Author's Note: The first chapter. Please, read and review, but be kind. I have altered the time line of some of the events in both the manga and in the anime. Plus, Hughes is not dead, nor is Scar.

Disclaimer: I do not own FMA, but I do own Ria Karma.

Fullmetal Alchemist

-and the-

Sin Alchemist

-One-

"Brother!"

A youthful, exuberant voice rang out on the crowded street. Passersby looked around for the excited boy that the voice must have belong to, only to discover that in fact, there were no children at all. The voice itself seemed to be coming from a huge suit of armor that was crashing down the street at that very moment; waving a letter above it's head, it called out again.

"Brother! Edward! A letter from Colonel Mustang!"

The suit of armor came to a stop in front of a boy with golden eyes, and blonde golden hair pulled it a braid. The blonde boy was clad in a red jacket, bearing the sign of Nicolas Flamel, a famous alchemist from the past. The rest of his attire was black, right down to his boots that offered him no help in his height. Indeed, he barely came up to the chest of the suit of armor, only surpassing that by the use of his one upstanding hair. Edward Elric extended his hand to the suit of armor for the letter, looking as if this was a completely ordinary situation, ignoring the whispers of those around him and his younger brother Alphonse.

"Thanks, Al. Wonder why the Colonel sent me a letter. He's the one that sent me out here to do his damn dirty work," Ed smiled up at the suit of armor, suppressing the sadness that it could not smile back.

At the tender age of eleven, and his brother a year younger, Ed and Al had broken the most horrible of alchemic taboos. The death of their beloved mother had left them devastated, and desiring nothing more than to see her smile again, the boys had performed human transmutation, with disastrous results. Edward had lost his left leg as toll for the Truth, and Alphonse his entire body. Afraid of losing the only family he had left, Ed offered up his right arm in order to pull his brother's soul back from the gate, and had attached it a suit of armor near by. The armor that stood before him now was as empty as it had been that day, and his own arm and leg had been replaced by automail prosthetics.

"Brother, what does it say?" Al asked.

Edward looked down at the envelope. It was addressed to the Fullmetal Alchemist, and was very official looking. He ripped it open, and unfolded the letter.

Fullmetal:

Report to Eastern Headquarters A.S.A.P.

Mustang

"That's it?" Ed turned the letter over in his hands. One sentence was all it was. "All that for one measly sentence? He could've called."

"I wonder why he wants you to come back to Eastern headquarters so soon," Al watched as Edward crumpled up the letter and tossed it over his shoulder. "I mean, we only just got here a week ago, and you're not done your inspection."

"Does he need a reason? Oh well, we'll have to get a train today then," Ed began walking in the direction of the train station. "I can just hear it now. 'So Fullmetal, did you find anything interesting? No? I don't pay you to have fun all day! You're a part of the military now, you better start acting like it!' I've been a state alchemist already for four years, I do his dirty work all the time, and he still complains."

Alphonse sighed as his brother continued to complain about his commanding officer, but followed him anyway to the train station.

//-//

"Sir, I've brought Ria to you. She's standing outside."

Riza Hawkeye stood in front of the desk of Roy Mustang. He looked up at her as she spoke, pulling himself away from the file in his hands. He leaned back in his chair, and peered around his lieutenant to spy the dark haired girl standing in the corridor. Sitting back up, he looked at Hawkeye.

"I've just been reading up on Ria, Hawkeye. I just couldn't believe my eyes when she performed in the testing room, I thought it was trickery of some sort, but its not, she's been doing this for years. And she's the same age as Fullmetal. But the thing is, her transmutations are imitation life." Mustang placed the file down on the desk.

"Imitation life, sir?" Hawkeye's eyebrow shifted upward.

"Yes," The Colonel nodded. "It can last for as long as they avoid contact with Ria, they will continue living. After the board had left the room, I spoke with Ria. She admitted that not only can she create the life, but she also can snuff it out. I think…"

Mustang paused for a moment, and stood up. Crossing around the desk he stood next to Hawkeye.

"I think she might be just what Fullmetal is looking for. She could make her transmutations permanent, if she had the philosophers stone," He leaned in towards her to whisper. "She can help them, I think."

Hawkeye nodded. "I received a message from Havoc. He said the Elric boys are on their way here as we speak. I got your letter to them quickly, but I didn't expect Edward to comply so quickly."

Mustang nodded, and then walked out of his office. Ria was still standing patiently in the hall, but had taken to looking around. In the full light of the hall, Roy could see that her eyes were green, but her face still carried that determined look that she had worn the day of the alchemy exam. Her long, thick black hair was pulled back into a loose braid, and she was dressed in all black. Around her neck was a transmutation circle pendant, and it rose in rhythm with her breathing.

"Sin, please come in to my office. We have much to discuss. I'd like to talk to you about you're alchemy more," Mustang motioned for her to come in side.

She nodded, and went in, followed closely by Mustang who shut the door. Taking a seat at the desk, Ria became once again the living doll that the Colonel had sent at her exam.

"Now, Sin, I was hoping you could give me a little information," The Colonel took a seat across from her, and spoke with the charisma that had wooed him so many woman in the past.

"Yes?" She didn't look up.

"Tell me about your past." His voice was soft as he leaned across the desk. "Tell me how you came to learn alchemy."

It was silent for several moments before she replied. "I'd rather not."

"I'm sorry?" Mustang sat up straight.

"I'd rather not," Ria repeated.

Hawkeye exchanged a surprised look with her commanding officer. Mustang wasn't accustomed to such blatant objection, especially by a subordinate. The only person who ever denied a request from the Colonel was Fullmetal, and he usually followed up his denial with an amusing insult. This, though, was unheard of from anyone but Fullmetal, and Mustang did not appreciate it.

"It's an order," He retorted, leaning back over the desk.

"I understand, but I still cannot." Her voice sounded empty.

Roy stood up. "This isn't negotiable. I am ordering you to disclose this information to me. I know you must've done something, you transmute without a circle! The only other known alchemist that can do that is Edward Elric, the Fullmetal Alchemist! What did you do? You must have committed human transmutation!"

"I DID NOT!" Ria rose quickly to her feet, sending the chair she had been sitting in flying.

"You must have!" Roy shouted.

"I DID NOT PERFORM HUMAN TRANSMUTATION!" The Sin Alchemist's face was full of anger, her eyes blazing with hatred. "I WAS A COMPONENT FOR A TRANSMUTATION! MY FATHER USED ME AS MATERIAL WHEN HE TRIED…."

Tears began to fall down her cheeks as she fell silent. Roy Mustang watched as she sat back down in the chair, feeling guilty for pushing the girl to reveal what she had. A moment later, her face returned to the eerie living doll expression that it normally took, the only difference being the steady trail of tears.

//-//

The East City Train Station was packed with military personnel and civilians all traveling in and out of the city. It was hard to keep from getting pulled apart from one another by the massive crowds. Ed stood on top of his suitcase in the middle of the station, looking for his brother who had managed to disappear.

"How does a seven foot tall suit of armor just melt into thin air?" Ed asked himself, as he shielded his eyes from the light. "Al? Alphonse!"

"Lose something, Chief?" A voice called from behind.

Ed turned quickly, losing his balance as he did. Falling from the suitcase, he crashed down into Second Lieutenant Jean Havoc, sending them both sprawling to the ground. People around them stopped to stare as they scrambled to their feet.

"Havoc, it's you. What are you doing here?" Ed brushed himself off. "And yes, I lost Alphonse."

Jean Havoc was a nice guy, and it pained Ed to see him as apart of the military, and it pained Ed more to see him as one of Mustang's stooges. Peering around Havoc, Ed noticed that his to ever present companions, Heymans Breda and Kain Fuery were standing a few feet away talking to the missing Alphonse. They too were faithful Flame Alchemist stooges, and they were also nice guys. Ed returned his gaze to Havoc, a signature lit cigarette hanging from his mouth.

"Mustang sent us to pick you and Alphonse up, so that way there'd be no delays in you getting to Eastern HQ. He said to tell you that its incredibly important you come there immediately," Havoc leaned over to pick up Ed's suitcase that had been knocked over during their fall.

"Why?" Ed asked, reaching out a hand for his suitcase.

"He said to tell you if you asked, that he had found something to help you with your search," Havoc whispered. "For the you-know-what."

Ed gazed back into the bright eyes of Havoc, and knew exactly of what he was talking. "Alright, let's go."

They moved towards Al, Breda and Fuery, and then towards the awaiting car. Fuery waved and Breda waved them off as they climbed into the car, unable to accompany them due to another important arrival. Sitting in the driver's seat of the car was another Mustang stooge, Vato Falman. He greeted the boys before starting the car.

"So anything happen while we were gone?" Al asked. "We've been away from Headquarters for a month."

"Yeah, actually," Havoc nodded. "They had a special alchemy exam."

"What, why?" Ed asked, leaning in towards Havoc.

"No one was taken on this past year, The Fuehrer President didn't seem to think anyone was talented enough. So when Colonel Mustang told the higher ups that he had found an alchemist that could rival you, they agreed to hold an exam," Havoc explained.

"Mustang found? Why doesn't that surprise me?" Ed scoffed. "Is this so-called-alchemist any good then?"

Havoc nodded. "Actually, even the Fuehrer was raving about how good she was."

"She?" Ed asked. "It's a girl then?"

"Yes," Havoc answered pulling a lighter and cigarette from his pocket. He paused to light up. "Her name is Ria, and they're calling her the Sin Alchemist."

"Yes, Edward. She's going to give you a run for your money from what I've heard. She's the same age as you, plus she doesn't use transmutation circles either," Falman chimed in.

Ed gasped. "She doesn't use circles? You mean she does alchemy like I do?"

Both Havoc and Falman nodded. "She's quite talented, Ed, from what Mustang said." Falman said over his shoulder. "We don't know quite what she does though."

Ed leaned back and turned to Al, who was staring at him.

"Brother do you think…?" Al began.

"Yeah, Al, I do. I think this girl has seen the Truth!"

Please read and review. Constructive criticism is welcome, but please be kind.