To all of those who reviewed my first two chapters (there are a LOT of you!): THANK YOU!

Again, if anyone sees any inaccuracies, please point them out. And any suggestions or requests would also be welcomed with open arms.

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When Roy pulled up to HQ, he grabbed Ed's upper left arm and marched him to General Raven's office. While Ed stood stiffly next to the colonel, Mustang asked Raven's secretary if she would mind looking up a completion form for boot camp. She asked who it was for, then went to Raven's desk, interrupting him gently from the report he was reading.

After a moment of quiet conversation, she came back to the front of the room and began to look through her filing cabinet.

"How do you spell the last name again?" she asked after searching through the drawer.

"E-L-R-I-C," Ed answered before Mustang could.

"...Nope, not here." She looked mystified. Roy thanked her and quickly pulled Ed out of there.

"Well she knows, but hopefully I can keep this mostly under wraps. Unfortunately for you, I don't have time to waste trying to teach you commands, which leaves me with one option: I'm sending you back to boot camp."

"Hey wait a minute, I'm not-"

"Everyone else in this military has survived it, Ed. You will too. You're starting as soon as I can find a squad for you. It usually takes about three weeks and let me tell you, it better not be a day longer because the parade is in four.

Ed shut his mouth. Roy's temper had just hit boiling again and he decided he was smart enough to keep his mouth shut for the moment.

Two days later, Ed was called into the office. Having been informed that if he didn't show up he would be court martialed mercilessly, he sulked into Roy's office promptly at ten AM.

"Good morning, FullMetal."

"Yo."

Roy glanced up at the rude greeting, then looked back down to sign the report he'd been reading before sitting up straight.

"Major Elric, you have been assigned to the second squad in the sixth patoon. I have clothes for you as well as information. I want you to go in tomorrow as prepared as possible. You have to understand that any errors, even very small errors, will not be forgiven while you are living in the barracks."

Ed snorted and Roy snapped, "I'm not kidding, FullMetal! I have always pardoned your insubordinance, your appearance and I have never asked that you keep a neat living space. All those things will change tomorrow. I will no longer be responsible for you or your attitude and the men who will are not going to tolerate all the... shit you give me."

Ed studied Roy's furious expression guardedly.

"I would feel bad asking you to do this, but you are too good at what you do to just let you run amok the way you do. You would have a lot more allies if you could just learn to respect military rank," Roy sighed.

Ed bit his tongue and stared to the side. Roy was mad enough to lecture and the last thing he wanted was to set him off again. The man would never understand him.

"Now, I should warn you that you will not be allowed to wear your own clothes- unless," he said before Ed could protest, "Unless you have a hidden stash of them that would be considered acceptable."

Roy waited until Ed gave a tiny shake of his head. Did the boy think he couldn't read his thoughts wearing an expression like that? If he thought he was being tactful, he had another thing coming.

"These papers have all the instructions you'll need: how to wear your clothes, what to bring for your locker, how to address your superiors, all of that."

Ed rolled his eyes. "How to wear my clothes?"

"Yes, Edward. Your appearance will be judged and criticised. It is important that you read and understand all of these instructions. Now if anything doesn't make sense to you, I suggest you ask Warrant Officer Falman. He was an excellent example during his training and he can answer all of your questions. And," he added with an angry grin, "He's far less likely to burn you alive than I am. So ask him."

Ed snorted in appreciation of Roy's often-voiced threat, a little "private" joke between them. "Private" meaning, of course, that sometimes it was voiced loudly enough that everyone in East Central heard it.

"Fine, Colonel shit," Ed growled, heading out the door without permission.

Roy smiled sadly. If he was right about Ed, that might be the last time he ever did that.

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R&R please!!