Fullmetal Alchemist Brotherhood: Let the Flames Begin

Chapter 1: Lieutenant Colonel Maes Hughes, Possible Friend?

My name is Colonel Lillie Valenteen Shieziki, also known as the Icy Water Alchemist. I am twenty-one years young and have been working for the military for about five years. That's right. I've been here since I was 16. It was my choice of course, and maybe now I finally realize why it was such a terrible one. I've seen people die. So many innocent lives taken away by the so called 'justice' of this state. I thought that if I served this state, I could finally see why my older brother and father did it before me. Maybe they did it for the honor and the glory, or for the feeling of accomplishment and sense of duty, but that’s not the way I was seeing things now. The only thing I could really see as to why they did it was to just throw their lives away. Because honestly, that was all I was doing now, throwing my life away. I was just sitting at a lonely desk, in an empty room, filling out nothing but what I considered to be blank papers.

Then again, maybe I was one of the lucky ones. I didn't have to be out on the front lines, risking life or limb for other people. But wasn't that the reason why people joined the military? To put their lives at the expense of others and their country? Even I thought that line was cliché as hell, but that's the kind of crap they fed to us. Even still, I'm quite thankful that I didn't have to fight in the infamous Ishvalan war. At the time the war started, I had just entered the military and therefore I was too young to be in an actual battle or war. Once you started out you normally got a desk job or walked around shadowing another officer to see what their job was; nothing life threatening of course.

I ended up having a desk job, sorting out and stacking papers for the Fuhrer himself. I should have felt honored, and in all reality I was, at first. After the war, I was disgusted at how the Fuhrer had handled it all and I hated the fact that I had to work so close to him. But as time went on, I managed to keep my disgust to myself and had shown my worth to him and finally upped my rank all the way to Colonel. Which was one of the most remarkable things I did in the military. I mean no one had ever really heard of a girl ascending to the rank of Colonel, (normally it was only men who got such an outstanding rank) let alone accomplishing such a feat in such a short time. I even took the time to perfect my alchemy and became a state alchemist after that.

"Hello? Is anyone in there?" I heard a knock at the door and I placed my pencil down next to what I had been writing.

I stood up promptly from my desk that had a neat stack of signed papers on the right hand corner and I headed for the door that was located across the room. I had to take the time to wonder who it was since I was pretty sure I hadn't been scheduled for any visitors this afternoon. Well, neither of my Lieutenants had told me anyways. Regardless, I answered the door.

"Well hello there! You must be Colonel Shieziki." Said the man standing before me with his hand outreached for a handshake.

I shook it firmly and he smiled. I had never seen this man in my life and I wondered why he was here. He appeared to be at least six feet tall, lean build, with a thin chinstrap of a scruffy beard and jovially black spiky hair ending in a characteristic forelock. He wore rectangular spectacles framed in front of his hazel eyes along with a military uniform.

"Well its nice to meet you sir, and you are?" I asked trying to be as formal as possible because I had yet to know this man and his personality.

His smile quickly turned into a confused look.

"Well I'm Maes Hughes the new Lieutenant Colonel, I just transferred from eastern. I thought you were the one scheduled to show me around here. You know, I've never been to central before." I looked at him quizzically.

"Oh really? How funny, because I never got the memo." I sighed in anger.

This was probably just another job the Fuhrer decided to throw at me without not even giving me a heads up.

"I understand if you have other plans or more work. I could always just try to find my way around, alone." He said giving me a disappointed look.

I didn't know if he was playing the so called 'sympathy' card or if he was just desperate for someone to talk to, but I sighed again.

"Well honestly, I have nothing better to do. So, I guess I could take thirty minutes or so to show you around." I gave him a forced smile.

His face lit up with a huge grin.

"Thank you so much! I mean I really don't know anyone else around here." He sighed and then smiled.

'Yup, he was desperate alright.' I thought as I just continued to force a smile.

"I can already see it! You and I are going to become great friends, and as a sign of our new found friendship, I would like to present to you, my adorable little angel-like daughter, Elicia!" He said with the most enthusiastic and happy tone I had ever heard.

He then proceeded to push a photograph of his little girl in my face until I actually took hold of it to look at. I had to admit she was indeed adorable. In the photograph she was sitting on what looked like a couch, most likely at home. She fashioned a pink dress and had her dirty blonde hair tied into two little pig tails; her green eyes sparkling as she had stared into the camera. I handed him back the picture and I felt a stupid smile come over my face as he looked at me in anticipation as to what I had to say about her.

"She really is adorable, I'll give you that Lieutenant Colonel Hughes." I said as I continued to stand in the doorway facing him.

"Please, just call me Hughes. I mean after all, we're friends now are we not?" I gave him an earnest smile.

"Yes. Yes we are. Now please, let me take the time to show you around, Hughes." I said gesturing him towards the hallway. He smiled and followed me as I led him down the hallway, happy to show him what exactly he was in for.