I'm so sorry about not updating last weekend. It was super hectic! I was all over the place, doing random shit for school and getting shot with an air soft gun by almost all of my neighbors. That only succeeded in stalling me on my English and Science projects do the next day. Not only that, but I was recovering from a bunch of shots to the face and on my arms because I was in short sleeves when they ambushed me. I was uncomfortable all weekend. Fucking rays of sunshine, right?

Enough of my useless quibbling…

Ed sat in his designated desk, staring at the test before him. When he had woken up in the morning, he was half an hour late to the pre exam speech. From there, each student was assigned a classroom and desk where they would spend as much time as the needed to finish the test. And now the teen, an hour into the testing time, he still had a blank sheet of paper.

Sighing, Ed looked out the window, contemplating whether he really wanted to take the exam. If he didn't, he wouldn't have a choice but to go back to his old town. But that wasn't a thing he was too excited about.

For the past seven years, he had been living in a halfway house for delinquents. While it hadn't been the most horrible of conditions, they weren't technically legal, either. The man who was supposed to be taking care of the kids, Greed as people called him, was a drug lord and never home. He was always out with some gang or prostitutes. So it fell to each individual kid to fend for themselves, get their own food, clothes, and any other necessity. If you wanted it, you had to get it yourself. Lots of times, Ed had wandered the streets at night, looking for food or something warm to wear.

That's why he could never forgive Hohenheim. If that bastard had never abandoned his family seven years ago, he never would have been in this situation. Not to mention that his mother probably would have lived longer. And then Al…

Oh God, Al…

Ed grabbed fistfuls of his hair, telling himself to forget about his little brother. He was never going to see him again.

Someone beside him coughed, and turned his attention to a girl with long blonde hair next to him. She looked to the front of the room a couple of times, indicating for him to follow suit. He redirected his gaze up to Hohenheim, who stood at the front of the classroom, with his arms crossed and slight frown on his face. Ed glared at the man, cursing him in his mind. He didn't want anything to with that bastard.


As soon as Winry sat down, she closed her eyes and concentrated on the study guide she completed yesterday, reviewing the answers. When the one hundred question test was set before her, she got to work immediately.

An hour later, Winry was only on the fifteenth question. She quickly glanced to the boy sitting next to her. He was the one that was the headmaster's son. Without a second glance, she could tell he hadn't filled out any of the questions yet. He hadn't even picked up his pencil yet. All he did was stare out the window and sigh. Winry turned back to her own test, not wanting to be caught looking around the room. That would defiantly get her kicked out of the school.

Out of habit, Winry checked the clock for the time. That's when she noticed the headmaster staring in her direction. He wasn't looking at her, but at his son, who still sat the doing nothing, completely oblivious. Winry gave a little cough to get his attention, and as soon as he turned her direction, she nearly gasped out loud. He looked exactly like Van Hohenheim. Keeping her head towards the boy, she glanced a few times in the headmaster's direction, silently telling him to look that way. Once he did, his face instantly twisted into a scowl, and he glared at his father. Shocked, Winry kept her eyes on him until he focused his glare on her. Embarrassed, she ducked her head and started working on her test again.


Dammit!

Roy let out a frustrated sigh. Last year, the test questions had been much easier. This year though, they actually provided a challenge, and Riza and Maes sat on the other side of the room. That put a big dampener on his fun, and Winry was all alone in another classroom. He briefly wondered how the others were doing, but he decided his own problems were more important.

He was on the fifty-eighth question, and it had already been two and a half hours since he started. Last year, he finished within three hours, now there was no way he could do that again. It was depressing really, because once you finish your test, you get to leave and do whatever you want.

"Five minute break." One of the teachers overlooking the exam said.

"Yes!" Roy yelled, dashing out of the room before the teachers could reprimand him.

During the course of the exam, you got five minute breaks here and there. Roy waited in the hallway for his more civilized friends. When they emerged, they walked to the water fountain together, and stretched their legs. One of the classrooms from down the hall was just getting out, and Roy waited to see if Winry was in it. At the end of the crowd, he spotted Winry, who was struggling to keep up with Ed, who was saying something to her.

Roy grabbed Maes and Riza's arms and spun them to face Ed and Winry. "Look!"


"Break time! You've got five minutes." A teacher told them.

As the other students filtered out of the classroom, Ed stood up slowly, popping his back as he pushed on it. He hadn't planned on leaving the classroom, but the presence of another person watching him motivated him to leave.

"Why aren't you writing down answers on another person watching him motivated him to leave.

"Why aren't you writing down answers on your test?" The girl from before asked him.

"Why aren't you minding your own business?" He replied.

Winry followed him out of the room, trying to keep pace, but it was hard when he walked so fast. "You're gonna run out of time if you don't start the test soon."

"Maybe I don't know the answers." Ed told her, and then walked into the boy's bathroom, where she couldn't follow.

Winry considered waiting for him, but someone tapped her on the shoulder. "Winry."

She turned around surprised. "Where have you been?"


Don't know the answers my ass!

Winry gripped her pencil harder at the sound of Ed flipping the page on his test once again. God! That had to be like the third time in what? An hour? Nobody can whip through three pages just like that! It wasn't possible!

Why was he even trying now? Before, he hadn't done a thing, what was different now? He even glared at his father! Winry checked the clock again, four hours. Only three more until the deadline. For some reason, she couldn't concentrate this year. Last year, it was so much easier, and she had all her friends sitting around her. They had silently encouraged her, but now, they were in a different room! What was she supposed to do now?

Ed stood up, and Winry followed him with her gaze. He said something to the teacher and then left with his test in hand. She drifted off into her own world, thinking about how weird he was. She wondered how someone could have gold hair like that, long and thick.

And his eyes are like pools of honey…

Winry blushed and shook her head viciously. She was not going to drift off thinking about hair and eyes!

Focus woman, focus!


Ed walked out into the hallway and into the direction of the front office. He had just finished his test and was on his way to turn it in. He wasn't even sure why he decided to take it. Whatever it was, it sure as hell wasn't because of his father. Ed stopped in the middle of the corridor and glared at an announcement board.

This is so stupid. Why did I finish the test if I don't even want to be here?

Someone walked past him and broke Ed from his reverie. For a moment, an odd tingling sensation filled him, and he turned around. But the person was already entering another room, and was soon out of sight. Ed dismissed the feeling and continued on his way. As he turned the final corner to the main office, he suddenly ran into the shoulder of another being. Looking up, Ed frowned upon seeing Roy again.

"Whoa, it's the bean sprout!" Roy said, steadying himself.

"Bean sprout?!" Ed shouting. "Who're you callin' so short that you have to use a magnifying glass to see over the threads of the carpet?!"

A secretary stomped out of the office, she did not look amused. "I'm sure everyone in the building would appreciate it if you kept your voices down," She hissed. "There are still a number of students testing. So if you have no business here, please relocate yourselves."

Ed pushed his test out towards the lady. "I'm done, so I came to hand it in."

"Same here." Roy said, holding his test out as well.

The secretary gave a short glare, taking the tests, and entering the office again. The moment she could no longer hear them, Roy started laughing. After a little hesitation, Ed joined in. When their laughter reached an intolerable level, a teacher came out and escorted them from the building.


The boy watched from down the hall as his friend and another guy laughed, getting increasingly louder. He stood there watching as they got dragged out of the building, wondering if he should help them. Clutching his test, he hurried off to the office, careful not to cause any noise.

"Al!"

Al turned around at the surprised voice of Riza. "Hi, Riza."

"Where were you? Everyone was so worried that you wouldn't make it because Winry had said your flight got delayed or something. And then you weren't at the speech, so we thought you didn't make it."

"Yeah," Al rubbed the back of his head. "I missed the opening speech, and barely made it to the class I was assigned."

Riza matched the younger boy's pace and walked with him towards the main office. "At least you made it, though. Everyone was worried when we didn't see you this morning."

Al laughed and looked away from his blonde friend. They continued on their way, and after they had handed in their tests, they decided to get something to eat. While munching on chips, Al realized that he had no idea what room he was in. Last year, he had a room all to himself. He doubted that would be the case again this year. He wondered what kind of person his roommate would be.

As if reading his mind, Riza asked, "Since you got here late, did you get to drop your stuff off at your room?"

"Well," Riza said, checking her wristwatch, "I'll probably have a little time before Maes and Winry are done. So, want me to help you?"

Al smiled gratefully. "Yes!"


"Wow," Al commented. "My room's all the way on the fourth floor."

Riza huffed in reply and set the majority of Al's things on the ground. She had carried almost everything by herself, and Al was forced to remember to never get in a fight with this girl, he'd lose. "411, right?" She asked once she caught her breath.

Al nodded, hesitant to open the door. If he did, what kind of roommate would be waiting for him on the other side? Slowly, Alphonse reached for the handle. Millimeters away from the knob, the door suddenly swung open and Al barely had the time to step back before something small and golden crashed into him.

"The hell?!" Edward yelled, looking up at the obstruction in his way.

The string of curses Ed was prepared to set free from his mind abruptly died away. Standing before him was a girl with blonde hair and a boy with golden eyes, only a few shades darker. He knew this face, no, he remembered this face. While his features were more mature, and far more prominent, it was definitely the same sandy blonde hair, soft, understanding eyes, and the same nervous smile he used to wear whenever he met someone new. Right before Ed's eyes sat his baby brother.

Ed drew in a quiet breath and whispered, "Alphonse…"

AHHHHHH! I wanted to write their reunion differently…but my brain is currently dead. 11 hours of sleep, 3 bowls of ramen, and a shit ton of anime can do that to a person.

Anyways, you guys know the drill…review and I might feel like updating faster. I could use some serious motivation.