A/N: Hullo and welcome to my fanfiction! This is a start-over on another fic I have that is still up for viewing ("Sour Cherries"), but with a few main points changed along with where it starts and also the title... "Scarlet and Gold"! I'll let you chew on the reasons for why I chose this title, but I don't think it's all that hard to guess myself.
Ed: It's because Naida's going to be-
Eighth: HEY MIDGET, DON'T TELL THEM!
Ed: WHO ARE YOU CALLING A MIDGET SO TINY HE'S SHORTER THAN THE EIGHTH HOMONCULUS HERSELF?
Eighth: Well I-! I'll have you know I broke 5 feet last week (in my last attempt at a growth spurt according to the doctor...)! J-just... Someone do the disclaimer!
Hoenheim: *sigh* The Eighth Homonculus doesn't own Full Metal Alchemist or it's characters, only Aureolus, Lucinda, and Naida. And it's a good thing, too, because-
Eighth: ALRIGHTY ON WITH THE STORY!
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as a side note, this fanfic follows the manga/brotherhood storyline, otherwise it would make about as much sense as a pink rhino swimming through the air in July during bird-hunting season. I'm just not sure which category to put it in because of Brotherhood... and sorry this A/N is so long :P
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Resembool, 1903
"Ed!"
"Hmph!" Edward shook his tiny blonde head, perched in a tree in the Elrics' front yard.
"Edward, you can't just climb the tree to run away every time you don't want to drink your milk!" His father called up to him. "And don't think I won't come get you!" Hoenheim brandished the cup of milk in his hand, spilling a few white drops on the grass.
"Milk is icky!" The four year old shouted with a scowl.
The blonde man set the glass of milk down in the grass and rolled up his sleeves, then started scaling the tree. "Milk is good for-"
Ed stood up abruptly on the branch, startling his father into falling back on his rear. The small boy paid no mind, instead leaning to peer down the dirt path that lead through the farming village. "There are people coming!"
Indeed, two people were coming their way from the direction of the train station. From this distance it was hard to tell, but Ed could see that one was tall and blonde while the other short with long, red hair. As he watched, the blonde looked up and caught sight of the boy watching and waved. Then he pointed and his companion looked up and waved, too.
By now Hoenheim had climbed up to sit next to his son, who was waving back.
When the duo had made their way through the rolling hills, their features became more distinct. The taller was a man who looked around twenty, wearing mostly white and tan but casual clothing. He had a long face with rectangular glasses in front of crimson eyes, underneath short hair that was wavy and looked as if it had been tousled from wind, though the air was now still.
His companion was a woman who didn't even come up to his shoulder. She looked a bit younger than him, and her round face and long, loose hair made her look like she was in her mid-teens from a distance. She wore an old-fashioned white dress and silver goggles on her head that glinted in the sun
and crimson eyes the same shade as her companion's.
The duo was headed for Hoenheim's house, and eventually came right to the base of the tree father and son were now perched in. The blonde man cocked his head back to look up with a grin. "Whatcha doing up there, Pops?"
Hoenheim looked around in confusion for a second, wondering the same thing. Then he caught sight of his son, who was looking down at the pair below with interest. "I'm retrieving this!" He pulled a protesting Edward into his arms and leapt down to land on his feet. He set his ruffled and offended son on the ground. "And what are you doing down here, Aureolus?" He went over to embrace the man.
"Oh, we were passing by is all." he said, releasing the older man.
"it's nice to see you again, Van!" The ginger woman smiled, going for her hug.
"Likewise, Lucinda!"
Edward had been inching off towards the house and freedom during this hug-fest, but his father caught him. "Oh no you don't!" he grabbed the back of the boy's shirt and picked up the abandoned cup of milk. "You're not moving until that's all gone, you hear?" He turned to his guests. "Why don't you come in? We're in the middle of dinner, and there's plenty of food."
The three headed inside with Ed trailing behind them, empty cup in hand. In the doorway he stopped his father by tugging on his pant let.
The man looked down. "What is it, son?"
"Daddy, why do those people have reddish-purple eyes?"
"They were made that way." The man then smiled knowingly. "And I saw you dump your milk in that bush."
Edward's golden eyes widened and his round face flushed. "N-no I didn't!"
"Trisha!" Aureolus shouted, sweeping into the kitchen. Bending on one knee, he took Hoenheim's startled wife's hand. "I swear you become more beautiful every time we meet!" He brushed his pressed lips over her knuckles.
"Aureolus, and Lucinda! What a surprise! And for the record we've only met four times, and the first I was five." She laughed.
Lucinda rolled her crimson eyes and kicked Aureolus lightly in the side with a white boot as she headed over to embrace Trisha. "And even that time Aure tried to cheat on me with you."
"And for the other record, "Aure swooped up to his feet, offended, "she had a cookie! It is a proven fact that if you flirt with a girl who has a cookie she'll share it with you!" He dramatically flopped into a chair at the table. Directing his red gaze at yet another small blonde boy who was sitting next to him trying not to giggle, he winked. "Remember that, little bro."
The little boy nodded with a grin.
There was a tug on Aure's sleeve. He looked down to find Edward glaring up at him. "That's my seat."
"Edward, don't be rude to our guests-"
"No, Trisha, it's fine." The man said, hopping up while holding his hands up in surrender. "My bad, little bro. Here ya go, I'll find another seat." He went to stand next to Hoenheim in the doorway. "Your kids sure are big now. Edward and … Alphonse, right?"
The smaller boy nodded with a big smile and chirped, "That's me!" gaining him a withering glare from his older brother,
"I'll get you two some chairs." Said Hoenheim. "Sorry, Ed can be rather blunt."
"Oh, no problem. You were always a big softie, no disciplining whatsoever. It sure saved my hide a few times, though, so I won't complain." Aure chimed.
Hoenheim laughed. "You were some kind of brat, too. It was tough being your guardian." He left the room and quickly procured two chairs, and the six people set about eating dinner.
"Aure's right, they are getting big." Lucinda noted, eying the boys. "Edward is almost as big as my little girl, Vivi, before..." The red head trailed off.
"Before she what?" Ed asked, jabbing a piece of steak with his fork.
Aureolus put a hand on Lucinda's. "See, there was a big fire in Lui's village and lots of people died in it, including her daughter and husband. Your father and I found her near dead and saved her." He squeezed her hand and she nodded.
Edward eyed his father. "Nope!"
"Nope what?" Trisha asked, perplexed.
"Nope, Dad isn't cool enough to have saved someone. It must have been you, Mr. Aure, and he was just there." The boy crossed his arms in triumph, proud of how smart he was to figure it out.
Ed's brilliant deduction was met with silence.
Aureolus and Lucinda shared a look. They both cracked grins. Then Aure was roaring with laughter and Lui's face was red because she couldn't breathe around choked laughs.
"That one," She gasped out after the blonde man had patted her on the back, "Is definitely yours, Trisha!"
Soon everyone was laughing, though Edward wasn't quite sure why.
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After dinner the boys raced to a neighbor's house to play with their friend, Winry. Aureolus reminded Al to be nice if she had a cookie. Alphonse giggled and tried to reply, but he was grabbed by the wrist and dragged out by Ed.
The women sat down talking about girl things, and the men retreated to Hoenheim's study.
"Quite a family you've got." Aure smiled sadly. "And Ed's got that older sibling thing down. Mara-"
"Mara was like that, eh?" Hoenheim smiled kindly at the other man. He had heard many stories about Aure's deceased sister, so much that he was sure he knew the girl, even though they had never met.
Aure nodded. "Determined. Just you watch, he'll save that other little bro in a pinch one day."
Mara linked her fingers. 'Aure, boost!"
Aure stopped scrabbling at the dirt wall in front of him to look into golden eyes. They were terrified, but there was something else in them, too.
It was like they were on fire.
The six year old took the boost and was launched over the ditch-border. He turned and grabbed Mara's hand to help her out.
Almost... Almost!
A flash of red light erupted from the ground between the siblings.
"It's too late." Mara stopped scrabbling.
"Just a bit more! C'mon, Mara!" Aure cried frantically. Something black that was like a million tiny hands had followed the light. They poked and prodded at Mara, and she let go of Aure's hands to clutch her throat, staying propped up by her elbows.
"Aureolus, listen." She said between coughs. "You... you're not allowed to...to die, got that?... Go to ...the capital, someone might... might be there..."
Aure tried to grab her arms and pull her out, tears streaming down his face. But she was eleven and much bigger than him, and the boy wasn't exactly the strong type. "No, you can't die either! We'll go together, c'mon..."
Mara shook her head. "Already gone... bye … Golden Boy." She smiled as the black hands pulled her back, and Aure lost sight of his sister.
Aure was jolted out of his reverie by a hand ruffling his hair. He blinked. When had he sat down?
"Hopefully it won't come to that for my boys." Hoenheim said softly. Aure opened his mouth to object, but Hoenheim continued. "I know that's why you're here. The transmutation circle."
Aure nodded. "Have you found it yet? How to stop it?"
Hoenheim turned away to look out a window, and Aure heard a barely audible "Yes."
Aure jumped up from the chair he didn't remember sitting in. "Well that's great! Just tell us and Lucinda and I-"
"It's not that simple."
"Wha-"
"I have to do it. And to do it I have to leave here."
"There's no other way? I'll do anything, but..."
Hoenheim turned to look at the son he had taken in nearly four hundred years ago. His head was down and fists clenched.
"I would never ask you to leave them. Six years of having a family... wasn't enough for me either."
Aure, staring hard at the floor, could hear Hoenheim approach, as well as see his feet. But it was still a surprise when a hand rested on his shoulder, and he looked up into the other man's eyes...
...And Hoenheim laughed. "You're making that exact same face, you know that? The face you made when that dog you were feeding in Xing died."
Aure was at loss for words. In his 395 years of memories, he had forgotten that one, but it all came rushing back.
Hoenheim continued. "Remember what I told you then?"
A twelve year old Aure in the loose clothing of Xing cuddled the beautiful red stray to his chest, tears streaming down his face. He had fallen to his knees.
Hoenheim stood behind him, a hand on the boy's shoulder. "It was meant to be, Aureolus. It would have happened anyway."
Aure smiled sadly. "I remember what I said, too."
"But why does it have to hurt so much?"
"You haven't changed a bit since then. Not at all."
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Aureolus and Lucinda Helios left the next day.
Van Hoenheim followed suit soon after, leaving his wife and children behind.
But why does it have to hurt so much?
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A/N: Well there ya have it! I hope you guys picked up some subtle hints regarding Aure and Lui, but if you're confused I think more elaboration is coming next chapter... *checks notebook* …. Well I'll add it in. :P
And in the previous author's note I mentioned a character named Naida who hasn't showed up yet. She's coming, though! And "Naida" isn't a misspelling of "Nadia", it's a real name that's German according to my Grandpappy. :)
Leave a review if you like it (or hate it or wanna say "hi" or have any comments at all, I'm not picky nor will kill you if you flame me, I'm open to criticism)!
Peace! - Eighth
