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Chapter Text

"What are you doing? I thought you were going to give me a present. Ed? Al?" the small blond girl asks her friends.

5-year-old Al looks up at her. "Hold on just a little longer," he tells her with a smile.

"Liz!" Ed calls for his little sister.

"I got the stuff, big brother!" says 4-year-old Lizzy. She carries a bucket over to Edward. She's the only one out of the three of them who has their mother's brown hair and blue eyes.

"Good job, Liz!" Edward praises his baby sister, as she pours sand at the centre of their circle.

Winry whines. Den tilts his dog head to the side in curiosity.

Edward, Alphonse and Lizzy set their small hands on the transmutation circle. The yellow light of alchemy floods Winry's living room. Winry is now fascinated by what her friends are doing and doesn't dare blink an eye, afraid to miss something. The boys' faces are scrunched in concentration and there's a large grin on Lizzy's.

Blue electricity begins to raise the solid in the middle. Winry is absorbed in watching it. Then, it forms a frightening face.

At the sound of Winry's scream, the Elric siblings stop what they're doing and the light disappears. Winry falls to her knees, crying, Den barking fiercely at what they just saw. Edward and Alphonse move quickly to comfort their friend, but Lizzy remains on her knees.

She picks up the doll they'd made for Winry. What's so scary about a dolly?

The young Elric siblings wait outside Winry's house for their mother, who's inside apologizing to Winry's parents for the incident, while they scold her for not thanking her friends for the gift they made for her.

"Children," says Trisha Elric. She exits the house, ready to take her kids home. At their distraught faces, she smiles gently at them.

"Mommy." Lizzy gets up from their spots on the grass and runs into their mother's arms.

The family of four walk home underneath the setting sun. Edward balances on the stone fence as usual, laughing along with his amused mother.

"Brother?" Lizzy tugs at Al's shirt. She yawns. "Carry me, Al?" she asks. Her tired blue eyes droop. "Please?"

Alphonse bends down without a word. His baby sister climbs onto his back and wraps her little arms around his neck. Alphonse struggles to straighten himself under her weight. She's a year younger than him, but around his height.

"I can carry Liz, Al. She's too heavy for you, silly boy," Trisha says with a smile.

Lizzy whines and tightens her grasp on Alphonse. She wants her big brother to carry her.

"Lizzy," Trisha says sternly.

"It's okay, Mommy. I wanna carry her," Alphonse tells her, smiling.

"Big brother Al is strong," Lizzy mumbles.

"Not as strong as me! I could carry you easily!" Edward claims.

"That might be true, Ed, but don't make your brother feel bad," Trisha says. But she doubts she can do anything about that mischievous glint in his golden eyes. "When did your father teach you three alchemy?" she then asks.

"How can we learn from someone who's never around?" Edward proclaims. He never liked it when their father was mentioned. He was angry at him for leaving and not telling anyone where he was going, even them.

"We learned from books," Alphonse says.

"Books?" Trisha is surprised. "Even Lizzy?"

"Big brothers read to me," Lizzy mumbles, half-asleep on Al's back.

"Do you understand it?"

"Somewhat," all three children answer.

Al then looks up at their mother. "Was that wrong of us?" he asks softly, his young face contorted with worry.

"Is Mommy gonna tell us we no allowed to be alchemy?" asks little Lizzy.

Trisha beams. "I'm so proud of you! You didn't do anything wrong at all. Oh, you're all just like your father!" she says and lifts the children's spirits. "I'm going to brag to everyone I know about this!"

"Then, are we allowed to keep using Dad's study room?" Edward questions with a grin.

"As long as you follow some rules," Trisha answers.

"Yay!" the boys cheer.

"Yay..." Lizzy whispers and promptly falls asleep in Al's hold.

The next morning, Trisha lets her children into her husband's study room. She states her rules to her excited sons and daughter, who are much too busy looking around the awesome room to pay attention to her.

"Lastly, don't open that door," finishes Trisha.

"Okay!" exclaim Edward and Alphonse and run towards the bookshelf, while Lizzy jumps up and down in her excitement.

Immediately, there's the sound of falling books and twin shouts.

"Oh dear," Trisha mutters, grimacing.

"Ed! Al! Talk to Lizzy!" Lizzy is quick to start rummaging through the giant pile of books on the floor to find her brothers.

And this was the start of their love for alchemy.

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Edward and Alphonse, now 9 and 8 years old, run up to their mother who is hanging clothes to dry, followed by their 7 year old sister.

"Look, Mom!"

"Oh my, look at these! They're all so cute!" Trisha gushes. She kneels down to examine the clay animals in her children's hands.

"Even mine?" Alphonse asks shyly, having little confidence in his art. He didn't think his was as good as Edward's.

"What about mine?" Lizzy also asks. Hers wasn't really an animal, but if you squinted, it possibly looked like a seal.

"All of you did a wonderful job!" Trisha says, and Al and Lizzy beam. "You three are so much like your father!"

"Do you think Daddy would be proud of us too?" Lizzy asks, smile hopeful. While she and Alphonse continued to grin, both Trisha and Edward's enthusiasm died.

Their mother's smile returned to her face before Al or Lizzy could get suspicious. "When he gets back, your father will praise and praise you," she says, but her cheerful tone has disappeared.

Nonetheless, Alphonse and Lizzy are delighted to be told that their father, of all people, would commend them.

"I'm going to Winry's house!" Edward suddenly shouts. He snatches his clay animal from their mother's hands. There's an angry look on his face and he runs off.

HIs siblings immediately realize that their eldest brother is indeed angry and they quickly run after him.

Instead of going to Winry's house, the Elric siblings sit down on a hill overlooking the river.

"Why are you upset, brother?" Al had more nerve than Lizzy to ask their big brother. "Do you hate Dad or something?"

"Well... I don't remember him," Edward starts, "but Mom always makes this weird face at the mention of his name. I don't like it."

Lizzy feels guilty for asking about their father. She hangs her head. "I'm sorry, Ed."

Edward pats Lizzy's hair. After a moment, he stands up. "Let's go to Winry's now."

Alphonse kneels before his baby sister. As far as he and Edward were concerned, she would always be their baby sister. "Let me give you a piggyback ride, Liz," Al says. He had become quite strong in his opinion, having carried Lizzy on his back many times. He was also taller. In fact, he was actually almost taller than Ed.

"Okay," Lizzy says with a smile. She would never get tired of Al's piggyback rides.

As light as a feather, Alphonse thought proudly after Lizzy had climbed onto his back.

Edward grinned. "Let's go!"

Winry is crying at the table. Granny Pinako is standing by her, head bowed and a paper scrunched in her hand.

"W-what do you mean?" Lizzy asks, unable to process the information they'd just received.

"My parents are dead, Liz. They were killed in the war," Winry responds with tears running down her cheeks.

"But your parents are doctors," Al protests.

"They were killed because they took patients in from both sides," says Winry, angrily.

Alphonse and Lizzy approach their friend. Lizzy places her hand on Winry's trembling shoulder. Al tells her they're somewhat in the same boat, trying to offer her some empathy.

"It's not the same!" Winry lashes out, smacking Lizzy's hand away. She rises from her chair. "When someone dies, it means they can't come back! Your dad's just gone, but that's better than knowing your parents are dead! They're gone forever!"

"Not necessarily," Edward suddenly speaks up. "I read in a book somewhere about something called human transmutation. I don't know the details, but apparently it can bring someone back to life. We could revive your par-"

"Now you be quiet!" snaps Granny Pinako. "That is forbidden, and I won't have you trying anything dangerous. Is that clear?"

Edward scowls. "Old hag." Pots and pans come torpedoing at him for his comment, forcing him to flee. Alphonse and Lizzy go after him.

While they walk back home, they think about what their friend and what even Granny Pinako must be going through.

"Poor Winry," Alphonse mumbles.

When their house comes into view, so does their mother. She's beautiful before the setting sun. The very same question crosses each of their minds. If their mother were to die, what would they do?

"I'm glad Mom is alive," Lizzy says simply.

Ed runs to Trisha, followed closely by Al and Liz. They lunge at her and hug her waist, all of them sniffling into her dress.

Chapter Text

10-year-old Edward runs outside, joking around with his siblings, carrying baskets of freshly-picked fruits. Edward shouts back at them that they're too slow, persuading them to go faster. The boys are really competing. Liz's just trying to keep up with them.

When they arrive home, they call for their mother. But what they see brings horror to their young faces. Trisha is unconscious on the floor.

"Mom!" they shout, their tones full of fright. They drop all they're carrying and bend down to their mother.

"Al, stay here with Mom while I go get the doctor! Liz, go get Granny!" Edward commands, frantic.

"Okay!" His siblings obey, just as frantic as him.

The Elric siblings discovered that their mother has been enduring an illness from the doctor. They never leave Trisha's bedside after that. They tend to her needs, with Pinako and Winry's help. They make her smile by performing alchemy for her and she falls asleep to Lizzy's singing. She sings Trisha the lullaby that she used to sing to them before her throat got so sore, she could hardly speak.

"Brothers! Mom wants to tell you something!" Lizzy calls from Trisha's bedroom.

Ed and Al leave dinner on hold for the time-being to go see what their mother has to tell them. They stand at her bedside with Lizzy, their small hands holding her weak one comfortingly.

"Edward, Alphonse, and you too Lizzy. I want you to take care of each other," Trisha spoke, out of breath and her voice a raspy whisper. "Promise me you'll get along. You're allowed to tease each other, but not too much. I don't want you three fighting when I'm gone."

"Don't say that, Mom!" Lizzy shouts.

"Yeah, Mom! Please don't talk like that," Alphonse pleads.

Edward forces himself to smile. As much as he feels like crying, he knows he has to stay composed. The moment he loses control of himself, his younger siblings would break. But he can't stop himself from trembling.

"Mom, you don't have to tell us that. You're going to be okay," Edward tells her in a shaky tone.

"Do you think you can do something for me?" asks Trisha.

"Of course, Mom," Alphonse replies.

"Anything for you, Mom, so please don't go!" Lizzy begs. She holds back her tears. She doesn't want this. She wants to go back to when their mom was on her feet and well and all smiles, real smiles.

"I want you to transmute a bouquet. Yes, that would be lovely. And Lizzy, you should sing for me," Trisha whispers. "He always used to transmute... for me." Her once sparkling blue eyes fall shut, never to open again.

Trisha Elric's funeral is small. Only the Rockbells and a few of the villagers come. By the time it's evening, only three children remain at her grave.

"Brother, I'm cold," Lizzy shivers, even as Alphonse embraces her.

"I'm also hungry, Ed. Let's go home," says Al. Both of them are tired from crying.

"Al, Liz," Edward doesn't take his unblinking eyes off of Trisha's grave. He opens his mouth and says four certain words. "Let's bring Mom back."

The Elric siblings find a teacher and relearn alchemy. All for the sake of human transmutation. They're going to revive their mother. They speak fondly of her, so excited to see her again one day. They often fall asleep after Lizzy sings them their mom's lullaby. Then, the time comes. They perform human transmutation on a stormy night.

"We're done," says Edward. He looks over the transmutation circle he and his siblings drew on the basement floor. The needed ingredients are in a large container at the middle.

"What are we going to exchange for Mom's soul, Ed?" Alphonse asks. Now that they're actually doing this, he's afraid. What if something went wrong? Lizzy isn't much better, clinging to his arm nervously.

"Just give me your hands," Edward tells them. They do as their big brother says, but flinch in fear when he takes a small knife from his pocket. He turns to their wary faces. "Don't worry. It won't hurt too much. I promise," he reassures them with a gentle smile.

Edward first makes a small cut in his own finger, then Alphonse, followed by Lizzy. They hold their arms over the container, their blood falling and mixing in with the other ingredients.

"This will act as information about the soul," Edward tells his brother and sister.

"Nothing bad will happen, right?" Lizzy asks.

"Of course not," Edward responds. HIs confidence rubs off on Alphonse, who grins.

"Okay," Lizzy murmurs.

"Let's do this now."

"Yeah!"

Seeing her brothers' enthusiasm, Lizzy is reassured. She'll really be able to see her mother again. She wants to sing songs with her when she gets back.

At first, the yellow light of alchemy is gorgeous, as always. But then it turns a dark purple and red electricity circles the siblings. Their smiles fade.

"What?!" Edward looks over his shoulder at the black hands grabbing his leg. His eyes widen in horror as his limb starts to disappear.

Lizzy's screaming catch both Ed and Al's attention. The black hands are going down her throat. When they leave, she quits screaming and promptly vomits a huge blob of blood. Her eyes roll to the back of her head and she collapses.

"Liz!" Edward shouts. He tries to get to his baby sister, but struggles.

"Ed!"

Edward watches his little brother disappear under the black hands. They reach for one another, but before Edward can touch Al's hand, he's gone.

"No, Al!!!" Edward screams and falls onto his side. "This wasn't supposed to happen... dammit!" He beats the floor with his fist.

Then he remembers their goal.

"Mom?" Edward looks up to see a hand in the smoke. But when the smoke fades, Ed only sees a grotesque creature that is anything but human. And he screams.

Lizzy can hear her heart beating. Her throat hurts and she remembers everything. That endless white expanse, the giant gate, and the unbearably immense amount of information forced upon her by the purple-eyed shadow children.

She shoots upright, but coughs up blood in the process.

"Lizzy. Thank goodness you're alive," says Edward.

Lizzy's eyes widen when she sees her big brother. She looks around for Al, but doesn't see him and becomes frantic.

"Liz!" Edward gets his sister's attention. "Knock down that suit of armour. Don't ask why, just do it!"

Lizzy staggers to her feet and does as she's her to, the sound of the armour colliding with stone ground hurting her ears. Still lightheaded, she loses her balance and falls to her knees, coughing. She almost wants to vomit again at the metallic taste in her mouth.

"Take my arm, leg, heart, just give me back my brother. He's my brother... he's my only little brother!" Edward yells.

Lizzy sees the black hands returning for his arm. She faints.

"Please help us!"

Al? Lizzy hears her sibling's voice and opens her eyes. She sees Winry and Granny Pinako and realizes they're at their house. Edward is next to her, missing his arm and leg, and unconscious. She then sees the large suit of armour above her and feels that it's holding her and Edward. Alphonse's voice is coming from it and she remembers Edward bonded his soul to it.

So, that's big brother Al now... As long as he's alive, I don't care about his appearance.

The back of Lizzy's throat burns and there's that metallic taste again, even worse than before. She vomits another huge blob of blood.

"Liz!"

Winry and Pinako rush to take her and Edward from Alphonse's large metal hands and tend to them.

The doctor Granny Pinako summons tells Lizzy her throat is fine, but... her voice box is gone.

"Liz, how do you feel?" Lizzy's best friend Winry asks. The doctor had told her, but she has to test it for herself. There's no way that Lizzy just... can't talk now.

The younger girl doesn't answer.

Winry gulps. "Liz?"

Lizzy starts crying, sobs that should be as loud and broken as she feels. Nothing comes out of her. She cries and cries, but doesn't make a single sound. She can't.

Chapter Text

Later that night, a State Alchemist visits the Rockbells and the Elric siblings. Granny Pinako demands that he leave, so he does but not before expressing his interest in the Elrics. He tells them to visit him in Central one day. They could become State Alchemists and be given access to information closed off from the public.

When he finally leaves, Lizzy knows she would never forget his name; Roy Mustang.

Edward was supposed to be sleeping at that time. That's why Lizzy is surprised when Ed brings up his name up in a conversation the next morning. He tells Granny Pinako and Winry that he wants automail, so that he can go and take the State Alchemist Exam within a year when he would turn 12.

But that means you'll leave, Lizzy says. When she realizes that no one can hear her, she runs to Edward's bedside and clings to him. Tears are in her blue eyes and her arms tremble around Ed.

"Liz?" Edward feels his baby sister shaking. He can only guess what she must be thinking, trying to say. He uses his left arm to hug her back. He'll have to get good at lip-reading.

Alphonse and Lizzy sit against the wall, outside of the room where Pinako and Winry are fitting Ed with automail. It sounds horrible to them, but they surprisingly don't hear any screaming from Edward.

Lizzy doesn't know what to think. Her big brother is being strong, but she feels bad for him. She can't help but wonder what Al thinks.

She sets her hand on his metal leg and gains the attention of the suit of armour. Even though she's looking at his face, she still finds it hard to believe that it's her older brother.

"Lizzy, what's wrong?" Alphonse regrets asking the second he remembers. He puts his arm around her, careful not to hurt her. It feels so strange to hold someone so tiny. She never used to be this tiny. "Don't worry, I'll find a way for you to communicate. I promise."

A year passes. Edward and Alphonse grow accustomed to their bodies. Lizzy writes in a notebook to converse.

Liz watches as her brothers burn down their house. They don't cry and she doesn't either. Only Winry cries. She does it for them.

"Why are you leaving again?" Lizzy's writing asks. It's messy because she always writes fast. She has to or else she won't get a word in any conversation.

"We're going to look for the Philosopher's Stone to restore our bodies. We'll find it to get your voice back too," Edward responds.

Lizzy grips her pencil determinedly. "Take me with you."

"We can't. It's too dangerous," Edward tells her.

"Sorry, Liz," apologizes Alphonse.

Lizzy bites her lip and presses her pencil to her notebook again.

"No 'buts', Lizzy," Ed says. Her face falls and Edward pats her head.

Al kneels down to her and places his metal hand on her cheek. "We love you, Liz."

Her brothers' backs are now facing her.

"Bye, Lizzy," they say.

And she watches them go, unsure whether she wants to cry or get angry. Ever since they were little, they've always, always left her behind.

Chapter Text

For the next three years, Lizzy trains herself everyday, so one day she'll be so strong a fighter, Edward and Alphonse will have to let her come with on their journey. She gets letters from them, telling her of their adventures. She occasionally writes back when she misses them (which is all the time) or to tell them about something exciting on her side. Like when she beat the village's boxing champion in a match. Or when she won the annual marathon race in town. Or last year, when she sent them a letter to tell them that she can transmute without a circle like Edward.

Dear Lizzy - Ed and I travelled to Youswell, originally to inspect its coal mine. However, there was this horrible man named Yoki who was running it. He knocked down an inn keeper's inn! But you know what Ed did? You have to keep this a secret. He transmuted gold and deceived Yoki into selling the coal mine! Not only that, but he sold it to the inn keeper. Ed will brag to you about it in his letter, but he actually was pretty cool. - From Alphonse

Dear Lizzy - Al and I travelled to Lior in the desert and beat a fake priest who had been spreading lies all over the place. We proved it to the people and everything, so now he's an outcast. Unfortunately, the Philosopher's Stone we thought he had turned out to be fake too. But we're alright. I mean that. We'll keep looking, so you just keep on sitting tight, sis. - From Edward

Dear Lizzy - On our way back to Central from Lior, we stopped at a town called Aquroya because Ed needed a checkup. He ate too much food. He freaked out. You know how he is with needles. But we met this really sweet nurse. She reminded me of Mom. It turned out that she was the infamous burglar Psiren. Still, she was really nice. In the end, she got arrested. I'm really disappointed about it. I really liked her. I think you would've too. - From Alphonse

Dear Lizzy - At Xenotime, we met two brothers who were pretending to be us! That's right, can you believe the nerve?! Their names were Russell and Fletcher Tringham. As it turned out though, they were actually pretty good guys and they had their reasons for doing what they did. I bet Fletcher would've liked to meet you, since you two are around the same age. Anyways, you know what sucks? Keep this a secret. Cross your heart. Do it! That Russell guy is a whole year younger than me, but he's so tall! It's infuriating! The next time we meet up, you can come along. You and Fletcher will be fast friends. - From Edward

Dear Lizzy - I fought crappy Colonel Mustang and I won! It was a fair duel for information. And I won! I wish you could've seen me, Liz! I was so cool! Always remember, Lizzy, that your big brother is awesome! - From Edward

Dear Lizzy - Sorry if my writing is hard to understand, Liz. I'm using my left arm. Al and I are on our way to pay you a visit. I need Winry to fix my automail. Don't be too surprised if we're in bad shape. - From Edward

Chapter Text

Lizzy's waiting for her brothers on the porch. Ever since she received her last letter from Edward, she's put her combat training on hold to wait for them. She often falls asleep, making Granny Pinako drag her inside. But now, on the third day, she's sure they'll really come.

When Liz finally spots Edward walking toward the house, she quickly runs inside. She finds Granny Pinako and signals to her to follow, then runs back out. Pinako isn't as fast as her and she steps out on the porch. When she eyes the eldest Elric, she calls Winry and Den.

Den runs with Lizzy to her elder brother, barking happily. Lizzy throws herself at Edward, wrapping her arms around his waist. Edward hugs her back, but only with his left.

Lizzy pulls away to see that no automail limb resides in his right red sleeve. She points at it and looks up at him. What on earth did you do? Are you hurt anywhere else? You better explain yourself-

"Calm down," Edward says. Her lips are flapping too fast for him to read them, but he can more or less tell she's panicking by the look on her face.. "I'm alright. Really, I am," he tells her. "Hey, you've grown." He looks her over. She stands at his shoulder. He smiles at her softly, her face oh so reminiscent of someone else important. "You look just like Mom," he murmurs.

Lizzy smiles back. However, it fades when she can't find a certain huge suit of armour.

"Edward Elric, who is this lovely young lady?" asks a very tall and incredibly muscular, bald man with blue eyes.

Lizzy can't help but stare up at him in disbelief. He's like a giant!

"Major Armstrong, this is my little sister Liz," Edward responds.

"What?! The Elric brothers have a younger sister?!" Armstrong is shocked.

Lizzy then grabs at Ed's coat, yanking on it, worry written on her face. She mouths, "Where's Al?"

"Al's here," says Edward.

"Hi, Lizzy!"

Armstrong sets down a large box and Lizzy sees her big brother's armour body half-destroyed. And she loses it.

Grabbing Edward by the collar, she shakes him, moving her mouth so fast he can't properly read her lips. "What did you do?! What happened?! Who did this?!"

"Liz, that hurts!" Ed shouts.

"Now, now, calm down! We're both alive, so that's what's important. Right, sis?" Alphonse tries to reason with their sister. "Liz, if you keep doing that, you'll kill Ed!"

"Why you little-!" Edward locks his arm around Lizzy's neck. He shrieks when she tries to bite him.

"You siblings have not seen other in three years, correct? You must not fight!" says Armstrong, separating Ed and Liz. He then kneels down to Lizzy. "I am Alex Louis Armstrong, the Strong Arm Alchemist. Edward Elric has not spoke of you before. It is an honour to meet you and I hope we will become well acquainted."

Lizzy blinks. She swore that the shirtless man was sparkling. When had he took off his shirt?

"By the way Major, she can't talk. She communicates by-"

"Cannot talk! How sad is that! You poor girl!" Armstrong exclaims.

"...She communicates by writing in a notebook," Edward finishes lamely.

"Hey, pipsqueak! You're in bad shape," says Granny Pinako when they get closer to the house, Den jumping around Edward.

"Don't call me pipsqueak!" Edward shouts at her.

"Granny! Where's Winry?" Alphonse asks.

Suddenly, a wrench flies at Edward's face.

"Winry, are you trying to kill me?!" Edward yells at the teenage girl on the balcony.

"Who do you think you are, coming back looking like that?!" Winry demands angrily.

The Elrics and Armstrong are ushered into the house, and Ed and Al are scolded ferociously by Winry.

After examining Edward, Granny Pinako finds that he's grown a bit. She removes his usual automail leg to make adjustments to it, while Winry works on his new arm, and gives him a spare leg. They promise to complete it all in three days.

Edward joins his siblings and Den outside. Lizzy had grabbed Alphonse's helmet, so that she hold hold him.

"Resembool hasn't changed a bit," Edward says.

Lizzy grabs her pencil and writes in her notebook beside her. "Neither have you, Ed."

Edward scowls. "That supposed to mean anything, squirt?"

Lizzy smirks. "Maybe."

"Now, now, you two," says Alphonse.

Lizzy grins widely for a moment, then presses her pencil to her notebook. "So, are you guys really okay?"

Edward sighs. "We are, but I guess we owe you an explanation, huh?"

"It's a long story. You better listen," says Al. When their sister nods, they talk.

They met with a doctor named Marcoh, who was originally a solider in the war with Ishbal. He conducted research on the Philosopher's Stone and allowed State Alchemists to use it to massacre the Ishbalans, leaving few survivors. Marcoh went into hiding, along with his research materials. However, he was taken into military custody.

Then they explain why they look like scraps of metal. They encountered an Ishbalan man called Scar, who uses alchemy to kill State Alchemists. He has a strange arm that destroys all he touches with it.

"Edward almost gave up his life to Scar," Al deliberately goes against his older brother's wishes and tells Lizzy.

"What?!" Lizzy mouths. She blanches, then glares and punches Edward's head. "You stupid brother!" She knows she doesn't need to write that down for him.

"Al already told me that! I don't need you both lecturing me!" Edward proclaims, rubbing his painful head.

Lizzy gazes at him straight in the eye. "Are you ever going to do that again?" she mouths.

"Depends."

Lizzy hits him again.

"Ow! Are you done?!" Ed asks, only for Lizzy to cross her arms and stick up her nose. Ed sighs. "Winry must have rubbed off on you," he mutters.

The Elric siblings are silent for a few minutes.

Suddenly, Lizzy thinks of something. She grabs her notebook and Al's helmet, then stands. She looks at Ed, smiling.

He raises an eyebrow. "What?"

"What are you doing?" Alphonse also asks.

Lizzy writes in her notebook, grinning mischievously. She plops it in Edward's lap. It says, "Tag. You're it." Then she runs off.

Ed smirks and sets aside her notebook. "You better run! I'm so getting you back for those punches!"

Chapter Text

It is now evening and the Elric siblings are visiting their mother's grave. They're recalling their childhood days.

"Remember how we used to fight about worthless things?" Edward asks.

Lizzy nods. She has Alphonse's helmet in her arms.

"Sort of," Alphonse replies quietly. He's been strangely quiet for awhile.

"We used to fight over who was taller. Ring a bell?" asks Ed.

"Well..." Al doesn't remember.

"We would argue about who got the better birthday present for Liz too!"

"We did?"

Ed bites his lip. Al's eyes glowing in his helmet dim.

Lizzy turns Al to face her, so he can see her mouth. "Don't worry, Al. There's lots of stuff I can't remember either," she tells him.

"Yeah... We did that a long time ago too and a lot has happened..." Alphonse doesn't sound convinced.

"Hey, I just realized!" Edward proclaims. His want to change the subject is obvious. "Liz, you're going to be thirteen in a month."

The statement is true, so they allow themselves to forget about Al's recollection issue. It stays at the back of Al's head though.

When night comes, Lizzy is unable to fall asleep. If she sleeps, time will pass too quickly and Ed and Al will leave. She wants to make the most of while they're here.

Lizzy gets out of bed and leaves her room. She goes to the spare room her brothers and Armstrong are using. She reaches for the knob.

"When I think back, I don't remember a whole lot. My memory is all fuzzy."

Lizzy stops and listens.

"Hey, there's something I've been meaning to ask you... Liz too." That's Edward.

"What is it?" That's Al.

Lizzy listens closely.

"I... never mind."

Lizzy frowns.

"Tell me, Ed!"

Edward doesn't say anything. Lizzy doesn't like the insecurity in Ed's tone. It must be a very serious question and now she really wants to know what it is. She listens closer with baited breath.

"Lizzy Elric," says a new voice.

Lizzy jumps and looks behind her.

Edward and Alphonse also jump when their door suddenly is snapped right off its hinges, revealing Armstrong and Lizzy.

"What are you doing here, Liz?" Edward asks.

Alphonse is frantic. "Major Armstrong, you broke the door!"

"Oh, just look at that beautiful starry sky!" Armstrong says and walks up to the window.

Ed sighs. "We used to gaze up at these stars," he says. 

Lizzy nods. She remembers that. She sits on his bed beside him and he puts his arm around her.

"We did? Oh, um... yeah," Al lies.

Lizzy goes over to Al's bed and takes his helmet off his body, then goes and lays down on Edward's bed. Ed lays down beside them and shuts his eyes, a smile on his face. Lizzy places a kiss on Al's helmet and does the same.

Al is the only one among them who is unable to sleep. And even though Lizzy kissed him goodnight, is holding him close, and the smiles do not leave either of his siblings' faces as they sleep, he is not reassured about his lack of memory.

Chapter Text

Edward now has both his new arm and leg. He can fix Alphonse now.

"Are all the pieces here?" Edward asks, looking over the fragments of armour and Al's body on the grass.

"Yup! Lizzy and Major Armstrong gathered them all," Alphonse replies.

"Well done," Edward tells his little sister and rewards her with a hair rub. He then removes Alphonse's helmet to see his bloodseal. "That is what connects Al's soul to the armour. We have to look out for it. I made it with my own blood," he explains.

"What a marvellous brotherly bond! It's so beautiful!" says Armstrong. He removes his shirt and poses, sparkling flawlessly.

"Can you move? You're in the way," states Edward.

Lizzy cheers up a saddened Armstrong in the corner.

"Alright!" Edward smiles. He claps his hand and presses them to Al's armour. Within seconds, Al is restored and stands on his feet.

"Marvellous," says Armstrong.

Edward smirks. "Wanna go at it?" he asks and Al nods.

Lizzy tugs on Edward's shirt, grinning hopefully up at him and mouthing, "Me too?"

"Yup, you too," Edward tells her.

"What does go at it mean?" asks Armstrong.

"Our teacher taught us that to train the mind, one must first train the body," responds Edward. "So, we have sparring matches. Lizzy and I usually team up on Al, but we've never beat him before."

"And I don't plan on losing now!" exclaims Al, throwing a kick.

Ed dodges and Liz charges her armour brother, launching her fist. He blocks with his hand, and Edward uses that chance to leap and kick at Alphonse. It's stopped by his other arm. Al pushes them both away. However, they both land on their feet.

Edward throws a barrage of attacks and Alphonse defends himself.

Lizzy goes after his legs, but Al simply evades. They're both after him in an instant. Lizzy latches onto his arm and doesn't let go, even as Al swings her around. When Edward comes at him, he uses her to deflect the attack, knocking him away and finally throwing Liz off of him. They land on their feet and continue their synchronized attacks.

Suddenly, Edward is sent flying into a shallow pond. Alphonse is not the cause.

"I will assist you three!" Armstrong announces.

Alphonse and Lizzy don't waste time and run away from the giant.

It's a long, tough and tiring match between Armstrong and the Elric siblings. Lizzy gets thrown at Edward and Alphonse goes after Armstrong. He is lifted right over Armstrong's head and thrown to the ground.

"We're not finished yet!" Edward exclaims.

Alphonse charges at Armstrong and their large hands lock, pushing against each other, both with immense strength.

Edward slides underneath Al to kick Armstrong's ankles. Al then grabs the man's arm and flips him over his shoulder. The moment he hits the ground, Lizzy pins him down.

"We did it!" Edward and Alphonse cheer.

"We took down a giant!" Lizzy exclaims without a sound, throwing her her arms up in the air.

"That was very enjoyable," says Armstrong from under her.

Lizzy gets off him and helps him up. He nearly stumbles.

"Whoa! Such strength!"

Lizzy grins sheepishly, rubbing the back of her head.

Armstrong laughs jovially. "I'm honoured to have lost to such worthy opponents," he says. He gives Lizzy his hand.

Lizzy beams and shakes it. "You're so fun and cool, Major!"

Armstrong laughs again. "I think I understood that, Ms. Lizzy!"

Edward drags her away from him. "I won't allow it! Don't you go thinking he's cool! He'll spend hours bragging about his family heritage and flexing his muscles! It gets annoying!"

Later, after Edward takes a shower, Winry apologizes to him for looking into his State Alchemist watch. She discovered the secret no one was supposed to know. Not even Al or Liz.

When evening came, the Elric siblings visit their burned down house. Alphonse is actually able to recall a part of their childhood.

"I remember how Ed would always slack off when he had to chop firewood. Even Liz worked harder than him."

Lizzy giggles.

"What are you talking about? Liz would just sing, while we did all the work!" Edward proclaims.

Lizzy gawks in offence and scribbles in her notebook. "I did work! I just sang while I did it!"

"Sure." Edward grins.

"I miss your voice, Liz. I barely remember what it sounded like," says Alphonse.

Lizzy deflates. She writes. "I don't remember it at all."

"I remember it. I remember what you looked like too, Al," says Edward. "I won't ever forget."

When the Elric siblings headed back to Winry and Pinako's house, they see Winry flashing a lamp from the second floor. Just like their mother used to whenever they stayed out too late.

Alphonse laughs happily and starts running towards the house, his armour clanking. Lizzy smiles at him.

Just as Edward's about to continue walking, Lizzy tugs at his clothes.

She looks him in the eye and mouths, "If you ever want to ask me anything, but you're too afraid to, just write it down." She holds up her notebook and pencil.

Edward smiles. "Thanks, sis."

Chapter Text

Edward, Alphonse and Armstrong are about to leave. Lizzy wants to ask to go with them, but she's still not sure if she's strong enough. She's improved, but will Ed and Al think she's improved enough? When she thinks about them almost being killed by that Scar person, she can't stand it. So, she puts all her hopes and confidence into her pencil.

"Take me with you."

But once again, they say it's too dangerous and they leave her.

Lizzy tries not to be too angry, but she does punch a tree.

A day or so later, she gets a letter from Ed. He asks her what he was too afraid to ask Alphonse.

Dear Lizzy - Liz, you lost your voice because of me. Do you hate me for it? - From Edward

Lizzy gets over her anger and writes back immediately.

Edward receives a letter from his little sister a few days after sending his. He opens it in private with shaky hands, gulping fearfully. When he reads it, his trembling stops and he smiles in great relief, blinking rapidly.

Dear Ed - Don't be stupid. How could I hate you? I love you, big brother. - From Lizzy

Chapter Text

Winry discovers a screw. A screw that's supposed to be apart of Edward's arm right now.

"How could I?! I, Winry, the talented and beautiful mechanic forget to insert a screw? I can't believe myself!" she wails.

"What's wrong?" asks Granny Pinako, entering the room. Lizzy is behind her, frowning at Winry in concern.

"Oh, nothing! Nothing at all! Nothing, nothing, nothing!" Winry exclaims loudly, laughing nervously.

Pinako and Lizzy stare at her.

Suddenly, the telephone rings. Winry quickly answers. Ed is calling, speak of the devil, and she's frantic. She agrees to going to Central to repair his arm when he says that he's unable to visit her. He gets suspicious of her 'too nice attitude' and Winry simply states much too loudly that she's always nice.

"Liz and I will be there in a flash! Bye!" Winry then hangs up. She hangs her head.

Granny shakes her head. "Make sure you fix him up properly this time."

Winry whimpers, "Yes, ma'am."

Lizzy smiles, then goes to pack some things for their trip. She hopes Ed and Al are doing okay. She bet they'll wish her a happy birthday and tell her how much she's grown when they see her. She's turning thirteen, after all.

After arriving in the train station, the girls are reunited with Major Armstrong. Lizzy gives him a friendly handshake.

"So, where are Ed and Al?" Winry asks.

Lizzy holds up her notebook to the Major. "How are they?"

Major Armstrong stares at her writing. Lizzy doesn't think he can read it, so she turns it back around and writes slower. When she shows it to him a second time, he seems to understand it.

He hesitates. "...They're in the hospital."

Lizzy's face falls.

Winry and Lizzy almost can't believe what they see when they arrive at the hospital. Ed has bandages everywhere and Alphonse sits beside his bed with no arms or legs.

"Um... hey," Edward says.

Winry is near tears. "I'm sorry. You're in here because I didn't repair you correctly," she says guiltily.

Ed starts blubbering.

When Winry realizes he doesn't actually know he was missing an important screw, she uses it to her advantage and agrees that Edward's reckless nature broke his arm. This earns her a glare from Lizzy, but being her best friend, doesn't say anything. Instead, she goes and sits in front of Alphonse and writes in her notebook. He's quiet.

"Hey, Al." She turns her notebook around to him. He doesn't react at first.

Then he startles. "Oh! Uh, hey Liz."

Lizzy smiles and writes. "Guess what day it is today."

"Day...? Um..."

Lizzy is quite surprised. He doesn't know? Al... forgot? Her shoulders slump.

Winry and Edward start fighting about milk.

"Ed should drink it, right Al?" Winry demands.

Lizzy rolls her eyes with a fond smile.

"Just drink the milk, Edward," Alphonse says harshly.

Lizzy frowns at his tone.

"Uh... You're lucky, Al!" says Edward, chuckling, obviously trying to lighten the mood. "You got that big without having to drink that white crap!"

"I didn't ask for this body!" Alphonse snaps.

It's tense.

Ed bows his head. "I'm sorry," he mumbles.

The girls are confused.

"Hey... Ed, what's wrong?" Winry asks.

"What's the matter, Al?" Lizzy shoves her notebook at Al's face. 

Neither of them answer. Not even when Lizzy calls Al 'brother'.

Lizzy's face scrunches. She stands up and storms to the doorway.

"Liz!" Winry calls.

Liz looks at her over her shoulder and mouths, "Are you coming?"

Winry knows if Ed and Al won't talk to Liz, they won't talk to her either. She gives up on them and follows Lizzy out the room.

"Yo. Are you friends with the Elric brothers?" asks a man with glasses.

Winry and Liz blink at him.

"Uh, yeah. I'm Winry Rockbell and this is Lizzy Elric," Winry replies.

"Oh! The boys' sister and Ed's mechanic. You both are very cute. But not as cute as my daughter Elicia!" says the man. He whips out a photograph of his little girl. "It's her fourth birthday today! Isn't she cute? You want to meet her, don't you? Oh, by the way I'm Maes Hughes. Well, do you want to meet her? Okay, let's go to her birthday!"

Mr. Hughes peeks his head into Ed and Al's room. "I'll be taking care of Winry and Lizzy for you two!"

Then he drags the girls away.

At Elicia's birthday party, Lizzy decides to ask Mr. Hughes about her brothers since he seems very well-acquainted with them.

"Hey, you take after your mom, don't you?" Mr. Hughes asks her while she sharpens her pencil. "You and Edward don't look alike."

Lizzy nods at him.

"Ah, I thought so."

Lizzy presses her pencil to her notebook. "Do you know what's happened to Ed and Al?"

Mr. Hughes doesn't comment on why she didn't just ask him that. "Are they not talking to you?"

Often, Lizzy has to explain to people she doesn't know this is the only way she can communicate, if they even take the time to wait for her to finish writing. So it's nice when someone simply talks to her like a normal person.

"No."

Mr. Hughes smiles gently. "Listen, men don't talk about their feelings, so they don't burden others. But eventually, they get tired of being strong. I know it's hard waiting, but they'll talk to you when they're ready. You think you can wait for them?" he says.

What wise words. Mr. Hughes is very kind, Lizzy thinks. She smiles at the ground. Perhaps there is a time to demand answers and a time to just wait patiently. She could wait. After all these years, it'd become her specialty.

"Thank you, Mr. Hughes. If you hadn't helped me understand, I would still be mad," Lizzy says.

"Oho, you're so polite!" Mr. Hughes proclaims. "You're nothing like Ed."

Lizzy laughs.

When the girls return to the hospital, Lizzy shoves her notebook in Al's face and Winry stands in front of Ed's bed and announces,

"Congratulations! Congratulations! Congratulations!"

Edward and Alphonse are dumbfounded.

Lizzy smiles, makes sure they both can see her mouth properly and says, "Elicia told us that if you say 'congratulations' to someone on their birthday, good things will happen. It may be my birthday, but still, congratulations, big brothers."

Alphonse gasps in horror. "Birthday?! Lizzy-"

"It's your birthday today?!?!" Edward shouts in alarm.

Lizzy gawks. She knew Al had forgotten her birthday, which had disappointed her, but she didn't let it get her down. But even Ed had forgotten? Both of them had forgot. She's about to cry and Ed panics at the sight.

"H-h-h-h-h-h-hey, remember when Den ate Al's birthday cake? Poor Al cried, but it was pretty funny!" Edward stammers, "Little Lizzy scolded Den afterwards! Ha ha ha ha!" he fakes an awkward laugh.

When Lizzy smiles, he sighs a breath of relief.

"Did that really happen?" Alphonse suddenly asks.

"You were pretty small, so you probably wouldn't remember," Edward responds.

Lizzy nods. She's surprised she remembers little bits of it.

"Anyways, let's get started on your repairs, Ed!" Winry says.

"I'll wait until you're done, Ed. In the meantime, I'll be on the roof," says Al.

"The roof?" Lizzy writes in her notebook.

"Yeah... I'm gonna, um, look at the sky."

"Want me to go with you?"

"...Thanks, but no thanks."

While Winry works on Edward's arm, he finally confesses everything to her and his sister. He tells them about the fifth laboratory, the Homunculus and that the key ingredient to making a Philosopher's Stone is human lives. Lizzy is shocked and horrified by that last piece of information. Edward says he had a chance to make a stone to give Alphonse his body, but he hesitated and didn't. He couldn't.

Winry struggles for something to say, pausing her work and grasping Ed's other shoulder gently.

Lizzy stares at Ed for a moment. Then she writes and takes her time. When she's done, she gives her notebook to Winry. Edward watches them curiously.

Winry looks at Lizzy. She nods at her. Winry then reads her writing out loud to Ed. "Al is probably mad because you tried not to hesitate. I know for a fact Al wouldn't want to sacrifice other people. I don't want that either, and I'm glad you didn't do it. Do you understand what I'm trying to say?"

Edward looks at his little sister. He nods after a moment of thought. "Yeah, I understand," he says.

When Winry is done on his arm, she says, "Let's go fix Al now."

Edward tests his arm. It moves perfectly. His gaze falls to his lap. "I... don't know what to say to him."

Winry smiles softly. "Just apologize. He'll forgive you."

Lizzy grabs her notebook. "I can hold your hand if you want."

"Hey, I'm not a kid!" proclaims Edward.

"Yes, you are!" Lizzy sticks out her tongue.

Ed scowls at her. Then the two of them smile and chuckle.

"Alright. Let's go."

Edward, Lizzy and Winry find Alphonse on the roof.

"Al." Edward smiles. "I'm sorry," he says. "I'll have you back on your feet in a jiffy." With that, he lays out Al's parts, claps his hands and transmutes, restoring his brother's body.

Alphonse stands up, opening and closing his hand. "You affixed my soul to the armour like this at that time, right?" he asks.

"Yup!" Ed responds.

Lizzy smiles. She's glad they're not fighting anymore. Maybe now, they can celebrate her birthday-

"Along with my memories," Al continues all of a sudden, "Memories are only information. An alchemist like you can easily implant memories, right?"

Lizzy's smile falls. What... was her brother saying?

"You-" Edward is just as surprised as Liz. "You were thinking about such a thing?" he asks in disbelief.

"Ed, there was something you wanted to ask me in Resembool but didn't. Remember? You told me you were too afraid to ask," Alphonse says.

Lizzy remembers when she spied on them. What Ed had asked her in his letter. He still hadn't asked Alphonse. What kind of ugly misinterpretation had sprouted inside Al's mind?

"Were you trying to tell me that my soul and memories are fake?!" Al demands, and Ed's eyes widen and he goes pale.

Lizzy's heart breaks. She quickly pulls out her notebook to clear up this mess before someone's feelings get hurt. "No, at that time, Ed wanted-"

"The person named Alphonse Elric never existed," Al continues, not even looking at Lizzy's notebook.

"No!" Winry shouts. "You three have been together forever! Granny and I have known you for just as long. We have all those photos together as proof. Believe us, Al!"

"What do you expect me to believe with this empty body of mine?!" Alphonse questions. "For all I know, all of you are tricking me!"

Edward hangs his head. "Is that all you have to say?" he asks.

"Answer my question, Ed!"

...

"Why won't you talk? Why?!"

Winry doesn't quite know what to do or say, but she has to say something. Even if she has to give away Edward's secret, she has to speak for Lizzy who can't. "Al-" she tries.

"I'm out of here," Alphonse says. He starts to walk away, but Edward takes his hand. "Let go," he says. Sadder, he mutters, "There's no point in me living."

Lizzy grabs his other arm, gazing up at him sincerely.

Al doesn't want to look at her if his memories of her, that happy little girl, are fake. He struggles to pull away, but they aren't going to let him go that easily. He can't take it anymore.

"Let go!" he yells and swings his fist at them. Something akin to horror spikes inside him when he hears Ed's yelp. It worsens, turning to panic, when Lizzy raises her head with pained tears in her eyes. He'd never hit Lizzy before and he'd certainly never hit Edward that hard before.

Still, Edward gets up, holding his jaw, and tries to approach him again.

"Stay away. Don't come near me. Stay away!" Alphonse jumps off the building, his armour body preventing him from getting hurt, and he runs away, not knowing what's real and what's fake.

Winry has to hold Ed back from jumping down after him, as he screams his confused little brother's name.

Lizzy starts to cry.

Chapter Text

Edward, Lizzy and Winry spend hours looking for Alphonse all over Central.

"When we find him, we can sort everything out with him," Lizzy tells her eldest brother. He looks as if he could start crying.

Al is somewhere, confused and not sure if he's real. They have to find him and explain everything to him.

"Liz... I'm afraid," Edward whispers.

Lizzy touches his arm. "We're going to be alright, brother. Believe me," she mouths.

Ed hangs his head.

Lizzy's gaze is sad. She tugs Edward's sleeve to get his attention again. "I can ask him if you want?"

Edward shakes his head. "No. I'll ask him," he says. "I'm just afraid of his answer, that's all."

Lizzy embraces him. Edward hugs her back.

He frowns. Lizzy's head is just below his chin. She keeps growing up.

The trio receives a phone call from military headquarters. They are told that Alphonse is with Ishbalan refugees, who were terrorized by mercenaries posing as state military soldiers. At least they know where he is now. Lizzy hopes he's not hurt.

They find Alphonse fighting someone like him; a soul bonded to a suit of armour. Ed is quick to brawl alongside him. Lizzy takes in their surroundings. A half-destroyed house, mercenaries dressed up like soldiers with bazooka guns, two Ishbalan children and an old man, and an Ishbalan man with an X-shaped scar on his forehead.

"Ed, what are you doing here?" asks Alphonse.

"Are you kidding me?!" Winry shouts at him. "He's been looking for you all over Central!"

"Brother..." Alphonse makes to assist Ed in the fight.

"I'm going to cut you all up!" Lizzy recognizes that voice that comes from the other armour; Barry the Chopper.

She grabs Winry's wrist, pulling her behind her, the urge to protect her in her chest.

Edward transmutes a wall in front of him and Alphonse to protect them from the onslaught of bullets. It's then he asks Al whether or not he hates him. The wall is destroyed and Barry charges at them.

"Ed, I could never ever hate you!" says Alphonse and he knocks Barry away.

Edward transmutes a cage to trap the mercenaries, leaving the one that the man with a scar is fighting. When the man uses his arm like a weapon in the fight, Lizzy realizes he must be the Scar her brothers told her about. He's injured.

The remaining mercenary is a knife-using alchemist, who attempts to run away when he realizes he is all alone.

Barry gets up from the ground and charges at Edward and Alphonse again. However, Scar stops him and uses the power of his arm to blast the top part of his body into the air. The armour lands on top of the escaping mercenary before it explodes. Knives fly everywhere in the explosion. One flies straight toward Lizzy.

The smallest Ishbalan boy jumps in front of her and is hit by the knife.

"Rick!" cries the other boy.

Lizzy catches the child in her arms and drops to her knees with him. She checks his pulse. He has a good heartbeat and he isn't bleeding because the knife luckily hit his locket.

"Oh Rick," the other boy sighs. He looks a lot like him. Lizzy thinks he must be his brother. "How could you risk your life like that?!" he demands angrily.

The little boy shyly looks up at Lizzy. "I really wanted to save the pretty girl," he murmurs softly.

Lizzy smiles at him.

The boy her age scratches the back of his head. "I guess she is pretty," he mumbles.

Lizzy blushes. He's... not too bad himself. Darn, she has no experience with boys.

"Liz! Get away from those punks right now!" Edward shouts at her.

The sun is rising. The Ishbalan refugees are on a boat, about to leave. They are saying goodbye to the Elric siblings and Winry.

"Alphonse. I'm going to cherish my memories of my mother," says the boy Lizzy's age. His name is Leo.

"I am too," Alphonse says. He'd never doubt his existence of Alphonse Elric ever again.

Lizzy doesn't quite understand what they're talking about, but she's glad.

"Lizzy?" asks the little boy Rick. "C-can I ask for something in return for saving you?"

Lizzy grins. He's absolutely adorable. She gives him a kiss on the cheek that makes his whole face turn red (much to her brothers' horror).

She then writes in her notebook and turns to Scar. "I'm still mad at you for hurting my family. But thank you for helping Al this time."

Scar looks at her, then at Edward. "Your sister?" he asks.

"Baby sister. Don't you dare ask her for a kiss!" Ed exclaims.

Scar looks confused.

"I want to ask you a question," Ed says, serious now. "Did Ishbal ever create a Philosopher's Stone before?"

However, Scar doesn't reply and he and the refugees leave.

While walking through Central, reminiscing how the Elric siblings used to fight over all sorts of pointless things, Lizzy suddenly remembers something. She stops walking and stares at the ground, hands balled into fists at her sides.

"What's wrong, Liz?" Alphonse asks.

Edward and Winry also stop and look at the girl. Winry remembers the same thing Lizzy just did. Knowing better than the boys, she backs away.

If Lizzy could scream, she would've shouted out a fierce battle cry. She lunges at her brothers and they scream.

Winry's glad she didn't forget Lizzy's birthday.

She takes them both down in seconds and stands on top of them. She scribbles furiously into her notebook, then shoves it in their faces. "You guys owe me for forgetting my birthday!"

"Alright, alright, what do you want?" Ed asks, grunting.

Lizzy thinks for a moment. Then she grins. She knows exactly what she wants.

"To go with you on your journey."

"No way-" Edward stops when the look of a murderer overcomes Lizzy's features. "Okay, okay! You can come!"

Lizzy cheers and jumps off of her brothers, skipping happily down the path with Winry in tow. Finally.

Ed and Al stand up, both groaning.

"That really hurt," Edward says, massaging his neck. He looks at Lizzy's back. "When did she get so strong?" he wonders.

"Her training," says Alphonse in astonishment. He shares a look with Ed. "I think her coming with us is actually a good thing."

Chapter Text

At the hospital, the Elric brothers, Hughes and Armstrong are discussing... something that Lizzy and Winry don't really understand.

"So, the scientists who had something to do with the fifth laboratory either turn up missing or dead," says Edward.

"The scientists who were working under Doctor Marcoh should still be alive," says Armstrong.

"Leave that to me," Mr. Hughes tells them.

Edward and Alphonse share a look.

"About that..." Edward rubs the back of his head, then looks at Lizzy.

Lizzy smiles, excited to be apart of their plan. She shows Mr. Hughes her notebook. "We're not going to deal with anything dangerous like the fifth laboratory or Homunculus."

"What?!" Hughes and Armstrong are shocked.

"What do you mean?!" Winry demands, her hands on her hips.

"We're not giving up on our bodies! We're just going to look for a different method to make a Philosopher's Stone," Edward explains.

"We know of one person who may know something," Alphonse says.

Lizzy writes. "Our teacher. She lives out in Dublith, so we'll be heading there."

"That sounds a lot better," says Armstrong.

Suddenly, Winry gasps. "Did you say Dublith?!"

"Yes?" Alphonse says.

"Dublith just happens to be near Rush Valley, the land of automail!" Winry replies, jumping up and down on the bed. Then she's on the floor, tugging at Edward's cloak."Take me with you! I've always wanted to go there. Please, please, please?" she asks, her eyes sparkling.

"Go yourself," Edward promptly replies.

"Who'll pay for my train ticket then?"

"You're trying to make me pay?"

"Now, now. It's on the way. Why not, Ed?" Alphonse brings order.

"Fine!" Edward finally agrees.

Winry cheers.

So does Lizzy. "This is great! Now we can be together for a little longer!" she mouths excitedly, grabbing Winry's hands and jumping up and down with her.

Alphonse watches them fondly, while Edward sulks under a dark cloud.

At the train station, they say goodbye to Armstrong, L.T Ross, L.T Brosh, and Hughes and his family. Lizzy thanks Mr. Hughes for talking to her once again. He gives her a hug, like they're old friends. Oddly, Lizzy feels like they are.

A feeling wells up in her gut. She's going to miss Mr. Hughes. It could just be motion sickness. She gets that from time to time, even if it's not often. Still, she feels like she's really going to miss Mr. Hughes.

They wave goodbye to everyone through the train window. When Mr. Hughes is no longer in her sight, the feeling in her gut intensifies. She feels like she's lost something important. It's probably just a strange case of motion sickness.

"What? You're not going to Dublith?" Winry asks after her friends inform her.

"We'll still go to Rush Valley, but we're not going to see our teacher," Ed says. "If we do that, we'll die."

"As long as we're going to Rush Valley. But what do you mean you'll die if you go to see your teacher?"

Lizzy writes. "She'll kill us." She shivers in fear.

Winry blinks. "Why?"

"I'm a State Alchemist. She hates State Alchemists," says Edward.

"And if she finds out that we attempted human transmutation, she'll beat us to death," says Alphonse.

"I want to live longer."

"I at least want to eat pie before my life is over."

"I want to sing one more time. After that, I can die."

Each Elric is very gloomy.

"Where are you going then?" Winry asks.

"We're going after Scar," Edward replies.

"A Philosopher's Stone is said to have been created in Ishbal. But no one taught the Ishbalans alchemy. So, we believe that they used a different method to make it," explains Alphonse.

"I'm going to beat him up and make him tell me how to do it," Edward proclaims.

"Oh, I almost forgot!" Winry suddenly exclaims, getting their attention. She reaches into her bag and pulls out a round package. She removes its tinfoil to reveal a pie. "Mrs. Hughes made this," she says. She takes a piece, then hands some to Edward and Lizzy.

"Mr. Hughes and his family were really nice to us," mouths Lizzy. She takes a bite of the pie. It's good!

Edward looks out the window. He frowns. He could've swore he just saw Maes Hughes waving at them outside.

Lizzy eventually falls asleep against Alphonse. She has a dream. Someone's funeral.

Chapter Text

The Elric siblings are forced to watch Winry go from shop to shop in Rush Valley, going crazy over every automail body part she sees. They shake their heads and follow her.

They end up watching arm wrestling matches for automail. The giant man taking on challengers, breaks every single table used and beats every single challenger. However, he and the referee are using a certain trick to win and keep all the money. Only the Elric siblings see through their game. Lizzy is disgusted as she watches the man beat a fairly strong brown-skinned girl.

"You sir! Would you like to arm wrestle?" the referee asks Alphonse.

"Oh, no thank you," Alphonse responds, not interested in getting caught up in all that.

"What about- ah never mind. Bean boy wouldn't stand a chance." The comment is directed at Edward.

Edward loses his temper and Alphonse has to hold him back from pounding the referee into the ground.

Winry loses her temper too because her automail is called 'junky' and tells Al to let Ed go. Al abides. Ed uses the exact same trick as the man and the referee to break the man's arm and win.

"Yay! I can buy all the parts I want with this money!" says a very delighted Winry, as they continue their way through Rush Valley, looking for a hotel to stay at. She smiles at Edward, her eyes fond. "But I was really happy..."

Edward's face turns red. "Happy about what?"

Winry giggles. "Oh nothing." She turns around and keeps walking.

Lizzy chuckles at her brother's blush. He hits her, but she just chuckles harder. He grumbles.

Then, the two men from the arm wrestling match appear, claiming that Edward cheated by using alchemy. Ed doesn't deny it, but reveals that they also used alchemy to cheat. Winry looks crestfallen at this development for some reason.

"Al, Liz, did you know about this?" she asks.

"Yes," replies Al.

Lizzy writes, "Of course."

"I see..." Suddenly, Winry pulls out her wrench and attacks everyone, not even sparing Lizzy. She chases the men away.

"Ow! Winry, what was that for?!" Edward demands, rubbing the bump on his head.

"Ed, you idiot!" she shouts.

She runs off, Lizzy chasing after her to find out what's wrong.

"Winry, what's the matter?"  Lizzy asks, as they walk side by side under the moonlight. Her writing is messier than usual. She's never been able to walk and write very well.

"Ed didn't win that match with my automail," Winry whines.

"That couldn't be helped. They were using alchemy."

"But still." Winry sighs, sad. "Ed doesn't like my automail."

Lizzy scrunches her nose at her. "You're being childish, Winry. Ed is grateful to you for his automail."

"I'm not so sure. If he really is, he could express it," Winry says.

Lizzy doesn't know what else to say to her friend. Ed could be more honest about his feelings.

They then come across the girl from the arm wrestling matches. Her name is Paninya. Seeing as she hurt her arm, Winry takes a look at it and ends up discovering that her legs are also automail. She explains that she was in a train accident.

"You should get your mechanic to fix that arm of yours," says Winry. There's only so much she can do. She's unfamiliar with the design.

"I should, but I don't want to tell him I lost an arm wrestling match. I was trying to prove his automail is the best and I failed," Paninya says, hanging her head.

Winry thinks for a moment. An idea pops into her head.

"If you were to beat a State Alchemist who also uses automail, you'll be able to prove that Mr. Dominic really is a great mechanic!"

Paninya blinks in surprise. "Yeah, but-"

"Leave everything to me."

Lizzy gawks at her best friend and starts to write. "Winry, I will not let you-"

Winry takes her notebook away.

Lizzy gasps, "Hey!"

Winry takes out her wrench and chases Lizzy away. She runs all the way to the hotel they're staying at.

"Liz! Where's Winry?" Alphonse asks when their sister returns.

Lizzy tries to explain Winry's devious plan to him and Ed, but while they're very good at reading her lips, they're human and just can't catch every word. When she's done explaining, they're both looking at her in confusion.

"Uh, could you try that again?" Edward asks.

"Where's your notebook?" questions Alphonse.

Lizzy sighs.

The next morning, Lizzy tries to warn her brothers again, but they still don't understand what she's trying to say. They reunite with Winry after. She introduces the boys to Paninya. Lizzy is seething.

Winry lies that Lizzy lost her notebook.

"Oh! Why didn't you just say that, Liz?" Alphonse asks.

"I'll get you another one," says Edward.

Lizzy shakes her head rapidly and yanks at their arms, but they haven't a clue as to what she's trying to tell them. Winry uses that chance to activate her evil plan.

Suddenly, Paninya steals Ed's State Alchemist watch. She jumps onto the roof of a house and leaps from building to building, followed closely by Ed, yelling after her. As Al, Lizzy and Winry chase them by ground, Winry takes Lizzy's notebook out of her bag and tosses it to her.

Lizzy grabs it in her fists and hits Winry over the head with it. Winry looks at her and they both stop. Al stops beside them, asking what's wrong. Winry pulls out her wrench. They start fighting with Al panicking and trying to bring order between them. They only stop when they hear an explosion.

"Paninya went overboard," Winry states.

She and Lizzy look at each other and nod, calling a truce and put their weapons away. Then they go after Edward and Paninya again.

They find Edward standing over Paninya on the ground.

"Unfortunately for you, I can't lose with my automail. I've got an awesome mechanic!" says Ed.

Winry smiles, blinking her happy watery eyes quickly. She startles when Lizzy punches her in the arm.

"See? I told you so," she says with a grin.

Winry rubs at her arm and smiles back.

The Elric siblings, Winry and Paninya go to Mr. Dominic's shop so that Winry can tend to Edward's automail.

"You moronic girl," Mr. Dominic scolds, while he fixes up Paninya's arm. "Automail is not a fancy accessory to be shown off. It's your arms and your legs."

Alphonse thinks on that. "Then, whoever places automail on someone's body, it becomes a part of them," he says, glancing at Ed and Winry.

Paninya looks to have taken Mr. Dominic's lecture seriously. She smiles to herself. "Come to think of it, I was really happy when I could stand again," she murmurs.

Edward nods along with a small smile of his own. He was too.

Alphonse and Lizzy watch him. They grin at each other.

A little later, Edward and Winry return to their hotel, while Al and Liz agree to do some shopping for Mr. Dominic.

They freeze when they see a very familiar large and muscular man.

Alphonse gulps fearfully, as dread crawls up his spine. "If Sig is here, that means..." He turns to Lizzy, but she's already running away in terror.

She's stopped by a woman jumping from out of nowhere in front of her, punching her in the stomach and knocking her to the ground with a silent shriek.

"Liz!" Al cries out. He squeaks when Sig is suddenly behind him. He sweats profusely.

"Lizzy Elric!" the woman says, glaring down at Lizzy with her hands on her hips. "What do you have to say for yourself? Huh?!!"

Lizzy cowers in fear. This is the end for her. Goodbye, world. Goodbye, Al.

Sig Curtis comes and lifts her over his big shoulder.

Izumi Curtis approaches Alphonse. He stands straight, frozen in fear.

"Mr. Armour, take me to Ed!" she demands.

Alphonse doesn't dare disobey her and guides her and Sig, with Lizzy thrown over his shoulder, to their hotel.

"Ed! Bad news!" Al exclaims.

Edward looks up at his brother. When he sees Sig with Lizzy, he leaps off the couch and runs as fast as he can to the window. However, someone on the other side punches him and he flies into the far wall.

"I can predict your every move, Edward!" Izumi says, climbing in through the window.

"T-teacher," Edward stammers.

Winry sits still on her bed, blinking. She... doesn't know what's happening.

"You all are in trouble!" shouts Izumi. "Now, where's Alphonse?!"

Alphonse trembles. "Um... I am," he responds quietly.

Izumi nods at him. "Oh, I see, I see... Eh?"

She grabs Alphonse and throws him to the ground with a scream.

"Become a dog of the military, huh?!" Izumi cracks her knuckles, her face dark. "I'm taking all of you back to Dublith for a thorough lecture!!!"

Lizzy wishes she'd written her will.

Chapter Text

On the train to Dublith, Edward, Alphonse and Lizzy are tied up together and Winry sits across from them.

"I never knew your alchemy teacher was such a beautiful woman. Granted, she's violent, but she wasn't what I was expecting," Winry says.

"What do you mean? You've met her before," Edward tells her, while he tries to struggle out of the ropes.

"I have?"

Lizzy nods. She can't write in her state, or even pull out her notebook in front of Izumi for that matter. If their teacher were to catch her, questions would be asked. And explaining to her that her voice was taken from her when they performed human transmutation would make her death that much more painful.

"Winry, remember when Resembool had that heavy rain?" asks Alphonse.

Winry thinks back to a couple of years ago when they were still young - before her friends suffered the consequences of attempting the impossible. She does recall the day of that horrible storm and that mudslide that almost flooded Resembool.

The lights in the Rockbells' house blacked out as lightning painted the dark sky and thunder roared. Young Winry and Lizzy yelped, grabbing onto either one of Edward's arms. Winry was afraid of thunder. Lizzy was afraid of the dark.

"Al, let's go help the adults," Edward whispered to his younger brother.

"Okay," Alphonse whispered back.

"Take me with you!" Lizzy said, tightening her grip on Edward's arm.

"Are you sure?" Ed asked.

Lizzy nodded determinedly. She could be brave like her brothers.

Then the three of them left to go help dam the mudslide. They transmuted a wall from the ground to block it off. It worked at first. But the mudslide destroyed it moments after and the overflowing mud knocked the children right off their feet.

Ed wrapped his arm around Lizzy and stood up, letting Al lean on his shoulder.

"Brother, what should we do?" asked Al, shivering and muddy. He leaned in closer to his big brother.

Ed gritted his teeth. He didn't know.

Then, a woman and her husband appeared at the scene. She clapped her hands and placed them on the ground, and a tall wall popped up and the mudslide is finally halted. Everyone is shocked but happy, thanking the woman for saving their home.

"She transmuted without a circle," Edward muttered.

"Who are you?" someone asked.

"Just a housewife passing by," she replied with a smile. Suddenly, blood spewed out of her smiling mouth.

The villagers took her to the hospital.

Ed, Al and Liz squeeze their way through the crowd of people there to see Izumi Curtis.

"Um... Ms. Grandma?" Edward asked.

"Who you calling grandma?!" Izumi threw the bed she was in seconds ago, scaring the living daylights out of everyone.

"S-sorry!" the three children stuttered on the floor, holding onto one another. They reposition themselves on their knees.

"Please take us as your apprentices!" said Edward.

"No," Izumi said promptly.

Their faces fell.

"Why?!" Edward demanded.

"Please reconsider?" asked Lizzy.

"No. I don't take on apprentices," Izumi told them.

"Please?" Alphonse said with puppy eyes.

"No."

Ed attached himself to her leg while his siblings latched onto her arms. "Please teach us alchemy! Pretty please with a cherry on top!" they begged.

"No! Now let go!" Izumi shouted and tried to shake them off. "Why do you want to learn alchemy anyway?!" she demanded.

Ed, Al and Lizzy let go of her and sit back down on the floor. They had to come up with something. They couldn't just tell her they wanted to revive their mother.

"We... we want to be able to help people!" Lizzy said.

"Do you even have your parents' permission?"

"Uh... well... that's..." Alphonse stammered, hanging his head.

"Those kids have no parents," said Granny Pinako after making her way through the crowd with Winry. "Their mother died and no one has heard from their father in years. I am taking care of them," she explained.

Izumi looked over the three kids. The boys' golden eyes shone passionate and determined. The youngest girl's blue eyes were the exact same way.

She sighed. "I really am softhearted in these kinds of situations," she muttered. She kneeled in front of them, placing a hand on both of the younger kids' heads. "One month. If you three can pass my test in a month, I'll take you on as my apprentices. If you don't pass, I'll send you back to Resembool.

Their faces lit up.

The next day, they said their farewells to Granny and Winry and boarded on a train with Izumi and Sig. Edward popped his head out the window to tell them one last thing,

"We won't be back in a month."

Granny Pinako smirked up at him. "I knew you'd say that."

"Bye!" Alphonse and Lizzy waved with big smiles.

The train then left. During the ride, the Elric siblings wondered about something.

Al asked, "Teacher, you can transmute without a circle. Are you perhaps a State Alchemist?"

Something in Izumi clearly snapped at that. "Don't ever put me in the same category as those dogs of the military who'll kill anyone without a second thought!!!" she yelled at them.

Ed, Al and Liz nodded rapidly at her, holding onto one another for dear life.

"That was her, huh?" says Winry.

The Elric siblings finally undo the rope around them and stand up.

"Okay, let's run, guys," Edward says, his siblings nodding. He sprints, but is suddenly hit in the face by his own pocket watch and knocked to the ground.

"Trying to escape, huh?" says Izumi, walking towards them with Sig.

Alphonse lifts a near unconscious Ed carefully in his arms, fretting over him, and Lizzy hides from Izumi behind Winry.

Arriving in the place known as Dublith, the Elric siblings meet some familiar faces. Like Mason, for example. He's a friend who works at Izumi and Sig's meat shop.

"Ed! Liz! You've both grown!" Mason says. He gives Edward a pat on the head, much to his annoyance. He turns in confusion to the armour. "Who are you?"

"Um... I'm Alphonse," Al stammers.

Mason gawks. "That's a huge growth spurt!"

Over dinner at the Curtis' shop, Ed and Al talk about their military missions, since Izumi asked to know what they do. They tell her that Lizzy stayed behind in Resembool, but has recently joined them on their travels. They answer as many questions as they can with Lizzy nodding and shaking her head to yes and no questions.

When Alphonse says that he and Ed witnessed the birth of Elicia Hughes, Lizzy is surprised. She wants to know more about that later.

"You call what we did helping? All we did was freak out," Edward says with a grin.

"Still, a life is born when the entire family works together with the mother putting her life on the line," says Al.

Lizzy touches Alphonse's arm, getting him to look at her. Really? she asks as best she can with her eyes.

"Really," Al whispers to her.

"That is a good experience," says Izumi.

"Oh, Ms. Curtis, do you have children?' Winry asks.

Suddenly, Mason slams his hands down on the table. "Uh, um, you know! Alchemy!" he says quickly and claps. "You three improved, right?"

Liz nods at him slowly, raising an eyebrow at his actions.

"Do you want to see?" asks Alphonse, and Mason nods.

Lizzy smiles. Teacher will be so impressed she can transmute without a circle, just like Ed!

Alphonse draws a circle on the ground outside and makes a dirt horse. Mason remembers his artwork when he was little and is impressed he's improved so much.

"Let's see what you can do, Liz," says Mason.

Lizzy smiles and nods. She claps her hand and makes a dirt chicken. Izumi is shocked.

"I'll go next," Edward says.

"Liz." Izumi gets the young teen's attention.

Lizzy blinks at her. What's with her serious look? She thought she'd be proud of her.

"How did you-" Izumi is cut off by three little boys who come running and asking Izumi to fix their busted toy train. It's easily fixable without alchemy, as the wheel is only loose. She fixes it by hand.

"We'll be back when we break it again!" the children say and run off.

"I said not to break it!" Izumi scowls after them.

"Alright. My turn now," says Edward. He claps his hands and transmutes without a circle too. He makes a giant hand.

Lizzy glares up at her brother. Show off.

Edward sticks his tongue out at her.

"Ed, Al, Liz," says Izumi, the same serious look on her face that she gave Lizzy. "We need to-"

And then a little girl comes running, begging Izumi to fix her dead cat. She tries her best to explain to the poor girl she can't fix her cat.

She makes a grave for the pet by a tree on a hill.

Soon, the sun is setting. Winry, Sig and Mason and the little girl leave Izumi and her students on the hill. She wants to talk to them about something.

"I know that once someone dies, they're gone forever. But it's so hard to make a child understand it," she says.

The Elric siblings fall quiet.

"Teacher, have you ever wanted to revive someone?" Edward questions somberly.

"That's the second time you've asked me that, Ed."

The first time Ed asked, it was during their combat training. Izumi hadn't actually answered and instead explained what life and death was, while reading a book and beating the three of them to a pulp. She finished up her explanation when she bandaged them up.

"Liz," Izumi suddenly says, "you can't talk, can you?"

The Elric siblings' eyes widen.

Lizzy swallows. She'd left her notebook at the meat shop, so she looks to Ed to speak for her.

"How did you know?" he asks.

"Liz would have said something by now," replies Izumi, "And I knew from the weight when I threw Al that his armour is empty, and when I threw you that your arm and leg are automail. And you and Liz can transmute without a circle... What happened? Did you see it?"

Edward recalls all what had happened to them when they performed the taboo. It's still so clear inside his head. His leg disappearing. Lizzy's final screams haunt him in his nightmares. Al... his baby brother's whole body disappearing before his very eyes. And the horrible creature they made.

"Teacher," he squeezes his eyes shut tight, "we transmuted our mother!"

Izumi punches him in the face. She kicks Lizzy in the gut, and throws Alphonse to the ground. She punishes them over and over again.

Eventually, she stops abruptly.

Edward gets back on his feet, half of his face pulverized. Lizzy stumbles to her own feet, coughing, her right eye black and purple. Al is on his knees, exhausted and spent, on Ed's other side. As Izumi steps toward them, they prepare themselves for another punishment.

But instead, she embraces them, hugging Liz to her left shoulder, Ed to her cheek and Al to her right shoulder. They relax, her warmth flooding over their chests. Liz can't help it when she starts to sniffle. Ed closes his eyes. Al leans closer. Izumi hugs them even tighter.

Chapter Text

"Well, isn't this a familiar place?" questions Edward. He and his siblings are on an island.

"It sure is,"  says Alphonse.

Lizzy can hear Winry calling them from the boat she, Izumi and Sig are in. She hopes she doesn't worry about them too much.

"We have to clear our heads, huh?"

"That's what Teacher said."

Lizzy holds up her notebook. "Step one, find food."

"That's right," says Edward.

"We know how to survive here now, unlike we did five years ago," Alphonse says.

Lizzy smiles. She remembers their training very well. The time Teacher stood before them on this same island.

Izumi gave 10-year-old Edward a knife. "Use that to help you survive here for thirty days," she said, then got into the boat with Mason. "I'll be back to pick you up in a month! Don't die!" With that, Mason rowed away and the boat was out of the sight of the three young Elrics in a heartbeat.

"EHH?!" Ed and Al gawked.

Lizzy teared up. "Brothers, we're gonna die here!" she sobbed.

"N-n-n-n-n-n-n-n-n-n-no we're not!" Ed stuttered.

"We'll be okay, Liz," Al comforted, putting his arm around his little sister. "Um, let's look for a place to sleep tonight."

Nightfall came quickly and the children made beds out of leaves.

"What does surviving on this damn island have to do with alchemy? Our teacher is a weird old lady," Edward muttered, his arms under his head like a pillow. The stars were pretty.

"Let's just go to sleep," Alphonse said. "We'll look for food in the morning."

"Will we be okay?" asked Lizzy. Her brothers took a moment to answer.

"Yeah, we'll be fine," Alphonse replied. "Come here." He held out his arms. "I'll keep you warm." His sister snuggled into his side and he wrapped his arms around her. Al was fully aware of the fact that he would have to be smart in this situation, with Lizzy so scared and Edward unable to think due to his temper.

Lizzy was the first to fall asleep, followed by Ed, and then Al.

Alphonse woke up to the word 'brother'. He opened his eyes to see the night sky and Lizzy's face.

"Brother, I gotta go to the bathroom. Please come with me," Lizzy pleaded.

She was using her puppy eyes. How could Al refuse? He yawned, then stood up with her. They went to some bushes where Al gave his sister her privacy.

A few minutes later, Alphonse heard the bushes rustling.

"Are you done, Liz?" he asked and turned around. But what he saw was a monster.

Edward was woken abruptly by his younger siblings' screaming. He jumped to his feet and saw Alphonse and Lizzy running away from-

"Monster! Monster!" the 9-year-old and 8-year-old shouted.

"Get off my island!" yelled the monster, as Al and Liz hid behind Ed.

"You're kidding me?!" Ed exclaimed. First they got left on a freaking island, and now there's a freaking monster-man too? He took a rock and chucked it at the monster. It didn't do him or his siblings any good though, resulting in each of them receiving a punch to the gut. "Al! Liz! Run!" Edward shouted. They staggered to their feet and ran in different directions with the silent promise to meet back by their tree.

Lizzy was the first one to return to the tree after the monster left. "Ed, Al... brothers, please don't be lost." She began crying.

Suddenly, she felt something on her shoulder. She screeched.

"Don't eat me! I won't taste good if you eat me! I'm salty!"

"Liz, relax! You're having the same reaction as Ed!" said Alphonse, and he and Edward stepped out from the other side of the tree.

"Al!" Lizzy cried and lunged into her big brother's arms. Her oldest brother clasped a hand over her mouth when the monster walked by. He didn't notice them.

The next day, Edward set a trap to catch an animal of some sort. In the meantime, he and his siblings looked for berries in the bushes and trees. Al was able to reach at least a few of the tree branches. He was, ironically, the tallest of his siblings.

Eventually, Ed's trap worked its wonders. Their catch was a rabbit.

"Yay! Food!" Alphonse cheered.

"I guess traps work even if they're not made properly," said Edward.

Lizzy stared at the captured rabbit. "How do we eat it, Ed?"

....

"We kill it," Edward responded, taking out his knife, his younger siblings gasping behind him. He stared at the rabbit.

....

"You do it, Al."

"I can't! I've never killed an animal before!"

"Neither have I!"

"No fair, Ed! You're always making me do your work! Get Liz to do it!"

"No, I don't want to! It's gross!"

At that moment, a fox jumped out from the bushes, stole the kids' food and ran away.

"Hey! You get back here!" they shouted, and chased after the thief.

The fox turned and jumped at Edward, digging its teeth into his shoulder. He yelped in pain, then fell back. As the siblings kneel down to check on him, the fox took the rabbit once again and ran away.

"Does it hurt, brother?' Lizzy asked in concern.

"Brother, we should patch that up," said Alphonse.

"That jerk fox! I'm gonna bite him back!" Edward exclaimed in anger. He leapt to his feet and chased after the fox again.

Al and Liz rolled their eyes, then ran after him.

They found the fox... and its adorable fox cubs.

"She just wanted to feed her family," Lizzy said. Her brothers nodded. Their faces turn green when the watch the cubs bite the meat off the dead rabbit and eat it.

"Let's go fishing instead," said Alphonse, and his siblings were quick to agree.

They got to work making fishing rods, then sat on some rocks by the water and waited to catch something. Hours passed and evening came slowly. The sun had gone down when they finally caught something.

"Food!" the three of them exclaimed. They made a fire and cooked the fish and work faster than the eye can see. They were hungry. "Time to eat!"

Then suddenly, the monster appeared. The kids took off running.

The next day, Edward marked the days on their tree. "28 more days to go!" he said.

As the days turned into weeks, the Elric siblings did all kinds of things. They carved sticks to make spears for fishing, they ate some mushrooms and got sick, and of course, they fought the monster. Time went very slowly for them.

It was raining that night, so they made a tent. Lizzy fell asleep, cuddled in Edward's side.

"Hey, do you remember why we're here again?" Edward whispered to his younger brother. His voice was soft and his eyes were dark. He didn't feel all there. He felt distant and tired.

Alphonse began to tremble. "I've had enough of this!" he broke down crying. "I wanna go home!"

He cried and cried.

Lizzy later woke up when she heard her brothers getting beaten up by the monster. She peeked out of the tent and saw him punch Edward in the stomach, knocking him to the ground. He didn't get up. Anger stirred inside her. When he kicked Al, that was the last straw. She let out her battle cry and ran to attack.

"Leave Al alone-" She suddenly lost her breath when she was punched and lifted into the air by the monster.

"Let her go!" Alphonse shouted, only to get Lizzy thrown at him.

Edward was so tired. He heard his younger siblings being beaten, but he couldn't get up. A question crossed his mind. If he were to die, what would happen? He came up with an answer while watching some ants, his siblings' cries in the background. If he died, the world would just keep moving. He was only a tiny part of it. Death was a cycle; plants were eaten by animals, animals were eaten by other animals. And death was inevitable to all humans. But still, it wasn't his final breath yet. Nor his siblings'.

Edward got up and took the knife into his trembling hands. "Leave them alone," he said, and for whatever reason, the monster stopped.

Alphonse was unconscious and Lizzy was crying into her hands.

The monster then left, and Edward fell to his knees. That was the last they saw of him.

The next morning, Edward explained to his siblings what their teacher's riddle meant. And when she finally came to pick them up, they have their answer.

"What does All is One, One is All mean?" asked Izumi.

As a choir, Alphonse and Lizzy spoke. "All is the world!"

"One is me!" Edward finished.

Izumi smirked. "Well done. You passed the test."

Chapter Text

Edward, Alphonse and Lizzy walk along the shore, as they reminisce about old times.

"Does Teacher think we haven't grown up or something?" Edward wonders aloud.

"I don't think so. She probably just wants us to think things over," says Alphonse, and Lizzy nods.

Edward then stops walking. His younger siblings do the same and stare questioningly at his back.

"Do you guys wanna run away?" There's an evil grin on his face. "Ow!"

Lizzy whacks the back of his head. Then she writes, "I do not want to face Teacher's rage, or ruin my notebook. And Al can't swim!"

"Oh yeah, I can't swim either," Edward says, remembering his automail.

"You forgetful moron," Lizzy proclaims.

"Hey, you want to fight? I'll get you back for that hit!"

"Just try it, pipsqueak."

"PIPSQUEAK-"

"How about I catch some fish for you guys!" Alphonse suggests loudly.

"That would be wonderful, brother," Lizzy says, returning to her normally sweet self.

Alphonse smiles exasperatedly.

"Fine," Edward mutters, sulking angrily. However, he's acutely aware that Lizzy is almost as tall as him. He grumbles.

After awhile of sitting in the water, Al catches plenty of fish. While Ed helps him dry off, so he won't rust, Lizzy cooks the fish over the fire she makes. While she does that, she gets the strangest feeling that she's being watched. It could just be some wild animals, but she puts her guard up when she goes to pick berries.

However, when she returns, she finds her fire put out and her fish eaten. No one eats Lizzy Elric's cooking without her permission! And she knows exactly who the culprit is.

She finds her brothers and chucks her notebook at Edward's head with enormous strength, knocking him off his perch on a rock and into the water. He jumps up and runs right up to her.

"What was that for, you little freak?!!" he screams.

Lizzy emanates a deadly energy.

Edward pales and flinches back. His sister is really angry. She grabs his ear and drags him to the scene of the crime, with Alphonse picking up her notebook and chasing after them.

Lizzy points to her brother's crime.

"It wasn't me," Edward says calmly. Lizzy clearly doesn't believe him. He points at the handprint on the ground. "That's a right arm," he tells her.

Lizzy looks at the handprint. It's not automail.

"Maybe it was the monster-man," Al says.

"Let's search while we look for food," Edward tells his siblings.

Edward searches from up in the trees, while Alphonse and Lizzy remain grounded. Al is very careful walking beside his sister, who is very, very angry. She's like a slightly smaller Ed with a punch just as hard.

"Liz, are you okay-"

Lizzy shoves her notebook at him. "I'm gonna beat the crap out of whoever took my cooking for granted!"

Alphonse nods at her.

He finds some good mushrooms for his siblings. If Lizzy can cook them, maybe she'll calm down. And neither brother will have to worry about being slapped with a notebook that makes a surprisingly deadly weapon.

"Liz!" Alphonse calls his sister. However, her back is to him and she runs away. "Lizzy?" What confuses him even more is when she appears at his side from behind him.

"What's up?"

"But you were just over there!"

"No, I wasn't. Maybe it was Ed?"

"No, it couldn't have been. They had dark hair."

Lizzy shrugs. "Maybe it was the monster-man."

Alphonse frowns. "I could've sworn it was someone your size."

Lizzy then notices the mushrooms in his arms, lighting up. She writes, "Let's worry about that later, it's getting late. And you've got mushrooms! I'll cook them right away!" She takes the food from her brother's arms, a delighted smile on her face.

At least Al won't have to worry about her anger anymore. Maybe her cooking is a sensitive topic for her, like Edward's height is for him.

Nightfall arrives quicker than expected. The Elric siblings are eating the mushrooms that Lizzy cooked. She presents them happily to her oldest brother, proud of herself. Edward pops one into his mouth; he had no idea mushrooms could taste this good.

"So, what do you suppose Teacher wanted to tell us by sending us here?" asks Alphonse.

"She probably has an idea of what we're doing... the Philosopher's Stone," responds Edward.

"She's trying to tell us we could make yet another mistake."

"Yeah... but even so..."

"Yeah..."

Edward then looks at Lizzy's thinking face. Figuring they shouldn't dwell on this serious stuff too much since they've already long made their decision, he decides to ask something.

"By the way, why were you so upset when someone stole your fish?'

A shy pink overcomes Lizzy's features. She hides her notebook as she writes, so that Ed doesn't see what she's writing until she's done. Then she gives it to him, averting her gaze. "I improved my cooking over the years you were gone. I wanted you to eat it."

Edward grins. "Well, it's good," he tells her, patting her head like he used to when they were little.

She smiles up at him.

The next day, Izumi and Mason come back. Just like five years ago, the Elrics are on their knees before her.

"Are you going to make another mistake?" she asks.

"Even if taking back everything we lost due to a mistake by doing something foolish again, we're still going to do it," Edward replies.

"We're going to move forward," says Alphonse.

Izumi waits for Lizzy to write. Then she takes her notebook to see her answer. "Because we're alive," is what her page says. Izumi looks at the determined expression on Lizzy's face. She hands her back her notebook.

"What else are we supposed to do?" Edward questions.

Izumi sighs. "Then - is someone there?" She hears the bushes rustling.

"There was someone here five years ago," Edward says, as he and his siblings stand up.

"But that was me," says Mason.

"What?!" Both Ed and Al say, and Lizzy gawks.

"I asked him to watch over you so you wouldn't die," Izumi explains.

"But you almost killed us!"

"Yeah!"

Her brothers harass Mason and Lizzy's about to whack him with her notebook.

"We don't have time to discuss this," Izumi tells her students.

A boy with long black hair appears from the bushes.

Lizzy stares, surprised. A kid... he looks like Teacher.

Chapter Text

Lizzy is very confused. What’s a boy doing out on this island? And is he wearing the exact same clothes as Ed?

"Hey there," Izumi says. She starts to approach the boy.

"Hold on! He's someone suspicious!" Edward protests.

"He's a kid. What could be-" Izumi coughs, hacking up blood. Her students are immediately by her side.

The boy is frightened. He takes a rock and suddenly there's a light. His hand fuses with the rock.

Edward jumps onto him. If he can use alchemy without a circle, there's no way he can be an ordinary kid! However, Lizzy, to whom trust comes easy to, thinks otherwise and attempts to pull him off.

Suddenly, he transmutes again and his clothes disappear. Edward falls back, startled. Lizzy quickly covers her eyes with her hands.

"What are you doing?!" Izumi demands. She removes her jacket and wraps it around the boy. "There, there," she says soothingly to him. He calms down. "It's alright. Where'd you come from? And what's your name?"

The boy sniffles. "I don't know... I don't know anything!" he says and starts crying.

"It's okay. You're safe now," says Izumi. She embraces the boy and he cries against her.

Lizzy's heart aches. She turns to Edward and Alphonse, who's rather wary as well. She writes, "Even if he does use alchemy, he can't be dangerous. Just look at him. He must be lost."

Edward scowls. Considering the Homunculus who're after them, he's not just gonna trust anyone. Appearances can deceive. And Lizzy doesn't have as much experience as he and Al do.

Back at the Curtis' meat shop, Izumi takes the boy into her house to feed him. Meanwhile, Ed, Al and Lizzy talk to Winry outside. She had been worried about on that island.

"So, has Mrs. Curtis forgiven you yet?" she asks.

Edward hangs his head. "We went against her teachings. We knew we were merely a part of the flow of the world, but we were conceited and thought we could go against that flow. And that's, well, kind of unforgivable," he explains, and his siblings nod sadly in agreement.

Winry huffs. "Everyone makes mistakes!" She turns to face the meat shop. "I'll go tell Mrs. Curtis a thing or two!" She starts walking, but her three friends hold her back.

"It's okay, Winry! Teacher already knows," says Edward.

"Well... fine," Winry mutters. Perhaps going to tell off Mrs. Curtis was a bad idea; her friends' relief tells her so.

The door to the meat shop then opens and the boy runs out, laughing. He runs right into Lizzy's arms and hugs her, to her surprise. Then he looks up at her. "Let's play!"

She blinks down at him.

The boy stares at her. "What's wrong?"

"She can't talk," says Winry.

"Oh," the boy murmurs. "But you can still play with me, can't you?"

Lizzy smiles gently and nods.

"Let's play then!" The boy grabs Lizzy's hand, making her run with him. As she plays with the boy, she finds herself growing rather fond of him.

After Izumi tucks the boy in his bed, he calls for Lizzy. He tells her he wanted to say goodnight to her, so he does and gives her a hug. Lizzy hugs him back, her heart warm. Then she returns to the room she's sharing with her siblings. When she walks in, Edward is sitting on his bed, facing her with his arms crossed and his nose scrunched.

"Why are you scowling?" she mouths, going over to her nightstand and grabbing her notebook and pencil.

"Why are you being all 'friendly' with that kid?" Ed counters.

Lizzy writes. "You're still playing 'harsh detective'? Honestly!"

"We can never be too sure," says Alphonse beside Edward.

"Not you too, Al!"

"Sorry, Liz. But I have to take Ed's side this time."

Lizzy rolls her eyes, then sits down on her bed. "So, how are you going to go about your dumb investigation?" she asks.

"It's not like that. We're just going to question him," Edward responds.

Lizzy glares, but she knows she can't convince them the kid is harmless. "Fine. But don't do anything to hurt him."

"We won't. We promise," Al tells her.

Lizzy wakes in the middle of the night to the sound of crying. She jumps out of bed, only to find that her brothers are not in the room. Rage filling her, she runs to the boy's room. She gawks. The boy's body is fused with the bed.

Then Teacher kicks open the door with Sig behind her. "I can't sleep with all the noise!" she yells. Then her eyes go so wide, they look like the might pop out of her head.

"We didn't do this!" Edward proclaims, as Lizzy's about to whack him over the head with her notebook.

"I know," Izumi says, "I don't recall teaching you how to transmute your own body with something." She approaches the boy. "It's alright." she says.

The boy stops crying and looks down at her. He gazes between her and Lizzy.

"You just have to remember your original form. Can you do that?" Izumi's voice matches her soft expression. Lizzy reaches up and gently takes the boy's hand.

Then, the boy and the bed return to normal. The only difference is that his pants are gone. Izumi wraps a blanket around him and hugs him. Lizzy kneels beside him, petting his head comfortingly.

"I thought I told you to leave him alone!" she scolds Edward and Alphonse.

"But he might be one of the guys after us!" Edward protests.

His sister glares at him. From what her brothers have told her about the Homunculus, she's pictured them as horrid monsters with even more horrible abilities. This guy couldn't be one of them.

"Who is after you?" asks Sig.

Edward hesitates, then replies, "They call themselves Homunculus."

Izumi's demeanor completely changes. "Tell me everything," she says. She tells the boy that Lizzy will stay with him. She gives him over to Lizzy and he wraps his arms around her, Lizzy hugging him back. Then she and two of her students leave the bedroom.

Lizzy tucks the boy in bed, but he doesn't want to let go of her yet. She sits with him and strokes her thumb over his hand. She wishes she could sing a lullaby to him. Eventually, the boy yawns and his eyelids fall shut. His hand goes limp in Lizzy's. She quietly gets up.

She takes a moment to smile at him. He's awfully cute when he's sleeping. She turns to go join her teacher and brothers, but she's surprised Sig is still in the room. She blinks up at him.

Sig pats her head. "...Goodnight, Lizzy," he murmurs, then leaves with one last glance toward the boy.

Lizzy... doesn't know what to think of that.

And through all that racket and commotion, Winry didn't wake up.

Chapter Text

Lizzy knows her childhood was a little... unconventional. She never really learned how to play with kids her own age. Or even kids who just weren’t alchemist geniuses. But the boy doesn’t mind teaching her how to play.

“Do this!” he exclaims. He cartwheels on the grass in front of her, then grins at her expectantly.

So Lizzy does a cartwheel and he cheers.

“See? You do know how to play!” he says.

This is pretty fun. Lizzy giggles, even if no sound comes out of her. She’s never played before.

The boy lights up. “Hey, you’re laughing!” he says, pointing at her.

Lizzy giggles harder, hand in front of her mouth.

“Wait right here,” the boy suddenly tells her. He runs up ahead a little and kneels down, looking for something in the grass. Liz wonders what he’s doing. When he comes back, he leans right in close to her and puts a flower in her hair. “There,” he smiles, “Pretty!”

Liz’s heart gives a flutter and her cheeks feel warm, and she’s pretty sure if Ed saw them like this right now, he’d kill her. Nobody’s ever put a flower in her hair before.