A/N: Originally posted on ao3 under the pen name youngjusticewriter. This fic is the first part of my Ishvalan Elric series: Elrics through the looking glass. Warning: Edward Elric cusses.

She couldn't imagine why there was such a difference between those children and her. She couldn't imagine why she and all these other people with her had to be treated this way. Who decided this, and what for?

- Sarah's Key

Tiny fingers, so pale compared to Edward's natural darker skin or rather his thumb that was resting on top of the left page, tugged gently but none the less persistent on his thumb. That was what brought Edward to the present and away from the book that some bio-alchemist (Flamel something or another) had written to be tedious long - what was wrong with straight to the point? Edward understood encrypting your own notes but if you writing a damn book get to the point bastard.

"Big brother?" Nina asked, her voice so soft. She wasn't like most kids who had to be reminded over and over about inside voices and in the library one had to use even quieter voices than their inside voices.

"Yeah," Ed mumbled, his tired eyes still on one of many sentences in the book even though he was no longer reading it. (He hadn't given up damn it he just needed a break to rest his poor eyes. Yeah. A break that was short which despite popular asshole opinion Ed was not.)

"Will you come play hide and seek with me and Alexander and other big brother?"

"Hide and seek?" Edward asked his eyes still pointedly staring at the book instead of Nina's big puppy dog eyes, his head leaning on the bookcase behind him. The bulky books digging uncomfortably into his neck but it didn't matter 'cause if they could find the answer into get their bodies back then Edward would happily take books written to be long winded, bookcases that weren't that comfortable to lean against, and last but not least sitting on the floor for hours. Hell! Edward would take an extra portion of those three things if it honestly meant getting his bodies back. (Though he'll still grumble about the stupidity of the author. Why couldn't people be simple and straight forward when writing a damn book! It wasn't like these were the bastard of an author's fucking research notes!)

Nina's fingers dropped from the top corner of the thick and yellowed page book. In the corner of his golden eyes Ed could see Nina fiddling with her hands nervously as she tried to explain whatever she was going on about. Maybe hide and seek was a city kid game. Or, Edward realized, maybe it was a game that country kids played too. Ed and Al had been too busy with alchemy and Winry with watching Pinako to learn her family trade to be playing with other kids from school. They had each other and their studies. They had been enough. Or rather for him and Al's case they also had the stupid arrogant belief they could bring their mom back.

They flew to the sun and the wax of their wings had taken the entirety of Al'd body and Edward's leg. Now his arm (and anything else had been offered too for the chance of taking his brother back from that thing - the universe, God, truth - I am you it had told Ed with bared white teeth - that had stolen the last of Ed's family) had been to keep his brother's soul. It was well worth it. Anything from him was worth it.

And even then how long until their mom had would be once again taken from them? Until they never got to see her soft smiles because the neighbors didn't or couldn't warn them before some bigot traveler came into Resembool?

"It's," Nina started to explain only to stop and nimble on her lip. "one of us - though it can't be Alexander! - is it. The others have to hide. The last one to not be found by it wins."

His stomach felt sick and not because he hadn't ate anything lately. His thumb slipped from the top left corner of the book. It slid down the pages. The motion not comforting to Edward as he thought back on how many times him and Al had to sleep over at the Rockbells when ever some stranger came into town when their mom had been alive.

How they couldn't mention they had a mom. How their mom had to hide - to be trapped like she was animal instead of a person - in the attic of the Rockbells' just because someone might murder her for her red eyes (or call the military in which would have the same effect). And no one would be against it; no one would be held accountable for fucking murder. Murder was still murder no matter what skin or eyes they had just like people were still people no matter their features. Murder was sick and stupid. (Something Ed, despite having joined the military, never wished to do. To become.) Just like racism was beyond fucking stupid.

Before Edward could shoot the idea down dead like bird he noticed from the corner of his eye Nina's hands were trembling (in hopeful excitement, in nervousness, in fucking what?) and how pale they actually were. They were pale even compare to people with "superior" skin, to people who weren't desert "savages."

Edward didn't know why but his stomach felt worse. Something inched in his brain but his eyes ached, the books behind him dug into his neck, and Nina wanted to play.

"Sure."

Nina's smile was as bright as the sun and Edward felt a bit better. Now this was a sun Ed would happily burn his waxed wings for but sadly the sun of Nina Tucker would be burnt out (or rather blown out like she was a simple candle instead of a fucking kid) before that would ever happen.