I know that last chapter couldn't have been all that entertaining, but it had to be done. There was important information in it. Well, now, onto the scary part. This is the part of the story that isn't on my outline. Well, it is, but without as much info as the rest of the chapters. I shall do my best!

Important: I have a picture of Kayt up. Let's all give a round of applause to Amber for drawing it for me! There's a link on my profile if this doesn't work. i130(dot)photobucket(dot)com(slash)albums(slash)p279(slash)Ninja(underscore)of(underscore)Saint(underscore)Dane(slash)kayt(underscore)egarim(dot)jpg – I think you know the drill with the dots,slashes, and underscores. Sorry for the lines, it was drawn on regular paper, and it looks slightly better if you zoom in a little bit.

Disclaimer: I don't own Fullmetal Alchemist. I do however own a plushie…but he lost a fight with my dog so Ed's kinda an airhead now.

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1909 – older brother, 10 – younger brother, 9

"Four years…" Ed said softly to himself. "I spent four years in that place…I was so happy to be coming home, but…they never even…never even told me!"

Ed broke down into tears in front of his mother's grave.

"She'd been ill," Auntie Pinako said. "There was nothing the doctor could have done. She'd been battling the illness for awhile without telling anyone."

"But…wh-why didn't you tell me? You could have called! I-I didn't even get to go to the funeral! Why…Why didn't you tell me?"

"Brother…" Al mumbled. "We…We were…"

"Afraid? You were afraid to tell me, that's what you were going to say, isn't it?"

"Ed…" Winry said trying to place a hand on Edward's shoulder, but he pushed her away.

"Were you afraid I would go crazier if you told me?"

"That's enough!" Pinako yelled.

"I overreacted…" Ed sighed as he heard someone approach from behind. He wiped the tears from his eyes and looked back at Alphonse.

"Maybe just a little," Al said with a slight smile trying to lighten the mood. Ed returned the smile, albeit reluctantly. "I'm glad you're back, Brother. It just wasn't the same without you around."

"I really messed up, didn't I?" Ed said averting his eyes.

"It wasn't your fault…"

"The illness was from stress…it was my fault."

"Brother…"

"But we're not going to live like this."

"We're not?"

"No…We're going to bring her back."

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"A mission?" a certain fifteen-year-old blond alchemist asked a certain smug colonel.

"Yes," Colonel Mustang answered. "You are to report immediately to the town of Maldin where you will investigate several disappearances." Ed sighed, not really in the mood for a random investigation. "The only ones found so far were found dead," Mustang continued handing Ed the case files.

"Sounds like just a regular old serial killer. Couldn't you have had someone else do this mission? We may have had a good lead on the Philosopher's Stone!" Ed snapped.

"And that's exactly why I put you on this case," Mustang said coolly. Ed stopped fuming and jerked to attention. "While it may or may not have anything to do with the case directly, there have been rumors that someone in Maldin may have a Philosopher's Stone in their possession."

"And rumors have to start somewhere," Ed concluded. "Alright then, off to Maldin!"

"But Fullmetal," Mustang said in a strict tone.

"Hm?"

"The mission comes first. Investigate the missing persons first. Use your free time to investigate the stone. Unless, of course, they're connected. I'll be expecting a day-by-day report from you on my desk as soon as possible. You're dismissed, Fullmetal."

Edward left the room, silently thankful to have avoided any of the colonel's famous short jokes, and started skimming through the case files. Fourteen missing people, six found dead on the shores of a small but swift river that ran through the middle of the town, two unidentified bodies that were more than likely part of the remaining eight, which left six people still missing, assumed dead. The M.O. was the most disturbing part of the case. All those found dead, including the two unidentified bodies, were missing their hearts. Where the heart should have been, instead there was a jagged hole. The weapon was most likely a dagger of some sort. No other wounds could be found on any of the bodies which meant that the hearts had been cut out while the victims were still alive. The victims didn't seem to have anything in common other than being in the wrong place at the wrong time. Both genders, a wide age group, no physical similarities. It didn't make sense.

"A new mission?" Alphonse asked as Ed approached him still reading the case files.

"Yeah," Ed said taking one last look before closing the manila folder. "Sounds like the usual psycho serial killer to me, but there's supposedly someone there – Maldin, I think he said was what the place is called – that has a Philosopher's Stone."

"You think it's true?" Al asked. Being trapped as a suit of armor, Al could no longer physically express his emotions, but his voice brightened at the mention of a lead.

"We won't know until we check it out!"

"Then let's go!"

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Ed hated trains. That was a fact. They were almost always overcrowded. The seats were only slightly more comfortable than concrete. The smell was a mixture of smoke and numerous other people. They were loud. The ride was bumpy. And there was only so long that Edward could sit still with nothing to do. Yes, Ed hated trains, and this ride was quickly making its way to the top of his least favorite rides.

"Three hours, thirty-six minutes," Ed mumbled more to himself than to anyone else.

Due to another train derailing, this train had been stuffed to its fullest with the stranded passengers. An ancient man had decided to take the seat next to Edward and was currently sleeping (and drooling) on Ed's shoulder. The young girl in the seat across from them kept pointing and whispering to her mother about the metal man and his short friend. The terrible toddler twins in the seat behind him decided it would be fun to see who could pull Ed's braid more times without being caught. At least three babies from various places in the car were crying louder than he thought a baby could. A child somewhere was throwing an outrageously loud tantrum. A teenage boy a couple of seats up kept sending Ed death glares due to the fact that his girlfriend kept sending flirting winks Ed's way.

"Not much longer," Al said sensing his brother's discomfort.

"Three hours, thirty-five minutes," Ed responded trying once again in vain to shift the drooling man.

Yes, Ed hated trains.

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"Next stop, Maldin!"

"Finally!" Ed yelled as he sprinted off the train, completely forgetting his suitcase. He stood on the platform, tapping his foot on the cobblestone, waiting until Al finally emerged from the train with his luggage. The platform was crowded (though thankfully only a few people from their car got off), and Ed was thankful for once for Al's appearance as it allowed them fairly easy access off the platform.

The town itself wasn't that large, not as small as Resembool, but certainly not as large as Central. It was a bit gloomy though. Most of the buildings needed some kind of maintenance, or at least a new coat of paint, the roads were chipped, and even the people's faces were gloomy. That was to be expected though with the recent happenings in the town.

"Cheerful," Ed said as they walked down the streets trying to find an inn. The sun was starting to set so the investigation would have to wait until morning.

"Everyone looks so scared," Al said. He subconsciously took a step closer to his brother.

"Could there really be a Philosopher's Stone here?" Ed asked.

"Philosopher's Stone, you say?"

Edward jumped in surprise at the man's words. He wasn't an old man, at least it didn't look that way, but he'd obviously been through a bit in his life. He was dirty, dressed in rags, and thick bags hung under his eyes. His left arm was automail though it looked as though it had fallen into disrepair many years ago and hung limply at his side. But it was his words that grabbed Edward's attention.

"Do you know something about the Philosopher's Stone?" Ed asked excited.

"I wouldn't stick your nose in where it don't belong, boy," the man said, his face dangerously close to Ed's. He tapped the boy's nose for emphasis. Ed took a shocked step backwards. "Nothing good ever happens to anyone who goes looking for the stone."

"Yeah, like I haven't heard that one before," Edward said taking another step back and regaining his composure.

"Don't say I didn't warn you," the man said. He smiled a toothy smile that sent chills up Ed's spine and caused an airless gasp to sound within Al's armor. He never stopped smiling as he walked away from the duo. It was a long moment before the brothers were even able to speak.

"Well, that was…odd," Ed said for lack of a better word.

"Y-yeah," Al agreed.

The boys found their way to an inn in silence, not aware of the eyes watching their every movement.

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I'm sorry if that chapter wasn't so good. I had a really hard time typing it for some reason. I don't even have much to say in the author's note. Anyway, I'll update as soon as I can, and I hope you liked the picture of Kayt. Um, well, yeah, that's it. Hope you enjoyed it.

Equivalent Exchange: I write, you review.