PROLOGUE

I look at this man in front of me. A man I can't stand, a man I loathe with my entire being. But with time running short, I have no choice but to work with him. For now. He sneers and curls his lip, as if the very sight of me is disgusting to him. It becomes increasingly more difficult to resist the urge to rip out his throat.

"Come at me again, Hale," and he motions towards me.

In the four years I've trained with him, he's never called me by my first name.

With a glare shot in his direction, sweat pouring down my drenched forehead, my boots echo on the cement floor as I run towards him zigzag style. He shifts his weight between his feet and I unsheathe my knife and strike with a cutting motion. His dodges are fast, and as quickly as he disappears, he reappears, throwing his arm around my neck. I twist the knife around, prepared to stab his wrist, but he lets go in a flash and pushes my head down to the ground. Warm blood is seeping down my hairline and into my eye now, and his grip on my head tightens, smashing it further into the floor.

Now I'm screaming, and before he realizes it, I grip both his arms and throw him off me and onto his back. As I'm about to lunge for the kill, he kicks out with his feet, throwing me into a pile of large crates. This fazes me, and standing up is a burden now.

I thrust my knife into the wall for support, wishing for a few moments to breathe. But he doesn't waste any time at all, rushing at me like a maniac. I just barely sidestep a punch that cracks the wall where I was standing, debris falling down and around the spot.

Good thing this place is soundproof, I think. I glance and see that he is surveying his "masterpiece" in the now injured wall. A phrase "self-absorbed cretin" comes to my mind to describe this man, and his obsessiveness with himself and his power will be his downfall.

I circle behind him, and the man turns around, finally realizing that I am launching another attack. But he has found out too late. I slam my knee into his back, cracking his chin against the cold concrete. Fumbling with my knife, I hold it steadily to his throat, prepared for the final blow.

I was taught that I should treat every training session as a real battle for life-and-death.

The man chuckles, but I do not flinch. There's no telling what he has in store for me. "Very good, very good, I'm impressed. I can see how you surprised me. However: you should never hesitate, Hale." And suddenly I'm sitting on the ground, with him dusting off his shoulders blatantly.

I quickly spring up, ready to attack again, but I am met with him yawning and waving a lazy hand in my face. "No, I am tired, it has been a few hours, and we both need to rest up our strength for the next session. You are dismissed." However stunned I am, I nod curtly, and quietly stalk to the stairs.

The room where we train is an underground storage room, built out of concrete and abandoned long ago. No one knows where I go at night. The dim streetlight casts my shadow on to the sidewalk as I slowly step off the last stair, close the trapdoor in the alley, and walk silently home. I pass by a bar and shuffle inside, ignoring the gawks and stares from the customers. Why should they care whether or not I look like this? It's none of their business anyway.

I barge into the ladies' bathroom and splash cold water on my face, which washes away the blood soaked into my left eye and cheek. It is refreshing and somehow calming, and I ache to stay there, but I know if I don't get back, Mustang will skin me alive.


I walk into Central Headquarters, my eyelids feeling heavy. Muscles sore. Feet dragging. My senses come back to me as I hear the clack of boots against the cold floor.

"Where the hell have you been?" Looking up, I see a very pissed Roy Mustang.

"Out." I reply wearily, too exhausted to tell him details. Even though I know I should since he is my superior and has enough information about me and my past to discharge me from the military.

"Out where? Maes has been worried sick about you!" Anger makes his voice an octave higher than normal. I don't meet his gaze, knowing Hughes only worries because he's been like my dad ever since he and his family took me in.

Mustang sighs and for the first time, I notice how tired he looks. "Just go to your quarters…" he tells me, barely audible.

"Thank you, sir." I add the formality with a little difficulty.

Shutting my door quietly, I go into my room. Once inside, I untie and take off my boots and they land on the floor with a dull thud. I walk over to my bed, taking off my State Alchemist pocket watch and set it on my desk. And slowly I fall into the subconscious state of sleep.


"Kaera, Colonel Mustang wants you!" a voice yells outside my door.

I turn over, burying my face in my pillow, still half-asleep. Finally comfortable, my eyes begin to close, ready for more sleep when…

"Kaera!" the voice yells again, sounding impatient.

I groan and throw my blanket off in irritation. Swinging my legs my over bed, I slip on my boots and tie them on. I stuff my gloves with my transmutation circles on them in my pocket and grab my knife, placing it in its hilt. Lastly, I grab my coat and put it on, obscuring my knife from view.

I finally open the door, glaring at Lt. Havoc leaning against the wall. He seems almost oblivious to me as he lets out a puff of cigarette smoke.

Too annoyed to wait, I storm to Mustang's door, wondering what the hell he could want so early in the damn morning.

"I guess you woke up on the wrong side of the bed, huh?" A glare is the only response Lt. Havoc gets as I angrily stare at the door where my superior waits, a cocky smirk most likely on his face. Just the mere thought makes me want to punch the door.

I open the door without even knocking and realize my actions too late. But at this point, I'm so exhausted and annoyed that I hardly notice the startled expressions on the Elric brothers as well as the Colonel's.

"What do you want, Mustang?" Ed asks, sounding as weary and tired as I feel.

The Colonel lets a smile barely flicker across his face as he says, "Now that's no way to talk to a superior officer, is it?"

"Quit the crap and tell us why the hell you wanted us to come down to your office." I cross my arms over my chest and glare at my superior. I am aware the action makes me look childish and immature but being deprived of sleep makes me irritable.

Couldn't this have waited until we all had some sleep? I think, annoyed as my gaze drifts around the room. A weak attempt to try to focus on something other than how exhausted I am and how much I would love to just go back to sleep.

"There have been rumors of a Philosopher's Stone in Liore." The Colonel finally tells us, his onyx gaze on all three of us.

"A Philosopher's Stone in Liore?" Al echoes, confused.

"If I am not mistaken, you two are still looking for the Philosopher's Stone?" he addresses Ed and Al.

Both brothers turn to each other than back to Mustang as Ed replies, "Yes, that's right."

"Then you two plus Kaera must leave as soon as possible."

"Why do I have to go with them?" I finally ask, puzzled.

"It's safer that three go than two, besides you and Edward may be young but you're both State Alchemists, which makes both of you high profile targets."

"I understand. Thank you sir." I reply; adding "sir" to my higher up has been difficult at times. Especially when it's so early in the morning and he's wearing a cocky smirk.

"I don't want to hear any complaints about working together either. Dismissed."

We all get up and leave with Al shutting the door behind us. "Brother? Do you think there's really a Philosopher's Stone in Liore?" Al asks quietly after shutting the door behind us.

"It's hard to say, Al. I mean, there's a possibility but... since that bastard Colonel asked us to do this we really have no choice…"

"If there is a Philosopher's Stone in Liore, we might return your body back to normal, Brother!" Al reminds him.

"You'll be first to return to normal, Al. I put you in that armor and I promise you, I'll be the one returning you back to normal." Ed replies, golden irises burning with determination.


So... first chapter done! I hope you liked it! ^^" And crap, I forgot to do the disclaimer... Yo, someone do the disclaimer!

(Al) *sighs* I'll do it: evanescent does not own FMA in any way, shape, or form.

(Ed) Thank goodness for that =_=

(Al) Before anyone starts to argue, review please! We'll give some of Gracia's cooking if you review!

(Hughes) DID SOMEONE MENTION MY BEAUTIFUL WIFE? :) *shoves picture of him and his family in everyone's face*

(me) What the-? Hughes, you're not supposed to show up yet! Anyway, like Al was saying, if you review you get some of Gracia's cooking! So review please... and see you in the next chapter! :3