It is What it Is (FMA Fanfiction)

A Start

Ling was okay after everything was said and done. Fortunately, they chose not to call out an ambulance, instead offering Ling some crackers, which Ling said would get him by at least for a little while.

"Oh, wow, it's been a while since I ate, I guess I must have forgot to..." Ling said sheepishly.

"You need to take better care of yourself, Ling." Alphonse scolded. "How do you expect to ever be emperor if you're always fainting, huh? You should start carrying around crackers in those pockets of yours or something."

Ling was silent for a moment at his exasperation. "...Yeah, maybe you're right."

...

Ed has been cutting himself. I can't quite say I'm surprised.

Ling walked down the street, heading back to inevitably meet up with Lan Fan and Fu.

But even so, it's not exactly what I would have expected from him... I don't really know what to think. I told Al what I knew, but chances are there's more to this than either of us are even aware of... I never wanted to see anybody else going down the same path I was back then... Especially not one of my friends.

Ling found himself tracing his hand over his arm, momentarily trapped in the past. First, I'll just have to talk with him myself later...

...

"Good morning, Lieutenant."

"Welcome back, sir."

"How was your journey?"

One after another, people greeted Riza.

"Wow, you're pretty popular, Lieutenant." Edward smiled light-heartedly.

"Yes, well, it's one of the many inevitabilities that come with being one of the only female officers in the military."

"You almost make it sound like you don't like it." Edward observed.

Riza looked up ahead as if she was reflecting on something. "I don't. Not really."

Edward was a bit taken aback by her response, but didn't press the question any further.

...

When they reached Roy's office and entered, they were surprised to find that he had finished most of the paperwork on his desk, although a lot of envelopes and various other things sat on his desk and at its side.

"So you were actually serious when you said you were going to do your paperwork." Riza commented.

"Well, if I hadn't, you would have had my head, right?" Roy defended himself with a smirk.

"Well, that is part of my job, sir." Riza said simply.

"So, um..." Edward interjected, trying to think about how to ask what they wanted him to do after everything the week before. It was then that Roy spoke, cutting him off.

"Ah, Fullmetal, I have a mission for you and the Lieutenant..."

...

"Kidnappings?" Edward inquired.

"Yes, a string of them, all murders." Roy answered. "Typically, they vanish three or four days before turning up dead. Apparently, the bodies were destroyed from the inside, we assume through the usage of alchemy, or Xingese Alkahestry, one..." Even Edward seemed disturbed, but apparently forced himself to regain his composure.

"Sir, do you think it could it be Scar?" Riza asked.

"No," Roy said. "Aside from the fact that Scar has only been killing state alchemists, the chemical make-up of the bodies left behind is different from what should be in a living human body. In addition to some missing carbon, there is significantly less nitrogen-"