A/N: Okay, this is my first fanfic so I don't expect pure brilliance, but I'm going to try my best! I've decided to write an FMA fanfic that's like the movie "The Shining" with Jack Nicholson. We'll see where it goes…

I do not own Fullmetal Alchemist… not any of it… at all…

Chapter 1

Ed entered Mustang's office, kicking the door in as he passed the threshold. He was not happy. First of all, Ed had just fallen asleep for the first time in a couple weeks, and before he could get an hour in, he was awoken by Al telling him that the Colonel wanted to see him. Second, the reason he hadn't gotten any sleep was because he had been trekking through dense jungle in search of a rumoured witchdoctor who, allegedly, could bring people back to life; Ed thought that maybe the philosopher's stone could be in the heart of the jungle. Well, the witchdoctor was a fraud who really just woke up people in a deep sleep (which he happened to put them in). Naturally, there was no philosopher's stone. Yeah, Ed was pissed. Darts in the ass, leaves and vines up the crack, and all kinds of dirt in places he didn't even know he had. Al trailed behind Ed, rapindly spitting out and mumbling apologies to everyone in the hall who they had passed.

"Alright! What the hell do you want, Mustang?!"

"Quiet down, shortie!" Mustang retorted.

"WHO ARE YOU CALLING SO SHORT HE MAKES A GARDEN GNOME LOOK 8 FEET TALL?!!!?" Ed screamed as he ran up to the Colonel's desk and began to flail his fists in the air.

Now the Colonel has a smirk crawling across his face. Mustang kept a cool composure as he was amused by Ed's anger. He knew Ed felt battered and he enjoyed furthering his discomfort (jerk :P ). He considered it payback for all of Ed's "disobedience" and "insubordination".

"I have an assignment for you…"

"And you have to tell me now?!"

"I think you might be interested. Look through this file."

Ed was handed a manila folder, as he was already up against Mustang's desk (practically nose to nose with Mustang… you know how Ed can get). Ed looked over it's contents; he looked at the various pictures and read the texts there. The indignation immediately ran away from his face as he scanned the line of text that read: "it is believed that somewhere on this estate rests data and materials correlating to the legendary philosopher's stone and perhaps the stone itself."

"The estate lies on a mountainous peak in northern Drachma. It's cold up there and you might get snowed in… better pack some extra layers." Mustang said with un-genuine concern. "Here's a ticket for the 6:00 AM train. It's a long way there, so you'll have to leave early to arrive at a decent time… next week." He said as he laid a train ticket on his desk.

"Awww Damnit. I hate the cold. I'm gonna lose my others limbs to frostbite or something stupid like that." Ed said exasperatedly.

"At least it's better than being stuck in the jungle for a month." chimed Al energetically.

Ed turned on Al with deadly glare that screamed 'you have no idea'.

"heh, heh…. Sorry, brother." Al whimpered apologetically.

Then, Ed realized something. "Hey, did you say I'd arrive in a week? A week! Crap, another long trip."

"What! But how long will this take? You just got back, brother. I've only seen you for a couple of hours and now you're leaving?" Al sadly realized he'd have to wait for his brother again, this time, maybe even longer than a month.

"I know Al, I'm not happy either but there's nothing I can do… Alright. Let's get going then." Ed began his hasty departure without even a goodbye. As he reached the doorway, he said, "Come on A-".

"Wait, Fullmetal" Mustang commanded in a somewhat annoyed tone.

"What for?"

"There's something you need to know before you leave. The Amestris military can't just barge in on a private estate in Drachma snooping around. You'll be given the alias of the estate's new caretaker. The estate is prestigious hotel used only in summer and spring months." Mustang laid out IDs for Ed and Al verifying that they would be the caretakers and another ticket for Al. "I have Identification for Al as well. I know what it means to be apart from someone you care about." He looked down at the corner of the room, recalling the memory of someone he missed for a while. (This is kind of a RoyxRiza comment. He remembers when he had to be apart from Riza for a while. Just thought I'd throw it in there.)

"Brother!"

"Thanks, colonel, you know you're not half bad sometimes" said Ed with a smile donning his face and a wink.

"I try" said Mustang with a cool grin.

"Okay Al! Off to wherever the hell that crazy train takes us!"

OKAY! First chapter down. I'm interested to see where this goes. But even more interested in what YOU think. Should I keep going? 'Cause if no one likes it then why should I keep writing? Please offer any criticism or also appreciated praise, 'cause without any incentive from my readers, the words on this page mean nothing!