Al woke up early the next morning and looked around the room. Someone was sleeping in the other bed. Al was immediately curious, so he walked over to look at who it was. It was his brother.

Al didn't know whether he should wake Ed up or let him sleep. He was still debating when Ed opened his eyes. When Ed saw Al standing over him, he sat up in a hurry.

"Gah! You scared me!"

"Sorry, brother. I didn't think you'd wake up so soon."

When Ed heard Al say brother, he stared at Al for a good five minutes. "Al?"

"Yeah, it's me, don't you recognize me?"

"Not with that hair. Why's it black?"

"Colonel Mustang dyed it before I started looking for you. He also helped me when I got my body back."

"Really? I guess I'll have to thank him. But, you're back."

"Yeah. But, brother, your arm…"

Ed looked down at the automail. "I didn't get it back. Someone came in and prevented me from getting everything back. My leg was missing most of the skin, too."

"But you got it back?"

"Yeah, I got my leg back, and once it's healed, it'll be good as new."

"At least that's something." Al sat down next to his brother. "I was afraid you had died."

"I'm sorry. I wanted to let you know I was okay, but they wouldn't let me."

"Who, the military?"

"No, the people who took me away that night. They said it was to protect me from the ones who broke into that house, but I don't really believe that. Speaking of which, Envy said we're being let off the hook for that."

"That's good, because we weren't the ones who did it."

Ed fell back on the bed. "Well, we did it. It didn't work out as well as I wanted it to, but we got close."

"Yeah, and at least nobody can steal your leg anymore."

"Al, you're tiny."

"I know, but I'm still taller than you."

"Say what?"

"Come on, stand up."

"No way!"

"Oh, is poor widdle Ed afwaid that his liddle bro's taller than him?"

"Hey, I'm injured! I can't stand on this foot!"

"Then use your other foot."

Ed glared at his brother. "Fine," he muttered as he stood and looked up at his brother. Once he saw that he was still short, Ed sat down. "It's just an inch. Besides, I'm not wearing shoes."

"Neither am I."

"You're wearing slippers!"

"But they don't add three inches to my height."

Ed crossed his arms. "Jeez, and here I thought it would be a good thing to have your body back."

"Come on, brother. Don't be like that."

Ed smiled. "Yeah, I'm glad I can see your face again. I missed it."

"Winry said the same thing."

"When did you see Winry?"

"I went to Resembool to see if you were there. That's where Envy found me."

"He didn't say anything bad to you, did he?"

"No, nothing too bad. He just wanted to know why I was alone."

Ed hung his head. "I'm sorry I left you alone. I really am."

"It's okay, brother. You couldn't help it. Besides, we're together now."

"That's right. We're together. And for the most part, we're back to normal."

-------------------

In a deserted hallway in a rarely used military building, Envy leaned against the wall talking to Kimblee.

"So, how's your search going?"

"I ran into Scar once, but he got away. As for Marcoh, still no trace of him. I didn't find him with Scar, just some random weirdo."

"What about that pipsqueak? Did you get a chance to ask him?"

"Why would that kid have seen him?"

"When they found him, there was also evidence that there were other people in the area. Most of the evidence points to Scar."

"Maybe I should ask him then."

"You'll have to get him alone. There's no way his brother's going to let you talk to him."

"That kid, is he one of the sacrifices?"

"He is, and so is his brother. We're watching a friend of theirs to keep them in line."

"How should I get him alone, then?"

"Just leave that to me."

-----------------

"Hey, brother?" Al mumbled as he lay on his bed.

"Hmm?" Ed replied from the other side of the room.

"What are we going to do now?"

Ed rolled over on his side to face his brother. "Well, I want to get out of this."

"This room, or the military in general?"

"The military."

"But you can't, otherwise they'll hurt Winry."

"I know." Ed sat up and checked his leg. His foot had completely healed, so he could at least walk on it now. "But I told Scar that I was going to leave the military."

"You saw Scar?"

"Yeah, and the only reason he didn't kill me was because I said I was trying to get out. He could have killed me easily, too. I couldn't exactly run away."

"Why didn't you say something earlier?"

"I didn't really see a need to."

"Brother, will you tell me what happened that night? I remember getting our bodies back, but then when I came back from the doors, Roy and Riza were there, and they said you were outside, and then I was asleep. I remember seeing some blood, too, now that I think about it."

Ed lay on his side again, facing his brother. "I don't really know what happened, but here's what I remember. While my leg was being reattached, someone came into the room. I think they interrupted it for me, because I only got half of my leg back. Anyhow, they came in, and I saw two people looking at me, but then they were… I don't really know what happened, but the next thing I knew, there was a bloody mess right next to me, and someone was standing right in front of me. I think."

"And that's all you know?"

"Yeah. Next thing I knew, I was in a car with some lady who told me she was taking me to a hospital."

"What about after that? How did you end up being captured?"

"It was that lady. At the hospital, she asked who I was, and after I told her, she used something to knock me out. She kept saying that I had to stay until my leg was healed, and then later on, she said they were protecting me from the people who broke into that house."

"But you don't believe that, do you?"

"No. They kept moving me around without telling me first. And it was always when I was asleep, too."

"Is that how you ended up in East City?"

"Yeah. That's where I met Scar, too."

"Hey, brother?"

"Yeah?"

"I have to go to the bathroom."

"Then go. You don't need to have my permission. Sheesh."

------------------

Al walked slowly down the hall to the bathroom. He knew that one of the guards was keeping an eye on him, so he didn't spend too long in there.

On his way back, he saw someone walking down the hall toward him. It was Major Armstrong. He walked straight up to Al and placed his hands on Al's tiny shoulders.

"It is good to see you, Alphonse Elric. You're rather small, though."

"Yeah, my body was in pretty bad shape when I got it back. I'm still taller than brother, though."

"Ho ho, he must not be too happy about that. So, did he regain his limbs as well?"

"Just his leg. He couldn't get his arm back for some reason."

"Well, at least it's something."

"Yeah, it is. Why are you here, Major?"

"I came to say hello. Your brother seems to be talking to someone at the moment, though."

"Really? That's weird. There wasn't anyone in there when I left…" Al walked back to the door, but the guards wouldn't let him in.

"He's talking to someone right now, you'll have to wait."

"Who's he talking to?"

"Another State Alchemist."

Al leaned against the wall as he waited. Who was in there with his brother? If it was the Colonel, why did he want to keep Al out? It was puzzling, but Al wouldn't get to know the answer for a long time, because at that moment, Bradley came walking up.

"Hello, Alphonse. I'd like to talk to you for a moment."

"Um, okay." Al followed Bradley out to a car, which brought them to the Fuhrer's office.

Ed sat on his bed as he waited for Al to come back. He had left for the bathroom several minutes ago, and he hadn't come back yet. Ed began to wonder what had happened to him.

After another couple of minutes, Ed decided to check on his brother. It wasn't like his brother to spend ten minutes in the bathroom, unless he was sick…

He was about to open the door when it opened from the other side and hit Ed in the face. Ed stumbled back, holding his nose. He looked at whomever it was who opened the door, resisting the urge to do the same to them. It was Kimblee.

Ed was grateful that he had resisted that urge. He had the feeling it wouldn't be good to mess with this person. After he was sure his nose wasn't bleeding, Ed lowered his hands.

"Why are you here?" he asked.

"I have some questions for you."

"Like what?"

"Sit down."

Ed complied, and Kimblee handed him a picture. Ed looked at it. It was Doctor Marcoh.

"Have you seen this man?"

"What, like recently?"

"Yes."

"No, I haven't."

"Are you sure?"

"Yeah. I haven't seen anyone who looks like this. Who is he?"

"He's a state alchemist who deserted a few years ago. We found him recently, but he disappeared again. There's a good chance he's with Scar."

"Scar?"

"Yes. That brings me to my other question. Have you seen Scar at all since the last time you fought him?"

Ed thought frantically for a moment and decided to give an edited version of the truth. "Yeah, I saw him in East City, but he didn't go after me for some reason."

"Why didn't you say anything earlier?"

Ed shrugged. Kimblee took back the picture and began to walk to the door. "East City, huh? I guess I'll have to go back there."

Ed watched as Kimblee left. Was he chasing after Marcoh? Why had he come to Ed to ask questions? Ed groaned. He had just put Marcoh in danger by saying what he did.

Ed stood up and went to the door. He wanted to check on his brother. As he opened the door, the guards blocked his way.

"If you're wondering about your brother, he's at the Fuhrer's office. He'll be back soon, so be patient."

-------------------

Al sat quietly in a chair facing Bradley. He had no idea what was going to happen, so he was rather nervous. Had they done something wrong?

"So, you and your brother no longer have the need to travel around, do you?"

"No, I guess not."

"Well, because of that, there's the question of what to do with the two of you. I don't particularly feel like limiting your freedom, but we do have to keep an eye on you."

Al was quiet. Where was this leading? Were they going to be stuck in Central now?

"You want to leave the military, right?"

Al didn't know what to say. He wanted to say yes, but he didn't want to put Winry in danger.

"It's all right, you can be honest."

"Yes, we do."

"What would you do instead?"

"I don't know."

"I see. Well, here's an option for you. I'm willing to let the two of you continue traveling as long as you come back to Central once a month. If you don't come back, we will send someone after you. I don't think I need to say what will happen if you fight against that person."

"No."

"So, is that okay with you?" Al hesitated. He didn't want to make a decision without talking to his brother first. Bradley seemed to realize this. "Talk it over with your brother first, and give your answer tomorrow."

"What if he says no?"

"You'll have to stay here, then."

"Okay. I'll ask him."

"Good." Bradley stood up and led Al to the door. "You two look a lot alike, by the way. Did you dye your hair, though?"

"Yeah, it's actually a lot lighter than this."

"It doesn't look too bad. Good day."

He shut the door, and a nearby soldier brought Al back to his room.