When they finally arrived at the fuhrer's mansion, Edward took a minute to stare at it. He then glared at Mustang. "Finally found a house big enough to fit your ego, eh?"

"This house was graciously provided to me by the state like all the other fuhrer's before me, Edward. I had no choice in the matter," Mustang replied. Edward continued to glare at him in disbelief. Not waiting for them to lead, Al, Winry and Riza walked up the long drive and into the house. Guards stationed at the door saluted them as they returned.

The five shared a simple, but delectable meal together. Because the brothers hadn't been together in so long, they rushed through their dinner so they could have some time to speak before going to bed. When the brothers were shown to their room they were surprised to find that, although the outside was lavish, the rooms inside the house were fairly plain. The room had only the necessities: two beds, two dressers, two night stands, and one bathroom connected to it. Winry was stationed across the hall in her own bedroom. Ed and Al were careful to talk quietly so they wouldn't disturb her, or be overheard.

"What else did you want to tell me, Ed?" Al asked anxiously. He knew his brother well enough to know that he had kept something from him in his explanation at the hospital. Edward laughed uneasily and nodded before leaning in closer.

"Well, it's two things, actually," Edward began. Al's focused eyes rested on his brother's face. Edward looked away and Al's stomach immediately dropped. It was never good when Ed couldn't look him straight on. "First of all, I know who that kid was who attacked you. I was hoping that I was wrong, but after hearing you explain what happened, I know for a fact that he's the part of your soul that you attached to the armor you sent in the gate. I know because if my calculations are correct, I regained my memories once you woke up and it also makes sense that the monsters in the gate would cling to that in an attempt to destroy you. I'm assuming that the same monster that killed our dad—

"What did you say?" Alphonse interrupted in horror. Realizing what he had just said, Edward sighed heavily.

"Yeah… the other thing I needed to tell you… Hoenheim is dead. The only reason we were able to defeat that monster in Resembol was because he sacrificed himself to defeat it." Edward took a deep breath before continuing. "You see, those things are even worse than the homunculi. Unless a human sacrifices their life to kill it, they keep coming back." At this point, Ed saw Al eye to eye. "I know they want us, Al. Alphonse, I'm afraid that… unless we give ourselves up to the gate, there may not be a way to stop them." Al was so shocked that he couldn't bring himself to speak. Instead he lowered his head in-between his legs and stared down at the ground as his eyes began to water.

"All of this just because I wanted to get you back? Ed, does God hate us? Are we never supposed to be happy?" Al inquired hopelessly.

"I don't really know anything about that, Al, but I do know that we're not going down without a fight. It's not our style. And besides, I made you a promise, didn't I? Nothing is going to separate us ever again," Ed spoke with conviction. Al lifted his head to study his brother's determined face. He could see the hope burning in his amber eyes. If he hadn't given up yet, neither would he.

***

The next morning, Edward Elric and Alphonse Elric rode with Roy Mustang to Central Headquarters. Winry desperately wanted to accompany them, but Riza convinced her that it would be best for her to stay at the house. Ed would be presenting his case to the military tribunal and higher ups to gain approval for military reinforcements. He would need to be on his best behavior and be completely focused, and everyone agreed that Winry would only serve as a distraction to Ed (although no one said this to his face).

Once they arrived at the military building, Roy showed them to his office. Armstrong was waiting for them there, and he handed Edward and Alphonse each a package as they walked through the door. "What's this for?" Al asked curiously. Edward didn't ask, but opened it.

After looking in the box he snapped at Roy, "There's no way in hell I'm wearing this."

"Edward, do try to act like an adult in this situation, won't you? The military court will take you more seriously as a soldier, and will place a high priority on your case if you come before them as a State Alchemist. Please, consider this as part of the plan and nothing more," Mustang encouraged him. Inquisitive, Alphonse opened his gift to find a blue military uniform inside.

"But, Fuhrer Mustang, I'm not part of the military," Al pointed out. Roy smiled in his signature way.

"You are now. I had you instated as an honorary State Alchemist for the time being." Edward's eyes narrowed while Al's widened.

"How could you do that without his permission? I won't allow you to drag my brother into—

"Shut up!" Alphonse blurted. Surprised by his harsh words, Edward glanced at his younger brother. Al blushed slightly when he saw Edward's hurt expression, but didn't apologize. "Brother, I'm not a little kid anymore. I can make decisions for myself and I think this is for the best. Mustang is right. If we want to be taken seriously, this would be the best course to take. Let's do this and deal with the consequences later," he pleaded. After a moment of silence, Ed finally nodded and turned to point a finger at Roy.

"Fine, but don't think that just because you're fuhrer I'll let you boss us around. You give us our freedom and we'll go along with your game," Edward said bossily. Mustang laughed pleasantly.

"I would never dream of ordering you around, Edward. You'd never listen anyway." As the brothers took the uniforms out of their boxes, Roy went to grab a large envelope off his desk. Approaching Alphonse, he reached into his pocket and pulled out a silver pocket watch with the state's seal on it. "This is for you, Alphonse," Mustang explained while handing him the watch and the other package he had in hand. Alphonse gazed upon the finely crafted watch before opening the envelope. He pulled out the certificate recognizing him as a state alchemist and read over it carefully before looking up at Mustang.

"The Full Heart Alchemist?" He said as a question. Roy nodded seriously.

"Al, you and your brother have been through a lot. I notice that while your brother may act on emotions, you both think with your hearts. You have one of the biggest hearts out of any man I have ever met, and therefore, I felt the title was appropriate." Alphonse looked up at Roy Mustang with new admiration and saluted him formally.

"Thank you, sir," the younger Elric replied. Edward watched their exchange without a word although he had the urge to interrupt. When they seemed to be finished talking, he nudged his brother gently.

"Let's go put these on," he muttered, less than enthusiastic about the idea. Alphonse flashed him a big smile and followed him out the door and down the hall to the nearest bathroom. When they had finished changing they stepped out of their stalls in unison to gaze upon their reflections in the mirrors. Both couldn't help but gawk at how the clothes automatically aged them. They were no longer boys, but men, and with glistening silver chains hanging from their pockets, they were also part of the most elite group of soldiers in the world—the State Alchemists.

***