A/N: Hi everyone! I just want to clarify some things about this story beforehand, to make sure you don't get confused. Automail doesn't exist in this universe. This story is in Ed's POV, unless I say it isn't at the top I the chapter. And I'm referring to the anime, so it's Ishval, not Ishbal.

Disclaimer: This is for the whole story, I DO NOT OWN FULLMETAL ALCHEMIST OR IT'S CHARACTERS, NO MATTER HOW MUCH I WANT TO!

Chapter 1:

Run

..~•~..

I looked out the window of my small family's house as the raindrops fell outside. The window was cold as my hands pressed against the glass. Rain wasn't usually this cold in the middle of summer.

When I got bored observing the small droplets of water slamming into the building, I went to find Mom and Al. They always had something for me to do, no matter how bad the weather was.

"MOM!! AL!!" I shouted up the stairs, waiting for a response. I didn't get one. I ran up the stairs to try and find them. I heard our small radio playing in Mom's room.

"The war in Ishval has started to spread to the surrounding regions of Amestris. Any towns or cities In those areas beware, for the war may come to your home. We seem to be winning, after sending in our special forces to assist the rest of the soldiers deployed there..." The radio babbled on.

I turned it off because nobody was listening to it and it was pointless to keep it on. Who cares about the news in Ishval? That stuff is for the people threatened by the war, so why should we listen to it? The war doesn't even seem real to us, way out here in Resembool.

I walked over to Mom's big bed to find her and Al cuddled together, asleep. No fair! Nobody told me about this! I thought. I climbed into the bed on the other side of Mom, comforted by the warmth of her body beside me. There was nothing I loved more than napping with mom and Al together. I almost instantly fell asleep.

..~•~..

"Ed! Ed come on! We have to run! Wake up!" Mom said as she shook me awake.

Al was already up and looking fairly terrified by something. That's when I heard it. The sound of gunshots and bombs going off in the distance. My eyes widened in horror. The war was getting closer. I started to cry tears of terror.

"Mom? Are Winry and Granny Pinako OK?" I asked. Winry was my best friend. I wanted to know that she was OK.

"They should be running too, Ed. They probably got a head start because they probably weren't sleeping." She responded comfortingly. She sounded calm, but her eyes told a different story.

She was terrified.

"Ok boys, we'll run away from the gunshots for as long as we can. This won't be easy, but we'll be Ok." She reassured us. I knew Al couldn't hear it, but it sounded to me like she was reassuring herself as well.

Now I was even more terrified, but I forced the tears to stop in order to try and make Mom a little calmer. We all ran downstairs and put on our coats and boots. The gunshots were louder now.

"Ok you two, run as fast as you can that way!" She yelled, pointing her finger northwest, the opposite of the gunshots.

We needed no further orders and took off the way her finger was pointed. She followed close behind us, able to match our pace. Good thing she was fit enough to catch up.

The rain was pounding down harder than earlier, making it harder for us to run. My six year old legs were screaming for a break after the first hour, so we switched to a fast walk for an hour before running again.

After we continued this process two more times, it was getting dark outside. The gunshots had faded considerably and we were exhausted.

We all went underneath a tree, a desperate attempt to sleep a little dryer, even if we were already drenched. I fell asleep instantly, snuggled in between Al and Mom. Not even the distant gunshots could wake me at the moment.

..~•~..

It was still dark out. I was confused. Why am I awake? I'm still exhausted! What could have possibly woken me? I wondered briefly before I heard the next gunshot. It was only a few miles away, four tops.

Mom and Al were still asleep. "MOOOM! AAAL! GET UP!!" I screamed at the top of my lungs, hitting them with my clenched fists. I was crying, although I doubt anyone would be able to tell because of the rain around me. The only reason I could tell is because some of the water on my cheeks was actually warm.

They woke up fast, pulled back into reality by my terrified screaming and weak punches and slaps. They also heard the nearby shooting and looked as horrified as I was.

Mom wasn't even trying to hide it anymore. She had lost her cool for the first time I could remember. "RUN BOYS!" She screamed at us as she pushed us away before standing up herself.

A shot rang out around us, louder than ever before.

..~•~..