Disclaimer: Fullmetal Alchemist was created by Arakawa Hiromu. Both 'Fullmetal Alchemist' and 'Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood' are produced by Funimation. Copyright for this property is held by Arakawa Hiromu, Square Enix, and Funimation. Please support the official release.

Note: All Original characters belong to me.

It always was the motto of the alchemist to be there for the people. As time went on, we upheld this value for decades. But in the end, it seems to be a thing of the past. Humankind had existed for generations, and in the end one must wonder: have we lost our compassion for our own kind?

Chapter 1~Dogs and Lightning

Why-why did it have to be raining on a day like this? Wasn't it bad enough that the world seemed to be turning upside down with every new incident? Puddles littered the sidewalk as the rain fell down, seeming to taunt those who were at the mercy of the outdoors. A long day at work and still no rest - perhaps God didn't have any plans for letting the weary rest, or maybe that rule only applied to him. No, there really was no rest for the weary.

With the shake of an umbrella, Winfren sighed as he watched the water drip onto the front porch. Umbrellas were such a useful tool, especially during rainy months when the weather seemed to take a turn for the worse. Still, at least the rain here wasn't as bad as the rain up north in Central Command. He smiled slightly as he shrugged the thoughts of rain away from his mind, letting the umbrella rest on the porch, before opening the white door that led to his home.

The lights flickered on, as the soft hum of the lightbulbs above echoed throughout the small house. Compared to some of the other officers home, it was relatively small with its one bed, bath, a kitchen, living and dining room. He didn't need anything fancy, with all the luxuries that some people required. Besides, the less money he spent on his home, the more spending money he had. "Well, I'm glad to see they finally got around to fixing those lights," he thought to himself before heading towards the living room.

Without skipping a beat, Winfren stopped as he turned around glancing back towards the hall that led to the front door. A slight frown appeared on his face as he heard a soft clank against the cold marble floor.

"AHA! So you thought you could sneak away again. Not this time my friend! Now then, Kono, who's responsible for this!"

As he spoke, Winfren pointed to a pair of black boots that were torn into four pieces, each piece chewed at the edge. As if on cue, a black-fur figure emerged from the shadows at full speed, ramming directly into Winfren's chest, slamming the 22-year old man onto the ground.

"Kono…."

Winfren replied in an annoyed tone as the five-year-old shiba inu repeatedly licked his master's face with a wagging tail. The shiba was given to Winfren has a gift, five years ago, for his promotion to Lieutenant Colonel. Kono was more of a hassle than anything, since the dog's constant habit of getting into trouble, which caused it to lose its two front legs at the age of two while chasing down his ex-girlfriend. "Poor girl, she should have never tried to steal Kono's strawberries." Grabbing Kono's two automail legs, Winfren pushed the canine off of him as he gave the loyal hound a pat on the head.

"Next time, don't rip my boots, you crazy dog. I don't need the colonel lecturing me on how keeping my uniform in top condition is important. After all, you know what she says," Winfren said as he placed his hands on his hip as he imitated his commanding officer (in a mocking, slightly high pitched tone). "Since the Ishval civil war 170 years ago and before then, the Amestris State Military has been keeping this uniform as a sense of pride and dignity of how great Amestris has become."

With a slight chuckle he shook his head as he carelessly tossed his blue uniform onto the couch, along with his shirt and pants, and walked into the kitchen. "Come to think of it, she seems to tell me that every day," he thought to himself as he placed a hand on his forehead and sighed. He glanced at his medium brown skin as he removed his hand from his forehead.

His black eyes glanced towards the white cabinets that had a few plates which his mother gave to him before he left to the south. He wasn't sure why she insisted on him taking them, but mothers were mothers, and there was no changing their opinion. Still, he missed his family and his little sister as well. It seemed his whole family was off in some part of Amestris doing what they loved. Winfren snapped out of his thoughts as he heard Kono barking at the door.

"Yea, yea, I'll be right there."

He called out as he made his way towards the door. The smell of rain entered as the door opened, soon to be followed by the sight of a short woman. She was no taller than five feet and had black hair and green eyes. Winfren smiled as he glanced towards the female in the uniform. He knew who she was; in fact, he had just seen her earlier today. So…why was she here?

"Good afternoon, Lieutenant Colonel, Winfren Almonse, sir!"

"Good afternoon, Captain Ria. Though, how many times do I have to tell you- no need for the formality out of headquarters."

Winfren responded with a lazy smile as he scratched the back of his head. His facial expression changed to a confused look as he raised his right eyebrow, wondering why the captain had placed her hand over her face and turned red.

"…PUT SOME CLOTHES ON SIR. PLEASE!"

Ria yelled at Winfren as she continued to bury her face into her hands. Winfren blinked as he looked down, only to realize that he was in his boxers as he stood at the door. "Whoops." He thought to himself, as he scratched the back of his head slightly chuckling as he blushed. After five minutes passed, Winfren returned towards the door fully dressed in his state uniform.

"Better? Anyways Ria, what brings you here? You normally don't visit me on a weekday."

"Sorry sir, but I have urgent news from South HQ. The Colonel wants to speak with you immediately. It's of top priority."

Ria responded calmly as she took a deep breath and sighed. "At least he's back in uniform again…why is it that he always seems to be in his underwear every time I'm forced to pick him up." She thought to herself. It was quite a pain having to pick up the Lieutenant Colonel, especially since she seemed to have the worse of luck when being his escort.

"Top…Priority?"

Winfren responded as he raised his eyebrow in confusion. If the Colonel needed him, why didn't she just ask him to stay before she dismissed him?

"Yes sir, apparently she says it's only something the "lightning alchemist" can solve. We have a limo waiting to take you back to headquarters sir."

"Only the "lightning alchemist" can solve huh?"

Winfren repeated as he placed a hand on his chin and pondered the message. Normally, when the Colonel gave him that message, it either meant that it required the use of his alchemy, that or she needed somebody to brew her afternoon coffee. He sighed as he placed his hands in his pocket and pulled out his keys.

"Alright, let's go. Wonder what the Colonel wants this time. Also, Kono…" He gave the shiba hound a strict look. "…can we try not to eat my boots anymore? I do need them for work you know. Anyways, guard the house; I'll be back in a few hours..."

Winfren closed the door and locked it, and then placed the keys in his pocket.

"…hopefully."

He stated to himself as he turned around and faced Ria. The young girl had a relaxed smile on her face as he nodded towards her, and she nodded back. It was one of the many small forms of communication they shared, but now was not the time to reminisce that.

"Alright, let's get to Southern Headquarters and see what Miss Colonel wants,"

Winfren said as he entered the limo, and closed the door. It was back to Southern Headquarters once more.