So first off, I'm very sorry for just leaving this story without any notification or anything, especially to those who believed in the story and enjoyed it, especially Ed' .Kitten, super sorry to you but I'll make it up to you and to everyone who read this because I'm back on the Fullmetal Alchemist Brotherhood grind. Now I'm going in a different direction than when I first published this because now I'm a year and a half wiser when writing. Also, there may be some spoilers in later chapters so if you never finished the series, this may bother you but that's like WAY later. Anyways, enjoy and thank you.

[Chapter One]
ArrOgAnt

There are two types of people in this world, those who have matter and those who make it. And when all is said and done, I am the latter in one of the variant sub-categories, gifted with the general title of a "thief". Thief, someone who has committed a criminal act in which property belonging to another is taken without that person's consent. By that definition alone I'm not a "thief", a "crook" or, a "criminal". By that definition I may even be a saint, a patriotic symbolism of peace and justice. I am vindicated by means greater than my own, proven only by my abilities and ambitions. I am here to unlock the Truth, my Truth, but the lack of the understanding makes me seem so insignificant in the land of Amestris…for now.

The stone walls, metallic gates, and intricate military designs of Eastern Command would be a terrifying sight to any who held even the slightest of doubts and the smallest of fears, to this, hidden by swooping tresses of light gold, she grinned. The others passed by her in an aimless fashion as she stood and stared at what lied ahead, feeling neither excitement nor astonishment, no, she only felt what she needed, she only felt what was right. For just knowing what she was going to accomplish made pure ecstasy coarse through her veins. Her grin grew in an almost cynical fashion, knowing that this was only the beginning, such a large but yet oh-so small beginning. Placing her head down, she walked through the entrance in order to take the written part of the state alchemist exam.
Like the others before her and those to come, like lambs to a slaughter, she walked to her assigned seat in silence; the nearly feral smile that was growing now gone and a look of utmost blankness was displayed for all to see. In her seat, positioned next to an older gentleman, one she could easily forget, one she knew she would end up forgetting, she looked around. Amaranth orbs fluttering to and fro the faces of the fearful, the confident, the weak, to the faces of the instructors and guards; she almost questioned their presence and wondered if she may be the cause of them. It's not as if her name wasn't known around the military, especially those of the alchemic sort, she pretty much figured someone had recognized her last name at least, her father was pretty well-known after all. Taking her eyes away from them and casting her looks to the ceiling, she ignored the feeling that bubbled in her stomach and marked it up to protection as the reason for their presence. Can never be too careful, she contemplated; her mind going to the double-meaning behind her thoughts. Her lips curled upwards in the faintest of ways as a small shimmer came to her eyes.
Hearing a rustle next to him, after spending an hour with his hand barely supporting his head, nearly drooling at this point, the older man turned his glances over to the person beside him; he nearly choked. He was surprised to see someone like her in a place like this with all that was going on. She was young, petite, and seemed reserved, he mistook this for being shy and apprehensive; how wrong he was in his thoughts. He continued to look her over, not noticing her small shudder or the darkened flare in her eyes. "He — before he could even finish the word she held up her index finger in his direction. Her eyes cut towards him, cerise rose orbs resonating unfiltered annoyance. "No." He seemed confused by her single statement so she elaborated. "Do not speak to me." His slightly wrinkled face fell, shocked, before twisting and becoming red with rage. How dare she, did she know who she was talking to? Disrespectful little, he thought as he stood out of his chair, nearly knocking it over with the force used. He pointed at her in a fit, she inwardly smirked at his performance, predicting this reaction. "What did you say to me!?" he shouted in what she read as a vain attempt to place fear into her. There was no need for her to respond as one of the overseer glared at him and commanded for him to silence himself before he was disqualified; he sat back down and huffed like a child. Her smirk grew.

"And begin!"

Taking a look at the packet in front her, she read the first question in her head though her lips moved along silently. "What is the first rule of alchemy? Explain. After explaining please apply your response in a non-alchemic scenario." Looking up from her paper and to the militants standing across the room, locking eyes with one, she stared listlessly before the militant cracked a quick, almost darkly encouraging smile at her. She couldn't help but return the gesture, nearly grinning back in a similar fashion before her focus cut to her test. The militant couldn't help but to stare at her even after her focus was away from him, confused and questioning as to why he felt almost fearful.

To her the test was a breeze; it felt like a natural process as she shaded bubble after bubble and wrote essay after essay, a small smile planted on her face as she did; a smile that reeked with sick confidence. There were many questions, as to be expected, ranging from judgment of character to basic and advance levels of alchemy; there was nearly every question you could imagine to evaluate a possible candidate, the prefect candidate. She knew it was her, no one else could fill the position like she could and if there was, then they would have to be removed by any means necessary.
Onto the psychological evaluation, she thought as she walked out of the testing area, with a mind of a declared "thief", a murderer's mind can't be too far of a stretch, for all I know, I'm already there. Fearful red eyes widened in the recesses of her mind. She chuckled lightly at her thoughts as she continued down the open hall, glancing around, a bored expression presented, until she noticed three individuals who stood out from the potential candidates she walked upon. One was quite short, golden blonde hair and amber eyes, young, but the silver chain going into his pocket had to be that of a state alchemist watch; her mind went straight to thoughts of manipulation. Another was in a suit of armor which completely covered him; she found this oddly calming and held the urge to smile contently. The last was wearing the uniform of a state alchemist, his hair was black and his eyes were even blacker. He looks familiar, she thought, where have I seen such warmth-less black eyes? She stopped and stood in the middle of the hall, staring at the three who seemed to be watching them, the blonde spotted her and she instantly locked eyes with him. Body rigid, breaths shallow, focused, she refused to blink even when he did several times, she refused to look away even when people crossed in front of her line of sight. She just stood there and stared. Why was she so suddenly enthralled by the look in his eyes?
"Move it!" the voice was harsh, but if she had hit the concrete ground after being roughly shoved, that would have been harsher. Anger fueled her and from the ground in the push-up position, she turned to her assailant, the one asking for a backlash the likes of this building has never seen, and glared as her eyes fell onto the same man from before. "Not so tough now are you?" he boosted. She stood and dusted her hands off, never braking eye contact, as her tongue flicked against the roof of her mouth, holding back an outburst. He leaned forward, inches from her tanned face, and smirked, "Got nothing to say now, eh?" A haughty smirk played on her features, a small spark danced in her eyes, "Do not speak to me," she paused, her smirk grew, "you worthless, feeble, insignificant, pathetic abomination who holds no reason for existence other than to kneel down before me." His eyes widened before he backed away from her smaller form, again his face twisted. He cocked his arm back in anger, ready to strike, and she prepared herself for countermeasures, ready to end this little altercation as quickly as possible, when a gloved hand grabbed his large meaty fist. She leaned slightly to look passed the older guy — whom she ironically dubbed Mister Gentleman — and saw him there, the boy with the blonde hair. He moves fast, she thought instantly, he is not one to take for granted.
"Why don't you leave her alone, now," he suggested, it was obviously a command. Mister Gentleman huffed, shook off the boy's hold, and walked away temporarily defeated but prideful, after all he figured he could always get her another time when said boy wasn't around. Watching his back becoming smaller as the distance grew, she had weird feeling that this wouldn't be the last of him. Ignoring that for now, she turned to the teen before her and smiled politely whilst analyzing the other blonde as much as possible within the few seconds she knew she had with him. "Thanks for that," her voice was sickeningly sweet. He sheepishly smiled in return, a light line of blush coming to his face as he placed a hand behind his head, "Yeah, no problem. I mean picking a fight with you was stupid, you're a girl." His tone was egotistical; she cut him a quick glare but it dissipated quickly, no need to make enemies with a potential "ally". Glancing down in an innocent fashion she pointed to the silver chain that hung loosely on his hip, "Is that a state alchemist's watch?" There was so much false curiosity in her voice. He nodded, grinning proudly before pulling it out of his pocket, it dangled from the slack. Her eyes narrowed slightly, I could take that from you and you wouldn't even notice. Pushing back her darker ways she smiled again, "It is quite nice, I'm hoping to become a state alchemist myself." He looked her up and down quickly and raised an eyebrow, opening his mouth to question her. Before he could ask anything she answered, "I'm fourteen if you're wondering." "Oh," he said it lightly as if in thought before his face scrunched, "Why?" "I have my reasons," she responded and he simply took that. There was a brief silence between them before she turned to look at the open doors and the orange setting sky; she could talk to him at another time. "It's getting late, I should be heading home now," she turned back to him and held out her hand, "I'm Symphonique Alucard by the way, and it was a pleasure to meet you." He grabbed her hand and shook it, "The name's Edward Elric, Fullmetal Alchemist, and it was nice meeting you too." She smiled softly, a dark linger came to her features as the splotches of sunlight spotted her face, "Well Edward, I hope to see you again, and maybe next time we meet I'll be carrying a watch too." He grinned, "I'm sure you will. I'll be rooting for you." With farewells said, Symphonique turned and began walking towards the exit of the building, her mind solely on exploitation.

"So who was the girl?" Mustang questioned as soon as Ed came within range, having watched the entire interactions between the two teenagers with a small sense of dread in him; the three proceeded to walk towards Headquarters. "Symphonique," he responded, "she's fourteen." Mustang's eyes narrowed at the given information, I knew it, he thought. "That's a unique name, I don't think I've ever heard anything like it before," Alphonse stated. Ed nodded, "Yeah it's different." "She was trying out for the state exam?" the younger brother questioned to which Ed nodded. "She isn't much older than you were when you took the exam," Mustang commented, "and she isn't too far from your age now." He glanced over to short blonde, "Who knows Fullmetal, when she becomes a state alchemist you may even have your very first girlfriend." Ed blushed at the thought of potential being with the other blonde before waving it off, "My goal is to get the Philosopher Stone and to get our bodies back, a girlfriend would just get in the way of that." Mustang smiled, "You say that now but watch soon you're going to have to choose between her and Winry." With his face full of red, Edward began verbally attacking Mustang for even making such allegations. Alphonse said nothing to this, his mind preoccupied with other thoughts, wondering as to why Mustang said "when she becomes a state alchemist" instead of "if".

When Symphonique returned to the Alucard Manor she held her head down, a flat out refusal to see the symbolic gravestones, the trees in their own personal stages of rot, the flowers starving for sunlight and water. She refused to see what her current home had become. She hated seeing, knowing, the condition she allowed her home to go into but she couldn't bring herself to move anything, it would disrupt the past and she did enough of that by presence alone. She walked through the front door and flicked the light switch, only to be met with darkness still. She sighed in aggravation, knowing that yet another bulb had blown. Locking the door behind her, she made her way into the kitchen, bee-lining to one of the cabinets, and lifted her hands to grab the box of extra bulbs. She pulled one out and slowly ran her fingers over it, caressing it to a certain degree, feeling the coldness lingering on her sun-kissed skin. This made her think of the Elric boy, of how, though covered, his automail hand had sent chills up her spine. She smiled softly, she longed for the cold metallic feel of things but the fact that his automail moved by the will of its holder made her long for it specifically. Symphonique released a shallow breath as she walked back into the den to replace the bulb. As soon as she finished the quick repair, the doorbell ranged. She walked over to it expecting to see Mr. Georgey, her neighbor since as far back as she can remember being in that home, but was greeted with a unexpected surprise.
With a quick flick her wrist, indicating a wave, Maria Ross smiled at the teen before her, "Hey." Within a blink of an eye, Symphonique launched herself into the older woman. "I'm so happy you came by," she said within the hug, burying her face into the bosom of the other woman, her eyes containing unshed tears of joy, "I'm so happy you're visiting, I've missed you so much." No matter how she felt about the military, she could never bring herself to manipulate the woman before her, there was just too much love for there to be any other kind of feelings. Maria hugged the teenager back and smiled softly, "Yeah I know, sorry it's been so long. Work has been getting heavy with the Scar sightings and all." Symphonique's grip around Maria's waist tightened protectively, she didn't hate Scar, in fact she almost sympathized with him, but if he were to ever harm this woman, he would pay for his sins in the worst of ways.
Patting her shoulder lightly, notifying Symphonique to loosen her hold to which she just released all together, Maria left her hand on the young girl's shoulder and smiled, "and I've missed you too Symphi." Smiling whole-heartedly, eyes shining with the use of her nickname, she lead Maria inside, the look on her face made Maria smile as well. "So I wasn't going to cook tonight, probably was going to heat up some leftovers but since I have such an esteemed guest, I'm going to make some white rice, baked chicken, and black beans, if that's okay with you?" Maria smiled, "That sounds prefect." Symphonique grinned again before running into the kitchen, getting ready to prepare a dinner for two. The last time she did that was over five months ago.
Second Lieutenant Maria Ross has known the Alucard family since Symphonique herself was nine years old. Maria was the regular babysitter for the Alucard children, growing the closest to the youngest of the bunch, slowly becoming the little one's best friend. Over the years Maria noticed the changes in the now teenager, the little things that made her the lovable child gone, filled with something that she couldn't quite describe. Watching from afar, trying to soothe the aches and erase the scars of the forgotten child to the best of her abilities when she had the opportunity to do so, but how could you help someone who seemed almost broken? The obligation she feels lingering for years, the need to care and cherish, love and support her was stronger than ever. Maria knows that that is what Symphonique needed now more than ever, she needs some by her side, someone who wouldn't leave her, but how could she be that person, she worked miles away with long and sometimes ungodly hours, how was she to help someone who yearns for consistency?
"So I took the written portion of the state alchemy exam today," Symphonique said off-handedly as they ate, Maria stopped and trembled; she feared this. She attempted to calm herself, choosing her words with the utmost care, doing her best not to upset the girl. "Symphonique, you don't, you don't have to do this," Maria said, her anxiety rising. "Yes I do," she responded instantly, staring at the twirling fork betwixt her fingers, much to Maria's dismay, Symphonique could do that without look; she didn't want to face Maria. "After much contemplation and attempts to simply just accept it," she paused, her eyes hazing over with regret, "I've decided to follow in my father's footstep, maybe it'd bring me closer to an answer. I've realized that this is the only answer." She stopped the fork and turned, staring into the second lieutenant's eyes as if to say, "Forgive me." Maria was silent to this as their intense stares laid upon each other, could this really benefit the teen, would this really help her with what she needed? Wouldn't this just hurt her more? Support, she reminded herself, support the girl, she needs you remember. Eventually, a sigh was heard on Maria's end, "Just don't do anything stupid." Symphonique smiled at this, knowing that her friend was now behind her on her decision, even if she didn't approve of it and in the back of her mind, a darker center smirked.

Stupid was not the word that could describe her desire, of her future accomplishments, of her plans, no, stupid equals idiotic and her plans, her plans were brilliant.

Tada! So here's chapter one. Thank you for reading!