Author's Note: Hey you guys! This is The Illusionist! First off, there are a few things I need to get clear about some other stories of mine (If you haven't read any of my other stories, feel free to ignore this. )Out in Wonderland is still being worked on. My cousin and I both are still writing hard on it, but there are some things later on in the story that we realized needed some work, so we wanted to get all of that worked out before we continue posting, so don't worry, it's just under a bit of maintenance. For my Let it Die fans, it's been awhile since I updated it and I'm not sure when I can get back to it. In my time away from it, I've lost my journal that holds all of my Let it Die information. I've just recently gotten a hold of it again. So you can expect Let it Die to be continued shortly. As for Third Wheel, I really don't know what I'm doing with that yet, I had so much planned for it but I lost interest. I might go back to it, might not. And Magic of Sinnoh is questionable.

Sorry 'bout that guys, just wanted to get that out there!

Disclaimer: I do not own Fullmetal Alchemist/Brotherhood! I do not own any of the original characters. They belong to their rightful owners. I do however own Kylie, her brother, and the other original characters who I will claim as they come into the story.

Titanium

By: The Illusionist

"Is there a chance,

A fragment of light,

At the end of the the tunnel,

a reason to fight?

Is there a chance,

You may change your mind?

Or are we ashes and wine?"

- Ashes & Wine by A Fine Frenzy

"Would you just stay in your damn seat?" my much older, step brother said as a vein in his head became very obvious.

I crossed my arms and legs, leaning back against the couch as I chewed on the inside of my cheek. "Your little lap dogs are late. Can't help it if I get a little anxious." I shrugged and smiled inwardly as his vein pulsed.

"I never said they'd be here at exactly four. I said their train arrived at four. Major Armstrong is bringing them. Try to be a little more patient," he said as he continued to write on one of the many papers piling up on his desk.

I puffed my cheeks out and sent my attention to the blond woman leaning over my step-brother's shoulder. "Is he always this stressed?" I asked as the pen in his hand made a cracking sound.

"Not usually," came her reply, "But he doesn't usually work so intently either," this earned her a glare from him.

I let out a short, confident laugh and grinned. "Showing off in front of your sister, Roy?" I asked.

This time, his pen actually broke, and he looked up at me with quite a serious and angry face. "You're not my sister, Kylie!" he shouted, "If anything, you're a step cousin."

I raised my brow and put my arms against the back of the couch, stretching my legs out. "I prefer to think of you as a brother. Cousin Roy just makes us sound so far apart."

"Step cousin," he corrected me, picking up another pen and beginning to write again.

"That's even worse," I whined, leaning my head back to stare at the boring, white ceiling. "Who exactly are you dumping me on anyway?"

"The only kid I know who deserves to be dumped with you," he said just as someone knocked on the door. "And that just might be them now."

The door opened to reveal a figure that I had seen a multitude of times, never in person, but seen none-the-less. They weren't very tall, but I knew better than to let that mean much in my judgement of them. Despite the fact that their hair was long, blonde, and braided, it was plainly obvious that they were a boy. He appeared to be having an argument with one of, if not both of, the two who entered with him.

The one to his left, who had entered slightly before him, made quite the statement with his large, metal, suit of armor. I assumed he was a boy anyway, as I couldn't imagine any girl flaunting something of the sort. Aside from the fact that the suit was fairly bulky, there wasn't too much about it that was distinct, though that little ribbon of white hair at the top of the helmet did strike me as odd.

The door was closed by a person I had become quite familiar with during the course of the week. In times when my step-brother, or step-cousin, needed the assistance of his blond assistant, Riza Hawkeye, I would be stuck with the large man known widely as Major Armstrong. Thankfully, he was dressed in his military uniform, instead of being shirtless as he'd done one too many times.

"Fullmetal," cousin Roy caught my attention as he stood, staring intently at the trio as they entered. "Thank you for bringing them, Major Armstrong, you've been a great help this past week."

At the statement I couldn't help but snort. "Are you serious cousin Roy?" I asked, "All you've had him do this week is babysit me! Which, for your information, is highly unnecessary."

All I got in response was a glare as the boy and the suit of armor positioned themselves on the couch across from me. Major Armstrong, claiming to have some work of his own to do, took his leave, accompanied by Miss Hawkeye, before Roy sat back down in his chair.

"So Colonel, what kind of mission have you dragged us back into Central for this time?" the short one said, leaning back in a position similar to mine. "And what's the girl for?"

I felt a vein in my own head become slightly irritated but managed a very unwelcoming smile. "'The girl' has a name," I said, "and I was just wondering the same? What's the little dwarf doing here?"

A fire lit in the kid's eyes, but just as he was about to blow, Roy spoke up. "This girl is Kylie. And for the next six months, she's your responsibility."

The both of us shot up from our seats, both of our voices mixing into the word 'what'. "Roy, you can't be serious? This kid is no older than I am."

"This kid is a certified State Alchemist," Roy rebutted, "and your only chance of taking that test."

I shrunk back and clenched my hands into fists. "You want to be a State Alchemist. This is a perfect chance for you to train with one of our best," he said, "And probably the only one who'd be able to put up with you."

"So, she's like, my apprentice?" the kid asked, and I turned my body to face him.

"You're sending me to train with the Fullmetal Alchemist?" I asked, crossing my arms, "Why?"

"All you've done since becoming a part of this family was go on and on about becoming a State Alchemist. Before I even consider letting a kid like you join the military, you need to at least learn the basics. And if you can't handle six months with Fullmetal, then there's no way you can be a State Alchemist." he said, leaning back in his chair.

"Colonel, is it really a good idea for her to come with us? What about our missions?" the boy in the suit of armor asked as I sat back down on the red couch.

"Yes, about that. We won't be sending you on any missions that we deem too dangerous, and though she might not look like much, Kylie is very capable of handling herself when she's in a tight spot," Roy said, genuinely shocking me. It wasn't very often that he said anything positive that concerned me.

"But what about our personal missions?" the Fullmetal Alchemist asked, his face a mix of anger and anxiety.

A loud sigh came from Roy before he spoke, "Those can still be carried out. But please use some discretion, Fullmetal."

I sighed and closed my eyes, rubbing my index finger against my temple. "Look, I don't wanna be a burden on anyone. If I'm gonna get in the way, you're better off just shipping me back to Miss Mustang and I'll find another way to get into the military."

"That won't be necessary, Kylie," Roy said, almost before I could finish my sentence, "Fullmetal will have no problems with having you accompany him, right Fullmetal?"

The kid rubbed his neck nervously and shrugged his shoulders. "I guess not, Colonel," then he turned to me, pointing one of his gloved fingers at me, "but you better be able to keep up!"

"Don't worry about me, shrimp," I said, pushing myself to my feet, "it can't be too hard to keep up with those short, little legs."

He shook his fist angrily at me before banging it on the table. "Who are you calling so small you could squish him under your pinkie toe?" he shouted, glaring intently at me.

"Fullmetal, that is not what she-" I put my hand up to silence Roy.

"No, no, that's exactly what I meant," I said as I crossed my arms and smirked at him.

The kid looked at me as if he were ready to attack me, but was restrained by the boy in the armor. "Brother, don't," he said to the struggling kid.

"It's best to listen to your brother, Fullmetal. I don't want any harm coming to her," Roy said, sounding just as disinterested in the events as he was with paperwork.

"But Colonel!" I tuned out just as the Fullmetal Alchemist started going on another rampage, this time directed towards Roy instead of me.

I soon came to the decision that I didn't particularly want to stand and listen to the two bickering males, so I gave a quick, two fingered salute towards them before heading towards the door. I was stopped, however, just before I could twist the handle. Looking over my right shoulder, I saw the suit of armor standing behind me with a hand on my shoulder.

"I'm really sorry about my brother. He's very sensitive about his height," aside from the two words to his brother a few minutes ago, this was the most I'd heard from his voice, and he sounded more like a kid than the other one.

I smiled at him and turned to lean my back against the door. "Naw, no biggie. It's nice to see someone get so worked up over something so trivial. Really brightens the day up," I said, "By the way, who are you exactly?"

"Me?" he asked, pointing to himself, "I'm Alphonse, Ed's younger brother."

"Younger brother?" I asked, giggling softly to myself, "Sure, why not? I'm Kylie Williams."

I heard a crash coming from behind Al and craned my neck to check it out. Somehow, Ed had wound up on the ground, surrounded and covered by many of Roy's papers. I sighed and shook my head, turning to reach for the handle again.

"Wait, where are you going?" Al asked me.

"Dunno," I said, shrugging, "Wander around the halls maybe. Not much else can be done around this place unless you're a State Alchemist."

I had spent a few minutes just wandering around, getting odd looks from the Alchemists as I did so, before I realized that Al had followed me out. Even with his company, my trip around the building wasn't any more exciting or any more of a success. However, after a little while, we came across Major Armstrong. Thankfully, our visit got cut short by the short man himself, insisting that it was time to go.

As we headed back towards the hotel which Ed and Al were staying at, Ed asked me multiple times why I was following them. Most of the time I just shrugged it off, saying there really wasn't anywhere else for me to go. Though, by the time we reached their room, I was fairly certain that Ed was tired of my nonchalant answers.

"Dammit Kylie, you can go away now!" Ed said, throwing his arms in the air.

"Actually, I can't," I said, rolling my eyes, "From today onwards, I'm suppose to be staying with the Fullmetal Alchemist. I have nowhere else to go."

"What about your stuff?" Al asked, and I glanced up in his direction.

"I don't have much stuff. But what I do have, Armstrong and Roy moved from my room this morning. I'm guessing it's inside." I told them and took a step away from the door. "Now, are you gonna let us in or not pipsqueak?"

Within the next hour or so, as the three of us settled into the room, I'd set Ed on at least seven rants regarding his height. After about two or three though, Al stopped trying to calm his brother down and just let him ride his anger out. At some point, the room became quiet as we each immersed ourselves in our own activities. Ed had settled upon kicking his legs up and down on the bed as he lay reading some book. Al on the other hand was sitting alone in a corner, seemingly making some kind of craft. All the while, I sat in the small entrance that separated the living room section of the room from the bedroom, going through my small suitcase of stuff.

I smiled excitedly when I pulled out the two, pink, fingerless gloves that Roy had insisted I remove before meeting my living partner for the next six months. With a squeal, I put them on, glad that I finally had such an important accessory back.

"Can you keep it down? And stop looking at those gloves like you're in love with them," Ed's voice came from the bedroom side of the room, and I stuck my tongue out at him.

"For your information, these are not just gloves," I said, "These are how I do my alchemy," I flipped up my palms to reveal two transmutation circles, one on each palm. "It takes a few tries for me to draw a transmutation circle. I figured having one premade would be easier."

"Oh yeah?" Ed asked, stopping his kicking to sit on the edge of the bed. "Are you any good with alchemy?"

Taking off my baby blue jacket I gave a slight shrug. "Basic alchemy? I understand the fundamentals. I haven't been able to put them to any use yet though," I said, "but I guess that's why you're my teacher."

It was silent for a minute as Ed got up and walked over to me. I kept my eyes to my lap, where my hands now rested, as opposed to watching the kid as he put himself on the ground in front of me.

"Is the Colonel really your cousin?" he asked, and I looked at him with a shocked expression. That was the last thing I expected anyone to ask.

"Sort of and sort of not," I said after I recovered, "His aunt adopted me about half a year ago. So I'd be more of a step cousin, but it's all the same to me."

He didn't really acknowledge my answer for a minute or two, and I was beginning to believe that was the end of the discussion. However, he managed to ask me another question after the brief silence.

"Adopted? Where are your parents?" he asked, his voice a little uneasy.

I let out a loud sigh but gave a small laugh anyway. "What's with the Q & A, kid?" I asked.

"Just getting to know my new partner," he answered, "Now seriously. What happened?" as he spoke, I heard Al's footsteps draw closer until they stopped, and he sat beside his brother.

I put my hands against the floor and blew out a huff of air. "They died in an accident when I was five. I've been in and out of foster homes ever since. That's all there is to it."

"Why the sudden interest in the military?" this time it was Al who asked the question.

"For starters, Al, it's not so sudden," I answered, biting down on my lip, "I made up my mind three years ago, when I was twelve, that I had to do something about the military. It wasn't until a year ago that I realized, the only way for me to do that was to join it."

"If you can't even do basic alchemy, how did you expect to pass the test?" Ed asked, and I glared at him.

"I just figured I'd cross that bridge when I came to it," I mumbled and stood up, dusting off my pants, the gray dust leaving little marks on the white material.

"Life doesn't work that way, Kylie," Ed said as he himself stood, followed by his brother.

I scoffed and rolled my eyes, walking to the blue sofa that was stationed in the middle of the living room. "It usually does for me," I replied, "Al, will you check the closet for an extra blanket?"

When Al came back, he handed me a small, blue blanket that was probably a little too small to cover all of me if I were to lay straight. "Thanks," I said and smiled at him, making a 'shooing' motion with my hands towards Ed, "You can go back to your bed now. I wanna try to get some sleep."

"Sleep?" Ed asked, looking at the clock on the wall, "It's only eight."

"Yeah, well, knowing Roy, he'll have a mission ready for us fairly early. I'd like to be well rested for it," I answered, settling onto the couch.

"She's got a point, brother," Al said.

"Yeah, yeah, whatever. Enjoy your nap," Ed's voice faded a little as he walked back towards the bedroom half of the room.

With Ed on the other side of the room, I sighed in relief and reached to pull my brown hair out of its two messy pigtails. I ran my fingers through my hair, trying to stop it from poofing out. During my final try of keeping it down, I looked over my shoulder to see that Al was still standing there.

"Doesn't it get hot in there?" I asked him. "Maybe you should take it off."

"Oh, yeah, I'll think about that," he answered nervously, rubbing the back of his head.

With that, he walked back to his brother's side of the room while I spread out on the couch. A yawn fought its way into the open as I rested my head on one of the couch pillows. The room stayed quiet as neither of the boys uttered a word at that point, not even to each other, and I quickly drifted off to sleep.

I bolted up from the couch, sweat dripping hurriedly down my body. Looking around, I realized the room no longer held the light from before, as both the room's light and the sun's natural light had been turned off. I held my right hand tightly to my chest, trying desperately to quiet down my sobs and gasps for air. I quickly smacked my palms together, waiting until a little whitish blue light emitted from them before holding them up to my mouth and taking in a deep breath.

The burning sensation in my lungs lightened until only quiet sobs were what remained. I shook my hands and then wiped one across my eyes, falling back onto the couch immediately. I was no stranger to the nightmares that plagued me night by night, but that never stopped me from hoping I could have a moment of peace. My stomach churned and I gripped it with my hand, biting back anymore tears and sobs that were still fighting to get out.

"Is everything alright, Kylie?" I stiffened at Al's voice and sat back up, immediately choking on the air. "Kylie!"

I held my hand up and took several long, deep breaths before holding my hand over my heart. "I'm fine, Al," I told him, my voice hoarse from the lack of air, "What are you doing up?"

"I heard you scream," he said, "I'm surprised you didn't wake brother up."

"Sorry," I said, furrowing my brows, "I hadn't realized I'd screamed." I scooted my legs over the edge of the couch, making room as Al sat down beside me.

"Did you use alchemy a few minutes ago?" he asked me after a moment of silence.

I smiled softly and nodded, leaning back against the couch. "Yeah, I did."

"What did you do? I didn't see you create anything." Al's voice sounded thoroughly confused, yet all I could do was giggle.

"I can't give you all my secrets in one day, now can I, Alphonse?" I laughed and closed my eyes, still fairly tired from my nightmare.

"Can I ask you a question?" Al asked in a timid voice.

A dry laugh came from my throat, and I nodded weakly. "Sure."

"What sparked your interest in the military?" he asked.

I stared into the black pit of my eyelids, letting the silence carry on as Al fidgeted with his fingers. "I'm looking for someone," I said during a long exhale of breath.

I assumed that he would ask who I was looking for, but all he did was give a hum of approval and the silence stretched on once more. I slowly felt myself slipping farther and farther out of consciousness, though I could've sworn I'd heard Al mutter something along the lines of, 'tell her tomorrow.'

"No way," I shouted, lifting up Al's armor head, "there's really nothing in there."

"Ah, Kylie, my head! Could you please give that back?" Al asked, reaching his hands up to grab his head back.

"Sorry Alphonse, here you go," I said, laughing nervously and putting his head back in place.

"Well you're taking this rather calmly. And unsympathetically." Ed murmured, crossing his arms as I inspected Al's armor.

"I was sympathetic at the beginning," I retorted, trying not to sound heartless, "But now I'm more interested in the fact that Al is here. . . but not here either."

"Of all the parts of the story, that is what interests you the most?" Ed asked, "Not that Al's body isn't important, but normal people would focus on the fact that we tried to transmute our mother."

"I guess I'm not normal," I said, shrugging and knocking lightly on the chest of Al's armor.

"That's an understatement," Ed said, tapping his foot impatiently, "Now can you stop ogling my brother so we can get to Colonel Mustang before he decides to bite our heads off?" he shouted.

I turned to Ed and crossed my arms, sticking my bottom lip out. "Al, your brother is being mean to me," I pouted, sitting on Al's leg and puffing my cheeks out.

Ed then started ranting and yelling on about all the things he already disliked about me, while I just sat there and hugged his brother, throwing fuel onto the fire. Al didn't do much to help, though I doubted he could have done anything, as everything he said involved the words 'please' and 'brother' both of which just earned him a 'shut up Al' from his older sibling.

That was an odd environment for me, being around people my own age, laughing and genuinely enjoying the time together. It'd been years since I'd had that kind of company, where I could feel light hearted without worrying about what the others were saying behind my back. Despite the fact that we'd only known each other a total of a few hours, something just seemed to click. Something in me just begged for me to trust them, and they seemed to be fairly comfortable with me as well.

"Are you listening to me?" Ed's voice shook me out of my current state of mind, but all I could do was continue to laugh.

"Brother's right, we should get going," Al said, and I nodded, standing and saluting to the boys.

"Shall we go, sirs?" I asked, heading for the door and grabbing my coat, "C'mon. The turtle may beat the hare in the race, but he doesn't stand a chance against Cousin Roy's fury!"

A thought crossed my mind that morning. A thought that hadn't entered my head in such a long time.

Perhaps there is a light at the end of the tunnel.

Author's Note: So, my darlings, I hope you enjoyed the introduction to this little FMA/B Story. Got any questions? Ask 'em. if I can answer I will. If you've got a comment, leave it. if you liked it tell me. If you didn't, tell me why. I'm open to all kinds of reviews. Wanna point out some mistakes? Go ahead, it'll help me be a better writer. Got something nasty to say and nothing helpful to add? Please keep it to yourself. The only thing I won't tolerate is people being rude just for the sake of doing so. If you didn't like it, it doesn't help anyone for you to just go on being an ass. Like I said, if you didn't like it, tell me why. That's all I ask. And now, I leave you for the time being.