Me: YAY! A new fic from me!
Danny: *Grumbles* You should be updating A New Way to Bleed, Hayden.

Me: Oh well, I just need people's input on this! It's an AU idea I've had for a while and I want to see how much reception it gets. So, here it is!

The Truth Within the Waves, Chapter 1: Prologue

East bay wasn't exactly the nicest place to be at night, or any time of the day for that matter. There were unspoken laws around that dock that had become apparent to almost anyone that had passed through or lived in the town. That was: always travel in groups, never go anywhere without a light and a weapon, don't stay in one place for too long and never, ever wear or carry any visible valuables.

The bar was, ironically, the safest place. It stood right by the water, near the boats so sailors could get there and back to their ships easily. There were only two entrances – the front one and a loading bay. Both were kept guarded and in clear sight at all times. The inn upstairs was large enough to hold about twenty people if they shared rooms, and the lodgings were of reasonable quality enough to be fair but affordable to most people who came in seek of a place to stay. The rum they sold and the food they cooked rarely contained anything out of the ordinary, but you would get the occasional customer with a bad case of food poisoning. Fruit was cheap to sell to the sailors with scurvy, and after living there most of his life Selim Bradley had become used to seeing people walk in with their teeth falling out and their gums the most horrible shades of colour imaginable.

Besides the fact that he wasn't at the age where he was allowed to drink any alcohol – barely only ten – he was usually the one you would find standing behind the counter if you came in after about noon. He was observant too. He knew what kind of rum the regulars liked, whether they preferred a shot, a single or a double and if they would usually have anything to eat with it. He knew their names and their ranks on their ships and often what their business in town was.

Plus, he also had a knack for telling if someone was a pirate or not. Not that anyone really cared of course, most of the people who came to East Bay were pirates. Everyone knew how great a place it was to smuggle in any treasure and people were happy to keep quiet for barely any fee at all. Usually Selim enjoyed hearing their stories of their voyages on the seas for an exchange of an extra little shot of the best rum. He really was a crafty little thing – way too mature and bright for his age, he could probably out-smart most of the men in the town.

The person who walked in the front door of the bar now, at exactly eight o'clock in the evening in the middle of January, was not a regular customer.

Selim looked up from wiping the glasses and watched him come in. His hair was dark and long and kept untied but in neat strands, reminding the boy somewhat of a palm tree he had heard men talk of on a desert island. It was too dark to make out what his face looked like properly, and the shadows from his hat didn't help much, either. But from the sword that hung from a belt around his waist and way he walked around self-importantly liked he owned the world all pointed to one thing.

He was a pirate.

"Hey," he said, marching up the counter and taking a seat on one of the stools, "I wasn't expecting to see a runt run a place like this."

Everyone looked up and stared at the newcomer.

"And? So what?" Selim raised an eyebrow, a challenging expression beginning to form on his face. Like everyone else in the room, he carried a weapon - a small flintlock pistol tucked into his back pocket with only the edge of the handle visible.

"You're not even old enough to hold down a pint, kid."

"Excuse me?"

"What are you? Seven?"

There was the sound of people holding their breath when Selim pulled his weapon out from behind his back, pointing it with his right hand at the man's face. His purple eyes were burning with the fire of war and the newcomer got a feeling that, especially with this kid, appearances can be misleading.

"Ten, actually. Now're you orderin' or what?"

"Woah, OK," the man pulled out his sword and laid it next to him on the counter, showing that he was armed and not afraid to fight, "the kid's got some guts. Anything strong'll do me. Don't care on the size."

Selim switched the gun to his left hand and twisted the tap on one of the rum barrels, letting the dark liquid flow into the glass.

He set it down next to the man, but kept his little hand firmly on the handle. There was silence in the room as he looked at the pirate expectantly.

"What? Give it!" The man whined and reached for the drink, but Selim pulled it away.

"Not until you pay, Mr," he replied.

"Fine, How much?"

"Three guineas."

"Yeah, whatever, kid. Here," he took some rusty coins out of a pouch that hung from the side of his belt, "go buy yourself a toy."

Selim scowled at the pirate, but said nothing and started drying mugs again, keeping an eye on him as he drank the rum.

"In the future, I wouldn't make fun of Selim if I were you," a black-haired man nearby said between a mouthful of liquor. "The little bastard may look small, but he's a feisty one."

The purple-eyed boy grunted proudly in agreement.

"Seems like you're pretty well known around here then, kid," the newcomer said, "my name's Daryl White, but my crew tend to just call me Envy."

"Envy, huh? Weird name," Selim replied, "where'd it come from?"

"Dunno," he shrugged, then took a huge gulp of rum, "I've had it so long I can't remember."

"You're a pirate," the boy added, a statement rather than a question.

Envy gave a startled cough, "wha…what gave you an idea like that?"

"Oh, please, it's obvious. The way you walk, the way you talk. Even with the accent you're putting on. I know a pirate when I see one – I'm not stupid. We get pirates in here every day of the week. Mustang's a pirate." Selim nodded toward towards the man that had spoken earlier.

"That's right," Mustang said, "no secrets here. At the East Bay bar, being a pirate is just an average career choice."

Envy looked surprised. He cleared his throat, "well, in that case then, I think you can help me. I'm looking for someone."

"Who?" Selim put the glass he was holding down, an interested expression on his face, "I know almost everyone around here."

"Well, he's not from around East Bay," Envy confessed, "but you still might know him. His name is Edward Elric."

Me: Just to let you know guys, the future chapters are going to be a LOT longer than this. It's only a test/prologue thing to see if people are interested.

Danny: So, basically, if you wanna see more of this, review! Anon reviews are open, so if you haven't got an account, you can still say something! We need to know your opinion!

Me: Hopefully I'll see you next time!

Danny: Bye!