AN: I thought I'd try something different with this one with Team Mustang's individual takes on the Mustang/Elric family in the middle of a crisis.

Hope you enjoy!

Battle of Nerves

Kain Fuery may have been the youngest in their team, but he knew where his strengths were and how to use them like their other teammates. When he received the call from Hawkeye about Al missing from school, he automatically sent distress radio signals as quietly as possible to relevant authorities in the hopes that anyone has seen the boy within the specific time frame given.

"One last thing," said Hawkeye before she ended the call to him, "wait for me to get back before telling the General."

Fuery gulped. He was definitely not going to be the one who told the General about the missing boy. Their office was sent into a frenzy the time that Ed got kidnapped, now Al was missing? He knew it was best to stay put and quiet until the Major returned.

He didn't have to wait long as Major Hawkeye strode into the office half an hour later, her usually crisp updo gone and in its place was a haphazardly tied ponytail. Without acknowledging the rest of them, she went straight into the meeting room (where the General was taking his lunchtime nap) and closed the door with a soft click.

"Are you gonna tell us what's going on or are we gonna wait for the boss?" asked Breda, lips set in a grim line and eyes focused on Fuery.

Fuery swallowed the lump in his throat and pushed his glasses up the bridge of his nose. "Al's missing," he whispered. Both the General and the Major were near-perfect soldiers, making them one of the best duos the military has ever seen, but he, like the rest of the team, knew they were human underneath it all.

"Well, shit." Havoc leaned back in his seat and idly chewed on the end of his unlit cigarette.

Falman focused his attention to the door Hawkeye had disappeared into as he heard raised voices from within.

"You should have told me the second you knew!"

"It wouldn't have changed a thing, and you know it. Now, I'm telling you now because I finally have some information about where he was last seen."

"This isn't a mission, Hawkeye! You don't wait for information, gather up intelligence and whatnot. This is our child!"

Riza stood her ground, knowing her husband would see the need to be logical at this time. "He was last seen at the Central Train Station boarding the train heading East. It is unknown whether he had armed adults accompanying him."

Roy clenched his jaw. He knew his wife was hurting too, but they wouldn't find Al if he was emotionally charged. His eyes tracked her rigid posture, unclipped hair, and stern frown. "No demands?"

She shook her head. "I asked Fue-"

Without waiting for her to finish, Roy barged into his shared office with the rest of his team. "Fuery. Status report."

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Fuery sat with his back hunched forward, pressing the headset tight against his ears, listening to all the reports coming through the lines.

"Too many blonde boys passed by here."

"Blonde is too common a color to isolate, sir."

"How tall is the boy again?"

"Is he unaccompanied?"

Unlike when Ed was kidnapped, Scar's demand and various reports of his damage to the city were instantaneously made. They weren't so lucky with Al this time. Fuery grit his teeth and switched channels every so often in order to coordinate with the rest of the Eastern train stations. He then looked up at Major Hawkeye quietly talking with the Officer-in-Charge of the East City Train Station.

"I understand, ma'am, we would have reported any suspicious activity immediately though. We fear if it is indeed a kidnapping, he was crated along the way."

"Crated," echoed Hawkeye, seemingly deadpan as ever.

Fuery bolted upright with that one word that Hawkeye murmured as chills ran down his spine. The officer clearly didn't realize how minor changes in intonation with Hawkeye's speech meant a whole lot. Of course, it took him years to notice as well, but now that he knew what to look out for, he was petrified. The deadpan face but rigid posture was Hawkeye's way of coping with the stressful situation.

"Yes, ma'am, we're tracking the newly marked crates as we speak."

Riza's eyebrow slightly twitched, but she had to rein in her rising temper. "Thank you for your efforts. Keep us posted." She turned to leave while Fuery gathered his things and stood.

"Ma'am?"

Don't do it, don't, prayed Fuery. Don't gossip.

She took a deep breath and faced the man once more.

"I hear the kid's the Flame Alchemist's son?"

Fuery sighed, eyes observing Riza closely.

She grit her teeth, but kept her lips firmly closed. "Yes, which is why this needs to be contained as much as possible."

"Man, can't imagine what they're going through. Kid has nothing to do with his father's career."

"Or his mother's," Riza can't help but say, "I know." This was why she didn't want to adopt in the first place. Eventually, unwanted and extraneous dangers will follow the children as well. Her husband was an exceptionally good soldier and if you were as good as he was, you were bound to have lots of enemies.

"Damn," commented the nosy officer, "the mother's in the military too?"

Fuery backed away. Major Hawkeye was known to keep calm under the worst situations, but ever since she and the General adopted the Elric brothers, it was all unchartered territory for the team. He would not get in the way of any bodily harm Hawkeye was capable of inflicting on the other officer.

"Yes," was Hawkeye's clipped reply. "I am." She then stalked off, not paying attention to the man's shouted and stuttered apologies.

"Are you alright, ma'am?" asked Fuery when they were back on the train headed for the next station.

"Of course." She sat straighter in her seat as she curled her toes inside her boots.

"We'll find him," he assured, knowing she was lying. The Major was tougher than most people, but the younger soldier knew even she had her limits.

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Heymans Breda knew something was amiss with Fuery the moment the black-haired man returned the phone to its cradle. The stout man knew what he lacked in speed physically, he more than made up for in his quick wit and intellect. So when their boss stormed out of the meeting room with Hawkeye in tow after Fuery told them what had happened, Breda was the first to leap to his feet. They had a mission.

Hawkeye and Fuery were left at the East City Station to coordinate what their team expects from all Eastern Train Stations while Mustang and the rest of them traveled to Youswell, the next station, to interview people who may have seen Al. If it proved fruitless, they will split up and divide the stations amongst themselves to cover more ground.

"Nothing out of the ordinary today, sir," said the Youswell Station Officer to Roy.

Havoc and Falman were preoccupied with the train operator so Breda stood behind Roy as guard.

"Huhl, if I were kidnapping someone, I surely wouldn't announce it to the world until I want to make a demand, would I?"

Sarcasm, thought Breda, Chief's defense mechanism. Smart men always translated weakness into another form and in this case, his boss used sarcasm, alchemy, or extreme anger, depending on the situation. It wasn't that long ago that Ed was paraded in the middle of the city as a hostage and now Al was missing. It couldn't be easy for the still-adjusting couple.

"Keep us posted," ordered Roy. He and Breda then regrouped with Havoc and Falman to discuss the inevitable splitting up of their team.

"Aren't we wasting time by scoping out the stations? What if they're far gone from the station by now?" asked Havoc.

"Yes, but which station are they 'far gone' from?" was Breda's reply, to which Roy nodded his agreement.

"When Hawkeye arrives," said Roy, almost wincing at how robotic he sounded as if it wasn't his own son missing, as if he wasn't talking about his wife, "Falman keeps an eye on Ed while Fuery manages communication lines, Breda and Havoc will go to Reole, then New Optain, and we will go to Ishbal, then Resembool."

They dispersed to take a break while waiting for Hawkeye and Fuery.

It was understood that when Mustang said 'we,' it automatically meant him and Hawkeye.

Breda noticed the General's breathing was heavier than usual, his posture (like Hawkeye's) forced. It was an act to convince them he was on top of the situation when he was anything but. He approached the dark-haired man and stood one step behind him, acting as his bodyguard until the Major arrived.

The orange-haired man knew they were a team like no other. Mustang, early into his military career, handpicked them specifically when no one else bothered to look beyond their physical attributes. While Mustang and Hawkeye were formidable together, the rest of them served a particular purpose that enhanced their overall value as a team.

"It's best to count me out as an asset for this," mumbled Roy, knowing Heymans was analyzing their 'mission' and the probability of success with no injuries on their part. "I'm compromised."

He smirked. "Nah, Chief. You're doing fine so far."

Mustang scoffed, hands digging deep into his pockets as he looked up at the afternoon sky. "I wonder."

Breda was one of the first people to know about Mustang and Hawkeye's decision to adopt, but unlike most people, he was hesitant about it - not because he thought they couldn't do it, but because he knew it would be tough for his two superiors to balance their careers and the children. He knew they would be committed to the children, while it was already established they were committed to their country, so he wondered how it would all work out for them.

Now, however, Breda was amazed at Mustang's composure. He may be the father of the missing child, but right now as he commandeered them all, he was the Head of the State Alchemist Program and the youngest person to ever reach General.

The approaching train whistled and Roy sighed. "Let's get back to work, Breda."

"Sir."

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Vato Falman counted his lucky stars when he was not sent on the hunt with the rest of the team. Ed and Fuery sat on either side of him as the younger officer tinkered with the communicator device responsible for keeping track of the rest of the team's movements. While Falman knew he was fit enough to do any job, he didn't have the shooting accuracy Havoc or Hawkeye possessed, or the mental calmness Breda had, or the technical skills Fuery displayed.

"Vanessa," came Mustang's voice through Fuery's communication device.

"Sir?"

"What was the name of that guy Jacqueline punched in Reole?"

"Ugh. Chief," groaned Havoc.

"Father Cornello," was Falman's automatic reply, "accosted on the third of May, twenty - "

"I wouldn't forget the name, Vanessa," said Havoc, forcefully emphasizing Falman's codename.

Mustang laughed, though it sounded weak. "ETA to Reole?"

Business as usual, thought Falman. He realized the General must be trying to lighten the team's mood since he and Hawkeye were definitely wound up tight.

"2 minutes."

"We're 5 to Ishbal. No heroes."

When the lines went dead, Ed asked, "What does 'no heroes' mean?"

Falman straightened at the question. Mustang always said it during missions and this was no different. "The General doesn't want us to go the extra mile and get ourselves injured." Or worse, killed.

"He's asking you to be mediocre? But that's my brother!" His so-called 'son'.

Fuery flinched in his seat but continued to tinker with the device on his lap, a silent request for Falman to handle the situation.

The white-haired man raised his hands in front of him to placate the child. "It doesn't mean we wouldn't do it… go the extra mile, I mean."

"Huh?"

"The General and Major always order us to not be heroes because they hate it when we get injured in the line of duty." He recalled one of their earliest missions when Hawkeye literally caught a bullet for him with her leg, much to Mustang's rage afterwards. "But they themselves get hurt protecting us," he shrugged, "they don't realize we'd easily 'be heroes', so to speak, if it ever came down to it and they needed us."

"Not that they ever really needed us," quipped Fuery. "Your parents are something else, sir."

"Something else," mumbled the child. I hope that means they'd find Al soon and safe.

Falman observed the contemplative blond. It was true what people said about his and his brother's similarities to Hawkeye physically, though the silent but fierce determination in those golden irises were like Mustang's without a doubt. Like fire.

Ed then peered up at him. "How do you remember everything and everyone? You could be an alchemist with that memory."

Changing the topic. Smooth. He offered an awkward smile as the topic always made him uncomfortable. "I think I was born with it, no one knows why."

"Why the military and not alchemy?"

"Ah." He took a deep breath. "We were poor, and the military offers free housing and food if you can keep up with the training." He rubbed the back of his neck. "I barely managed to pass."

"You're not poor anymore?"

Ed's curiosity was a known fact by now to everyone and anyone who met him, but it was the first time Falman had to deal with it firsthand. "Not since I worked under the General, no."

He tilted his head to the side. "Why?"

"In the military, you're only as good as where you're posted. Major Hawkeye and Havoc are known sharpshooters and the General is a State Alchemist - it doesn't matter where they're posted, but us," he stole a glance at Fuery, "we weren't treated the same."

Before Ed could ask another question, a crackling sound and Breda's voice came in to their communication devices, "The New Optain track is out due to repairs. We'll cut time and meet with Elizabeth in Resembool."

Ed shot to his feet and eyed the two adults accompanying him. "Resembool?!"

Falman recovered from the child's outburst first and nodded.

"Tch." The young blond curled his fists against his sides. How could he forget? It's the 3rd of October! "Can we go? He's there," he said.

"How do you know?" asked Falman. Why didn't you tell us?

"I forgot what day it is today," was the boy's vague answer, but still got the two adults scrambling to their feet and onto the next train.

Falman has seen that look of certainty too many times on Mustang before to doubt it.

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Riza and Roy arrived at the Resembool station and met up with Breda and Havoc who had been waiting for them in a corner hidden from public view.

"Today is apparently a special day of sorts for the Elrics," mumbled Mustang, whose forehead was creased in tension. "Kid won't say what, but this is their hometown."

Breda shifted his weight to lean against a nearby wall. "How long since they've been here?"

"Long enough." Since their real mother died and they were sent away for adoption.

"I'll be backup, Chief," Havoc offered, "The rest can stay here." Jean Havoc was the first recruit to the Mustang-Hawkeye team.

Everyone knew Mustang even before he arrived in Eastern HQ as the youngest State Alchemist ever in the history of the military, so it was flattering for the then younger Jean Havoc to be invited for an interview. When he arrived at the office and saw Hawkeye standing quietly behind Mustang, he realized why he had gotten invited in the first place.

The legendary 'Hawk's Eye' once bumped into him at the firing range and praised his shooting skills. They talked, got to know each other, before he apologized and asked for her name. He was genuinely surprised to know how down-to-earth she was, and she was surprised how he didn't comment on her gender.

Since then, Havoc learned how the duo operated, and knew they would want to deal with this situation as quietly as possible. He removed his military jacket, shrugged off the shoulder holster strapped on top of his black undershirt, then rearranged and hid his guns in various pockets of his military pants.

"Alright," agreed Roy, with him and Hawkeye following suit and getting rid of their military coats and visible weapons.

When Falman, Fuery, and Ed arrived not too long after, Hawkeye offered a small smile at Ed as she removed her hair tie and let her hair loose. She extended her hand for him to take, and said, "Lead the way. Jean's going to accompany us."

Ed hung his head low and eased his hand into Riza's. "Okay. This way."

When the train station was but a blip in the background, Roy asked, "Are we sure it's okay to go to him now?" He wasn't blind to the possibility that Al may have ran away. He also wasn't insensitive so as not to feel Breda having a similar theory.

"Yeah, it's - I forgot, but it's mom's birthday and we haven't returned since…" he spared a glance at Riza, who squeezed his hand as an assurance it was okay. "Since years ago," Ed finished.

Jean snuck a glance at Hawkeye and noted her slightly hunched shoulders and her slow, heavy footsteps. Strangers who would see her now would assume the long walk was weighing her down, but Havoc was aware Hawkeye was as fit as could be. This was more emotional for her than she was letting on.

They reached the end of the road where two houses stood side by side and Havoc noted Roy's sudden stiff back and clenched jaw.

"I've only seen these in pictures," the General mumbled.

Riza's hand slightly shook, which Ed and Havoc noticed, but she stopped just as they arrived at the patio of what they assumed was the Elric house.

Ed let go of Riza's hand and shouted, cupping his mouth with his hands, "Yo, Al! We're here!" It reverberated to their empty surroundings, to the dismay of local birds. "Let's go!"

Jean saw Ed was putting up his own front too. Being in the presence of their childhood home after all this time was bound to spike some sort of emotion, but the kid acted unbothered like it was any other house.

When no one answered his calls, Ed turned back to the three adults. "He's probably at the cemetery." He jumped off the porch and headed up the hill near where their house stood. The child didn't look back to check if the adults were following him, he was too busy concentrating not to let tears slip through his eyes. Brave face, brave face.

Roy silently grabbed Riza's hand and they followed their stomping child further up the hill. It didn't matter that Havoc was there, trailing behind them, they both needed this right now.

Havoc pretended not to see his superiors holding hands, Ed's futile attempts to hide the shine in his irises, Hawkeye's subtle shifts in facial expressions, or Mustang's jaw wound tight like a screw was lodged in it to keep it from moving.

They reached a large tree with gravestones emerging from the barren lands and the silhouette of a boy sitting hunched over a lone gravestone at the highest point of the cemetery.

Ed, Riza, Roy, and Jean made their way over to Al, footsteps slow and respectful of the dead around them. The only indication Al gave that he knew they were there was a mumbled, "Hi."

Havoc stopped walking a couple of meters away to give the family some semblance of privacy.

Ed knocked the top of Al's head with his fist before sitting down beside him. "You had me worried." Sparing a glance back at their adoptive parents, "You had us worried."

"I miss her, brother."

The older Elric stared at their mother's gravestone. "Same, but you can't go off like this next time."

"I know." He continued his conversation with Ed, but refused to tear his gaze away from their mother's name. "I'm sorry, pop," his voice cracked, "mom."

Riza let go of her husband's hand and patted both boys on the head. "It's as good a time as any to pay our respects before we leave." She paused, feeling her throat dry up, "She gave us the two of you, after all."

Al smiled through the tears and let Ed pull him to stand up. Havoc ushered the boys to start their trek down the hill.

A gust of wind blew from behind them and Ed curiously looked back at his adoptive parents. He wasn't sure if it was a trick of the light from the setting sun or not, but a warmth settled deep in his chest when he saw Roy wrap an arm around Riza's shoulders as she buried her face in the crook of his neck with tears rolling down her cheeks.

AN: So this was a little difficult to write and edit. The many POVs in one chapter was harrrrd, but I hope I conveyed it well enough for you though.

'Til next time!