Author's note~
Finally! I actually stopped being a lazy moron and wrote my first fanfic! And my evil twin said it couldn't be done!
Evil twin- *reads chapter 1* That's great for you but you still rushed it.
Me-...I know... *sits in emo corner*
Disclaimer: I do not own Fullmetal Alchemist nor will I ever. FMA belongs to Hiromu Arakawa and Square Enix and possibly someone else I forgot to mention.
Benefit of the Doubt
Chapter 1: Like Twins
The sun climbed high above the clouds, radiating a bright, magnificent light. Far below the endless stretch of sky, the residents of East City went about their daily business. Summer was just around the corner and preparations needed to be made for the long, hot season. The conversation between two friends here, the laughter of a child with his brand-new toy there. Yes, this city was as bright and lively as the sun above. It is here, in the heart of East City, that our story begins...
"WHO ARE YOU CALLING SO SMALL THAT HE COULD USE A CUP AS A BATHTUB!"
The sound of a shoe connecting with flesh was heard as the people walking past the small café stopped to see what the commotion was about. The café door swung open and a short, blond kid stepped out, radiating an aura that screamed murder. A few seconds later, a large suit of armor followed. After shooting a quick apology over his shoulder, the armor ran after the kid.
"Brother, why would you do that?" Alphonse Elric yelled down at the kid.
"Shut up, Al. It's not like I seriously injured the guy," retorted Edward Elric, Alphonse's older(?) brother.
"You made his nose start bleeding!"
"Only a little."
"It was gushing from both nostrils!"
"Oh well! The jerk deserved it for calling me a pipsqueak!" Edward seethed at the memory.
"All he did was suggest that you have some milk so you can grow taller! He was giving you advice!"
"It was an implication! And he was trying to poison me with that nasty cow-juice! He thought he could get away with it but I sure proved him wrong!" Edward let out a triumphant laugh as Alphonse sighed.
'That's Ed for you,' Alphonse thought as he listened to Ed continue his rant. Edward, age fourteen, was in permanent denial about his height. He wasn't short. Everyone else was just freakishly tall. However, nobody other than Ed himself seemed to understand this.
Suddenly, while Ed was lost in his own thoughts, he smacked into a man who happened to be walking their way, causing Ed to land right on his behind.
"I'm sorry there, little guy," the man said as he reached out his hand to help Ed up.
This hand was quickly pushed out of the way as Ed jumped up and, once again, began to rant.
"I'M NOT LITTLE, YOU BLIND MORON! CAN'T YOU SEE THAT I'M STILL GROWING?" Edward screamed at the top of his lungs, gaining the man and two brothers quite a lot of unwanted attention.
The man stared, shocked, for a moment or two. Then, terrifyingly familiar smirk spread across the man's face.
"I'm really sorry about knocking you over. I was just unable to see you since you were so dwarfed by everyone else."
"WHO ARE YOU CALLING A DWARF!"
Alphonse sighed once more as he walked around, trying to disband the crowd that circled the pair.
Ed glared at the man, pouring his heart and soul into the most evil look he has ever given. The man, however, just looked at him with amused eyes and continued to smirk. Ed's glare diminished as he took in the man's physical features. A gasp escaped his lips when he got a full view of the man. When Alphonse looked over to see what his brother was so shocked about, he too gasped.
Edward rubbed his eyes for a second and looked up. Upon seeing the same thing he saw earlier, he turned to look at Alphonse.
"Hey Al. Is it me, or does this guy look like..."
"There's no doubt. He looks exactly like him!"
This "him" the brothers were referring to was Edward's commanding officer, Colonel Roy Mustang. And Al wasn't lying when he said this guy looked like the colonel.
The man had black hair and dark onyx eyes, which seemed to have a slightly Xingese look to them. He was average sized (perhaps a few inches short) and had a rather muscular-looking body. The only difference between the colonel and this guy was that the man standing before them had his long hair pulled back into a ponytail that reached about mid-back. The smirk (the same infuriating smirk that Mustang wore whenever Ed was around) left the man's face and was replaced by a quizzical look.
"What's wrong?" he asked the brothers.
"Umm...well, you kinda look like someone we know," Alphonse replied, being the first to break out of his stupor.
"Yeah! It's like you two are twins!" Ed said in amazement.
The man smiled sadly as his eyes suddenly gained a far-off look.
"I do have a twin brother. The reason I'm here in East City is because I'm looking for him. I haven't had contact with Roy for sixteen years."
Ed and Al looked at each other, then back at the man before them.
"Oh. So your brother's name is Roy?" Ed asked, deciding to play along. He had a feeling where this was going.
"Yeah that's right."
"You don't mind me asking what your name is, do you?" Alphonse asked now.
The man shook his head and held out a hand to the brothers. "Kade," the man said as he smiled. "My name is Kade Mustang."
Authors note~
*Still in emo corner* This chapter really did turn out a lot more rushed and crappier than I originally imagined. It probably sucks DX (Excuse my low self-confidence. This is my first fanfic.)
Well, looks like I finally got this first chapter done. This was a random plot-bunny that hopped into my head a while ago. I only now decided to do something about it.
Although this is supposed to be mainly focused on Roy, I'm intending on having Edward and Riza (and possibly Hughes and Havoc) as pretty important figures in this story.
Criticism will be respected and flames will be used to roast marshmallows. For everyone who will continue reading this story, I hope you enjoy it. *bows*