The flames leaped up, dancing beneath the moon and illuminating the gardens. Screams rose above the crackle of the inferno, crying out in anguish as flesh was burned. Trees were conspicuously avoided by the fire, as were most of the flowerbeds, except for a few unlucky ones where the masked guards had been hiding out. The smell of ash and cinders rose up along with a billowing cloud of smoke.

In front of all this destruction stood a single figure, their hand raised, their thumb and middle finger pressed against one another. Upon the thin white gloves they wore was a small red circle, intricate in design. The person also wore trousers, a white shirt, with a dark grey trench coat pulled over the entire entourage. The typical clothing of a male from Amestris.

Which was odd, considering the fact that the person wearing said clothing was clearly female.

Her jet black hair fell to her shoulders, spiking out an around wildly, like she couldn't get it under control. Her eyes were a rich, chocolate brown, and were currently narrowed as she tried to squint for signs of more enemies. The girl, after a few seconds of being poised and ready to snap her fingers, lowered her hand cautiously. She was five feet and three inches tall, though her black boots made her seem taller.

From her left, a curse was uttered, and another figure emerged from several singed bushes, covered in soot. She didn't flinch, turning to them with a smirk.

"Augh, Irene!" yelled the other, pointing a finger at her accusingly. "You knew I was here! Next time, get your aim right!"

Like a puffer fish, Irene seemed to expand, her face quickly reddening in anger. "My aim was perfect!" she shouted back, eyes flashing. "YOU were in the way!"

"Oh, don't give me that crap!" cried the boy, golden eyes wide with rage. "You had no idea what you were doing!"

The two continued yelling at each other at the top of their lungs, each one itching to place their hands around the other's throat. Two more people exited a cluster of small trees farther back, looking slightly embarrassed at the sight. One of them, a boy with light blond hair like the first, turned his onyx eyes in anxiety to the taller, teenage girl beside him. "You think we should stop them?"

The girl sighed, pressing her fingers to her temples in exasperation. She then chose to stride over, quickly grasping each of their shoulders. The effect was instantaneous; both Irene and the irate boy calmed quickly, looking guiltily at the interference.

"Sorry to interrupt," she said. "But we have somewhere to be, no? And we don't have much time; someone's bound to see Irene's smoke cloud. Elijah, we don't need your criticism right now," she added, catching the smirk Elijah was throwing at Irene.

"I didn't burn you, did I, Denna?" asked Irene, sounding concerned. "How's Rolo?"

"I'm fine," came the quiet reply, as the boy sidled up to them. His hair was cropped closely to his head, and he had his hands stuffed in his trouser pockets. Irene's eyes softened when she looked at him, and she went over to stand beside him, nudging him.

"Denna's right; we outta get going," she said to him.

"Then what are we waiting for?" muttered Elijah. Irene scowled at his attitude, noting how his yellow eyes still smoldered from their argument. His hair, which was nearly as light as Rolo's, was pulled back into a ponytail, and a distinctive red trench coat was around his black jacket and pants.

Denna laughed softly, her blue eyes sparkling in amusement at her brother's nonchalance. She was really the beauty of the group, with golden locks tumbling down in waves. She also possibly the only person present dressed with any femininity, wearing a light blue blouse and a long, plaid skirt that fell to her knees. Irene recalled being ever so jealous of her older friend, but she always told herself that she was two years younger than Denna; it was only nature's doing.

"Come on," she said, leading the way through the courtyard, towards the dark building across from their position. In the city of Yallu, in central Creta, it was known notoriously as the crypt. According to many of the locals, strange sightings of glowing figures had been occurring for the past few weeks. Irene wondered if her search was finally getting her somewhere.

Their silent trek was interrupted by a bout of coughing from Denna. She bent her knees, shakily holding herself up while the horrible hacking sound erupted from her. At once, Elijah was at her side, holding his sister up with concern clear on his features. Irene continued when Denna finished and smiled, but she thought that the smile was forced.

The entrance to the crypt was darkened; the moonlight cast dark shadows on the entrance hall. Grotesque statues lined each side of them, but had little effect on the four teenagers. They'd been to many similar places in the past few months. Irene felt a twinge of guilt, as she remembered that their parents believed that they were staying with Elicia Hughes in Central, but it couldn't be helped.

Of the four of them, the eldest was Denna, already at age seventeen. Her personality was bright, curious, and often quiet, with tidbits of wisdom that someone her age would not normally have been able to produce. Irene and Rolo were fifteen year old twins, though they weren't all that alike apart from their concern for each other as siblings. Irene could be anything from cheerful to volatile in the span of a millisecond, while Rolo stayed silent and uncertain, his confidence often wavering. And then there was the youngest, Elijah, who was only really about six months younger than Irene, and was at age fourteen.

Irene felt her mood become warier with each step they took into the crypt. The end of the entrance hall was composed of four arched doorways, each one with a passage that conspicuously sloped downward into the earth. She didn't particularly like going underground, especially after the stories her father had told her of the tunnels beneath Central.

"So, which way now, drama queen?" asked Elijah, smirking at her.

"I'm not a drama queen; if anything, you are." Dare she say it? As if he'd do anything to her if she did; his mother would go crazy, so she added it for spite. "Shorty."

For a moment, she thought that a volcano would erupt through the city.

"SHORT!" he screeched, puffing up so fast that she thought he was a balloon. "LIKE YOU'RE ONE TO TALK, MS. I CAN'T AIM RIGHT TO SAVE MY LIFE!"

Irene slugged him in the face.

Denna placed her hands on her hips, staring at her brother where he lay twitching on the ground, before casting an exasperated look in Irene's direction. Irene was practically glowing with happiness; she couldn't remember the last time she'd gotten to punch him.

"Just pick a tunnel, Irene," she said.

The black haired girl shrugged, walking over to the far right one and entering it. Rolo grabbed an unlit torch off the wall, gesturing towards it. Irene quickly snapped her fingers, and a small flame sprang up in the holder. Elijah followed behind the rest of them, rubbing his nose and moaning.

"Where do you think this goes?" asked Irene eventually, the break the eerie silence.

"Probably to a bunch of graves," muttered Elijah. "It's called 'the crypt', isn't it?"

Despite the temptation to come back with some smart retort, Irene refrained from doing so, choosing to ignore his smart comment. Rolo and Denna didn't say anything.

Then, the sign she'd been waiting for came: the corridor ahead flared a sickly green. The four of them froze, glancing at one another, and a silent agreement was made.

They began running.

Irene rounded the corner in time to see another one of the masked guards patrolling the hall. They appeared to be prepared for the intrusion, and she had a split second to duck as they raised their gun and fired. There was a flash, and spark of light, and a rock pillar came up from the floor, smashing the guard against the ceiling. Irene watched while his eyes rolled into the back of his head.

Her savior happened to be Elijah, who had his hands pressed into the ground, brows furrowed in concentration. Though she was grateful that she hadn't been shot, it irritated her that the person who annoyed her the most had saved her.

"What, I don't get any gratitude?" he asked, frowning at her.

"Thanks," she spat. The next time she had to say it, she might have to kill herself instead. They continued along, Denna hurrying up beside her to have a quick word.

"I know you argue a lot, but he was really the only one who could've done anything. My Bioalchemy wouldn't work down here."

Irene just nodded stiffly, aware that she was right, but was still frustrated.

There was another bright flash, and she increased her speed, turning to a room where five men stood in a circle, chanting something under their breath. At once, the other three were upon them, with Elijah and Denna putting their martial art skills to use. The blue transmutation circles on Rolo's palm's glowed, before water appeared like a shimmering whip in the air, slapping the heads of another.

Irene was about to jump into the fray herself, when the unexpected happened.

The five strange men fought back, their skills just as good- perhaps even better- as their own. The one Rolo was combating ducked the next water slap and lashed out with a kick that swept her twin's legs out from under him, quickly grabbing his exposed wrist.

Irene was too preoccupied by the fact that there was a young boy in the center of the room, laying there, apparently unconscious. But it wasn't long before she turned to see her brother in the man's grasp, convulsing violently.

"Rolo!" she screamed, raising a hand. "Everyone get down!" she bellowed.

Snap.

Shrieks of pain erupted as the five men were consumed in flames, writhing and twisting, trying to escape. Her anger fueled the fire, and she kept them going up until the last one ceased twitching.

The room was silent.

Irene rushed over to her brother, falling to her knees beside him. He was lying on the ground, panting, and he raised his eyes to look at his sister.

"Saw that coming," he whispered, forcing a tired smile.

"Well, you know I wouldn't let him hurt you," she assured him. Her relief spread through her; at least her brother hadn't seen anything unusual when the man had grabbed him.

She and the others cried out when the green light flared again, and she shielded her face, squinting. The light was emitting from the boy, as he slowly stood. Glowing tattoos adorned his body, shining through his clothing of shorts, and white shirt, and a sweater vest over it. He was dressed like a schoolboy, she noted, and had probably been kidnapped by these men on his way home.

Then his eyes opened, and she sucked in her breath.

No irises or pupils were visible; all she could see was more of the green. Still, he appeared to be staring right at her, and a sinister smile crept onto his face.

The glow stopped as soon as it had begun; his eyes became a normal looking brown, and he stared in shock before they rolled into the back of his head, and he collapsed.

The sound of a transmutation came from her left, and she saw Elijah approaching the boy warily, a stone sword now in his hand.

"What are you doing?" she cried, pulling him away from the child.

"We don't know what he is."

"Look and see, idiot," snarled Irene back. "He's a human boy, and he probably wants to go home to his mom!"

"Selim Bradley looked like an innocent boy too!" retorted Elijah sharply.

In the corner, Denna flinched.

Irene and Elijah swore at the same time, both whirling away from each other so that their trench coats flared out in the same fashion. She breathed in deeply, willing herself to calm down. She and Elijah couldn't afford to have one of their usual arguments, not with the life of child on the line.

"Okay, look," she said condescendingly. "If he wakes up and appears threatening, then you can guard him. Happy?"

He glared back at her for a few moments before he nodded.

"Excuse me?"

They all jumped, and turned their heads simultaneously to see the little one sitting up, hugging his knees to his chest and staring at them with a curious expression on his face.

"Sorry, but do you know where I am?"

It turned out to be Denna who explained everything to him, once they got out of the creepy place. She told him that they'd found him in the crypt, and that they were going to take him home. He stared at the four of them wide-eyed, before he asked the question.

"You guys are alchemists?"

Irene nodded, Denna smiled and said yes, Rolo avoided his gaze, and Elijah grunted.

"Cool!" exclaimed the boy. He grinned at them all, before his smile and excitement faltered.

"What's your name?" asked Denna gently.

"I don't know."

That made them all stare. The boy had amnesia, did he? Suddenly Irene felt as though maybe Elijah had been right earlier- not that she'd ever admit it.

"I don't know anything," he continued. "Not since the monsters came."

They all exchanged glances, their gazes clearing saying, Monsters?

"They were laughing at me, and it was cold," he said, fear beginning to creep into his eyes now. "And I couldn't see them, it was all dark…"

Irene felt herself shiver involuntary, and was reminded of how foreboding the boy's expression had been earlier, when it was twisted into an evil smile. His eyes had been boring straight into hers, and she couldn't shake the feeling that even now, she was being watched.

"Should we bring him back with us to Patron Guilford's castle?" asked Denna.

"I don't see how we'll have a choice," replied Irene. The Patron had told them that he'd want to know how the excursion had went, and he'd want to meet the straggler they'd picked up. The trip back to the castle took awhile. They hadn't been able to take a car, since Patron Guilford said that they couldn't be associated with him. The boy was apparently so weakened that he couldn't even move that much, so the task of carrying him was given to Elijah, who grumbled about it along the way. Denna had named the boy Otter for now, which had nearly sent Irene into snickers.

"Patron Guilford will see you right away, Lady Mustang," one of the guards said, bowing to her. She noticed that these guards were not the same guards that had occupied the crypt, as these ones didn't have masks over their faces. She felt herself go slightly red at the title he'd given her. For a 'lady', she certainly wasn't dressed the part.

"I prefer Major Mustang…" she muttered to no one in particular. Elijah coughed, something that sounded suspiciously like a laugh.

They followed him through the wide open halls, which were decorated lavishly- something that starkly contrasted with the plain, uniform buildings she was used to in Amestris. Creta had been a far off destination, and the trip hadn't even been worth it- their lead was useless again.

Patron Guilford was seated on a throne in an even more extravagant hall than the previous ones. Elegant statues of the gods and goddesses of Creta were on either side. Irene didn't know much about Cretan religion, but she did know that it was central to their lives. The crypt itself was apparently a remnant of the old religion, which had been abolished long ago because of its dark beliefs.

The man himself was short and plump, but of good humor for the most part. He beamed at them as they entered, green eyes twinkling brightly.

"Welcome back, Lady Mustang," he said loudly. His eyes quickly landed on the boy Elijah was carrying before they travelled back to her. "And also, of course, Lord Mustang," he nodded at Rolo, "And Denna and Elijah Elric. I trust your excursion was successful? That is your missing person?"

He nodded at Otter, who Elijah had gently set down on the floor.

"No, it isn't," she said firmly, bringing Guilford's attention back to her. "Deep in the crypt, we found this boy being experimented on by several unknown men. He appeared to be glowing in the same way that was described by several of your citizens. We don't know what it meant, but I'd advise you to take precautions. There could be a conspiracy against you."

He frowned. "I sincerely doubt that, but I assume you speak from experience. After the mess that happened in your country, with Fuhrer Bradley…" he sighed. "Dreadful, just dreadful. I can understand where you're coming from, but it's probably just Cretan extremists."

"Then you won't mind if we take this boy back to Central City in Amestris with us," said Irene, raising an eyebrow. She thought she saw him wince. "His memory has been erased," she continued. "Since we found him, it's our duty to care for him. As you know, Denna is a Bioalchemist; with her tools that she has in our home country, she could certainly help to cure him of this ailment."

Guilford nodded slowly, although Irene saw little signs here and there- a slight twitch of his foot, the way his hands gripped the arms of his chair- that showed her that he wasn't nearly as confident as he seemed. Otter was staring at him hopefully, giving the Patron a puppy dog face that reminded Irene of when Black Hayate was asking her mother for more food.

"Thank you, Patron Guilford," she said. "We'll probably catch the train back to West City soon. We are grateful that you allowed us to stay here."

"Oh, no, no!" he gasped. "The pleasure was all mine. You are welcome to return at any time…" he paused for a moment, cocking his head. Irene wondered what he was going to add.

"Ember Alchemist," he finally decided on.

She sagged in relief. Her codename was a lot better than, 'Lady Mustang'. Irene fixed up her trench coat again, before turning around again.

"We're going home."

Rolo watched in silence as the rest of the party caught up on some much needed rest. He felt the rhythmic bumps as the train rumbled over the countryside. Fields and small bunches of trees rushed by, along with the occasional farm animal.

Irene and Elijah were both snoring, the noise itself an abomination. Rolo felt a smile form thinking about how the two would argue over who had the loudest snore, and which was more annoying. His sister couldn't seem to hold her temper around Elijah, and Elijah… well, he couldn't hold his temper at all.

They always joked that Elijah had inherited his parents' anger genes- Uncle Ed's fury over being called short coupled with Aunt Winry's wrench-throwing habits. Irene, on the other hand, had their mother's scary annoyance and her father's pride. Combined, Irene was probably more capable of violence when provoked than any of them.

Which, of course, was why she excelled at Flame Alchemy.

His twin sister was a state alchemist- she'd become one almost immediately after perfecting her Flame Alchemy. Elijah was as well, through sheer determination and intelligence, much like his father. He didn't really have a specialty, unlike the rest of them, and though it wasn't visible through his sleeves, his arms were covered in transmutation circles, each one meant for a different scenario.

Denna had always been a Bioalchemist at heart, and had such passion for it that she refused to even attempt the test for state alchemists. Rolo himself had decided to try and be a paradox to his twin, and as such chose to study Water Alchemy. Much like Denna, he'd also declined to become a state alchemist.

There was just one problem- neither his father, nor his mother, nor Uncle Ed or Aunt Winry were aware that two of them were state alchemists. They had changed their names in the test, and mostly avoided seeing Fuhrer Mustang whenever Elijah and Irene had to report to Lieutenant Colonel Hughes. Elysia had done a lot for them, Rolo realized.

His eyes settled lastly on Otter, who was asleep like the others. Curiosity at the boy was gnawing at him; if the boy didn't have memories, would he have a future?

Reaching out, he touched the boy's hand.

Masked figures pursued Otter and Denna, and Denna whirled to block a gunshot from one of them…

Otter stared at Selim Bradley a kind of horror.

All five of them were atop the roof of the military headquarters in Central, watching dark clouds build up in the distance…

Otter was whimpering, with Denna's arms around him, whispering to himself.

"I can't see…"

Rolo, unable to take it anymore, ripped his hand away, nearly cursing under his breath.

"Rolo?"

Irene blinked at him sleepily, concern in her expression. "Are you alright? What did you see?"

He didn't have the breath to answer, but sent her a pleading look. She blinked but nodded.

"Okay, I'll ask later…" And she was out again.

Rolo lay on his side, deciding he should follow suit. Still, Otter's agonized whispers haunted him.

Author's note: Well, I've been wanting to write this for quite a while. I know I didn't mention Rolo and Irene's mother by name, but it shouldn't be too hard to figure out. Just a few questions to think about:

What do you think is wrong with Otter?

How did Irene learn Flame Alchemy, and why?

What did Rolo do?

What was Guilford hiding?

Why does Selim Bradley come up a lot?

Next chapter will be the childhood of those four. Hope you enjoyed this! Please review!