The scream ripped through the town-city of Liore as the noon hour crept upon the citizens. Everyone that heard it immediately turned in the general direction it came from, one of the apartment complexes the city had.

The news of the scream traveled fast, and within a few minutes, the news about the scream reached the ears of the Fullmetal Alchemist. He turned to the two girls talking about it and called out, "What happened?"

"I can't be to sure," the one of the right explained, "But there was a scream coming from one of the apartments near the church. I don't know what happened after that, but I think that someone from the military showed up to help handle the situation."

Edward nodded, trying to keep the rising worry in his chest from taking hold of his body. "Thanks for the tip," he said before turning back to Alphonse.

"Brother-"

"I know. Come on, Al."

Edward and Alphonse quickly made their way to Rose's apartment. From the outside, it didn't look like anything was wrong, but the tension in the air around the building was thick, and that made them all the more worried about what happened.

"I can't let you pass," someone at the entrance said.

"Why not?" Edward asked.

"I decided it would be best to make sure no one went in. It's not a good idea for-"

Edward cut his explanation short by pulling out his State Alchemist certification.

"Oh…I'm sorry, Mr. State Alchemist. You guys can go on ahead." The man stepped away from the door.

Edward nodded, putting the watch back and running up the stairs.

Wham! Wham! Wham! Wham!

Edward and Alphonse found themselves covered in tomatoes. Where did Lovino get tomatoes all the way out here? Edward asked himself.

"Hey, bastard!" Lovino shouted. "I thought your military was supposed to be protecting us!"

Edward shook his head. "They are!" Edward shouted.

"Brother," Alphonse said. He motioned to the group and said, "Feliciano's missing."

"Huh?" Edward took a look at the group again, and did a headcount. It seemed like everyone was there. Then he realized that there was only one cap of red hair amidst all the chibis, and there was a new silver one instead.

Lovino kicked him multiple times, grunting with each kick, "Then. Why. Did. One. Take. Feliciano?" By the time he finished, he sat down and rubbed his foot, not realizing Edward's left leg – the one he had been kicking – was made of automail.

"What? Ok, I need an explanation," Edward stated.

Arthur called out, "She's not dead! Just fainted."

"Oh thank god," Alfred sighed. He walked over to Rose, who was lying on the ground.

Edward took the scene in again. Rose was lying on the ground with what Edward really hoped wasn't a bullet hole through one of her shoulders, a silver-haired chibi, and Feliciano missing. The only blood was coming from the wound in Rose's shoulder, but everyone else seemed unharmed, and nothing seems to have moved.

He crouched down next to Lovino, saying, "I need to know what happened."

"This damned bastard showed up, shot Rose, and took Feliciano," Lovino grunted.

Edward sighed. "I kind of figured that."

"He's not going to come back, is he?" Peter asked, hiding behind one of the couches.

Alphonse walked over, saying, "Of course not, Peter. Can you tell us what happened?"

"Well, we were all sitting there just talking when someone knocked on the door. Rose went and answered it and the guy forced her back inside. He was wearing a blue uniform and had blonde hair, standing about as tall as the doorway. Once he had the door closed behind him, he demanded that Rose give him Feliciano. Rose refused, so he threatened her with a gun. It didn't stop her, though, and she made sure that she was in the way of the gun. When she didn't move he…he…" Peter started crying, obviously not wanting to go on.

Arthur walked over and finished, "He shot rose and grabbed Feliciano. I tried to stop him by using some of my magic but I just got him." Arthur stabbed his finger at the silver-haired kid, who looked fine sitting there in the middle of a crime scene, content even. Arthur walked over to the kid and asked, "Why do you always have to show up? Do you hate me or something?"

"Nope~" the kid replied happily. "Oh, wait." He said, pausing as he thought about it. "Yes. Yes, I do."

"Well now that bastard's got Feliciano, and he may have been working for Francis!" Lovino shouted.

The room fell dead quiet, before the silver-haired new arrival said, "Well, this doesn't really concern me." He got up to leave.

Edward blocked his way, saying, "Hold it."

"Kol kol kol," the kid muttered at being blocked.

"What's your name?" Edward asked.

"Ivan," the kid replied. "Can I go now? I must be getting back home."

"I don't think you're going anywhere," Edward replied, looking down at him. "Right now, our first priority is getting Rose some help. Arthur, can you make sure Ivan stays here?"

"What?" Arthur asked.

Edward either didn't hear him or ignored him. He walked over to Alphonse and said, "I'm going to find a phone to call Mustang. He's not going to be happy about this, but we're going to need to get Rose to a hospital and the rest of them into military custody until we can get Feliciano back."

"What makes you bastards think I'm going with you?" Lovino shouted. "One of those bastards from your military took my little brother; you think I'm going to let myself be taken into their custody?"

"Brother?" Alphonse and Edward asked in unison.

"Feliciano!" Lovino shouted. Then he paused, before gripping his head with his hand. "You thought he was a girl, didn't you?"

"Feliciano's a boy?" Edward and Alphonse asked in unison. They looked at each other, wondering how that was possible. Feliciano didn't seem like a boy.

"Yes he's a boy!" Lovino shouted.

Arthur called out, "You guys can complain later, just get those military guys here quickly." It was easy to tell that Ivan was making him very, very nervous, though why was anyone who didn't know Ivan's guess.

Edward walked out, still trying to come to the terms that Feliciano was a boy, and when he finally reached a phone tried to push it out of his head as he called Mustang.

"Colonel Mustang, East Headquarters," Mustang replied.

"Did you know Feliciano's a boy?" Edward blurted out, before sighing. "Sorry, I just had a lot to deal with," Edward muttered, completely embarrassed he just said that.

Mustang said, "Of course Feliciano's a boy. Makes a pretty convincing girl, though, doesn't he? Now, is there any real reason you called me, Fullmetal?"

Edward sighed again. He really didn't want to explain what happened, but he did anyway.

"One of our own men kidnapped him?" Mustang asked.

"You think-" Edward started.

"It couldn't be anyone else," Mustang said. "I'll send some of my men there right away to pick you guys up. We'll also need to pay a little visit to Central. Make sure no one get Lovino!"

"Right," Edward replied, but the phone was already dead. He hurried back to the apartment and found that Rose had regained consciousness, Alphonse trying to bind the bullet wound.

"No one else came," Alphonse told him the moment he entered.

Edward nodded. "Mustang's sending some of his men here right now."

"I already told you, I'm not going with the military bastards!" Lovino shouted.

"Lovino!" Edward shouted over the Italian. "It wasn't someone from the military." He explained. "I can't be certain, but he was simply disguising himself as a MP."

"Is Feliciano going to be all right?" Arthur asked.

Edward stayed silent.

xxx

"Where are you taking me?" Feliciano cried.

"Oh, can't you just shut up already?" the MP complained as he walked down the tunnel. Getting the kid had been surprisingly easy, but he wasn't sure how much longer he could deal with her before he choked the kid to death.

"Envy, you've returned," the black-haired female greeted him as he walked in.

The MP had red lightning shoot across his body as he turned into a familiar spiky green-haired transvestite known as Envy the Homunculus. "Yea but let me tell you, this kid is annoying as hell."

"Where am I? Who's she?" Feliciano asked.

Envy held the little persona of North Italy out and said, "Please tell me I'm not going to be the one babysitting."

"We've already gotten that taken care of," Lust explained. "I'm sure that this little one will be fine around Pride and Wrath."

"What?" Feliciano asked.

/AN

Cliffhanger. I found Ed's and Al's reaction to finding out Feli's a guy priceless, but do you guys think you can do better? Review with your ideas on what happens when they realize it, and I'll turn the ones I find the best into an omake. But please, keep them rated T! And don't forget to suggest countries to join Ed and Al as they search for Feli, or maybe they'll join the Homunculi…you shall never know~ Not until the next chapter, anyway!

R&R Please!

AN/