Hello, again! I have returned with another story as I said I would! I'm super excited for this, so I hope you all really enjoy it! Be ready for action, angst, comfort, and tears…maybe? Hopefully from cuteness and joy? We'll see. Anyways, on with the story!

I do not own Fullmetal Alchemist or its fabulous characters.

Disciples of the Moon.

It wasn't the name of the cult that creeped out Colonel Roy Mustang, but the mere thought of a cult itself. He gazed out the car window, watching as the field blurred by as they drove along.

"I let the Jones brothers know that you're coming," came a voice from the front seat.

"Thank you, sir," Roy found himself automatically responding.

He glanced at Hawkeye, who somehow managed to give him a reassuring look with her eyes without breaking that mask of hers. She could practically sense his concern. He didn't like the idea of two of his men being within the cult's midst, especially a cult that is potentially connected to a string of murders.

Eight mutilated bodies had been found over the past two months: two after the night of a new moon, and two after the night of a full moon. Nearly every bone in the victims' bodies were broken and crushed, contorting them enough to make for some extremely haunting crime scene photos. Roy almost shuddered just remembering them.

Initially, no connection was made between the victims as the two bodies had been dumped in different places. One would be dumped just outside of Bylyn, a small town one hundred miles north of East City. The other was disposed of on the outskirts of Freyvale, a city just forty miles west of Bylyn.

Nothing lied along those forty miles, except one lone compound known as the Sanct.

Currently, Colonel Mustang and First Lieutenant Hawkeye were riding with mayor of Freyvale, Jonathan Sutton, to the Sanct. Although, they couldn't exactly call themselves Colonel and First Lieutenant for the time being.

"I know the military sent you two because of the murders," Sutton began, "But I know those boys. I've known them since they were kids. They would never do something like that."

"I'm sure they wouldn't," Hawkeye assured with a smile, "We're just doing our job. We were sent to make sure those children are safe. Once we have proof that they are, we'll be on our way."

The mayor seemed to relax. The car came to a stop before a massive wall and a large gate. Barbed wire lined the top of the wall, giving off an almost prison-like aura. Both the military officer's eyes widened. Six armed guards stood at the gate, each one dressed in a white shirt and black pants. They nodded at Sutton as he parked the car. The three of them got out of the vehicle.

"Good to see you again, mayor," one of the guards greeted.

The others moved to open the gate.

"Brother Jeremiah and Brother Absalom will be waiting for you," another said as the gate creaked open. He looked to the two newcomers with a smile. "Welcome to the Sanct."

Roy and Riza returned the smile. The mayor then led them through the gate.

Roy wasn't sure what he was expecting when he arrived at the Sanct, but it certainly wasn't this. His eyes were assaulted with the bright oranges, reds, whites, blues, and pinks of the multitude of flowers in the garden that lied just within the wall. He couldn't help but notice how it contrasted to the intimidating exterior.

"Has anyone ever tried to break into the Sanct?" Roy asked, unable to contain his curiosity as to why there would need to be guards and a giant wall at the entrance.

"Not yet," Sutton began, "From what the brothers have told me, it's just a precaution. They're extremely concerned with others that could be out there to potentially destroy their haven and the ancient manuscripts that lie within. Usually, there are only two guards. Once they heard of the two murders, I guess they decided to increase security."

The Colonel merely nodded. He tried not to let his skepticism slip in the slightest degree.

It just didn't add up.

No connection was made between the victims until the two most recent murders. One of the victims was a young man from Bylyn. After military personnel talked to the family, they discovered that he didn't have any contact with his family over the last few months. He was last seen heading west. The other victim was a woman of Freyvale. Like the other victim, she hadn't had any contact with friends or family in the past year. According to her best friend, she was wanting to head east. That was the last she heard from her friend before she disappeared.

Sutton went to talk to the brothers. They knew both victims as they had been members of the Disciples of the Moon. The three brothers along with the rest of their followers had no idea of their brother and sister's fate.

The previous victims had been from other towns in the Northeast, so the cult initially wasn't under suspicion. Upon further investigation, military personnel found that none of the victims had any sort of contact with their families and friends after they left. While that wasn't exactly concrete evidence that the previous victims were members, it was a pretty safe bet to make.

Once that connection was made, word got to Lieutenant General Grumman. The General had tasked Colonel Mustang to get to the bottom of these murders and to prevent any more if possible.

After receiving the reports from Sutton and realizing the brothers weren't aware of the fate of their former followers except for the most recent victims, Roy wanted to keep it that way. As far as he was concerned, no one in the cult was aware of the military's involvement in the case. According to the reports, the Disciples of the Moon opposed outsiders that had no desire of joining them, especially the military and its state alchemists. The mayor of Freyvale seemed to be the exception, but Roy now realized that was probably due to the fact that he had known the Jones brothers for most of their lives.

"I've lost count of how many times I've been out here, but the Sanct never ceases to amaze me."

Sutton brought the Colonel out of his thoughts. His gaze shifted from the flowers that lined the path they were walking on to the massive concrete building.

He would be lying if he said he wasn't impressed. If he had to guess, he would say the size of the Sanct rivaled that of Eastern Command.

As the story goes, the three brothers left Freyvale after their parents died in a car accident several years ago. They supposedly wandered all around the Northeast before stumbling upon the Sanct. They claimed to have found a circle surrounded by stars carved into one of the various interior walls. It was obvious the circle was meant to represent the moon. It's also been said that they found manuscripts full of scriptures as they looked around what would then become their new home.

What was in those manuscripts, Roy had absolutely no idea. He didn't really care to know. All he could think about were his men currently inside the Sanct.

The closer the three got to the massive structure, he noticed that there wasn't a door, but an archway that acted as the entrance to the Sanct. Roy barely got a peek of the grass just beyond the archway when two men, dressed in a white shirt and black pants like the guards, approached them. While one was a few inches taller than the other, the similar shaggy brown hair and blue eyes indicated that this two were the brothers.

"Jonathan, it's so good to see you again!" one of them greeted the mayor.

The two men embraced the mayor before turning to the Colonel and First Lieutenant.

"You two must be from child protective services in East City," the other observed.

Sutton nodded and gestured to the two.

"This is Elizabeth Hawkins and Wren Elkin."

"It certainly is a pleasure to meet you both!" the one to greet Sutton said. "My name is Absalom Jones."

He raced forward to shake Riza's hand.

"And I'm Jeremiah," the other brother said with a wry smile, extending his hand to Roy.

The Colonel gave the brothers the warmest smile he could muster. He did have appearances to keep up after all. Since the Disciples of the Moon were anti-military, going undercover as workers from child protective services seemed to be the best option of getting into the Sanct without any unnecessary complications.

"It's a pleasure to meet you both as well."

"Corinthian is sorry he couldn't be here to properly greet you two," Absalom said, "He's currently leading our congregation in our morning prayer. You will get to meet him afterward as well as interview the children."

That explained why the third brother wasn't currently with them. However, Roy did notice the slight change in Absalom's tone.

"We're sorry we couldn't meet under better circumstances," Riza apologized. "And we're sorry for the loss your congregation has suffered."

"It's such a shame," Jeremiah piped in, "Those two had just received a sign from the Moon to go out into the world and find more of his followers just like their other brothers and sisters, and they never got the chance to…I'm sorry. I know this must be a bit strange for you both to hear."

That was certainly and understatement.

Since they stumbled upon the carving of the moon and the manuscripts, the Jones brothers believed it was the moon that brought them there to the Sanct. To them, the moon wasn't just an astronomical body that orbited the Earth. They claimed the moon to be a celestial being, just waiting for humanity to make contact with it and to find a way to physically reach it. Supposedly, the moon was going to guide them through the universe into a heavenly afterlife.

There was probably more to it than that, but that was all Roy cared to know. He wasn't assigned this mission to understand the Disciples of the Moon. He was given the mission to solve a string of murders.

"Not at all," Roy lied smoothly, "We just want to make it completely clear that this isn't in any way against your beliefs or way of life. With the recent murders, the military just wants to make sure the children in your congregation are in a safe place."

Well, part of that wasn't a lie. It was the military's duty to protect the people of Amestris. However, that wasn't the sole reason he was here.

"We understand completely," Jeremiah replied as he started to guide them further into the Sanct, "While we aren't exactly fond of the military, we do understand their concerns."

Roy almost staggered as he crossed through the archway. He wasn't entirely sure if he could put into words how he was feeling…suffocated, perhaps? It was if he had stepped into a completely different dimension. He couldn't explain what it was, but something was just wrong.

He glanced to his First Lieutenant, but she didn't look to be affected in the slightest.

He instantly understood why his men called him earlier than planned.

*flashback*

Roy stared at the papers that were strewn across his desk. He nearly jumped when the phone rang through the silence that previously filled his office.

"This is Colonel Mustang," he answered professionally, trying to sound like he didn't just have a heart attack seconds ago.

"Really? I never would have guessed when I called your phone that you would be the one to answer, Colonel."

He sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose.

"Breda, I'm really not in the mood for your sarcasm. Why the hell are you calling already? Havoc and Fullmetal have only been there for three days. Please don't tell me Fullmetal destroyed the building already…."

The Colonel thought the best way to investigate the cult would be to send in Second Lieutenant Havoc and the Fullmetal Alchemist undercover as brothers. From what he knew about the Disciples of the Moon, new members were fairly common.

Despite the strangeness of the cult, it had grown from just the three brothers to over two hundred members in the past couple of years. How or why anyone believed the Jones brothers and their tale of the moon, he would never know or understand.

He didn't like the fact that he and Hawkeye were staying behind in East City for a few more days. Fuery, Breda, Falman, and a few other soldiers were already stationed in an abandoned warehouse in Freyvale. General Grumman thought it would be best for him and Hawkeye to wait a few days before joining the rest of his men.

After reading the reports from Mayor Sutton, the General realized that the Disciples of the Moon were anti-military. He didn't want to cause any more problems than necessary. Even though they would be undercover, he thought it would be best for them to stagger their arrival. Freyvale may have been a city, but it still wasn't very big and an influx of people would have been rather noticeable.

Since the Colonel and First Lieutenant's roles wouldn't come in until later, he suggested that they be the ones to stay behind. Other soldiers from East City would accompany them there as well. It was always good to have extra men in case things turned for the worst.

Breda chuckled when he heard the genuine concern in his commanding officer's voice.

"Relax, Colonel. The kid hasn't blown anything up yet."

Roy's brow furrowed when he heard the tone of Breda's voice. While Ed may not have done something reckless, whatever his Second Lieutenant called about had to do with the young alchemist.

"Is he okay?"

He couldn't help but feel concerned for his two undercover men. He made sure Ed was well aware that the Disciples of the Moon opposed alchemy. This made him a bit wary of sending the teen undercover in the first place. While Ed could take care of himself, not being able to rely on alchemy was going to prove to be a challenge for him. However, there was no way the cult would expect such a young boy to be part of the military. This would allow them to infiltrate and investigate without raising suspicions.

Since there weren't a whole lot of options, he did make sure to tell Ed that if his and Havoc's lives depended on it that he could use alchemy to protect themselves and get them out.

"He's…uh…something's wrong, Colonel," Breda responded.

"What makes you say that? Has their cover been blown? Did you guys hear something?"

He couldn't stop himself from asking question after question. Fuery, being the technical genius that he was, sent Havoc and Fullmetal in with small microphones to bug the Sanct wherever they saw fit. Everything was supposed to be set in place by now so the military officers in the warehouse could listen in.

"Sir, calm down…it's just…Havoc bugged his and Ed's beds so they could talk to us. We can hear in Ed's voice that he's just exhausted, almost like he's ill. The past three nights he's been there, we hear him tossing and turning in his sleep. I don't think he's slept at all. Havoc managed to get some time alone and he told us that the kid apparently looks worse than he sounds. He's doing as you asked and getting along with the other kids in the cult. Havoc says he's doing very well in that respect, but it's whenever they're alone that he can see Ed's not doing well at all. Havoc has tried asking him what's wrong, but Ed won't tell him and just says it's nothing. He's really worried about the kid. Colonel, we saw Ed before they left. He was perfectly fine. Havoc said this all began the second they arrived at the Sanct. We…we just don't know what we should do."

The Colonel racked his brain, trying to figure out the best course of action. Ed was tough. Something seriously had to be wrong.

He made his decision.

"I'm coming."

He hung up the phone and left his office. Hawkeye was sitting at her desk, alone. The Colonel would never get used to the rest of his men not being there.

"Lieutenant, call Mayor Sutton. We're leaving."

Hawkeye immediately obeyed without any questions. He would have a lot to explain to General Grumman, but he would worry about that later. His men came before anything.

*end flashback*

Roy understood why Fullmetal didn't tell the Second Lieutenant what was wrong. Looking at Hawkeye, the mayor, and the two brothers, it seemed that he was the only one that could feel the strange energy that surrounded this place.

If this was the same thing Ed was feeling and Havoc couldn't, Havoc wouldn't be able to understand what the young alchemist was going through. Hell, Ed might even think it's just all in his head and nothing is off in the slightest in reality.

Trying to ignore the dark aura that surrounded him, the Colonel kept in stride with the others. He glanced around. They were in what looked like a courtyard. It seemed enormous, probably due to the fact that there wasn't anyone aside from them out there.

"It's so beautiful," Hawkeye commented as she gazed at the stone fountain in the middle of the courtyard.

She gazed at the eight-foot tall lamp posts that lined their path and the yellow orbs on top of them. More of them were scattered throughout the enclosure. She couldn't help but think how gorgeous the courtyard must look with those lights illuminating it in the dark. Actually she was surprised they weren't on now.

She turned her eyes up to the sky. Dark clouds were rolling in. She remembered hearing that it might rain. She looked at Roy out of the corner of her eye. His gaze was on the sky as well and his mouth was set in a grim line.

"You three arrived just in time," Absalom said, bringing the two military officers out of their thoughts. "Corinthian should be finished with morning prayer."

The two brothers led them up the stone steps to a set of oak wood double doors. Jeremiah opened them.

They were greeted with the sight what had to be at least two hundred people on their knees in the pews with their heads bowed. Like Jeremiah and Absalom, all of the men were wearing a white shirt and black pants. All of the women were wearing simple white dresses.

One man stood on the stage in front of everyone. Roy assumed this was Corinthian.

"May the Moon be with us all! May the Moon guide us all! May the Moon save us all!" he proclaimed.

The entire congregation echoed his words.

"May the Moon be with us all! May the Moon guide us all! May the Moon save us all!"

For reasons the Colonel couldn't explain, he was creeped out. The congregation rose to its feet, everyone making their way to exit what must have been the sanctuary. Despite the sea of people, he spotted a head with a blonde ponytail in a heartbeat.

Ed maneuvered out of the pew with Havoc right behind him. Roy wasn't surprised to see the two were together. They were posing as brothers after all. The second the young alchemist turned around, he locked eyes with his commanding officer.

He tried to seem oblivious to the Colonel's presence, but Roy noticed that his eyes widened slightly. The Colonel knew that Ed wasn't expecting him for a few more days. He glanced at Havoc. He could see a similar surprise in the Second Lieutenant's eyes, but they were mostly filled with relief.

To everyone else in the Disciples of the Moon, Ed probably seemed normal. Since the kid had been under his command for the past three years, he knew better. That passionate fire that resided within the young alchemist was gone. He could tell just by looking at the kid. While Ed was undercover, the Colonel knew this wasn't right.

There was something else in Ed's eyes, something he never thought he would see in them.

Fear.

Ed was scared.

Roy knew instantly that he made the right decision by coming here.

"Come along," Jeremiah said, motioning for him and Riza to follow him. "I'll introduce you to Corinthian. Then you two can talk to the kids and their parents."

Both military officers nodded. The Colonel reluctantly looked away from his subordinates. He and Hawkeye were supposed to interview all of the children and teens before they left the Sanct. He would have his chance to talk to Ed.

But it couldn't come fast enough.

And there's the first chapter! I hope you all enjoyed it! I know things might be a little confusing right now. Everything will be cleared up as the story goes on. I hope to update this soon, but with finals week approaching, I'll have to see. However, I will be on break in a few weeks, so be prepared for lots of updates during that time! Until next chapter!