Chapter 47 –
Five years after the Promised Day…
"Come on, Brother! We're gonna be late!" Ed looked up at the sound of Al's frantic voice and grinned. His brother and Chester were waiting for him at the train station while he and Ayala deboarded the train they'd been on and from how impatient they looked, they'd been waiting a while.
For the first year after Promised Day, Ed and Al had stayed in Central while Al recovered from his body's time in Truth's dimension. Thanks to Mei and Chester, Al's physical healing happened at a remarkable rate, so much so that Doctor Overland had asked Mei if she knew of any alkahestrists who might want to move to Amestris and get jobs in the hospitals around the country. It had only taken Al six months to be released from the hospital but they hadn't left Central for more than a few days at a time for another six while Al got used to being in a flesh body and all that it entailed once more. Ed hadn't been impressed to say the least when Al had broken his arm on one of their first missions together after he'd been cleared to join Ed because he'd forgotten he wasn't an indestructible suit of armour anymore and had landed himself back in the hospital. Overland had somehow been more unimpressed than Ed when he checked on Al during his first shift once Al was readmitted.
Ed had – after a long conversation with Al, Chester and Ayala once Al was able to stay awake for more than five minutes at a time – decided to stay with the military and continue working as a State Alchemist. Under Grumman's rule, State Alchemists were no longer required to fight on the front lines of any battle if they didn't want to and they were given the opportunity to switch between being a research or field State Alchemist whenever they wanted, so long as both their commanding officer and Grumman agreed. Because of this, Ed had been able to spend the last two years in Creta – now that their relationship with the other country had stabilised thanks to Grumman's efforts – and learn their alchemy in exchange for teaching them some of his, which had been an incredible opportunity for himself personally and Amestris as a whole. While Ed and Ayala were in Creta, Al and Chester had gone to Xing – now ruled by Ling and Greed – to spend time with Mei and learn alkahestry from her and the Chang and Yao clans.
Ed and Al both knew that they could've spent the last three years, if not longer, in Creta and Xing but neither one of them had been at the point where they were willing to let the other out of their sight for more than a couple of days at a time. At first, Chester and Ayala had understood but then they started subtly pushing for their humans to spend less time together so they wouldn't remain so dependent on each other. As much as they loved the boys and how close they were, they needed them to see that they could live their lives without being in the others pocket now that there was no risk of Al being taken away and studied. After several months of doing so, the boys had finally announced their separate trips to Xing and Creta and both Animals had breathed a sigh of relief.
"I'm coming! Stop yelling," Ed grumbled at Al as he and Ayala joined back up with them.
They'd both started traveling back from Xing and Creta two weeks previous after having received calls from Hughes asking them if they would come back to Amestris for Elysia's 12th birthday. The young girl had asked for only thing for her birthday and that was to have her big brothers there for it and her father was determined to try and get them there. Not that he had to try that hard as both boys had been planning on returning to Amestris for at least a month to catch up with everyone and so Ed could report in with Grumman and Mustang.
Ed had arrived in Amestris a week ago but had gone straight to Rush Valley where Winry and Michella were now based with their own automail shop first. They were now splitting their time equally between Rush Valley and Resembool where they had a second workshop set up on the Rockbell property so they could service their eastern clients without being in Pinako's way. However this month, the two were in Rush Valley so Ed had to go there for his check-up. Both Winry and Michella – to Ed's irritation and Ayala's amusement – had made a massive fuss about how well he'd managed to look his automail while in another country. Ed hadn't been able to stop himself from saying how surprised he was that his automail had held up so well despite all the saltwater he'd been swimming in, which had caused both Michella and Winry to freeze mid-movement and left Ed with a wrench-shaped dent in his skull. Ayala had been quick to inform him that she held no sympathy for Ed and that he'd deserved it when he bitched Winry out once they were safely on the train bound for Central.
Since Al and Chester were coming from the east, they'd decided to visit Pinako and Den for a few days and let the old woman give Al a check-up while he was there. Since they would be kept for roughly the same amount of time by the Rockbell women, both boys had decided to just meet back up in Central on the same day rather than one of them traveling practically across the country to meet up with the other. Al and Chester had been the first of the two pairs to arrive in Central but Ed and Ayala had only been an hour behind them. Or they should've been but in true Amestrian fashion, Ed and Ayala's train had left Rush Valley half an hour later than it should've and ended up arriving in Central nearly forty minutes late.
"How was Rush Valley, Brother?" Al asked once the two finished trying to squeeze each other breathless, moving on to greeting Ayala. It didn't matter how many times Ed had hugged Al over the past five years, he would never take for granted any hug he got from his brother again. Ed didn't think he would ever get used to be able to hug Al and have him feel warm and squishy when he hugged back.
"Winry's still an evil witch," Ed muttered as he rubbed the back of his head where he swore Winry's wrench had left an indentation. Al's delighted laughter had Ed grin before scowling when he realised his brother was laughing at him.
Though he'd initially thought about having Al join him in Rush Valley so Winry could spend time with them both since her automail business was booming and she couldn't afford to take any time off, Ed had had another reason for telling Al to meet him in Central other than saving Al and Chester the travel.
Nearly three weeks after first waking up, Al had finally able to stay awake long enough for them to exchange more than reassurances and to answer questions for Overland and Grainger and the first thing Al had brought up was the fact that Hohenheim had been able to speak to him before Truth took him and Calix as payment for Al's return. Hohenheim had been able to pass his final message along to Al in person as well as explain and apologise for why he wouldn't be there when Al woke up. Ed had taken the opportunity to give Al Calix's message before Al passed out again and Ed was left watching his brother sleep for another day.
The second thing Al had decided to ask when he woke the next day was whether Hohenheim had bargained for Ed's missing limbs as well. When Ed had told Al that no, he still had both his automail arm and leg, Al had gotten himself so worked up and upset that it had taken the combined efforts of Ed, Chester and Ayala to settle him down so they wouldn't have to get a doctor to sedate him. Once they did have him calmer, Al had sobbed his way through a dozen apologies that they hadn't been able to get Ed his arm and leg back before Ed ended up placing a hand over his mouth to get him to stop. Once he had, Ed then informed his brother that getting his limbs back was always ever going to be a bonus if they could manage it but that Al was his priority first and foremost. Besides, as Ed then went on to point out, he was far too used to using his automail to stop attacks so not getting his limbs back meant saving him from broken bones and other injuries. It took a little while but Al did eventually make peace with what happened but Ed would've had to have been blind to not see the expression on his little brother's face the first few times he'd gone with him to get a check-up on his automail so he'd decided that if Al didn't have to be there, Ed wouldn't let him be.
"I told him not to antagonize her but he wouldn't listen," Ayala said, making sure Ed heard her as she spoke to Al.
"You know what –" Ed started saying before he was cut off by Chester.
"We should start heading for the Hughes'. We're already running late," Chester said pointedly and Al nodded.
"Yeah, Chester has a good point. We need to go," Al said, shouldering his pack after having dropped it to hug Ed and give Ayala some pats.
"Yeah, yeah," Ed said as he picked up his travel-worn suitcase and gestured for Chester and Ayala to take lead so they could get through the busy station a little easier.
"Ed! Al!" the familiar voice echoed in both their heads as they left the station and they looked around to find its source. It wasn't long before the brothers and their Animals spotted who they were looking for. Standing next to a black private car were Mustang and Nala, the latter of the two having been waiting for them to spot her before she ran for them.
"Nala!" both boys greeted at the same time, matching grins wide enough to nearly split their faces as they headed for the pair.
As was her custom, Nala greeted the two Animals quickly before she stood on her hind legs to pull Ed into a hug first before doing the same to Al once she'd released the eldest boy. While Al was busy assuring Nala that they were both still as alright as they were when they'd last seen her, Ed stood near his commanding officer. "What brings you here, Mustang?" Ed asked as he grinned at Al having to deal with the same fussing from Nala he did.
"Nala sensed you coming into Central. She told me we had to give you a lift to Hughes' or else," Mustang told him, throwing a fake glare at the lioness.
"How come you guys didn't find Al and get all that out of the way?" Ed asked, gesturing to Nala and Al to show what he was talking about.
"Nala didn't sense Al arrive. We only left the house when she could sense you," Mustang informed him, raising a brow when Ed let out a surprised huff.
"I would've thought that after five years of being bonded to him, Nala would've been able to sense him at the same level she could sense me before Promised Day," Ed said in answer to Mustang's silent question.
"She hasn't spent as much time with him in those five years as she did with you. For most of the last two years, she hasn't seen him or interacted with him at all," Mustang pointed out.
Ed nodded. "Yeah, you're probably right," Ed conceded as Nala finished interrogating Al about his health and whereabouts. "Wait, why were you at your house instead of in the office?" Ed asked, looking up at Mustang questioningly.
"The team and I take one day off every week. Usually, it's a Friday but half the team asked for today off and no one had any objections to working on Friday instead so none of us are in today," Mustang told him. Ed made a small noise of understanding just as the lioness turned her sights onto Ed. She was stopped when Mustang held up a hand and spoke. "Question him in the car, Nala. We'll be late otherwise and my niece will not be impressed to learn we were late because you needed answers first," Mustang told her. Nala pouted but nodded in agreement. "Let's get going, you four," Mustang ordered, opening the back door for them to climb into. Since Nala wouldn't let Al into the backseat as there would be no room for the two boys and three large Animals, Al joined Mustang in the front while Ed and the Animals climbed into the back.
The trip to the Hughes' house was spent with Al entertaining Mustang with stories from Xing and the Chang and Yao clans while Ed answered questions Nala asked him. The lioness was ruthless in her questioning until she was satisfied there was nothing that Ed was hiding from her. He'd held back from rolling his eyes and pointing out that they had been talking to each other as best they could while Ed was in Creta. Despite his bond with Nala being almost as strong as his with Chester, they were only just able to hear each other while separated by an entire country. In the end, Ed would have to find somewhere nice and quiet with minimal distractions so he could hold a short conversation with Nala while she did the same. But still, he and Nala had been in contact so Ed was of the opinion that the third degree was wholly unnecessary.
"So how are your alchemy lessons going in Creta?" Nala asked, finally finished with the rest of her questions about whether he was getting enough sleep, eating enough and not getting into fights left, right and centre.
"They're great," Ed told her, a smile creeping onto his face. "The alchemists over there can do some amazing healing alchemy. It's similar to alkahestry, from what Mei and Al have told me about it, but it uses the energy created by tectonic plates like we do so I don't have to learn a whole other technique," Ed said. "In exchange for them teaching me their healing arrays, I've been teaching my water arrays and a few others they wanted to learn," Ed told her.
"Sounds like you'll have plenty to teach the alchemists over here when you finish your studies," Nala said and Ed nodded.
"I definitely will," he said, "and I'll have even more if our relationships with Aerugo and Drachma ever improve," Ed said.
"From what I've heard, we might be able to start opening trading routes and sending diplomats to Aerugo within the next two years but after spending so long at war with Drachma, it's likely we won't see any positive results for another decade at this rate," Mustang said, getting Ed and Nala's attention.
"Well, at least I'll get to explore Aerugo before too long," Ed said, shifting to sit back a bit into the back of the seat he was on. "I'm sure there's still plenty to keep me entertained in Creta until then."
"So you'll be heading back?" Mustang asked and Ed nodded.
"Yeah, I only plan on being in Amestris for four or five weeks," Ed told him and saw a flicker of sadness cross Mustang's face.
In the first couple of months after Promised Day, Ed had found himself avoiding Mustang wherever he could once the older man had been released from the hospital. Their conversation the night Ed had regained consciousness had thrown Ed through a loop and he suddenly found himself unsure of how to act around the man once he'd resumed his military duties. Their previous standing with each other had been shattered and Ed had no clue how to figure out what that conversation meant to their relationship. Though he knew Mustang must've cared for him somewhat during those first five years of being his subordinate, having Mustang say so out loud and act so open and honest had made Ed question their relationship going forward. He would never admit it to anyone, let alone himself, but he had been scared that once he was accepting missions again, Mustang would go back to treating him the way he had before Promised Day.
Knowing it would hurt too much to have that happen after knowing that Mustang didn't just regard him as a political tool to use to climb the military ladder, Ed had decided the best course of action was to avoid Mustang altogether. He had been impeded by both Nala and Ayala in his efforts once they realised what he'd been doing and both Animals had forced him and Mustang to have another talk with one another. Naturally, Mustang hadn't realised his youngest subordinate had been trying to avoid him since he's been too busy dealing with the rebuilding efforts in both Central and Ishval until Nala had helped Ayala wrangle the two into a room together and refused to let them out until they'd spoken.
Of course, Ed had refused to do so, embarrassed by the reasons behind his actions, so Nala had taken it on herself to tell Mustang what was going on. Ed had been extremely upset when he realised what Nala had done and as a result, refused to speak to her until she'd apologised a few hours later – not for her actions since she wasn't sorry for them but for the fact that she had hurt Ed's trust in her. However, her actions had had the intended effect and both Ed and Mustang had spoken at length about Ed's worries. By the end of the conversation, Ed was emotionally wrung-out but happy as he now knew where he stood with Mustang once more. Mustang had informed Ed that he hadn't thought of Ed as a way up the military ladder for years and apologised for letting Ed think he had for so long. When they'd left the room, both Animals had been a mixture of smug and apologetic for how they'd gotten the two to talk but neither had complained about the results they got.
"Well at least I have some warning this time so I can prepare for how insufferable Nala will be," Mustang drawled, earning a growl from his lioness.
"We'll see how insufferable he is when I bite a chunk out of his leg," Nala muttered darkly. "Besides, he has no room to talk. He gets as upset when the two of you leave as I do," Nala said, a self-satisfied look on her face when Mustang immediately flushed and spluttered at her. Chester and Ayala both grinned when a small flush rose up Ed's neck and cheeks at Nala's words and he glared at them.
"We're here," Al piped up from the front and Ed had never felt so relieved to see the Hughes' house in his life, except for maybe when he, Hughes and their Animals had gone up against Envy.
"Thank Truth," Mustang muttered as he pulled the car into the small car port, parking it behind the car the Hughes' had bought themselves a year ago so they could take family trips to Xing and Creta whenever they wanted now that citizens were allowed to do so much more freely than before.
"Wow, Elysia sure has grown since we last saw her," Al said as they climbed out of the car and spotted the birthday girl running down the front steps to greet them.
"Brothers! Uncle!" Elysia squealed in delight as she latched onto each of them, her tight grip causing all of them to gasp in surprise when she hugged them.
Instead of the small 10-and-a-half-year-old he remembered, Ed found himself face to face with a lanky, gangly 12-year-old in front of him. No longer wearing her hair in pigtails, Elysia had decided to start growing her hair long when she was eight and wore it in a single braid, much in the same fashion Ed still did. Instead of the shorts and t-shirts she usually wore, Elysia was dressed in a light purple dress that fell to her knees that was only a shade or two darker than the dress Ed remembered Trisha loved most. Her green eyes, the same shade as her mother's, sparkled in delight as she made sure to say hello to each of the three Animals in front of her. Just as she finished, Gracia poked her head out of the front door and waved at them.
"Elysia? Stop annoying our guests and let them come inside," Gracia instructed. "I'll put the kettle on," she told the three men before she disappeared back into the house.
"Ed, Al, you'll never guess what happened!" Elysia said, nearly jumping up and down with excitement as she waited for the two boys to get their gear out of Mustang's car.
"What, El?" Ed asked, grinning at the amount of excitement she was showing.
"I've had the Dream! For three nights in a row!" Elysia told them, her tongue nearly unable to keep up with how quickly she spoke.
"Really?" Al asked and Elysia's head bobbed up and down rapidly as she confirmed it. "That's amazing, El!" Al said, wrapping the young girl in a tight hug.
"That really is," Ed said, smiling at her from over Al's shoulder.
"I know!" Elysia squealed, reminding Ayala and Chester brutally of her younger self. "Mum and Dad have already told me it might not be real. I've had dreams of an Animal before but they went away after a couple of nights but I know this is the one. I can feel it!" Elysia insisted. Despite her words, the three men could see the fear in her eyes that Gracia and Hughes might be right.
"Al and I both had a lot of false Dreams before Chester and Ayala turned up for us," Ed told her, "but I think we both knew for certain when we had the Dream. Though I don't think I told Al until after I'd had the dream for the fifth night in a row," Ed said and Al laughed.
"Yeah and you only told me because you didn't want me to freak out if I saw a wolf sitting in our camp sight while we were on Teacher's island," Al said.
"Beats having your brother bodily launch himself on you and your Animal while you're both asleep to tell you," Ed snarked back, making Al smile sheepishly while Elysia laughed in delight.
"At least you gave each other a heads-up," Mustang said, smiling wryly. "I neglected to tell my aunt so imagine her reaction when a lioness she didn't know walked into her house," he said and all three snorted. Having met Madame Christmas when Mustang and the team insisted on taking him and Al out before they left the country last time the two of them visited Amestris, Ed didn't doubt that Mustang had received a lengthy lecture from the woman and her crow, Will.
"How did she not kill you?" Ed asked, laughing a little harder when all Mustang could do was shrug in response.
"Are you going to tell us what kind of animal it will be?" Al asked as the four humans and three Animals headed for the house.
"Nope!" Elysia told him.
"Come on, not even a hint?" Ed wheedled but Elysia shook her head firmly.
"No, you'll have to wait," Elysia told them before looking at them with a worried expression. "You will be here, won't you?" she asked and both boys nodded.
"Neither of us are leaving for another fortnight at least," Ed told her and she sighed in relief. "So what plans has your father made for your birthday?" Ed asked, switching the subject back to something a little lighter than them leaving Amestris again.
"Dad left it up to me this year!" Elysia said, her eyes shining brightly. "Some of my friends from school are going to come out on Saturday so we can have a party and a sleepover but Mum said she'll cook some spicy chicken wings and make a wombok salad for me for my birthday dinner on Thursday," Elysia told them.
"I'm surprised Hughes didn't try and take control of the party from the shadows," Mustang muttered loud enough for Ed to hear, causing the blonde to snort.
"I wonder if it physically pained him to leave the planning entirely to Elysia," Ed muttered back. Hughes was infamous for planning Elysia's birthday parties down to the tiniest detail. The man had left nothing to chance when it came to his little girl's big day and he'd been known to attack people if they caused something to go wrong.
"Probably," Mustang said as they entered the front door while Elysia enthralled Al with the details of her party. "Hello, Gracia," Mustang greeted when Gracia stepped into the hallway.
"Hello, yourself," Gracia said with a warm smile as she walked down the entryway to greet them properly, giving Mustang a hug and Nala a pat. Lilith trotted behind her but picked up the pace when she spotted Ed.
"Hi, Edward," Lilith greeted, bypassing Al and Gracia to get to the other blonde. "How are you?" she asked as she let Ed scoop her up into a hug.
"I'm good. You?" Ed asked the fox as he held her tight.
Lilith and Ed's bond had been one of those that strengthened in a surprising manner nearly two months after Promised Day. When Ed had been asked why, he'd shrugged it off and said it was as a result of Ed spending a lot of time in the Hughes household after Al and the three Hughes' had teamed up with Ayala and Chester to convince Ed to stay at their home instead of the hospital while Al was recovering. In reality, it had been because both Lilith and Gracia had been home when everything that had happened on Promised Day – Hohenheim and Calix's sacrifices and not being able to feel most of his bonds mainly – had finally caught up to Ed.
The blonde had forgotten that Gracia and Lilith were still in the house since Hughes was at work and Elysia was at a play date so he'd almost jumped out of skin when Gracia and Lilith had come running into the loungeroom when Ayala had told Lilith that Ed needed help. Gracia had calmed once she realised what was going on and held onto Ed tightly as he worked through everything he was feeling. She didn't loosen her grip, even when he tried to make her when his anger and embarrassment at crying on her had made him struggle. When he'd finally ran out of tears, Gracia had made him sit on the couch with Lilith while she grabbed him a glass of water to drink before returning to the kitchen to make a cup of tea. When she re-joined him on the couch and handed him the tea, she'd simply asked if he'd like to talk about it. Though Ed had reflexively gone to say 'no' he'd changed his mind at Lilith's nudge and everything had come spilling out. Gracia and Lilith had listened to every word, not speaking unless they needed something clarified or confirmed, until he'd finally gotten everything off of his chest.
Once done, Gracia had taken his empty teacup and placed it on the floor before she'd made him meet her eyes and spoke. She'd told him firmly that everything he'd been feeling was completely normal for the situation and that he shouldn't feel guilty over any of it. Both Gracia and Lilith had promised Ed that they didn't judge him or think badly of him for still being angry at Hohenheim for leaving him and Al when they were little and angry at the fact that Hohenheim had bargained his and Calix's lives for them despite knowing Ed's feelings on the matter. Gracia had then gone on to say that she would be there for him whenever he needed her and Lilith had echoed her human. The love and genuineness in their voices had had Ed crying again and finding himself wrapped up in another hug but that time, he didn't try to fight it.
Since that day though, his and Lilith's bond had strengthened and Ed found his relationship with Gracia had only deepened. Ayala had been upset that she hadn't been able to help Ed through his breakdown but Ed had promised her that he wasn't upset or angry that she'd gotten Lilith and Gracia to help where she couldn't. Ayala had been relieved at that since it hadn't been too long after the incident with Mustang and Ed that her human had broken down in front of Gracia so she had been a little worried about his reaction. The golden wolf had made her peace with the fact that she'd been out of her depth with that level of emotion from Ed, especially when she saw just how close Ed, Gracia and Lilith were. Ed had always been wary of getting too close to anyone, his trust issues preventing him from doing so but Gracia had been held a little further away than anyone else because Ed hadn't wanted to risk getting too attached to someone who reminded him so fiercely of his own mother. The delight on Gracia's face whenever Ed came to her with any problems he had after she and Lilith helped him had been worth Ayala risking Ed's anger, in the wolf's opinion.
"Alphonse, it looks like Xing certainly agreed with you," Gracia said as she wrapped Al up in a tight hug that the blonde happily returned and bringing Ed and Lilith's attention back to the group at large. At her insistence, Ed placed Lilith back on the ground so the fox could say hello to the others just as Chester spoke in his mind.
"More like Mei agreed with him," Chester muttered to Ed, who grinned with delight as he straightened up.
"He finally asked her out, huh?" Ed asked, keeping the conversation silent as he watched Gracia ask Al a few of the same questions Nala undoubtedly had.
"A few weeks ago now," Chester told him. "He said he would tell you as soon as he saw you at the train station but since he didn't and I want someone else to join in on the teasing, I'm telling you now," Chester said and Ed grinned.
"Glad to see you haven't changed," he teased just as Gracia moved forward to envelop him in a hug of his own. "Hi, Miss Gracia," Ed said as he hugged the older woman back. "How are you?"
"Oh, I'm doing well, Ed," Gracia said as she pulled away from him and gave him a once over. "How about you? How's Creta?" Gracia asked.
"Warmer than Central at the moment," Ed said with a grin. "Other than that, I have no complaints. The alchemy trade is going really well. I've learned a lot of stuff that will help field alchemists with injuries and I'm gonna propose the idea of setting up a medical corps of alchemists for the military to Grumman when I meet up with him. They'd probably benefit more from going over to Creta and learning from actual masters in healing alchemy than me though so that'd be something he'd have to take into consideration," Ed said as Gracia led them into the kitchen.
"I think that's a wonderful idea," Gracia said. "It certainly wouldn't hurt to have people trained in healing alchemy and able to help save people faster than traditional medicine can," she said as she bustled around the kitchen, making them all a cup of coffee each.
"Yeah, that's what I figured as well," Ed said as he handed Gracia another mug so she had enough lined up in front of her.
"I don't see why Grumman wouldn't at least consider the idea," Mustang said, leaning up against the counter next to the sink. "Of course, the Cretan Prime Minister would have to agree and there'd likely need to be some sort of deal worked out first but with how good our relationship is with them, I can't imagine it'd be difficult to accomplish."
Ed nodded in agreement. "Yeah, the old coot in charge seems pretty cool now that we've stopped fighting with them and he didn't seem to have any objections when I first brought up the idea," Ed said, shrugging casually.
"You've met the Cretan Prime Minister?" Mustang asked incredulously and Ed nodded as he accepted his fresh cup of coffee.
"Thanks, Miss Gracia," Ed said, giving her a grateful smile. "And yes, Mustang, I've met him a few times now. He reminds me a bit of Grumman, just a little less weird," Ed told him. He could see his brother and Elysia struggling not laugh at Mustang's flabbergasted expression.
"How have you not mentioned that you've met the Cretan Prime Minister before now?" Mustang asked and Ed shrugged a shoulder as he took a sip.
"Must've slipped my mind. I've met a lot of people over there," Ed said, smirking into his coffee when Mustang muttered something under his breath that sounded suspiciously like 'unbelievable'.
"Come on, let's move into the living room," Gracia suggested, giving Mustang a sympathetic smile that likely would've been more effective if her eyes weren't sparkling with amusement. "We can talk about everything that's happened since we last saw you boys until Maes is home from work," she said.
"Yeah, that sounds like a good idea," Ed said as he followed her. "I'm sure there's plenty to talk about until Hughes manages to find a reason to leave off work early." Ed laughed when Gracia shot him an unsurprised look.
"Leo tell you that?" she asked and Ed nodded. "I'm honestly a little surprised he isn't here already. He's been very excited the last few days. He's missed both of you boys so much," Gracia told them. "We've all missed you around here. It hasn't been the same without you around and finding trouble every other day," Gracia said, a teasing lilt to her voice.
"I stand by my claims that Amestrians make stupid criminals who just don't understand that they're only gonna get hurt if they resist being arrested by me," Ed said firmly, making everyone laugh.
"Sure, Ed. You keep on believing it's that and not your uncanny ability to stumble across dangerous people as they commit crimes," Ayala said dryly as she and Ed settled onto one half of the couch while Chester and Al settled on the other half.
"It's true and you know it," Ed shot back at her. She didn't give a verbal response but the huffed breath and roll of her eyes was more than enough.
"So, who wants to go first?" Gracia asked once they were all settled on a seat. Lilith was curled onto Gracia's lap in her usual fashion and was watching them expectantly.
"I vote Al," Ed said. "I'd like to hear how Ling, Greed, Lan Fan and Mei are all going," Ed said, putting special emphasis on Mei's name and shooting his little brother a shit-eating grin. Ed took a little too much pleasure in watching the blood drain from Al's face as he realised what had happened. Chester was also looking pretty happy with himself, the corner of his mouth lifting into a smirk when Al shot him a betrayed look.
"That sounds wonderful," Gracia said happily, turning slightly to look at Al. Ed knew there was no way the older woman hadn't missed the exchange between the two and his thoughts were confirmed by the twinkle in Gracia's eyes. "What's been happening in Xing?"
Two nights later found the Elrics, Hughes', Mustang and their Animals sitting around the dining room table as Elysia blew the candles out on her cake after they'd all sung her 'happy birthday'. Gracia had gone all out and made two rich chocolate cakes with raspberry filling and whipped cream but one was kept aside for Elysia to take to school the next day to share with everyone, assuming she didn't have the seventh and final night's Dream. Though rare, it wasn't unheard of that a child could dream of the same Animal six nights in a row only to not have the seventh night's dream. However, from the way Gracia and Maes kept looking at Lilith and Leo, Ed knew Elysia would be getting the day off school tomorrow so she was home when her Animal appeared for her.
"Happy birthday, my angel," Maes said as Gracia sliced the cake, giving Elysia a kiss on the cheek before he took his seat at the table once more.
"Thank you, Dad," Elysia said, a smile beaming brightly across her face. "This has been the best birthday ever! Thank you for all my presents!" Elysia said to everyone, her smile somehow stretching wider.
From Ed, Al, Ayala and Chester, Elysia had received paints, charcoals and other art mediums found only in Xing or Creta since Elysia had developed an obsession with art over the last couple of years. Neither brother had thought to ask what the other was getting the twelve-year-old but she'd been delighted at the idea of testing out so many different techniques so they counted it as a win. Mustang and Nala had purchased her a set of books written about famous artists as well as books that were filled with instructions and tips for different types of art. Gracia and Maes had bought Elysia a brand-new bike, one complete with a small bell and a basket attached to the handlebars. Elysia had squealed with joy when she saw the red paint job and had almost managed to suffocate both her mother and father with the hug she gave them.
"We're glad you like them so much," Al said, giving the young girl a happy smile.
"I love them!" Elysia assured him. "But my favourite present is having my big brothers and Ayala and Chester here to celebrate with me," Elysia said, face nearly splitting with the grin she gave them. Ed and Al both flushed lightly at how truly happy Elysia was before they ended up shaking their heads fondly when her father appeared to melt in his chair, muttering about how cute his daughter was.
"Wouldn't have missed your birthday for anything, El," Ed told her and this time, she was the one who flushed with delight.
"We're all very happy the four of you could come back to Amestris for a visit," Gracia said as she finished serving up slices of the cake. "Aren't we, Maes?" Gracia said pointedly. Her tone brought Maes out of his 'look how cute me daughter is' mindset and back to the conversation at hand.
"Yes," Hughes said, looking at both boys and their Animals with a soft smile, "we really are. I'm not sure if you all realise how much we miss having you around here," Hughes told them.
"Oh, I think they got the gist of it when you got home Tuesday afternoon," Mustang huffed amusedly.
Gracia and Elysia shared a grin with the brothers as Hughes spluttered in offence at his best friend's words. That afternoon had been very emotional once Hughes had realised who was in his house and the greetings had ended with quite a few tears shed on the older man's part as he hugged both Elric brothers tightly enough that he'd rivalled Koda. Even Ayala and Chester hadn't been spared from the man's hugs and both Animals had found themselves with one of Hughes' arms around their necks as he pulled them close while their humans recovered from their hugs. Leo had rolled his eyes, rubbed up against Ed and Al in greeting before slinking off to join Lilith, who had migrated under Gracia's chair at some point in the afternoon.
"What do you think to the cake, dear?" Gracia asked, preventing Maes and Mustang from arguing further. Though her voice was pleasant enough, her gaze pierced both men with a promise of vengeance if they continued their behaviour so intense that neither man dared do anything more than taste their cake while Ed, Al and Elysia tried to smother their giggles.
"It's wonderful, Gracia," Hughes told her, savouring the bite he'd taken. "I think you've definitely outdone yourself, something I didn't think was possible!"
"It truly is a delightful cake. Thank you, Gracia," Mustang said, earning himself a warm smile from Gracia and a cough that sounded suspiciously like 'suck up' from Ed. Mustang shot him a glare that the blonde answered with an innocent look but since Gracia appeared not have heard it, Mustang had to leave it or risk the wrath of the Hughes matriarch.
"It's my favouritist cake ever!" Elysia exclaimed with delight, accidentally drowning out Ed and Al's compliments. Gracia gave the boys a smile to show she'd heard and appreciated their words before she turned to her daughter.
"I thought last years was your favourite?" Gracia said, a grin on her face when Elysia shook her head vehemently.
"Nope, it's now my second favourite. This one is my favourite!" Elysia insisted.
"Looks like I'll have to try and outdo myself again next year," Gracia said with a happy smile.
"Oh, Ed, I meant to tell you earlier but I received a message from Samantha today for you," Hughes said. It took Ed a moment to realise that the Samantha Maes was referring to was Grumman's secretary and nodded. "Fuhrer Grumman has scheduled you in for a meeting next Wednesday at noon, so long as that's suitable for you," Hughes told him.
"Yeah, that's fine. It's not like I've got any other plans for while I'm still here in Central for the next couple of weeks or so," Ed said with a grin.
Truly, aside from meeting with Grumman, seeing Mustang and the team and seeing the Hughes', Ed had no other goals to accomplish while he was in Central for the next ten or so days. He'd already made plans to catch up with the team the next Friday since they couldn't do so any earlier so it wasn't like the meeting with Grumman would affect the only other day he was busy. He'd barely been in Central for more than an hour when Soren and other Animals on the team had sensed him and informed him that he had plans in two Fridays time. Ed hadn't minded being basically ordered to attend the lunch since he was looking forward to hearing about what everyone had been up to. He was most looking forward to hearing exactly how Havoc had managed to find himself in a serious relationship for the last year, though he was just as keen to hear about everyone else's year and a half.
After that, he and Al had plans to visit Dublith to catch up with Izumi, Sig, Koda and Suna, which actually worked out nicely as their butcher's shop was currently in its slow season so they would actually get to spend time with them. Though they kept in semi-regular contact, both boys were excited to see their teacher after two years and Ed was a little hopeful that the fighting techniques he learned in Creta would be enough to finally beat Izumi in a sparring session. Al hadn't felt as hopeful as Ed had when he learned his brother's thoughts.
"He wants Roy there as well," Hughes said and Ed grumbled in annoyance, though most everyone could tell it was just for show.
"Of course he does," Ed muttered. "On the bright side, I'll have Nala there to help me annoy him," Ed said, sharing a mischievous grin with the lioness.
"Don't annoy General Mustang while you're in Fuhrer Grumman's office," Al immediately ordered, causing Ed, Nala, Ayala and Chester to scowl at him. "Don't look at me like that either. You can behave yourselves while in Fuhrer Grumman's office," Al informed them.
"We can plot in secret and ask forgiveness after," Ed told Nala, Chester and Ayala silently. The three Animals gave a silent agreement to his plans but Al ruined them.
"No secret plotting either," Al said and Ed's scowl deepened further, causing everyone else at the table to snigger at their antics.
"You ruin all my fun," Ed muttered, stabbing his cake moodily but Al looked remarkably unmoved by his complaint and behaviour.
Instead, Al simply rolled his eyes at his brother's childish behaviour, as well as at the three Animals who were still pouting. "I'm not going to let you get court-martialled while you're here, Brother," Al informed him.
"Grumman's cool though. He wouldn't bring me up on charges for pranking Mustang," Ed insisted but Al remained unmoved and Ed sighed. "Fine, little brother, have it your way," Ed said. "I'll just have to make sure I annoy Mustang another day," Ed said, seeming far too happy with the prospect while Al sighed with resignation.
"How about you don't annoy me at all, Fullmetal?" Mustang suggested like it was a previously unthought idea but Ed shook his head.
"Nah, you wouldn't want me getting too bored now, would ya?" Ed asked as he and the Animals exchanged plotting looks. Elysia gave Ed a hopeful look, flicking her eyes between him and Mustang, and he answered her silent question with a wink, making the young girl grin evilly at her uncle before she dove back into her remaining cake.
"Let's leave the plotting for another day, shall we?" Gracia suggested. Mustang made a protesting noise, like he couldn't believe she wouldn't simply ban them out right from thinking up ideas but she ignored him and her husband's resultant giggles at his best friend's predicament. Once she'd gotten nods from everyone, Gracia looked her husband. "You haven't told us how your day was yet, dear. What was happening in the Investigations department today?"
Ed blinked awake as something shifted on his bed, knocking lightly into his flesh leg. Sitting up in bed, he looked over and spotted Ayala sitting up and watching his bedroom door. As Ed sat up a little more, his bedroom door opened slightly and he saw a familiar pair of green eyes peeking through the gap. "Can I help you, Elysia?" Ed asked, voice still raspy from sleep, and the young girl gasped at being caught.
"Can you make breakfast, big brother?" Elysia asked, opening the door wider now that she knew he was awake. Both of them were keeping their voices low so they didn't wake Alphonse or Chester, though both Ed and Ayala knew it was a lost cause for the leopard. "Please?" Elysia added, nearly pleading as she tried to use the puppy-dog eyes that always had her father agreeing to her wishes.
"You know those don't work on me, El," Ed chided then chuckled when Elysia puffed her cheeks out in irritation. "What do you want for breakfast?" he asked as he swung his legs out of bed.
"Pancakes! Chocolate-chip banana pancakes!" Elysia told him, delight written all over her face.
"Alright, let me pull on some pants and I'll meet you in the kitchen," Ed said. Elysia nodded enthusiastically, causing her loose hair to flick all of the place before she bounded out of the room and down the stairs to the kitchen.
"I wish I had that level of enthusiasm this early in the morning," Ayala said, watching the spot the young girl had disappeared from enviously with Ed let out an agreeable sigh.
"Same," he groaned as he pulled on some grey sweatpants, the kind he only ever wore when he knew he wasn't going anyway because his automail leg would catch at the material and they would become stained by the oil quickly. "We best go downstairs before she starts trying to cook them herself. We don't need a repeat of last time," Ed said, shuddering at the memory of pancake batter and flour being absolutely everywhere in the kitchen. He was a little impressed by how big a mess she made because Lilith had informed him they'd still found bits of dried pancake batter a few weeks later.
"I don't think Gracia would forgive us a second time," Ayala said in agreement. It really only had been because of a mix of good luck, sincere apologies and it being a first-time offence that the three of them had escaped with only a disbelieving look and stern instructions to clean her kitchen spotless from Gracia.
Ed chuckled in agreement as he and Ayala headed down the stairs to the kitchen. Ed hesitated at the door to see if Chester was going to follow but the leopard simply closed his eyes and curled up further into Al. Taking that to mean Chester wanted to lay in a bit longer, Ed caught up quickly to Ayala after closing the door shut softly. Thankfully, once they reached the kitchen, they saw that Elysia had only managed to get so far as to pull all the necessary ingredients out ready for him to use. Ed nodded in satisfaction as he pulled his hair back into a messy, loose ponytail and secured it with his hairband before he got to work.
Elysia, as she had always been, was an enthusiastic helper, ready with measuring cups, spoons or whatever ingredient Ed would need next. Ed had given her a thankful grin every time she'd correctly anticipated his needs as they continued to work in silence for the first few minutes. Ayala was laying in the open doorway to the kitchen, unwilling to get any closer since the last time Elysia and Edward had cooked together, she'd wound up wearing half the ingredients after Elysia had accidentally gotten in Ed's way. The golden wolf hadn't been impressed, glaring them down impressively when the two had giggled at her egg-soaked fur and furious expression.
"So," Ed said as he stirred in the second to last ingredient, "did you Dream last night?" he asked casually. He wasn't surprised when Elysia didn't answer right away as he whisked but eventually, she nodded. "That's amazing, El!" Ed said, forgoing his mixing in favour of dragging her into a one-armed hug.
"Yeah, it is," Elysia said but the enthusiasm and excitement that had been in her voice every time she'd spoken about her Dream or getting her Animal was noticeably absent.
"What's wrong, El?" Ed asked, placing the bowl on the counter, along with the whisk, and giving the green-eyed girl his full attention.
"It's just –" Elysia started saying before cutting herself off with a frustrated expression that Ed and Ayala recognised all too well. They waited patiently as she tried to figure out how to word what she was saying. "It's just," she started again, this time in a softer voice, "what if my Animal doesn't like me? What if they don't think I'm the right human for them?" Elysia asked and the wave of déjà vu that hit Ed almost physically knocked him back as he was violently reminded of Al. "What if my Animal doesn't fit in with our family?" Elysia went on to ask, oblivious to the emotions she'd brought up in Ed. "My Animal is so different to Mum and Dad's. What if –" she went to ask something else but Ed cut her off before she could.
"El, listen to me," Ed said, grasping her shoulders and crouching so he was eye level with her. Her green eyes were filled with worry, fear and unshed tears. "Your Animal will love you," Ed told her. "There has never been a single case in the history of humans and Spirit Animals where the human and their chosen Animal haven't formed a bond and you will not be the first, do you understand?" Ed asked. Even though she nodded, he knew he hadn't done much to dispel her worries so he continued. "Your Animal is created as a reflection of your soul. Do you really think an Animal similar to you in nature wouldn't fit in with your family?" Ed asked and was relieved to see Elysia shake her head. "As for your Animal being a different species or even family to your parents', it won't matter," Ed promised her. "Remember, my mum's Animal was a ragdoll cat while my dad's was a Percheron horse. Chester is a leopard while Ayala is an arctic wolf," Ed reminded her. "With the exception of Cleo and Chester, none of our Animals are even from the same genetic family," Ed told her and this time, he saw her fears starting to melt away. "Do you want to know something Al and I have never told anyone?" Ed asked.
"Yes," Elysia replied, her voice trembling slightly as she held back her tears.
"We both had the same worries before Chester and Ayala arrived," he revealed. Elysia let out a surprised gasp and Ed nodded. "That's right. I don't think Al even knows about my fears since I never told him but I was extremely worried that Ayala wouldn't like me or want me as her human," Ed told her, "and Al was the exact same way with Chester. In fact, Al had convinced himself that Chester hadn't spoken to him until the fourth day after his arrival because he didn't like Al," Ed told her.
"Why didn't Chester speak to Al for so long?" Elysia asked and Ed shrugged.
"Al told me he said something about wanting to get to know Al's personality better when he didn't have completed bond," Ed told her. "Since a bond can sometimes cause immediate bias in an Animal, I think Chester wanted to get to know Al a little better while only hindered by a half-bond," Ed said and Elysia nodded in understanding. Ed could see a new fear in her eyes and let out an internal sigh. "I'm going to tell you the same thing I told Alphonse when he was worrying about when his Animal would turn and later when he was worrying about why Chester was taking so long to complete the bond," Ed told her.
"Alright," Elysia said as she breathed in deeply, trying to steady her emotions by steadying her breathing in the way Ed and Al had taught her.
"Your Animal will be the perfect complement to you," Ed said firmly, "and only it will know when the time to complete your bond is. There is nothing you can do to make it make its mind up any quicker and stressing yourself like this is only going to make you sick and put everyone else on edge. Do you understand?" Ed asked and Elysia nodded. "There is absolutely no point in worrying yourself sick when there's no reason to, okay?" Again, Elysia nodded. "Good," Ed said, giving his own nod of satisfaction. "Now, the best way to make sure you don't worry is to distract you from it so how about we get back to making breakfast before everyone else wakes up and we'll figure out what we're gonna do for the day, okay?"
"Okay, big brother," Elysia said, giving Ed a smile. Though duller than it normally would've been, it was a far brighter than Elysia had been in the last few minutes. Before Ed could pull away, Elysia grabbed him in a hug that he immediately returned. "Thank you, big brother," Elysia said softly in his ear and he tightened his grip on her.
"Anytime, Princess," Ed said, causing her to giggle from the rarely used nickname. Ayala had braved the risk of having breakfast spilled all over her again to rub her muzzle and head against Elysia's, offering the girl her own brand of comfort.
"Thanks, Ayala," Elysia said as she let go of Ed and gripped the wolf in a tight hug.
"She says that you're welcome," Ed told her as he straightened up. "Now, let's finish off these pancakes before we're attacked by the hungry and half-asleep mob who will be heading our way any moment now," Ed said, grabbing the whisk and waving it as though it was a weapon.
"Ed!" Elysia shrieked as a few drops of batter hit her. Ayala was barely spared and the look she shot Ed promised severe retribution as she headed back to the relative safety of the open doorway.
"Whoops," Ed said insincerely, pairing it with a shrug and a smirk that had Elysia glare at him with all her 12-year-old might.
Elysia grumbled as she fetched the washcloth, knowing her mother would be extremely upset if she realised there were bits of pancake batter all over her kitchen again. "Ed, you forgot the chocolate chips!" Elysia exclaimed as she watched him pour a measure of batter into the hot pan.
"No, remember?" Ed said as he picked up the bag of milk chocolate chips and sprinkled a few into the half-cooked pancake. "We don't add the chocolate chips into the batter since Animals like Ayala can't eat chocolate," he reminded her.
"Oh, I forgot," she said, sounded a little disappointed in herself.
"Don't worry about it," Ed said, waving a hand at her. "It happens but these will be things you'll learn from your own Animal," he told her, flipping the pancake. "They'll make sure you know what they can, can't and shouldn't eat," he said and Elysia let a sigh of relief.
"It only took me, what? Four months to train you?" Ayala asked innocently from where she lay.
"I was not that bad," Ed said, glaring at her as he transferred the cooked pancake to the awaiting plate before he poured out the batter for a second and added the chocolate chips in.
"Yes, you were," Ayala said, smirking as she felt his irritation climb.
"Nope," Ed said, "you must be getting forgetful in your old age, Aya," he said, flipping the pancake before it could burn. "You can cut up and caramelise the bananas, El," Ed said, gesturing to the bunch of bananas waiting on the bench.
"I'm literally ten years younger than you, if you wanna get technical about it," Ayala pointed out.
Ed watched Elysia out of the corner of his eye as he continued cooking the pancakes and arguing with Ayala. "Nope, I can't remember being that forgetful about your dietary needs so therefore, it didn't happen," Ed said confidently, causing Ayala to roll her eyes.
"How old are you again? Three?" Ayala asked, amused with the banter and how concentrated Elysia looked as she tried to cut the bananas into equal pieces.
"That's the kind of insult I'd expect from a three-year-old," Ed told her, grinning as he felt Ayala roll her eyes through their bond.
"That's a sterling example of your 21-year-old wit showing through right there," Ayala said sarcastically and Ed snorted with laughter.
"What's so funny, Ed? Am I messing this up?" Elysia asked, looking worriedly at her half-chopped bananas.
"No, El. I'm sorry for making you think otherwise but you are doing that perfectly," Ed assured her, knocking her shoulder lightly with his automail arm. "Ayala's just being childish, that's all," Ed told her, biting done some more laughter at Ayala's indignant huff.
"Pot calling the kettle black, much?" Ayala grumbled but Ed ignored her.
"Oh, that's alright than," Elysia said, relieved that her big brother hadn't been laughing at her. "So what do I do after I've finished cutting these up?" Elysia asked as she continued slicing the bananas carefully while Ed turned back to his cooking.
"Throw them in a pan with some butter and add a tiny bit of brown sugar," Ed told her. "Then you're gonna stir them until they're gooey and golden-brown," he said and she nodded in much the same matter as Hawkeye would when receiving instructions from Mustang.
"What should we do today?" Elysia asked after a few moments, knowing full well that she wouldn't be going to school since it had been the agreement between herself and her parents that if her Animal was due to appear on a school day, she'd get to stay home.
"I'm not sure," Ed said after a few moments of watching his cooking pancake intently. "What ideas do you have?" he asked, grinning when Elysia immediately launched into the plans she'd thought of already. Both Ed and Ayala shared a happy look before Ed turned back to the pancakes and to help Elysia with the bananas. Both of them were relieved that Elysia's worries had been soothed enough for the vibrant young girl they both knew and loved to show herself as she chattered away excitedly.
The day wore on far quicker than Ed had thought possible. Breakfast had been a big hit with everyone and Hughes had announced that he would be taking the day off when Elysia told her parents, Al and their three Animals that she'd Dreamt for the seventh night in a row. Absolutely no one except Elysia was surprised by this news and they'd all shared happy grins at the way Elysia squealed in excitement at having a day off from school, knowing her Animal would be turning up and learning her father would be staying the day as well. Once breakfast was over, Gracia shooed them all out into the loungeroom while she took care of the dishes and the kitchen. At her slightly apprehensive look towards her kitchen, Ed and Elysia were both quick to promise her that they'd left it moderately clean. Ed didn't like that he could hear Gracia's sigh of relief from the loungeroom and he liked Ayala's amusement even less.
For the first half of the day, Elysia caught up on the small amount of homework she had so she could turn it in immediately on Monday morning before she roped the two human Elrics into testing out her new art supplies. Though no artists themselves, both Ed and Al passed on the few tips and tricks they'd learned from artists native to Xing or Creta along to Elysia, who had taken them to heart as she tried them out. The few drawings or paintings Elysia had insisted they do had turned out half decent, something that surprised both boys and their Animals to no end while Elysia was delighted. Throughout the whole thing, Hughes was sitting in his armchair, paperwork lying mostly forgotten on the coffee table next to him while he snapped photos of them. Ed had never raised a single complaint against the camera after Al's release from the hospital since it meant he would have photos of his brother in his flesh body again and he didn't do so this time either.
When Gracia walked into the living room to announce lunch was ready, she gave the mess a disapproving look before informing the three artists that she expected there to be not so much as a speck of paint left after they cleaned it. Both Ed and Al promised they knew plenty of arrays that would help get any sort of stain out of the carpet while Elysia promised she would clean everything up after she was finished with her drawing. Gracia had seemed mollified by their assurances and nodded before letting them head into the dining room with her, Hughes and their Animals for their lunches of sandwiches and leftover birthday cake.
Once finished lunch, they were allowed back into the loungeroom where Elysia quickly finished her painting before she was helped by the two boys to return her mother's loungeroom to the spotless condition Gracia kept it in. After all the art supplies were put away, the three of them pulled out books to start reading to pass the time. Elysia was reading one of the books Mustang had given her the previous afternoon for her birthday while both boys were reading books they'd given each other regarding the alchemy they were currently studying. Ed was a little annoyed that Al seemed to be grasping Cretan alchemy with more ease than he was with alkahestry but he pushed away those feelings quickly. It wasn't like they needed to know everything about it so they could use it against a genocidal homunculous in the near future again.
With every passing minute, Ed could see that Elysia was fidgeting anxiously and looking more visibly worried. Ed shared a look with Hughes and Gracia, both of whom had joined them in the loungeroom to catch up on their novels or paperwork, before he knelt down next to Elysia and reminded her about what he'd told her that morning. The words worked once more and Elysia relaxed as she continued reading her book. Ed flushed when both Lilith and Leo passed along their humans gratitude and he quickly buried his nose back in his own book.
Five years ago, he would never have reassured Elysia about her Animal like that without verbally asking if it was okay with her parents, too afraid of overstepping boundaries and making them angry with him. But half a year spent living in their house while Al was in hospital had been all the time Maes and Gracia had needed to convince Ed that he would always have a family in them, Elysia and their Animals and that nothing he could do would make them throw him, Alphonse or their Animals out. Once Ed had come to the realisation that he would always have a home waiting for him and Al in Central, Ed had allowed himself to fully embrace the brotherly role Elysia had thrust upon him. It hadn't taken Al as long as Ed had to accept the fact that they were part of the Hughes family but it had been long enough that both Chester and Ayala had been very smug when their humans finally accepted it.
Their afternoon of silent reading had been interrupted twice with only a few minutes between the two occurrences. The first one had been Mustang and Nala turning up at the front door, much to Hughes' and Elysia's obvious delight and Ed's hidden one, at least when it came to Mustang anyway. He was more than happy to greet Nala with undiluted enthusiasm like he always did before he grumbled about Mustang showing up. The general had just rolled his eyes but was distracted from delivering his own comment by Elysia telling him the exciting news about her seventh and final Dream. Mustang had done exactly what Ed, Al and both her parents had tried but Elysia gave up no hint as to what her Animal would be and Mustang had been forced to sit on the second couch a defeated man. Nala had taken pity on her human and joined him but only after making sure she'd greeted Ed and Al properly first.
The second time the silence had been broken, it was by the four Animals and Elysia perking up at something only they could sense. Elysia had let out a small gasp as she dropped her book on the floor before she tore out of the living room, heading straight for the door that opened onto the back deck and yard. Gracia and Hughes only beat Mustang, Ed and Al by half a moment in following Elysia out the house and all five came to a stop as they watched the youngest member of their family approach the animal sitting innocently in their backyard with cautious hope. Their five Animals watched the proceedings with interest and a touch of protectiveness about them. Both Gracia and Hughes had tears in their eyes as they watched Elysia crouch before she stretched out a hand and held it mere millimetres above what was undoubtedly her Spirit Animal's head. Maes was snapping a half dozen photos a second as tears streamed down his face as he watched the Animal raise its black and white head to meet Elysia's hand.
"Mum, Dad, Uncle Roy, big brothers!" Elysia sobbed as she petted the Animal. "She's here! My Spirit Animal appeared for me, just like my Dream said she would!" Elysia scooped the Animal up to bring her over to show them what she was.
The smile on Elysia's face, stretching from ear to ear and far brighter than any he'd ever seen from her, almost distracted Ed from identifying the Animal in her arms. It took him a moment to place the exact species but he soon had her identified as a Himalayan Rabbit. It's long, white body was broken by black markings on all four feet, creating the illusion of socks, as well a black marking than covered an oval patch of fur that stretched from below her eyes and covered her nose. Both ears were completely black and Ed would admit to being a little unnerved by the red eyes the rabbit had.
"Oh, Elysia!" Gracia exclaimed as her daughter brought the rabbit right up to them. "I'm so proud of you! I don't think I could've imagined an Animal more appropriate for you," she said, grabbing Elysia in a hug, though she was careful to not touch her daughter's Animal as she did so. Maes abandoned all sense of decorum as he grabbed both his wife and daughter into a hug and sobbed aloud.
"My baby girl is growing up!" Hughes blubbered, tears running thick and fast down his cheeks as he held them both close. Ed and Al were the only ones to notice the eyeroll Mustang aimed at his best friend but they weren't the only ones to see the way Mustang's own eyes shone wetly.
"Dad!" Elysia whined but absolutely no one missed the tears falling down her own face or the way her voice trembled threateningly. After a moment where the rabbit in her arms seemed to do something, Elysia put her down on the ground and hugged both her parents back just as fiercely as they were hugging her.
Ed watched as the rabbit hopped a few paces away before finding herself surrounded by two foxes, a lioness, a leopard and a golden wolf. Exchanging a look with his brother and nodding, both Ed and Al took the few steps needed to place themselves in front of Elysia's Animal while the three Hughes' continued holding onto each other. The rabbit looked up at them inquisitively once she was finished speaking with the five Animals surrounding her, as evidenced by them backing off slightly.
"Since your human is currently in no fit state to do so, we thought we should introduce everyone," Ed said to the rabbit, who nodded slightly. "I'm Ed Elric, and this is my brother, Al. Our Animals are Chester and Ayala," Ed said, gesturing to each in turn, "and we're the adopted, older brothers of your human," he said. "Her mother and father are the ones hugging her and they are Maes and Gracia Hughes. Their Animals are Leo and Lilith," he told the rabbit. "Finally, the man standing just behind us is Roy Mustang. He's my commanding officer, a pain in my arse but he's also Maes' best friend and Elysia's uncle. His Animal is Nala," Ed said, finishing up the introductions and the rabbit once again nodded in understanding.
"We wanted to say that we're happy to meet you and that we can't wait to watch your bond with Elysia grow," Alphonse said and they both watched as the newest Animal smiled as she looked at her human – who was now receiving a hug from Mustang as the older alchemist murmured words too low for them to hear – with a fond expression.
"I don't think Elysia will have to worry about their bond. I can feel how strong it is already and she hasn't even told Elysia her name yet," Ayala told Ed, joining him where he was crouched.
"I'm glad to hear it," Ed said, using their bond to speak. From the looks on Al's and Chester's faces, they both heard Ayala's words and had agreed with Ed's statement.
"Big brothers!" The squeal from behind them was their only warning as Elysia slammed into them from behind, nearly knocking them off their feet as she pulled them both into a hug. "I have my Animal!" she cried, repeating herself as Al pulled her off Ed so he could give her a proper hug and wipe away the happy tears that still fell.
"We know and we're so happy for you, Elysia," Al told her, holding her close as she hugged his neck tightly. Ed felt a moment of overwhelming happiness at the fact that Elysia had gotten her Animal and that she and Al could share this hug now that Al was no longer just a soul bound to that suit of armour. Both Chester and Ayala leaned up against Ed, letting their own emotions bleed through their bonds with him to show him he wasn't alone in that thought. Ed ignored the intrigued look the rabbit was giving them in exchange for hugging them slightly.
Suddenly, Elysia was latching herself onto Ed, barely giving the young man the chance to let go of the two Animals first so they didn't get hit by the young girl. "Ed, she's here," Elysia whispered, letting go of Ed enough to look at her Animal with a disbelieving yet extremely happy expression on her face. "What do you think to her?" Elysia asked, her voice a little louder and Ed thought for a moment as Gracia, Hughes and Mustang joined them.
"I think," Ed started saying, mulling his words over, "that you had absolutely nothing to worry about this morning," he told her, causing Elysia to let out a sob as she buried her face into his neck once more. A light touch to his right thigh had Ed looking down in shock to see Elysia's Animal using him as a step to reach her human's lap.
It didn't matter to Ed that they wouldn't learn that the rabbit's name was Katherine until the next day. It didn't matter to Ed that in five days' time, he would be in Grumman's office as he pitched his idea of sending a handful of talented alchemists to Creta to learn medical alchemy while he, Ayala, Chester and Nala tried to plot a way of annoying Mustang during the meeting. It didn't matter to Ed that in just over three weeks, he and Ayala would be travelling back to Creta while Al and Chester headed back to Xing. Nothing mattered to Ed in that moment except for the fact that he was surrounded by most of those he counted as his family and that he could be present for one of the most important days in Elysia's life like any good brother should be. As he held the overemotional Elysia in his arms while she clung to both him and her Animal, with both Gracia and Maes crouched behind him, one hand on him and the other on their daughter as Mustang ruffled her hair before ruffling Ed's and he felt Al and the five other Animals pressing in as close as they could, Ed couldn't believe just how lucky he, Alphonse, Ayala and Chester were to be able to call this place home and the people and Animals around him family.
A/N - So this is the final chapter for Spirit Animals and if you think I'm not currently trying to write this author's note while crying horrendously than you're wrong. The first version of the first chapter was posted on the 2nd of August 2017 and now the final chapter of this story had been posted nearly three years later. This story was the first multi-chaptered story I wrote and it has been by far the longest in both word count, chapters and time taken to finish. The year or so it was on hiatus saw me post several new stories and improve my writing skills to the point where I felt somewhat confident coming back to Spirit Animals to finish it.
I have many people to thank - mainly those who have been so amazing to leave me reviews whenever they could - but I'd also like to thank PhoenixQueen. Though she hasn't revised these chapters and worked her magic on them, she has been there since I brought the story off hiatus, willing to read the new chapters as I finished them and help me whenever I was stuck with them. Without her, I'm sure it would've taken me far longer to have these chapters written up but because of her help, I managed to finish them with enough time to revise my first Voltron/FMA story and write the first 15 chapters of my second Voltron/FMA story, which I will start posting next Sunday. She is an amazing person and I couldn't be more grateful for her help with my stories.
As for my reviewers, to every single person - no matter whether you've only ever left a comment on one chapter or if you've commented on every chapter - thank you so much. You guys have been my motivation and I loved reading what you've thought to the story as it progressed. I would love to know your thoughts to Spirit Animals now that it has been completed so if you could leave me a comment, I'd appreciate it :D
WS - I'm sorry I made you cry with the last chapter again. I'm glad you loved my redemption of Hohenheim and that you didn't see him sacrificing himself for the boys coming. I'd hoped I'd managed to keep that a surprise right up until that chapter so I'm happy I succeeded :D I'm glad you enjoyed the reasoning behind Ed going into a coma and that the reasoning made sense! Thank you for being so amazing and leaving me such wonderful reviews! I've looked forward to them every week and I really hope you liked the epilogue :D I'm glad you're not disappointed by the lack of RoyEd and thank you so much for your compliment! You made my day when I read that :D Thank you so much. I truly cannot express just how happy your reviews, especially this one, has made me!
Now, a few people know that I've got an idea in my head to keep going with this series. It's not a full story but rather a series of one-shots that answer a few unanswered questions, things like what happened to Fu's Animal. I haven't written anything for it yet since I'm working on a new story but I would love to know if this is something you'd like to see in the future? It wouldn't just be for unanswered questions since I would open it up to requests for small oneshots based in my Spirit Animal AU. Obviously no romance but just about everything else would be considered. Please let me know if you guys want to see something like this sometime in the future :D
I cannot believe that I'm not ending this A/N with a 'see you next week'. Thank you all so much and I hope I see some of you in the comments of some of my other stories!
