Chapter 1/ Recollections to a Beginning

It was the very next day after Edward Elric's disappearance that Al began to worry. He knew that the Colonel had him do an important mission to capture an escapee criminal but he knew it wouldn't take a whole day, Al waited another day but his brother still didn't return. So he went to ask Colonel Roy Mustang if Edward had checked in or saw him. Roy had responded, "No I haven't seen Fullmetal in two days, why?" Al told Roy about his worry but Roy just chuckled and said, "Relax Alphonse he's probably just out somewhere. He'll show up eventually."

But then a week went by and that's when the Colonel's suspicions started to arise he went to ask Al if he's seen Ed yet. Al was in the middle of his alchemy training when he asked but he responded with saying, "No I was hoping he would show up like you said but I haven't seen him yet."

Another week went by and that's when Roy sent out search parties. The strange thing was that when he started asking people if they had seen a small blond kid with a red coat some of the citizens answered yes, but what they said afterwards was what disturbed him.

"Ya this small kid was walkin' with these two men." One civilian had said and then he pointed to across the street. "They was walking over there. To me the kid looked a little dazed, but hey what do I know about kids!" The man then went about his business.

"Oh yes," an old lady said. Lt. Riza Hawkeye paid close attention to what the woman was saying. "A young blond boy was being carried by an older man the boy looked asleep and exhausted. The man who was carrying him seemed a bit heavy and mad, but I was probably just imagining that! These old eyes aren't what they were before!" she laughed and continued watering her garden.

This time Alphonse went to ask people and he came across a young woman around the age of 30. "A small blond boy with a red coat? Never seen anyone like that." The woman started to walk but her husband who was at her side said, "What are you saying dear? We saw a boy like that just yesterday." Alphonse struck to attention, "Really? Where!" he voice an anxious mess.

The man looked at the boy and said, "He was sitting outside on the sidewalk. When we walked past him we thought he was homeless so we gave him a couple of cenz, but then the strangest thing happened…" the man didn't continue.

"What? What happened?" Al asked in his anxious voice.

"The boy stood up with the cenz in his hand and gave it back to us," the woman continued on for her husband. The look on her face seemed struggling as if she had to choke the words out of her, "When he gave it back to us he looked straight into my eyes and said, 'Thank you for your concern but where I'm going I wont need money' when he said that his narrow golden eyes pierced straight into me and I saw something terrifying… it was like a mixture of Hell itself and something else… maybe a scream for help or…" The woman stopped and looked away, she couldn't continue anymore. Al sighed but was glad for the woman's confession, "Thank you, this helps a lot." And he left the couple with the great information.

When everyone got back together in Mustang's office to tell of their statements they received they were all different. Falman had said that Ed was lying unconscious on the ground. Fuery said that he was seen on top of a roof laughing like a maniac. Havoc said that he was seen with a gun pointed to someone in a robbery. Breda said that he was seen teaching a school of children. Armstrong said he was seen dazed and possibly drunk around a club at night and lastly Hawkeye, Al, and Mustang told of their statements. They were all different and completely unrelated to each other but the main conclusion that was reached was the main focus and fact:

Edward was still in Central.

That was what kept their hopes up of finding him so without a minute to hesitate they all continued searching. Al on the other hand spent most of his time searching and training on his new alchemy skills. Mustang had become a little worried about the young Elric's health but somehow he knew Alphonse would be okay, he knew because Al would not exhaust himself to the point where he would have to stay in bed for a long time.

Another week went by and they had no leads. Only more statements about seeing the older Elric around Central. Even the criminal that Edward was after had not been seen, that started to worry Roy a bit. Yet it was still too early to give up on finding him.

Yes they were certain they would find him eventually.