Okay, so...It's been a while. Sorry about that. I lost a good chunk of inspiration for this fic and have been struggling to get it back. The past couple of days have been good to me, however, so I took advantage of my writing mood and did my best to get this done. It's not as long as some of my usual chapters, but considering how long it's been since I posted the first chapter...

Well anyway, here you go.

I won't keep you too much longer, but If you didn't know already, I do have a Tumblr account where I've been mucking about when I'm not working or doing general life things. It's mostly random stuff or posts related to my FFVII fic, but I do give story progress updates and there should also be a few FMA things cropping up in the future. The name was silverforestpen7, but it has since been changed to forestwhisper3 if you want to check it out.

I also have a Discord. I'm still getting the hang of it, but feel free to hang out and chat if you want. Link is in my bio, and I'll renew it every so often.

Moving on, writing this has made me want to see a picture of Maes as a child. If anyone can point me in the right direction, it would be appreciated. Then I can pull a Hughes and obsess over it.

Ahem.

Here's chapter two.

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Chapter 2:

~2 years after rebirth~

I remembered.

Granted, the first year had been hazy, but I think that might have been due to the fact that an infant's senses weren't that great. Left with nothing but your own thoughts and only the occasional stimulation, one tends to zone out a lot. On the plus side, some of the more embarrassing aspects of being a baby again could be ignored if I tried hard enough. Maybe by the time I reached my previous age, they would be nothing more than a muted whisper.

Still, I couldn't help but feel apprehensive.

There was no doubt in my mind that my retained memories had been intentional on Truth's part- there was no way they could have let something like this slip past their notice. The problem was what that meant for the future. In this world, where everything revolved around the concept of Equivalent Exchange, just what did it mean that I had been allowed to remember my past life? What was Truth planning? What part did they have in mind for me to play when the time came- and there was no doubt I would be involved. It was impossible to think otherwise, not with my new older brother being who he was.

Maes Hughes.

To be honest, it was hard to believe sometimes. I'd known, somewhat, about what to expect of the world I was going to be born into (again, not that I'd expected to remember any of it). However, I hadn't known when I was going to be born or to who. To find out that I was now the younger sister of a man who, while not a central point to the coming events, still acted as a catalyst for their forward momentum was nothing short of terrifying.

What in the world was I going to do?

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~3 years after rebirth~

I would admit that I often didn't think things through before I did them. Sometimes, it turned out alright. Other times, not so much. In this case, it wasn't so much that I didn't think it through as it was that it hadn't even occurred to me until it was too late.

I only had myself to blame, of course.

"She's exceptionally bright," I heard my father tell my mother one night after tucking me in.

"Yes, I've noticed," she replied with a smile. "I believe I caught her trying to follow along when Maes was reading to her last week."

"Is that level of comprehension even possible at her age?"

"I haven't the slightest, but I do know that we're blessed."

"Without a doubt- and regardless of their capabilities. Either way, we have wonderful children."

I could feel my eyes water at the warm pride their voices held. My new mother, Samantha, was easily as loving as my first mother had been, but it was actually her that Maes seems to have inherited his future behavior from, as she was prone to gushing whenever one of us did...pretty much anything. My new father, William, was more serious and reserved, although it was balanced by his gentle nature. He was pretty much the definition of a gentle giant, and I loved it.

Between the two of them, it was easy to see how Maes had grown up to be the man he was, and they had had no problem including me into that mix. How lucky to have been born again to such kind people.

I wondered what the price of such good fortune was going to be.

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~ 4 years after rebirth ~

As the days and weeks and years went by, I found myself in a strange state.

My childhood thus far had been wonderful- full of joyful love and happiness that I didn't want to break. Although the lack of technology had taken some getting used to, my new family was enough to make the sharp pain over the life I'd lost to start to fade into soft, fond memories.

However, all the love and joy from this second life only seemed to amplify the ever-present panic that had also nestled into my heart since my arrival in this world.

At first, it had been more of a panic associated with what I knew was coming. By pure association, I would probably be in the thick of the main plot if I decided to remain in Amestris- although which version would take place I couldn't be sure yet. Regardless, it was bound to be dangerous. As time went on, however, that panic was fueled more by a fear of losing someone who had quickly became one of the most important people in my life.

Maes.

Wonderful, caring, Maes who was probably the older brother of older brothers even as a child. With each day, I grew to love him more and more- it was impossible not to -but that also meant I dreaded the future. Just thinking about what was to come was enough to almost make me physically ill.

So...I didn't.

I knew that sooner or later, I would have to face facts and try to prepare for the inevitable, but for now...there was still time.

I just wanted to enjoy this simple happiness.

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~5 years after rebirth~

"Sweetie, you know how you have to go to school this year? How would you like to go with your big brother?"

I looked up from the book I was reading and looked at my second parents with slightly widened eyes. Go to school...with Maes? Had the questions they'd asked me a few weeks back been some sort of placement exam? I'd thought that had just been them being their usual, encouraging selves.

As if they'd heard the question, the two of them smiled.

"You're such a smart girl," my mother gushed, her hands pressed flat against each other near her head. "So smart that some people wanted to send you all the way to the big kid classes, but we thought you might like to be with Maes instead."

"That way, you won't be alone...Or with brats three times your age," my father finished with a grumble.

I hid a wince at that. Yeah...as much as I didn't like the idea of trudging through school again, it probably wasn't a good idea to skip all the way to the end of it either. Who knew the sort of treatment- or attention -I'd receive. Best to avoid that sort of thing in a place where someone could very easily watch my every movement.

Two years seemed reasonable enough, though.

There were so many brilliant people in this world- enough so that a two-year skip was practically nothing in comparison. I would be able to more or less keep my anonymity while also graduating at the same time as Maes. That meant I could start putting my plans to save him in place...whatever those plans ended up being, at any rate. I had a good idea of when I needed to act- there was only one moment where I could see me possibly saving him without drawing the suspicion of the homunculi -but still wasn't sure on the how.

Well, not entirely sure. I did decide on one part of the eventual plan.

Conveniently, this would actually help with that.

"Yeah!" I told my parents with a wide grin. "Going to school with Big Brother sounds fun!"

The next thing I knew, Maes was hugging me tightly.

"See! I knew she'd wanna come with me!" Maes grinned. "We're gonna have so much fun, Ellie!"

Knowing that I wasn't going anywhere anytime soon, I sighed lightly and hugged him back with a smile.

"The best," I agreed.

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~ 6 years after rebirth ~

Piano lessons.

I supposed I should have expected something like this, given the era, but I could honestly say it hadn't occurred to me. So, when my second mother introduced me to my instructor, gushing on how I would grow up to be a beautiful lady of society, I had been a bit taken aback.

Not that I minded in the end. I'd been in my high school's band in my last life, and even though I hadn't kept up with it afterward, it had been something I enjoyed. It would be nice to play music again, even if it was with a different instrument.

I'd always wanted to learn how to play the piano anyway.

It was difficult to get my hands and fingers to move independently of one another at first, but I managed. It helped that I had constant support from Maes, who insisted he watch every time I practiced. Although...while I did like spending time with him, I couldn't help but worry a bit sometimes. Didn't he have other friends he'd rather hang out with? That was normal for a seven-year-old boy, wasn't it? It wasn't like he wasn't nice enough...

"You're distracted again, Ellie."

I jerked out of my thoughts and felt my cheeks turn warm at Maes's amused smile. He always seemed to be the one to catch me when my thoughts began to wander. I'm pretty sure he thought I was some kind of space case by now. Luckily, he never really called me out on it or brought it to our parents' attention. Knowing him, he probably thought it was cute.

Just like that blasted nickname.

"Don't call me that," I grumbled, idly pressing down on the keys in front of me.

A discordant note rang out when I was suddenly tackled into a hug- a move that seemed to be becoming Maes's go-to when it came to me.

"But you're just so adorable!" he cried, rubbing his cheek against mine. "I have to call you something equally so!"

I sighed but couldn't stop my lips from twitching upward. There was no doubt he was a weird kid, but I loved that about him. So I would just have to tolerate the name.

Although that didn't mean I couldn't poke a bit of fun at him too.

"Then I get to call you Mae."

I laughed at his expression.

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~10 years after rebirth~

Ten years...It had been ten years since I'd begun my new life.

"Ellie!"

I couldn't stop the squeal that escaped me as I was practically tackled from the side- having been caught off guard -and brought into a tight hold before being mercilessly attacked.

"Nooo!" I said between fits of laughter, "Stooop!"

"Never!" Maes grinned in reply.

Our parents only watched with smiles on their faces as I was tickled into submission.

A minute later, I was pretty much just a useless lump on the ground. Maes leaned over, a wide grin on his face and laughter in his eyes as he stared down at me. I stared back, a rush of affection shooting through me as I giggled breathlessly.

"I love you, Big Brother."

And I really, truly did. Since the moment I'd been reborn, Maes had been a constant presence. He had taken the hole in my heart caused by the loss of the life I'd known and filled it with so much laughter and love that it was impossible to imagine myself without him now.

I didn't need to see the way his expression softened to know he felt the same.

"Love you too, Little Sis."

We were two peas in a pod. Peanut butter and jelly. All that cheesy stuff. One just wasn't the same without the other, and I knew that if I failed...

If I couldn't save Maes on that day...

I would lose myself as well.

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~ 11 years after rebirth ~

"Mom, Dad, guess what?! Guess what?! Ellie can do alchemy!"

If there were ever a time to wish I had a camera, it was now. It wasn't often that our normally unflappable father looked so surprised, after all.

"Alchemy?"

"I thought that the ability for alchemy was genetic..." Mom mused, a thoughtful expression on her face. "Heaven knows that neither of our families showed any talent for it, at any rate."

"It usually is," Maes explained excitedly. "At least that was what the State Alchemist who visited today said. But he also said it's not too uncommon to have it pop up in non-alchemist families once in a while. That's what he was testing us for, and Ellie managed to trigger the transmutation circle!"

I did my best to smile brightly when they turned to look at me, but inwardly, I was a bit nervous.

I had suspected, of course- it was hard not to after my meeting with Truth -but I hadn't really planned on it being known by the government. There hadn't really been a good way to refuse to try to trigger the array, however. It would have looked especially strange when literally every other child there was clambering over being the first to try. So, it seemed that I was now on the list to take alchemy classes- pending parental approval -on the condition that I use that knowledge to aid Amestris in some way in the future.

As no one knew how twisted the upper echelons of the military actually were, I was mostly resigned to the fact that I wasn't going to be able to avoid their scrutiny in that aspect.

Still, to be fair, I hadn't really been sure what my plans would be for learning alchemy. I wasn't stupid enough to assume I'd be able to learn it on my own, so that really only left someone unassociated with the military, like Izumi, who were actually really hard to find. The government didn't like the idea of an alchemist being out of their control, after all- today being an excellent example of the lengths they went to prevent that. The exception being those of lower-class families- because no matter what world you were in, people like those in charge right now would always think there wasn't anything or anyone of worth in the lower class.

Which really did explain how Roy was able to coast by unnoticed until he wanted to be. Orphans in Amestris, unless from a particularly prestigious family, tended to fall through the cracks and were forgotten, and I had yet to hear any mention of the name Mustang. Not to mention that Madame Christmas had always struck me as a knowledgeable and crafty woman. No doubt she'd had a hand in that as well.

Not that I could say any of that, though, but maybe...this was for the best. It was better to go along with this, learn as much as possible, and delay suspicions for as long as I could than to try it on my own and risk a rebound because I didn't know what I was doing.

I may have had a lot of questions for Truth, but that didn't mean I was eager to meet them anytime soon.

"Is this something you want, Elena?" Dad asked.

"You can always refuse," Mom added gently. "We won't be upset if you say no."

The fact that I was even given a choice was proof of how much my parents loved me. To have an alchemist in the family was considered a great honor and usually brought quite a bit of esteem with it. They were willing to give that up if I said no, and there were no words for how grateful I was for it...

But...

I looked over at Maes, who smiled when he noticed, but as excited as he'd been to share the news, he wasn't saying anything to try to force me to agree.

The idea of being in their line of sight was terrifying...but this was something I couldn't refuse.

"I want to learn," I told them, my resolve steeling itself as I did so. "I want to learn everything I can."

They seemed a bit taken aback at the firm response but nodded their agreement.

"If you're sure, sweetie."

"I am."

"Then we'll talk with your school tomorrow. For now, why don't you two wash up for dinner?"

"Okay."

Maes was strangely quiet as we headed for the bathroom, and even as we cleaned up, he remained silent, looking lost in thought.

Finally, I couldn't stand it. "Maes? You okay?"

He blinked. "Huh? Oh, yeah. I'm fine! Just thinking is all."

"About?"

"Stuff," he answered with a cheeky grin. "Mostly how you're gonna be an awesome alchemist when we grow up."

I couldn't stop the laugh that escaped me. "If you say so, but Maes, I'm not going to be an alchemist like the man who came in today. I don't have any plans of joining the military. Me learning alchemy is more because I think it'll help with what I really want to do."

"And what's that?"

"I'm going to be a doctor."

OoOoOoOoOoOoOo ~ Chapter 2 End

So ends chapter two. Sorry for the long wait.

It's kind of short, but I figure it's a good place to end. We touched upon a few highlights of Elena's childhood and revealed a big part of her "Save Maes" plan. The doctors who know alchemy in FMA, except of Doctor Marco, seem to be completely without scruples. She's going to serve as an interesting contrast, don't you think?

However, for that same reason, she knows she won't be able to trust anyone in the medical field. Her best chance of saving him is if she were to do it herself. Yes, she is aware of the dangerous line she's treading by going into this profession, but she has also spent the last eleven years of her life growing up with Maes. There is no way she isn't going to do everything she can to save him.

She's had a lot of time to think about it, and while she put it off for a few years, now that the opportunity has presented itself, she knows it's time to buckle down and start working towards that end-game.

We've got an interesting journey ahead of us, starting with a time-skip next chapter, as we've pretty much covered everything I wanted to of this part of her life.

See you then. Take care until then!