A/N: Thank you to everyone who had put this story as their favorite and reviewed! I"m glad you guys liked the story and sorry for the delay. Got caught up in all the schoolwork they gave me and I had to work... it was pretty hard to find time to write sometimes.
But now its here so I can take a day or two break before starting to write the next chapter. Hope you enjoy it and thanks to my best friend who critiqued my writing for me. Really appreciate it! :)
4 years later….
The sun burning brightly and the clear blue sky gave a warm and luscious feeling to this small yet friendly town. Sheep bleating and the horns of departing trains were all the three heard as they raced home with baskets containing vast varieties of fruits and vegetables.
Their feet scurried through the fields that they use as a shortcut to return home. The oldest sibling in the lead. His golden-blonde bangs brushed against his cheeks as he slightly turned his head around to view his younger siblings attempting to catch up to him. The boy's golden eyes shimmered with content and his single strand of hair that stood like an antenna moved with the blowing wind.
"Come on you slowpokes! You guys wouldn't be able to beat a snail with a broken leg with that speed!"
The boy trailing behind his brother grinned towards his silly tease. His short golden-blond hair hardly swayed, the most that moved is the small parting he has on the left side. His eyes were gold, much like his brother's but much wider. He could barely contain his enthusiasm.
"It's not over yet Ed! We'll catch up to you before you know it! Right Leeza?"
The third child, who ran beside them, took notice at her name being called as she struggled to catch up.
She ran side by side with her second older brother. Out of the three, her appearance contrasted from her brothers.
Her black hair reached her shoulder blades and her bangs covered her forehead. Instead of gold, her eyes are the color of sapphires and shined much brighter than any other Amestrians'. Leeza's light-colored skin stood her out from her brothers' sun kissed tone, but nothing could change how they felt about one another. They were a family, no matter what the differences are.
"Yeah, let's go get him Al!" He nodded his head in agreement and they increased their speed.
Pretty soon their house came into view and a beautiful woman was there, hanging up the laundry on the clothesline. The three dashed towards her, screaming out one word to capture her attention, "Mom!"
Her head swiveled around and smiled warmly at them as they rushed to greet her.
Her brown hair rested on her right shoulder with the bottom tied with a red band. Her charcoal-gray eyes watched as her children came to greet her with baskets of food in their hands. Edward approached her first and his younger siblings reached them a few seconds after.
Alphonse lightly tugged his mother's light purple dress that had a white apron in front. "Mom," he said, "sorry we're late, but we brought the groceries you asked!"
"That's wonderful. Thank you very much." Leeza handed her mother her basket.
"Now why don't you three go inside and clean up while I prepare supper?" Their mother, Trisha, implied. Immediately, Ed and Al handed their baskets to her as well and they entered the house and disappeared when they turned down the hall.
Trisha entered the kitchen and began cleaning the fruits and vegetables her mind uncharacteristically wondering about her adopted daughter. It was funny really how she became one with the family when in the beginning that wasn't the plan. She remembered the day her and her husband Hohenheim opened the front door because of the disturbance heard outside. To their surprise there was a baby wrapped in a light blue blanket alone on their doorstep. No signs of anyone having been there to place her in the first place. Trisha insisted that they bring her inside for the night and then call the Rockbells in the morning for assistance. After that, they develop a search for information on, who she was and where she's from. Maybe even find her parents while they were at it. Her husband though hesitant supported her through all her choices.
Nevertheless, after weeks of searching, they noted that no one had the slightest idea who the baby belonged to or even if she was from Resembool. The final solution was to send her to an orphanage and maybe there she could have a new family adopt her. However, her two boys had grown attached to Leeza, especially Ed, in their short period of time. Her, at the time, two years old would play with her along with Al. In no time at all they ended up adopting her as one of their own.
Once supper was ready, Trisha went in search of her children, only to find them in her husband's study. Books were scattered across the wooden floor and the three responsible were sitting around a diagram drawn on the floor.
"Did you guys mess up your father's study again?" She then focused on her eldest son who held a piece of chalk in his hand. "And Ed, I thought you knew better than to scribble on the floor."
They stared at their mother, confused that she did not know what they were actually doing. Ed was the first to answer her.
"But it's not scribbling its alchemy, See look."
He placed his hands against the transmutation circle and it flashed for a short moment a strange blue light illuminating were he has drawn and a wooden figured bird was in the middle of the circle.
"Oh wow! That's alchemy!" She moved closer to them and kneeled down in front of her eldest son's creation. "When did your father teach you this?" She asked.
"He didn't," it was Leeza who answered this time, "We learned alchemy all on our own by reading these books."
"Yea how can he teach us if he's never even here?" Ed murmured bitterly. Leeza nodded in agreement. Although she did not hold hatred towards her father like her brother, she did contain feelings of abandonment, but would never really understand what she felt towards him until they meet again. That is, if they ever meet again.
"I can't believe you guys did all this..." Trisha exclaimed motioning around her at the scatters books and papers then finally landing on the transmutation circle in front of her. Their mother's words had made them feel tang guilt for attempting alchemy.
"Are you mad at us?" Al asked in place of all three of them.
"What! Of course not Al I'm proud! You boys really do take from your father and Leeza; you're really a natural, my little geniuses!" she ruffled Leeza's hair to emphasizes her point and not worry her children.
Delighted by their mother's approval and encouragement, they smiled brightly, proud that they had made their loving mother smile.
"Now come along, foods ready." She stood up from the floor and motioned for them to join her.
The Elrics went to the dining room together, discussing about what they had learned to their mother. Trisha's smile and ongoing encouragement motivated them to study more, practice more, and at one point compete with each other on who could make her smile the most. Leeza has come to love her mother and her older brothers. Really the difference in appearance was noticeable and she wasn't stupid enough to believe that she born into the family. Neither the less she loved them for as long as she could remember, she has always been treated as part of the family in fact, everyone in Resembool simply shrug off the differences and believed that she was indeed an Elric. Regardless of the fact that their father had left them when she was three, at least she had her loving mother, brightening up her day all the time. It wasn't until a few years later that her entire world would come crumbling down.
OoOoOoO
"Mom! Mom wake up!"
"Al go retrieve granny! Leeza help me with mom! Leeza?!"
Everything was happening fast... so fast that it felt like a dream. It had to be one right? There's no way that their mother could be on the ground, collapsed, softly panting trying to gasp for air and sweating from her forehead.
Leeza hardly noticed Al leaving to get help or Ed leading her to mother and shouting orders on trying to move their mother's body into a comfortable position. For a moment, which seemed far longer to her, she sat next to her mom, clutching her hand tightly, afraid if she let go she would vanish before her very eyes. Her big brother was with her reassuring her that everything would turn out just fine. Though it sounded like he was trying to reassure himself than her. It was just a bad day. That's all...
The result was worse than what could even imagine. Al had returned home with granny and a doctor they called up before, but yet it was hopeless. Turns out it wasn't something her mom caught yesterday. In fact, she hid it from everyone for two years.
"I'm sorry. All we can do is wait for the inevitable."
In the next few days, the time came. The Elric's highly cherished mother died and had left them alone forever.
OoOoOoO
The funeral wasn't any easier. For Leeza, it was a bundle of words of farewell, some family friends were present and every time they approached her and her brothers they always said the same thing, "I'm sorry for your loss," with a hint of pity and sadness. Leeza would thank them monotonously, and remained beside her brothers, reluctant to return to their now empty house. The three wore black clothing, the boys in a suit and tie, and the sister in a simple dress which she borrowed from their childhood friend Winry Rockbell. Ed sympathetically observed Al and Leeza, making sure to comfort them if needed.
Al's body shook uncontrollably, but he managed to conceal a single tear, one which had managed to escape his restrain. Leeza took the death the hardest. Her mother was one of the few people she had treasured; someone who had truly made her feel like she truly belonged in the family, regardless of the fact that she was deposited on their doorstep. For Leeza, it was like she was robbed of a portion of her existence. She shed her hot tears, failing to contain them like her big brothers were. 'It's just not fair….' The only reason she had not completely broken down was because Ed would gently pat her head as a way to indicate his understanding of her feelings. She was only stabilized because they were there for her, just as she was for them. However, it wasn't enough….they needed their mother….with them….alive.
Soon the day turned to afternoon, with only them and the Rockbells, still at her grave. Soon evening arrived and all that remained were her and her brothers. Leeza was sitting by the gravel stone, hugging her knees and holding her urge to cry once again. Al stood behind her, next to Ed who felt useless. He should be able to help his siblings through this; actually none of this should be happening! They should be at home, studying alchemy together, and...their mom should be there smiling and complementing their creations.
"Brother..." Ed's thoughts were interrupted as he turned to Al. "Brother I'm cold, and hungry. What are we supposed to do? How are we supposed to go about our days now?"
Yes, what would they do? Suddenly, an idea sprouted in the oldest Elric's mind. He read it in a book once and this is the perfect occasion to see it through for a result worth having...mother.
"Human transmutation." Al and Leeza looked at Ed, perplexed at his sudden idea.
"We could bring her back by performing that..."
"But brother, the books read that it's forbidden! It's known as the ultimate taboo in alchemy!" Al protested.
"They probably wrote that so no one would try it and succeed before them," Ed said. "Look, all we need to do is get a teacher to teach us what we don't know while researching more without their knowledge. Then, once we're ready we can conduct the transmutation."
"But brother-"
"I want to try..." Leeza had been silently listening to the conversation, collecting her thoughts on the matter. On one hand, her oldest brother Ed is right on the matter that they could bring their dear mother back from the grave. On the other hand, big brother Al is right about it being too risky; there wasn't much information on it but on how it should never be performed. Although, why write it down if you don't want one to conduct it? If there's indeed a chance, then she believed she had to take it.
"I want to do it. I want to see mom smile again... That's why... We need to try..." Her body as if it had a mind of its own betrayed her at that moment and tears began to descend her worn down face.
Two sets of arms wrapped around her without any hesitation. She sniffed and nuzzled closer into the warmth her brothers granted her. It may not have been spoken out loud, but the three had the same exact decision in mind.
They would commit the ultimate taboo.
OoOoOoO
After a year, they had gotten a teacher to help them improve their alchemy.
After a year, they collected everything they needed for it to work.
After a year, they were ready.
"Water, 35 liters, Carbon, 20 kilograms, Ammonia, 4 liters, Lime, 1.5 kilograms, Phosphorous, 800 grams, Salt, 250 grams, Saltpeter, 100 grams. Sulfur, 80 grams, Fluorine, 7.5, iron, 5, silicon, 3 grams, and trace amounts of 15 other elements."
The three were in their father's study, only the light in that room was on. An enormous and complex transmutation circle covered the floor. In the middle contained the ingredients to resurrect their mother. They were done with creating flowers and dolls. It all came down to this very moment.
"Now all that's left is her blood." Leeza handed each of her brothers a knife which they used to prick their index fingers. Ed and Al held their hand out and allowed their blood to spill on to the ingredients.
"Our blood should be enough to pay for mom's soul," Ed stated as the three of them walked to the outside of the circle. "It's nothing really, just the spark that starts human life."
Together, they placed their hands onto the drawn circle. "This is it."
Bright blue light emerged from the circle, lighting the study. The three siblings smiled content that everything was going according to plan. When suddenly, a dark aura enveloped them. A crimson red color contrasting from the natural blue.
"Guys, something's wrong." Al pointed out a growing since of panic growing within him. Just then an enormous eye appeared in the center of the circle and small hands appeared from nowhere and latched onto them. The noise that followed was the piercing scream of agony coming from Al. His left arm began to deconstruct right before his eyes. Ed attempted to yell out his little brother's name, but he was unable to as he suddenly collapsed. His left leg was also disappearing, causing him to lose his footing. Blood was gushing everywhere. He tilted his head to look at what was left of his leg.
A blood curdling scream erupted in the air, forcing the eldest to momentarily ignore his left leg as his sister was being tangled in the small hands.
"Help!" She screeched as she struggled to break free from its grasp.
Her efforts were futile and she was kept immobilized and was forced to watch as her brother's bodies disappear. If that wasn't enough, her stomach churned seeing Ed's dematerialized leg spout massive amounts of blood all over the floor. The whole scene was simply too horrific to handle and believe, yet here they were, being attacked by a supernatural force. One that was slowly destroying them!
'We're going to die.' She panted in panic, her heart began to race in an unsteady beat, and she desperately continued to lash out at her restraints, but it only got worse when Al's body was deconstructing before her very eyes. She screamed his name out. Ed desperately reached out for him; both struggling to grab each other's outstretched hand. He could almost grab it…save him from this horrific nightmare. Unfortunately, it was too late, Al was gone. All that was left were his clothes littered on the spot where he was stolen from them. Ed cried in agony, and Leeza felt feelings of dread and despair caving in; same as when her mother had died. They failed both of them. They were gone forever. 'No... No... No…'
"NO!" Just then, her body erupted in a flash of blue. Leeza felt her body suddenly shift with her teeth feeling sharper, nails growing longer, ears stretching upwards, and she felt a slight outbreak from her lower back side. As fast as her transformation had happened, she was prevented from taking everything in and compelled her to now handle her current obstacle as she was hauled into a world of pure white.
A/N: We'll get to see how our protagonist handle the Truth in the next chapter with her new powers awakened as well.
How will the Elric brothers handle their little sister's awakened heritage? That will be explained as well.
See you guys soon!
