A New Beginning

Chapter Ten

Yuery

Reseembool

Elric House

The morning after his youngest sister was born, Yuery made sure to wake up early. He set out clothes for his brothers and Tad, waking Will quietly to have him help the others, then he went to get the girls ready. Yeye would collect Lizzie, but Sarah had slept with Trisha as well as Elicia and Ana the night before.

Yeye always got everyone ready in the morning, Yuery decided that helping the others get ready would be a nice break for his grandfather. No one had to be anywhere today, so they had time, and then Yeye might be able to have coffee before he started cooking. Yuery didn't drink coffee himself, though he knew his parents and grandparents all seemed to need it before they went to work every day.

Once he got Sarah dressed, and Trisha was ready he leads them back to his room so that Elicia and Ana could dress as well. Will was having trouble with Maes, Maes refused to wear the shirt Yuery laid out for him. Yuery sighed before taking over for his frustrated brother. Will was ready himself, he had even managed to comb his curls down into a semi-messy shape a feat that made Yuery a bit jealous. Though his own hair didn't curl, it also refused to lie flat.

Yeye came in to wake them, visibly surprised to see them all ready to head downstairs, Yuery and Elicia had managed to get everyone dressed and their teeth brushed without making enough noise to alert the adults. "Thank you all for starting without me today, you really didn't need to though. Let's go have breakfast." Yeye said with a smile.

"I heard Lizzie fussing a few times last night, and with Zuzu being born yesterday Dad isn't going to be up to helping so I did…Will and Elicia helped of course." Yuery smiled, Will and Elicia agreeing behind him.

Everyone quietly went downstairs, whispering as they passed the other bedroom so as not to wake the other grown ups in the house. Elicia then offered to help make breakfast since she often helped her mother in the mornings. Yuery and Elicia were then put to work while Will was left to get the other children settled around the table.

Elicia was stirring the eggs slowly while Yuery buttered toast and Yeye fried sausages when Dad and Uncle Al walked into the kitchen in search of coffee. Yeye told both Elicia and Yuery to join the others as he poured coffee and began setting platters on the table. Dad seemed to be half asleep, but as soon as they slipped into their chairs, he raised his head. "Thank you kids for helping out this morning. It was great of you to get the others ready and help with breakfast."

"You're welcome." Elicia smiled then leaned over to whisper to Yuery. "How did he know? How was still asleep?"

"Life is easier when you realize Dad always knows…" Yuery shrugged." On the slight chance you manage to get away with something with Dad, Yeye knows."

"Wow." Ana looked wide eyed at her sister. "Do you think Mom always knows stuff too?"

Dad snorted into his coffee before he hid his smirk. "Ana, I have known your mother a very, very long time. The only one who know more than her is Ji Mu."

"What about Uncle Roy?" Elicia asked.

"No one knows more than Aunt Riza, Elicia. No one." Yeye said drily. "No, no one other than my mother."

"Well to be fair, Grandma Chris does operate a spy network." Dad shrugged, before his eyes widened. "No one tell her I called her grandma!"

"I'm sure she already knows Brother." Al shuddered. "Seriously though children, attempting to get away with anything around here is foolish. Between us, everything you can possibly think of getting into trouble with we have already done."

"Alphonse, do not encourage them." Yeye frowned. "Everyone knows they will take that as a challenge. Yuery, William, that was absolutely NOT a challenge, and should you treat it as such you will be grounded."

Yuery, who had indeed been attempting to think of something the adults may not have tried when they were young, managed to nod with a serious expression on his face. Yeye and Dad were glaring at him though, so it was doubtful he would be trying anything for a few weeks. Let them think he forgot this conversation first…he would also need to look through the school library because he had ideas but needed research to be sure nothing blew up.

Elicia and Will both glanced at him in that way that they knew he was planning something, and Ana was pretending not to notice which meant all three of them would be willing to help him once he settled on a plan. Maes, Trisha, and Tad seemed lost in their own conversation, likely planning on making trouble already. Dad sighed heavily. "Whatever it is they do. I blame you, Alphonse."

"Well, that's not fair. They get it from you after all." Uncle Al frowned.

"Yes, because you were always perfectly behaved, and never ever issued challenges to the children. No wait that happened less than ten minutes ago." Dad rolled his eyes.

"Alright, children why don't you go play outside? Do not leave the yard. I'll take care of the cleanup, Sarah and Lizzie can help." Yeye said before Dad and Uncle Al could argue any more.

"Lizzie's a baby Yeye." Trisha frowned. "How can she help?"

"She can't, but she can play with her rattle while I clear everything up." Yeye said with a smile as he shooed the children outside.

Later that day

Elicia plopped down next to Yuery under the tree with an expectant look in her eyes. He rolled his eyes at her but continued his book without comment. She rolled her eyes, then huffed as he continued to ignore her. William joined them a moment later, opening a book of his own before he whispered "Give up Elicia, Yu isn't going to let us in on the plan until he knows exactly what we are doing and he's sure Dad isn't watching."

"So, we aren't going to do anything at all then? Because your Dad is always watching." Elicia said.

"That's what he wants us to think." Yuery said with a smirk. "Dad is almost always paying attention… BUT there are small windows of opportunity. The key is to cause chaos without actually violating any rules."

"…What?" Elicia asked, confused.

"Trust us." William said, before closing his book and walking away.

Across the yard their father watched them suspiciously. Yuery waved at his Dad and whispered to Elicia, "You don't understand. We are already doing it. Dad thinks we will be up to something, so we are doing nothing, but acting like we are planning something. It will drive him nuts for a couple of days, before he figures it out. Then we will all have a good laugh about it, especially Dad."

"So, then what are you planning after that?" Elicia frowned.

"…Nothing? I know better than that." Yuery frowned as well. "Misuse of alchemy or magic isn't worth a prank, and well…like it or not, I am a future leader. Everything I do or say can affect the future of our country and its relations to other countries."

"I never thought of it that way."

"Yeah well, what do you think my Ethics of Leadership class teaches? Exactly what the title implies. Dad doesn't need more headaches than he has already. Plus, Yeye already had enough trouble gaining control of the old leadership's allies, they don't get any footholds from me."

"Wow. Does your Dad know you already think about all this?"

"Probably not, he wants us all to have as normal a childhood as we can. He feels bad sometimes we can't all just grow up in the country like he and Mom did." He shrugged finally closing his own book. "The thing is, I was never going to be normal, anymore than Dad was normal. Will and Maes don't completely get it yet, the girls don't know anything about it at all, but normal's overrated."

"Yuery…you are normal."

"I am not normal. I am an alchemist. I am a wizard. I am the future Fuhrer, probably. My father saved our whole country. My grandfather started a revolution. My mother is the best automail mechanic in the world. My best friend is a prince. I've been famous since I could barely walk. Normal is overrated…though sometimes I think it might be nice to see what it would be like to be somewhere where everyone didn't immediately know my name."

Before Elicia could think of a response, Maes and Ana rushed over to ask them to join them playing tag. The conversation was dropped, and seemingly forgotten.

That evening, while Yuery was finishing his homework packet, his Dad came into the study. He sat down next to Yuery and waited for the boy to finish his answer before clearing his throat. "I know what you were up to this afternoon." Dad began, as Yuery set down his pen. "Thank you, I did mean it this morning. I really just don't have the energy for misadventures right now. You're a good kid Yu."

"I love you, Dad." Yuery hugged Ed. "Once everything settles down again…I'm teaching Maes how to make a wooden horse though."

"Then, just like that, you have to remind me you are my son." Dad sighed. "If I come home to a full sized horse statue in the house again, you will be grounded. I don't care how perfect it is."

"Dad, please. We read about these people called the Trojans with Mister Snape recently." Yuery said with a laugh, and his Dad seemed to make a note to ask about it later, before he changed the subject.

"So, when we get back to the city in a couple of weeks, I was thinking you could have a visit with Draco Black. I know you get along well with him. Was there anyone else you'd like to invite along?" Dad asked.

"Could we invite Hiro, and maybe Huan?" Yuery asked. "Anya and Clara too."

"Well, it may be crazy to invite five extra kids into our chaos, but why not. We'll see what we can set up. I'm glad you've made friends at school Yu. I know it can't be easy with everything." Dad smiled. "I heard some of the other kids are still being stupid. Anya was complaining about it at home again."

"We all decided it was pointless to complain and it only served to make our fathers lives harder." Yuery sighed. "I knew Anya would crack. She always does."

"Yuery, you know you can come to me over anything. It isn't your job to worry about me, it's my job to worry about you. Let Yeye worry about me, okay? That's what Dad's are for." Dad said, before pointing at the homework page. "You want to rework twenty five, you missed the third five."

"Damn it. I mean darn it. I mean."

"Just don't let your mother hear you say that, and I'll let it go. Do you need help or am I distracting you?" Dad asked with a laugh.

They worked together for a while, with his Dad correcting him one other time before Yuery finished his homework and closed all of his books, before he asked the question bothering him since the giant had come for a visit. "Dad… the wizards… they expect me to attend their school…are they going to leave us alone if we refuse?"

"They cannot force you to go with them Yuery. We updated the spells protecting the borders after that visit it shouldn't happen again." Dad assured.

"What do they want from me anyway? I mean I know that they are my first parents people, but what can they possibly want from me to watch us for so long."

"I wasn't aware that you knew we were being watched by them." Dad frowned. "I do not want to scare you, or worse, make you think you somehow owe these people anything at all… they believe you were born to save them from a very bad man."

"…Okay. Was I?" Yuery frowned as well. He knew things his father never wanted him to know already. Mostly from overhearing things or remembering things from when he was little, that he understood better now than he had then. He knew that his Dad had been born for that same reason, at least according to his first father.

"I'm going to tell you what your Yeye once told me, a long time ago. You won't understand now, but my hope is it stays with you." Dad said before taking a deep breath. "You are more than they made you to be. Whatever plans they had, whatever they meant for you to do, in the end, it is your choice, your life. The world will go on, even if you chose to walk away from all of this."

"Dad."

"I know you Yuery. I know that is not what you are going to do, because you are way to much like me. Just remember, you do the things you do because they are the right thing to do, not because you have to do them." Dad ran his hand over Yuery's hair, ruffling up the slightly long locks. "We are trying to find a way to prevent you from ever having to deal with any of it at all, but there may come a day when you will be asked to be involved. Just remember, if you choose to help, you won't be alone."

Yuery nodded, as he hugged his father. The conversation was over for the night, neither wanting to dwell on what the future may hold. Yuery knew a great deal about what the wizards out there could be like from what he had been told by both Draco and Mr. Severus. He knew already, when the time came, when they asked for him to help, he would. He would do whatever he could to help, and it would terrify his father, but he also knew his dad meant it and he wouldn't have to face any of it alone.