I'm starting to think I should make a list of all my canon references for fun, but what do you guys think?

DISCLAIMER: I do not own Fullmetal Alchemist. Naturally, the copyright on that belongs to Hiromu Arakawa.

Chapter 6

Ed would've been lying to himself if he said he didn't enjoy the way Mustang's face tightened at his words. It was only slight, but he could tell the Head Detective was shocked at this piece of news. Sure, he had only known the man for six days, but Ed knew enough to be able to distinguish between cold smugness and surprise.

"No, that's impossible," Mustang hissed at him. Ed shrugged his shoulders.

"I really don't care if you believe me or not," the young man told him indifferently.

"You're telling me that one of the most powerful corporations in the country had something to do with Hughes' death?" Mustang's eyes narrowed and Ed found himself emulating the man. "I call bullshit."

"I'm just telling you what I found."

"And I am telling you I don't believe it."

"So, you're letting a potential lead slip through your fingers 'cause you don't believe it. Great detective work there, yeah, I can see why it took you so long to even get this far."

"I'm saying that I don't trust any lead given to me by a kid." Ed's chest puffed out, filled with indignation at being called a kid. He was twenty-years old! He had graduated college!

"Well, this kid just found something that you managed to overlook for two years." Mustang looked ready to strangle him for his below-the-belt insults. "Let's face it, Detective, we both know you'll give it a few hours of thought and then come to the same conclusion that it needs to be looked into. So let's just move past that and-"

"And what? In case you've forgotten, Fullmetal, your little stint as a detective resulted in my tussle with Internal Affairs."

"I have a name, you know…" Ed mumbled before continuing with his defense. "And that's technically your fault. I looked at the file under my ID so if they sent someone after you, it means you're a threat to them, not me." Mustang took a step back and seemed to consider this for a moment. Ed folded his arms in defiance of the anticipated response.

"Say you're right then…and I'm not saying you are," Mustang said, breathing loudly as he prepared his words, "then this suggests that the Homunculus Corporation is involved in some pretty nasty stuff."

"Hey, I'm not saying they had anything to do with that at all," Ed stated while he unfurled his arms. "For all I know they might have figured it was better to spend a little extra cash and have a private investigator look into it so that other cases wouldn't fall by the wayside."

"That's a ridiculous practice."

"That's Central. They get more cases than anyone else, so sometimes they have to push them off."

"Homunculus Corporation doesn't exactly seem like the private investigator type."

"Looks can be deceiving. Besides, who knows what Homunculus Corp truly is?" Ed scoffed loudly. "No one really knows. All we know is that they're the biggest corporation in Amestris."

"I'm surprised you're so well informed about them, being so young."

"Had to be. They specialize in everything and nothing at the same time: medicine, weapons for the state, uniforms, foods, you name it. They have no real defining quality to them. My brother wanted to do an internship there, so I looked into it. Didn't like it very much. They certainly seemed an unsavory bunch." Ed flipped his ponytail in slight annoyance. "If they're involved though, I have a feeling it might be pretty shady."

"Then who's to say they haven't covered their tracks?" Mustang snapped at him with a slightly triumphant smirk. "You're just running me in circles here."

"You're right. They probably have covered their tracks entirely. But," Ed smiled a wicked grin at him, "I have some sources. They might not know everything about what Homunculus Corp is up to, but I think he could share some good information with me."

"Then give me his name and I'll look into it," Mustang told him expectantly. Ed frowned, knowing that the detective wouldn't like his next words.

"Yeah, I don't think so. There's no way someone like him would talk to you, trust me."

"So, we're just back to where we started," Mustang huffed. "Look, if you wanted to jerk me around, you should have just said so."

"If you'd let me finish…he wouldn't meet with you normally. If I were to go with you, though…" Ed let the offer hang in the air for consideration and watched as Mustang gave it careful thought. A moment later, the head detective voiced his answer.

"Where is he, and when do we leave?" Ed smirked again. He knew that the man didn't really trust him, but Ed was intrigued by the case, and it gave him a chance to visit an old…well, he wasn't quite sure if the man was a friend.

"We'll leave Tuesday morning," Ed told him. "I'll drive. He's over in the town of Dublith so it's a bit of a drive. On top of that, the only time I know for sure that he's available is the early afternoons, for lunch. He's a pretty busy guy. That's why we need to leave in the morning, waste no time. So, take care of whatever you need to tomorrow."

"Fine," Mustang responded curtly. "You'd better hope this pans out."

"It will."

"And if you're wrong-"

"I'm not."

"If you are, I will burn you so hard, there won't even be a corpse left."

"Duly noted," Ed said sardonically. "But let's be fair, Detective, you need me. Without me you'd have never caught The Chopper. On top of that, I found something you overlooked for two years. You…need…me." Mustang's lips pursed in what Ed supposed was defiance.

"We'll see." With those words he began to walk back to his car. "You should be able to find my address in the police database; pick me up there." Those were the last few words spoken between them as Ed went back into his house, rubbing his leg. He tried not to show it in front of the prick…dick…detective, but his leg had ached ever since Winry so forcefully connected his nerves. The smell of pot roast simmered through the house and Ed found himself inexorably drawn to the kitchen. Boy, was he glad Winry had started on dinner earlier.

"Damn, Winry, that thing's huge!"

"I wanted leftovers."

"With four of us? Not likely," Ed jeered and Winry put her hands on her hips.

"Al called while you were out of the house. He and Mei are working late tonight, so it's just the two of us. Hence, it has now become leftovers."

"So, we can pick up where we left off?" he asked devilishly as he grabbed her. She merely smirked up at him as she pushed him away and went back to the oven. "Playing hard-to-get, are we?"

"Stop saying things like that, it's embarrassing, mostly for yourself," Winry scolded, checking the timer on the oven. "You'll just have to wait until later, Ed; though goodness knows I never thought you were so excited for an automail tune-up until today."

"Well, we were alone," Ed grumbled, still not pleased with interruption. "Which reminds me, how on earth do you know Mustang?"

"Hmm? He stopped by the shop a few days ago with a flat tire. Of course, I had no idea you actually knew him. When he said he was Head Detective, I wasn't quite sure you could actually reach his level," she said to Ed with a playful smirk.

"Are you making fun of my height?"

"Never dreamed of it." Her eyes sparkled when she finished saying this, pulling the pot roast out of the oven to cool. "Now, Ed, remind me. Where exactly were we?" A few hours later found the young married couple lying in bed, thoroughly exhausted, but very pleased with one another.

"Oh, I forgot to tell you. I'll be leaving Tuesday morning. I probably won't be back until Wednesday night, maybe Thursday."

"So you tell me now, after a romp in the sheets? Great job, Ed," Winry deadpanned, but her face was still flushed and Ed knew she didn't really care: she was happy he had at least told her. "Wednesday night's not bad, though."

"Better than a week." Winry murmured her assent before turning over and falling straight to sleep. Ed wrapped his arms around her and smiled. He was happy. For him, this was enough.

The following morning was a mess of tangled sheets, more heated passion, and an eventual dash to work, not helped by Winry giving him a sultry kiss as he left. He had to remind himself to tell Al to work late more often. Turning his thoughts to the day ahead, however, Ed found himself getting more excited than normally. It had been quite a time since he had traveled to the southern part of Amestris. He was looking forward to passing by all the old haunts he had inhabited as a teenager. He knew that essentially the trip was one of business, but it didn't mean he could just ignore all the inhabitants of Dublith like he never knew them. Likely that wouldn't sit well with the Head Detective, but if he gave it some thought, he was willing to not care about the older man's wants.

Edward's remaining day was laden with the usual things. He informed Doctor Marcoh he'd be off the next day at the very least and likely wouldn't be back for a few more days on account of working a long distance case with Mustang. Marcoh allowed it, so long as Ed managed to get his paperwork done for the next few days. Ed truly didn't mind; especially if that was all he had to do in order to take his time off. East PD was by far the most lax of the department branches and for that he was very grateful. Of course, his need to get his paperwork done often brought him in the near proximity of the Head Detective, but thankfully the two had no close encounters and managed to avoid each other's wraths by the time that the end of the day rolled around. With all his work completed, Ed returned home and started to pack up. He informed Al of his travel intentions and all Al could do was give him a lopsided, fear-riddled grin and an ominous:

"Don't forget to say hi to Teacher." Ed's body repressed a shudder at that. Winry then helped him to finish packing before the two turned in for the night. It was to both his excitement and lethargy that Ed awoke at the near crack of dawn and loaded his things into his car. Roughly half an hour later he picked up an equally lethargic Roy Mustang and the two began their silent drive to Dublith.

"It's a long drive, just so you know. About six hours on country roads; hope you brought something to do." But Mustang refused to say anything, and Ed was fine with that response. They pulled over in a small town to get gas and stretch their legs before starting on the road again some time around nine in the morning. Then they resumed their road trip in silence, until Roy finally spoke, much to Ed's surprise.

"You've got an automail leg," he mumbled out. It wasn't a question. He said it as though it were a recollection of the fact. Ed tensed his body at the words. He really didn't like being reminded of the obvious.

"So what if I do? Is that a problem?" Ed asked with a glare at the steering wheel in front of him, as though it was the one that had paid him the affront. Roy seemed to shrug with indifference beside him.

"Not really. I've never really seen a lot of automail before, that's all."

"You find a lot of it in South and North thanks to the climates and the skirmishes breaking out near Aerugo."

"Huh, never took you for a fan of automail history."

"I'm not a fan!" Ed protested angrily and Roy couldn't help but look at him in surprise. "I only know so much because Winry drilled it into my mind. Honestly, I'd be happier without it but it makes Winry happy, so…"

"Quite the whirlwind romance you have there."

"Not quite as whirlwind as you'd think," Ed muttered while Roy proceeded forward with his comment.

"I mean, I'm in my thirties and I'm not even in a solid relationship that isn't professional and here you are at twenty and married for two years. Next, I'll find out your wife is pregnant."

"Don't even joke about that. There's no way the two of us are ready to have a kid," Ed moaned loudly. "Besides, I'm lucky the two of us are even married. We had some problems for a few years."

"Not surprising. When I found out she was your wife, my first thought was 'How could a cute girl like her fall in love with a loud-mouthed brat like him?'"

"I don't remember asking for your opinion."

"Anyone would think the same thing." Ed found himself mocking the detective in his head and his hands tightened unnecessarily around the steering wheel.

"What about you and Detective Hawkeye then?"

"Purely professional."

"And I'm the Commissioner. Even a dumbass could see there's something between you two. So what is it? Old flame? Oh, is she like a childhood sweetheart?"

"Shut up!" For the first time since he had met Roy Mustang, he actually thought he had gone too far. He could practically see the vein pulsing in his forehead and the man's face had such tightened lines on it, Ed was sure that he was about to burst. Whether or not he had struck a nerve, he wasn't sure. But he was very sure that he shouldn't push the man beyond his boundaries.

"See, I knew there was something." Well…he had to say at least one more antagonizing thing.

"So, you're implying that you're a dumbass, huh? I guess the title fits."

"Hey, that was unnecessary!" But Ed didn't say anything more than that. He didn't want to give any more fuel for the detective to put on the fire. A small lapse of conversation persisted between the two for a moment.

"How did it happen? If you don't mind me asking," Roy said quietly and Ed considered not answering him for a moment simply out of spite.

"Long story."

"Long drive."

"Well then…where do I start?" Ed said, thinking things over. "I guess, first you should understand that that bastard was never around. He always had some important function to attend to or some such nonsense. Don't know what mom ever saw in him, though I doubt it matters much now. Point is, Hohenheim was never around." He had spat the name with such venom that even Roy seemed to recoil from it. Until, of course, he recognized the name.

"Hohenheim…You mean Van Hohenheim, the president of the University of Amestris?"

"Hohenheim, bastard, 'father'…I can come up with more names for him that mean the same thing." Roy gave a low whistle, which caused Ed to grimace. "Anyway, so he was never around really, which meant that mom did pretty much everything on her own. One day, there was a huge storm in Resembool. I was ten at the time; my little brother was only nine. Lightning struck pretty close to our house and hit a tree near it. It was a pretty old tree so it fell right over and slammed into our house, right where we were sitting. I don't really remember much, other than trying to protect Al." He swallowed hard and once more found himself clenching the steering wheel of his car with the iron-grip-of-death.

"When I woke up, I remember mom's body on top of me. She had thrown herself in front of us and had paid for it. Meanwhile, I just got a tree branch impaled in my left leg. The Rockbells came for us and pulled me and Al out of there. I was real pathetic for a while, thinking about mom's death and blaming myself for it until Winry got me to come around and made me this leg. I can't say I'm completely over mom's death; but I'm glad to be walking around on my own two feet again, even if one of them is artificial."

"Sounds…rough…" Roy commented and Ed made a guttural noise of agreement. "Is that why you went into Forensics?"

"Nah, I had other reasons…but it was why Al went into medicinal sciences. Call it a childish dream to save the dying, if you will." Ed laughed mirthlessly. "So what about this Hughes guy? You seem pretty stuck on his death. Any story there?"

"Edward, you may have had ten years to get over the death of your mother and the loss of your leg. But two years is far too short a time to heal the wounds caused by losing a brother of the soul. I hope you can understand."

"Yeah, just thought I'd ask. It's all right if you don't want to tell." Roy grunted and said nothing more. After that, the remainder of their car ride seemed to pass in a relative hush. There was really nothing more to say on either of the subjects. Ed didn't want to push the other man for any more details. He almost laughed to himself thinking about it: the two of them always looked ready to slit the other's throat, but when it came down to it, they were so similar it was truly laughable, if not slightly eerie. They had both lost people very close to them and were still carrying that pain. Ed truly considered himself lucky, though, considering the state of the head detective. He had had ten years to realize that the whole situation wasn't his fault. Ten years to find closure and stand again. He also had Al, who wanted so hard to save the dying, even if he couldn't bring back the dead. Together, the two brothers had gone through the same thing and were able to inspire the other to get out of that rut in their minds. Of course, Winry was a hugely important factor. She knew loss herself, and while it had pained Ed to lose Aunt and Uncle Rockbell, nothing could dull the pain of losing both of your parents in such a vicious way.

Thinking back to the man, he realized that Roy was entirely swamped in that death. Two years was a short time but, like Ed himself, the head detective seemed the type to not ask anyone for help unless it was necessary. Sure, the man felt pain and grief, but there was something else to him that Ed wasn't sure he had ever felt. Something that made Roy burn like a dark fire. In some way, he didn't care; in another, he hoped that he would never have to.

"We're here," Ed announced. He glanced at the clock and noticed it was around noon. They had made pretty good time on their drive, and Ed felt there was a real chance at meeting with his contact. He saw Mustang glancing around the city and Ed found himself doing the same. It had been quite a few years since he had been to the town, but it was nice to see that Dublith hadn't changed in the slightest. Just like always, Dublith had its two predefined areas: residential and commercial. While Ed had spent most of his time in the residential area, he and Al had strayed enough to the commercial area to know its establishments pretty well. The thing that made Dublith, unique, however, was its broad expanse of alleyways that sprawled across the commercial half of the city like a gigantic spider web. Yet even with those alleys, business in the city wasn't too shady, as most of the underground network was controlled by one man.

"Are you sure we should just park in front of someone's house like this? Won't they think we're trespassing?" Roy asked and Ed laughed as he turned the car off, stepping into the dry heat of Dublith.

"I know the owners,' Ed assured him. "They'll be fine with it…I hope." Roy looked exasperated and Ed wasn't even quite sure if he had convinced himself, but there was nothing to be done about it. He just flashed a lazy smile and pocketed his car keys.

"Edward! Mister Edward, is that you?" cried a feminine voice and Ed looked to see a young teenager practically bouncing toward him.

"Hey, Menny, what's up?"

"You should know better than to park in front of the Curtis' house!" the girl, Menny, pouted at him and Ed chuckled, ruffling the hair on her head.

"So, they're in town, huh?"

"Just got back yesterday from their visit out west."

"Damn, I was hoping I wouldn't have to run into them. Ah well, I'd get chewed out no matter where I parked," Ed mumbled aloud and Menny giggled. "Hey, don't go laughing at me. Do you know where the two of them are?"

"Sig's over at the shop. I was heading over there to help him and Mason out. By the way, you want to see my new cat?" Ed fixed his face into one of revulsion and glared at the girl who smiled innocently at him. "I'm just kidding. I know that Al likes cats more."

"A little too much, personally. Anyway, I've got some work to do, so I'll talk to you later Menny, okay?"

"Okay!" she said in a high chirp before she went skipping off. Ed motioned for Mustang to follow him as he angled for the back alleyways.

"Who are the Curtises?" he asked lightly.

"Married couple. They're pretty much some of the most prominent people in Dublith. They own and operate the butcher shop in town so everyone knows them really well."

"And that girl…?"

"Menny. She used to hang around me and Al when we were in town. Must be fourteen or fifteen by now," Ed informed him and Roy seemed to nod his head in comprehension. "Izumi, that's the wife, is like the light side of the town. Lots of people respect her immensely, and the mayor of the town would be hard-pressed to get anything done without her approval. However, today we're gonna make a visit to the dark side."

"The dark side…?" Ed suddenly stopped short and turned to look at Mustang, who was busy glancing at him in confusion.

"All right, Mustang, you need to understand one thing before we enter the Devil's Nest: you're not a cop."

"But I am a cop."

"Then you're not on duty," Ed insisted. "They won't talk to you if they think you'll turn them in, even if I'm with you." Mustang seemed to debate Ed's words in his head before he nodded slowly, hesitantly even, in acceptance, giving Ed the chance to breathe in relief.

"Lead the way, then." Ed turned back towards the small door in the middle of the alleyway, a sign with the words "Devil's Nest" hanging over it. As the two men approached the door, loud noises could be heard from inside. "What's going on in there?"

"Oh, I have a pretty good idea." With a slight hesitation in his hand, Ed pushed the door open.

"Come on, little lady, I'm asking nicely this time!"

"Not in a million years, you pathetic letch."

"Geez, Ulchi, you'd think after the first hundred times you'd get the hint-waugh!" Ed finally stepped into the dimly lit room and saw the scene sprawled out before him. A dark haired woman stood in the center of the room, towering over the men who were cowering underneath her.

"I need to see your boss!"

"He's-he's not in!" WHAM!

"Don't lie to me! I know he's pumping drugs into the Dublith school system, and if it doesn't stop I'll have more than words with him." A loud thud resulted as the woman dropped the man she was holding and dusted her hands off. Ed tensed as the woman turned towards him and a look of recognition passed over her face.

"H-hello, T-teacher," Ed stuttered out nervously as the woman stalked over to him. Suddenly, a soft, almost motherly smile pasted itself onto her face.

"Ed, I didn't expect to see you in Dublith, or even at all," she said, crossing her arms. Ed smiled weakly. "But it's good to see you." She held out her hand and Ed clasped it, realizing his mistake a moment later as he was suddenly flipped onto his back.

"Ow!" And that was the reason he feared the woman named Izumi Curtis.

"You've been slacking, Ed! What? Did the summer heat get to you?"

"Shouldn't you be resting, Teacher. Menny told me you just got back."

"I'm fine!" she insisted. "Besides the doctor says I'm doing a lot better." Ed finally stood up and rubbed his back lightly. "Oh, who's this?"

"Just a co-worker."

"Tch."

"So, what's this about drugs?" Ed asked, hoping to move the subject away from him.

"Nothing. The bigger question is: why are you here?"

"Do I need a reason to visit you? I mean, you were my advisor for over three years."

"You think I would fall for that, you little whelp?"

"I-I'm not little."

"What was that?"

"N-nothing, Teacher." Izumi ruffled Ed's hair (to his annoyance) as she moved towards the exit from the bar.

"Stop by later, okay." She disappeared through the door and Ed heard Mustang snicker behind him.

"Quite a character."

"You don't know the half of it…" Ed uttered with a tremor down his body before turning to the other occupants of the room. "Hey guys, I need to see your boss."

"In the backroom, as usual kid," said one of the smaller occupants of the room. Ed didn't make any sign of acknowledgement, instead moving straight for the backroom. He led the two of them down a narrow corridor and into another door at the end of the hall.

"So, Greed, I hear you're pumping drugs into Dublith's schools. Izumi wasn't too happy," Ed yelled loudly, demanding the attention of the four people in the room. The man in the middle, Greed, sat back in his chair with a relaxed smirk on his face.

"Is that so? Dorchet, make sure we get the drugs out of there. I really don't want to deal with Izumi. Besides, I don't like fighting women, either." Another man next to him with short cut-brown hair gave him a sign of understanding and left the room, allowing Ed to take a closer look at Greed. As usual, he was dressed in a black silk suit, giving the impression of a man who was very lucrative in his field. His dark shirt that sat underneath his suit also emanated his far-reaching influence and power. A pair of sunglasses sat to the side of his folded hands and the grin on his face revealed his fairly pointed teeth. "To what do I owe this pleasure, Edward?"

"I've got some questions to ask you," Ed said, his face impassive. He had learned long ago not to let his emotions get the better of him around Greed.

"Don't you always? Who's the chump?" Greed questioned.

"Roy Mustang."

"Search him, Roa." A large and burly man frisked Mustang and came up with the detective's weapon. "Really, Edward, you forgot to tell him."

"Sorry, slipped my mind."

"Well, we'll just hold onto it for now. Other than that, you're with Mr. Fullmetal here so it's fine with me…even if you are a cop."

"How could you tell?" Mustang asked, his eyes narrowed into slits.

"General demeanor, not to mention the fact that you work with Edward."

"So you do keep tabs on me!" Ed shouted indignantly and Greed shrugged lazily.

"You use my underground contacts around Amestris, only fair that I see what you're up to. You know…don't let anything slip." The threat hung in the air before Mustang cleared his throat.

"What kind of business do you run here exactly?" Mustang inquired warily and Greed cocked an eyebrow at him, surveying him for a moment to determine his answer.

"Surely you've heard of us: the Ouroboros Gang." Mustang seemed to go into shock and Ed instantly moved in to head any danger off.

"Yes, Greed is the leader of the Ouroboros Gang, the most prevalent gang in Amestris. But he's not a bad guy, really."

"Elric…" Mustang warned him, but his warning was cut off by a simpering laugh.

"Go ahead and arrest me, though I doubt you could. Even if you did, the charges wouldn't stick. I've never been accused of any crimes."

"You mean you haven't been proven to be guilty of any crimes. But I'm more than willing to think you've been involved in some dark and dirty business…" Ed glanced between the two older men as they entered into a standoff. "However, I'm willing to let it slide if you can help us like Fullmetal here has suggested. I've seen no proof of your alleged criminal activities."

"You're too kind. What do you need to know?"

"Do you know about Maes Hughes?" Ed rolled his eyes. Of course that would be the first thing out of Mustang's mouth.

"Never heard of him."

"How do I know you're not lying and you're the one who murdered him?" Greed sat up in his chair, flicking his coattails out, his mouth a thin line and his previous cockiness gone.

"One, I make it a point to never lie. Two, I don't murder people who find me out. It's too dirty and leaves too many trails. Much easier to just bring them into the fold."

"Like a cop, or anyone else for that matter, who finds out who you are would so easily go over to your side," Mustang scoffed with disgust.

"Nothing's impossible when it comes to the human mind." Greed scratched the back of his head and chuckled a little. "Is that it? I was expecting more out of you, Edward."

"What do you know about Homunculus Corporation?" Ed asked quietly and the atmosphere in the room quickly changed. Greed ordered the woman next to him, named Martel, to silently check the hall beyond them before she closed the door.

"Why do you ask about that?" Greed asked, his tone completely changed from the lightness it carried before.

"Their name was attached to the Hughes' case file. Do they provide some kind of private investigating work, or something else like that?" Greed regarded Ed for a moment before he burst out laughing. When the maniacal haze of laughter subsided, Greed glanced at the two of them with a very serious look on his face.

"The first thing you need to understand is that Homunculus Corp would never do any 'private investigating'. If someone contacted them to get a job done, it was likely some kind of weapons deal or an assassination. These people are dirty, far dirtier than us, and they'll stop at nothing."

"How do you know so much about them?" Mustang asked and Ed could tell the detective didn't believe the man whatsoever.

"I used to work for them, about ten years ago," Greed told them casually. "Even back then, they had some nasty plans. I mean, it was all well and good until they had to start killing people to shut them up. I wanted none of that, so I left them. In other words, you could say that the Ouroboros Gang is like Homunculus Corp for children. Whereas we just run guns and drugs, they manufacture them under the guise of a legitimate business. When someone discovers us, we recruit them…or at least befriend them, Edward being a case in point. Homunculus Corp kills. Like I said, they're dirty."

"So you're telling me that the most powerful country in all of Amestris is actually a shadow corporation who deals in criminal acts. Impossible."

"As I told you, nothing is impossible. They're very dark, and very good. The only reason I've stayed alive so long after escaping them is because I kept my mouth shut. If you think we're bad, they're worse. Face it, there's a whole world of shadows that hides things that even you cops can never know. You can thank your Commissioner Bradley for that, driving us all back into the shadows."

"Do you know who leads them, then?" Ed pondered, hoping for a good answer.

"Not a clue. Even if I did know, I wouldn't tell you. I'm not stupid." Greed drummed his fingers on the desk in thought. "But why do you care so much?"

"We told you. Homunculus Corp was attached to the case-"

"But why go digging now?" Mustang cleared his throat and prepared to answer.

"Internal Affairs started questioning my investigation into Hughes' death."

"So they brought out the dogs to play…oh dear," Greed mused to himself and his entire face seemed to cycle through a series of emotions.

"What do you mean by that?" Ed asked concernedly.

"It means they're planning something. Something big. And they need to know if you're a threat or not." Greed sighed in a tone of defeat. "I always suspected they had allies in the police, though I never knew how far. It would make things easier for them to have someone high up though. Likelihood is," Greed turned his attention to Mustang, "your friend Hughes figured it out and they killed him for it, but I can't be sure. All I know is, they're ready to take action and you're in the thick of it."

Greed suddenly stood, patting down his suit as Martel handed him his sunglasses and Roa put Mustang's gun on the table. "Well, if that's all, I have a meeting I need to get to. I'll look into this Hughes with my contacts and I'll get back to you if I find anything. I trust you can show yourselves out." With that, Greed left the room, a look of worry still present on his face.

"Well, that was super helpful," Ed replied sarcastically.

"It was. Greed's words were very helpful, albeit cryptic. It looks like your lead may have panned out after all," Mustang informed him and Ed couldn't bring himself to respond to that. "Still, don't tell anyone you shouldn't. We should keep it close to our chest until we're sure about the truth in his words."

"Yeah…" Ed agreed, pausing for a moment. "Come on, we should go." The two men quickly backtracked and found themselves on their way back to the Curtis'. Ed mentioned that they should stay the night in the hopes of not driving another six hours, and Mustang thankfully agreed. It seemed the trip hadn't been entirely wasted, and Ed was grateful as he strolled up the path to the house, knocking on the door. A large beefy man answered, grunting in his greeting as he stepped aside to let the two through. Ed slipped inside the house and froze. "No…no way…"

"Hello, Edward, this is a surprise." Ed's fists clenched as he surveyed the calm man, his stomach feeling like it had dropped out.

"What are you doing here Hohenheim?"

Author's Note: Another long chapter here, but one that provides you all with a plethora of information. I know many of you thought the Homunculi were part of a gang or some such but here they're not. I did make one of them as part of a gang though, as you could see here. How this will play out down the road, you'll see later. Most of Ed's past story is now revealed, different than how most people write it, but I didn't want it to be the same. In either case, the story is moving ahead at a strong pace so, be sure to stay tuned. I'm attempting to update every week up until Chapter 11, then every two weeks. In this way, I'll finish before the year is out. But, damn, this chapter took a lot of editing to get right.

Anyway, thanks for all your previous reviews, in particular to Caffeinated Star for some wonderful criticisms that I actually took into account for this chapter to make it better for all of you. I hope to hear from all of you again and more in the future. So, stay tuned, review, and Dare to Be Silly.