Chapter 2
"WHAT!"

The hallway was silent except for Nuala's footsteps and those of Fullmetal, and the clanking of the monstrous armored one. Come to think of it, why did that guy wear a suit of armor? He hadn't bothered to pull off his helmet at any point. What did his face look like? And to add to this peculiarity, his voice could not be more unlike the size of his body. She knew that Fullmetal was supposed to be the elder brother from gossip, but why was his younger brother so much bigger than him?

She didn't have much more time to think about it, because before she knew it, she was brought into a large office, with a table and two sofas as a seating area. Fullmetal knew the room all too well, for it was where he gave his reports to the Colonel.

The Colonel was already there. With his jet-black hair seemed very composed; Nuala guessed he probably had a very clever and intelligent mind behind the sharp eyes.

"Welcome, welcome," said the Colonel, and then gestured to the sofas in his office. Make yourselves comfortable. Still finding this all very absurd, Nuala followed his directions and took a seat. What was going on? This was all so spur-of-the-moment, that she felt her head in a flurry of questions. Though, her thoughts were interrupted when there was a knock at the door.

"Come in, Hawkeye," said the Colonel without even looking at the door as he took his own seat at a sofa. In came a woman with fair hair and similar face, and she immediately saluted the Colonel, though when she began to take note of just how many people were in the room, she seemed surprised.

"Who do we have here, Colonel?"

"Oh, just a squirt, his metallic brother, and a new friend. Come and have a seat. Let's get introductions over with."

Hawkeye scanned the faces of those in the room before finally taking a seat beside Mustang.

"So," began the Colonel, turning his gaze towards Nuala. "Do you have a name?"

"Oh! Uh, well," The thought of her name had slipped her mind due to the swirling chaos of her head. "Riddleson. Miss Riddleson."

"Very well then, Miss Riddleson. I assume you've already learned the names these two," he replied, clearly implying that it was the brothers that he spoke of.

"Actually, I have not been introduced."

"Well, well, Fullmetal. Where are your manners?" Fullmetal ignored the Colonel's comments.

"Pardon his behavior. His name is Edward, Edward Elric. And his brother here is Alphonse Elric."

"I'm glad to finally know your name, Miss Riddleson," said Alphonse. Nuala smiled warmly and nodded in reply, hoping that there was also a smile behind that iron helm. Edward's brother seemed to be his total opposite, the concept of yin and yang personified. And it couldn't be more obvious as Edward made no comment nor added anything to the conversation. He was still annoyed with the Colonel and there were probably some foul thoughts that included Nuala spinning in his head.

"And I am Colonel Roy Mustang, continued the Colonel. This woman here is Lieutenant Riza Hawkeye."

"A pleasure to meet you," said the Lieutenant politely.

"Likewise," Nuala replied. Well, so far things were not so bad. Despite the fact that Edward was cocking an attitude, the people here seemed quite pleasant.

"What brings you here to the East City, Miss Riddleson?" asked the Colonel, now continuing the conversation after all the introductions.

She replied with a wide grin on her face, "To find a cutie like you, of course."

Edward raised an eyebrow, while Hawkeye and Alphonse stared awkwardly. Though, the most priceless expression was that of the Colonel, who for once was actually surprised. Nuala could only laugh. "Just joking. It's nothing in particular, really. I travel a lot, and I hadn't journeyed to this part of the country yet.

"So young and already on your own? Surely you have more reason than 'just traveling'.

"No other reason really," Nuala replied shyly, half-lying.

"Are you looking for something?"

"I suppose you could say that. Due to lack of resources, I can't journey to the places I would have liked to search in."

"So you are looking for someone to provide you with the means for your journey."

Why was the Colonel asking all this? By now, he was being more than a little nosy. However, Fionnuala chose to be polite in the presence of the Elric brothers and Hawkeye.

"I would never expect anyone to give me anything without asking for something in return. I have nothing to give, thus going against the principle of Equivalent Exchange. I try to follow that rule to keep myself in line. Works well, really."

"Well, in that case, I think I know how we can help you out. I don't often lend some slack to traveling strangers, but I have a proposition for you."

Nuala's eyes shifted uneasily from face to face in the room. By now, Edward had at least looked at the Colonel, for this was unusual behavior for even him.

"These brothers are on a journey of their own. Perhaps if you accompanied them for a while, you could help them in their searches. In return, you are given resources to look into your own interests. It sounds like a fair trade to me."

"Me? Travel with the Elric brothers?" The idea seemed far too bizarre.

"WHAT!" Edward blurted out, suddenly partaking in the conversation. "Colonel Mustang, I-"

"Come now, Fullmetal." Mustang managed to silence the interruption. "Be more polite. So Miss Riddleson, I think you will find the Elric brothers very composed and responsible people."

It was at that exact moment that Alphonse's weight suddenly overcame the chair he had sat on (being that he had not sat on the sofa), and the seat shattered. Poor Al found himself sharing the ground with quite a few broken remains of wood.

"Herm... Right," Nuala said, trying to suppress her laughter.

Despite the crash, Edward continued to glare. This turn of events was even more upsetting than he thought imaginable.

"That settles it," said Mustang with a grin. "Miss Riddleson, you are given right to travel with a State Alchemist and help him with his duties, while we fund your own search. Are you willing?"

It was an offer that was hard to pass up. Despite the fact that she and Edward were not on the best of terms, Fionnuala really needed some way to pay for your trips. And who better than the military? It seemed to be her best option. Much better than the usual way, which frequently included her running out of food and sleeping in the street.

"I accept."

"Colonel, I really don't want this girl coming with me..." Edward pressed. The Colonel raised his hand to silence him once again. There was no alternative now. His mind was made up.

"Fullmetal, when do you next plan to leave on the train?"

Taken aback for a short moment, Edward was uncertain of what to say. "Tomorrow morning."

"Very well. Tomorrow morning, you will also take Miss Riddleson with you. Do you have a place to stay, miss?"

"No, I hadn't made any reservations."

"Good. You can use a dorm on the second floor."

Suddenly the phone on Mustang's desk began to ring. His eyes darted to the source of the noise. Sighing quietly, he quickly gave his final words as he walked over to the phone. "I ought to take this. You are all given leave for the afternoon."

All four of those sitting on the sofas, and Al on the floor, rose, paid their respects to the Colonel, and left the room.

The reactions to Colonel Mustangs strange decision were generally alike. All were rather puzzled, except, of course, Edward, who could just barely control his anger. This day seemed to be turning out to be one of his worst.

Alphonse started on his way back into the office. "I'm going to fix the chair," he said, with a bit of embarrassment. Though he was prevented by his brother, who took him by the arm and began dragging him down the hall.

"But Brother, shouldn't I-"

"No. Let's go." Alphonse couldn't seem to find any words, and submitted to his brother's will. Edward's temper was rising to an explosive level. It was probably safest for everyone if the two went outside.

Once the brothers had left, you found yourself muttering, "How obnoxious." Then Nuala remembered that she ought to find her room. So she said, looking to Hawkeye. "Where I can find this second-floor dorm?"

She smiled in reply, "Right this way. Follow me." The Lieutenant led Fionnuala down a hall, up a flight of stairs, and down yet another hallway. Stopping a short distance down, she opened a door. "In here." The curious young girl stepped in to find humble, though to her quite reasonable, lodgings. A small room in which there was a bunk bed, a desk accompanied by a chair, and a solitary window.

"Thank you," she said, with a smile and a bow to Hawkeye. Nuala then proceeded to leave her possessions, which only consisted of a leather backpack, on her bed.

"I'll be in the Mess Hall if you need anything." Hawkeye said before closing the door behind her. Nuala sat down on the bed. The only sound filling her head was that of the Lieutenant's footsteps, but then she found herself in a very empty space. A few minutes passed by.

"Yeah... this is boring." Nuala got up, thinking that perhaps you could get at least a small meal in the mess hall. Leaving her stuff in your room, she made her way downstairs, wandering about in hopes of finding the Mess Hall. Conveniently, it wasn't that difficult to find. Of course, the giant signs stating quite clearly "Mess Hall" were helpful, too. Taking a peek inside, she saw that the only two currently in the room were Hawkeye, and a black-haired man sitting beside her. Hawkeye seemed annoyed with him, at least for what her stern expression allowed. Fionnuala pushed the door in, and began to walk, but before she could get far, she felt her feet pulled out from underneath her, and then a hard landing on the floor with an aching back.

"Yowch. What the heck happened?" As she looked up, she saw a very adorable puppy, with one of her boot laces in its mouth.

"Miss Riddleson! I'm so sorry!" Nuala could hear Hawkeye crying her apologies as she ran over. The man she had been sitting with stood up, too, but Hawkeye gestured that she didn't need his help.

"No really, it's okay. I like dogs." Nuala's gaze fell upon the innocent, looking puppy, its tail wagging oh-so-adorably. "I used to have one myself." The memories of her dog in the past seemed warm and comforting. However, Hawkeye's hand entered her vision, breaking Nuala's thoughts. Taking the offer, she pulled herself up.

"So, did you come down for a meal?"

"Well, that and I haven't much else to do."

"Just a moment, then." Hawkeye picked up the dog and approached the doors Nuala had just previously entered through. As she neared it, an officer walked by outside. "Sir!" Hawkeye increased her pace to catch up. The officer stopped, looking curiously at her with the dog in her arms. "Could you take this dog outside for me? He got in somehow."

"Certainly," said the officer kindly. He took the dog from Hawkeye and saluted her before departing. Hawkeye responded with the same, and then returned to Fionnuala.

"Let's get you some food, now," continued Hawkeye politely, leading you over to the food counter. Fionnuala took a tray and began to help herself. Usually, she didn't eat much, but since she hadn't eaten in a long while, her appetite had doubled at the very least. After Nuala had made herself a decent meal, she followed Hawkeye over to the table where she had been sitting before. The man there had remained quiet for the moment, probably waiting for Hawkeye. "Miss Riddleson, this is Major Hughes. Hughes, this is Miss Riddleson. Just today she was granted right to travel with the Elric brothers."

"Pleased to meet you," said Hughes, holding out his hand across the table. Fionnuala put out her own to shake it. "I wish you luck. Edward Elric can be rather sensitive and foul-tempered for all his swagger." Nuala certainly agreed. Though she hadn't seen him do much swaggering, she figured that he was the type to do it. Quite spontaneously, Hughes continued on. "To distract you from that, why don't I show you a picture of my 2-year-old daughter?"

Before she could say anything, Hawkeye interjected, "Not now, Hughes." The Major was already pulling out photographs. While Nuala ate, he began to add his own captions to each picture as he went along. Hawkeye had given up on stopping him, and simply sat there and listened. Fionnuala, on the other hand, would nod her head in agreement every so often, or smile at a particularly cute picture of Elicia Hughes.

"But brother! My conscience is going to haunt me for the rest of the day if I just leave that chair shattered."

"They can fix it on their own." Edward was still in a horrible mood. Despite the fact that he was much smaller than Alphonse, he could manage to lug him out of the military headquarters by the arm. By the time they had come to the outside of the gate, Al gave a hard yank and pulled free. Edward sighed and glared into the distance. His shoulders were slouched which only exaggerated his frame of mind.
Come on. Let's go eat."

"But shouldn't we just get some food from the Mess Hall?"

"Of course not."

"Why?"

"Because the brat is most likely in there. She's the last person I want to eat with." He began to walk down the street. Al decided to simply follow. It was pointless to argue for the time being. Not much time had passed before they found a caf. Edward sat down without a word, and put in an order for a sandwich, soup, and some water. Al took a seat beside him, and waited until the waitress left. For a while there was an awkward silence. Edward leaned back in his chair with his arms crossed, staring at the ground. Al, on the other hand, hunched forward, his hands in his lap.

"Brother?"

"Yeah?"

"You really shouldn't be so hard on Miss Riddleson."

"And why not?" shot back the elder brother.

"Well...She doesn't exactly seem like a bad person. She seems to be a nice one, really. I think it'll be nice to have someone new around."

"To you anyway. She hasn't said a single word of kindness to me. She's just-"

Alphonse interjected. "I wouldn't say that." Edward's eyes finally moved from the ground to meet the glow inside Al's helmet. "Imagine if she hadn't made the mistake of thinking I was the Fullmetal Alchemist. Did you hear what she said? Something along the lines of being honored to meet me. Just think if she had said that to you. Would you be so angry with her then?"

Edward was silent for a moment. Al's argument was valid, though he was not going to admit that. After some thought, he gave his response. "She should have asked us before taking up on Mustang's offer." Just then the waitress gave Ed his food.

"Will that be all?"

"Mcyessh, shthankch." Faster than lightning, Ed was already wolfing down the food.

"For the time being, yes, he means," translated Alphonse. She smiled and left, allowing Al to reply to his brother, "That's true. But I think she already knew that you would immediately deny her the chance. I think she has a real reason to come with us."

"You mean that whole crap about how she's searching for something? Sounds fishy to me." Said Edward as he munched. "And I find it suspicious that she didn't give her first name. I think she's hiding something. I don't know why Mustang trusts her so much."

Alphonse sighed and gave up once more. Fionnuala had been kind to him, and he thought Ed should at least consider that. But for now, it really was hopeless to talk to him.

Back in the Mess Hall, a couple hours later...

"Hughes? Don't you have something to report to the Colonel?" Hawkeye was by now flat out sick of the obsessed Major. Even Nuala had gotten tired of it all, and it was just the first time he had shown her the pictures of his daughter. Elicia was indeed cute, but she were tired from the day.

"Umm... Yeah. I suppose I should get to that. Hehe. He's probably off the phone by now." Hughes, knowing that if he said any more Hawkeye's gun would be firing, gathered up his photos and left the hall, leaving Nuala and Hawkeye in peace and quiet. She ate the last bites of her dinner in total silence. But Hawkeye broke it with a troubled voice.

"I apologize for the Colonel's rash actions. He isn't usually this strange."

"Huh?"

"I myself don't understand why he would push you into the Elrics' affairs." Hawkeye rested her elbows on the table and folded her hands beneath her chin while she stared at the table surface between the two of them. "They aren't exactly ordinary, and danger often follows them. You can blame their fame and Edward's loud mouth for that."

Fionnuala paused, briefly thinking things over. "Don't worry about it."

"Are you certain of that?" she asked cautiously, her eyes looking up at Nuala's.

"Yeah. Though I do not know exactly what sort of danger follows them, I'll be able to take care of myself. I'm an alchemist as well, and though I may not be as special as some child prodigy, I can defend myself against the hardships of traveling in dangerous territory. Years of traveling have taught me how." She smiled assuredly.

Hawkeye looked surprise for a moment, and then a kind smile spread across her face in reply to Fionnuala's. "How old are you?"

"Fifteen. Why?"

"You're very mature for your age. I hope you do well and find whatever it is you're looking for."

It felt good to hear those words. "Thanks. That's always an encouragement. Now, I think I'll get to bed. I probably have a very long day tomorrow." You got up to put the tray and plate in their proper places.

"I'll wake you up in the morning," said Hawkeye, standing up as well. "Good night." She made her way towards the hallway.

"Lieutenant Hawkeye!" Nuala called suddenly, just as she was about to exit through the double doors.

"Yes?" She said, turning in surprise.

"Thanks... For worrying about me." Nuala felt like she owed the Lieutenant quite a bit for watching her for the afternoon.

Hawkeye smiled. "You're most welcome." And then she disappeared into the hallway.

Some minutes later Fionnuala was at the desk that sat near the door, writing on a fresh new page in a leather-bound book.

My dear Keeper,

It's been a few days now since my last entry. However I simply must record my thoughts, while they are still fresh. You see, Keeper, today marks the beginning of-

She paused, the pen suddenly freezing in its repetitive motion. What exactly was beginning as of that day? An adventure? A devious detour? A huge mistake? Suddenly anything seemed possible. Perhaps answers to questions known and unknown waited behind the curtain of the future.

A new chapter in my life story. That's the most I can assume, Keeper. Why, might you ask? It never would have crossed my mind as I had strode into the streets of East City that I would begin traveling with the Elric brothers, the Fullmetal Alchemist being one of them, the next morning. Edward, the elder of the brothers, is the one who holds the title, while the younger is Alphonse.

This unusual turn of events occurred during my first few minutes in East City. The brothers approached me after watching me perform a transmutation. The ensuing conversation was not exactly what one would call pleasant. I find that the brothers are yin and yang personified. Edward has proven to be a thin-skinned and hot-tempered git while Alphonse seems to be much more sensible. To a certain extent, though. He's significantly larger than his elder brother, in height and in body weight, and he wears a suit of armor. Perhaps tomorrow I'll have the opportunity to see his face.

The Colonel Mustang saw us talk, and invited the three of us into the headquarters, something I found rather strange. To make the rest of the tale short, he interrogated me for a brief time, and then struck a deal with me. If I help Edward in his duties as a state alchemist, I will receive financial support for my journey. I simply couldn't refuse. Things finally may start looking up because of this.

Besides the Elrics and Mustang, I came to meet the peculiar Lieutenant Colonel Hughes, who has a strange obsession with the photographs of his young daughter, and the composed, as well as friendly, Lieutenant Riza Hawkeye. From what I can tell, she's the only one around with her head screwed on straight. I hope I get to see her more often.

Well, Keeper, I've had my fill of writing for today. Let us hope that the times are fortunate, despite the fact that they rarely are. No doubt tomorrow will be in no way lacking of interest.

With all sincerity,
Fionnuala

With that, she blew the ink dry, closed the book, and tightened the string which kept it from opening. Setting the book in her bag, she lazily walked over to the bed, and threw herself on. As tired as she was, and as comfortable as that bed seemed, it was difficult to fall asleep with the anticipation that had begun to stir in her stomach.

"Alright, Hughes, that's good for today." Colonel Mustang straightened a pile of papers on his desk and filed them away.

"Yes, sir," Hughes responded casually with a satisfied smile on his face.

There was a knock at the door. Both men looked towards it in curiosity.

"Who is it?" Mustang asked.

"Hawkeye, sir," responded the Lieutenant from behind the door.

"Come on in, Hawkeye." Mustang returned to reorganizing the papers on his desk into piles. Hawkeye pushed open the door and came forward to salute both Hughes and Mustang.

"Well, I'll get out of your way. I've got an early train, tomorrow, anyways. With a farewell from both officers, he took his leave, leaving only the Lieutenant and the Colonel.

"So, Hawkeye," began Mustang, talking while setting his desk in his idea of order. "What can I do for you?"

Hawkeye had thought about how she would articulate this on the way here. What she really wanted to do is ask why he was being such a reckless dimwit. But no, she would save the pleasure of asking that question for someone in the higher-ups. Choosing her words carefully, she started. "It's about the girl, Miss Riddleson."

"Oh? How is she? I imagine that you've gotten to know her in the past few hours."

"Only a little, sir. Hughes prevented almost all conversation in the Mess Hall."

Mustang smiled as he dropped his pens one by one into their holder.

"But Colonel, might I ask why you're having her travel with the Elrics?"

"Why do you ask? Do you think she isn't trustworthy?"

Well, that was her thought at the beginning of the afternoon. Her brief conversation with you and instilled a somewhat stronger trust.

"She seems to be a good person, but that's not what is bothering me so much."

"Well then, what is?" replied Mustang offhandedly as he continued to push things around. He had barely bothered to look at her while she spoke.

"At the moment, it's how distracting this ridiculous act you call organizing is while I'm talking to you."

Mustang froze in the action of filing away a paper, and his eyes shifted to meet the Lieutenant's. "Very well, Hawkeye. It was true, even after all the ruckus, his desk still wasn't really organized. It just had several very large piles of papers, all of which should have been put in drawers a while ago. Mustang sat back in his chair and folded his hands. "Continue."

"Well, sir, for one thing, it isn't truly advisable by military policy to pull strangers out of the street and give them jobs with high ranking officers. Secondly, the Elrics arent exactly the safest people to be around. You, of all people, should know that. More than once, they've dealt with murderers, criminals, and most anything else. Sending a young girl without much experience in those sorts of situations could result in bad news for the Elrics, Miss Riddleson, and you. If the Generals in Central find out that a girl that is not even in the military personnel is killed because you put her there, it could result in serious punishment, demotion, and even expulsion. Surely you know all this?"

Mustang breathed deeply and looked down at his desk. "I do."

"Then why, sir?"

"I have my reasons."

The Lieutenant's eyes narrowed. She hated it when Mustang withheld information from her like this. Though it wasn't her business professionally, but she feared how this could all end. "May I be informed of any of them?" She finally said, in as calm a voice as she could.

"For now, I'd just like to see how this will unfold. If things start to look bad, I'll pull Riddleson out and have her placed somewhere out of harm's way.

You're planning something that will work to your advantage, thought Hawkeye warily. "Can you promise me that?"

Mustang looked up and smiled. "I will do what is in my best judgment, Hawkeye."

Despite the fact that that probably wasn't the most assuring of answers, Hawkeye relaxed a little. "That is good to hear, sir."

"Get some rest, Hawkeye. I think we'd both like to see our new trio off in a somewhat conscious condition."

"Yes, sir."

"And lay off on the sirs, for once." Mustang added amusedly.

Hawkeye smiled a little. "Good night, Mustang." After a short salute, she turned on her heel and exited through the double doors.

Once the door had closed, Mustang sighed. "Good night, Riza."