Chapter 2: Inheritance

Dear Journal,

(I thought I'd say Journal now; it's more accurate.)

I figured something out about myself today! I'm not sure if it's a good thing or a bad thing, but it's super cool!

I was practicing my alchemy, like I usually do in the afternoons, ever since Ed was born, (I made a three foot tall pony for Mom the other day; she said she was really proud of me, and she called a photographer to have our first family picture taken around it! ^-^) and I was just thinking about making a life-sized, realistically colored lion to add to my collection of wooden animals and how it might not work because we were running out of spare wood, when there was a strange crackling noise, kind of like normal alchemy but different, and a flash of red light! Then, the next thing I knew, there was a lion just like the one I was imagining right next to me!

I was amazed! It didn't even use up any physical elements like Equivalent Exchange dictates. Actually, I'm still amazed! As soon as I'd gotten over my shock, I grabbed my Journal and started writing. The only explanation I can think of for this is that I inherited Hohenheim's Philosopher's Stone powers, only without all the souls in me. That would be icky. Plus, I'm pretty sure I would've noticed if I had a bunch of screaming people inside me, so it must just be the powers.

I'm not sure what to say to my parents... They have enough to worry about with Alphonse on the way, and Dad hasn't told me about himself yet. I feel like if I ever tell him, he might not leave to stop the Homunculi from destroying the world as soon; there's a good chance he'll stay longer to look out for me, and I don't want that; the world is more important than me. So I guess I'll keep it a secret for now. Hopefully I can at least tell Mom before she dies.

This made Juvia pause. Her thoughts had quickly begun to wander from the excitement of finding out about her powers to the realization that she'd have to keep a secret...to her mother's death.

The beautiful four year old sat there under her favorite tree, the conspicuous lion carving sitting majestically—as all of her creations were—a few feet away, and a few warm, sparkly tears welled up in her eyes at the thought of Trisha dying. She'd grown to love that woman as a real mother. Would she really have to sit by and let a sickness take her away?

'Yes,' Juvia reminded herself, stealing her face bravely in such a way that allowed for a small blush of compassion to grace her diamond-tear stained face—a temporary attraction that would have everyone who saw her crying along with her, if only so that they might see a sympathetic smile be added into the mix of cuteness. 'I have to put the world first, Edward—and soon Alphonse—second, and Trisha Elric last.' Yes, she would do everything she could to protect the world.

"Hey! Hey, Juvia Rosemary!"

Said girl looked up, a curious expression playing across her features, as Ralf, a boy who was physically a year older than her, ran over. He was a plain boy, with dirty blond hair and regular brown eyes, who Juvia had once found being bullied near the school she had yet to attend due to her physical age. She'd given the perpetrators a good talking to and a shove, (she'd never seriously hurt anyone unless they were really evil, like Envy) and they'd left the boy alone after that. In fact, they seemed to have changed their ways; she'd even grown to be tentative friends with a couple of them.

Usually Ralf looked quite upbeat when he was around Juvia—she knew he had a crush on her, but she decided not to say anything yet for the sake of his precious little heart—but right now he seemed to be hyperventilating; he'd been running fast. "Juvia! Y-your mom, she—"

"Whoa, calm down there, Ralf!" Juvia comforted, clipping her notebook shut and standing up. "What's going on?"

Ralf swallowed and nodded, his breathing becoming more normal by the second. "Your mom. She's having your brother right now! And there's something wrong!"

"WHAT?!" Juvia gasped, her voice ringing like so many chimes. She started toward the house with a brief nod of thanks toward her friend.

"I was just passing by," Ralf quickly added, jogging a few feet with her. "They sent me to get you in case...in case—"

"It won't be her final moments," Juvia growled like the purr of a wildcat. Her tears began sparkling anew. 'It can't be; what could possibly be wrong with her now?'

When she got home, Juvia found her mother laying unconscious in her bed, Granny Pinako standing by her. "Granny!" Juvia cried, her eyes filled with tears at the idea that Trisha might lose her life now; it would be a loss far greater than just that of a mother and wife, so her worries right now were far too many for her little body to handle; not only was the entire world at stake, but she might lose her mom! Vice versa vice versa. "Is she going to be all right? Mama!" She threw herself onto the bed and sat straight, a hand on her mother's belly as though she were trying to protect Alphonse from harm as well.

Pinako sighed sadly, which was never a good sign. "I'm afraid I've done all I can," she murmured, "I don't really know what's wrong, so there's not much I could've done in the first place."

"What about Daddy?" Juvia asked urgently. "Where is he? I know he can fix her!"

Pinako gave Juvia the kind of look that an adult would give a naive child who thinks their parents can conjure a miracle out of thin air. The difference here was that Van Hohenheim really could. But Granny didn't know that. "Your father's been out for the past half hour. I told Ralf to go fetch him after finding you, but I don't know how much good it will do. Juvia," she whispered sympathetically, placing her own tiny hand atop the little girl's. "Please, be prepared for what might happen. You might lose her. But Aunt Sara, Uncle Urey and I—"

"NO!" Juvia's little heart raced, her voice chimed beautifully once more, but this time with heavy tears of silk that only made her look more adorable. She looked into Pinako's eyes, and she sighed in what seemed like defeat. "Can you..." she whispered, "can you let me be with her alone?"

Granny Pinako bowed her head sadly, and she left. She knew Juvia was the most important thing to her mother; if Trisha was going to awaken at any time before her death, it would be good for her to see her daughter one last time. The old woman walked into the other room and gazed heartfully into the eyes of her son, who had been helping her at first, but had moments ago come in here to take care of the previously crying Edward. They spoke for a few moments, then, agreeing it was best for now, they took Edward back to their own house so that he wouldn't be left uncared for until his father returned.

Back with Trisha, Juvia was thinking. She wasn't sobbing, she wasn't giving up—no, she was thinking. If Hohenheim could save his beloved with his Philosopher's Stone powers, then...why couldn't she? Juvia didn't know much about birth; she'd read plenty of the medical textbooks the Rockbells had at their house, but they kept her away from things like this due to her apparent age, so she wasn't an expert. But maybe her powers were. Maybe they would heal her mother if she just wished for it.

If she just placed her hand over Trisha's stomach...

Closed her eyes...

A crackling sound commenced, and Juvia's eyes snapped open. Trisha's pained expression seemed to relax, but then it immediately scrunched up in pain, and the technically-mentally-nineteen year old panicked. If what she did worked, then Alphonse was about to be born, and the Rockbells had left.

Well...as she always thought, it was up to her now.

"I almost can't believe it!" Trisha laughed, healthy as ever now that the birth was over. She lay in her bed, her arms wrapped around her new baby. The whole family was here, Rockbells and all, and no one was as happy as Juvia. Trisha coed at her baby, "You're just a little miracle, aren't you?"

Pinako chuckled. "I think it would be more accurate to say Juvia here's a miracle. I left her here with you and came back expecting to find her mourning your body, but what do I find instead? You two, coddling up to a child who never should've been."

Hohenheim smiled uncomfortably, having been stuck with the situation of holding Edward again, and set the softest eyes he could on his daughter. "I'm so grateful for you, Juvia," he murmured fondly.

Juvia smiled, big and wide, like the little girl she was pretending to be. Because right now, after that...she felt like the responsibility of the whole world was on her shoulders. Obviously things could go wrong; this world wasn't exactly perfect to the anime, and it was likely that she had something to do with it. It was a good thing she'd inherited her father's abilities, otherwise she might not be able to keep things from falling into the hands of The Dwarf Homunculus.

"So," Aunt Sara started, completely oblivious to the thoughts in the Mary Sue's head. "what're you going to call him?"

"Hmm..." Trisha gazed down at her newest son, and she immediately knew exactly what she wanted to call him. "How about—"

"Alphonse!" Juvia blurted out, fearing that her mother would come up with something else. She loved the name Alphonse; she adored thinking of him how he would be in the future. A name is a powerful thing, after all; it had to be Alphonse.

The adults looked at her in surprise, but eventually Trisha just smiled. "All right, Alphonse it is."

And thus the Elric Brothers are born.

Yay making things up as I go along!

Important Note: I don't know how often I'll update this, since I actually have a couple other things I'm writing away from this and stuff going on in real life, but it's not that hard to write, since I don't have to make everything (anything) make sense. So it shouldn't be half a year at any point between chapters. I just felt that I had to mention that. (*yawns* Why do I only find time to write in the evening? =-=)