Chapter Text
“Eat up, while it’s still hot.”
The two Elric boys, having just been brought back to the residence of Izumi and Sig Curtis from Yock Island, practically leapt at the food on the dining table with what remaining strength they had left within them after spending a brutal month in the unrelenting wilderness.
All things considered, their time on the island could’ve gone much worse. The worst of it was maintaining a steady source of food, while also fighting off the menacing man on the island, who had turned out to be the shop assistant Mason all along.
Needless to say, neither of them had eaten a proper meal since before they’d step foot on the island. The spread on the table seemed to be something fit for a king, for what the two brothers had survived on for the last month.
One is all, all is one.
For the valuable lesson they had learned, their time spent on the island was well worth it. Now for the indefinite future, they’d get to spend their days studying with a top-tier alchemist, day in and day out. For all the hard work they’d put in so far, Edward and Alphonse hoped more than anything to see a payoff once they got back to Resembool.
Ultimately, all of their efforts were going towards resurrecting their deceased mother. They wanted to use their alchemy to benefit others as well, sure, but their determination in seeking an alchemic master to train them resided in their wishes of seeing their mother again.
“This is delicious!” Edward complimented, through bites of his food. He gobbled down the beef roast on his plate, completely mindless to manners from how hungry he’d been.
“Mhm!” Alphonse agreed next to him, managing to keep his mouth closed as he ate. Though, he just as messily shoveled meat and vegetables into his mouth, so one of them didn’t really prove to be more mannered at the table that day than the other. “This is really yummy!”
Izumi, while thoroughly disgusted at the lack of manners, understood that the boys were starving after a month in the wilderness. She’d pardon the behavior, but just this once. “I’m glad you like it. After this, you may bathe and rest. You’ll begin your official training at dawn.”
The brothers cheered to each other as they continued to eat. After ten more minutes, the two had eaten their fill, and made their way past the dining room to the room at the end of a narrow hallway.
The Curtis household was connected to their meat shop, so the building went back quite a distance, even if it was narrow. There was the main entrance to the shop, and another, side-way that connected directly to the house.
The house itself was quite small, only having a joint living and dining room, a single bathroom, a small storage room, a basement, and two bedrooms up a small staircase within the hallway.
One at a time, the two boys took a shower in the small, yet cozy bathroom. Horizontal to the wall on the left side was the bathtub. The shower itself was connected to the wall by metal bars, centered directly in the middle of the bathtub. A circular curtain could be pulled around to prevent water from splashing all about.
There were two knobs, one for hot and cold, but they were unmarked, so the two brothers both figured out the hard way which knob made the water freezing cold.
The walls were a cream color, with a light green bathmat at the foot of the tub. To the right of the bathtub was the toilet, and directly next to it was the sink and mirror, with a small cup for toothbrushes on the mantle.
A towel rack hung on the opposite wall, and there was a tiny window with frosted glass just above it. It was a nice atmosphere, considering it was a bathroom.
Once the brothers had finished showering and changing into fresh clothes, Izumi showed them to their room, which was only a few steps away from the bathroom itself. Sig and Izumi had renovated the partially used storage room into a makeshift bedroom for the boys while they had been away.
“You must be pretty confident those boys will pass if you’re already wanting to set up the room.”
“They’ll figure it out. I saw it in their eyes.”
With a twist of the knob, Izumi opened the door to the room for the boys to see inside. “It isn’t much, but this is the only place we had room for you boys. You’ll have to deal with that shelf full of our old knickknacks, there wasn’t anywhere else for it to go.”
Bewildered by the fact that they had made it this far, the two brothers stepped into the room and observed the layout. The room was small, but fitted with everything they’d need. There was a bunk bed, already made up with pillows and blankets, the bottom one red, and the top one blue.
“Hey!” Edward exclaimed suddenly. “Why does Al get the top bunk?!”
Izumi shrugged her shoulders. “I didn’t color code them for you. If blue is his favorite color, then you can take up switching with him.”
“The top bunk is mine!” Alphonse grinned, having zero intentions of switching with his brother, who groaned at his side. “Cheer up, big brother, you’d probably have a hard time getting to the top!”
“Don’t call me small!” Edward stamped his foot in a fit of rage at the implications of being short. Izumi quickly put an end to the squabble by smacking the two of them on the backs of their heads.
“Ow…” the boys rubbed where they’d been hit, but brushed it off quickly to continue investigating the room they’d be sharing for the duration of their training.
Next to the bed was a wooden desk. There was a window on the wall behind it. On the desk was a small lamp, and a cup with a few pencils inside. There were also two notebooks laid on top of it, one red, and one blue. The two began to notice a slight pattern with the colors here.
“I expect you two to share that desk. I better not hear you fighting over it constantly.” Izumi warned, to which the boys both responded with a quick “yes ma’am!” out of slight fear.
The walls were bare, save for a couple pictures of Izumi and Sig throughout the years, here and there. One of the pictures had Mason giving a 'thumbs up' in front of the shop, and the others were of the Curtises standing together in various places.
A small wooden clock hung above the door. It looked brand new, so the boys immediately assumed it was put there so they could tell the time from their own room.
There was a dresser for their clothes against the wall, opposite to the desk. There were four compartments, and it was a light oak color. Izumi tapped the top of it with her finger. “You two can duke out which one of you gets the top or bottom drawers, but you each have two.”
Edward, slightly annoyed he had to stand on his toes to be taller than the dresser, laid immediate claim to the top two. “If you get the top bunk, then I get the top drawers!”
“Ok, Brother. Fine by me.” Alphonse replied, nonchalantly. He’d let Edward have that one thing, mostly because he didn’t want to get smacked again.
“Your suitcases are down there.” Izumi pointed to the floor just before the bunks, “I’ll leave you boys now to unpack and settle in. In half an hour, meet me at the couch to discuss some ground rules.”
“Ok! See ya!” The two boys spoke in unison, as they moved to unpack their suitcases. Before they could, they both received another smack to the back of the head.
“Ow!”
“Hey, why that again?!”
“My most important rule,” Izumi spoke, “is that you will say 'yes ma’am', 'no ma’am', or 'teacher', in this household. This is something you will say out of respect, and not only fear.” She smiled at them before closing the door behind herself.
The boys took a good look at their surroundings once more, before heading over to their suitcases to begin unpacking the clothes they’d brought along with them.
For now, this room and house would be their home, so they’d do their best to treat it like one. Before long, they’d be at their real home again, joined by their mother after several agonizing years without her.
“I hope we learn a lot while we’re here.” Alphonse spoke, as he began to put away his pants into the drawer on the bottom, which was the one he’d decided to designate for his pants and underwear, while the one above would be for t-shirts, button ups, undershirts, and socks.
“Me too,” Edward replied, while he sloppily stuffed clothes into his drawers, without much of a care for what went where. “If we find a way to get mom back, it’ll definitely be here.”
“But human transmutation is forbidden brother, she probably won’t teach us that.” Alphonse continued to neatly put his clothes away as he spoke. “We’re here to get the tools to learn it ourselves.”
“I know that, dummy!” Edward slammed his drawers closed, having finished unpacking before his younger brother. Considering the untidiness of it, it wasn’t surprising why. “I meant what you said. Maybe if we’re super lucky, she’ll have a book about it somewhere!”
“I hope so.” Alphonse smiled, “but I doubt she’d let us see.”
“Yeah, you’re right about that.” Edward groaned and flopped onto his back on the bed, not acknowledging the fact that Alphonse had began to rearrange his clothes for him. “Man, I’m so tired… does this lady really have to go over a bunch of rules before we can sleep?”
“I’m tired too, Brother.” Alphonse yawned. “The sooner we get it over with, the better, right?”
Edward rolled over, and watched his brother finish up with the clothes. “Right. I wonder what she’ll make for dinner?”
Alphonse rolled his eyes. “We just had a huge lunch, and you’re already thinking about dinner?”
“Hey! It’s not my fault the food was good!” He pouted, as he sat back up. “Admit it, you were thinking the same thing!”
“Not really,” hummed Alphonse, as he closed the drawers, having completed reorganizing his brother’s mess. “I was actually wondering what her rules would be. I’m too full still to think about dinner.”
He now joined Edward in sitting on the bed, but the two didn’t resume speaking for a couple of minutes. They silently took a moment to think to themselves that they were really here, that they were really going to start their official training, and that getting their mother back was a true possibility for them.
Her adoring smile would heal all wounds within their hearts the moment they saw her again.
“Hey, has it been about thirty minutes?” Edward questioned, looking to his left at Alphonse.
“Yeah, I think so.” He replied, as he stood up and headed to the door. “Let’s go meet her out there like she said, before we get in trouble again.”
Turning the knob, Alphonse stepped through the door, and waited in the hallway for his older brother to follow. Once they were both in the hall, Edward closed the door behind the two of them, and danced around Alphonse, as to be the first one in the living room.
It wasn’t a race, more-so than his dignity as the older brother relied on him walking in front of his little brother at all times. It was bad enough already that Alphonse had already gotten taller than him! He didn’t need his younger brother leading the way on top of it.
In one of Edward’s dreams, Alphonse had shot up to be several feet taller than him. It had been a disaster to wake up from. It was a good thing there wasn’t an actual possibility of his younger brother ever being that tall, considering the fact that staggering heights weren’t in their genetics.
Before long, the two boys had entered the small living area, one after the other, and seated themselves on the couch as instructed. For the time being, the two sat alone on the couch, wondering where their teacher and her husband had gone.
“No one’s here!” Edward whispered, cupping his hand against his brother’s ear. “Are we early?”
Alphonse shrugged. “Not by much if we are. She’s probably just busy and will be here in a minute.” He replied, at normal volume. “At least I hope so.”
“You’re two minutes early, to be precise.” Izumi spoke, as she entered from the kitchen, wiping her hands on her apron. “Good that you two are here on time.”
“H-huh?!” The boys stammered, looking across the way to the kitchen. “We didn’t see you in there!”
Izumi gestured behind herself with her thumb. “I was washing a knife off in the sink, I don’t know how you didn’t notice. Honestly, you two boys are such airheads.”
The two boys winced, opting to not give a response. Thankfully it wasn’t required of them, because she pulled up a chair from the dining table and sat across the way from them on the other side of the wooden coffee table.
“All right, Edward, Alphonse.” She addressed the two individually, to which the boys immediately straightened their backs and gave the woman their full attention. “As of today, you’re officially in my tutelage, and will be housed by me until you’ve graduated from your training.”
The two boys listened intently as she spoke, their hands in their laps, and eyes steadily on her. “Yes, ma’am!”
Izumi nodded. “As such, I am going to lay down not only the rules of your training, but the rules of this household as well. You will obey each and every one of these rules without question, or there will be consequences.”
“What kind of consequences?” Edward blurted, which got him a look of concern from his younger brother, who hoped that the question wasn’t disrespectful in any sort of way.
Luckily for Edward, it hadn’t been. “Well, that depends on what rule is broken, and how severely.” She placed a finger to her chin in mock thought. “Your punishment could be as small as a whack, or as severe as expulsion.”
The boys gulped to this. The absolute last thing they wanted to happen was for them to be expelled from their training. Should that happen, they feared human transmutation would become a figment of their imaginations and nothing more.
They were determined to not break a single rule, and if they did, not so badly that they’d be sent back to Resembool early.
“Do you understand?” Izumi questioned, noticing a lack of response from Edward.
“Y-yes ma’am.” He squeaked, as Alphonse gave a nod to the side of him.
“Good.” Izumi cleared her throat, so she could continue laying out the rules. “Now, listen carefully, because I expect you boys to remember each and every one of these rules. I’ll only tell you once.”
Edward and Alphonse both leaned in, to make sure they caught each and every word from their teacher’s mouth.
“Rule number one,” Izumi put her index finger in the air, “You are to obey everything that is asked of you without question.” She put a second finger in the air, as she continued to speak. “Rule number two. No talking back to myself, or Sig. No attitude, no ifs, or buts.”
“Pretty standard rules, if you ask me.” Edward thought aloud, before quickly clamping a hand over his mouth at the realization.
Alphonse could only put his head in his hands. What was he going to do with his big brother?
Izumi narrowed her eyes. “Edward, watch yourself. Final warning. You’ll be doing a thousand sit-ups if you do that again.”
“Yes ma’am!” Edward’s cheeks flushed, while Alphonse stifled a chuckle next to him. If it weren’t for their teacher, he would’ve punched his younger brother on the shoulder.
Izumi folded her arms across her chest. “The third rule is that you aren’t to go snooping in the basement, or attempting to enter the locked room upstairs. Those areas are private.”
The two boys nodded their heads, as an acknowledgment that they were listening.
She approved. “My fourth rule is that you aren’t to leave the premises without mine or Sig’s permission. Preferably mine. Lastly, your bedtime is 9:30.”
Edward and Alphonse blinked in unison. “That’s all?” The older of the two questioned, while the younger nodded at his side.
Izumi furrowed her brow. “Do you two have an issue with my rules?”
“N-no ma’am!” The brothers stuttered. “Not at all!”
Izumi rose to her feet, and returned the chair to its rightful place at the dining table. “You two are good boys. I expect you to behave for the duration of your stay.” She stood before the boys once again, and placed her hands firmly on her hips. “As a reminder, you begin your training at dawn tomorrow. You can spend the remainder of today resting, and familiarizing yourselves with the house and shop. If you go outside, don’t wander off the property. You are dismissed.”
With the conversation having come to a close, the boys leapt up from where they sat, but just before they could head back to their room, they heard the sound of their teacher clearing her throat once again.
“What do you say?” With the way her foot was tapping against the floor, it was safe to say the boys had about three seconds to respond.
“Yes ma’am!” Both boys called out. “We’re sorry!” Alphonse added, before following Edward back to their shared room.
Contented enough with this, Izumi rolled her eyes, and hung up her apron in the kitchen before making her way upstairs to the bedroom she shared with her husband. In doing so, she coughed into her hand, and noticed a few speckles of blood in her palm.
“I guess I need to take one of my pills again.” She muttered, closing the door behind her.
Downstairs, the Elric brothers had reconvened in their temporary bedroom, and laid in their respective bunks. Even though it was only around two in the afternoon, the boys were quite exhausted. They hadn’t gotten any decent sleep on Yock Island, considering everything they had gone through.
They would probably be able to take a nap, and then sleep through the entire night even after. Neither of them were concerned about the time of day. It was time for their bodies to catch up on some much needed rest.
They hadn’t spoken to each other since returning to the bedroom, given how wiped out they both were. The two had exchanged nods, before getting into their own beds.
Snuggled under the covers, both of the boys drifted off to sleep, their last thoughts being curiosities of what their first day of training would be like.
—————— Later . . .
A thud sounded, as the door to the Elric brother’s shared room flew open.
“Wake up!” A loud voice boomed, causing the two boys to jolt awake immediately. Scrambling down from their bunks, Edward and Alphonse made their way before their teacher, their hearts beating quickly.
“Good. You learn fast. Help me prepare dinner.” Izumi turned and walked away, leaving the two boys still shaking in their room.
“W-what was that?” Alphonse stammered, with wobbling knees. He’d never been woken up from peaceful sleep in such an alarming way his entire life, save for the attacks he’d sustained with his brother on Yock Island.
Somehow, their teacher doing it in the supposed safety of their temporary home made it more of a shock. At the very least, a scare or ten was expected when you were left to your own devices in the wilderness for a month.
The boys were learning fast, all right. Very fast.
“I sure hope she doesn’t wake us up like that every single time.” Edward shuddered, as he collected himself. “Well, let’s go Al.”
“Y-yeah.” Alphonse gulped. “I wonder what we’re having?”
Edward nudged his younger brother as they walked. “Ha! I knew you were curious about dinner.”
Alphonse groaned. “That’s because it’s dinnertime now! It wasn’t a few hours ago!”
“Whatever!” Edward blew a raspberry, as he ran ahead to the kitchen. Upon arrival, he was instantly put to work, alongside Alphonse.
“Edward, I want you to wash and chop those cucumbers for the salad I’m making.” Izumi pointed. She had already been working on the meal herself for a while. “Wash your hands before you begin.”
“Yes ma’am.” Edward immediately made his way to the kitchen sink to wash off, before beginning to peel and chop the cucumbers as carefully as he could.
“You’re a bit sloppy.” Izumi scolded, as she turned her attention towards Alphonse, who still hadn’t been given any instruction. “Go to the cabinet over there, and set the table with four plates. Then go to the one next to it, and get four glasses.” She then pointed to a set of drawers along the counter-space. “Then silverware. We only need forks this time, but I’ll also need you to get some bowls for the salad.”
“Yes ma’am!” Alphonse tip-toed past his brother, and reached into the cabinet just above him to carefully grab four glass plates. He stacked them neatly, before carrying them off to place them on the dining table.
“I’m making a salad, hand-cut fries, and roast beef sandwiches for dinner tonight.” Izumi explained to Edward, who had already moved on to his second cucumber. “Don’t rush with your peeling and chopping. Take your time.”
“Sorry, Teacher.” Edward apologized, as he slowed down his peeling. This wasn’t his first time peeling and chopping a cucumber, considering all the times him and Alphonse had to cook for themselves at home. Even still, they ate quite a bit at the Rockbell household after their mother had passed away.
Pinako herself had insisted they at least have dinner nightly at her house, if nothing else. She had told the boys they were welcome to more meals than that, but Edward had always been adamant on not wanting to impose. He was more than capable of making food for himself, and Alphonse, even if he wasn’t the greatest cook.
Still, he had been extremely young when his mother had died, so he had been more or less forced to appear at the Rockbell house for dinner. Considering Alphonse was even younger, he sometimes felt surprised the two of them weren’t pulled away from their home entirely.
He was grateful that they lived in such a small community. If not for the privacy of their own home, it would make transmuting their mother virtually impossible.
Before losing their mother, Edward would often help his mother in the kitchen, wanting to assist her in any possible way he could. He felt a sense of duty, almost feeling a need to replace his father as the head man in the house.
He could tell his mother greatly appreciated the help, even at the young age of five years old. She had become depressed after the departure of their father, even if she did all she could to hide it. Her feelings had escaped Alphonse’s notice for the most part, but not Edward’s.
He had seen her crying in her room at night, or blinking back tears when she thought neither of her boys were around. Edward had even once had a peek in her diary, which he knew wasn’t nice to do, and saw that she had written about her heart aching for her family to be whole again.
He felt ashamed of reading it to this day, and even back then. Edward had taken a look in hopes of being able to understand and help his mother in any way he could. All thoughts of the father he thought to be a deadbeat made him scowl.
Edward would just about give his life to see her again.
“I’m all done with the cucumbers!” Edward called, which got him a nod of approval from his teacher.
“I finished setting the table!” Alphonse felt a small sense of pride at his job well done, and felt even greater when he noticed acknowledgment from his teacher. All praise was good praise, spoken or not.
Izumi, who now began to toss the salad with the cucumbers Edward had peeled and chopped, motioned with her head for the two boys to go seat themselves at the table. “Your workload in the kitchen was small tonight. I’ll expect more from you both in the coming days.”
“Yes, Teacher!” The boys sat down at the table, and waited patiently for their food. They didn’t speak much to each other, not knowing what to say or do. There was a slight fear of causing a stir, so they opted to not say much at all, for the time being.
A moment after, Sig had entered through the main house entrance, and made his way to the kitchen to give his wife a kiss. “That looks good, honey.” He complimented, as he washed his hands in the kitchen sink. “I’m going to go change and then join the three of you.”
“Good idea, dear.” Izumi winked, as she carried a platter of sandwiches to the table. She set one carefully onto each plate, before returning to the kitchen. She quickly returned with a large salad bowl, and a bowl full of hot fries of a similar size.
She portioned out the food for each of them, and had her seat at the table as well. “Once Sig joins us, we’ll eat.”
The boys nodded, staring down at the large plates of food before them. If there was one thing they had learned about Izumi Curtis today, it’s that she was extremely generous with portion sizes. They wouldn’t have to worry about still being hungry after a meal here.
Not that food insecurity had ever been a ginormous issue for the boys, save when they tried to cook in their own home. Growing vegetables, buying groceries, and trading could be difficult for children already balancing everything else in their lives.
If not for the Rockbells, the two boys certainly would’ve had a larger food issue than they did. Even with the money left behind for them, Edward still had difficulties preparing proper meals, never seeming to be able to get them quite right. Most of the time he could have spent learning went towards researching human transmutation, and alchemy in general.
Without having waited too long, Sig reappeared, and joined them at the table. After giving his wife a kiss on the cheek, he looked down to his plate and smiled. “This looks wonderful as always, honey.”
Izumi blushed. “Oh, you… there isn’t anything I wouldn’t prepare for you!” She chuckled, as she looked towards the boys, who were cringing at the sudden romantic interaction between the two adults. “Well, brats? Eat!”
The boys flinched at the sudden change in attitude, and began to eat their dinner. Just like with lunch, the food was remarkably good. The meat was fresh, and the vegetables too. It almost reminded the two boys of home, in a way.
“I really like this sandwich, Teacher!” Alphonse beamed, as he took another bite.
Edward grinned, swallowing a mouthful of food. “This beats everything we ate on that island for sure!”
“Don’t neglect that salad, boys.” Izumi smiled. “I’m glad you like my cooking.” She took smaller, slower bites due to her illness. She couldn’t scarf down a plate of food quite like she used to.
Between bites of food, a conversation slowly grew at the dinner table. “So, boys,” Sig said, looking to both of the boys on the other side of the circular table. “Tell me about yourselves.”
“Hm?” The two perked up at the question. “Well, what do you wanna know?” Edward asked, with Alphonse nodding at his side.
“Well, you could start with your time on the island.” He gave a small laugh, to which the boys squirmed uncomfortably in their seats.
Edward groaned loudly, putting his hands to his face and leaning back in his seat. “The island?! Talking about ourselves would be better than the island!”
“The island was… brutal!” Alphonse said, his voice cracking slightly at the end. “Speaking of, where did that guy you sent there with us go?” He questioned, shivering at the memories of being beaten, chased, and overall terrified of who he’d perceived to be a dangerous inhabitant of the deserted island.
“Oh, Mason?” Izumi waved a hand before her face, “Sig gave him the rest of the week off, since he spent a month looking after you brats.”
“Looking after?!” Edward exclaimed, as a fry fell out of his mouth back onto his plate. “I almost pissed myself because that guy kept trying to kill us— ow!”
As Edward rubbed the shoulder where he’d been punched, Izumi took another bite of her food as if she hadn’t moved at all. “Watch your language. We don’t use inappropriate words in this household.”
“That wasn’t in the rules!” Edward protested, as Alphonse giggled to the side of him. He noticed this immediately, and shot his younger brother a glare. “It’s not funny, Al!”
“It kinda is.” Alphonse smirked, as he took a sip of water. “I don’t say bad words that much, so this sounds like a you problem.”
“That, child, was called an unspoken rule. You’ll do well to learn those, too.” Izumi spoke, turning her gaze to Alphonse. “You shouldn’t say bad words at all, young man. Saying them less often doesn’t get you off the hook. None of that will be had in my house.”
“Heh, who’s in trouble now?” Edward snickered under his breath, which got him kicked under the table by Alphonse. “Ow!”
“Boys, behave.” Izumi warned, to which the two boys stiffened, and returned to eating their meals.
Within the next ten minutes, everyone had finished eating their food. Sig had returned to the shop to prepare his business for the next day, and the boys aided Izumi with cleaning up the table, and washing the dishes.
She rolled her eyes to herself when she noticed the two boys throwing bubbles at each other, but then she smiled. A sort of sadness tugged at her, being unable to control her mind from wandering to her own lost child.
She couldn’t help but wonder what sort of boy her own son would have grown up to be. Had he been alive, he wouldn’t have been more than a couple months older than Edward, who was currently ten years old.
With a small sigh, she finished up wiping down the surfaces, and then gave her attention back to the boys, who had completed their task of dishwashing. “You have about two hours until your bedtime, so you may spend them however you like.”
“Thank you!” After drying their hands, the two boys turned to walk away. Just before leaving, Edward waved his hand, and called out to his teacher. “Uh, can Al and I go outside?”
Izumi thought to herself for a moment. “Hm, I don’t see why not. Just don’t leave the property this time. The sun’s almost down.”
“Cool! Thanks!” Edward eagerly tugged at Alphonse’s sleeve, in order to get him to follow.
There was a small yard between the house, and the shop that was obscured from the street where the boys could play privately. Little did they know, a lot of their training would take place in this exact space, along with the alleyway, and front yard of the shop.
“What do you think of our teacher, big brother?” Alphonse asked, as he sat on the grass. He looked up to the sky, and marveled at the shades of pink, orange, and purple that swirled together.
Edward walked around in small circles and watched his feet moving in the grass. “I think she’s ok. Super strict and scary, but I’m glad we’re here.”
Alphonse nodded. “Me too, Brother. I think we’ll learn a lot during our training.” He laid on his back, and watched as his older brother joined him soon after. “I wonder what we’ll do tomorrow.”
“Hopefully not get our asses kicked!” Edward shuddered, as he nudged Alphonse playfully. “I’m hoping we get to learn some super cool alchemy techniques from a book we’ve never gotten to read before!”
“Me too!” Alphonse grinned, as he rolled over to face his brother, who did the same. “Did you see that bookshelf in the front room? I wonder if she has some books on alchemy there!”
“I read the spines, they’re mostly cookbooks? And a couple on housekeeping?” Edward explained, slightly puzzled. “I wonder if they’re alchemy books disguised as random books?”
“Hm, maybe.”
Whatever the case may be, one thing was for certain. The two boys had a long day of training ahead of them the next day, and several months that would feel even longer, and more brutal than each day before.
No matter what, the two boys would face each new challenge with the utmost determination. It was the absolute least they could do for their precious mother.