Disclaimer - I do not own Fullmetal Alchemist or Bleach

Chapter Nineteen - Extinguished Flame

"So what are the chances that we'll actually find people that we know out here?" Edward asked as he and Al followed along behind their teacher.

Having lived in Rukongai for several years Izumi was more familiar with the layout and thus made a better guide. Besides this she absolutely refused to follow along behind her two idiot apprentices.

"Well you've already met up with myself and Mr. Hughes," Izumi said, not even bothering to turn around to address her student. "So I'd say that the chances are fairly good. Besides which, even if we are unsuccessful, there is still the high likelihood that we'll run into some more of the modified Hollow."

"You have a point," Ed was forced to admit. And she did have a point but that didn't mean that he had to be happy about traipsing around in the Rukongai searching for people that might be familiar with this new and dangerous breed of Hollow.

It reminded him too much of his days in the Amestris State Military and that was something that he didn't even want to think about.

Al, on the other hand, didn't seem to be bothered by this sense of déjà vu. "If we find more of the modified Hollow then there's also the chance that we can locate the person responsible for their creation."

"That may be wishful thinking," Ed muttered, knowing that this scenario was far too ideal to actually come to pass.

No, the search for the person responsible was going to be long and labor intensive. The young Shinigami wasn't exactly certain why it was that he felt this way but the feeling was there, despite the fact that he couldn't explain it.

After this the group fell silent, each lost in their own thoughts. Izumi continued to lead the way through the Rukongai, followed by the two boys. Their progress was quick and they soon reached District Ten.

Ed had noticed that the conditions seemed to grow progressively worse the further out they went but he hadn't seen any horrible conditions yet. He knew, from conversations with other Shinigami, that the outer districts were truly horrific but he had yet to get first hand experience of that.

He hadn't really thought so at the time but Ed now realized that he and his brother had been exceedingly lucky. They had been transported to one of the upper districts and had been found almost immediately. He may not be happy about who it was that had found them but the young man did recognize the fact that it had been a stroke of luck.

Not that he would ever admit this fact to that smug little brat. Their tentative truce wouldn't allow it.

"Brother!"

Ed snapped out of his thoughts and glanced toward his brother. The taller boy was pointing toward the sky above them and Ed instinctively shifted his gaze skyward.

He immediately realized why it was that his brother sounded so alarmed. Several Hollow were hovering in the air above them and Ed could tell, by their reiatsu, that they were more of the modified version that he and Hitsugaya had encountered.

"Well," Ed said as he drew his zanpaktou and prepared to fight. "I suppose that it was only a matter of time before we were forced to fight."

"Yea," Al said as he too drew his weapon. He wasn't entirely sure how useful his particular skill set would be in this position but he wanted to offer his brother what support he could. And knowing Ed his healing abilities would eventually be required. "It was too much to ask that we be allowed to search in peace."

Ed nodded as he held up his miniature sword. "Shine the light of truth on my enemies, Hikari no Shinjitsu!"

The blade of the young man's zanpaktou was engulfed in a familiar light as it transformed into the familiar staff. Ed held up his bladed weapon and prepared to fight the assembled enemies. "Like I'm gonna be beaten by the likes of you."

This said Ed leapt forward and engaged the modified Hollow in battle. Al quickly followed suit, although he didn't call upon his own Shikai. It wouldn't really be helpful in this particular situation.

The battle was fierce but the two young Shinigami quickly cut the number of Hollow in half. Taking deep breaths the two brothers stood back to back, facing off against the beasts that remained.

"This is a little more of a workout than I thought it would be," Ed admitted as he pressed his back against that of his brother. When facing this many opponents it was always best to have your partner's back and the Elric brother's had perfected this tactic.

"You've always been such a magnet for trouble Fullmetal…"

Ed froze as he heard a familiar voice… a voice that he hadn't expected to ever hear again.

"You have GOT to be kidding me!" the young man exclaimed, his eyes narrowing as he watched a man step from behind a building. While it was true that he and his companions were searching for people who would be familiar with alchemy and those who could perform it, this was absolutely the last person that he had wanted to find. So of course, his luck being what it was, he was the first person that they came across.

"It's the colonel!" Al exclaimed, his gaze also turning toward the sound of the familiar voice. He watched as Colonel Roy Mustang stepped from behind a building, his customary smirk plastered on his face. "I get the feeling that this was the last person on the planet that Brother wanted to find out here."

Al knew that the black haired man could help in their fight against the modified Hollow, as well as their search for the beasts' creator, but of course Edward wouldn't focus on the positive aspects of the situation. He would be too busy remembering all of the unpleasant things that the colonel had forced them to endure.

"Could this situation get any worse?" Ed moaned as he launched himself forward. Fueled by his irritation over the arrival of Colonel Mustang the young man tore into the Hollow with renewed vigor. Which resulted in several dead Hollow and the end of the battle.

"Wow," Mustang said as he walked over to the spot where the Elric brothers were standing. "You fight pretty well for a pipsqueak!"

"WHO ARE YOU CALLING…"

Leaping forward Al placed his hand over his brother's mouth before Ed had the chance to finish his little tirade. "Please sir, pay no attention to him."

Mustang shrugged, which only increased Ed's irritation. How dare that arrogant bastard dismiss him so easily.

"So what the hell are you doing here anyway?" the blond Shinigami asked, his golden eyes narrowed as he glared at his former superior.

Mustang shrugged once again. "I found myself here after my rather unfortunate demise."

"And what exactly killed the great Flame?" Ed asked, allowing his zanpaktou to revert to it's sealed form. Although his first impulse had been to turn the blade on Mustang he ultimately decided against that course of action.

He hated to admit it; oh how he hated it, but the man really could prove useful.

The smirk fell from Mustang's face as he seemed to ponder this question from his former subordinate. He remembered the incident well but it wasn't really something that he wanted to discuss.

Especially not with Edward Elric.

"He died in the heat of battle," a new voice called out, once again causing all eyes to return to the building from behind which Mustang had emerged.

"I know that voice too," Ed thought.

"Hawkeye," Mustang snapped, hoping desperately that she wasn't about to tell these two brats what had happened.

It was too horrible to even think about.

"So I take it that the two of you died together?" Izumi said, speaking for the first time since the two military officers had arrived on the scene.

"That's correct," Riza Hawkeye said politely. "We were fighting a group of rebels who didn't like the way the government was being ran when…"

"There was a fiery explosion," Mustang broke in, waving his arms for effect.

"So you were killed by the rebels?" Al asked, gazing at the colonel.

Hawkeye rolled her eyes. "I said he was killed in the heat of battle, not as a result of it. The colonel was knocked into the lake by the after shock of an explosion and I jumped in to help."

"So let me get this straight," Ed said, an image of the scene unfolding in his mind. He was fairly certain that he knew where the lieutenant was going with this story and, if he were right in his assumption, then what happened to the colonel was even more pathetic than his own death. "The colonel drowned?"

Mustang wanted desperately to deny it but, with Lieutenant Hawkeye there, he knew that he couldn't. So, without looking at his former subordinate, the colonel ran his hand through his black hair and gave a barely perceptible nod.

Deep down Ed knew that it was wholly insensitive to laugh at Colonel Mustang but he simply couldn't help himself. That cause of death was just too ironic to ignore. "So the Flame was effectively extinguished huh?"

"Shut up," Mustang snapped, his black eyes narrowing as he finally gazed in Ed's direction. "Forget about how exactly that I died. What can you tell me about those creatures?"

Ed desperately wanted to continue to give the colonel a hard time but he managed to fight the urge. It took every once of self control that he possessed but Ed managed to corral himself long enough to tell Mustang about the modified Hollow and the fact that someone was using alchemy to make them."

"So do you think that you can help us colonel?" Al asked, marveling that his brother had actually managed to explain the situation. Perhaps spending time with his rival was having a positive effect on Ed.

"So alchemy is possible in this world?" Mustang asked as he thought about the words of the Fullmetal Alchemist.

Ed nodded. "It's different, due to the difference in structure here, but it is possible." And to demonstrate the fact Ed clasped his hands together and transmuted a nearby tree branch into a small, wooden carving.

Mustang nodded as he watched the kid's transmutation. It was the most basic of alchemy but the fact that it was possible in this world was great. "We'll do what we can to help," the colonel said, gazing over at Hawkeye.

The lieutenant nodded.

"Thank you," Al said, having always been the more polite of the two brothers. "We're grateful."

"Humph," was all that Ed would say.

"This is going to be a very interesting alliance," Al thought to himself as he watched his brother and Colonel Mustang exchange annoyed looks with one another. Both would be useful in battle but Al wasn't entirely sure that the others would be able to handle their constant fighting.

A/N - Look it's an update! I realize that it's been forever since I updated this but first there was that poll and then my laptop died, taking with it all of my work. Thankfully my brother recovered the info and my mother and best friend bought me a new laptop. So let the story continue.