head no, and the man frowned, but the puppy-eyed expression Al gave him was just too much. "Can you hold it in your lap the whole way? I can't have an animal running around free on the train..."

Al nodded, looking almost desperate, and the man sighed. "Fine... but if it gets loose, you'll be responsible."

"I understand," Al said, trying to look as innocent and trustworthy as possible. "Thank you," and he bowed to the man before hurrying onto the train so that Sora and Riku could board behind him.

Ed, Winry, and Noah were sitting on one side of their assigned car. Sora, Riku, and Al - with Lucifer held securely in his arms - sat down across from them.

Edward raised an eyebrow at the sight of his little brother so desperately clinging to the cat. "How old are you, Al?" he grumbled. "Twelve?"

"Hey!" Al protested, glaring at Ed. "Just because I happen to love my pet, that doesn't make me immature."

Ed raised his hands in a defensive gesture. "All right, all right, don't make such a big deal about it."

"You're the one who's making a big deal out of it! Why did you have to bring it up in the first place? And you call me immature..."

Edward was about to retort, but Winry shot him a look of death to silence him, then turned it on Alphonse to make sure he didn't say anything else either. "All right, you two, that's enough! You are both acting like children, and you're making a bad impression on our new companions."

Ed rested his chin on his hand and stared out the window at the swiftly passing landscape, sulking, while Al focused all his attention on Lucifer as an excuse to ignore his brother, despite the fact that the cat was behaving perfectly, crouching quietly in Al's lap with its eyes closed. Noah gave Winry a subtle congratulatory look for stopping the brothers before their disagreement could escalate into a serious fight. Winry almost commented further, but then thought better of it and quit while she was ahead. She did notice that Sora and Riku were not discomforted by the little spat. In fact, Winry got the impression by watching them interact with each other that they had a relationship not so different from that of the Elric brothers.

After a while, the two newcomers started a low conversation which attracted Noah's attention, and eventually Winry's. They spent the rest of the ride getting to know each other and going over various facts and details that might help them on their journey. Towards the end, Edward and Alphonse began supplying their share of information, and the fight was - if not actually forgotten - put in the past where it belonged.

Before they left, Ed had grudgingly sent a letter to Roy Mustang to let him know they were coming. That way, they were expected and were let into Mustang's office without much trouble or waiting. Edward and Roy immediately fell into an aggressive sort of staring contest - instigated by Ed, of course - so it was Winry who had to step forward and explain the situation. This actually worked for the best, because Roy still felt guilty for what he had done to Winry's parents, and was more inclined to listen to her than he would have been to Ed, who he considered to be - despite his skill in alchemy - a rather disrespectful brat, mostly because Roy did not understand exactly why the Full Metal Alchemist dislike him.

As stated, Winry was a different story all together.

"Allow me to introduce my friends, Sora and Riku," she started. "They have come here from another world like the one Edward and Alphonse Elric were trapped in until less than three weeks ago. They know where the shadow creatures that have been attacking lately come from and how to stop them." She nodded at the intrigued and very focused expression on Roy's face. "To do so, they have to find a keyhole to this world's heart, and lock it with a special weapon called a keyblade. The problem is that we have no idea where the keyhole is. We chose to come here because of the letter you sent. We request permission to investigate Central for clues to the keyhole's location."

the Flame Alchemist was rather wide-eyed by the time she finished, and he nodded his head at once. "Of course! Permission granted, and good luck. I would like to hear everything in more detail at some point, though. Perhaps I can help if I know more about this."

"All right... and one more thing," Winry added. "We will need a place to stay while we're in Central. Since our presence here is originally due to your request, we would appreciate it if the military paid for our rooms and meals, and also, we need to find a hotel that allows pets."

Roy blinked - or rather winked, as he had only one good eye. "Paying for your stay won't be too much of a problem, but I don't think there are any hotels like that in Central. Why do you need it, anyway?"

Al, who had managed to be mostly overlooked by hiding at the back of the group, stepped into full view at that point, with the small, gray cat bundled in his coat.

Roy looked exasperated. "So everyone here has gotten so used to Riza's dog that they didn't think to forbid someone else from bringing a pet in... Those lazy idiots."

Al looked embarrassed, and Ed looked amused, but none of the group said anything. Finally, Roy sighed. "Give me a minute. I'm going to call Riza..." He had gone out of formal mode, but in front of Edward Elric, who had been almost his equal as a State Alchemist, it didn't matter so much. He picked up the telephone and quickly dialed a number, and the others listened cautiously to the one-sided conversation, wondering what he was up to.

"Riza? . . . Yes . . . Listen, the Elric brothers are here with four companions and a cat . . . Yes, I said a cat . . . They need a place to stay while they're in Central . . . Well, yes, if you don't mind . . . I'm glad you're happy about it . . . Right, see you soon." With a sigh, he returned the phone to its base on his desk, then glanced up at the expectant faces. "All right, you can stay at my house, if you want to. Some of you will have to sleep on the floor, though."

At first, Ed looked like he was about to respond negatively just for the sake of arguing, but common sense won out and he nodded slowly. "Winry, what do you think?"

The mechanic shrugged. "I guess it would be easier than trying to rent rooms somewhere else..." she glanced over her shoulder at the others, not quite comfortable making the decision for them. "What do you all think?"

No one had any complaints or alternate suggestions, so they all agreed.

"Right, here's my address." Roy scribbled something on a piece of paper and handed it to Ed. "It's Riza's day off, so sh will be there to let you in. You can drop your packs and that cat off there, and then do whatever research you had in mind. Since this is such an important matter, I am giving you access to all of Central's libraries and records. Riza can give you advice on the best places to look. I have work to do here, so you're dismissed." He went back to the notes on his desk that he had presumably been looking through before the group arrived, and they left briskly, Edward leading the way to the address Roy had given him, since, out of all of them except perhaps Alphonse, he knew the layout of Central the best.

-

"Now Black Hayate," Riza said to her pet dog, "there are going to be some guests staying with us for a while, and they have a cat, so you better behave yourself and not chase it, understand?"

The dog barked once, and his master patted him on the head. "Good boy." Unlike her fiance, Riza Hawkeye was in a good mood today, and was even looking forward to having visitors. Whether or not Roy Mustang got along well with the older Elric brother, the guests would certainly liven things up a bit, and perhaps it would have a positive effect on him. Roy had always been rather reserved and serious compared to his coworkers, but as of late, he was downright gloomy, and Riza was getting sick of it. Maybe she would also have a chance to set him up alone with the Rockbell girl. The murder of her parents still haunted Roy, and Riza thought that if the two could just talk about it, even if it led to an argument, getting it off their chests would do both of them some good in the end.

She tidied up the house a bit, though it was already almost spotless. Hawkeye was cheerful and friendly, but she was also strict - frighteningly so - and that strictness applied to not only her job, but her home, her pet, and her life. She liked it that way.

She checked to make sure there were enough extra blankets for six people, and then brought some of her files to the kitchen table to catch up on work until there was a knock on the door.

"Welcome! Come in, all of you." Riza stepped aside to allow the group to file in through the front door. The next thing she did was to address Al. "I don't suppose you have a litter box or something for your cat? I can't have it making messes in the house. It would be a bad influence on Black Hayate."

At the sound of his name, the dog sitting at his master's feet wagged his tail.

Al shook his head. "No, but Lucifer can go outside. We were worried about him getting lost if we moved around too much, but if we stay here the whole time we're in Central, he should be fine."

Riza nodded and smiled. Winry, who had her own beloved pet, was pleased and amused to notice an understanding pass between them. Riza and Al recognized each other as responsible and caring pet owners and connected on that base. Even such a trivial thing was a good development. Winry and Edward may not get along so well with Roy, but at least there would not be as much of a problem with Riza.

I think you can all fit here in the living room," Riza said. "You can decide amongst yourselves who gets to sleep on the sofa. There re plenty of blankets and pillows for the rest to make pallets with. If you're hungry, there is food in the pantry. Just don't make a mess. Otherwise, get settled in, and then you can get to work right away or wait until tomorrow. When Roy comes home, I expect you to tell us everything you know so that we can give you advice and such." She smiled merrily and then returned to the work she had been doing before they arrived.

By that time, it was already late in the afternoon, so the group chose to postpone their investigation as Riza had suggested. Al took Lucifer outside for a while and watched him from the porch to make sure he did not wander too far. Winry, Sora, Riku, and Ed decided on the sleeping arrangements and put makeshift pallets together out of the blankets Riza supplied. Meanwhile, Noah offered to help Riza with housework. Of course, Riza had already done everything before the group arrived, so she set Noah to making a pot of hot chocolate instead. It seemed to be the most popular drink lately, Winry thought.

-

By the time Roy came home that evening, everyone was settled and waiting for him. He retreated to the bedroom to change out of his uniform first, and when he returned, Riza handed him a cup of hot chocolate and the couple sat down together in the love seat which was set perpendicular to the full-length sofa. Instead of a coffee table like Winry's, they had a smaller but higher square table place in between the sofa and the love seat. It already held a lamp, but there were also a couple coasters for drinks. The people farther away from it would just have to hold their cups, however. Riza did not much care for anyone setting them on the floor, for fear that they would be knocked over accidentally. The guests were not about to disobey her requests.

Noah, Winry, and Al sat on the sofa, with Lucifer curled up in Al's lap. Edward sat cross-legged on the floor with his back leaning against his brother's legs, and Sora and Riku were also on the floor, facing the love seat and its occupants. Black Hayate lay in front of Sora, enjoying a good belly rub. Riza smiled indulgently at the boy who was pampering her dog.

"Well then," started Roy, "I would like to hear everything again in more detail, starting from the beginning." He looked to Sora and Riku. "You two are the ones who have been dealing with these creatures the longest, correct?" When he did not continue after they had confirmed his question, Sora started his explanation of what the Heartless were, where they came from, and what they were after, with Riku adding comments and extra details. Even summing things up as best as they could without leaving anything important out, it still took a long time to explain everything and answer the various questions that not only Roy and Riza asked, but the rest of the group as well.

The questions varied from how to fight the Heartless most affectively, to what traveling from one world to another was like and what similarities and differences existed between worlds, especially anything relating to the keyholes. By the time they had covered everything they could think of - with a break at one point to eat dinner - it was quite late at night and everyone was ready to sleep.

Winry had claimed the couch. After asserting herself, though, she had offered it to Edward, but he had nonchalantly declined, then been forced to assure her that he did not think she was too soft to sleep on the floor, that he knew from experience how tough she was, and that he was just trying to be courteous by letting her keep the comfortable sofa. That calmed her down effectively, and she had thanked him with a happy smile. No one had noticed Noah's discomfort at this interplay.

Sora and Riku slept where they had sat during the story-telling, their pallets giving a third side to the semi-rectangle created by the furniture. Al chose to curl up on the love seat, and Ed set his pallet in the center of the arrangement, parallel to the sofa, with his head at the end closest to the love seat so that he was near to both Winry and Al. It took him longer to fall asleep than the others. He spent several minutes lying in darkness, listening to Lucifer's low purring. The cat was perched on the back of the love seat. Edward tried to picture him as some sort of guardian, but kept getting the impression of a vulture instead, looming over his brother and himself. That unnerving vision and the thoughts and fears it inspired were what kept him awake for so long.

-

Naturally, Edward was the last person still sleeping in the morning, and finally awoke to find everyone else eating breakfast. Apparently, Riza liked scones, as she had set out a wide selection of them on the kitchen counter, ready to be toasted and buttered or prepared in whatever other fashion the guests preferred. Ed entered the room with his left hand raised to the back of his head, trying to untangle and straighten his sleep-mussed hair. Alphonse smiled up at him contentedly. "Good morning, Brother. Did you sleep well? It's already past nine-thirty, you know."

"Hn," was the noise Ed made in response while tugging his still rather messy blond hair back into its usual ponytail. He considered picking back up his old habit of wearing a braid. It did keep his hair from becoming so tangled. It also occurred to him just then what an odd scene they all made; Winry, Noah, Al, Sora, Riku, Roy and Riza all sitting around the kitchen table munching on deliciously hard scones and chatting amiably while Ed stood there looking like he hadn't slept a wink, with shoulders slumped tiredly and shadows under his eyes. "Your cat gave me nightmares, Al," he complained, claiming the last chair and accepting the warm, sweet-smelling blueberry scone his brother offered him.

"Lucifer?" Al asked in mild disbelief, glancing over at the cat who was currently crouched in the corner below the counter, enjoying a bowl of juicy canned tuna. Black Hayate had made a move for it, but one stern "no" from Riza had stopped him in his tracks and made Winry wish that Den was so well trained. "I don't understand why you have a problem with my cat, Brother," Al commented without meeting Ed's eyes. He did not want to start another fight, but Edward's apparent prejudice against Lucifer was really annoying him.

Not really in the mood to talk, much less argue, Ed just shrugged and nibbled on his scone, staring dully at the tabletop in front of him.

"We were just discussing the most likely places to find the keyhole," Riza said cheerily, annoying the tension between the siblings. "I thought that - if the keyhole leads to something that has existed since the beginning of the world - it would be in some natural place, but Sora said that, although some keyholes were found in caves or waterfalls and such, others were in man-made objects, like a clock tower or an actual door. So basically, it could be almost anywhere." She grimaced, but with good humor.

"So, instead of narrowing it down, you just widened the possibilities," Ed commented. "Well, I guess all we can do is check every place we think of."

"You can use the libraries and records I mentioned earlier to research sites that might have historical importance in some way or another," Roy suggested. "The Central Public Library has a huge collection, which means it may take a long time to find anything, but also makes it more likely that there will be a clue there. If you do manage to narrow it down a bit, I can ask Havoc and the others to study what you find in more detail. The more people working on this, the less time it is likely to take."

Sounds reasonable," Edward yawned. "We'll get started as soon as I'm awake." He took a sip from the glass Riza passed to him without bothering to look at it, and immediately regretted it. Somehow, sense of respect for his hosts kept him from spitting out the milk as soon as he tasted it. Instead, he forced himself to swallow. grimacing, then glared bloody death at the whole congregation. "Someone could have warned me..." he said in a low voice, though he looked ready to scream.

Most of the group was shocked by his reaction, but Winry and Al were just trying to hide their smiles. "You didn't give me much of a chance," Al said in his soft voice, "and I guess I expected you to notice it before you actually drank any. I guess you really didn't get enough sleep."

"No kidding..." Ed grumbled.

"I take it you don't like milk, Edward?" Riza asked innocently.

"It's disgusting!" he raged, standing up and slamming his hands down on the table. The unpleasant surprise had woken him up. "How do you expect me to drink some thick nasty, white liquid that came from a cow!" He dragged the back of his hand across his mouth and then chomped furiously on his scone to erase the flavor.

Winry smothered a giggle and took a drink from her own glass of milk. "Honestly, Ed, you're so silly sometimes. You drank milk from your mother when you were a baby, right? Or did you not? Is that why you're so... never mind."

Even though she had not finished the sentence, Edward stared at her as if she had betrayed him. "You are really asking for it, you know? And it doesn't matter! I still think milk is disgusting!"

Sora took a turn trying to reason with him. "You eat beef and steak, right? That comes from cows too, so what makes is milk so different?"

"That's not the same!" Ed contradicted, but did not actually answer the question.

Finally, Al came to his defence. "All right, I think we've messed with him enough. It's not that big of a deal, anyway."

"That's the point," Winry said matter-of-factly. "If it was a big deal, we wouldn't tease him so much."

To their surprise, Ed returned to his seat, chuckling. "Someday, Winry, I'm going to find some little, unimportant thing that bothers you the way milk does to me, and then you will feel my wrath!" He said it in a way that was exaggerated and obviously meant in fun, and thus the rest of the morning meal was spent in cheerful teasing and play.