Mustang couldn't put his finger on it. There was something familiar about the Heiderich brothers. He only just realized it after a month, but there was something about those two boys that he was missing.

What better way to investigate, than to call up an expert?

"Yo, Roy!"

...No matter how annoying said expert was.

"It's rare for you to call me up! What's up? You need something? Or perhaps..." Hughes gasped from the other side of the phone. "You want to hear about my little angel Elicia? She's so adorable! She just learnt how to ride a tricycle without my help! She's prodigy, I tell you!"

"Hughes," Mustang sighed, rubbing his temples as he felt the incoming headache. Hughes was supposed to be a police officer. Why did he always insist on acting that way, as well as racking up enormous phone bills?!. "I didn't call you for daughter stories. I need your help with something that has been bugging me- Are you even listening?!"

The answer to that was, quite frankly, a 'no', since Hughes was still busy gushing over how sweet his daughter was.

"Hughes!"

"Hmm?"

"I need you to investigate the name 'Heiderich' for me."

"I can't believe it! You're trying to investigate a girl friend!"*

"What-?! No! I'm investigating two of my students, who remind me of the Elrics!"

There was a pause, before Hughes's spoke again, his tone clearly sadder than it was a couple of seconds prior. "Roy... Those boys are gone. They may as well be dead. I know you cared about them, but no one has been able to find them for four years."

Mustang sighed, running his fingers through his hair. Of course he knew that. He had been asking Hughes's for news about that case at least once a week, until the case went cold. But even then, he still occasionally called Hughes up about it, since his friend was secretly working on it.

"I know, Hughes. But there's something off about the Heiderich brothers that I need to know, and maybe it could be a lead to the Elrics."

The moments ticked by in silence, before Hughes gave his answer. "All right, Roy. I'll see what I can find."

Mustang smirked ever so slightly. "Thank you, Hughes."

"Now that that's out of the way..." He could almost hear the grin on Hughes's face. "My daughter just brought home a little kitten! She's such an angel! A real little goddess! But of course, I already knew that, ha ha ha ha ha!"

As Hughes rambled on and on about his daughter, Mustang could only groan. Where was his Asprin when he needed it?

0o0

Edward's eye twitched violently as he stared down the test. Mustang had better be joking.

1. Sit there for more than five minutes before getting up and turning your paper in.

2. Don't tell Klaus or Julia about this. I mean it.

And here he thought Mustang was actually doing his job for once. Edward sighed deeply as he lowered his pen. He had better lower his expectation of Mustang, since that slacker was obviously wasting precious time pranking two of his students for slacking and being all lovey-dovey at the back of the classroom. They may have been trying to be discreet ( Notice the 'trying') but really, it was just plain obvious. Who wouldn't notice the public displays of affection that practically rang out through the class as the two love birds whispered sweet nothings into each other's ears? Edward wasn't even next to them, and yet they were loud enough for him to want to gag.

"Can't believe I have that idiot of a teacher..." Edward mumbled under his breath as soon as class ended, standing by his locker to collect a few of his books which he had borrowed from the library.

Checking his pocket watch, he cursed. He only had five minutes before his next class, which meant five minutes to run up to the library, return his books, and run back down before the bell rings. Crap, he shouldn't have spent so much time think up of creative insults to describe Mustang's laziness. Honestly, that man made the students grade other classes' work!

Staring at the large stack of books in hand, he groaned, before eyeing the staircase. His locker was on the first floor of the building, and the library was at the top floor, basically the sixth floor.

Well, he had better start running, since he now only had four minutes left to return his books. And no, he couldn't return them after school since Winry had wanted to drag him and Alphonse out for an outing with her friends the minute school was over.

And those books were due today.

Edward really couldn't believe how he could have forgotten to return the books during lunch.

"Crap crap crap..." He mumbled under his breath as he dashed up the stairs as fast as he could -Fast enough not to drop his books-, all the while ducking through the crowds of students -Not that it was too hard, considering his size-.

Suddenly, just as Edward side stepped a couple of giggling, red faced girls -why, just why?-, Edward slammed into someone else, falling backwards as he dropped his books.

"Ow..." Edward groaned, rubbing his hurt tailbone, before a voice scoffed, catching his attention.

"Oi! Watch where you're going, pipsqueak!" That weird, palm tree hairstyle guy from his history class sneered.

Almost immediately, Edward leapt to his feet, books forgotten, bristling at the taboo word he so despised. Unfortunately, Edward was at least twenty centimeters shorter, much to his chagrin, which pretty much proved palm tree's insult -Not short! Not short!-. "Who the hell are you calling a micro sized pipsqueak?!"

As if to add insult to injury, the other leaned down down to reach Edward's eye level -damn it, he was not short!- and smirked. "Why, you of course. What, are you short of hearing?" Ten minutes later, Edward and the other male were sitting in the Principal's office, nursing split lip and a black eye respectively.

0o0

Principal Bradley was a middle aged man, but despite that, he looked like he could cut you to shreds if he so desired without breaking a sweat. The eyepatch didn't help so much either.

From what Edward had heard, he wore the eyepatch after losing his eye in one of those scuffles in the North, before resigning from the military and coming to work as a principal to a school. But really, why the eyepatch? Was he trying to cosplay as a pirate or something? And Edward was fairly certain that Halloween wasn't for a few months.

"Back again, are we, young Mr Nevy?" Principal Bradley sighed, as he replaced his teacup on it's holder. "This is the fifth time this month that you've seen me for fights."

Palm tree -No, Edward wasn't about to change the name calling- simply mumbled something under his breath, a scowl etched onto his face.

"As I've said multiple times, fighting is not tolerated in my school." The principal sat up straight, before declaring his verdict. "Mr Nevy, detention for two weeks. You may go now."

Palm tree's scowl grew deeper, if that was even possible, before storming out of the office.

"And you, Mr Heiderich," Edward gulped nervously, sweat rolling down his forehead. However, what came next was completely unexpected. The man started laughing. Edward stared. Did the man just lose his marbles suddenly? "No need to be so nervous, son!" Bradley laughed, picking up his cup of tea once again. "Mr Nevy is a troublemaker, and I doubt a promising young lad like you is responsible for this incident. Am I right."

"Y- yes, sir." Not true, but I'm not going to say anything.

"Well, take care of yourself, Mr Heiderich. We wouldn't like to see you again in my office for a while now, am I right?"

"Yes sir." Well, Edward was sure he starting to sound like a broken record. But all in all, he was simply surprised that he got off without so much as a dention, or even a lecture.

"I've taken up enough of your time. You may go now."

"Thank you, sir."

The moment he stepped out of the room, door closing behind him, he let out a huge sigh of relief, because damn, that was scary!

"Brother!" Alphonse ran to his elder brother, worry etched onto his face. "I heard you got into a fight!"

"No worries, Al." Edward shrugged. "It's just a scratch."

"Brother, that's not a scratch. That's a split lip."

"Smartass." Edward snorted, receiving an offended, "Hey!" From Alphonse.

0o0

When school ended, Winry dragged Edward and Alphonse to meet her friends.

"This is Rose," She pointed to a a girl with black hair that had the bangs dyed pink. "And this is Paninya." This girl had dark brown hair tied into a short ponytail, and she had darker skin. "Rose, Paninya, these are my childhood friends, Edward and Alphonse. They're siblings."

"Hey. Nice to meet you." Edward greeted.

"It's nice to meet you too!" Alphonse said, smiling.

"Likewise." Paninya said smiling while Rose replied with a, "It's nice too!"

"So, who's the older sibling?" Rose asked curiously.

"Me, I'm older. Al's younger." Edward replied, feeling twinge of annoyance. If she was implying what he thought she was...

"Really? But Alphonse is so much taller than you!" Paninya cut in, looking shocked.

"WHO THE HELL ARE CALLING A MIDGET?!"

0o0

After that little episode which ended with a wrench being bashed over Edward's head, it was decided that they would go to the movies.

Edward blanched when he heard they would be watching a horror movie.

The horror genre just wasn't his area of interest. Plus, the jump scares made Alphonse cry out in fear and cling to him, and while the gore was cheesy, it was still really nauseating.

Entrails hanging from the ceiling used to choke someone to death was... no. Just... no.

Exiting the cinema with Alphonse looking a little green to the gills, Edward keeping his deadpan expression, and the females discussing the movie plot, Edward immediately made the decision not to ever follow his childhood friend and her other friends to a movie.

Besides, he didn't need horror.

He already had too much of it in his life.

0o0

It smiled, sitting at it's 'throne'. His pieces were all falling into place, and by the time the Elrics realised what exactly was going on, it would be far too late.

It wondered if the eldest child of it's old acquaintance had noticed anything yet. That little circle of Hohenheim's had done more than just gift him with the power of Alchemy. No, it had done far more than that. And it could use that to it's advantage, if properly handled.

Van Hohenheim wouldn't be able to stop him now. Not him, or even the ones the man had left his life's work to.

He moved another piece on the board.

Check.

[A/N Let me just say that I really apologise for taking such a long time to update. Let's just say I suffered from a writer's block, lost interest in this book and went to fool around in the Hetalia fandom for a bit, before returning to my FMA books.

I checked the reviews on this book, and then felt a little guilty about my lack of updates. I'm a horrible person. So I've decided to post a chapter to tide you guys over until I have successfully gotten rid of all my writer's blocks. Also, like I said on my Hetalia and FMA crossover, I'm now in Secondary 3 and I have less time to write. Damn you, school. Why you do this to me?!

Also, I have to work on that Teen Titans and FMA crossover with my good friend Estherrain.

By the way, did anyone catch that mini reference I made? You'd have to be a really hardcore fan if that anime to notice it! (Since that's actually the stuff the fandom made up. My hint is that it's an anime I recently got into. Hehe...)

My mom didn't kill me, but she nearly did. Haha... Hopefully that won't happen again this year.

Well, that's all for today!

See you guys next time!

~ Gwntan12]

*I had nothing better to do, so shush.