Hello! This is my first fanfic and, obviously, my first time in the fandom. I'm really excited to be getting into this, though I do have a request before you begin reading. I would like you to go to my profile page, as it has the character profiles of my OCs and also a little bit of information in regards to the style I usually write my fanfiction. It's something I would appreciate and it would also help clear some things up in the story.

This is the DA URL for the character profiles: deviantart com/talba0926

Anyway, I do not own Fullmetal Alchemist or its characters/plot/etc. I DO own my OCs and alterations to the original plot. Thank you and I hope you enjoy!

Edward and Alphonse Elric, after a long time of being away from their town of birth, returned to Resembool for the sake of repairing their bodies. Well, repairing them as much as they could with Edward's broken automail arm and Alphonse's armor which was half gone. Of course, like with any sort of work that requires great care and little to no room for mistakes, it would take time. That was something that, while necessary to reach their goal, was nonetheless frustrating.

Still, it gave them time to rest and recharge, something that would help them in the long run. It was a break from all of the constant chaos that had came and gone, and it was certain that it was only a break. Both brothers were certain that this wouldn't be the last of it, not by a long shot.

In the three days they were told it would take to recover from their last battle, however, they would encounter something else. Something that was approaching Resembool very quickly…


Three raps on the door alerted the Rockbell household of a visitor waiting for someone to answer. Perhaps it was a neighbor or even one of their customers or even a stranger. Whoever it was, Pinako Rockbell was the one to answer the door.

It was a young man, one that appeared to be in his early twenties. He had kind, dark eyes and a matching smile, making him seem like a polite young man. Despite how kind he looked, it was that military uniform that ignited mistrust in the older woman.

"Can I help you?"

He bowed slightly, "Good afternoon. I was told that Edward and Alphonse Elric were here for maintenance. I presume you're Madame Rockbell?"

"I am. Who might you be and what do you want with those boys?"

"My name is Allister. I'm a state alchemist and I was sent here to deliver a message. May I come in?"

She paused, soon nodded and stood to the side, "You may. I must say it's quite refreshing to have someone in the military who doesn't just barge into someone's home without permission."

He nodded back and entered the home. As he did, he chuckled, "With all do respect, I was raised better than to act like that, military or not."

"Hmm. That may be, or it may be that you haven't grown into it yet."

"I suppose we'll see, then. Now, may I please speak to the Elric brothers?"

"Certainly. Follow me and I'll take you to them," Pinako led Allister through the house to the back door. There, the Elric brothers and Major Armstrong were there. "Well, boys. It seems you have a visitor."

The brothers looked to this new guest as he stepped down the stairs. Another military official? Edward couldn't help but feel a bit annoyed. There was already one too many with him at the moment and now another one was thrown into the mix. What the hell did he want?

"Allister Conrad-Wu. I take it you're Edward Elric? The Fullmetal Alchemist?" he had a friendly smile as he stuck his hand out…to Alphonse.

Steam came out of Edward's ears as his brother corrected, "Uh, no. I'm Alphonse Elric. That's my brother right there."

The smile slowly vanished from his features and he drew his hand back, "I am…very sorry. I was told you were the one in the armor by Colonel Mustang."

Ah, now it made sense. Alphonse sweatdropped and Edward lashed out, "Damn it, that colonel is getting on my last nerve!"

"Hmm. You said your name was Allister?" Armstrong had been pondering where he heard the name before. "Ah, yes. I believe you're the Flash Flood Alchemist."

Allister nodded and saluted, "That's correct. It's a pleasure to meet you all."

"Uh, nice to meet you too," Alphonse responded, his armor clanking a bit. Allister raised a brow and observed him and his empty armor. As soon as he noticed, the boy began to panic, "AH! Uh, this isn't what it looks like! W-we can explain-!"

The older man raised a hand to halt him, "It's alright, no need to do that. I've already been informed on your situation. Your empty armor and missing limbs, and the story behind them."

Edward's golden eyes darkened as he asked, "Is that so? What do you want, anyway?"

Allister reached into his coat and pulled out a folded piece of paper, handing it to Edward. The blonde boy snatched it from him and looked it over. It was a letter.

Fullmetal,

I got wind of an alchemist passing through my area searching for the philosopher's stone. I managed to flag him this morning as he's fairly hard to track due to his constant movement. See if he can help you out in your search.

Mustang

"You're…you're searching for the philosopher's stone, too?"

Alphonse gasped slightly and Armstrong was fairly shocked as well. Allister nodded,

"Mhmm."

"Why are you looking for the stone, Allister?" the younger brother timidly asked.

For once, Allister's smile disappeared completely and his expression became very somber. He averted his eyes away from them as he replied,

"Same reason as anyone else, I guess: just trying to get back what's been lost…"

It was a short yet very akward silence before he continued, "Anyway, in regards to information, I'm afraid I can't offer much. The most I have so far are the basics, stuff that even novice alchemists should know. I also have information on someone who knows about the philosopher's stone, a man named Tim Marcoh. He went into hiding after the Ishvalan Civil War and I haven't had any luck finding him."

The brothers and Armstrong looked to each other, sweatdropping and silently debating who should be the one to tell him. Finally, Armstrong decided to be the one to do so.

"Actually, we talked to Dr. Marcoh. Today, in fact. He's already given us a lead on his research at the National Central Library."

Allister was frozen on the spot. He blinked once, then twice, then a third time. Before anyone could so much as talk more, he fell to his knees.

"Are you kidding me?! I've been searching for him for four years and of course he's in the last place I decide to look!"

There was a bit of awkward laughter amongst them. Edward had stopped mid laugh and reread the letter. One detail somehow didn't make sense,

"Hey, this letter says the colonel flagged you down 'this morning.' He doesn't mean this morning as in today, does he?!"

"Uh, yeah. He talked to me this morning and I rushed right over. Why do you ask?"

He wordlessly gawked at him, not even able to point out the obvious flaw in his words. Alphonse was the one to be clearer,

"That's true. It takes at least a day by train to get to Resembool from Eastern Command, and even then there's a bit of a walk between the train station and here."

Allister then caught on to the reason of their confusion and clarified, "Oh! I see! Well, I didn't travel here by train. I had a much faster mode of transportation, and one that is far more reliable."

He reached into his uniform and brought out what looked like a whistle that was tied around his neck. He blew into it, releasing a shrill shriek for a brief moment. Not long after, they heard the distinct sound of thundering hooves.

From the corner of the house galloped a sort of strange creature. They had certainly never seen anything like it before, but recognized what it was immediately: a chimera. The beast had the head, wings and talons of an eagle, the body and hind legs of a horse, and the tail of a lion.

"That's…that's a chimera…!" Alphonse stated shakily. He couldn't help it after their recent experience involving the transmutation of a chimera…

"He is. He's a mix of eagle, horse, and just a bit of lion," Allister explained as the creature nudged his shoulder with his beak. He patted it and moved his hand to scratch behind the chimera's feathery, horse-like ears. "He was made as part of a program for the military for special mounts. I call him Arrow."

"It certainly is a fascinating creature," Armstrong nodded. "I was not aware that such a program existed."

At that, Allister became sheepish. He rubbed the back of his neck as he explained, "Well, it's sort of in a trial phase right now. We need to make sure they're safe for us and the general public. So far, Arrow's been completely mellow and pretty easy to handle. He's definitely made traveling faster and easier."

Arrow squawked before shifting his legs to rest on the ground. With a sigh, Allister asked, "So I am to assume that we'll be heading off to Central as soon as you're all fixed up?"

The older brother nodded,

"That's the plan."

That same day wore on for a few hours. Edward was nowhere to be found. Pinako, Winry, and Armstrong were inside, leaving only Alphonse and Allister outside. Seeing as it would be some time before they could move on, the latter decided to make himself useful.

He had shed his military coat, revealing his more casual attire. Seeing more of his body, he was fairly muscular, yet still lean. He was tending to some of the chickens when Alphonse decided to break the silence,

"Hey, Allister?"

"Hmm? What is it, Alphonse?"

"I thought I heard the Major call you the Flash Flood Alchemist. You're a state alchemist?"

He nodded, "Yes. I got my certification when I was seventeen and have been searching for the stone ever since. That was about six years ago. And yes, the name suggests that I specialize in water alchemy."

"Wow. You've really been hard at work. How come we've never heard of you or see you?"

"Well, like the letter said, I travel around a lot and I don't stay in one place for long. I've traveled all over Amestris to search for the philosopher's stone."

"Oh…that's another thing. You said that you're searching for the stone for the same reason we are. That means you had to have done a human transmutation to bring someone back, right? If you don't mind me asking, who did you lose?"

Allister tensed dramatically, but reluctantly sighed and sat down against the same barrel as Alphonse was. He reached into his pant pocket, and held out photograph, which Alphonse accepted.

"Those are my little sisters. They're twins if you haven't already guessed."

Indeed, they were. The photograph showed two little girls who couldn't have been older than five. They had short black hair and wore simple, yet identical, winter clothes. They were outside in the snow, and one sister was sitting on the ground while the other was hugging her from behind. Both had large smiles on their faces.

They seemed completely identical with only one distinguishing feature: the one hugging the other had a bow barrette in her hair and the one sat on the ground had a flower barrette.

"It was about fourteen years ago that it happened. The one with the bow in her hair was Kaia, and the one with the flower was Lillia…"

He became painfully quiet after that. The younger boy could already predict how this story was going to go, but that was no reason to interrupt. After a moment of silence, he continued,

"That photo was actually taken not too long before it happened. One day, they were playing in the snow. I can't remember much from that day, but I can remember most of what happened: they kept playing even after it got dark, and they were on a sled. I guess they couldn't see it, but they accidentally slid onto a frozen lake, but it wasn't thick enough to support the weight of them both…"

Alphonse couldn't help the soft gasp that came out of him. Allister clenched his eyes tightly shut, either trying to remember or suffering from the memory. Or maybe both.

"We got them out as soon as we could, but they ended up catching pneumonia. Kaia was lucky and recovered. Lillia, on the other hand, wasn't so lucky…"

Alphonse was speechless. To lose your life when you're that young, just starting to explore the world. It couldn't have been easy for their family.

"That's awful…I'm so sorry…"

Allister shook his head, "Thank you, but don't be. It won't change anything. It really took a toll on all of us, Kaia especially. Those two were inseparable and pretty much each other's best and only friend. It completely crushed her."

Alphonse looked back at the photo, of the two smiling faces of the little girls. They did seem awfully close, arguably as close as he and his brother were. Just as he couldn't imagine how heartbroken he'd be if he lost Edward, he couldn't even begin to comprehend how much Kaia had suffered losing her sister.

"It was four years later that the incident occurred: the human transmutation. It was horrific…"

"I know…it always is. When you did the transmutation, what kind of toll did you pay? You don't look like you have anything missing…"

The young man let his head fall back against the barrel, letting out a weak chuckle. It definitely caught Alphonse off guard.

"Screw it. You're going to find out sooner or later…"

Allister sighed heavily, "I said I was looking for the stone to restore what's been lost, remember? Well, that doesn't necessarily mean that I'm the one that lost something."

Alphonse felt a great sense of dread shoot through his armor. He didn't want to believe what he was about to say, but he knew it was true.

"I didn't perform the transmutation. Kaia did."

"Wh-what? She performed the transmutation?"

Allister confirmed, "Yes. I told you it crushed her, crushed her to the point where she'd do anything to see her again…"

"I see. I know what that's like, or at least something like that. If…if she was the one to perform the transmutation, what toll did she end up paying?"

Every previous question seemed to hammer Allister down with pain, but that one took the cake. Alphonse could tell too, telling him that it was one he dreaded answering, if he even gave one at all.

"Let's just say…the toll she paid was one that has made her completely incapable of finding the philosopher's stone herself. That's why I'm the one who is searching for it. I'm leaving it at that."

"Okay. I understand…"

It was once again awkwardly silent. Still, in that time, both had gotten to know each other well enough. It was an admirable thing that Allister was doing for his sister and it was kind of Alphonse to not pry any further.

Allister let out a resigned sigh, "Alphonse, I need you to promise me something. If you have to tell anyone else, only tell your brother and no one else. Nobody else can know about this. Promise?"

"Okay. I promise. I'd really like to know why, but I don't think you're ready to tell me that, are you?"

Allister smiled sadly, "Yup. Besides, if you ever do meet my sister, I think you'll be able to figure it out on your own…"


The three days came and went, and then Edward's automail repairs were complete. With that done, Alphonse was able to be restored as well. Considering how late in the day it was by the time they were finished, it was decided that they would leave for Central first thing the next morning.

After saying they're goodbyes, the group had walked to the train station by late morning. Three were travelling by train and one was not.

"You're not coming with us, Allister?" Alphonse asked.

"Nah. Like I said, this is a mode of transportation I find much more reliable," he remarked as he mounted Arrow who was crouched to the ground. The chimera stood up and ruffled his wings.

"Also, I'm going to be making a quick stop. It's on the way to Central, so I should be able to meet you guys there on time."

"All right, if you're sure," Edward and the others waved him goodbye as they went to catch their train.

Allister used his heels to nudge and Arrow obediently stood up. The chimera took off into a sprint before ascending into the sky. In no time, they were soaring over the countryside.

As eager as he was to follow the new lead on the philosopher's stone, there was one place not too far (at least by chimera) that he needed to visit. The talk with Alphonse had indeed been difficult, but it had also been…nostalgic.


In under an hour, Allister reached his destination and now stood in front of a Xingese-styled cottage. It had been four years since he visited this place, and he was absolutely dreading how he would be welcomed.

He took a deep breath and knocked on the sliding door. There was a bit of shuffling on the other side before the door opened, revealing an old Xingese man, Tao Wu. He wore simple robes and had his silver hair in a ponytail.

His dark eyes were as kind as his smile when greeted, "Well, this is certainly unexpected. We haven't seen you in so long."

Allister smiled back, "I know. It's been a pretty long time, grandfather. I can't stay long, but I wanted to see Kaia. I have some news for her."

"Oh, good news I hope," he ushered Allister inside. "She's out back with your grandmother. They're training right now."

The young man stopped abruptly, "I-I'm sorry, training?"

The grandfather ignored his question as he led him out to the back, where it was basically a wide, open area. There were all sorts of combat equipment, which didn't surprise Allister. His maternal grandparents were raised as warriors when they still lived in Xing.

Speaking of which, his breath caught in his throat as he saw what "training" that was happening. Kaia and their grandmother, Xiu Wu, were locked in a brutal fighting session, throwing punches and kicks at each other. Allister almost lunged to stop the fight, but the firm hand of his grandfather on his shoulder stopped him.

"Don't interfere. Just watch."

And so he did, feeling very anxious as the fight continued. He did have to admit, whatever training they were doing, Kaia wasn't doing half bad. She struck, blocked, dodged, and moved with great precision, accuracy, and grace.

He was also surprised that their grandmother still had that kind of energy left in her at that age…

"You need to stop leaving your shoulder open! An opponent could easily strike you and leave your arm useless!"

The old woman's advice was harshly given as they fought and she even went to strike at Kaia's shoulder to emphasize it. However, it seemed that Kaia anticipated it, as she lifted her arm to block and immediately struck back. Her move was also blocked and then the two were still.

They separated and bowed to each other. Xiu rose and commended, "Well done, child. Your strength and skill have truly become exceptional."

Kaia rose as well and responded, "Thank you, grandmother. I couldn't have done it without you."

It was then that the women chose to acknowledge the men. Xiu looked at him quite solemnly while Kaia looked at him with surprise. He couldn't help but flinch a bit as she stared in his direction and not actually at him.

Her bluish-gray eyes, while a pleasant shade, were dull and unfocused. Over half of the time, he couldn't bear to even look at her eyes since that day. The day she lost her sight and so much more.

"Allister? What are you doing here?"

He shook out of his stupor and stepped forward, "Uh, yeah. I came with some news. I'm getting closer to finding the philosopher's stone. I'm heading to Central now with some colleagues to look over some notes that are stored there."

"Really?" his heart swelled a bit in joy at the excitement in her voice. That joy deflated immediately seconds later, "I've always wanted to visit Central! I'll go get my things!"

"Wait, wha-no!" he stopped her with his arm. "You're not coming with me."

"Why not?!"

"Look, I'll need to decipher these notes and I have no idea how long it's going to take. Keeping an eye on you and doing that is going to be too much. Just stay here and I'll come back to tell you what I've found."

"No!" she protested, stomping her foot. "I want to go with you! I want to help find the stone!"

Before the argument could continue, Xiu interrupted, "Enough. Kaia, go and get your things. You're going with your brother."

Kaia let out a silent cry of victory as she raced to the cottage. When she was out of earshot, Xiu spoke before her grandson could,

"Please just take her with you. If you're truly concerned with her being dependent on you, I can assure you that she can mostly take care of herself. The most she'll need help with are directions to specific locations, which I doubt is of little effort for you to handle."

However, Allister was adamant, "With all due respect, it's not only that. I can't guarantee I can keep her safe if anything were to happen…"

He was shocked to hear his grandmother laugh, "You truly are naïve, boy. As you have grown and changed, so has your sister. She is very independent and capable for someone in her condition. If that's what concerns you, don't let it. You already saw that she is a very skilled fighter and can escape danger easily."

"Yes, but-"

"Allister."

The two turned to Tao, who had finally stepped in. He sighed and said,

"I understand your concerns. They are legitimate, but please understand something: Kaia cannot be trapped here forever. She wants to travel and explore and you know how she is. She will go with or without someone to guide her. Would you rather have that happen?"

Allister's eyes were wide and conflicted. His mouth opened to speak, but he couldn't form any words.

"Kaia is your sister, Allister. If she wants to go out into the world, we would rather she do so with someone with her best interest at heart, someone like you."

…Damn.

Allister sighed heavily, "Okay, okay. I'll bring her with me. I guess it can't be that dangerous if it's only looking through notes…"

"Good. There's just one more thing I want you to take with you."

Tao went to enter the house as Kaia came rushing out with a backpack. The young woman reached into her shirt and pulled out a whistle, blowing into it with a call not too different from Allister's. A chimera of the same kind as Arrow came trotting out of a make-shift stable, saddle and all.

Allister's jaw dropped, "How-when did this happen?!"

"About six years ago," she simply answered, tapping on the creatures beak. It crouched down so Kaia could mount before standing back up. "Okay, ready to go, Astra?"

The chimera, now known to be a "she," stomped her hoof and squawked. Her wings ruffled, clearly eager to take off.

It was at that moment that Tao returned, holding a box out to Allister. He accepted it and peeked inside, but what he saw made his brow furrow.

"A camera?"

"Be sure to take as many pictures as possible for her. I'm sure she would love them when you restore her sight."

Allister was still rather confused, but it was rather useless to argue. His grandmother then whispered to him,

"Do as he says. Believe me, it'll be worth it."

He could definitely not understand what she meant. Man, he hated it when they got all ambiguous on him, but he supposed they had their reasons.

"Okay, I will. We've gotta go now. I don't want to keep my colleagues waiting."

"Goodbye, Kaia. Take care of yourself," Tao waved to her.

Xiu held her hand firmly, giving it an encouraging squeeze, "Keep up with your training and try finding some new sparring partners while you're at it."

Kaia smiled at her and squeezed back, "I will. I won't disappoint you."

Well, that's chapter one of many more to come. To clarify: yes, the chimeras Arrow and Astra are basically hippogriffs. I do not claim to have created them, but I do believe the can pass as chimeras in this reality. Also, the camera mentioned at the end is heavily based on the 1914 Simplex camera, which happens to be the year they had begun manufacturing and selling to the public.

Anyway, thanks for reading and I hope you stay tuned for more.