Hey guys! I know this seems so sudden just to have another story up, but it's a preview of what's to come when I finish "A Purple Ribbon". This time, not even the OC is mine (Google). Turns out the picture used for Iris was a different character named Elina Fosther, so I came up with a story! Enjoy a preview of what's to come!

DISCLAIMER: THIS TIME THE OC ISN'T EVEN MINE!


Gray Skies- Chapter One: One Key Unlocks A New Journey


In a delicate town in Eastern Amestris, a day's train ride away, was the bustling businesses and mornings of the people. This little town went by the name Roxas. Roxas' streets were bustling, from the shops and their customers to the houses and cars themselves, rushing down many of the streets available. Despite all the people and vehicles on the street, peace was plain to see. Sitting down at one of the many restaurants, a boy with gold hair and eyes was sitting beside a tall suit of armor at one of the many tables available. Not far from the two boys, a girl with chestnut hair, in a long braid, and silver eyes was running down the street with a policeman chasing her.

"I wonder what Mustang has in plan for me after we're done in Youswell" The blond sighed.

"We'll find out when we get to Central." The armor mentioned. "You'll have completed your first assignment as a state alchemist. Maybe the Colonel will congratulate you."

"I doubt it" The blond boy sighed as he rose from his chair and began walking away with the armor not far behind.

Before the boys could make it past the next shop, the girl ran into the blond boy, knocking both of them down.

"Ed! Are you okay?" The armor asked as he helped the blond boy, Edward, back on his feet.

"I'm fine, Al" Edward said as he rubbed his head and glared at the girl, who was currently on the ground, clutching her head. "Watch where you're going! Will ya?!"

"Brother!" Alphonse corrected as he bent down and held out his hand. "I'm sorry, miss. Are you hurt?"

"No, I'm fine" The girl responded, shyly. The girl grabbed Al's hand as he helped her up. She dusted her hair off before lifting her head and looking at the boys. To her confusion, both boys gasped.

"Nina…?" Alphonse muttered, confusing the girl even more than before. Before she could reply, a police officer appeared down the street.

"GET BACK HERE!" The officer yelled, causing the girl to run past the boys and towards a dark alley. Both boys were puzzled as they heard the noise of people running. Suddenly, a scream came from the alley, causing both boys to run towards it.

"Let go of me!" The girl cried as officers grabbed her arms, pulling them behind her back.

"You shouldn't be here!" An officer shouted at Edward. Ed grabbed his pocket watch, flashing it at the officer, who saluted. "Sorry sir. I was unaware there was a state alchemist in the city"

"It's fine." Ed sighed as he placed his watch back in his pocket. "Do you know what's gonna happen to that girl?"

"Oh, Elina?" The officer sighed "She'll most likely be taken to the station and be escorted home, again"

"Escorted home?" Edward questioned.

"Yes. But I doubt we have an available officer willing to take her" The officer frowned. "She's quite the troublemaker, but as an alchemist she's number one, for sure."

"She knows alchemy?" Al asked.

"Yup. She's smarter than she looks, especially when it comes to the military" The officer smiled.

Alphonse thought for a minute. Maybe we should escort her home. She might know something about the philosophers stone…

"Does it have to be an officer?" Ed asked, as if he read his brother's mind.


At The Aquroya Police Station

Edward and Alphonse sat in chairs, waiting while the girl they encountered earlier was being lectured.

"Brother" Al said, getting Ed's attention. "Do you really think that what the officer said was true?"

"I don't know, Al. But judging by how well the officers know her, I'd say yeah" Ed admitted as he slumped in his seat.

"Brother-"

"Okay" A new voice interrupted. An officer with fluffy brown hair and a mustache walked out with the mysterious girl beside him. "These will be your escorts, Ms. Cross-"

"Fosther" The girl growled. "My last name is Fosther, not Cross"

"Sure it is" The officer shrugged. "Okay boys, someone told you the way, right?"

"Yeah, we got it" Ed nodded.

"Thanks again for doing this." The officer turned his head towards the girl. "Be polite, will ya?"

"Yeah, I'll try" The girl muttered as she faced the boys. "I'm guessing you two are taking me to my house?"

"That's the plan" Edward responded. The girl began walking ahead of the pair, silent as the boys followed.

"Um… What's your name?" Alphonse said, attempting to break the ice.

"Elina Melody Fosther" The girl told him. "What about you two?"

"I'm Alphonse Elric" Al replied.

"And I'm his older brother, Edward" Ed said with great pride.

"Nice, another pair sending to my 'house'" Elina sighed. "Just great"

"Aren't you glad to go home?" Alphonse asked. Elina grimaced.

"That place is not my home! I'm just another foster kid who has to put up with it." Elina snapped. Both boys looked at her with sympathy.

The trio stopped in front of a large house with a sign hanging by two small chains. The words on the sign saddened the brothers as they read: "Erin's Foster Children Center for All Ages". Elina shook her head as she walked into the old building with Edward and Alphonse not far behind.

"Diana! I'm back!" Elina called. Suddenly, a flash of red hair ran towards Elina.

"Oh Elina! I was so worried-!"

"No you weren't" Elina snapped. "I bet you were hoping I wouldn't come back. Too bad your dream didn't happen, today!"

The woman flinched. Up closer the boys could see her messy red hair tied up in an equally messy bun. Her eyes were a dark brown with glasses over them. It was obvious Elina had upset her.

"Lina…" The woman muttered. Elina ignored her as she took off her coat, revealing burn marks, several shades darker than her pale skin tone, going from her wrists and up arms. Before the boys could ask, Elina walked over to one of the many doors and walked into the room before slamming the door.

"Is everything alright?' Ed asked. The woman sighed as she straightened her glasses.

"I'm sorry if she was any trouble to you. I'm Diana Erin" Diana smiled as she stuck out her hand. Both boys shook her hand before continuing.

"What's with her?" Ed asked. "Did something happen?"

"Do you really want to know?" Diana asked with sad eyes.


Diana set down two cups of tea before sitting down herself.

"As I'm sure you're already aware, Elina is a bit of a problem child" Diana started. "But she wasn't always like that. In fact, this behavior started a year ago, maybe more."

"Elina said that she was a foster kid. Has she always lived here?" Ed asked as he sipped his tea.

"No, she hasn't. Only for the past two years" Diana admitted. "She came here after I got a request in the mail for a ten-year-old girl that wasn't getting placed. In foster homes like mine I get requests for children that haven't been placed for a long time, like in Elina's case, and most of the time the children have an issue that prevents them from getting adopted."

"An issue?" Alphonse questioned.

"That's right" Diana confirmed. "For example, children who are of Ishvalan descent have a harder time getting adopted due to prejudice. In Elina's case she refused to talk to anyone she didn't trust which, at the time, was everyone. I accepted her case immediately, despite all the warnings telling me not to"

"Warnings?" Ed asked, confused. "What warnings? Did the people who had her before warn you?"

"Oh no!" Diana chuckled. "I mean little things that told me I might have made a mistake, like when I called the previous foster parents asking for a photo of her. Turns out she had broken their camera when they tried to take a picture of her."

Both boys looked in shock.

"Another one of her major issues was she didn't understand the concept of being in trouble" Diana looked at the brother's confused expressions before continuing. "When she did something bad, she didn't care. If you put her in time-out she would just think of what to do next, if you put her in her room she would escape through a window, you tried hitting her she-" Diana froze for a moment. "She would fight back"

"What do you mean 'fight back'?" Edward asked. "She would attack you?"

"Yes, basically." Diana nodded. "I didn't find this specific fact out until later. I was scolding a girl that had stolen money by smacking her wrists, most children are punished like that, but before I could lay a hand on the girl… Elina kicked my ankle so hard that I had trouble walking for a while. After this happened, she ran away for a couple of days and I called her previous foster parents, who said it wasn't the first time she had attacked her guardian"

"Elina did that?" Alphonse said with a surprised tone. "It's hard to believe she could do attack someone"

"Oh believe me, it took me by surprise as well. But despite the injury she inflicted on me, I couldn't abandon her… I would be just as bad as the people before me." Diana rose and walked over to a box, bring back to the table as she unlocked it. Inside of the box was a delicate silver chain with a rusted copper key with decorative swirls. "This was an item that she had brought with her to every foster home she's ever been to. Apparently, her father attempted to make a charm for her mother using alchemy. When Elina was a child, her father gave her the key."

"Her father? I thought Elina was an orphan" Alphonse mentioned.

"Her father, according to her, is dead and her mother went missing only a few years after her daughter's birth." Diana said with a sad expression. "After a few months of being here, Elina learned to trust me and the children living here. She was especially bonded to a boy about a year older than her named James and a girl her age named Bethany. It was also around that time that she told me to hold this necklace for her." Diana seemed to cheer up as she smiled at the memory of a happy little Elina. "Elina's future was finally changing for the better! But…"

"What happened?" Alphonse asked.

"Around a year ago, a man interested in adopting Elina came here from South city to meet her. Although it seemed like a good opportunity for Elina to get adopted, I noticed something wrong the whole time we were talking to him." Diana said as she placed the box in its original space. "Elina would usually start talking to the person and get to know them, but with this man she wouldn't say a word. All she did was glare at him and stay silent. Before he left, I remember the man whispering something to Elina and she ran to her room. After that day, she became very rude and developed a bad attitude towards everyone but her friends. It became worse after Bethany and James got adopted and she stayed. One evening a woman came and adopted her on the spot, no questions asked, but the next day the police came in with her, saying that she was 'unsuitable for the family she was placed with'. Later that evening I questioned her about it, but she refused to say anything. Ever since then no one has tried to adopt her."

Diana lowered her head into her hands with a sigh.

"I feel like a failure. She's just a free spirit trapped in this place and there's not much I can do for her. The only people Elina talks to are the police and the toddlers currently in the nursery. She disappears for nights at a time and I can't stop her." Diana looked at her watch and her eyes widened. "I'm so sorry! I've wasted your time and now it's almost tomorrow…"

"Oh no, it's fine" Alphonse insisted. "We wanted to hear the whole story, it's not your fault"

"Well, if you boys don't have a place to stay, you can stay in one of our spare rooms" Diana offered.

"We'll take you up on that offer!" Ed grinned.

"Great!" Diana smiled warmly as she picked up the two tea cups (Al's was untouched with the tea still in in, but cold) and headed towards the kitchen. "The room next to Elina's is yours for the night!"

"Thank you!" Alphonse shouted back as he carried his brother's bag to the blank room with two light blue beds and a small blue dresser.

As Alphonse entered the room, he thought he could someone humming.

"…Pleading with fate, to be forgiving. Allow the shattered hearts to be regathered…" Alphonse heard.

"Time for bed, Elina!" Diana called out and the singing stopped almost immediately.

"Hey brother?" Alphonse asked as Edward lied down on one of the two beds.

"Yeah, Al?"

"Does Elina remind you of anyone?"

Edward thought for a minute before answering. "Yeah, she looks a lot like Nina"

"Really? I thought she reminded me of you!" Alphonse chuckled as Ed jumped up from the bed, shouting.

"I am NOT some spoiled brat!" Ed protested.

"THE SPOILED BRAT CAN HEAR YOU!" Elina's voice yelled from the other side of their wall.

"Sorry!" Alphonse shouted back. "Ed, think about it."

"I don't know, Al" Ed shrugged. "She has the same problem as us"

"Yeah…" Al said looking down. "Isn't there anything we can do for her?"

"Oh no you don't" Ed chastised. "You can't make everything better, Al. She's an orphan, there's nothing we can do about it"

"We couldn't do anything to save Nina" Alphonse muttered. Ed took a deep breath and sighed.

"Can't we just have one peaceful week without having to fix everything?"


Elina slowly rose from her bed, pulling her hair out of it's braid allowing it to reach her waist. Creaking her door slightly open, she stepped out and went towards the main room in the house.

Where did Diana put it? Elina thought as she searched for a box. As she looked on top of a shelf, she grabbed the box and lowered it as she pulled out it's contents. I have a strong feeling that something's going to change


"GET BACK HERE!" A voice yelled as Edward woke up to the sound the yelling police officers. The light from outside was shining through his window.

Edward jumped out of bed and slipped on his coat and he ran out the door, joining his brother outside of the building. "What happened?" Edward asked, out of breath.

"Elina got out last night and now..." Alphonse pointed to a roof where Elina was lying down, munching at an apple as the police attempted to reach her. Edward sighed as he clapped his hands and catapulted himself onto the roof. Elina didn't seem phased as she toke another bite from her apple.

"You shouldn't cause trouble this early in the morning" Edward lectured.

"Sorry Mr. Sleepy head." Elina said sarcastically. "Next time I'll schedule trouble after you have your little nap"

Elina threw her apple core at Edward and ran to the next roof.

"WHY YOU LITTLE-?!" Edward muttered angrily as he followed the girl.

"Oh, Ed" Alphonse sighed, shaking his head in disappointment. He turned his head towards the door as it opened and a yawning Diana in a purple nightgown came walking out.

"Why is everyone being so-" Diana froze when she saw Edward chasing Elina. "ELINA?!" Diana shouted before muttering a string of profanities.

"Don't worry. Brother and I will take care of this" Alphonse assured as he ran off to follow Edward. Elina kept running on and off roofs as Edward stayed on her trail.

Ha! There's no way he's catching me anytime soon! Elina thought as she jumped of a low roof and headed into a crowd grouping on the street. Soon Elina began to slow down to a stroll, observing all the shops and people. Elina felt a sting of pain go up her left arm as a mustached man bumped into to her.

"So sorry, young lady!" The man apologized as he ran off and Elina rubbed her arms.

I might as well buy bandages for my arms Elina thought as she gently rubbed her arm over her oversized sweat shirt. As she approached an unoccupied shop, she grabbed two rolls of cloth bandages and placed some coins on the wooden table and walked away. She didn't have to steal all the time.

Before she could she could walk anywhere else, her attention was grabbed as a small child coughed. The child was wearing baggy clothing and has was covered in dirt, he was an orphan like her. Elina approached the child as he looked at her with green eyes of defeat.

"It's okay, little guy" Elina smiled. "Are you cold?"

"Yeah" The child said softly. "I was waiting for my dad. He said to wait right here, so I can't move from here"

"How long ago was this?" Elina asked as she gripped her fists.

"Two weeks ago"

"Okay kid, do you want anything?" Elina asked, attempting to control her anger.

"A blanket... and some food"

"Okay, give me a few minutes, I'll be right back" As Elina turned away, the boy gripped her sleeve.

"Promise you'll come back?" The boy asked with tears in his eyes. "You won't leave me alone?"

"I won't" Elina assured. She handed the boy her bandages and smiled. "When I come back, you can give these back to me since I really need these bandages. Okay?"

"Okay" The boy smiled weakly. Elina smiled as she walked off in the direction of Diana's. Before she could make it to the house, a hand grabbed Elina's sleeve. As Elina turned around, she could see it was the blond boy and his armored brother.

"Going somewhere?" Edward asked sarcastically.

"Actually, I am" Elina snapped. "So can you refrain yourself from grabbing me?" Edward didn't loosen his grip.

"You have an apology to make" Ed growled.

"To who?" Elina asked, confused. Ed pointed at himself and Elina laughed. "Oh yeah! I'll definitely apologize to a short guy like you!"

"WHO ARE YOU CALLING SMALLER THAN A SUNFLOWER SEED?!" Edward yelled.

"I… Didn't say that. Look, I've got things to do, alright?!" Elina snapped as she yanked back her sleeve and ran into the house. Diana, who was feeding a mob of hungry toddlers at the moment, smiled as Elina entered the house.

"Elina! I was just making lunch!" Diana smiled. "Are you in a hurry?"

"Yeah, actually" Elina nodded as Diana handed her a boxed lunch. "The blankets are upstairs right?"

"Yes, but why-"Before Diana could finish, Elina ran up the stairs and grabbed a fluffy blue blanket before running out the door.

Before Elina could make it to the street, a certain voice yelled "YOU STILL OWE ME AN APOLOGY!"

Elina turned around to see Alphonse attempting to hold Edward back. Elina began running in to the street, trying not to laugh at the sight. Edward broke free from Al's arms and began following Elina.

"Brother!" Al complained as he chased his brother. Elina continued running until she felt rain drops on her head. She slowed down and smiled.

Those idiots aren't going to follow me out in the rain Elina thought as she covered the blanket and ran towards the alley. Behind her, hidden by the crowd, was both brothers. Edward began heaving as he felt the effect of the rain on his automail.

"Ed, should we really follow her? You don't look too good" Alphonse pointed out as he saw Ed's pale face.

"No! This girl's up to something and I want to find out!" Edward spat out as he hid behind a cart and spied on the girl along with Alphonse.

Elina approached the alley, which was sheltered from the rain, and bent down next to the sickly boy. The boy smiled brightly as Elina handed him the blanket. As the boy took the blanket, he handed Elina the bandages she had left.

"You came back!" The boy cheered.

"I promised, didn't I?" Elina smiled back as she handed him the boxed lunch. "Eat up!"

The boy opened the box and began devouring the rice, not caring how much had gotten on his clothing. Elina giggled as she slipped off her sweat shirt, revealing her tang top, and began unwrapping her scarred arms. The boy stopped eating and looked in sorrow and pity. Elina saw this and chuckled.

"Sorry kid. I now this must look bad"

"How did you get those burns?" The boy asked. Elina's expression didn't change as she began wrapping her right arm in new bandages.

"That's something I'd rather not talk about" Elina explained. "It brings up bad memories."

The boy nodded as he continued eating. Elina sighed as she began wrapping her left arm, ignoring the stings of pain from her scarred arms. As the boy finished his meal, Elina finished wrapping her arms and threw her old bandages away. As she did this, the boy marveled at a shiny object in her back pocket: A dagger.

"Why do you have a knife?" The boy asked. Elina looked at him and smiled as she reached into her pocket and pulled it out. It was indeed a dagger, its blade couldn't be mistaken for anything else. The blade was the length of Elina's forearm and the handle had a bird carved into it.

"It's something I use to protect myself" Elina assured. "I've never used it on anyone before, but it's always good to have something"

"Do you know how to use it?" The boy asked.

"Yeah" Elina smiled. "I can use this and smaller daggers. Hand me something"

The boy looked around and handed Elina a metal can and a thick piece of scrap metal. Elina took a deep breath as she threw the metal can up in the air and slashed it into two pieces with her larger dagger. The boy threw the metal can and Elina reached for her belt, throwing a trio of small daggers and pinning the can to the wall.

"Awesome!" The boy smiled.

"Thanks! It took years of practice" Elina grinned with confidence.

"Who taught you?" The boy asked. Elina's eyes shined with tears at the question.

"My father" She responded sadly. The boy looked at her as he yawned. "Why don't you sleep for a little bit?"

"Okay" The boy yawned once more. As Elina sat down beside him, he noticed a silver bracelet with an engraving on it on Elina's left wrist. "What's that?"

Elina looked at the bracelet and smiled. "It's from my father. It's says 'When we meet, we will live in the castle in the sky'."

"Castle in the sky?" The boy asked, half-asleep.

"It's a legend" Elina smiled. "If you are an honest person then every night when you fall asleep you can enter the castle in the sky and be able to dance and laugh and sing all you want!"

"What else is in the castle?" The boy asked as he put his head in Elina's lap.

"Lots of things!" Elina giggled. "Parties every night, wonderful rooms, feasts fit for a king, and lots more! Or so I've been told."

"Who's the queen?" The boy asked as he tried to stay awake.

"There's no queen." Elina smiled. "Only a woman in white who guides you through the castle. She's said to be the kindest woman ever born and she adores children"

"Have you ever been to the castle?"

"Not for a long time" Elina smiled as she ruffled the boy's black hair. "You should go to sleep. Maybe you'll get to go to the castle in the sky"

"Can you sing me a song?" The boy begged. Elina's eyes widened at the request.

"Okay" Elina agreed as she felt a tug at her heart and took a deep breath. "Forgotten days, a fading memory. Lost and no longer seeking one another. Desperately still, you're reaching toward him. Hopelessly certain you can mend the broken-"

Elina stopped as the boy fell asleep, his eyes closed and his chest rose and fell. She smiled at the sight as she leaned her head against the wall behind her and fell asleep as well.

As the rain stopped, the boys still had their jaws dropped.

"She's like you, Ed" Alphonse insisted.

"How?" Ed asked.

"Everyone assumes state alchemists are dogs of the military until they meet you." Alphonse pointed out. "When we met Elina everyone told us she was trouble, but…"

"She's just sick of being abandoned" Ed realized.

"Brother… We can't leave her here" Alphonse stated. "We have to help somehow"

"What should we do?" Ed shrugged. "It's out of our hands"

As the brothers began to walk away, Alphonse looked at Elina, still asleep with the boy on her lap. Elina sounded like mom when she would sing us a lullaby Alphonse thought.

"Al! You just gonna stand there?" Edward called.

"Coming!" The armor called as he followed Edward.


"Wake up!" A voice called out as Elina opened her eyes. Elina turned her head to see the boy from before shaking her shoulders.

"What is it, kid?" Elina asked as she rubbed her eyes.

"Aaron!"

"Huh?" Elina questioned.

"My name is Aaron!" The boy smiled.

"Nice to finally know your name!" Elina giggled. "My name's Elina Fosther"

"Thanks for taking care of me, Elina!" Aaron smiled but his expression dropped as he took a deep breath. "Elina… You were saying stuff in your sleep… stuff about my father… do you really think he ...abandoned me?"

Elina didn't know what to say. Note to self: Work on sleep talking

"Well, I-"

"Yes or no?!" Aaron snapped. "Don't sugar coat it!"

"...I'm sorry kid" Elina apologized.

" So it's true. I'm an orphan now... It's his fault, not mine." Aaron smiled.

"You and me both, Aaron." Elina said, patting the kids shoulder.

"Can we meet up later?"

"Sure" Elina smiled as she rose to her feet and pulled her sweatshirt back on. "Don't get caught, okay?"

"Got it!" Aaron agreed as he began walking away.

"And Aaron?" Elina yelled causing the nine-year-old to freeze. "I'll find you your perfect family. You can count on me"

"Okay!" The boy smiled as he ran off, leaving Elina.

Elina began walking in the direction of the foster home and yawned. The sun was barely rising and the little town's street lights were still bright. Elina approached the house and walked inside as if it was normal to go missing during the night. Elina walked over to a red door and opened it slightly to see a sleeping Diana still in her clothes from the day before. Closing the door, she walked to the room next to hers and cracked open the door. She could see the blond boy sleeping with his limbs sprawled out.

Phew! Coast is cl-

"You're back" A voice spoke, interrupting Elina's thoughts. Elina covered her mouth before she screamed and turned her head to see the armor brother sitting on the floor.

"Why are you awake?!" Elina whispered once she removed her hand.

"It's a long story" Alphonse chuckled nervously. "You were gone all night. Diana was really worried about you"

"I know, but she doesn't have to worry!" Elina whispered angrily. "She can't keep me caged"

"Yep, you're just like Ed!" Alphonse chuckled.

"Like Ed?" Elina looked confused. "How?"

"Well-"

"SSHHH!" Elina silenced as she signaled him to go outside. Alphonse looked over and saw Ed stirring in his sleep, understanding the panic. Alphonse rose and followed Elina to the front steps of the foster home.

"Jeez! That was close! You were saying?" Elina grinned.

"It's nothing." Alphonse assured. "You shouldn't worry Ms. Erin like that"

"Ms. Erin? Oh you mean Diana" Elina shrugged. "I'm just a rejected orphan. Why should I care about adults?"

"Because they care about YOU" Alphonse pointed out. "Ms. Erin didn't abandon you! She accepted you and wanted you to find a home! What is it that made you so reluctant to find a home?!"

Elina held her arms as a painful memory flashed through her head and made her whimper.

"I'm sorry" Alphonse apologized. "I know that was out of line, but it's the truth"

"I know it's the truth!" Elina said with tears in her eyes. "You think I don't know that?! I don't trust adults! Adults are the reason I have these damned scars on my arms! Adults are the reason that I'm afraid of fire! I've been abandoned most of my life and you expect me to recover that easily?!"

"I-I didn't know" Alphonse said nervously. "Even if that is true, that doesn't give you the right to hurt Ms. Erin and worry her all the time!"

"Look, if I start behaving and get adopted than he'll come back!" Elina said shaking. "He'll come back like he always does… and take someone else from me. Can't you see?! I'm running away from someone! I can't get out of the city, so I use a different method… If I stay an orphan, he won't hurt anyone else…"

"Who's he?" Alphonse asked. Elina stood up, tears going down her cheeks.

"That's something I don't want to answer" Elina snapped. "I don't want anyone else to get hurt!"

Elina began running as she Ignored the armor's attempt to call her back. She felt like he was watching her, making sure she was dead to the world.

If I hear about you again, you'll be the cause of a very unfortunate incident

Elina could remember the feeling of his hot breath on her ear as she was filled to the brim with terror. Her memories were a sin to her, unforgiving and making her relive her past. Elina kept running until she tripped on a tree stump, making her collide with the concrete and dirt.

"Elina?" A little voice spoke. Elina rose and looked behind her to see Aaron, the little boy she had helped earlier. "Are you okay?"

"I'm okay" Elina assured as she sat on the ground, tears streaming down her cheeks.

"Then why are you crying?" Aaron asked as he sat next to her.

"I just want to run…" Elina chuckled. "This place is becoming one bad memory. I'm thinking about leaving town"

"Leaving town?" Aaron repeated. "What about the promise you made?"

"Don't worry" Elina smiled. "I am going to find you your perfect family. I'm not going back on that"

"But…" Aaron sighed. "I can't go anywhere"

Elina sighed as she rose to her feet. "There's this foster home you can go to for the time being. You'll have fun there, okay?"

"Okay!" Aaron smiled. "When you come back, I want a family!"

"I promise, kid" Elina chuckled as Aaron ran off towards the foster home. Elina smiled as she watched the boy disappear into the crowd. Elina looked at the foster home one more time before walking towards the train station.

As Elina walked to the station, she recalled happy memories of the foster home.

I'm sorry Diana. I can't let anyone else get hurt Elina thought as heard the train's horn go off. Elina looked at the town once more as she reached into her pocket and pulled out the small key pendant, holding it close.

"ALL ABOARD!" A conductor shouted as Elina approached the train.

"Wait for us!" A voice yelled. Elina turned around to see Edward and Alphonse running towards her. When the two reached her, Edward had to take several deep breaths.

"You're really leaving, aren't you?" Edward asked.

"Yeah" Elina nodded. "I have nowhere else to hide, so it's time to run"

Elina turned her back, ready to walk away, until Alphonse spoke up.

"Why not go with us?"

Elina turned around, her eyes wide with disbelief. Ed smiled as he held out three train tickets.

"But… I'm just trouble" Elina said, shocked. "Why would you want me to come?"

"Ed and I decided that we want to see what you're like for ourselves" Al explained. "So, will you come with us?"

Elina felt tears of joy go down her cheeks as she reached out and grabbed a ticket.

You were right, dad. I do have a purpose… I just needed to look a little harder.


AWWWWWWW! FEELS!

Okay, cookies to the people who can spot the constant kingdom hearts references. Remember, this is just a preview of what's to come after A Purple Ribbon. This story will be following the original FMA series, give or take some episodes.

As for the song I used as Elina's lullaby, here's a link to the channel: user/Nucl3arW3ss3l

Anyways, I won't officially start this story until my first one is complete. Until next time!


Okay, Update as of February 3rd, 2016. I'm deciding whether to release more chapters of this while rewriting A Purple Ribbon. If you have an opinion, Message me!

Jackie C.A.