Fullmetal Alchemist © Hiromu Arakawa

Note: Set during Episode 29: The Untainted Child.

Mother and Son

Izumi sighed. There was nothing she could do. She was a fool, letting herself believe that her son could come back to life. She deserved the punishment she received as she interrupted the world's flow. Izumi heaved blood into the toilet, wiped her mouth on a cloth, and tossed it away.

"What'cha doing?"

She glanced up, surprised, and watched the boy curiously gaze at her. Wiping her mouth of the remaining blood, she smiled and shook her head. "You're supposed to be asleep."

The boy, later to be known as Wrath, grinned. "Everyone's dead. They won't get up to play with me."

Izumi blinked in shock. "But they're not dead. They're only sleeping."

Wrath stared at her, cocking his head. "Sleeping?"

"Yes, it's like when the body needs to recharge so they close their eyes and let themselves go." Izumi took his hands, guiding him back into his room. "So, you try to sleep, okay? Or can't you?"

His violet orbs seemed to widen at the question. Eagerly, he cocked his head and shrugged. "I just lie in that bed and stare at the ceiling. It's boring."

"Well, just try, okay? At least get some rest." Izumi took him up in her arms, asking if he could remember anything yet. When the boy sadly shook his head and whimpered, Izumi gently grinned and ruffled his hair in a nurturing fashion. "Don't worry. You'll recall everything soon, I bet. Can I call you something until we figure something out?"

"Okay."

Izumi paused in the hallway. She quickly looked towards Ed and Al's room, gritting her teeth when she heard rustling footsteps. Clapping her hands quickly, she slammed them on the ground. Two screams were heard from the inside, both unnaturally high-pitched. Opening the door, she watched as Ed and Al were constricted to their beds by a metal pole.

"I thought I told you idiots to stay in your room! Where the hell were you two going?" she demanded, glaring at the Elric brothers who recoiled in fright.

"But-but sensei!"

"No, Al!" Izumi snapped, watching the younger Elric brother cringe in shock and hide back under his blanket. "Both of you are not to leave this room, got that?"

Ed frowned. "But-"

"I said, stay in your rooms or I'll cut both of you!" she screamed, and the brothers instantly fled under their beds.

"Why do the brothers not seem to like me?" he asked as Izumi shut the door, locking it with alchemy to ensure they stayed inside.

"Ed and Al…they've been through a lot," Izumi informed. "It takes them awhile to trust people."

"But why? They're not bad people…right?"

Izumi curiously gazed at the child, raising an eyebrow. Smirking, she set him back on the ground and shook her head. He kept gazing at her before eventually grinning in delight and scampered back to his room. Grasping the door, Izumi gasped slightly at his unnatural limbs. She recognized the scar on his arm, one that belonged to Ed from a fox bite. However, she kept her mouth shut as the boy continued looking to her before rushing into his room.

"Play! Play!" he eagerly cried, dancing around the room.

"No, no playing," Izumi sternly stated, making him stop.

"Aw…" He lowered his head, going over to his unmade bed and hopped on it. "Then…can you tell me a story? Pretty please with sprinkles on top?"

Izumi smiled, sitting down by him and brought her to his chest. A story, huh? The last time she told a tale was when Al was a sobbing child, and Ed screamed at him for some stupid, foolish reason that their deceased mother loved him more. The story was of a mother who had two selfish girls, both competing for her love only to realize she loved them equally. Taking the child into her lap, she hummed and smirked.

"A bedtime story, is what you want, little one? Well, alright, but then straight to bed, you understand?" At his vigorous nodding, she sighed. "Once upon a time, there was a woman who was happily in love with her husband and was pregnant with their child. Both were so happy with each other and couldn't wait until the boy was born. Then, their bliss was shattered when she became deathly sick. She valiantly tried to fight off the disease, but inside her body, her son died." Izumi remained quiet, looking down at the boy who seemed ready to cry at any moment. She flicked his nose, snickering. "Don't cry, little one. It's just a story, and there's a happy ending."

He sniffled, wiping his eyes. "Th-there is?"

"Yes. Years later, the found a little boy left all alone on an island. He had no memory or parents, and he was a rather adorable child. So, do you know what the couple did?"

He shook his head.

"They took the child in and made him theirs. They named him…" She paused, gasping and stood up. She knew it was coming, the blood to spew out. Quickly hurrying over to the door, Izumi turned back and smiled wearily. "Go to bed, honey, and I'll tell you in the morning, okay?"

Pouting, he stamped his foot and whined, "But…but I gotta know the name! I-!"

Sig appeared over Izumi when she coughed into her hand. Flecks of crimson ooze spurted from her fingers and onto her fresh nightgown. He hoisted her into her arms, glancing over to the child as he cowered.

"She'll be okay," Sig reassured, and the boy brightened considerably. "Just try to catch some sleep, okay? You'll probably need it."

Izumi glanced back to the boy, sighing and fell into Sig. His smiling face was forever burned into her memory. As Sig slowly closed the door, she watched the boy, and he waved to her with his abnormal arm. A brief flicker of surprise crossed her face like a sudden, short ocean wave before waving back and smiled.

"You've really taken to that boy," Sig murmured, pulling out a bottle of her pills.

"Thanks," she replied, taking them and popped a few in. "He reminds me…of our son. Sig, I told you how the Homunculi are created, right?"

He nodded. "But that child…he's so innocent, but could be one?"

Izumi sighed, lowering her head. "All I ever wanted besides you, dear, was a child. That boy makes me feel like he's really our son."

"Maybe he is."

She looked to Sig in incredulity who smiled and kissed her forehead. "You really think so? His arm and leg…I sent our dead son to the Gate, so maybe…maybe my boy is sleeping in that room. Maybe we can be a family, and I can finally be a real mother."

…

First FMA fic even though I've been a fan of the series for a long time. Wrath is adorable, and the reason why he's just called "the boy" here is since he doesn't have a name yet.