Chapter 42 –

Three weeks later…

"Well that's a sight for sore eyes," Ed said, grinning as he led Ayala, Darius, Heinkel and Greed down a familiar dirt road and around a corner. There stood the Rockbell house, looking as unchanged as ever. As it was still daylight, none of the lights were on so far as Ed could see but Ed and Ayala could sense Den nearby so they both knew that he and Pinako were home.

"That's your mechanic's house?" Greed asked, looking at the scruffy two-storey house with a judgemental expression and Ed resisted the urge to smack him. After spending nearly a month with the homunculous, Ed and the chimeras were learning a lot about him. Greed certainly lived up to him name; never settling for second best and he couldn't understand why others would. For the most part, Ed, Ayala and the chimeras just ignored those kinds of comments.

"Well, it's her grandmother's technically," Ed told him as they headed for it.

Ayala was jogging happily along the dirt road, her golden fur glistening once more in the sun. Ed had kept his word and changed her fur from the black it had been dyed to disguise her back to her natural golden and white coat as soon as they'd gotten far enough from Central that they could risk it. She'd been turned back into a black wolf four more times over the course of their time on the run but her annoyance was softened when Ed did the same to his own golden locks whenever they had to pass through a town with strong military presence.

"Hmph," was all Ed heard from Greed in response and Ed rolled his eyes.

"Is your Granny expecting company?" Darius asked and Ed nodded.

"Den knows we're coming and he promised he'd told her," Ed assured him. "Plus, Winry and Michella should be arriving this afternoon as well. Michella told me that some Fort Briggs soldiers Al was with had managed to find them where Chester said they were so they could smuggle her home," Ed told the chimera.

It had been a surprise to hear from the monkey the previous day but nowhere near as surprising as it had been nearly a month ago when Michella had contacted him out of the blue asking him why the military was looking for them. A client and good friend of Garfiel's had overheard soldiers three blocks away about where they could Garfiel's shop and whether Winry was still working there and had immediately headed off to warn Garfiel and Winry himself. Ed had cursed so much that Greed had been a little impressed before he told Michella to tell Winry and Garfiel that Winry and she needed to leave immediately because it was extremely likely that the military had been looking the pair to hold them as hostages to draw the brothers out of hiding.

To say Michella had put his stream of cursing to shame would've been an understatement but she did as Ed asked and Winry and Al's friend, Paninya, had helped Winry and Michella escape Rush Valley without being detected. Friends of Paninya's had taken Winry in for a few days before driving her out of town and dropping her off with more friends on a farm outside of Awrosut, where she and Michella stayed for nearly two weeks before Chester contacted Michella with the news that North City and Fort Briggs soldiers were heading to East City for the annual war games and that a group of Briggs soldiers would get them out of Awrosut and smuggled onto a train in East City that would be bound for Resembool.

Michella and Winry had almost turned it down, too scared something would go wrong and they'd end up kidnapped but Chester had then informed them that he and Alphonse would be accompanying the Briggs soldiers and would be on the train with them. Once they'd heard that, they'd been on board with the idea immediately and had waited patiently another two days for their escort. From what Ed had later heard from Chester, there had been a lot of tears and lectures from Winry and Michella aimed at the two of them, as well as promises to give Ed and Ayala the same tongue lashing they'd gotten.

"So they got on the train with no issues?" Heinkel asked, bringing Ed out of his memories and the blonde nodded.

"Yeah, Chester told me everything had gone smoothly. They hid the four of them in crates in one of the cargo cars and made sure that only soldiers we could trust were tasked with checking the cargo," Ed told him. "Chester had no complaints. I think he was just grateful not to be stuck in with the livestock again," Ed said with a grin at Ayala.

"I can't imagine why he would be happier away from smelly sheep he's not allowed to eat," Ayala said sarcastically. Ed chuckled but didn't respond.

"How are Winry and Michella going to stay hidden until they arrive here?" Darius asked as they turned up the driveway leading to the Rockbell house. "There's a few Central soldiers stationed in Resembool to keep an eye out for you and your brother."

"I don't know but I'm sure they'll figure something out," Ed told him, ignoring the pang of worry that he felt at Darius' question. A small figure running towards them from the porch got Ed's mind away from his worry and he grinned as he jogged a few steps so he was now in the lead before he knelt down in time to Den a big hug as the border collie wiggled in his grip.

"Edward!" Den greeted joyously and Ed laughed at the amount of restraint the old dog was showing to stop himself from licking Ed upside the face. "It's been ages! How are you? Where have you been? Who are -?" Den cut himself off from the last question as his eyes fell on Greed and his brain registered what he'd been smelling. "Homunculous!" Den shouted as he started snarling at Greed, moving his body in front of Ed's to protect him.

"Den," Ed said, tugging on the dog's collar but he stayed firmly in place, lips lifted in a threatening growl. "Den," Ed tried again, tugging harder on the collar but still, the border collie didn't budge. Greed wasn't helping matters as he smirked down at the Animal and Ed flipped him off before manoeuvring himself so he was in Den's eyeline, blocking his view of Greed "Den, he's not an enemy," Ed said firmly, using their bond. This time, Den seemed to register that Ed was talking.

"He's a homunculous though," Den said, still eyeing Greed suspiciously over Ed's shoulder and Ed nodded.

"He is but he's not on their side," Ed told him. "He's been helping us by giving us information and helping the four of us stay off the grid and out of the military's grip."

"I don't trust him," Den said, giving Greed a glare that was accompanied by a growl when the homunculous made to move around them. Surprisingly, Greed listened to the warning and stayed where he was.

"Good," Ed told Den honestly, "because I don't fully trust him either." A look passed between the two and Den looked over at Ayala for her opinion. When the wolf gave a nod, Den relaxed out of his defensive stance and Ed took the opportunity to stand up but not before he gave his favourite border collie a scratch between the ears. "Now that that's sorted," Ed said, "introductions are in order. Den, this is Darius, Heinkel and Greed though sometimes he hands control back to the person born in that body, Ling." He gestured to all of them as he said their names. "Guys, this is Den. He's Granny Pinako's Animal." Den looked at all of them in turn and his eyes narrowed on the two chimeras. Ed realised what the dog was about to ask and answered it for him before he could. "They're chimeras," Ed told him.

"That explains what's wrong with their scent," Den said but didn't say anything else on the topic. "Pinako's waiting for you in the house and she's starting to get impatient," Den warned him and Ed chuckled.

"Of course the old bat is," Ed said. "Best not keep her waiting though." He didn't say anything else before he headed towards the house with Den and Ayala by his side. The three others followed him without complaint, something that was little surprising from Greed since Ed had expected the homunculous to say something but he didn't complain. Sure enough, Ed spotted Pinako on the porch as soon as it came into view properly and she didn't look awfully impressed.

"It's about time the lot of you got here," Pinako muttered as she puffed on her pipe once they were within earshot. "You'd better come inside before some nosey neighbour sees you." Without another word, she turned and headed into the house with Den on her heels. Ed shook his head at the typical greeting before he led the others inside.

"It's good to see you, Granny," Ed said honestly as he kicked his boots off and toed them so they stood relatively neatly.

"It's good to see you in one piece," Pinako replied drily. "Certainly makes a nice change to how you usually show up looking." Her shrewd eyes picked up on the fading bruise on his jaw and she gave him a look that told him she wasn't impressed. "At least you aren't too banged up," she amended before looking expectantly at the three others.

"Darius, Heinkel and Greed," Ed said simply, pointing to them as he introduced them. "This is Winry's grandmother, Pinako Rockbell," Ed said to his group.

"Pleasure to meet you, Ms. Rockbell. Thank you for letting us stay here the night," Heinkel said on behalf of everyone else.

"'Pinako' is fine and you're welcome," Pinako told him, waving off his thanks. "Dinner won't be anything fancy and some of you will need to sleep in the living room as I don't have enough beds for all of you, especially if Alphonse and Chester stay the night too." They nodded their understanding but Ed shook his head.

"Al and Ches won't be here," Ed told her. "They're going to stay with the Briggs soldiers and help them with their plan before accompanying the Eastern troops and Briggs men to Central," Ed told her. "Since everything will start being put into motion tomorrow, they're going to stay in Resembool and stay out of sight so they don't risk being seen leaving or returning," he explained. "We can't risk being found this close to the fight."

"Very well," Pinako said, sounding a little upset that she wouldn't get to see them this time but she didn't show it. "One of you can sleep in the second bed in Ed and Al's room in that case," she told the group. "Someone can stay here in the loungeroom and so long as I don't get any patients visit me by tonight, someone can sleep in there," Pinako informed them.

"Thank you, Pinako," Heinkel said once more, dipping his head.

Once again, Pinako waved off the thanks. "If you want anything to eat, help yourselves. Kitchen's that way," she told them, pointing in the direction she meant. "I've got some things to do around the house still and I need to finish preparing rooms for everyone," Pinako informed them.

"Would you like a hand with anything, Pinako?" Darius asked and she considered him for a moment.

"Yes," she said finally. "The house needs some work done to it to prepare it for the wet season. I've been waiting for Ed and Al to pay me a visit so I could get them to help me out."

"You could've had Den ask me," Ed told her. "I would've made Mustang give me some time off to give you a hand," Ed said and she gave him a look.

"The repairs aren't urgent and wet season isn't for a couple more months. I figured I'd be seeing you before then," Pinako informed him before beckoning for Darius to follow her. After a moment, Heinkel accompanied them and Ed could hear Pinako giving the two chimeras instructions on what she needed done.

"Cranky old bat," Ed muttered.

"I can see where you get a lot of your attitude from," Greed said observantly and Ed rolled his eyes at the homunculous.

"Most of my attitude comes from spite and lack of caffeine," Ed informed him. "I'm gonna grab something to eat then find out what the crazy old woman wants done around here," Ed told him. "Make yourself comfortable or help out or whatever. Just don't break anything," Ed instructed before he and Ayala headed for the kitchen.

"How long do you think Winry and Michella will be?" Ayala asked as they made their way into the kitchen and Ed shrugged.

"You know what the trains are like," Ed said as he grabbed three bananas, peeled one and gave it to her, taking a seat at the little table. "They should be here before dark though," he guessed, biting into his own banana after he'd removed the skin.

"Did Michella say if she'd give you a heads up?" Ayala asked, already knowing the answer and was proven right when Ed snorted and shook his head. "I'm sure I'll sense them before they arrive so it doesn't matter," she said, eating the last of her snack.

"If it doesn't matter, why were you asking?" Ed said, grinning at her once he'd swallowed his mouthful. Ayala elected to ignore him and Ed laughed as he handed her half of the last banana before eating the half he'd kept and got back to his feet. "Let's go and see what Granny needs a hand with," Ed said and Ayala nodded, following Ed back out the kitchen and through the hall Pinako had disappeared down with the chimeras.


Winry and Michella let out a sigh as one of the Briggs soldiers who had helped smuggle them back into Resembool whispered that they were at the train station and they'd be getting them home shortly. The crate wasn't completely dark as there were cracks between the wooden boards so tiny slivers of light shone in but the cracks weren't wide enough to offer either of them a glimpse outside. They could hear the sound of people walking around, chattering excitedly, mixed in with the sound of numerous sheep bleating. Winry smiled sadly at the familiar sound of the annual Resembool Sheep Festival and Michella gave her a hug as nostalgia about the festivals she'd attended in the past with her granny, Ed, Al and even Trisha before she'd passed threatened to overwhelm her.

The hug from her Animal had helped but the startling feeling of the crate she and Michella were hiding in being picked up and moved brought her completely out of her thoughts as new ones had her panicking. The whisper from the Briggs soldier telling her it was just them had her calming down and clearing her mind of thoughts of being found out and kidnapped. Michella had taken the time to admonish her, reminding her that she would've been able to sense if they were in danger and Winry had given her an apologetic smile. Winry and Michella felt the crate being settled on something that sounded like wood and another whispered comment from the Briggs soldier gave them the moment they needed to prepare for the cart they must've been on to start rolling along the dirt road.

"Did you tell Chester we were leaving the train station?" Winry asked Michella as they trundled along the road.

"Yeah, I didn't want him to worry when he couldn't sense us," Michella told her.

"Did you tell Ed?" Winry asked though she was positive she knew the answer and she knew she was right when she felt Michella's sulky 'no' more than she heard it. "Would you tell him please?"

"Ayala will sense us before we turn up," Michella said, stubbornly refusing to contact Ed and Winry sighed. She knew Michella didn't like Ed all that much.

When Winry had asked her Animal after the third time Ed and she had interacted and she'd noticed the dislike hadn't faded, all Michella had said was that she didn't like Ed's attitude. Winry had shrugged it off since not everyone was going to like Ed's abrasive personality and she couldn't force her Animal to get along with him but sometimes – like this moment – Winry wondered how bad it would be if she just locked Ed and Michella in a room and refused to let them out until they'd sorted their problems out. Of course, she thought irritably, Ed would just alchemise his way out if he wanted too and she wouldn't have been able to stop him.

A jolt from the cart had Winry and Michella grunt slightly after nearly twenty minutes of travelling and Winry had to blink a few times to adjust to the difference in light when the top of the crate was removed. Liam – one of the two Briggs soldiers who were tasked to protect her – smiled down at her as he held a hand for her to take so he could help them out of the crate. Winry accepted it as Michella tightened her grip slightly around Winry's neck and they were pulled up and helped down off the cart.

"Welcome home, Miss Winry and Michella," Liam said and Winry gave him a smile as she looked up at her childhood home. The blood red of the sunset did nothing to take away the beauty of her home and she let out a big sigh, feeling the tension of the past three or so weeks bled out of her with it.

"Thank you, Liam," Winry said before turning to the second soldier, "and thank you, Simon, for helping us get home." Both men gave her a nod and a smile. "I know you're staying here for the next couple of days to keep Granny, Michella, Den and I safe instead of being with your fellow soldiers and helping them and Ed, Ayala, Al and Chester fight on Promised Day and I wanted to make sure you know just how much I appreciate it," Winry said sincerely, offering as deep a bow as she could with Michella clinging to her.

"No need to thank us, Miss Winry," Liam told her. "We're happy to help protect innocents such as yourself and your family," he assured her.

"Still, thank you," Winry said once more. "Would you like a hot drink?" Winry asked as she watched Liam and Simon unhitch the cart from Simon's Animal, a donkey called Amelia. Liam's Animal, a kestrel called Marion, wasn't with them as she'd offered to take to the skies and make sure they hadn't been followed.

"Not right now, Miss Winry, but thank you for the offer," Liam said and Simon echoed the words.

"Alright. I'm going to get changed into clean clothes but there's a trough around the side of the house next to the kitchen door if Amelia wants some water," Winry said, pointing to the left of the house and Liam nodded.

"Thank you, Miss Winry," Simon said before Amelia brayed. "Amelia says thank you as well," he told her and Winry gave the donkey a smile.

"Thank you for bringing us home," she told the donkey, who let out a softer bray. Winry gave them a nod before she headed inside with Michella.

The house was dark, something that surprised Winry as she knew her grandmother didn't oppose having the lights switched on before the sun had fully gone down. She knew Ayala had sensed them because Michella had felt it but neither Winry nor Michella could see the golden wolf or her human. Michella did mention there was an unknown and weird scent in the air but Winry paid the information no mind. All she wanted in this moment was to change out of her sweaty, smelly clothes, have a shower and get changed into some clean clothes. However, her plans came to a screeching halt when she spotted two figures walking towards her in the hallway and she let out a scream that had both figures flinching back.

"Edward!" Winry cried as she grabbed him in a strangling hug, barely giving Michella enough warning to move onto her back so she wouldn't be squished between them.

"Winry, it's good to see you too," Ed spluttered as he tried to breathe.

Thundering footsteps sounded behind them and they separated to see the two soldiers holding weapons on Ed. Before Winry could tell them he was a friend, two men Winry didn't know appeared behind the soldiers and held guns on them, making the two soldiers freeze. To add to the mess, Den came bolting up the stairs, ready to defend Ed and Winry only to stop short when he saw the chimeras holding who he assumed were the threats at gunpoint. Of course, Greed decided he needed to see what was going on when he heard the commotion so he appeared at the top of the staircase behind Den, who sensed the homunculous and turned around to snarl a warning to not get any closer.

"What's going on here?" Greed asked, ignoring Den,

"Prince Ling?" Winry asked, confused by the sight of so many people in her home but especially confused by the Xingese prince who, last time she heard, wasn't on Ed's good side.

"Wait, we know the two of you," Liam said as he glared at the chimeras. "You're Kimblee's men!"

"Were Kimblee's men," Darius corrected with a growl, making no move to lower his gun. Ed sighed and sidestepped Winry to stand in front of the four men.

"You're Briggs soldiers, right?" Ed asked and Liam nodded, not looking away from who he perceived were still threats. "Meet Darius and Heinkel. They're chimeras who joined our side after Kimblee blew up that mineshaft with us inside it." At those words, Liam and Simon actually took a proper look at Ed and recognised him.

"Major Elric!" they both said, lowering their guns and saluting Ed in the space of a few seconds, causing Ed to scowl ferociously at them.

"Knock that off. You lot know I don't care about military protocol and right now I'm not actually a major anyways; I'm a deserter," Ed reminded them. "Now would everyone," Ed glared at the two chimeras as well as the Briggs soldiers, "just calm down and put away the damned guns?"

The four men looked at each other before holstering their weapons just like Ed had asked and the two blondes let out a sigh. Winry then turned back to Ed and said "Al and Chester are still at the train station. If you hurry, you might catch them." To her surprise though, Ed and Ayala didn't move.

"We're still fugitives," Ed told her, "and we can't afford to be caught by the military now. Not when we're so close to the Promised Day."

"But you haven't seen either of them in months!" Winry said, shocked that Ed and Ayala weren't rushing off to see Al and Chester. With how close the four of them were, no one would've been surprised if they'd done so.

"I talk to Chester every day and I call Al if we happen to be near a payphone at the same time but we cannot risk being caught just because we wanted to see each other," Ed reiterated firmly. "Chester and Alphonse both know that. It's why they stayed with the train and Briggs soldiers rather than follow you up here."

Just as Winry had been about to say something in response, a new voice sounded behind them. "Winry?"

Winry looked passed the men in the hallways and saw Pinako walking up the stairs. She smiled widely and pushed her way past everyone before crouching down to give the old woman a hug. "Hi, Granny," she said, letting the hug linger as she felt Michella wrap one of her arms around Pinako. "I hope we didn't cause you to worry too much. I've missed you and so has Michella," Winry said as she and Michella let her go to step back.

"Welcome home, you two," Pinako said, giving Winry a warm smile before glaring at the five men who'd been the main cause of the noise. "Now, I know who Ed brought with him but who are the hooligans you've brought with you?" Pinako asked. Liam stepped forward before Winry could answer.

"We're sorry about the scuffle earlier," he said, dipping his head. "I'm Liam and this is Simon. We've been acting as bodyguards for Miss Winry and we'll be doing the same for you until everything's over and done with, if that's alright with you, Ms. Rockbell?"

"I suppose so, as long as neither of you get in the way," Pinako told them sternly and they both nodded immediately. Winry let the three of them work things out as she turned to Greed.

"Hey, Ling," she greeted, giving the homunculous a small smile. "Do you remember me?"

Greed got a confused look on his face for a moment before he realised she was talking to him. "Oh, you mean this guy?" He said, pointing to his own face. "Yeah, I'm Greed. It's a pleasure to meet you," he said, smiling widely at her and adding a flirtatious wink that had her frown in confusion.

"What?" Winry asked, looking at Michella, who offered the only thing she could: a shrug. Ed noticed the exchange and headed over to help out his childhood friend.

"Winry, this is Greed. He's a homunculous," Ed introduced bluntly. Winry's eyes widened in horror and confusion while Michella sniffed the air and glared at Ed. "He's also Ling. Long story short, Ling let the creator of the homunculi inject him with a Philosopher's Stone and Greed took control. Until about a month ago, Greed was on the side of his creator until some memories surfaced from the old Greed – that's the homunculous Al and Ches fought in Dublith – and Greed switched to his own side once more. Right now, his side aligns with ours so he's on our side," Ed summarised for her and all Winry and Michella could do was gape at him.

"Perhaps it would be best if it were explained in detail," Pinako suggested, patting Winry's arm. "We can do it over dinner since I had come up here to tell you it was ready," she informed them. "It tastes better warm," she added pointedly when no one moved and she nodded in smug satisfaction when everyone took her warning and headed down the stairs. Pinako shared a look with Den before shaking her head and following the group. This would be an interesting night.


"So after all that went down, these guys decided to come work for Greed." Winry had listened to Ling's story, enraptured by the whole tale once she'd gotten over the fact that Ling's soul was still alive and that he and Greed could change who was in charge of the body with barely a thought. Ed had rolled his eyes at most of the things Ling had told her and Winry was a little surprised her best friend's eyes hadn't rolled out of his head.

"So why come back here? Why risk coming to Resembool at all?" Winry asked. Ed had been so adamant that they couldn't make a move that would put them in unnecessary risk of being found by the military or the remaining homunculi so close to the day of reckoning so it made no sense to Winry that they would choose to come back to one of the towns the military had to be keeping a close eye on. After all, why wouldn't the military think they would hideout in their hometown?

"Ed's automail is in need of some serious repair," Ling told her, answering before Ed could. "We're trying to get prepared so we need him in top condition."

"I need some minor adjustments," Ed told her before she could go into a rant. "Normally they wouldn't be anything I'd bother about until my scheduled check up but Ling's right. I can't go into a fight this important and risk some small problem with my automail becoming something major," he said, stabbing a tomato with his fork. Ayala, Den and Michella had finished their dinner already and were in the kitchen talking with Amelia and Marion while their humans finished up.

"You can give him a look-see after dinner, Winry," Pinako said before Winry could try and drag Ed into her room to fix her precious automail. "It won't hurt you or him to wait another fifteen minutes."

"Fine," Winry said with a bit of a sulky tone. No one was stupid enough, not even Ling, to comment on it.


Sure enough, the moment Winry and Ed had finished their dinners, Winry had all but dragged Ed towards her room. Michella and Ayala came out of the kitchen just as the pair had gotten to the stairs and joined them. Once in her room and workshop, Winry had ordered Ed to strip down to his tank top and boxers and lie on the bed so she could see what she needed to do. When she'd commented that she didn't have the parts or tools necessary to build him a new set, not to mention she didn't have the time since Promised Day was barely more than a day away, Ed had reminded her that he didn't need a new set so she didn't have to worry about it. Winry had scoffed and said she be the judge about that before actually taking a look and scowling when she realised Ed was right. She still smacked him with her wrench when she noticed the smirk on his face.

"So did Al actually tell you what his plans are with Major Miles?" Ed asked nearly twenty minutes after Winry and Michella started working on his automail. He'd only made one request for it and that had been that she add a protective layer of whatever metal she had laying around that had was the most carbon-based. Winry had given him an odd look while Michella had chattered something likely unflattering before Winry found some metal in her scrap bin that she could work with.

Winry shook her head in response to his question. "No, they never told me any of the details," she said, sounding a touch annoyed and Ed couldn't be sure whether she was annoyed because of the repair she was working on or because of the lack of information Al and Chester had given her. "All I know is that the Northern troops are planning something big in the east here so Al and Chester decided to tag along to give whatever help they could."

"I see," Ed said, making a note to wrangle details from Chester later. Ayala looked up at him from where she lay on the floor and he gave her a smile.

"I don't know if you've been told – since neither of you boys bother to tell me anything – but Al ran into your father in Liore while he was there," Winry said, her irritated expression changing to one of caution and Ed couldn't blame her. Throughout the years since Hohenheim and Calix had left them, Ed had never made it a secret on how he felt about the man and his name had often been enough to set him off, especially in the first couple of years after they were abandoned by him. "I think Al said your father was planning on heading to a slum called Kanama, near Central." Ed nodded in response. He'd known, of course, that Hohenheim and Calix were heading that way since Calix had told him, wanting Ed to know in case they needed to meet up with Hohenheim before Promised Day. "You could head that way to get the full story from him," Winry said, oblivious to Ed's nod. Ed hummed in response and Winry took it as the cue needed to drop the subject before he lost his temper.

They stayed in silence for another few minutes while Winry and Michella continued working. All they had left to do was a final check then add the protective shell Ed had asked for around each limb. "You know," Winry said, voice filled with sadness, "it's almost Promised Day."

Ed sighed as he nodded. "I know," he told her. "Ling and Greed told me all about how Al and I could use it as our chance to get our bodies back but I don't think we will," Ed admitted. While he'd of course told Chester what Ling had said the first night he'd gotten control back of his body, the brothers hadn't discussed the option in full detail, except to say that they'd talk about it in person. "However, if we do that, we can't be certain if it'll makes things worse for us or for the homunculi and we can't risk Amestris just to get our bodies back. Besides," Ed said with a deprecating snort, "what would be the point of getting our bodies back if we'll lose them almost immediately after?"

"I have no doubts in my mind that the two of you will win the fight against Father, save Amestris and figure out a way for you achieve your goal," Ayala told him sincerely and Ed gave her a grateful smile before turning back to Winry.

"Look, I'm sure I already know the answer to this but why don't you and Granny take Den and Michella to Xing or somewhere out of Amestris' borders until all of this is over? General Armstrong sent her family – with the exception of Major Armstrong and Gary – to Xing," Ed said, hoping the mention of the female Armstrong would make Winry at least consider the idea. Winry had developed an almost unhealthy respect for General Armstrong after the stories Ed and Al had told her about the Ice Queen of the North.

"I'm not going to run away!" Winry snapped at him while Michella glared from next to his leg. "I know you want to protect us, Ed, but what you should be concentrating on is saving everyone!" At those words, Ed's expression turned into one of anger. Knowing Winry was finished her work, Ed swung his legs over the edge of the bed – avoiding Michella – and sat up.

"Of course I'll be trying to save everyone!" Ed snapped at her, causing her to flinch back slightly before she met his glare with one of her own. "But I have to realistic here, Winry! There is the chance that I won't be able to win this fight, that this opponent will be the one who gets the best of me," Ed informed her bluntly but she kept that stubborn look on her face.

"I don't want to hear any doubts from you!" she cried, taking a step forward. Michella took the opportunity to leap from Ed's bed and onto her shoulder. "Please, Ed. You can't let them win this fight! Just please promise me that you're going to save our country and that you'll get your bodies back! Please promise me you'll do everything it takes to make that happen!" she begged and Ed shook his head in disbelief, getting up from the table and grabbing his pants and jacket.

"You make it sound so easy, Winry. Like this is just another rogue alchemist I'm going up against," he scoffed, pulling on his clothes. Ayala had joined his side and was looking at Winry reproachfully but the blonde automailist ignored her.

"Don't you dare start doubting yourself now, Edward Elric!" Winry said and Ed turned to her, pinning her with a glare.

"Do you realise what you're even asking me to do?" Ed snapped. "You're asking me – me, someone you know who has never broken a promise in his life – to promise you that I'll win on Promised Day. Do you understand just how much pressure you're trying to put on me?" Ed asked. "I know what the consequences will be if we lose!" Ed yelled, looking at her furiously. "Do you think I'm going to go into that fight with the same mindset I do with every fight I've been in? Do you think I won't realise that I have the lives of you and Granny and Hughes and Elysia and Miss Gracia and every single person and Animal I care about on the line? And here you are asking me to promise you that I'll win no matter what!" Ed snapped. Winry seemed to finally realise what Ed was saying because she looked ashamed of herself. Ayala still didn't look happy with her and Michella looked torn between being angry with Ed for how he was speaking to her human and admonishing Winry for her words.

"Ed, maybe it's a good idea to leave now before you say something you really regret. I think Winry understands the enormity of what she just asked," Ayala said, leaning lightly on his leg in an effort to get him to move through the door.

"Edward," Winry said softly, voice thick with emotion and Ed sighed.

"Just, don't," he said before taking Ayala's advice and leaving the blonde with only Michella for company.

"I didn't mean…" Winry whimpered as she watched Ed disappear from view. She collapsed on the nearby bed and held her hands in her face. "I didn't mean to try and put so much pressure on him," she whispered. "I just wanted him to win because I'm terrified that he won't and I thought that by asking him to promise, he'd make sure they wouldn't lose," she told Michella.

Michella sighed as she wrapped her arms consolingly around Winry. She knew her human had had the best intentions with her words but she could also see why Ed had reacted the way he did and – as much as she didn't like it – she couldn't fault him for doing so. "I know you did and I know you asked him to promise because you're scared and that you know he never breaks a promise but you have to understand it from his point of view," Michella said as she stroked Winry's hair. "By asking him to promise that, you basically told him you either didn't think he could win or that you didn't think he would try his hardest to do so."

Winry looked up with her tear-soaked face, eyes wide. "But I didn't mean –!"

"I know," Michella assured her, cutting her off. "I'm certain Ed will figure it out soon too but you have to realise how manipulative that seemed of you," she told her and Winry nodded.

"I do," she said. "I get it now but I didn't even think of how it would sound to him." Winry sighed, rubbing her face of any lingering tears. "I should go and apologise," she said but Michella tugged her arm before she could stand.

"No, let him calm down first," Michella suggested. "You can talk to him later but the both of you need to get yourselves together first so it doesn't turn into a screaming match."

"Yeah, you're right," Winry said though she didn't sound awfully happy about it. "Guess we should clean up here," she said, looking at her scattered tools and the parts she'd removed to replace in Ed's limbs.

"That's a good idea," Michella said, letting go of Winry and moving to a nearby benchtop to start cleaning. After a moment of looking at the door, Winry followed her and started helping.


Ed almost snarled when he saw Greed lingering on one of the stairs closer to the ground floor. The homunculous had obviously taken back control of Ling's body while Ed was getting his repairs done and, judging by the smirk on his face, had heard every word. "She sounds like a real peach," Greed said, looking up the stairs Ed and Ayala had just descended. "A woman who wants everything. My kind of gal."

"That kind of want is dangerous," Ed told him. "This is what I got for trying to get what I wanted that was unrealistic," Ed said, lifting his right arm.

Greed shook his head. "I disagree," he said and Ed looked unsurprised. "You wanted to bring back someone you lost and loved. You might want money or maybe you want women." Greed's eyes glimmered in amusement at Ed's glare. "Or maybe you want to protect the world and everyone in it," he said, shrugging a shoulder. "Those are all things people want; things their hearts desire most. You humans have this idea that greed is just for money or power but everyone wants something they don't have. Not many of you seem to have realised that greed isn't always a bad thing, just as it's not always a good thing." With that, Greed walked down the rest of the stairs, leaving Ed and Ayala standing there, stunned by what he'd said.

"The fuck was that about?" Ed asked after a couple of moments.

"I think that was his way of saying that maybe you shouldn't be too harsh on Winry," Ayala said and felt Ed tense up. "You know she didn't intend to sound so manipulative or pressuring," Ayala said, knowing full well that Ed knew he had overreacted slightly.

"Yeah, I know," Ed said with a sigh. "She just needs to realise sometimes that I'm not a fucking miracle worker and that even I have my limitations."

"I know and I think you'll find that Michella is giving her a bit of a talking to as well about why you snapped at her," Ayala said, a slight smirk in her voice.

"Should I go up and apologise?" Ed asked, tone giving away just how much he didn't want to do that. Despite the fact that he knew Winry had no cruel intentions behind her words, he was still pissed she'd tried to make him promise something she knew full well he couldn't.

"No," Ayala told him. "Leave it for a bit. At least until you've both calmed down," she suggested, unwittingly echoing Michella's advice.

"Yeah, alright," Ed said. Ayala gave a nod and led them back down the stairs. They needed to start organising themselves to head out so they could get as much travelling in as possible before the sun came up.


Michella was the one to warn her that Ed and his entourage were about to leave the house and Winry felt a familiar anger surge through her. Not caring about the fact that she was in her pyjamas, she and Michella headed for the front porch where Pinako stood, watching as Ed said goodbye to a whining Den. The two chimeras and Greed looked unimpressed and exasperated as Ed promised the collie that he would try to keep in touch as much as possible between now and Promised Day.

"You're leaving in the middle of the night?" Winry asked, causing Ed and Den to look up and notice her. Ed wrapped the dog up into a hug and watched as Den made his way up to Pinako before he answered.

"We were planning on leaving earlier but Chester told me you would be in this afternoon so we decided to hang around," Ed said. "It was good seeing you and thanks for the tune up," Ed said, giving her a grin that had a fraction less warmth to it than she knew it normally would've.

"If you happen to run into Hohenheim," Pinako said as though she had no clue that they would be heading straight for Kanama to talk to him, "you make sure to give him that message from your mother, alright?"

Ed rolled his eyes but nodded. "I will," he promised before muttering something too low for them to hear but made Den and Ayala grin. Pinako decided she didn't need to know.

"Wait, Ed, I need to –" Winry started saying but was cut off by Ed.

"Just lay low until Promised Day. Don't leave the house unless you absolutely have to," Ed said before nodding to the two soldiers lingering in the doorway. "Liam and Simon can head into town for anything you absolutely need but you guys need to stay hidden in case someone gets the idea to try and kidnap you to draw us out if they see you," Ed said and Winry saw Liam and Simon nod from the doorway. "We're gonna stop them, Winry, and Al, Chester, Ayala and I will be home before you know it," Ed said, meeting her gaze. She saw nothing but conviction in them and she swallowed back tears. "You make sure you have one of your apple pies ready for Al when we do, okay?"

"Okay," she said, using a tremendous amount of effort to hold back the tears she felt stinging in her eyes. Pinako laid a hand on her arm as Ed gave them a final nod and raised a hand in farewell before the five of them headed down the driveway. Neither woman moved for several minutes, even after the group had long since left their sight.

"Come on, Winry," Pinako said with a sigh, tugging on Winry's arm lightly. "We might as well try and get some sleep tonight."

"Okay, Granny," Winry said in a low voice, still looking in the direction Ed and Ayala had disappeared in for a few more moments before she turned and followed her grandmother inside. She knew she'd see the two boys and their Animals again shortly and she forced her worry down deep inside of her. There was no need for it. After all, Edward, Alphonse, Ayala and Chester would all be home soon.


It hadn't been more than an hour since they'd left the Rockbell household that Chester had contacted Ed in a complete panic. Greed had decided earlier that night that they should head north-west towards Yuflam then to Izhiruy before getting to Cekes where they would travel north and go between the two towns of Nefxaum and Zaymed so they could get to Central. Once they'd gotten through those two points, the plan was to have Ed contact Calix to find out where exactly Kanama sat outside of Central so they could head for the slum village without getting caught.

"Chester, what's wrong?" Ed asked, feeling his own panic rise to match the level the leopard sounded.

"He got Al!" Chester wailed and Ed felt his heart clench in fear. Ayala was watching him with avid worry and he realised she couldn't hear their exchange so he opened the conversation to include her. The panicked leopard's words had gotten Ed and Ayala to stop in their tracks and the other three had only taken a few more before they realised they weren't following still.

"Who got Al?" Ed asked. He'd obviously said it out loud since the three others with him exchanged a look.

"Pride!" came the cry and Ed thought he actually felt his heart stop. How the hell did Pride know where Al was?

"How the fuck did Pride find you two?!" Ed asked. He noticed Greed's face pale slightly but paid the homunculous no mind as he focused on Chester.

"Gluttony tracked us!" Chester told him and Ed swore. He'd completely forgotten about Gluttony and his superior sense of smell, even though he'd been one of the reasons Greed had wanted to get out of Central immediately.

"Okay, take a deep breath and tell me what happened," Ed ordered in a voice calmer than how he actually felt. He sunk to the ground and Ayala immediately moved to sit in his space, tucking herself under his flesh arm while the other three mimicked Ed's action, realising they wouldn't be going anywhere for a while.

Chester didn't speak for quite a few moments but Ed didn't try and push him. As terrified and scared as Ed felt for Al in this moment, Chester would be feeling the same way only a hundred times worse. "We were waiting in one of the train cars for the night," Chester told him. "We were supposed to stay there until a Briggs soldier came to get us in the morning when we were needed. I was napping, trying to get what rest I could when I woke up feeling a sense of dread. I could smell Gluttony immediately. I don't know how he managed to sneak so close to us without waking me! I'm sorry, Ed!" Chester wailed and Ed sent a soothing wave of calm energy through their bond.

"It's not your fault," Ed said. "You must've been exhausted to have missed him and it could've happened to any of us. I don't blame you, Chester," Ed promised. Giving Chester a couple of moments to settle back down, Ed pressed for more information. "What happened after you realised Gluttony was nearby?"

"I warned Al," Chester said and Ed nodded, unsurprised. "He asked how far away he was and I said he was really close by so we decided to try and make a break for it but Gluttony found us before we left the train yard," Chester told him. "Then Al stumbled and we both saw a black shadow wrapped around his ankle. Al realised what it meant and told me to run," Chester told him and Ed felt the wave of guilt and regret Chester felt. "I didn't want to. I argued; told him we could fight them off together but he told me to get out of the area and try and find you. I ran," Chester whispered the last two words like they were a dirty secret and Ed felt his heart go out to the leopard.

"You did the right thing, Chester," Ed said. "I don't blame you for leaving. Al knew he couldn't destroy either homunculous without the array and he knew he wouldn't have had the time to draw it and wait for them to step in the circle. He did the only thing he could to make sure that you weren't captured or killed and so that I could find him and help him; he sent you away," Ed told him and made sure that Chester knew how honest he was being. "Where are they?" Ed asked and Chester sniffled lightly, guilt still roiling through him.

"I don't know. Al suffered another blackout, which knocked me out," Chester told him. "I woke up a few minutes ago but Pride must've done something to Al because I can't sense him clearly enough to track him."

Ed felt his worry ratchet up another few notches at those words but managed to calm himself when Ayala pointed out that Chester was proof that Al was still technically alive. "At least that means that Pride can't use Al to track you down," Ed said and felt Chester's confusion. "Don't bother joining us. I want you to go back to the train yard and find their scent. Start tracking them and keep me informed of where they're headed. We're on the way to Kanama to find Hohenheim and Calix. With any luck, Pride is taking Al to Central to hold him until Promised Day. If we get to Kanama quickly enough, we can get to Pride before he reaches Central," Ed told the leopard. He felt Chester's mind focus on Ed's words and take his feelings of guilt and regret and convert them to fuel one thought: to do exactly what Ed said.

"Okay, I will," Chester promised, voice determined. "I'll let you know once I've gotten the scent and know which way they headed," Chester told him and Ed nodded once in acknowledgement of his words.

"Keep yourself upwind of Gluttony and out of sight," Ed said and Chester promised he would before cutting off the connection. "Fucking hell," Ed muttered into Ayala's neck as he hugged her.

"Chester will find the scent and track them so well that he'd make a bloodhound jealous," Ayala reassured her human and Ed chuckled.

"I know," he said, looking at her and meeting her eyes. "Now I know just how Al felt every time we managed to get ourselves kidnapped," Ed joked, though the joke fell slightly flat even to his own ears.

"What's the plan?" Darius asked and Ed looked at him for a moment before realising that at some point during his talk with Chester, he must've spoken only through their bond.

"We keep going to Kanama. If Pride and Gluttony are taking my brother to Central, we might as well have Hohenheim with us to take them on to get Al back," Ed told them, getting to his feet and watching the others do the same.

"Pride probably took your brother knowing you'd come find him. You'd be walking right into a trap," Greed warned and Ed grinned, showing all teeth and no humour.

"He can bring it on," Ed told the homunculous. "I'm getting my brother back." Greed looked like he was contemplating arguing further before shrugging.

"Your funeral," he said and Ed chuckled darkly.

"Except it won't be. Pride can't kill me or Al but there's nothing saying that I can't kill him," Ed reminded him and Greed raised an eyebrow.

"I know you're a decent fighter and alchemist thanks to our sparring sessions but Pride is not only a homunculous, he's the oldest one, with the exception of Father," Greed told him and Ed shrugged.

"I got a few tricks up my sleeve that you've never seen before," Ed told him cryptically and Ayala let out an agreeing yap.

"Alright, kid. You going up against Pride? That I've gotta see," Greed said, gesturing for Ed to start leading the way. Ed and Ayala immediately took up the lead and continued on their original path with more purpose than before, both of them thinking the same thing. Pride had better watch his back.


The sun had just finished setting when Ed, Ayala, Darius, Heinkel and Greed entered the slum village of Kanama. Though filled with mostly Amestrians who had fallen on hard times and hadn't managed to find their way out, Ed did spot some Ishvalen refugees flitting between the others while he searched for Hohenheim and Calix. As had happened in Central the last time he was there, the Ishvalen refugees nodded solemnly to Ed as he walked by them. He'd since found out that this was because Scar had described him to them and it was their way of telling him they would be fighting alongside him. Chester had kept his word and made sure Ed knew of every move Gluttony, Pride and Al had made during the night and the entire day. Not five minutes before they entered the slum, Chester contacted Ed and said that they were only a couple of hours out of Central now but that Pride and Gluttony seemed to be taking Al around the edge of the city rather than going straight through it.

Ed hadn't been surprised to hear that since a lot of people would recognise Selim Bradley and Alphonse and wonder why the two of them were together without Selim's military escort, why Selim would be in the company of a wanted criminal and why there was an obese man following them closely. Ed had told Chester it was likely that they were going to find somewhere to hole up until most of the city was asleep so they could get to Father's lair unnoticed. Chester had agreed and promised to find himself a hiding spot where he could still see or sense them and wait for either Ed to show up or for them to start moving again, whichever came first.

Ed was following Calix's instructions on how to find the two of them in the slum, scowling as he did so. The horse had been pleasantly surprised to hear from Ed, though that had turned to worry when Ed had begrudgingly told him about Al at Ayala's insistence, and he'd given Ed thorough instructions on how to find Kanama. Once Ed spotted the village, he'd cut off a conversation he'd been having with Soren about how Hawkeye was handling babysitting a murderous suit of armour – and hadn't Ed been quite surprised to learn that not only had Barry the Chopper tried to kill Hawkeye and Soren while they were walking Black Hayate a couple of weeks previous but that Hawkeye had managed to beat the suit of armour and secure him in a nearby warehouse where Hughes and Mustang had managed to shake off their spies long enough to convince the armour to hold onto his murderous urges and unleash them on Promised Day on enemy soldiers – so he could send Calix another message to tell him they were about to enter it and Calix had given him the instructions on how to actually find them in the small maze.

Hohenheim looked up just as they were approaching the small campfire he was sitting by and gave Ed a surprised smile. "Edward. It's good –" the rest of his words were cut off by the punch Ed had landed on his jaw and the man was sent backwards into the dirt as he cupped his face. "Hey! You could've warned me," Hohenheim glared at Calix, who shrugged a shoulder but made no other move to help his human. "No wonder that hurt. You hit me with your automail," he said as he climbed to his feet.

"That felt better," Ed said to Ayala, who rolled her eyes but didn't say anything. Both chimeras looked a little stunned while Greed looked mildly amused. "Sorry, Den," Ed said to the collie dog, startling him.

"What'd you do now?" Den asked with more suspicion than Ed thought truly warranted.

"I punched Hohenheim and forgot to tell you beforehand," Ed said and Den whined like a disappointed child. "You can still look at my memories of it though," Ed added and Den huffed before doing just that.

"Nice punch. Kinda wish you broke his jaw though," Den said after a few moments and Ed chuckled.

"You're one vindictive border collie, you know that?" Ed asked, grinning as he spoke. Den preened as though he'd been paid the highest compliment.

"I see you've made new friends," Hohenheim said, looking at Darius, Heinkel and Greed and getting Ed's attention once more.

"I gotta go," Ed said quickly to Den before he bothered to answer Hohenheim but he needn't have bothered.

"I'd liken our relationship more to one out of necessity. A 'we're in the same sinking ship together' kind of deal," Heinkel said drily while Darius nodded in agreement. Ayala gave them a knowing look that they pointedly ignored.

"Behave yourself," Den said as Ed rolled his eyes at the chimeras. "But remember to sight-share with me if you hit him again," Den demanded, causing Ed to laugh as he agreed before breaking off the connection.

"That makes me the captain of that ship," Greed said smugly and ignored the small snort Ed gave in response.

"So you're the one in charge?" Hohenheim asked and Greed nodded. "Then I'd like to thank you for looking after my son," he said sincerely and Ed snarled but he didn't get the chance to say anything since Greed spoke up first.

"Sure but you know, he can be a real pain in the arse," Greed told him and Ed scoffed.

"Like you can talk, you immortal bastard," Ed sneered, not noticing how Greed had so effectively managed to divert his impending rant at his father so smoothly.

"So you are a homunculous," Hohenheim said and Greed nodded. "The tattoo was a giveaway even if I couldn't already tell," he told him, pointing to Greed's left hand where the ouroborous tattoo sat.

"So you noticed?" Greed asked. "But let's make this honesty thing work both ways," the homunculous told him and Ed looked back at his father.

"We need to talk," Ed said and Hohenheim nodded, obviously having expected that to be the whole reason Ed had even bothered to find him.

"Very well," Hohenheim said before gesturing to the logs around the fire. "Let's start talking."

The discussion from both sides about everything that had happened since Ed last spoke to Hohenheim in Resembool had lasted until the darkness of the night had settled in completely and the lights in the slum had been turned on. Hohenheim had taken the task of talking first, bringing Ed up to speed on the countermeasure he'd been placing and his visit to Liore and what he and Al had spoken about there. Ed hadn't said a word about Al talking to him and Hohenheim was glad that it hadn't caused any issues, even if he could see the way Ed's jaw clenched slightly.

The first thing Ed had told Hohenheim was that Al had been kidnapped by Pride and Gluttony. Ed hadn't been sure whether to believe it when Hohenheim looked worried and had asked where Al was and what the plan was to get him back. Ed had told him Chester was keeping an eye on them and would let him know if they moved and Hohenheim had nodded in understanding before offering to help get him back. Ed had informed him that was half the reason they'd tracked him down and the man had seemed to relax slightly. Ed didn't know how to take that but he elected to ignore it and tell Hohenheim everything else that Ed thought he needed to know about. Greed had then been the last one to talk, telling Hohenheim and Ed everything he hadn't told Ed about what he knew of Father's plans.

"Listen, Ed, before we go and find your brother, I wanted to tell you something," Hohenheim said before any of them could move. Ed had raised a brow telling him to get on with it. "I've been thinking since we last spoke in Resembool but if you want to use my Philosopher's Stone to get your bodies back, I'll give it to you." Ed gaped at him for a full five seconds before his expression twisted into one fury. The only thing that stopped him from launching himself at Hohenheim in anger had been the fact that Ayala was laying on his lap.

"Are you kidding me?" the youngest blonde spat. "You may be a living Philosopher's Stone and a useless father but Al and I will not sacrifice innocent souls for our use. It's our fault we lost our bodies and there's no way we're gonna get them back at the cost of others. We'll find another way to do so," Ed informed him, eyes blazing in anger and conviction.

Calix and Hohenheim gave him proud looks. "I'm proud you feel that way," Hohenheim said and Ed felt the urge to punch him again. "I'm sure you all know there will be an eclipse tomorrow," he said, switching the subject and the four nodded. "Homunculous plans on harvesting it for his scheme. It's how he'll manage to get enough power to go through with his plan," Hohenheim said.

"The eclipse? That's his plan?" Ed asked and Hohenheim nodded. Ed watched as his father and the grey horse shared a look before Hohenheim faced Ed once more.

"Listen, Edward," Hohenheim said, voice completely serious. "He needs to be stopped at any cost. I need your word that you'll do so." Ed's mind couldn't help but flash to the previous night where Winry tried to get him to promise the same thing and Ed felt the same anger rise in him once more as he glared at Hohenheim.

"My word?" Ed repeated hotly. "Let's get one thing straight here. I'm only here because it makes more tactical sense for us to team up. If it didn't, I'd be with Chester and helping him get my brother back before we got other things ready," Ed informed him and, to his annoyance, Hohenheim merely looked pleased with his words.

"That's alright with me so long as it means you'll fight alongside us tomorrow," Hohenheim told him, glancing at Calix and Ed resisted the urge to groan in frustration.

Instead, Ed stood up, causing the others in his group to so and looked down at Hohenheim. "Granny asked me to give you mum's final words," he told Hohenheim. "'Sorry I couldn't keep my promise but I'm dying first'," Ed dutifully repeated. Hohenheim's eyes immediately misted over and Calix nudged his head onto his human's chest. "There, I told you," Ed spat, spinning on his heel and storming towards a random street opening with Ayala right behind him, not wanting to see Hohenheim's full reaction to the words his mother had said.


After Ed had calmed himself down with some food and making himself a new red jacket out of material he'd gotten by using his alchemy to fix things around the shabby shop in lieu of money, he headed back to the campfire Hohenheim had been sitting next to with Calix. The chimeras and Greed hadn't mentioned much about his attitude towards his father, not after both Ayala and Ed had growled at Darius when he suggested being nicer to Hohenheim. They made it back through to the clearing when Hohenheim and Calix both stood, looking at the dark, eerie forest intently.

"What is it?" Ed asked as he drew level with Hohenheim, trying to peer into the darkness himself.

"Ed, brace yourself," Ayala suggested. The lack of urgency or worry in her voice had him confused for two seconds before one of his bonds thrummed in response to sensing the Animal it was connected to nearby. Ed dodged the arm Hohenheim had tried to grab him with when Ed had moved forward towards the trees before a small figure rushed out to meet him.

"You're okay," Ed soothed the distraught leopard in his arms once they'd both situated themselves after Chester had bowled Ed over with the force of his hug. "What's happening? Why aren't you near Al?" Ed asked as he heard the soft crunching of dirt behind him, indicating the others were coming to join them. Ed ignored them all in favour of the trembling leopard he was hugging tightly.

"They're here in Kanama," Chester told him and Ed couldn't stop the gasp. "They're waiting at the edge of the village next to the road that leads to Central. I don't know if they're here for Hohenheim or you but they're waiting," Chester warned and Ed repeated the words so everyone knew what Chester was telling him. Ayala had joined the hug and she offered her own comforting words to the leopard as Ed spoke.

"I don't expect the three of you to help me with getting Al back," Ed told the chimeras and Greed but the three shook their heads.

"I told you I wanted to see how you'd handle going up against my oldest brother," Greed reminded him.

"And we're pretty much committed to trying to keep you alive," Darius told him. "If that means we give as much help as possible in your fight against a powerful immortal being than we will." Heinkel nodded in agreement.

"You alright to lead us to where Pride is waiting?" Ed asked Chester and the leopard nodded before getting out of the blonde's lap so he could stand up.

"I think it would be a good idea for me to stay here with Calix," Hohenheim said. "Keep me as your ace, if you will," he said before Ed could snap at him. "It wouldn't be a good idea to show your full hand right away and my appearance on the battlefield at a later time could provide the needed distraction for you to win."

"That is a surprisingly good idea," Ayala said, looking at Hohenheim with shrewd eyes.

"Alright," Ed said, not admitting that he agreed with Ayala. "I'll let Calix know and I'll open our bond up enough for him to track me," Ed said begrudgingly. Hohenheim and Calix both nodded and Ed looked back at Chester. "Alright, lead the way, Ches," Ed said.

"This way," Chester told him, walking with purpose back through the village with Ed, Ayala, the chimeras and Greed on his tail. Chester led them a lot further from the village than Ed had expected but he kept following until they were just over the closest hill to the village. That's when both Chester and Ayala stopped dead in their tracks, making the others do the same. "He's in there," Chester said.

Ayala sniffed the air before adding her own two cents worth. "I can smell Al's armour close by and there's a strong smell of a homunculous who I assume is Pride with him but it also smells like Pride is further away as well," Ayala told him, sounding thoroughly perplexed by this. A faint clanking sound caught their attention and Ed watched, straining in the little light the village behind them gave before he spotted Al's armour come to a stop just on the edge of the forest.

"Hey, Brother," Al greeted and if Ed didn't know any better, he would've assumed it was Al. However, he did know better so he didn't bother moving from where he stood on the road with Greed and the chimeras behind him and the two Animals on either side in front of him.

"Hey, Pride," Ed greeted and heard the armour jerk faintly as though Pride had been surprised Ed hadn't fallen for the trick. "Why don't you let go of Alphonse?" There wasn't any verbal response to his suggestion, no jeering remark, no question about how Ed knew it wasn't his brother in front of him. The only thing that happened was that shadows started leaking out of Al's armour, small black hands forming on the ends of them and reminding Ed vividly of the Gate of Knowledge.

"So you have made up your mind to betray us, Greed," Pride said, abandoning his use of Al's voice since the charade hadn't been bought. "It seems it doesn't matter how many times we cleanse you. You'll always be a traitor." Ed glanced back to see Greed's face pale.

"Dammit," the homunculous swore. "How the hell did you know I was even here?"

Ed didn't let Pride answer Greed, if the older homunculous had even heard the muttered question. "How dare you take over Al's armour? Let him go!" Ed ordered once more.

"First things first," Pride said and Ed watched as the shadows seemed to focus on Greed. "I need to deal with Greed." Ed turned to see Greed get ready to fight. "Now, Fullmetal Alchemist, if you would be so kind as to come with me." Ed scoffed as he, Ayala and Chester took up their own fighting stances.

"Fuck off, you shadowy prick, and give me my brother back," Ed snarled before turning to the chimeras. "You two should run for cover."

"You should probably run as well," Heinkel said but Ed shook his head and faced his brother's armour again.

"I'll be just fine," he told them as he watched the shadows. "They need me and Al alive for their plans so they aren't going to kill us but that doesn't mean I have to go easy on them. I've got no problems with taking them down, remember?" Ed said and sensed both chimeras finally heading for the trees behind them, leaving him with the Animals and Greed standing by him.

"You're right," Pride said, making Al's armour take a step forward. "I must take you alive but I'm sure no one would mind if I ended up slicing off a few of your limbs to make the job a bit easier," Pride said gleefully before the shadows that had been coming from Al's armour shot right for them.

Greed immediately danced backwards, using his ultimate shield to force the shadows to glance off of him while Ayala and Chester did their best to not get caught while keeping Pride occupied as Ed clapped his hands together and slammed them onto the hard dirt and let the alchemic energy crackle its way down the hill and start forming a barrier to protect the Kanama villagers. Pride cackled at Ed's barrier before he tore through them with relish.

"A barrier's not going to work against him!" Greed snapped before letting out a strangled yell as Pride's shadows succeeded in capturing him.

"Now then," Pride said, "I've captured your friend, Fullmetal. Ready to give up?" Pride asked and Ed glared at the trees beyond his brother's armour while Ayala and Chester joined back up with him. Greed struggled fruitlessly in the bonds that held him. "Surely you're not going to make me threaten the lives of the slumdwellers too, are you?" Pride asked and Ed's breath hitched slightly.

"True to form," Greed sneered. "He always goes for the cheap shot to get what he wants."

Ed chuckled humourlessly. "You know," he said, looking at Greed and smirking, "I think it's about damned time I start winning more of these fights." With that, Ed clapped his hands back together and slammed them almost exactly onto the same spot but instead of a barrier, Ed made every single light in the village – electrical, lamp or fire – go out. He sensed Calix press into his mind and he gave the horse the go ahead to start tracking him.

Complete darkness blanketed them and Ed heard Greed grunt slightly as he was released from Pride's hold. He could feel Ayala on his right, leaning slightly on his leg and Chester wrapped his tail loosely around Ed's left wrist so Ed knew he was still there. There was complete silence except for the usual night sounds, his breathing and the breathing he could hear from the two Animals. There was some shuffling off to his right where Greed was and Ed thought he could hear something to his left but he forced himself to stay still.

"It's just Darius and Heinkel," Ayala told him. "Their animal side lets them see in the dark better than the average human," she informed him and Ed nodded. He'd noticed that as well on their travels together.

"I think I should probably get the same advantage," Ed said. "Sight-link?" he requested and Ayala accepted. A moment later Ed blinked his eyes and took in the world around him. Night sight-links were always the ones that tripped Ed up the most because his vision wasn't as good as he was used to during the day. He likened it to having the same visual acuity as he would have on a night where the moon was at its fullest but with a smaller range. However, it was more than enough for him to see Greed and Heinkel on his right and Ayala helpfully took a look to their left and locating Darius. The gorilla chimera startled a little at the blue that ringed Ed's eyes and Ed waved the chimera over to join him. "We're gonna talk with Greed and Heinkel," Ed said softly. Darius nodded and Ed let Ayala take the lead since it was her eyes he was using.

"What happened?" Heinkel asked as the group of them approached and Greed shrugged.

"I dunno but it saved our arses," he admitted and Ed snorted, startling the homunculous and Heinkel, who hadn't noticed their approach.

"Ed?" Greed asked, looking at the blue rings that eerily glowed in the darkness.

"Yeah," Ed confirmed. "I'm sight-linked with Ayala. Also, you're welcome," he said a little smugly. "I alchemically killed all the lights in the village temporarily," he told them.

"Pride can't cast with his shadows so he's as blind as, well, I am right now," Greed said, sounding a little irritated by that, "but he'll be back at it again when those lights come back on."

"So what do we do now?" Darius asked.

"Heinkel, did you notice the shadow cast by Al's body?" Greed asked and Heinkel snorted.

"Yeah, it was pretty hard to miss those freaky tentacles," Heinkel told him but Greed shook his head.

"Not those ones," Greed said before just getting to the point. "He kept Al close to the edges of the shadows cast by the forest," Greed told them. "His actual body is probably somewhere else beyond those trees."

"Actually," Ed said, getting their attention, "his body is definitely beyond those trees. Ayala and Chester said that Pride smelt like he was next to Al but further into the trees as well," Ed told them.

"Wait, so he's not inside the armour?" Heinkel asked and both Ed and Greed shook their heads.

"No, he has a special container he uses to travel around in," Greed told him and Heinkel gave him a confused look.

"What kind of container?" The lion chimera asked and Ed sighed a little.

"He's Selim Bradley, remember? Greed's talking about Selim's body," Ed said, ignoring the way Greed pouted slightly at Ed taking the fun of reminding the lion chimera.

"Right," Heinkel said. "So you want me to go and find Selim and attack him?" he asked and Greed nodded.

"Remember, he is a powerful homunculous so don't feel any guilt for attacking what looks like ten-year-old," Greed told him and Heinkel nodded before taking off into the trees.

"Ed, where's your brother?" Greed asked and Ed felt his vision shift over to where Al's armour stood despite the fact he didn't turn his head. The feeling was rather disconcerting but Ayala soon shifted her vision back to Greed.

"He's in the same place as before," Ed said. "Pride must still have a hold on him somehow."

"Most likely," Greed said with a nod. "We need to get out of here for the time being though."

"I'm not gonna leave Al behind like that!" Ed snapped and heard Chester growl in agreement as his tail tightened slightly around his wrist.

"We know that you're worried about him but what if we get close to him and it's a trap?" Darius said, cutting off any comment Greed might've made that would've set the blonde off. "We've gotta stay close to one another until Heinkel's done with Pride. We don't want to accidentally attack each other."

"Darius mustn't be able to see in the dark as well as Heinkel if he's worried about being accidentally attacked," Ayala observed and Ed nodded. Gorillas had decent vision in the dark, certainly better than a human's but only by a small margin. The sounds of vicious fighting were soon heard by them all and Ed nodded towards it.

"So that's Heinkel attacking Pride now?" Ed asked and Darius nodded.

"It's always the best bet to let the nocturnal animal fight in the dark," Darius told him before grabbing Greed by the arm. "Now let's go and see if he needs a hand."

Greed didn't protest the treatment as Darius led him bodily through the thick trees and towards the sounds of someone being attacked while Ayala and Chester took up the task of helping Ed through the forest. It took Ed stumbling a couple of times for Ayala to remember he was using her eyes and if she didn't notice a tree branch, he didn't either, for her to keep her eyes on the ground directly in front of them instead of scanning the surrounding area for danger. Chester took up that role, stepping in front of Ed slightly but making sure Ed still had hold of his tail, just in case.

Darius, Ayala and Chester all came to a sudden stop at the same time and the two Animals pulled Ed down to the ground just as Darius did the same for Greed, giving a warning shout. "Get down now!" the gorilla chimera had said only a moment before something massive crashed into a nearby tree, causing the thick trunk to splinter and Ayala looked up in time for Ed to see Gluttony peel his jaws from the tree trunk before the obese homunculous turned around.

"I smell you, Fullmetal Alchemist, and I smell Greed too," Gluttony said, slurping as he licked his lips.

"I wondered when Gluttony would turn up," Greed muttered as he got to his feet while Ed did the same.

"I also smell someone I've never smelled before," Gluttony said after inhaling deeply before grinning widely, "and they smell delicious," he said, licking his lips again and Ed felt himself shudder in revulsion.

"It's all you," Greed said, clapping Darius on the shoulder. "Go for it and don't forget he's also a homunculous," Greed warned and Darius looked at him incredulously.

"How do you expect me to fight a monster like that?" the gorilla chimera asked as Gluttony blundered around the forest blindly.

"He's relying on his sense of smell to guide him in the dark," Greed pointed out. "Right now, I'd say you're evenly matched for a fair fight."

"My animal instincts are calling me an idiot for listening to you so I guess I'm a fucking idiot!" Darius said as he morphed into his chimera form and bounded at Gluttony. "The first strike is mine!" Darius bellowed, whacking Gluttony over the head with a branch thicker than Edward was wide, making the homunculous cry out in pain.

"Fine." Ed heard Greed mutter and Ayala glanced up so Ed could see his face and noticed a difference.

"Ling?" Ed asked to be sure and the prince nodded. "Why?"

"I can sense homunculi by their energy. Much like how you can sense where Ayala is, only I can't sense them unless they're in range or have a massive energy," Ling told him.

"Handy," was all Ed had to say before he was back watching the fight between Darius and Gluttony through Ayala's eyes.

"I just want to eat you!" Gluttony cried as Darius dodged a strike and hit Gluttony with another branch he then immediately discarded. "Stop running around so I can!" Gluttony hit a tree full on when Darius used it as a springboard to bounce over the homunculous before he could be grabbed. "I'm getting hungry!" Gluttony yelled, managing to hit Darius with a wild swing that sent the chimera into a tree but Darius recovered and moved as Gluttony launched himself mouth first at the tree. "I want to eat everything in sight!" Gluttony roared and Ed watched in horror as Gluttony's stomach ripped itself open, ribs elongating and stretching like teeth as an eye that looked far too much like the one Ed had seen the night of the rebound blinked open.

"I'm sensing something bad!" Darius shouted in a panic as he dodged in time to miss a streak of energy that devoured everything in its path.

"You're not wrong!" Ed shouted back. "Keep dodging, Darius!" Ed couldn't do anything to help his friend continually evade Gluttony's attack as he couldn't be sure his alchemy would hit Darius by mistake.

"It's coming this way," Ling said and Ed let go of Ayala's scruff to grab Ling by the jacket, ready to drag him out of the path as Darius continued to evade. Suddenly, a blur went past Gluttony and the homunculous cried in pain as blood spurted from his severed jugular vein and carotid artery. The homunculous went down and someone landed in front of Ed and Ling and the prince grinned. "I was wondering when you'd find me, Lan Fan. It's good to see you're okay," Ling said as Darius stumbled towards them.

"My lord, it's good to see you too," Lan Fan said, giving a deep bow. Ed took the moment to look at her left arm and take in the automail arm that was attached. He couldn't identify the mechanic behind the work but he did feel a touch of envy when he saw the large blade that curved from her elbow. Gluttony chose that moment to revive himself and Lan Fan launched another series of fatal blows that kept knocking the homunculous down. "Laika has been very worried about you," Lan Fan said as she came back to them while Gluttony bled out.

"Is he doing better?" Ling asked and Lan Fan nodded.

"He's not getting as tired as quickly but the homunculous in you is still having a negative effect on him," she reported solemnly. "Onyx is staying with him nearby. He is in no shape to join us in this fight," Lan Fan informed him and Ling's face crumpled slightly.

"Would you stop killing me?" Gluttony whined childlike as he sat back up but Lan Fan wasted no time in striking him down once more. "I don't want to die anymore!" Gluttony wailed as Lan Fan cut into him again, splitting his belly open and Ed was almost afraid he'd see that mutated jaw and eye again but nothing happened except for Gluttony's intestines and guts spilling out gruesomely in front of him. "That hurt!" he shouted as Lan Fan speared a kunai through one of his beady eyes, splitting his eye socket open and burying the blade right into his brain before Lan Fan pulled it back out.

"We can finish catching up later," Ling said as he threw a punch with an arm covered by Greed's ultimate shield and knocked Gluttony off his feet. "Let's finish him!"

"Yes, my lord!" Lan Fan said, using her automail blade to slice through Gluttony's neck once more.

"Why won't you let me eat you?" Gluttony asked once more as Ed and Darius watched the fight with the two Animals keeping their senses peeled in case of more danger. "I don't get it," Gluttony said, looking around in confusion and loosing half his face to Lan Fan's blade. "It's so dark here so how do you know where I am? You can't see me!"

Ayala's head suddenly whipped to the left and Ed's stomach rolled nauseously as his vision moved but his physical eyes stayed still. He soon saw the reason for Ayala and Chester to look over to the left when Fu dropped down next to them. Ed laid a calming hand on Darius when he startled. "Long time, no see, huh, kid?" Fu greeted, taking in the blue rings around Ed's eyes.

"Technically, I can only see you because of Ayala," Ed said, giving the man a smirk. "Since you aren't heading off to fight someone, can you tell me how you and Lan Fan were able to find us?"

"We've been hiding out in Central for a while now to try and keep an eye on things and out for the young lord," Fu told him. "We sensed several large amounts of chi converging here so we followed them." Fu paused for a moment before nodding in the direction Lan Fan and Ling had disappeared in as they fought Gluttony. "There are two enormous amounts of chi fighting nearby."

"Yeah, that's probably Gluttony and Greed you're sensing," Ed told him.

"Greed, huh? The one who swallowed the young lord?" Fu asked and Ed hummed in confirmation. "There's another large amount of chi fighting out further into the forest," Fu told them and Ed nodded.

"Our companion is fighting a homunculous called Pride out there somewhere," Ed said.

"I can sense another large one that was in the nearby settlement but it's currently making its way towards us. There's something disquieting about that one," Fu told them. "It seems to dwarf the other ones in comparison."

"That's probably Ed's father," Darius said and Ed nodded.

"Yeah, probably." Fu looked at him in shock and Ed shrugged.

"Are you saying your father isn't human?" Fu asked.

"Trust me, he's the least of our concerns right now," Ed told him. "We've got to figure out how to deal with these two homunculi. I have an array that will destroy them permanently but I need to touch them to do so," Ed said.

"You don't have to worry about Gluttony right now," Fu told him. "Lan Fan has him under control."

"Are you sure?" Ed asked. "It hasn't even been a full five months since she got that automail installed. She's not going to last much longer without some help," Ed said but Fu shook his head.

"I said not to worry," Fu repeated himself firmly. "We have resources other than hand-to-hand combat," Fu said before launching something towards Gluttony that exploded, taking the homunculous and quite a few trees with it.

"Give us some warning next time!" Ed shouted, ears ringing as the two Animals whined in pain. Fu looked apologetically at the Animals. "Alright, that eases my mind a little," Ed said before a thoughtful expression crossed his face. "What else do you carry besides explosives?" Ed asked.

"All sorts of things," Fu said. "Tear gas bombs, flash bombs, flares," Fu listed and Ed nodded but before he could say anything, he noticed a flicker through the trees that was followed by another then another and dread grew in his gut as he realised what he was seeing.

"The lights are starting to come back on in the village," Ed said, "which means Pride will be able to use his shadows again soon." He and Darius both looked worried.

"We need to get over there and help Heinkel," Darius said, his fear for his fellow chimera obvious in his voice and Ed nodded in agreement.

"Yeah," he said. "Can you help me, Fu? I need you to detect Pride's chi and lead me to it. It'll go faster that way since neither Ayala nor Chester have his scent nearby," Ed said and Fu looked over at where Lan Fan and Ling were still fighting Gluttony. "I could really use your help, old man," Ed said and Fu gave a nod.

"I'll do what I can," he swore and Ed gave a grateful sigh.

"Ayala, end sight," he said and blinked as his vision faded in a moment. He felt Fu grab his left arm. "Make sure you lot keep up," Ed said, blindly looking around.

"Watch yourself, kid," Darius warned from somewhere to his right. "Don't forget what Pride is, alright?" he said, echoing Greed's earlier warning to Heinkel.

"Trust me, I won't," Ed said before he, Fu, the Animals and Darius headed further into the forest and away from the sounds of Lan Fan and Ling fighting Gluttony.

"Let's shed some blood." Ed heard Pride say as he and the Animals made their way through the forest unaided by Fu. The fire that was rapidly spreading through the dried leaves and licking their way up tree trunks had given Ed plenty of light to see by and he cursed as he got closer. "Goodbye, chimera," Pride said and Ed burst through the trees just in time to see Pride aiming a shadow over Heinkel, ready to spear it into him.

"Just in time," Ed said, panting slightly and Pride looked up at him, halting the movement of his deadly shadow. Heinkel didn't look like he was doing too good and Ed forced himself to remain where he was now that Pride's attention was on him. "Who would've thought a little kid like this could be a homunculous?" Ed asked, looking down at Ayala and Chester, both of whom had taken up their positions in front and on either side of him like they normally did when it was the three of them against someone else.

Selim glared at Ed as he straightened up, ignoring Heinkel in favour of Ed. "Appearances rarely show the whole truth. Isn't that right, little alchemist?" Pride said, obviously aiming to get a reaction out of Ed but the blonde didn't give him a thing. "Now where were we?" Pride asked before launching multiple shadows at him and the Animals. Ed didn't bother dodging the shadows. He just made sure to use his right arm and left leg to take the hits, watching as the shadows bounced right off his limbs and he felt an almost worrying amount of glee as Pride's face screwed up in confusion and frustration. "What is this? Why can't I cut you?" Pride asked, muttering as though he was talking to himself.

"Looks like I made the right decision to keep my northern automail," Ed said, grinning victoriously as another shadow was blocked by his right arm. "This carbon fibre base has come in pretty fucking handy." Ed flipped backwards and put his leg out to take a hit meant for Chester. Pride glared at him before pulling his shadows back and going silent. "What's the matter? You aren't giving up, are you?" Ed asked, still grinning.

"You brought this on yourself," Pride hissed as Al's armour came clanking out of the forest to stand right next to Pride. A shadow lifted the faceplate of the helmet so Al's seal was exposed and Pride positioned a pointed shadow threateningly next to the dried blood.

"Al!" Ed shouted, echoed by Chester though Pride couldn't hear the leopard.

Pride grinned maliciously. "I figured this might give me the advantage unless you want me to destroy your brother," Pride told him gloatingly.

"Now, old man!" Ed shouted and Pride gasped as movement came from the trees. The homunculous watched as Fu leapt over them before dropping two small objects in front and behind Al before he disappeared back into the forest. Pride didn't get the chance to realise what would happen before Ed leapt forward to grab both Animals and cover their eyes as he squeezed his own shut just before the blinding white light exploded around the armour. Pride shrieked as his shadows were destroyed and Ed gave a second shout. "Mr. Gorilla!" Ed called, having resorted to the nickname so Pride couldn't figure out his identity and try something with his family, assuming Pride survived the night.

"I'm on it!" came the shouted reply and Ed heard his brother's armour being dragged away. When Ed opened his eyes, Pride was still recovering so he and the Animals took the opportunity to meet Darius off to the side, just inside the trees.

"Al!" Ed shouted, shaking the suit of armour but the lights that acted as his brother's eyes stayed dimmed. "Dammit, he's still not conscious. You've gotta get him out of here now," Ed said to Darius.

"And you're positive he's not still possessed?" Darius asked doubtfully but Ed couldn't fault him.

"Yeah," Ed said. "I noticed a while back that when you sever a part of their body off, it disintegrates into dust and they regrow the new one. The flash bombs severed the shadows holding Al's body so he's free from Pride's grip," Ed explained and Darius nodded.

"You're not getting away that easily!" Pride shouted, shadows already heading for them but Ed jumped to his feet.

"Have another!" Ed shouted, throwing another flash bomb and causing Pride to shriek once more as it exploded. "Get Al out of here, further into the forest." Ed looked at Chester. "It's up to you if you go with Al or stay with me. Either way, decide quick."

"I'll go with Al. I'll be too worried about him to be of any use to you," Chester said and Ed nodded like he'd expected no other answer.

"Good. Keep your senses open for Hohenheim. Maybe that bastard can help Al," Ed said. Chester nodded and watched as Darius pulled Al's armour behind him, heading for where Fu and Heinkel would be appearing once Fu could get to the lion chimera. "Let's do this," Ed said to Ayala and they both stepped back into the clearing only to find a seriously beat up Gluttony standing next to Pride. Red energy sparked uselessly over the second homunculous' skin as his stone obviously struggled to keep up with the injuries he'd suffered.

"Did you see that bright light, brother?" Gluttony asked and Pride looked at him distastefully.

"They've really roughed you up," Pride said, eyeing Gluttony's form. Neither homunculi seemed to have noticed Ed and Ayala watching them.

"Yeah but only because Greed and that girl weren't fighting fair," Gluttony pouted. "They were both doing something so they could see me in the dark."

"Is that so?" Pride asked curiously. "Gluttony, how many times have they killed you now?"

Gluttony hummed thoughtfully around the finger he had stuck in his mouth. "I lost count but I know it was a lot," he finally said.

"They've beaten me up pretty badly as well," Pride said, voice full of false sympathy. "The way things are looking, there's a very real chance they might annihilate us," Pride said and Ed watched in horror as Pride's shadow snuck up on an unsuspecting Gluttony.

"Yeah but that's okay because Father will fix us!" Gluttony said brightly before he noticed the creeping shadows. "Huh?" he grunted in confusion before a shadow grabbed him around the waist and lifted him up off his feet like he weighed nothing. "No! Please don't do it, Pride!" Gluttony cried as Ed watched Pride manipulate one shadow so it was latched onto Gluttony's feet and the other grabbed his arms and stretched the homunculous out like Pride was displaying him. "No, Pride, don't eat me!" Gluttony sobbed as Pride used another shadow to start doing just that. "It hurts!" Gluttony wailed as Pride chewed through his legs. "Lust! Lust, please help!" Gluttony gurgled as Pride finally put him out of his misery and devoured him completely. Ed felt like throwing up as Pride licked his lips in satisfaction.

"Ah, this should make everything much easier," Pride said with a grin. "I can practically smell every move you make!" he exclaimed gleefully as he scanned the area, eyes fixating on certain spots before they found Ed and Ayala. "I could do without the ravenous hunger though but I suppose I'll just have to sate it," Pride said, licking his lips in anticipation. Surprise flicked over his face and his gaze shot to the side. "Oh, I recognise that scent," Pride said, sniffing the air. "You're somewhere close by, aren't you, Hohenheim?"


Hohenheim and Calix had headed for Edward the moment Calix had gotten the okay from the young blonde. Despite being hundreds of years old, neither of them had very good night vision so they had to be wary of where they stepped so they didn't end up hurting themselves. They got to near where Calix could sense Edward fighting against a homunculous Hohenheim had been able to immediately identify as Pride. The sense of urgency to get to his sons intensified to an extreme degree once he'd figured out it definitely was Pride.

"Van, Chester needs us," Calix said suddenly. "He said they haven't been able to get Al to wake up since they freed him from Pride's control," Calix told him and Hohenheim felt himself trying to make an impossible decision. Should he help the son who was unconscious and unable to be awoken, whose life depended on a fragile seal or should he go and help the son who was fighting the most powerful homunculous, aside from himself and his unwanted clone?

His mind was made up when he realised just what Edward's reaction would be if he chose to help his eldest son rather than his youngest. Nodding for Calix to led the way, they headed around the clearing that was glowing brightly from the flames that devoured the dry and dead leaf litter around its edge. Hohenheim came across his son, Chester and someone he didn't immediately recognise before realising it was one of the chimera Ed had been travelling with but in his animal form.

"How is he?" Hohenheim asked and Darius shook his head.

"Still not responding to me or Chester," Darius told him. Hohenheim knelt next to Al's still armour, sitting on the opposite side Chester was.

He checked the seal painted in Ed's blood but saw no signs of breaks in the array. "Al, can you hear me?" Hohenheim asked, shaking the armour lightly. "Come on, wake up, Alphonse!" Hohenheim said just as he felt the hair on the back of his neck stand up and Calix's nervous snort. They'd been discovered by something with malicious intentions against them.


"Tell me, Edward," Pride sneered as he paid attention once more to those near him, "do you think your father would save you if I chopped one of your limbs off?" Pride didn't wait for him to make a sarcastic response back as he sent his shadows snaking towards Edward and Ayala, forcing him to cover them both, being pushed backwards by the ferocity of the attack and his eyes widened in fear as Pride's eyes gleamed with victory when Ed's back hit the tree trunk behind him.

"Ed, look out!" The shout came from near him and a glance told him it was Greed, not Ling in control once more. Pride grinned as he launched a shadow aimed for the tree trunk above Ed, obviously hoping to make it collapse on him and trap him.

"Go left!" Ayala screamed at him as Pride held her back from helping and Ed leapt over the shadow trapping him against the tree before rolling under the one Pride sent to stop him. The shadow Pride had sent for the tree hit it with a splintering crash and Ed looked back to find the tree lying only inches from his legs.

"Young lord!" The cry from Lan Fan got Ed's attention and he watched as Pride's attention was focused on his fellow homunculous, obviously displeased with the fact that he'd warned Ed.

"Not quite," Greed grunted and Ed saw Lan Fan's shock even behind her mask. "The name's Greed," he told her, ultimate shield racing to cover whatever body part Pride was aiming for.

Ayala leapt over the trunk and joined Ed, fretting over him before he could convince her he was alright. "Right, I think it's time for you to armour up," Ed said, eyeing the scratches Ayala had accumulated. "We can't keep hoping you'll dodge just in time," he said before she could argue.

"Are you sure?" Ayala asked as she watched him roll up his right sleeve and left pants leg.

"Absolutely," Ed said, clapping and transmuting the layer of carbon fibre Winry had covered his limbs with the previous day at his request so it fell to the ground with a light thud. "My automail is made completely of this stuff so it's not like I actually need it," he reminded her. "Now hold still," he ordered, keeping one eye on the fight between Ling, Lan Fan and Pride while he placed the metal over Ayala, balancing it as best he could on her before he clapped, grabbed the piece that would cover her underbelly and transmuted it.

Once the blue energy had cleared, Ayala stood there, covered in a layer of chain mail that covered her almost completely. Only her tail, muzzle and paws remained free of the chain mail. "Think it suits me?" Ayala asked cheekily as she twisted and turned to get a good look at it.

"I think so," Ed told her, grinning at her just before he heard Greed let out slightly panicked 'oh boy'. Ed's head snapped towards the action and Ayala jangled lightly as she took a step forward. They watched as Greed was snatched by one of Pride's shadows. Lan Fan moved to help and Ed watched in horror as her arm malfunctioned. Before Ayala could try and stop him – not that she would've – Ed was on his feet and in front of Lan Fan, right arm raised in time deflect the shadow Pride had sent to eat her.

"I didn't ask for you help," Lan Fan informed him as they fought side by said to keep the shadows from grabbing either of them. Ayala joined the fray, movements hindered slightly by the weight of the chain mail that she now wore but she was quick to adjust to the difference as she fought to protect Ed.

"Oh, shut up," Ed snapped at the Xingese warrior, bringing his right arm across his chest to stop another shadow. Pride looked immensely pissed off that he hadn't won this fight yet and Ed felt himself feeling the same way. "Your arm obviously isn't fully healed yet," Ed said, nodding her bloodied automail joint. He winced as he thought about how painful that wound would've been.

"I can take of myself!" Lan Fan snapped, blocking a shadow with her kunai.

"Look, no doubts you're a fucking great fighter but right now, I need you to prove you can actually look after yourself," Ed told her, grunting as he slid back slightly from the hit he took. "We're gonna need your help tomorrow and you won't be able to if you can't move that arm," Ed said. "Besides, Ling might need your protection but Greed certainly doesn't," he told her nodding towards the homunculous who was now free from Pride's shadows and was standing protectively in front of Fu and Heinkel, who was draped almost completely over Fu's shoulder as blood poured from his wounds.

"Get him out of here!" Greed ordered and Fu nodded.

"Sorry I couldn't kill the little bastard," Heinkel said loud enough for Ed to hear as he and Fu limped away from the fight.

Greed chuckled slightly as he faced Pride. "Don't sweat it," he told him. "Can't exactly fault you for that. Even I consider him to be a monster," Greed sneered but Pride merely smiled.

"Takes one to know one, brother," Pride said before lashing out at the four remaining in the burning clearing.


Hohenheim heard the shouted order for Ed to move from – he assumed – Greed followed shortly by the sound of something heavy, like a tree, and his heart leapt into his throat. Only Calix's assurances that Ed was unharmed stopped him from leaving the still-unconscious Alphonse with Darius and Chester. "Wake up! Alphonse!" Hohenheim ordered for the twentieth time, shaking the armour and to his delight, Al's eyes started glowing.

Chester was beside himself with happiness when he felt his human finally respond. "Chester? Dad?" Al groaned as he sat up and Chester shoved himself onto Al's lap. "Hi, Chester," Al said, wrapping the emotional leopard in a one armed hug. "I'm sorry for worrying you," Al said though he still sounded confused. "Wait, Dad, I thought you were in…" Al trailed off as he took a look at their surroundings. He noticed the stranger with them giving him a worried look but his identity was easy to work out since he strongly resembled Gary. "Is this Kanama?" Al asked.

"Yes," Hohenheim told him, not moving from his side.

"But I was in the east so how did I-? Oh," Al said as his memories came back. Suddenly, Al jolted. "Pride!" He exclaimed. "Dad, the homunculous, Pride, took control of my body!" Hohenheim made a calming gesture with his hands while Calix nickered softly.

"I know," Hohenheim told him. "Chester told Ed what happened while he and his friends were travelling to find me. Chester found Ed while he was still in Kanama and they left to find you. Mr. Darius was the one who got you out of Pride's reach when Ed severed his hold on you," Hohenheim explained.

"So, it worked?" Al asked looking at Chester. "You escaped before they could get you?" Chester nodded and Al sighed. "That's a relief," he said.

"I'm sorry for leaving you, Al," Chester said, unable to keep it back anymore.

"Don't be," Al said gently. "I wouldn't have changed a thing about what happened if it meant you were safe from Pride and Gluttony," Al told him firmly. "I don't know how he did it but it was like Pride was manipulating my soul and he might've been able to do the same to you and trust me when I say that I am glad you didn't have to go through that," Al said, shuddering slightly.

"I'm not sure Pride would've been able to do that to Chester," Hohenheim said, getting their attention. "The homunculi are basically your relatives. Since they're like 2nd generation clones of me, it might explain how they could have interfered with your seal. We do share the same blood, after all, but that would also mean that they couldn't have done anything like that to Chester," Hohenheim explained.

A noise attracted their attention and the four of them turned to find Fu half-dragging, half-helping an injured Heinkel towards them. "Old man Fu?" Al asked, surprised to see him.

"Can you clean and dress this man's wounds?" Fu asked, looking at Hohenheim, who nodded.

"How's everything going over there?" Hohenheim asked as Fu helped Heinkel sit next to him.

"I'm guessing you're Edward's father," Fu said in lieu of answering him and Hohenheim nodded.

"Van Hohenheim," he introduced himself as he helped Heinkel, "and my Animal, Calix." The grey horse snorted softly.

"Fu, guard to Prince Ling Yao," Fu said. "The shadow homunculous devoured the fat one and he's starting to overpower us. Greed, Edward and Ayala are doing their best but I don't know how long they'll last," Fu reported.

"This is all my fault," Al said as his fear for his brother rapidly grew. "None of this would've happened if I'd managed to escape Pride and Gluttony."

"You can't blame yourself if I'm not allowed to blame myself," Chester informed him.

"The fires have given him all the light he could wish for and I'm all out of flash bombs," Fu told them. "We need a new plan and fast."

"And not just for us," Darius said, getting their attention. "Slumdwellers are gonna be heading for Pride any minute now so they can fight the fire," he told them and Al felt his heart plummet as he realised that Darius was right. There would be no way the slumdwellers would let the fire burn uncontrolled, especially since one shift in the wind would have the flames heading their way.

Hohenheim suddenly swore. "I need something I can tear into more bandages," he told them, holding onto Heinkel's arm in an attempt to stem the bleeding.

"Oh, you can use this, Dad," Al said, bringing his hands together instinctively and clapped before placing his hands on his apron and transmuting the bottom half of it into strips. "Here you go," Al said, handing the strips over before taking in Hohenheim's, Calix's and Chester's stunned expressions. "What?"

"You just transmuted like Ed and Izumi," Chester told him. "Does that mean Pride did something to your seal? Wait, do you remember?" Chester asked urgently, not clarifying what he was talking about but Al didn't need him to.

A wave of memories washed over Al and he struggled to make sense of them before they could overwhelm him. He knew what he was seeing when flashes of a too-white room and massive stone gates passed through his mind thanks to Edward's description of Truth's dimension but that didn't mean the onslaught of memories were any less tremendous. The amount of knowledge cramming itself into place in his mind was almost staggering and he could understand why Ed couldn't find the words to describe how it had felt when Al asked shortly after he'd woken up.

"So I don't have to draw out my arrays anymore?" Al asked, not realising he'd spoken out loud rather than just to Chester through their bond.

"It would seem so," Hohenheim said, a proud smile on his face that Al knew would have had him blushing if he'd had a flesh body.

"If you can transmute like Ed, that will make things tomorrow in the fight a lot easier now," Darius said and Al nodded in agreement.

"It'll make things easier right now too," Al told him, almost relishing in the intrigue written on their faces. "Dad, I could use your help. I want to trap Pride," Al told Hohenheim.

"How? If Fu is right about Pride getting stronger after eating Gluttony than I suspect he's done more than just absorb his Philosopher's Stone," Hohenheim said and Fu nodded.

"I believe he has also managed to gain the abilities Gluttony himself had. Pride could smell you once he'd devoured him," Fu told Hohenheim, who sighed in response.

"I was afraid of that. It'll make sneaking up on him difficult, if that was part of your plan, son," Hohenheim told Al, who nodded, feeling a little disheartened.

"It was," Al confirmed. "I thought that maybe if I could sneak up on Pride, you might've been able to trap him while his attention was on me. Cut off his access to the light cast by the fire so he couldn't use his shadows. I'd probably be trapped with him but it's not like he can hurt me and I wouldn't need food or anything so I could stay with Pride until after Promised Day was over," Al told him.

"It could still work," Hohenheim said encouragingly but Chester made a slight coughing noise to get their attention.

"I've been keeping Ed informed of everything," Chester told Al, who truly wasn't surprised to hear that and neither was anyone else. "He says – and I quote – 'that's a dumb plan that's more reckless than some that he's come up with'," Chester repeated for Al, who made an outraged noise.

"Unless he has a better plan, than –" Al started ranting but Chester cut him off.

"He says he does and he says that this time, you'll admit that his plan is better," Chester told him.

Al scoffed disbelievingly. "Alright, let's hear it. What's Brother's plan?"


"Still holding up, Aya?" Ed asked once he'd finished relaying his plan regarding Pride to Chester.

"Yup. You?" Ayala asked, panting slightly as she took the moment reprieve granted to her by Greed trying a close-range attack on Pride.

"Ain't dead yet," Ed told her, sidestepping one of Pride's shadows and hiding himself behind one of the larger trees only to be forced back into the open when Pride utilised one of his shadows to force him and Greed through several trees and back into the clearing Pride was in.

"Ed!" Ayala shouted, racing to join her downed human as fast as she could with the chain mail she was wearing. Though it offered a great amount of protection, it did hinder her ability to get to Ed's side as quickly as she usually could.

"Ah, that's better. I can see you much more clearly without all those trees in the way," Pride said, smiling maliciously as he watched both Greed and Ed struggle to get to their feet. A swipe from one of his shadows had the golden wolf thrown aside before she could get to Edward, yelping as she landed. Ed's shout of Ayala's name only made Pride smile wider before his attention was caught by the scent of someone hiding in wait and he turned his attention to Lan Fan. "There's no point in hiding from me. I can smell each and every move you make," he told her as he moved his shadows to surround her, making sure he had them show her their teeth as he pinned her in place.

"You still breathing over there?" Pride's attention was grabbed by Greed as he watched his fellow homunculous show as much care as he allowed himself to.

"Does wheezing count?" Ed asked as he struggled to draw in a breath, his shout for Ayala when she'd been knocked aside having prolonged his recovery time from how winded he was after being thrown.

"This really isn't the time to be worrying about others, now is it, Greed?" Pride sneered as Greed growled at him. Ed had managed to get to his feet but it was obvious most of his attention was on his wolf, who was struggling to her own feet. The blonde stood, determined to keep fighting Pride, willing to let Ayala wait until the fight was over but Greed waved for him to go. There was a slight hesitation that Pride could see but the blonde obeyed and headed for his Animal. "As soft as you've become, I wonder how much longer you can survive," Pride said, disgust evident in his voice.

"Oh, shut up, you beast," Greed snapped, climbing to his feet. Several metres behind him, a green glow was cast as Ed healed the injuries Ayala had suffered. Pride sent four shadows straight for them but Greed destroyed them before they could reach their target.

"That's a horrific thing to say to your own brother, Greed," Pride said, glaring at the other homunculous. "I might have to eat you now." His shadows reared up, splitting to show their teeth but Greed didn't look worried.

"I promise that I won't go down easy, brother," Greed said, turning the honorific title into a slur as he summoned his ultimate shield so it covered the entirety of his body, leaving only his head uncovered.

Pride's shadow beelined straight for Greed, only to come to a halt as Pride sniffed the air daintily, like a small dog. His shadows shifted in place as the light cast by the fires moved but Pride's attention was on the edge of the forest. Greed risked a glance back to Ed and watched as the blonde and his wolf didn't move any closer. In fact, Greed thought he could see Ed clap his hands, as though preparing an array but he didn't do anything more. Ayala seemed to be on guard duty, keen golden eyes flicking to mark every shadow. Greed turned back at Ed's smirk and nod in time to see Hohenheim emerge from the forest, seemingly unfazed by the fire he'd walked through. His massive grey stallion wasn't with him.

"Oh, so you've chosen to show yourself, eh, Hohenheim?" Pride sneered, pulling the shadows that had been about to attack Greed back so he could use them against Hohenheim when needed.

"The hero always waits till the last second to make his move," Hohenheim said, stopping several metres away from Pride.

"'Hero'?" Pride snorted. "How interesting," he sneered. "You obviously think you can defeat me if you dare call yourself a hero," Pride said but Hohenheim shook his head.

"Oh, no, I'd never presume something like that," Hohenheim told him. "I'm not stupid enough to try and fight you myself."

Pride didn't appear to believe Hohenheim and Greed couldn't really blame him there. Pride called back his shadows into his container just as a familiar ringing clap sounded but not – as Greed expected – from Edward, but from behind Pride himself. Greed took a step to the side as Pride turned to look over his shoulder to find Alphonse drawing his hands apart while both his leopard and Hohenheim's horse stood protectively in front of the armour.

"Oh, how wonderful. You've learned to transmute like your brother," Pride said, a sneer in his voice. "Like your brother, you'll quickly find out just how useless alchemy is against my shadows."

"Oh, don't worry, Pride," Ed called from where he stood, getting the attention of the two homunculi. Blue energy danced between the blonde's palms, casting him in an eerie light. "This array isn't going to be used against you," Ed informed him, grinning. "Now, Al!" Ed shouted as he released the built-up energy.

Greed's gaze focused quickly back on Alphonse to find him releasing the same blue energy and the result of the transmutation the brothers used was almost immediately apparent. The air around them seemed to become drier than the desert and Greed watched with interest and slight awe as a massive amount of water seemed to gather above each brother. Pride seemed to realise exactly what was going on as he soon sent out multiple shadows to try and stop the brothers but the Animals nearest them defended them immediately, refusing to allow a single attack to pass even though both Chester and Calix started acquiring numerous injuries. A look back at Ed and Ayala told Greed that the two of them had the situation well in hand so he raced for the youngest Elric, stopping an attack that would've severely injured Chester before it could. If these boys were going to do what Greed thought, there was no way he was going to let Pride stop them.

Another call from Ed to Al had the boys spreading their hands apart, directing the water they'd accumulated so it hovered over the fires. Once Ed and Al felt they had water over every single flame and ember – anything that could provide Pride with enough light to use his shadows – they allowed the water to drop from the air. In that moment, Calix gave Hohenheim the go ahead from Al and the living Philosopher's Stone dropped his hands to ground and willed the earth around Pride to do as he ordered it. Pride realised what was about to happen a moment too late and the large slabs of earth Hohenheim summoned finished forming a dome around Pride moments after the fires were extinguished by the brothers.

As soon as he got confirmation from Calix that Pride was successfully trapped, Ed collapsed from exhaustion, dropping to his hands and knees and struggled to get his breathing under control. The amount of alchemic energy he'd just used to manipulate that much water at once had almost depleted his entire internal supply and Ed had never wanted a nap more in his life. Ayala rushed to his side immediately once he dropped and started looking him over.

"Are you alright? Are you injured? I didn't feel any sympathy pain," Ayala fussed and Ed let out a tired chuckle as he heard the familiar clanking footsteps of his brother rapidly approach him.

"I'm fine. Too much alchemic energy spent in too little time is all," Ed promised and Ayala seemed happy with the news there wasn't anything physically wrong with him.

"Ed!" Chester called as he ran as best he could with the injuries he had to join Ayala. Ed eyed the wounds critically. Knowing what he was about to do, Chester spoke. "Don't you d-"

"Heal!" Ed said, cutting the leopard off as he raised a hand towards him, letting the green energy flow from him to Chester. He could feel both his and Ayala's disapproval about his decision to heal Chester but Ed refused to care about it. Chester's injuries weren't strictly life-threatening and they certainly would've healed completely by themselves in a matter of days, weeks at the most, but Ed refused to leave him injured. He refused to be the reason Chester was killed in the fight tomorrow because of an injury he could've healed today. "Don't bother lecturing me. Either of you," Ed snapped tiredly as the green energy dissipated.

"Fine but only because it's too late to stop you and you'd just ignore us anyway," Chester said irritably. "But thank you," he added, voice softening and Ed gave him a tired smile.

"Brother!" Al shouted, coming to a stop next to Ed. "Are you alright?"

"I'm fine," Ed repeated, waving off the questions he knew would follow Al's initial one. "Nothing a good meal and some sleep won't fix," Ed assured him.

"Are you sure?" Al couldn't help but ask. He had felt the drain of energy the array had cost him but since he didn't have a physical body, he didn't suffer any of the physical effects like Ed did. All he had to do was wait a few hours before his levels were back up to where they should've been.

"Yes," Ed said, moving into a sitting position now that he could draw in a breath easily once more. "How about you?" Ed asked and Al knew he was asking about more than how Al was after performing the water manipulation array.

"I'm better," Al told him and Ed nodded, apparently satisfied by Al's answer. "And you were right," Al said, getting a raised brow from Ed in response. "Your plan was better."

Ed grinned. "Told you so," he bragged though the effect was lessened by the exhaustion written on his face. Al scoffed as he sat next to Ed, leaving Ayala and Chester to find spots as they pleased once Al had transmuted the armour off Ayala before Ed could further tire himself out by doing it himself.

Ed took the following silence to take in their surroundings as much he could now that they were thrown into almost darkness once more. The only light that shone was from Kanama behind the dome and Ed had never found himself more grateful that he'd had a homunculous' attention on him before in his life. If Pride had realised there was light from the slums behind them, they wouldn't have won. Ed noted that he couldn't see Greed anymore and there was no sign of Lan Fan anywhere nearby so he assumed she'd followed the homunculous when he took off. The massive dome that held Pride prisoner stood tall and imposing and Ed nodded in satisfaction with it.

"Edward." The blonde's attention was grabbed by his approaching father. Ed could see worry etched onto his face, as well as caution. "Are you alright? That was a massive transmutation you just pulled off," Hohenheim said, coming to a stop a few feet from the blonde, careful not to get closer than he needed to, just in case he set Ed off into a rant. Calix stood behind Hohenheim as his human took up a crouching position.

"If you know how much energy it cost me to manipulate that water than you know I'm only tired," Ed snapped irritably, unable and unwilling to expand the needed energy to check his temper.

"Brother, he's only asking because he's worried about you," Al said softly, refusing to let Ed treat their father like that without just cause.

"I'm worried about both of you but I know you're the only one suffering the actual effects of the cost of the transmutation," Hohenheim told Ed gently. Ed glowered but eventually let out a sigh.

"I'm fine. I'm just tired and hungry," Ed muttered, repeating himself once more and Hohenheim nodded.

"I don't know about where you can sleep but I'll head back down to the slums and see if anyone's still serving food," Hohenheim said but Ed shook his head.

"Don't bother. My pack's just off the path where Pride first tried to use Al to trick me. It's got food and my bedroll in it. I just need to go get it," Ed said, moving to get up but Al put his hands on his shoulder to stop him.

"You're in no condition to go anywhere, let alone stumbling near blind through a forest," Alphonse chided as Ed scowled.

"He's right," Chester said, climbing to his feet. "Ayala and I can track your scent and bring the bag back."

"Are you sure? Both of you only just finished getting healed," Ed said but both Animals nodded and Ed could feel their stubborn resolve. "Alright but if something happens, don't worry about my bag. Just get yourselves back here," Ed ordered.

"We will," Ayala promised, rubbing up against Ed, making sure she didn't accidentally touch any of his injuries. Thought mainly small nicks and cuts, she knew they would still be painful since they hadn't had the chance to start healing yet. Chester had mimicked Ayala's actions with Al and soon the two were heading into the forest in search of Ed's missing pack.

"Do you want me or someone to help you with your wounds while we wait for them to return, Edward?" Hohenheim asked. Ed's usual response of telling Hohenheim to fuck off and that he didn't need any first aid was on the tip of his tongue when the genuine concern on Hohenheim and Calix's faces had him pause for a moment.

"Fine," Ed muttered, looking at the ground so he wouldn't see Hohenheim's reaction. "They're only scratches so it's not like much has to be done to them," Ed said.

"I'll find some clean water and something I can use to clean them out with," Hohenheim said, straightening from his crouch and heading for the two chimeras and Fu.

"I didn't think you would've accepted Dad's help," Al said, surprised and Ed had to force himself to stop from physically wincing at Al calling Hohenheim 'Dad'.

"Yeah, well, I didn't want to sit through you lecturing me about looking after myself and refusing help from people or about being nicer to him," Ed snarked as he shifted to make himself more comfortable. "Figured it be less annoying to let him try and act like a decent father than sit through one of your rants."

"Brother," Al said, almost like he was going to follow it with words about how Ed truly didn't mean that but the youngest Elric ended up just staying quiet and Ed pretended to accept it as the familiar reprimand Al was acting like it was while Calix watched them both.

A few seconds later, Ed decided to break the silence. "So you're able to transmute like me, huh? I take it that means your memories are back?" Ed asked and Al nodded, his helmet clanking softly.

"Yeah, I remember everything now," Al confirmed. "I think I can even bond with Animals like you and dad can but I haven't really had the chance to try yet," Al said before turning to Calix.

"I know what you're thinking, Al, and I just want you to listen to me for a moment," Ed said before Al could do anything. "I don't think you should bond with any other Animal yet," Ed said.

"What? Why?" Al asked, turning to see his brother looking a little guilty and Al felt his temper flare. "If this is some stupid jealousy thing because I can do what you can –" Al started saying hotly and Ed glared at him.

"Don't be an idiot," Ed snapped. "I'm not jealous you can transmute by clapping or that you might be able to bond with other Animals. I'm happy you can," Ed told him and Al let out a frustrated and confused noise.

"Then why?" Al asked and Ed sighed.

"Look, when I first discovered my abilities I had a year where I got the chance to adjust to being able to bond with Animals. I had that year to practise my limits with another Animal and I was only bonded to three, not including Ayala, for most of that year," Ed reminded him. "When I told you Hohenheim's theory about your memories being locked away from you and that if you got them back, you might be able to do what I could, I knew that you would likely start bonding with every Animal we know as soon as you could," Ed said. "If you'd gotten your memories months or even weeks ago, I wouldn't even be asking you not to bond with more Animals but with Promised Day less than 12 hours away, I'm begging you not to," Ed pleaded, looking up at Al. "It can be distracting having that many Animals in your head and you won't have the time I did to get used to it. With all the fighting that will be going on tomorrow, I'll be hard-pressed trying to keep my mind focused on what I'm doing rather than the Animals I'm bonded to and I don't want you to end up getting yourself or someone else hurt because you weren't able to focus completely," Ed finished explaining before going quiet.

"You really think I'd get someone hurt because I was distracted by an Animal?" Al asked and Ed winced.

"I know you wouldn't mean it and in all honesty, I could be completely wrong and you might have the knowledge necessary to block out Animals completely so you didn't feel anything except the strongest emotions from them," Ed said, "but I still think you should wait until after we've won to bond with Ayala or Nala or whoever you want to bond with. It's completely up to you, though," Ed stressed. "If you think you can handle having more than Chester in your head than I won't stop you and I won't be mad that you didn't listen to me," Ed promised.

"Edward has a point," Hohenheim said, startling the two boys who hadn't heard his approach. Ed noted the flask and small strips of black cloth in his hands just before Hohenheim crouched down, this time within arm's reach of Ed. "Tomorrow would not be a good day to test that particular ability out for the first time." The older man poured some water from the flask to wet one of the cloths before silently requesting Ed's left arm. Ed let him inspect it as they sat in silence while Al considered what they had said. Ed felt some guilt at asking his brother to hold back on exploring his newfound knowledge, even though the blonde knew it was the right thing to do.

"Alright," Al finally said and Ed's face fell as he heard the sad note of his voice. "I won't bond with anyone until after Promised Day. It can be like a surprise for them, something to take their mind off of the fight and what had happened, you know?" Al said and both Hohenheim and Ed gave him a smile, though Ed ignored Hohenheim doing so.

"Yeah, that's a good idea. Nala will flip when she realises you can bond with other Animals," Ed said with a grin as Hohenheim focused on cleaning his minor wounds, causing Al to chuckle. Ed flinched when Hohenheim unexpectedly moved from the cuts on his arm to the couple of his face.

"Sorry," Hohenheim said immediately. "I guess I should've warned you." Ed nodded, acknowledging his words but he didn't say anything in response. The three of them lapsed back into silence while Hohenheim finished his self-assigned task. As Ed expected, it didn't take him long since he really hadn't suffered any injury worse than a bruised rib and by the time Hohenheim was done and had left to return Fu's flask to him, Calix choosing to remain behind once more, both Ayala and Chester announced they were nearly back with Ed's pack.

"I take it you didn't run into any problems?" Ed asked once the two Animals were back with them. Ayala and Chester had both ended up dragging the bag between the two of them and Ed was glad he'd reinforced the material with alchemy when he saw how much dirt and forest debris was attached to it.

"Of course we didn't," Ayala said as she waited for Ed to set up his bedroll so she could lay at the head of it. As soon as she'd moved to lay in her spot, Ed dug out some rations for her, Chester and himself and told the two Animals to dig in. They both did so with more enthusiasm than the bland food truly warranted but Ed couldn't judge them. His dinner tasted like heaven to his empty stomach and he scoffed it as fast as he could without accidentally choking on it.

"The three of you should get some rest," Al said once they'd eaten and Ed nodded, not bothering to put up his usual façade of not being tired.

"You'll be alright by yourself?" Ed asked as he lay down, leaving just enough room for Chester to squeeze himself on the bedroll as well if he wanted. The leopard decided to take him up on the unspoken offer while Calix carefully dropped to his front knees before letting the rest of himself drop so he was laying down as well.

"I'll be fine," Al promised and Ed nodded. "Night, Brother. Night, Ayala and Chester."

"Night, Al," Ed said, echoed by the two Animals. Before he fell asleep, Ed whispered one more goodnight. "Goodnight, Calix." The grey horse startled at the whisper through their bond but he was quick to respond with his own goodnight and Ed fell asleep to the feeling of the horse's happiness at being spoken to by him without any further reason than just because.

A/N - Here is 42 for you all! The Promised Day starts next chapter! Can you believe there is only four chapters and an epilogue to go until this story is finished? Because I can't! Only five more updates remain and honestly I'm a little in denial right now.

Anyway, I hope you really like this chapter and everything that happened! Many thanks to those of you who reviewed the previous chapter and told me everything you thought to the last chapter :) I really appreciated it!

Guest - Sorry but I'll have to ask that you don't eat Greed. I need him for future chapters

WS - Did I make you have to go into your crying corner again? Also, I'm glad you liked how I chose to have Laika and Ling's bond suffer because of Greed. I hope this chapter helped answer the question of whether Al has forgiven Hohenheim or not. Also, I'm very happy that you loved the small reunion in the last chapter and especially the reunion between Ed and Nala :D I really hope you liked this chapter and I can't wait to hear your thoughts!

I hope to hear everyone's opinions on this chapter :) See you all next week!