The closest house was like they had originally thought about a mile away. It wasn't as big as the other house and didn't have a fence. But it did have lots of flowers all over the yard and was a bright homely yellow. Ed and Al looked at each other wondering if there was any point in asking the person seeing as from the report the family hadn't been close with a lot of people. Still there had to be some clue as to what had happened to the family.

As they approached the house a large click resounded making them spin around,

"Brother!"

Al yelled as he saw that Ed was staring down the barrel of a shot gun held up by an older woman in a dirty yellow sweatshirt and worn blue jeans,

"Who the hell are you and what do you want?"

Edward figured they found the right place because with the gun she either had to be crazy or protecting something. He sighed not particularly afraid that she was holding him at gun point,

"My name is Edward Elric and this is my younger brother Al"

He said as he motioned to Al and she gave him that look most did when they didn't believe he was the eldest,

"I also go by the state name of the fullmetal alchemist"

Her eyes widened and she propped up her gun making Al twitch reading to move if it got dangerous but Ed held up a hand as if to hold him back,

"I don't care who you is but ain't no dog of the state allowed on my property, get out!"

Edward looked back at her angry blue eyes with intensity,

"I know your trying to protect that family but they need more than what you can provide,"

Her eyes wavered

"We can help, we understand what they're going through"

She slowly lowered her gun as she saw the sincerity in his eyes but there was something else a pain that she had seen not to long before, she sighed taking a hand to ruffle through her already messy graying brown hair.

"Come in"


They sat on the couch in what seemed to be the living room, despite the smallness of the house it was spacious inside. She brought a tray with three cups of steaming tea placing it on the table in front of them as she picked up her cup and plopped down heavily on the chair across,

"So why are you here?"

She said wearily, it became clear after taking the time to look at her that there were bags under her eyes from lack of sleep and she seemed as if she was carrying the world on her shoulders.

"We got a report that dangerous alchemy was performed in the house next door, we were sent to investigate."

Edward said as he took the cup of tea offered,

"And?"

She spit,

"What will you do after you find the truth huh?"

It was obvious that she didn't trust them still, Al put up his hands submissively,

"We just need to know the truth we wouldn't make any judgment until we gathered all the facts."

She put down her empty cup and looked down, she wasn't won over but she honestly didn't know how to handle the situation herself,

"Do you know what happened?"

She looked up at the tin man, despite his large size his voice sounded young and sweet and put her at ease a bit,

"Can't say I know about what's going on really. All that magic and stuff was never something I wanted to be a part of"

"Alchemy"

Edward corrected earning himself a glower from the older woman,

"Whatever you want to name the witchcraft. The night it happened though…"

Al looked at Edward who was already done with his tea and was watching the woman like a hawk,

"It was stormy, storms pass through often here in this season so it wasn't a surprise but that night there was a bright light."

Her eyes closed as she tried to recall the events,

"I was getting ready for bed, changed and everything. I was reading like I usually do, the storm was pretty bad so I decided to close the curtains when in the direction of their house there was a bright light. It was blue at first but then it changed…"

The boys could recall when their own transmutation began to fail how the colors changed,

"I thought they were playing with fireworks and didn't pay much mind, I mean it wouldn't be the first time. Later I heard a loud scream…"

She covered her ears as if trying to block out the sound and Ed and Al watched as she trembled,

"It wasn't a scream you can fake, it was shrill and painful as if someone was being murdered… I had never heard anything so heart retching"

Al reached out to the petrified woman as he touched her she jumped eyes wide in fright but she seemed to returned to reality,

"It wasn't even an hour later that I heard banging on the door, I was almost too scared to open it but it sounded so desperate and the storm was still going so I went to open it and…"

She shook her head,

"there in the door she was carrying them, James the younger one in her arms and Christopher slung on her back… there was so much blood it was almost as if she bathed in it…"

This startled Ed,

"Wait who was carrying them?"

She looked at him dubiously,

"Who else but their sister Ash?"

Ed's widened as he suddenly remembered that they had an older sister,

"Brother perhaps she was the one…"

Al said breaking his train of thought and he merely nodded. The one that had destroyed the house and evidence could have been her, but the question was why go so far?

"So what happened next?"

Ed asked getting back on topic, the woman shook her head

"It was such a blur I remember her asking me to help her and then next thing I know I'm running around getting water and supplies as she tried to save those two boys"

"Did she?"

Al asked and watched as a sad smile came across her face,

"Unbelievable as it is, she did. I'd never seen such determination in anyone before."

Al snapped his neck to Ed who was also in shock. It would seem that both children had survived, but how?

Creaking was heard from the stairs as someone hobbled down,

"Who are they?"