I got this idea recently when I read a fic and Ed said that he had killed someone. I don't see Ed killing like Barry or Kimblee, but more if he was forced to do it like blackmail, ordered by the Fuhrer or even self-defence. I can't see Ed killing willingly. If he did kill he would feel bad about it. But it also depends on the circumstances as well. I've seen a few where Ed is framed for murder, blackmailed and even kills willingly, so I thought along the lines of something else. What if Ed had to kill in self-defence, but he also did it willingly? Now you might ask me what would make him do such a thing. Well, read and find out. This is an AU of sorts, but it takes place in Brotherhood and only just after Ed and Al get fixed up at Winry's, but before they go after Marcoh's notes so they're kind of relaxing after just getting fixed up. I know it's not something they'd do, but it's for the sake of my story, okay?

Also, I haven't watched Brotherhood or 03 in a year or more, so my characterisation on the characters might be a bit off. I don't know. So, I'm sorry if they seem OOC (Out Of Character). But that's why I'm currently rewatching both series; 03 is on Netflix and I have Brotherhood on DVD along with the first three volumes of the Manga.

Also, if you have questions about this story I'll be glad to answer them for you. If they're about the storyline/plot it'll depend though. If you bring up plotholes I'll look into it or explain it. It'll depend really as I AM trying my best to make it stay as close to the canon timeline as possible.

I'm also not very good at descriptive writing, so excuse my poor descriptions on things, please.

Edit - I just realised after rewatching the first ten episodes of Brotherhood that Mustang and Hawkeye were in East City while Armstrong, Hughes and the Elrics were in Central. It's confusing when you don't realise that at first. I'll fix it that right after dropping the brothers off with Sergeant Brosh and Lieutenant Ross that Armstrong headed to Eastern Headquarters to inform Mustang of what happened. Just so, it stays as best within the canon timeline and then afterwards is where we are now.

Anyways, enjoy!

Chapter I: Skin And Bones

East City - Eastern Command Centre - 9:40 - 1914

"I always wondered what happened to him..." A man with short black hair and dark eyes, stared down at the file in his hand, frowning. "Now I know..." His eyes left the file and turned to the large, burly man across from him. "Major, how did you find him?"

The burly man saluted the dark-haired man. "Well Sir, I was out getting firewood for the Rockbells when I came across him in the woods between their home and the Elric's." Armstrong swallowed; face turning pale. "He was just a skeleton. So, he's been there for years..."

The other man nodded his head, lowering his eyes back to the file, scanning it. "Jackson Phillips; also known as The Short-Bladed Alchemist. He was known for killing not just Ishvalans, but also soldiers during the Ishval War. So, even if he's crazy he knows how alchemy works and how to use it." The dark-haired man stared down at the file with a thoughtful frown. "During the war, he vanished taking cover among all the fighting to get away as if knowing he would be court-martialled. Yet here we've found his body, but near the Elric brothers home..."

"If I may, Colonel...?" Armstrong spoke up causing the superior to look up at the moustachioed man. "...Phillips' body..." He cringed at having to explain this. "...due to how long ago it must've been when he died. I noticed a knife in the back of his neck."

The Colonel nodded his head at what the Major said. "So, what we can assume is that the stab to the neck killed him."

"It wasn't just any knife, Sir." This caused the Colonel to glance at Armstrong with a frown. "It was one of his own."

At hearing this, a wry smile crossed the dark-haired superior's face. "Killed by his own weapon. How ironic fate can be to a man like that."

A sigh beside him caught his attention, causing him to look to the blond woman beside him. "Sir, you shouldn't say such things..." She shook her head at him.

A sigh of his own left his lips at hearing what she said. "I hear you, Lieutenant." He put a hand to his forehand and rubbed it, staring back down at the file. "So, does this mean we have another killer on the loose after State Alchemists?"

Armstrong shifted his body; eyes unsure and concern flickered across his face which didn't go unnoticed by the two. "I doubt that..."

"What do you mean, Major?" The Colonel asked, eyes blinking, frowning.

A sigh left the Major as his gaze lowered to the carpeted floor. "Phillips' body was found in Resembool; home of the Elric brothers. It's hard to say when he was killed with how long his body has been sitting there."

A thoughtful look spread across the man's face as he waved Armstrong off. "Thank you, Major Armstrong. You're dismissed."

The large man saluted before walking out of the room, face still quite pale and worried. After the door closed behind the large man, Mustang leaned forward on his desk, hands clasped together as he narrowed his eyes at the door.

"FullMetal..." A frown marred the Colonel's face.

The Lieutenant turned to face her superior with a frown marring her own with a hint of worry. "Sir, what is it? You're not suspecting Edward, are you?"

This question caused the man to blink and look at the Lieutenant, blinking. A laugh left his lips as he waved his hand about. "I doubt that. He's so against the idea of killing that the thought wouldn't cross his mind." He turned his attention back to the door that Armstrong had left through. "However that doesn't mean that he doesn't know what happened."

"Sir..."

"Hawkeye..." He turned back to face her; his eyes held determination in them to find the truth. "...I know as well as you do that, Elric, wouldn't kill. Phillips was going to serve time for what he did in Ishval. Whatever Elric knows is our best lead."

"Sir, that's not what worries me," Hawkeye spoke up, causing said Colonel to frown and tilt his head in confusion. "Anyone in Resembool could be a suspect. It's a small-town after all. They were just as much impacted by the war as anyone was. If someone held a grudge towards the military because we got too close to their hometown I understand their grievances."

Mustang let out a long sigh, nodding his head at his subordinate's words; eyes closed. "You're right." He opened his eyes to stare at the door where the Major had gone through. "However, it doesn't mean we can't let this sit. We need to ask around and our first order of business is talking to those brothers."

Central City - Hotel - 12:10 - 1914

As Mustang and Hawkeye made their way down the hallway of the hotel after they had boarded the train from East City into Central that the well-known Elric brothers were staying in; they heard voices coming from the room. The dark-haired man silently walked inside, staying close to the door as to not disturb the conversation already in order.

He knew to be polite and not interrupt a conversation already in motion.

Unlike a certain short blond alchemist he knew.

The person instigating the conversation was his friend; Lieutenant Colonel Maes Hughes. His bright green eyes, shining with joy as he showed Edward a picture of his daughter; Elicia Hughes.

The blond grunted, irritated at the man's exaggerated love for his family.

It wasn't that he wasn't used to it.

He'd just met so many different people since he became a State Alchemist.

And it definitely wasn't the fact that he was jealous of a little girl that actually had a Father figure in her life.

No way...

Roy let loose a loud sigh, shaking his head at his friend's behaviour that just seemed to always be the norm. "Hughes, we're here to talk to them about business not for you to gush over your daughter."

The green-eyed man turned to the dark-eyed one with a serious expression on his face. "I'm not just gushing over my daughter..." He took out another photo causing Roy to let out another sigh. "...I'm gushing about my wife too!"

Mustang put his head into his hand, face-palming.

What did he do to deserve this?

Hawkeye stood beside her superior, glaring at Hughes. "Lieutenant Colonel, we are here on official business not to show pictures of family members."

If there was one person in the Amestrian Military that scared just about everyone it was Riza Hawkeye.

There were some exceptions to that though not a lot.

But it seemed to get the job done as Hughes laughed nonchalantly, putting his stash of photos away. "I was just showing the boys while we were waiting for you to arrive."

"We've seen them before, Lieutenant Colonel," Ed spoke up, sounding disinterested with what was going on.

Hughes seemed to catch the tone in Ed's voice, laughing. "There's always time to look at photos..." He became all giddy. "...especially ones of little Elicia!"

"HUGHES!" Mustang's shout seemed to catch the other man's attention as he righted his glasses and sat up straight.

Mustang took this time to fully enter the room with Hawkeye following close behind him, handing a sheet of papers off to Hughes which caught the Elric brothers attention almost instantly.

Maes looked over the report and the death certificate before lifting his eyes back to the two brothers in front of him. "There was a body recently found by Major Armstrong in your hometown of Resembool. We wanted to know if either of you boys remembers anything or anyone coming into town that you didn't recognise."

Al tilted his head, hard to tell if he considered it, but from the tiny mumbles resonating from his hollow-body, it was easy to tell he was trying to remember something.

Ed, on the other hand, kept a blank expression on his face, eyeing the Lieutenant Colonel and the papers in his hands.

"What did he look like?" Al asked, curiosity tinting his voice. "We won't know unless we have a description."

Hughes flipped through the papers until he came to one with the man's picture and showed it to the boys.

Al kept his head tilted, confused.

It was obvious he didn't recognise the man even without having to see his face.

Ed, however, gave the slight distinction of his eyes widening before they went back to being narrowed again.

It was a slight difference, but Mustang caught it.

The older of the two knew something that the younger didn't.

But why?

"His body had been in a wooded area near the Rockbell residence. He was there so long he was nothing, but a skeleton," Hughes explained to the two. A gasp came from Al while Ed seemed to go pale. "We had enough bone to identify him, but it's hard to believe he's been dead this long." Hughes ran a hand through his spiky black hair. "He was going to serve time for treason like Kimblee..." He cut himself off, thinking that was enough information to give the two.

"So, he was a State Alchemist?" Al asked the most defining question.

"Yes, he was." Mustang's gaze met Ed's and the fifteen-year-old seemed to freeze when those eyes met his. "We don't know what the culprit's motives were considering who Phillips was."

Ed swallowed, keeping eye contact with his superior officer. "What do you mean by that? What did he do?"

Mustang kept his gaze on Edward before turning it down to the files that Hughes held. "He was a part of the Ishval War of Extermination, but he didn't just kill Ishvalans. He killed Military officers as well. That's why when he fled he knew he'd be court-martialled. I wouldn't have put it past him to hide somewhere from the Military..." He turned his head back to Ed. "...even if someone was living there."

The blond alchemist swallowed, staring at the dark-haired man with wide eyes; an odd feeling bubbling up inside of him.

What was this feeling?

"So ... he was crazy then?" Ed asked, trying to push that feeling aside.

Mustang shrugged his shoulders at Ed's question. "That's putting it rather bluntly. But yes, he was. He was also crazy smart. Which was why he ran off to the nearest town."

Ed stared at Mustang with something akin to horror in his golden eyes.

He knew what this feeling was, but why was it ... he didn't care?

"Ed, are you alright?" He turned his head to see his brother, sitting beside him where he had always been. "You look pale. Are you sick? Do you need something to eat?!" His brother exclaimed, worry tinting his voice.

Ed waved his hand, laughing. "No, Al, I'm fine. I'm just shocked that someone was killed so close to our home. That's all."

"You sure?"

Ed smiled at his brother, nodding. "Yes, Al."

Although the brother seemed to have gotten over the shock that someone was killed near their home. There was still that nagging feeling that they needed to find out who did this.

They could have another killer on the loose.

Roy kept his eyes on the two brothers, hands in his uniform pockets, seeing the smile spread across Ed's face.

Something tightened in his chest and he knew ... the boy wasn't all he seemed.

He was hiding something more than just committing Human Transmutation at eleven.