It was the talk of the office. Fullmetal challenged the investigative team and the colonel to an advanced game of hide and seek. The winner got a favor, no questions asked. No limit either, so long as it was legal.

It was more than enough to get Mustang to go along with it. And Ed even gave them some help. Alphonse was going to be on the colonel's team trying to find him. The game was simple.

Ed would stay in Eastern Command for one month alone. In that time Roy had to find and capture him successfully back to the office. Alchemy was limited, no weapons allowed to be made. Which meant Ed couldn't use his favorite arm-blade. Everyone who worked under Mustang was in on it.

Ed knew he had a secret weapon though. He could blend in better than Roy ever thought.

Day One

Alphonse woke up to find Ed gone again. At least this time he knew why. Ed had also promised to leave them clues whenever they got close to his hiding spot.

Day ten

Al was surprised to find Ed was still on the run. Mustang was starting to use his best weapon on Ed. Height comments. A few vehicles could be seen driving past with loud speakers shouting out short jokes. It was always a good way to get Ed's temper up.

Day Twenty

It was highly interesting how office betting pools worked. One could drop off a random amount, and make a killing with no one wiser to who had made the bet.

Right now the odds were on the Colonel winning, but it was close. For each day Ed was out, his chances went up. Most people had lost hundreds within the first five days. Even more lost when the loud speakers didn't work.

Day Thirty

Colonel Mustang was stumped. Fullmetal had been missing for the entire month, with only one day left before he won. He couldn't figure out how he was doing it. He even had his secret weapon, the younger brother! Al was becoming increasingly agitated the longer Ed was gone. Nothing they did to trick Ed had worked!

Not to mention the money he would lose to the only guy in the office who actually bet on Ed winning. Whoever Kit was, he was about to make a killing.

Day Thirty two

The tension was high. Ed had yet to show up. Somehow, Mustang knew he wasn't going to like it when Ed did come back.

The only winner of the office betting pool was snickering at the colonel's predicament. He walked right on out the door to make a deposit in the bank.

Roy looked out the window scowling. Kit must have felt the staring, because he stopped for a moment and smirked at him.

That was when Roy Mustang saw it. The flash of metal on the guy's right arm. There was only one person in Eastern Command with automail.

Everyone heard the Colonel cry out in disbelief.

Ed walked in with a smirk on his face. Roy was depressed, and it got worse when Ed started laughing at him.

"One month and you couldn't find the only kid in the entire city with well crafted automail? I'm amazed you weren't demoted!"

Apparently the Fuhrer had found out about the bet, and had wagered on the colonel too. Ed still couldn't believe that he never noticed the new face in the office. Add to the fact that they didn't even recognize him in the same room, and the humiliation was complete.

"You cheated Fullmetal."

"I never said I was leaving the office, now did I? I still can't believe you didn't see the automail until I had to deliberately roll up my sleeve! I didn't even hide it that well."

"I can't believe you didn't respond to the height comments, brother."

Ed smirk widened.

"Get out a measuring tape and check again."

Riza did just that, and they found out why Ed didn't respond to the short jokes. He had grown a foot and a half in the past three months. And yet he didn't walk with a limp, which meant his automail had been adjusted by someone.

The only problem was that there were no automail surgeons in the city. He would have had to leave in order to get the problem fixed.

"I never even had to leave. The automail I have on now is self adjusting. For every inch I gained, it grew a little longer. It just slips and locks to the correct height."

Hence the reason Ed avoided Winry the moment she came to see him. If she ever caught him with automail like that, she would most likely kill him. After what Ed pulled in his hide and go seek game, Mustang probably would have let her.

Ed grew fond of his disappearing act. Especially when people proved a little too hostile to State Alchemists. So he would slip away, leaving Al behind at the inn, then return at a random time in the night, pretending to have just got there. Al just went with it, acting as though he had met him on the road.

The only way he could tell it was even Ed is because the random person always struck up a conversation on metal oil. Al knew a few things, thanks to the armor, and talked to the stranger.

At least now he was starting to get a good idea of what Ed looked like in disguise.

A stranger walked to the main office in Eastern command looking for someone. Someone who liked blades as a weapon.

The stranger wore glasses and a hood over his face. No one could accurately identify him in a crowd, because no one actually saw his face.

The stranger stayed in a random hotel nearby the command center.

Ed walked out of the breakfast hall, not having eaten much of anything. After finding out the ingredients to the infamous health shake he drank every morning (still better than milk in his opinion), he never had much of an appetite. So when Roy was tricked outside the building into trying it (Ed had dared him to, mentioning it was the reason he got taller, which was true) he got a real laugh.

Until the stranger who had been waiting for three days approached. He got into a by now familiar stance and said "Ley Line."

Ed dropped like a sack of potatoes and they vanished in the smoke. The entire base was sent into an uproar in less than five minutes.

"Did you see the look on their faces?" Ed laughed.

The stranger took off his hood, and smirked.

"How long has it been since we sparred?"

"Almost two years. The others are here you know. Though we all ended up in random destinations for some reason."

"Hang on a sec while I go into invisible mode. I actually outran the military for a full month while hiding inside their own office."

Wu Fei let out a careless cackle. Duo would be proud.

"Did I also mention the office betting pool?"

Oh dear Nataku, if Quatre and Duo found out they would love this.

"I had to actually roll up my sleeve while the colonel was watching out the window. You should have heard him wail."

Wu Fei was having a hard time breathing. He was laughing too hard.

Ed came back with his long hair turned raven feather black in a ponytail. His eyes were a startling emerald green with gold tints. Instead of his usual red and black ensemble, he wore a midnight blue jacket that went to his waist, a pair of faded blue jeans, with a red belt. His shirt was crimson red with a dragon around the neck. His shoes were opened toed with straps holding it to his feet.

"The Kitten rides again. How long before they find you?"

"Never. I went like this for a month, and the Colonel didn't even know it was me. I went with a different look every time I disappeared with Al, so he doesn't know about this outfit either. Shall we walk past the command?" asked Ed, holding out his arm.

Wu Fei was in the mood to annoy army types, so he took Ed's arm and they walked right past the panicking soldiers and Al. Since no one had actually seen what Wu Fei looked like, they suspected nothing.

The were on the next train to Central to meet with Heero and Duo.

Duo was howling by the time Ed finished his tale about how he eluded the military for a month. In their own office. In full view of the colonel and his own brother. The fact that he had to roll up his sleeve to tell Mustang he lost was just icing on the cake.

When Ed asked Heero to walk into the office and deliver his note, the smirking teen accepted. Something told him this would be fun.

"I have a message for the Flame Alchemist...and a worry wart younger brother named Al."

"Dear Geezer and Al. When you want to find me, I'll let you. Consider this my vacation. I will contact you in about a month, Alphonse. By the way, you might want to wait at Winry's for my call. Ed."

Al wasn't happy about that. No one even bothered the messenger...even though he was smirking the entire time. He walked out without anyone bothering him...until Al stopped him outside the building.

"How did my brother contact you?"

The guys smirk actually widened.

"Figures it would be the brother who would notice that the messenger was smiling."

"Actually I wanted to know why he even sent a letter at all."

"Ed really wanted a vacation. So Wu Fei arranged a fake kidnapping. Something about catching up. You can tell the idiot who runs the office Ed will come back when he's had enough time to himself for a change."

"But why didn't brother mention this to me? Lately he's been going off alone and I can never find him."

"Ed wanted me to tell you this if you were the one to catch me before I board the train. He said that when you find him, he would explain what happened the day he touched the red water and passed out for fifteen minutes."

Al let the guy go, commiting his face to memory.

Ed took Wu Fei and the others on a tour of the country, mentioning places where he had escaped this situation or that, never bothering to embelish the tales. He read them out like he had in the reports, to Heero's approval.

The went to the Youswell mine, the Valley where Ed first encounter the red water, Liore...though that was a very short visit. Then he took them to Resembool to meet Winry. She nearly killed him with the wrench she threw at him. Wu Fei finally found the reason Ed was so quick to dodge.

Winry was real interested to meet Duo, once Ed mentioned it was him who made his new automail...which by his standards was the longest he had ever owned a set. Apparently when Duo made something, it didn't get destroyed easily. In order to keep Winry from beating up Duo, he mentioned that he was thinking of visiting Rush Valley.

She had her bag packed so fast that they almost got whiplash.

Al came in with Ein...and found a black haired Ed, and two strangers.

"I forgot to introduce Al. Al, this is Wu Fei Chang, Duo Maxwell and Heero Yuy. I think Trowa and Quatre are waiting in the place we're heading next."

"Ed?"

"You're coming with me this time."

"Actually Hee-chan and I were planning on visiting the Eastern command."

"Feel free to rob them blind for me. Watch out for Hawkeye, she's the sharpshooter who's always near Mustang. And Hughes...he likes to force people to look at pictures of his family."

"Thanks for the tip."

"Actually, there are three more people to watch out for. The Homunculi I mentioned before. Remember the pictures? If you see them get the bystanders out."

"Done."

Ed spent the train ride telling Al what really happened with the 'red water incident'. Al would have found it hard to believe that Ed had gone to another world in less than fifteen minutes and returned over a year later.

"Technically it was my soul that went. At least that's what I'm going with. How else do you explain my behavior the past ten months?"

This actually answered a lot of questions.

"So who's with who?" asked Al.

Ed choked on his drink. Trust Al to pick up on that one.

"Last time I checked, Quatre and Trowa are an item or becoming one. Judging by the way Heero and Duo decided to go together, I'd say they are either on their way, or already a couple."

"Both are now items," said Wu Fei.

Ed noticed that Winry was a bit surprised to hear about this. Obviously she had never heard of all male couples. Ed grinned mischeivously.

"How...?"

"Ask Roy. I believe there's a funny story about how he got drunk one night and did a guy without knowing it till morning," snickered Ed.

"Who told you?"

"Fallman. Riza confirmed it, as she was the one who had to drag his drunken ass back to base that morning. Which is why I'm saving it for a nice piece of blackmail material for when he finally catches me."

The train pulled up to the station, and there waiting for them was a slender brunette with a long bang over one eye, and a small blond with teal eyes.

"Trowa! Kit kat!" yelled Ed, grinning.

"Is this story about you clearing out your office over a bet of hide and seek true Ed?"

"Heero and Duo couldn't be more proud of me," smirked Ed.

Quatre groaned in dismay. It was like Duo, Trowa and Heero were rolled into one, with a little Wu Fei added in the mix.

"And to make it worse, I was in the office the whole month, sleeping in the barracks at night. And since I am the only one in Eastern Command with automail, I'm surprised they didn't notice me sooner."

Winry was on Cloud Nine in Rush Valley. Ed promised to pay for the next twenty items she wanted. He then drafted Al into being the pack mule.

Which left Wu Fei and Ed alone. He took off his jacket, letting his automail show. He was already wearing shorts, when the temperature went up. Knowing Winry would clean him out if he didn't do something to earn a little money, he smirked.

"How long has it been since you fought with a sword?"

"Since I last fought you. Why?" asked Wu Fei suspiciously.

"Winry is a total Shop junkie. I think we can earn enough to keep her happy...with a little demonstration."

Catching on to what he was implying, Wu Fei went and got his sword from Quatre. (It had been confiscated after he had threatened to shove it up where the sun didn't shine on Duo.)

Ed brought his out, and they put a large tarpe on the ground. They had Trowa do promotions, which he was quite good at. Soon they had a sizable amount, after the twelfth parry by Ed using his automail. By the time Al and Winry saw what the crowd was looking at, they were gaping.

Ed saw his little brother, and decided it was time to test something. Ever since he had come back from the other world, he had been able to beat Al in a fight. He wanted to see if it was because of the sparring he did with Wu Fei or if it was the water.

So he dragged his little brother to the center of the area, and signaled for Wu Fei to take a stance.

"Just pretend it's us sparring, okay Al?"

Taking the advice, he took his best stance before charging. It didn't last a minute as he was on the ground.

Next thing he knew, Al and Wu Fei were discussing stances. Ed was thrilled that the two got along so well. Ever since he had gotten back with the pilots, Ed had been drawn closer to Wu Fei than ever. When they were apart, he had felt torn in two. Together he felt like he could take anything.

A few days later, they had left Winry in a small automail shop, apprenticed to the owner. Ed and Al were being held captive...by their old alchemy teacher. Ed knew he would never live this down when Duo heard about it.

On the plus side, he found two books on the Philosiphers stone which told a lot more about it...and gave him another option in returning his brother back to normal.

"THE SAGE'S STONE

Many have claimed to make a true stone which, when correctly created, can amplify alchemic rites to the point where the alchemist no longer requires a circle. One of the key ingredients to making a true stone is the amplifier known commonly as red water.

Red Water is a blood red liquid which, while possessing the ability to amplify alchemic rituals, is highly toxic to humans. Ingesting this substance can lead to infertilization, infant mortality, and deadly illnesses. It can sometimes be found in natural springs, but is more commonly manufactured.

While most debate on what exactly is essential for the Stone, most can only succeed in copies. Some say that a large amount of human sacrifices is neccessary for creation, but it has so far proven to be myth.

One question that has been asked many times is where the stone draws it's power from. A legend is the most commonly accepted theory, describing lines of power within the earth from which all alchemy comes.

(Here Ed almost dropped the book in shock.)

These lines of power can be found using several methods, usually with red water, which reacts by glowing in the presence of a line. The brighter the glow, the closer the line."

Ed closed the book in complete and utter shock. All this time they had been looking for a stone which had a very high potential to destroy lives...and the answer was in front of them. For the first time in his life, he was very glad he had an overreaction to red water. If he had never gone through the gate of Truth, he never would have found Wu Fei or the answer to bringing Al's body back.

Now all he needed was red water.

Al was worried about Ed. His brother had found a bizarre article and was actually searching for red water of all things! If only Ed would tell them what he had discovered!

Then he started carrying that vial of water around, as if looking for something. Apparently Ed's boyfriend (Al wasn't oblivious. He could see Ed and Wu Fei liked each other) knew what he was doing. So he finally asked Wu Fei what Ed was up to.

Wu Fei closed the book he had in his hand, and looked at Al.

"Judging by how he's acting, I'd say he's looking for a ley line again. For what reason, I have no idea."

Which lead to a discussion on what ley lines were.

After spending a night on an island and finding Wrath, Ed came in one night looking very triumphant.

"Find a line then?" said Wu Fei.

"Yeah, but it's been corrupted in recent years. I'd have to wait a few centuries before I could use it. Still, at least now I know I'm on the right track to getting Al's body back."

"He's worried you know."

"He always worries. If I'm right, we can forget about the stone entirely."

Al came in, and still looked worried. So Ed told him what he had been researching. And found.

"Al, where does the Stone get it's power to amplify and by pass the Laws?"

"I don't know. We never found anything that mentions it."

"Exactly. We've been looking for the wrong thing all along. How much trouble have we gone through just looking for an already made stone or even how to make one?"

"A lot. With the Homunculi after us, and Scar, we never catch a real break."

"Other than Lab 5, no, we haven't. So while I was looking at this book I bought, it mentioned where the stone gets its power. We were searching for the wrong thing. The stone is just a conduit. We should be looking for the source."

Al was excited now. Ed had found something big!

"And from what I can tell, the homunculi can't even access it at all. Only those who have seen the Gate and lived can even pull this off."

"It can also be used to send things from one place to another," added Wu Fei.

"You mean like my soul and all the things I picked up?"

"What I've found about ley lines is that they make transporting through time and space infinitely easier."

"Which means there's a line near Eastern command. I can't use that one then, too open and the military might ruin the transmutation."

And so a new search was on for the hidden lines of power.