Roy is sitting in his office making a loud phone call when Laquisha arrives at headquarters. "Yes… I know…. Hahahahahaha! NO! … No you won't!"

Laquisha walks through the halls wondering where his office was again when she hears him making phone calls. She stops before the door where the noise of the call is at loudest and knocks. 'Come in!' someone on the other side of the door says. Laquisha opens the door and hears that Roy is continuing his phone call again. "No … Yeah… No I have to hang…"

Laquisha walks in, shuts the door behind her and waits till Mustang is ready. "No, I will not, let Kain do it… yeah sure. Bye bye." Roy ends his phone call and puts the horn back on its place. "Sir! Lieutenant General Rundall reports in. I've just returned from the scene and came to you like you asked me to," Laquisha says, while saluting, when Mustang points his attention at her. "Yes I can see that, Laquisha. I always thought you were fast. Well then, shoot. Tell me what happened," Roy says. He leans forward on his desk, with his chin resting on his hands.

"The target managed to escape during a fire outbreak within the village. I can also proudly report that no Ishbalians were hurt or killed during this fire and we managed to get our soldiers back in safety. There were no reported casualties," Laquisha tells. Roy relaxes and leans back in his comfortable office chair. "Alright. You mentioned before that you were wounded, what happened?" he asks. Laquisha instinctively places her hand on her wounded check.

"He's very quick, sir. He managed to get next to me somehow when I was about to take him into custody. And then he attacked me with a knife and disappeared," Laquisha explains. The wound burns when a slight blush of embarrassment runs over her cheeks. Even thought the wound burns, she won't give a kick. "Hmm. So, he's fast, huh?" Roy says while thinking about something.

"Yes. He truly is, sir. You taught him well," Laquisha says, the last sentence having a sarcastic tone. Roy smiles when he hears Laquisha's hateful remark. He knows very well that the girl doesn't like him, he just doesn't care all that much. "Well, he was one of the best in my squad. I wonder why he turned against us," he calmly says and he leans back in his chair to think about something again, and this time, he seems very deep in thought.

"Me too, sir," Laquisha answers, thought her answer is firm and pretty normal spoken, Roy does hear a sweep of uncertainty and sadness. Mirosuji had always been a good friend of her, her first friend. "But we might have a hit, sir," Laquisha then says, her voice sounds energetic and proud again. Roy looks up from his thoughts. "A hint?" he asks surprised and he arches an eyebrow. "Yes. We managed to capture three people who might know more about the former lieutenant colonel," Laquisha says.

"Oh really? Who?"

"A girl, 6 years old; a boy, 17 years old and old man from around your age, sir."

"You're always so nice to me," Roy says with a smile, referring to the fact that Laquisha just indirectly called him old. He's used to this kind of behavior from her and he doesn't blame her for that. He knows that her anger towards him isn't based on nothing. He, after all, was the one who discovered that she had a strong form of alchemy, namely being able to create blood from small amounts by adding water from the air, iron from the ground and a lot her own energy, and then use that blood to fight. He told Laquisha's father, General Ricardo Rundall, and a good friend of his about Laquisha's special form of alchemy, where after Ricardo forced his daughter to join the State Alchemists, which brought even more pressure on the young girl. Soon after Laquisha joined the State Alchemists, she was promoted to Lieutenant General and they placed her under her father's supervision.

"Always, sir," Laquisha answers with a smile. "All Ishbalians, I take it," Roy asks. "Yes, I'm afraid so, sir," Laquisha answers, her head a bit bended downwards, like she is sorry that her prisoners are indeed, Ishbalians. "Oh? You don't like Ishbalians?" Roy asks. Laquisha is surprised by this question. Roy knows that Laquisha is half Ishbalian and he should know that Laquisha always tries to avoid another riot among the Ishbalian people. The imprisoning of three of their people, including a little girl and a priest, could cause uproar. "I never said that, sir. Do you hate them?"

"Not really."

"Okay… of course you don't hate them. If you did you would have never hired the traitor," Laquisha says. Roy sighs and continues. "Anyhow is there anything else I should know?" he asks. "Not really sir. But I have a question, sir," Laquisha says.

"Go ahead, asks."

"What the hell is inside that file which is so important that I, a Lieutenant General, have to guard it with all my forces?"

"…it's a manuscript."

"A manuscript?"

"Yes. It's… it's a document, written by The Fullmetal Alchemist himself."

"The… the Fullmetal… the Fullmetal alchemist himself? THE Edward Elric?"

"Yes."

Laquisha lets herself fall on Roy's couch, totally paralyzed. The importance of the entire situation is now becoming clearer to her. "That's why we need it back that desperately, you understand?" Roy says. "I understand," Laquisha answers, who has found her normal voice and composure back again, "but, it's just a national treasure, I suppose. Why would he steal it?"

"I don't know," Roy answers. "There must be more to that file than what meets the eyes," Laquisha says, ignoring Roy's answer, "and I think you more about it."

"I knew the Fullmetal alchemist personally."

"I know. I studied army history, remember? I know all about it. You, in fact, were his commanding officer."

"That is correct. I know much about him and his adventures, more than even the history book know," Roy answers. Laquisha looks at him, hopefully. She still hopes that Roy will tell her the truth. "But I have promised, no… I've sworn to him not to tell anyone about the contents of that notebook," Roy says after a short period of time.

"Why? For what purpose did you swear something like that?"

"To make sure that it doesn't repeat itself."

"Repeat? Repeat what? What the hell are you talking about, sir?"

"I'm sorry. I can't tell you," Roy answers calmly, even though he's noticing that Laquisha is getting angry and angrier every time he tells her something new or refuses to tell her anything. "What!" Laquisha screams while she stands up. Roy can see that she is really angry this time. But he can't do anything, he has sworn it. He looks right into her eyes with his most serious look ever. "I can't tell you any more."

"Humpfff… fine!" Laquisha says, where after she turns around and walks away. Without greeting him off. "Take care!" Roy says after her, with his normal, playful, voice. Laquisha thought, hasn't heard it anymore, because she's already out of the room and has slammed the door behind her. "I can't believe that JERK!" she screams and she walks off, back to her own office, still angry at the old man in his office.

The old man himself, Roy, is leaning back in his chair, deeply in thought. He hadn't expected this to happen. On one end, he did, but on the other end, he had thought and hoped that Laquisha had more self-control. 'If Mirosuji hadn't found out what was in that notebook, he wouldn't have turned against us. I'm sorry that I didn't protect its secret better, Laquisha.'

Laquisha has calmed down a little and now sits on a bench in the sun, outside in the courtyard. 'Miro, why? I thought we were friends.'

Laquisha remains there, enjoying the sun and trying not the think about Miro as something pops into her mind. It makes her whole body freeze over. "Oops. I forgot to tell that old man that the prisoners are already here… well no good can do," she says to herself and stands up to stretches herself, "and now, I want a nice hot bath. I smell like fire."

Seron paces up and down the small cell, unstoppable and deeply in thought. "My son… calm down," Scar says. Seron stops with pacing for a moment and screams: "I can't, father! He… that man, he… he is a State Alchemist! How could I ever have trusted that guy!"

"Patience, my son… the answers will come soon," Scar says, trying to calm the raging boy down. Seron had been pacing up and down the cell ever since the soldiers brought them here. Keira had already fallen asleep on the wooden bench next to Scar, who sat next to her on the wooden bench. "What answers, father? He's a state alchemist! He might have killed hundreds and thousands of our people!"

"He isn't one of the wars, my son. If he was, he would have been much older. He wasn't even born when it happened," Scar says, still calm but a little fired up now that he thinks back at that horrible time, when thousands of Ishbalians were killed, including his older brother. This had stained most of his life.

"Then who knows how many of our people he sold to the army? All those people who got taken away for crimes they hadn't even committed! He's a traitor," Seron argues. It makes Scar sigh deeply. He knows what is going on and what Mirosuji motives were to enter the state alchemists in the first place, but Seron wouldn't understand that. Not now that he's so angry. And the boy might say something during his interrogation and then it would be all over. "Please, give him a chance. It might be different then what you think, my son," he says.

"He's a state alchemist, father, a sinful traitor. Our god despises alchemists, doesn't he, father? That's all I need to know," Seron says, not looking at Scar when he asks the question. "My son, some start out like traitors, but become hero's in the end and…"

"A traitor is sill a traitor father," Seron says to cut Scar off, "even if he becomes a here later." Scar smiles for the boldness that Seron shows. A normal person would never dare to insult a priest is Ishbal like this, but Seron never cared for that. "Please now, let it rest. Your anger isn't going to help us out of here," he says. "I know that father," Seron answers, his voice doesn't sound angry any more. "If we just do what they want us to do, they'll let us go soon enough," Scar says. "I sure hope so, father. For Keira's sake too," Seron says and he starts pacing up and down the cell again.

Scar leans back against the wall and sighs. "I have this strange feeling that I will bump into someone I know," he says and he doesn't sound happy about it. "Someone you know, father?" Seron asks, using the words that Scar just used to phrase his sentence. "There are a few men and women I know from the past, who work around here," Scar answers.

"The past?" Seron asks surprised and Scar nods to answer his question. Seron sits down next to Scar and asks: "Could you tell me about it, father Scar?" Scar looks surprised at the boy next to him, but then decides to tell him. It will at least keep his mind off the whole thing with Mirosuji, for a while. "It was in the days that I was young… and ignorant. I was filled with rage against the so-called "Dogs of the Military", the men and women who had slain thousands of our people. I went to search for them, and to destroy them all. That is when I met the Elric brothers."

"Wait. You mean THE famous Elric brothers?"

"Yes."

"Awesome."

"You think? Well, the eldest never liked me; the younger one was more tolerant…"

"How could he not like you, father? You're the nicest person I know."

"Back then I wasn't all that nice, Seron," Scar says and he laughs softly.

"I can't imagine that."

"And Edward had a temper and mind of his own. In that time, I met another alchemist, who I was never able to kill. Back then he was still a young recruit."

"Who was it?"

"Roy Mustang, the Flame Alchemist. A rather clumsy person back then, but yet, full with alchemic skills."

"THE Roy Mustang? The first general, the next in line?"

"Yes Seron."

"Wow, you knew a lot of important people, didn't you, father?"

"I suppose I did. But those were dark times, my son. I do wonder what Mustang is up to now."

"Dark *yawn* times?" Seron asks, while he tries to cover the yawn in the middle of his question. "Yes, but it's all gone now. You should rest though, my son," Scar says and Seron yawns again, but this time he doesn't try to hide it from Scar. "We have a long day ahead of us," Scar say. "Okay father. Good night," Seron says and he lies down on the other bench to fall asleep there. Scar looks at the two children sleeping. How he wishes that this would've never happened to them.