CHAPTER ONE

Edward Elric, 17 years. Male. Fullmetal Alchemist.

Edward Elric, a short blond, looked at the computer screen he had his left hand on, and sighed. Alphonse Elric, a 16-year-old, sandy-haired boy with amber-grey eyes and a calm personality, stood behind him, his huge eyes shining with curiousity.

Alphonse smiled, then spoke up, his sweet, soft voice ringing like a beautiful bell in the middle of spring, "Nii-san, what are those things called again?"

"Computers, and I told you, you can call me Brother," Edward looked back, his golden eyes teasing his younger brother. Ed's hair was long and in a ponytail, but often you would see him with braided hair, especially if he were around his friend in his hometown, Resembool.

The friend's name was Winry Rockbell. She had lighter blond hair than both Edward and Elric, and also had large blue eyes. A natural tomboy, she was Edward's mechanic.

Oh, Edward didn't own a car. He had an auto-mail right arm and left leg, because he and Alphonse had attempted a human transmutation of their dead mother when Ed was 10 and Al was 9. Because of it, Ed lost his leg, and Alphonse had died. Edward traded his right arm for Al's soul, and set out on an adventure to get Al's body back.

Ed had succeeded-but was sent to your world, landing in Germany. Finally Al made it through the gate to Ed, and the two had returned a half year later, after closing the gate for good.

But their deed was not done. Somehow, a Japanese citizen from our day and age found their way through the gate, and had changed the 1925, world of Amestris with their technology. For example, the hand-reading computer in front of Edward now.

Ed and Al never bothered to close it again. They had enough of the Gate and it's mysteries. Ed would also have physical pain if he got close to any of the Gate's monsters. Does it sound frightening already? Now you understand why Ed and Al just went back to military duties in Amestris instead of fiddling with the inside truths of alchemy.

"But, I've always called you nii-san!" Alphonse countered.

Edward laughed, "Yea, but the Japanese call their brothers nii-san, too. You're an Amestrisian."

Alphonse sighed and followed his brother into Eastern Command where his older brother worked. Ed had joined the military at 12 to have access to funds that would supply their search of how to restore Al's body. Ed found that the money was still useful-as Ed often ate as much as he could at a restaurant-so he continued to work at Eastern Command, even though Ed didn't care about the government or the country of Amestris' upholding. The elder of the two brothers just cared about people's safety, no matter how macho and defiant he seemed at first. That was proven by his common statement in the old days where enemies threatened to kill Al. Ed would say, "Kill me! I'd die for Alphonse any day! Do whatever you want to me! Just don't you DARE touch Al!"

You can figure out the rest.

As Ed walked into the large office where he worked with his subordinates, he saluted to all of them, and hung his red jacket on the coat hanger. He had switched to a military uniform a while ago, but he found comfort in the ragged, worn out jacket, and now continued to wear it everyday, along with his black undergarments.

"Hello, Fullmetal," called Colonel Roy Mustang from his wooden, dark brown desk. He could barely see the shrimp-sized teen from over his large stack of papers, but he didn't dare say that in Ed's face. He could get rater…temperamental about his height. After all, he was still about the height of an average-sized 13-15-year-old. He was taller than Ms. Winry Rockbell, but Al was a man, too, and had loved and drunk milk unlike Edward all his life, so Al was at least 3 inches taller than Ed. To make himself happy, Ed wore platform boots and let a stray bang stick up into the air, forming a sort of antennae.

"Yeah, whatever," Ed could care less about Roy had to say. Roy, the Flame Alchemist, was the most of his problems in the military. I'm doing this for Al…and the money, Ed reminded himself before he could pick Roy up by the collar and shake him around the room.

Roy Mustang was around 30 or 31 years old, and most Colonels were at least 45 or older. Roy had many enemies in the military because of his high rank and simultaneous young age, so he had many subordinates working under him. Such as Major Edward Elric and Second Lt. Riza Hawkeye, who he had a crush on but often rejected him, while giving him the utmost respect at the same time.

Al looked around the large room, clicking and typing noses filling his ears. Then he sat down next to "Nii-san" and watched him read through papers then sign them. This was how everyday went at work, ever since Edward settled down. And Alphonse liked it this way.