So, as the title says, this is an October 3rd tribute. It is sort of late—well, really late, but enjoy anyway! No flames. None at all, please.

Disclaimer: I don't own Fullmetal Alchemist. And also, this one-shot actually has events from both the original 2003 anime and Brotherhood. So it's all mixed up, but I hope it still works.

October 3, 1908

Ed can't imagine anything will ever go wrong in his life. He and Alphonse play with Winry almost every day, and he's been having a lot of fun learning alchemy. His mom is totally perfect, and…well, without his dad, he's still doing fine. Even if he misses him just that little bit. He still wishes his dad will come back pretty soon though, so Mom can cheer up.

October 3, 1909

It's been pretty hard training with Teacher like this every single day, but it's worth it. He'll be able to see his mom again if he works hard enough. Alphonse is also excited, but apprehensive about bringing Mom back. They'll discuss it later, though. Teacher is strict, but nice. She trains them very well, and he likes learning about so much alchemy besides the fact that it's to bring back his mom. And the fighting skills are pretty awesome, too. It's very satisfying to fly through the air and land a good, solid kick to Teacher's arm, although disappointing that she beats him every time.

Still, he has something very important to live for, and he'll see it through no matter what.

October 3, 1910

He failed. That's all he can think right now. The pain doesn't matter; all that matters is that he FAILED. He's sobbing when Alphonse…wakes up? Comes to? Turns on? And he explains, defeat heavy in his heart. Then he blacks out. The next second, he hears a man's voice saying something. For some reason, his eyes are tightly closed, and he can't move them an inch. Or even a millimeter, he thinks sarcastically.

"…see potential in them. They performed human transmutation for goodness sake, and survived! They could do a lot for the military, and gain many opportunities by being a State Alchemist."

"I'll have none of this nonsense! Go! All you military men bring is trouble!"

Pinako. What's he doing at the Rockbell home? And in this comfy bed? He realizes this as he shifts a little to get comfortable. Nobody notices though, and then the military man is speaking again.

"The name's Lieutenant-Colonel Roy Mustang. State Alchemist. Pay me a visit in Central sometime."

The door creaks, and then he's left. His mind suddenly starts whirring again. And he falls asleep coming up with plans for the future.

October 3, 1911

He ambles down the dusty path leading down to the lake. Alphonse is already there, practicing. "It's been enough time," Alphonse announces, turning toward Ed. "You should see what you can do."

"To train the mind to its potential, you gotta train the body," Ed recites. "At least that's what Teacher said. But I don't know. How good can you be as an empty heap of steel?" "Better than a couple chunks of automail; I know that." Ed smirks, then suddenly thrusts his arm out in a punch. Al blocks, and while they're sparring, they discuss what they're going to do. The atmosphere is serious and quiet, until they start arguing and Ed kicks Al into the shallow water. "Aghh!" Al lets out in surprise, as he flies through the air. Ed laughs, then pulls him out again. Ed still holds stubbornly onto his side of the argument, of him being the only to try be a State Alchemist, and eventually Alphonse relents.

October 3, 1912

Sometimes, he just doesn't think he'll make it. Today's one of those days, especially because it's the day he committed a terrible crime and made a huge mistake. But he still can't rest; he has to keep on researching and discovering new leads to chase after. Alphonse is still as patient as ever. He flips through book after book quietly, just as he did yesterday and the day before that and the day before that. And suddenly, Ed can't stand it anymore. "STOP IT!" he bellows at the top of his lungs, causing many people to say, "SHHH," to him, including the librarian. Alphonse looks up, startled. "Ed?" he asks him uncertainly. Are you okay? And don't talk so loudly!" "I'll talk as loud as I want!" This causes the librarian to stalk over and glaring at him, say, "If you're going to continue this behavior, I'm going to kick you out!" "Fine! We're leaving anyway! Come on, Al!" and he grabs his suitcase, then marches out angrily.

Al chases after him, and they stop in Central Park. He waits for Al to say something, but he doesn't. And that makes him all the more infuriated. In the blink of an eye, he swivels around and flies at Alphonse, but Alphonse blocks all his kicks and punches. Other people back away warily, and he cackles in glee. Finally, winded, he sits down on the grass, and sighs. The tension and frustration he felt earlier is gone. "Sorry 'bout that, Al," he murmurs. "It's okay. We should probably take the day off, anyway. It is getting pretty boring and frustrating."

Ed wants to protest, but something holds him back. And then he relaxes. "Yeah, we probably should," he says, startling Al. "Wait—what? You—huh? You really—you actually think—" he sputters, totally blown away. And Ed smiles, something he hasn't done in a long time. Al stops, staring at him, then bounces up as happily as a suit of armor can. "Let's go!" he shouts, and skips off, Ed chasing after him, laughing.

October 3, 1913

Today, Ed just doesn't have the heart in it to smash the door open and vigorously smack his report on Colonel Mustang's desk. So, he doesn't. He just opens the door as if he were any normal person coming to visit, and puts his report in Mustang's already outstretched hand. Then, without even saying a word, plops himself onto the couch with a sigh. Everybody stares at him. Of course, Mustang hasn't really thought about what day it is yet, and is also ogling at him, his normally thin, dark eyes wide open. First Lieutenant Riza Hawkeye is the first to respond.

"Edward…are you okay? Is something wrong? Or did you just decide to be civil today?" She ends with a teasing tone, trying to get a rise out of him. "No, everything's fine, I'm just tired." It seems to be a little unconvincing, so he tries to add a yawn in there as well. Mustang adds a threatening tone in his voice as he says, "Edward, if you don't tell me what's going on right now, well, my being your superior officer, I can—" "Colonel, just shut up, will you?" Ed says, and promptly lies down and closes his eyes. Mustang keeps pestering him though, and eventually Ed sits up, opens his eyes, and says, "Okay, okay, it's so tiring to argue with you right now. It's just…today's October 3rd, okay? The day…the day I made a terrible mistake." Then he gets up and walks out of the office, not bothering to close the door.

Mustang sticks his head out the door and shouts, "Wait! Ed! Come back! Don't just leave like that! Nobody else, not even Hawkeye knows what you're talking about!" "Well, do they have to know? I don't think so." The only evidence of Ed leaving the building is the tinkling of the bell attached to the main entrance door.

Sighing, Mustang shuts the door behind him, and sits on the couch Ed just vacated. Everybody stares at him now, and he says with another sigh, "I'm pretty sure Ed would prefer to be the one to tell you what's going on. So, I'm going to respect his wishes." He clamps his mouth shut after that, and goes back into his little office.

Before long, Havoc stands up, and says, "I'm going to search for Ed, and get the story out of him. Anybody coming?" Breda and Falman stand ups simultaneously, and both hurriedly say, "I am!" Fuery looks at them, then stands up too and walks over to their little group. All eyes are on Hawkeye now. She nods, then briskly walks out the door. They follow, and soon all of them are standing in a little huddle outside in the slight drizzle. Besides Hawkeye, that is. She's already heading to the library, making sure he isn't there before searching in other areas. They all trail after Hawkeye during the whole search, but she doesn't mind. It's easier to keep an eye on them this way, anyway.

Before long, they're walking down the streets, looking in the windows of all the shops lining the side of the road. Pretty soon though, Breda notices a flash of golden hair out of the corner of his eye, and whips his head in that direction. Yep, that's Edward, all right. The bright red jacket is easy to spot, and…is that a flower shop he's in? "Hey! First Lieutenant Hawkeye! Look! Isn't that Edward?" All of them hurry to stand beside him, and their eyes all move in the same direction. "Come on! Let's follow him!" Falman is the one to suggest of all people, and they stalk him all the way to the cemetery.

Ed's known that they've been following him this whole time, but he still pretends as if he was the only one there. He carefully places a couple flowers on each grave—this cemetery is a small one—then kneels in front of Nina's. He whispers to her, telling her that he hopes she's having fun, and not to worry about him and Al. After saying what he wants, he stands up, brushes himself off, then says, "Hey, guys," after turning around. All of them jump—except for Hawkeye—and squeal a little in surprise. "Oh, um, hi Ed!" Fuery stutters, and he walks toward them. "You probably want to know why I put flowers on each grave, right?" Ed says casually. So he starts with his childhood, calmly telling every bit of the story behind him. Eventually, he ends with saying, "So, on October 3rd, I'm honoring the fact that the dead can and will only stay dead."

Hawkeye's eyes are soft as she says, "Oh, Edward," and the rest of the guys nod solemnly, looking at him in a whole new light. Then Edward laughs. "Come on, let's go back to the office," he says, feeling much better for some reason.

October 3, 1914

Edward is quietly sitting on the porch when Winry steps out into the moonlight. She's really pretty this way, but no way would he ever admit that to her. She sits next to him, and is the first to break the silence. "Missing your mom?" she says, her voice full of empathy. "Yeah. Every year on this day, I always remember and miss her the most, and it's just…" "I know." They sit there for a little longer, before Winry says, "Even though she's gone, you still have us, you know. Granny and I will always be here for you." He blushes and says, "Yeah. Thank you." And then he surprises her by wrapping his arms around her for a moment before quickly letting go. She won't let him, and hugs him tightly, her voice muffled as she says, "I miss you, Edward. I miss both you and Al. Just…finish your journey soon, okay? You've got to, or else…I don't' know what I'd do without my best friends." He blushes even harder, and hugs her again before gently prying her arms off of him. "Well, I better get to sleep now, long day tomorrow. We need to get up early to catch the 6 am train." And he goes back inside, leaving her along. She misses him more than ever, knowing that she loves him.

October 3, 1915

They've succeeded. His heart is thumping with joy, and he just wants to run around in circles, although doesn't, for fear of leaving Al behind again. "Go on ahead, Brother, I'll just rest here for a moment." Al's body is still slightly malnourished, even though he's been eating and sleeping perfectly well for the past few weeks, and the doctors say he's made an amazing recovery. "No, Al, we started this journey together, so we're ending it together." Al chuckles, then stands up again and continues.

And they're finally home. Den jumps onto Al, knocking him over, and Ed smiles happily, wishing he could capture this happy memory forever. Then the door opens, and there's Winry, and she literally flies toward them, landing on top of them both, crying tears of happiness. And Ed finally feels whole inside, for once completely overwhelmed with happiness.

You may have noticed that I've changed a few events, and that some quotes aren't actually what they said in the anime, but I already wrote the few parts before I started putting in actual quotes, and I didn't want to change it again. But it still flows with the story, right? …Right? Well. Anyway. That was REALLY long. I typed that for like, EVER. So, PLEASE REVIEW FOR MY HARD WORK. But no flames, PLEASE. I'm saying please!