Hey people! Laski here doing the unimaginable! Second update in the same week! Well right now I'm uber happy! I got into the Uni I wanted! xD WEEEEEEEEEEEEE! Okay, crazy moment, hehe. Now, the review replies should be sent over the next fifteen minutes and thank you for tuninginto another chapter of Steel and Ice! By the way, I don't own FMA...just Amber and the plot.

Chapter Seven
Findings
Ed

We've run around the town more than five times and we still have no idea why or who is committing the robberies. Amber and I had dinner once night fell and decided to just call it a day. In between various arguments, we decided to meet the next morning at the coffee shop we had been in the very same day since she tends to wake up before I do. After arguing with Al that Amber is the one that starts our fights, I went to bed and had an average sleep. The next morning I woke up and quickly showered, wondering if Amber had already beaten me there. Al insisted that I knock on her door, just in case. I argued with him, telling him that guessing from Amber's pattern, she was probably waiting for us already.

"Come on brother!" he pleaded. "Just check!"

"Fine!" I yelled while knocking lightly at her door. Upon hearing no reply, I gave my brother the 'See? I told you so' face when we heard coughing coming from inside the room. The door to the room opened slowly, revealing a sleepy and slightly sick Amber.

"You okay?" Al asked.

"Yeah," she said coldly. I noticed that her hair was a mess, and that she was still in her PJ's. "I'm just with the sniffles."

"And that would mean?" I asked, sounding ruder than I should at a moment like this.

"I've got a slight allergy attack from the pillows in this inn...they're feathers and I'm slightly allergic to the dust mites they collect," Amber snapped. "I'll be out in ten. Order me some breakfast while I shower and get ready, please," she said, sounding slightly weak as she closed the door to her room.

"That's new," I murmured as Al and I headed over to the nearest restaurant to have breakfast, well, me at least. I decided to be nice to Amber and ordered her breakfast along with mine. About ten minutes later, Amber sat down at our table looking better than when we first saw her. "I ordered for you," I said while playing with the napkin on the table.

"Thanks," she said softly. "I'm feeling better now...that medicine always does the trick..." she added, just so we knew why she sounded better.

"Glad you feel better," I said softly, looking up to meet her gaze. She smiled a little but seemed a little off to me.

"Well," she began, placing her elbows on the table. "We ready to tackle this mystery thief or what?"

"Yeah I guess so," I said as our orders finally came. We ate quietly and once we were done, I footed the bill. We found ourselves outside, trying to think of a way to solve our mystery. Amber placed one of her hands on her forehead as she tried to think of something.

"What the!" she said after a while. "My water!" she said while running off.

"Amber wait!" Al and I yelled out as we tried to catch up to her.

"What water?" Al asked when we finally reached her.

"I usually carry a bottle of water around with me...it's weird to say this but anyway," she said as we took a right. "I can sense where the bottle is so follow my lead." We didn't bother to say anything else and just followed her, wondering where this could take us. Suddenly, we came to a stop at an old house with its ceiling falling off at one side. She walked up to the door and lightly knocked on it. After what seemed to me like ages, the door opened slowly, revealing the little boy that Amber had bumped into yesterday. He quickly hid back in the house at the sight of us and closed the door. "I'm not going to hurt you for taking the water..." Amber said as she stood at the door. "We just want to know why you've taken these things...we're not going to turn you in or anything like that...we just want answers..."

"You promise?" squeaked a voice from behind the door.

"We promise," I said while standing beside Amber. The door slowly opened and the boy came back out. "Can you tell us why you did that?" I asked.

"It just that...my mom and dad left a long time ago and well...I don't have anything left..." the boy said as he showed us what was inside his home. I looked over to Amber and she seemed to understand the kid's pain.

"It's okay little guy," Amber said softly while taking his small hands. "You just acted on survival instincts..." she said while holding his hands tightly. She was acting differently...

"Yeah, that," the boy said with clear shame in his voice.

"I have an idea," Amber began. "How about you give back everything you took from the nice people and, we'll try to find you a nice home?"

"What about the food?" the boy asked, clearly giving the idea some thought.

"Well...you're going to have to explain everything, no matter how hard it can be," Amber said while bitting her bottom lip slightly.

"So what do you say?" Al asked as he moved over to where we were, he's been a bystander most of the time.

"Okay!" the boy said with a smile. I smiled at the kid's spunk as Amber took his hand. "Can we return the other things later?" he squeaked. "I want to find a family first," he whispered.

"It's all right," Amber said while straightening up. "Let's do that...that way, things will be easier for you...right?" she asked him. He nodded in response as we started to look around the town for someone to take the boy as a part of their family. We knew that it was hard to try and impose on them like this but it never hurt to try and, we really thought that sending him over to a foster home, wouldn't be any easier.

"I'm really sorry that we haven't been able to find you a home yet," I said as we sat down for a late lunch.

"You've been trying really hard and that means a lot to me," James, the name of the boy, said as he took a bite off the sandwich that Amber had bought for him.

"We just hope some one will take you in that lives here so you don't have to go too far," Amber said while ruffling the boy's hair a little. "You seem like a great kid."

'Too bad she doesn't think of me like that,' I thought. Wait...what? No way did I think that...

"You'll find someone who will take care of you," Al said with an optimistic tone.

"Yep," Amber said as our bill came. Amber and I split the bill this time and resumed our search for a home for James. It was nearly sunset when he suggested that we return some of the things he stole so our walking around Jaen wouldn't be wasted. In the end we agreed and did just that, offering explanations to those he'd taken from. For the most part, he was completely forgiven and we couldn't be happier for him. Sadly, we couldn't find him a home. Deciding that it'd be safer if he stayed at the inn with us than at the house he lived in, we took him to there to be greeted by the owner.

"Hello there kids," she said rather cheerfully. "Hi there James," she said as she noticed the extra person that had joined our crowd. "How are your parents?" she asked. Amber and I pulled her over to one side and explained the situation. Her eyes told us that she fully grasped everything but somehow, her emotions were unreadable. Once we were done, she scooped up James in her arms and gave him a tight hug to which Amber and I couldn't help but smile at each other just a little. But unlike my smile, hers seemed to be slightly faded as if something wouldn't let her smile freely. First assignment done, at last.

"Where do we go after this?" I asked Amber as nicely as I could muster.

"Aleli to inspect military action, but that takes about a few days..." Amber answered. "The longest one is Rohdas which is about two weeks..."

"What?" I asked. "The trip or the stay?"

"The stay," Amber replied. "Don't ask me why. Anyway, I'm so happy you've found someone to take care of you James...if you excuse me, I'm tired and I'm heading off to bed." I watched as Amber made her way over to her room, not bothering to say anything else. I looked over to Al and the newly formed family with confused eyes and they all just shrugged.

"That was odd..." I commented. I could tell that Al was surprised at what I said and I was surprised myself. I decided to forget that I even mentioned anything and went to my room to rest.

Amber

I collapsed on my bed after a long day, nearly falling asleep as soon as my head made contact with the pillow. Somehow, sleep didn't come easy and I started to toss and turn in bed, thinking back on what had happened during the day. Ed and I had stopped fighting long enough to agree on something and actually helped little James get a home. It was nice to actually help someone after so long but sometimes I wonder if I did the right thing I accepting Roy's proposal of having a partner. Ed's been a pain from the start...

"Amber?" called out a voice from the other side of my room door.

"Who is it?" I asked, sitting up.

"It's Al," the voice replied. "Can I come in?"

"Sure," I said with a sigh. "Why not?" I added as Al stepped in.

"You seemed a little down earlier..." he commented as he sat down next to me on the bed. "You okay?"

"I'm fine Al," I said while looking out the window. "I'm just a little under the weather, that's all," I said as I got up. I walked over to the window I was looking at and admired the raindrops that were falling on it.

"You sure it's nothing else?" he asked. His armor creaked as he got up and walked over to me. I sighed and nodded, trying to get him off my back. It's not that he was bothering me. It's just that I need to think about what I'm going to do with myself after I'm done helping the Elrics get to Ishbal...I mean, the trip isn't that far off yet and I'm sure the reason Roy partnered me up with Ed is just so he has someone to take care of him since Roy can't be on his case all the time...I just wish that this weight in my heart fades away...

There ya go, Chapter 7! Hope you enjoyed it and thanks for reading(I'm not going to ask you to review anymorecause I don't want to force you into doing it...but last time I write this, appreciation is always good). Until next time!

Laters!

Laski