Chapter One: The Dual

Ed and Al walked out onto the central training ground at Central and looked around.

"Hey look," Al said pointing to a small crowd that had gathered at one side of the grounds.

"I wonder what's going on," Al said. Ed shrugged.

"Let's check it out," he said as he moved towards the crowd. The smell of gunpowder and sweat was strong as he pushed through the solders. He finally made it to the front of the crowd just in time to see Armstrong fly backwards towards where he was standing. Ed and the solders that surrounded him quickly dove out of the way. Ed did a shoulder roll and landed on his feet.

"Wow," Al said from beside him staring at Armstrong who was out cold on the ground. Ed looked up and saw a young woman who looked about his age standing in the center of the ring of solders. She was tall with long golden-brown hair that was in a pony tail behind her head. Her figure showed slightly from beneath the shapeless white dress shirt and blue slacks of the military uniform. From what Ed could see she looked like she had a curvy figure. Her skin was pale and she had even delicate features. Her full lips were curled into a smirk and her bright green eyes shined with mirth.

"Anybody else wanna take me on?" she asked the solders. Everyone shrunk backwards leaving Ed and Al standing alone and exposed. She turned her eyes to them.

"What about you short stuff?" she asked lazily. Ed turned bright red and stripped his red coat and through it at Al.

"No brother wait," Al said but Ed was already toe to toe with the young woman.

"Who you calling a speck so small you need a magnifying glass to see?" he snarled. The chick didn't even flinch, instead her smirk widened.

"Actually I was thinking that I've got piles of paper work taller than you but that analogy works as well," she told him. Al groaned and cries began to rise from the crowd.

"Kick her ass Fullmetal!!"

"Spank him good Toby!!"

"I bet 20 bucks on the shrimp!!"

"50 on the dame!!"

The woman looked at Ed who was trying to glare at everyone at once.

"What 'cha say shorty?" she asked.

"You're on," she said. Ed took a step backwards and drew his fist back. He let his hand fly and the woman merely side stepped it. Ed punched at her again with his other arm causing her to side step him again. He growled softly and began punching rapidly. The young woman dodged every signal one of them.

"Are you gonna fight me or not?" Ed growled.

"I was just trying to make you feel like you tried," she said as he aimed a punch right at her face, "But if you insist." Lighting fast she grasped his wrist, and through him to the side. Ed growled in frustration and leapt to his feet. He clapped his hands together and drove them into the ground. A wave of stone rose and plunged towards the girl. She yawned and stuck out her gloved hand. She snapped her fingers and a fire ball hit the wave sending stone flying everywhere. Ed clapped his hands again but the chick slammed her palm into the ground and a huge wall of stone rose around Ed. He clapped his hands and pressed them to the wall. A hole appeared and he charged out.

"Like that could stop me," he said as his auto-mail changed into a blade. The young woman leapt gracefully into the air and landed behind him.

"Like it was suppose to," she said lazily. Ed whipped around and brought his arm down. The woman brought her right arm up and there was the sound of metal hitting metal. Ed stared at the flash of silver he saw through the cut in her shirt. He looked into the woman's green eyes and saw that they were sparkling malevolently.

"What's a matter Fullmetal? Though you were the only one with auto-mail?" she asked smirking. She shoved Ed backwards and brought her right leg up and kicked him in the chest. He fell on his back and watched as she leapt onto his chest. For as tall as she was she was amazingly light. He grabbed her ankle with his human hand and jerked her legs out from under her. She fell backwards and he rolled out from under her. He jumped up and brought his blade down towards her face. She brought her auto-mail arm up and blocked him again. She through him off her and touched her right arm with her left hand and it transformed into a blade similar to Ed's. She struck a fighters stance.

"Bring it on shrimp," she taunted. Ed saw red and lunged at her. The sound on steel on steel rang through the training ground as they spared. Ed was surprised at how limber and fast she was. They locked blades and Ed drew back his human hand and punched as hard as he could in her right ribs. He yelped in pain and jumped backwards. The woman leapt forward and knocked him over. She landed on his chest and pressed the point of her blade to his throat.

"You give?" she asked.

"Yes," he admitted slightly annoyed. She smiled and stepped off his chest then touched her auto-mail with her human hand and it returned to normal. She offered him her hand and he grasped it and allowed her to pull him to his feet.

"You've got auto-mail on your chest," he observed. She merely smiled again.

"Ya, it fucked up your hand huh?" she said. He nodded and looked down at his hand which was swelling.

"Bravo! BRAVO!" Fuhrer Bradley said clapping as he made his way towards the two.

"Party's over," the girl muttered as she and Ed snapped to. Bradley came to a stop in front of them and smiled softly.

"At ease. Good show you two. I haven't see a fight of that caliber in years. Even Mustang didn't give you that good of a fight Fullmetal," he said smiling. Mustang who was at the Fuhrer's shoulder grimaced slightly.

"Thank you sir," Ed said.

"And you Elemental, you've improved greatly," he said looking at the young woman. She smiled winningly.

"Thank you," she said.

"Well, as you know duals are illegal, but since it was such a spectacular display I'll over look it," the Fuhrer said smiling, "But I need to see you both in my office." Ed and Elemental nodded and followed him and Mustang to his office. They entered and found Armstrong waiting; when they entered he sprang to his feet and snapped a salute.

"At ease," the Fuhrer said as he sat down. He studied the four alchemist stood in front of his desk closely.

"I have your next mission. The four of you will being to Lior," he said.