How to Get What You Work For

by PurpleTurtle21

After a friend attempts to perform alchemy from one of her favorite anime shows, Amelia finds herself on military property and about to go to prison for trespassing, until the Fuehrer offers her a chance: She gets a one-year trial period learning under a certified alchemist and if she passes, she gets a get-out-of-jail-free card. Now if she could only find someone to teach her…

38. Doubt and Determination

38

Amelia looked down at the map, and then at the horizon again to triple-check, "Okay, so… it should be just beyond here, and then there should be a river that should lead us straight to it." She said, pointing it out to Edward, Darius, and Greed that were all looking over her shoulder as she pointed it out on the map. She folded it up, "And then Ed, you'd be able to recognize anything from there, right?"

"Should be," He answered, "Al and I always played by that river when we were kids, so it should be a pretty simple trek from there."

"And you're positive this old lady friend of yours isn't going to call the MPs or anything?" Heinkel asked, standing off to the side as the group huddled around the young woman.

Edward grinned, "Definitely, the last thing Granny Pinako would do is be nice to someone in uniform." He joked, "She's got a lot of issues with the military for a lot of reasons. Trust me, she's a bit of a hardass, but she'll help us out. She practically raised me and Al."

Heinkel still seemed a bit hesitant, but he was willing to go along with it. "Alright, let's go boys." Greed said, leading the way as they continued to walk by the river, Amelia tucking the map away in her jacket as she followed them down, letting out a yelp as she stumbled over a rock, managing to catch herself before she fell on her face.

Edward stopped walking, offering his hand to her, "Here, the terrain can be a little tricky if you don't watch your step."

"Right," She took his hand, her fingers gladly wrapping around his palm as the two continued, hearing the rush of the water beside them as they made their way down the mountain trail. There wasn't much of a chance that Winry had returned home in all these weeks, assuming that since she and Alphonse were still traveling together but they knew that Pinako wouldn't be going anywhere. Edward confirmed that the woman was as stubborn as she was loving in her own way so she wouldn't have left home for anything, even the threats of homunculi. She was as talented as Winry when it came to automail and they hoped she would be able to do some basic maintenance on the automail he had now. For the last few weeks, he hadn't really been keeping up with it as much as he should have, and he could feel there was something just slightly off with it when he moved his wrist. If Amelia listened hard enough in a quiet space, she would be able to hear the little metallic clicks from something shifting around inside of his arm that probably shouldn't be. With the Promised Day only two days ahead, they needed to make sure he was in the best possible condition to fight.

Greed expressed this sentiment with everyone else, and Amelia expressed her own concerns. They had managed to get Edward to agree to meet with his father in Kanama before they made it to Central, planning to spend the night outside the slum before heading into the city the next morning as early as possible. They wanted to keep their ambush a surprise from their enemies before they met up with the others and made some kind of plan. It was nerve-wracking for Amelia to think about, so she tried to focus on the positive side of getting to see a familiar face for the first time in months. Still, her grip on Edward's flesh hand was just a little too stiff for his liking to think that everything was normal, and he gave her hand a gentle squeeze to get her attention, "You okay?"

"I'm fine," She said, smiling as she tried to push back her worries and anxieties.

"Don't worry, I know Granny likes you." Edward said, thinking her anxiety was about seeing Pinako again, "She thinks you're stubborn and spoiled — which you are," She rolled her eyes at his comment, though she smiled as she knew he was right, "But she likes you."

"Thanks Ed," Even though that wasn't at all what her mind was stuck on, she accepted his reassurance anyway. A part of her was starting to worry that her coming clean about her feelings may have put things in jeopardy for all of them, though that was more of a personal worry than anything. She knew that this was just supposed to be a story, with action and romance and comedy and overall, a good piece of entertainment, but it didn't feel that way anymore. It had stopped feeling that way a long time ago, everyone here was real to her and she didn't want them to lose the battle. And while there was a part of her that was sure the battle would end in victory, she had no idea who would be lost in the process, or if her involvement could make things worse somehow. She wasn't originally part of the story, and she was scared of what that would mean for everyone here.

A part of her argued all of this was an excuse to stay out of it, stay home and leave the battle to the people who were supposed to fight it, but at the same time with everything she had learned and all that she had grown and all that she had gained from her time there… She couldn't stand the thought of something happening to Edward and not being there to do something to stop it. She squeezed his hand just a little tighter as the two of them followed along with their companions to the small rural town of Resembool. She couldn't let her mind become too clouded with these anxieties, or it would just consume her.

After all, they still had two whole days until The Promised Day. She doubted a lot could happen in two days.

---

They came around the Rockbell house, being careful not to be seen even though the nearest neighbors were easily a mile away. Edward was a little nervous as he knocked on the front door, watching as it opened to reveal the short older woman. She stood there in her apron and dress, her eyes getting wide behind her glasses as she looked up at Edward, who gave her an awkward grin as they saw each other again for the first time in months. "Hey Granny," He greeted her casually as if they had just spoken yesterday, "Do you think you could give me a tune-up?" Pinako looked back at Amelia, who smiled politely and waved at her when their eyes met, the older woman's gaze moving over Greed and then Heinkel and Darius.

She was quiet for a little bit as she looked over the group of people at her door, but she nodded, "Goodness gracious, you brought home one muscular jarhead the last time you were here, and now you have two." Amelia laughed a little as she referenced the major, "Well, as long as you're willing to help out, I won't mind the extra company." She stepped back, letting them all file in. Den was asleep in his doggy bed by the cold and empty fireplace, looking up as soon as he saw Edward's familiar face and barked happily, his tail wagging as he came over to his old friend who gladly knelt down to meet him.

"Hey, Den! It's good to see you, too!" Edward said, laughing as the dog licked at his face with his tail rocking his behind back and forth from the strength behind his wags.

"Where's Alphonse?" Pinako asked, Edward straightening up as he realized the question was for him.

"We got separated a while ago, it's kind of a long story." He said, wiping at his cheeks to clean it of the dog slobber, Den leaving his side to go and investigate everyone else. Amelia was still a bit nervous, holding out her hand to let Den sniff it. As he eagerly licked it, she gave him a few pats before he moved on to Darius and Heinkel, Darius seeming all the more cheerful to welcome the dog into his arms, though Heinkel kept his distance with a bit of a grimace. "I don't suppose you can do some maintenance while I'm here, too?" He asked, showing the automail arm that Winry had installed, "I honestly probably haven't had it looked at since Winry gave it to me a few months back."

"Well, at least you only waited a few months this time instead of years," Pinako said with a chuckle. She looked over at the others, "So, who are all of these men?"

"Oh, sorry," Edward said, realizing he hadn't introduced them, "This is… uh…" He wasn't quite sure how to introduce all of them.

"This is Darius and Heinkel, they're friends of ours and former military," Amelia stepped in to take over, "And this is Greed, he just likes to be called that. He's been kind of our leader for a little while as we've traveled and learned more about alchemy." She smiled at Pinako, "It's a weird set of circumstances, but it was all part of my alchemy training."

"Was it now?" Pinako's expression didn't give away much to Edward or anyone else, but Amelia could tell she knew she was lying to her. Still, she didn't seem to call her on it as she looked back at Edward, "I'm glad you're doing alright if nothing else." She looked him up and down, "You look filthy. When was the last time you had a good shower?" Edward grimaced, and Pinako frowned as he didn't answer right away, "Long enough, I suppose. Well, you're free to take a shower while you're here, get comfortable." She looked over at Darius and Heinkel, "You two," The men looked up as she pointed her pipe at them, "You mind giving an old woman a hand while you're here? I need some help moving the spare cots we have so you all can have a place to sleep."

"We're not planning to stay the night," Edward said, "We'll probably be leaving once it gets dark enough. We still have a long road ahead of us." Pinako was stone-faced at the news, "But, uh… we could use some help before we go. That's all."

"I expect you plan to tell me why at some point," Pinako said with a small sigh, "But I can't quite make do with what I have right now for any sort of food. You should at least get in a good meal before you leave." She looked back to Darius and Heinkel, "I don't suppose you boys could come with me to the market? I could use an extra set of hands to get the food I need."

"Sure," Heinkel said.

"Not a problem," Darius spoke simultaneously.

"And you," She pointed at Greed, who looked down at her with a quirked brow, "I don't suppose you know your way around a duster? I could use someone tall like you to reach some of the higher shelves." He frowned at the request.

"Excuse me? I don't do labor," Greed scoffed.

"She's giving us a place to stay without asking for money we don't have," Amelia said, "The least we can do is help out a little while we're here."

"A man who doesn't work has no right to eat," Edward said, repeating the phrase he heard from Olivier back at Fort Briggs, and Greed grimaced. Amelia smiled a little to herself as she knew Ling was kicking up a fuss about not having anything to eat inside his head.

"Fine…" He grumbled.

"I'll do a little bit of sweeping to help out," Amelia volunteered.

"That'll be fine," Pinako said, giving a small smile before she turned to the coat rack, "Let me just get my coat on and I'll be ready to go."

"Sorry for the inconvenience," Edward said to her as she started to put it on.

"It's alright, food tastes better with company, anyway. It's been a long time since I had a good-tasting meal." She went to take the two chimera men out with her, heading to the nearest market to get some extra things. Greed, Ed, and Amelia were left alone together to look after the house. She looked over at Edward, glancing down as she realized neither of them had let go of each other's hands since they came in.

"Oh," She pulled her hand away, blushing a bit, "Do you think she noticed?" Edward's face was a bit red as well, not having realized like she had.

"Eh… maybe not." He said, grinning at her as he led Greed to another room, "I'll show you where the duster is."

They both got to work with the homunculus, making sure to draw the blinds for every window they passed. Pinako didn't question it when she saw them doing so as she left with Heinkel and Darius. Amelia found it a little odd that Pinako didn't question who these men were beyond the introductions from Edward, but it became clear that it was just how close they were. If Edward needed a place to sleep and a place to hide, she was willing to give him both without question.

Once they did their duties, with Edward repairing small things here and there with his alchemy as Amelia cleaned up around the house with a broom while Greed dusted around the higher shelves Pinako wouldn't have been able to reach. Eventually, everything finished and Edward went into the kitchen as Amelia put away the broom and duster, looking up at him as she watched him grab some bread and a few other things, "You'll spoil your appetite if you eat too much." Amelia warned, sure that Pinako was working on creating a good dinner for everyone that she would want to share. He laughed a little as he kept constructing his little snack.

"For Granny's food? I could never have a big enough appetite." He joked, "You want one?" Amelia shrugged, coming over to him at the counter.

"I'm okay, I'll wait until dinner." She said, watching him spread mayonnaise on the bread before he put a few more ingredients on it, seeing him getting comfortable and a bit more relaxed as it came together, cutting his sandwich and putting it on a plate.

"Come on," He said, Amelia wordlessly following him upstairs into Winry's room, watching him take a seat at her automail worktable as she came over to the bed and sat down. "It feels like it's been ages since I was here."

"I think the last time we were here…" Amelia thought back, "It was when we dug up the person you transmuted, wasn't it? It was right after you agreed to let me be your apprentice."

"Was it that long ago?" Edward chuckled dryly, "I suppose it's better than waiting two years to come back here." He said, taking another bite of his sandwich. He looked over at her, his mind going back to that day, remembering when he and Amelia had made that agreement. "That was… 5 months ago?"

"I think it's been about 6 months." Amelia corrected, "It doesn't seem all that long when you say it like that, though. It feels like it's been years."

"Yeah," Edward agreed, glancing over at the window in Winry's room. The curtains had been drawn, but there was enough of a crack that he was able to see out into some of the grassy fields around them, "It's not bad to be home, though."

"This place is pretty much your home now, isn't it?" Amelia asked, and Edward nodded. She paused after a moment, glancing over at that little bit of light coming into the room, "What was with all those sheep we saw by the station?"

"The sheep festival," Edward said, "They hold it every year. They have a big sheep shearing contest, find out who's got the best sheep, and it's just a big excuse to celebrate the coming of spring. It's nice, I haven't been in a while though."

"Well, maybe you can go next year after all this craziness is over." Edward grinned at the idea, though it faded away quickly.

"If we make it to next year…" He muttered, and Amelia frowned, leaning towards him on the bed.

"Hey, your story has a happy ending," She said firmly, getting his attention, "I don't know the whole story, but I know that much. You'll make it."

Edward didn't say anything to that, though his brow furrowed as he kept looking out that little bit of brightness in the window. There was so much at stake for them, and for everyone else that had no idea of what was going on. Edward was sure that Pinako knew essentially nothing, but he would likely end up telling her before the night ended. He glanced over at Amelia for a moment, taking another bite of his food thoughtfully, carefully piecing together what he wanted to say as they sat together in a somewhat anxious silence. "It's two days away."

"I know,"

"When we wake up tomorrow, it'll just be one day."

"I know,"

Edward put his food down, letting out a sigh, "Are you scared?"

"Yeah," Amelia casually replied, "I think all of us are." She looked up at him, seeing how his brow furrowed as they spoke of the impending doom, both of them feeling a sense of dread, "Are you scared?"

Edward didn't answer her question, but his silence spoke volumes about his fear. She stood up from her spot on the bed, coming over to stand next to him, helping herself to sit up on the desk beside him, being careful of all the things left alone on the worktable. Even though there were pieces of automail parts lying around, the room didn't have a speck of dust on anything. It was clear that Pinako had taken care of Winry's room while she had been away in Briggs and Rush Valley. "We'll be okay, you know."

"We don't know," Edward said, "I mean, with everything that we have, we're going up against someone we barely know and all we do know about him is that he plans to turn everyone in this country into a Philosopher's Stone. And that he has the power to do it!" He looked up at her, "Do you know how much strength it takes to perform a country-wide transmutation circle? To act as that kind of conduit?"

"Keep your voice down!" Amelia hissed, not wanting him to be so loud they get Greed's attention, or someone else's outside of the house. Edward's volume lowered, but he was clearly still entrenched in this thought process.

"I can't help but feel like we're bringing slingshots to a gunfight," Edward muttered. Amelia let out a small sigh, trying to figure out what she could say in a spot like this. It wasn't like he was entirely wrong; they were only human and only had so much strength between the two of them.

"Well, it's not just us coming to the front lines," She said, "We have Darius and Heinkel, and your friends from Central, and Alphonse of course." She looked down at him, "We're not completely helpless, either. Greed's on our side, too."

Edward still didn't seem convinced, stuffing another bite of his sandwich into his mouth, chewing on it in his frustrated anger. He didn't like comparing their strength to that of Father, the man behind all of this madness, he looked up at Amelia as he swallowed the bite he had, seeing the concern she had there, "You know, you could just leave." He said, her eyes widening at the suggestion, "Get out of the country for a while. You'd have time if you left right now."

"I'm not going anywhere," Amelia said firmly, frowning at him, "Don't talk like that. I don't want to hear this kind of stuff from the guy who's supposed to be the hero of this story."

"Even if I do all I can to try and stop it from happening, there's still plenty of chances that it might not work." Edward insisted.

"Yeah, and there's still plenty of chances that it will," Amelia insisted in return, "Seriously, enough of that gloom and doom talk. You're like the strongest alchemist I know! If anyone can do this, it's you."

"Oh, yeah? And how many alchemists do you know?" Edward asked, crossing his arms as he looked up at her.

She mimicked the gesture as she looked down at him, mocking him a little bit, "I know plenty, thank you. You really should be more accepting of a compliment when you hear it." She teased, nudging his leg with her foot.

"Name 10 alchemists who aren't me, and I'll believe it." Edward challenged.

"Fine," She started to count them off on her fingers, "There's Alphonse, and the Major, and… um…" She blanked on another name, "Well, Scar counts… and Doctor Marcoh is an alchemist, right?" Edward didn't reply, waiting for her to finish her list with a raised brow, "And… uh, there's Colonel Mustang, so that's five already."

"I still need five more," Edward said, gesturing that she continue, and she stammered, trying to buy time so that she could finish the list as she looked at the five fingers she held out on her hand. Edward watched her getting flustered, smiling a little to himself as he looked over her face. In the time that they had started being more open with each other, he got to see more sides to her and watching her like this, trying to prove her point by pulling out as many as she could name but not quite succeeding. He eventually chuckled, pausing her stammering, "It's okay, I don't think you've met that many."

"Well, no, but I think my point still stands." She said, putting her hand down as he was clearly done with that little challenge.

"The point is we're still bringing slingshots to a gunfight," Edward said, the smile turning wry as it sat on his face, going for the other half of his sandwich that Amelia snatched out of his hand, "Hey!"

"If you're going to keep talking like you're going to lose, you might as well not eat, right?" She said, holding the sandwich out of his reach. He grumbled, standing up to reach for it and she still held it out farther and farther, leaning over the side of the table.

"Give me that!" He tried to snatch it back and she turned to take it out of his reach, jumping off of the desk. He turned to her with a determined expression, holding his arms out before he tackled her, though not enough to really hurt her, the two of them falling back onto Winry's bed with a grunt as he grabbed his sandwich from her hand, "Ha! It's mine now!" He said, stuffing his face with a big, victorious bite as Amelia looked up at him, her body shaking with laughter as she stayed pinned under him.

"Yeah, you got me," She conceded, staying under him and making no move to get up. As Edward started to stand, she reached for his shirt collar to pull him back on top of her. His face turned a bit red as he realized their bodies were pressing up against each other, half-laying in the bed together, stopping his chewing as he glanced down at her, "You can stay here, I like it." He felt his heart racing a little faster, taking a hard gulp to swallow down all of the food in his mouth, though that was more out of nervousness than anything.

"Uh…" He grew a little redder and Amelia released his grip on his shirt. For all his talk of how he wasn't good at expressing his feelings through words, it was clear that he was very good at expressing them in his actions. He wasn't all that comfortable with the more intimate things yet, the two of them being pretty chaste physically, and she didn't want to push him too much… though it was fun to tease him every once in a while.

"I'm kidding, you don't have to," She said, letting him get up, coming to sit by him on the bed as he took another bite of his food, though not quite as big as before as she shifted to be closer to him. "But you get my point though, right?"

"Hm?"

"I told you a while ago this is your story, you're the main character here," She said, "And your story has a happy ending. You should have more faith in yourself." Edward let out a small grunt, clearly not quick to agree, but he wasn't going to argue with her about it. She could be satisfied with that much. She sat with him in a comfortable silence as he kept eating, her mind going back to that list of alchemists she knew, surprised that she only knew of 5 in her entire time there, though as she picked through the recesses of her mind trying to recall other alchemists, one did finally come to her and she snapped her fingers as soon as she remembered him, "Ahh!"

"What?" Edward jumped, shocked.

"There was that other guy!" She said, and Edward just looked at her completely bewildered and confused.

"What other guy?"

"The guy! The crazy guy! He was an alchemist, too!" Amelia said, turning to him, "You know, that one freaky guy that turned his kid into a chimera?" Edward's eyes widened as she said that, flashing with recognition and suddenly met with memories as she brought it up, "What was his name again…?"

"Shou Tucker, the Sewing Life Alchemist," Edward answered.

"Yeah! Him, he's number 6 of the alchemists I know." Amelia said, feeling a bit more satisfied now that she had added another name to her list. She saw how Edward's appearance had taken on more of a somber look to it, his hands moving down into his lap. "What is it?"

"You met him?" He asked, looking over at her.

"Well, no. The Major was assigned to his case after they found out what he did. I ended up going to his house and seeing all the chimeras he had." She said, "You remember when I didn't want to learn bio-alchemy at all? It was because I found out about those chimeras, they really freaked me out when I saw them."

"I see…" Edward murmured, his legs shifting on the bed so that he could sit back and get more comfortable, "Did you know that Al and I were involved in that case?" Amelia shook her head, a little surprised to know now, "The Colonel introduced us, it was right after we went to Lior and exposed their phony priest. He was grateful to us and wanted to give us a talented bio-alchemist to learn from." He leaned back, looking blankly ahead of him as he recalled his time there, "It was just him and his daughter in that house, and their dog. We got to know them, we were there every day for a week and every day Nina would ask to play with us." He smiled as he recalled it, "She was a sweet kid, and really lonely. She was too young to attend school, so she just stayed home with her dad and played with her dog. She really liked having other people to play with."

"I think… I've heard you say that name before," Amelia said softly, "I don't remember when, but you've mentioned Nina before."

Edward nodded, "Yeah, that was Nina. A really sweet, innocent little girl who didn't at all deserve what happened to her." He put the last bite of his sandwich in his mouth, chewing it and swallowing it down, "We couldn't save her. We had no idea that's what he was planning, and as soon as we found out…" He looked down at his hands, "I almost beat him to death." Amelia's eyes widened. "Al tried to stop me, but what did it was Nina asking me to. She was a chimera, combined with her dog, but she still loved her dad, even after he had done all of that to her."

"Christ, that poor girl…" Amelia couldn't imagine what that was like, "And then… it was Scar that killed her, wasn't it?" Edward nodded.

"I don't want to say that he did the right thing, because I don't want death to ever be the answer," He began, "But if she had lived, Nina would have spent the rest of her life as a test subject being watched over by the government, trapped in a cage in that twisted body." His eyes darkened a little, but they lightened as they turned back to her, "I've never forgotten how helpless I felt back then when we found out. We couldn't do anything, we were just two simple humans that couldn't see it coming…"

"You can't blame yourself for that, Ed." Amelia said softly, "You didn't even know, you can't claim responsibility for it."

"I know, and I don't blame myself for it," Edward assured her, "But it's just… always stuck with me. No matter what I do, or how much alchemy I use, or what I create, I'm always a human. Just one single human." He looked away from her, straightening up in his seat a little bit, "And now I'm a human that has to face down inhuman monsters to try and save every other human I can."

Amelia wasn't sure what to say as she heard all of this for the first time. She remembered the Tucker house in the aftermath of the event, she had no idea that Edward and Alphonse were ever involved. Knowing the story of Nina made it all the more tragic than just thinking of it as an alchemist gone mad. And he had been carrying that around all this time, the weight of that guilt, that knowledge that he was only human and how that title carried so many limitations. She wanted to say something to comfort him, but she couldn't find the words to even begin to encompass what he must be feeling. That loss had clearly scarred him inside, and she doubted that anything she said would have ever remedied that. Still, she didn't want him to feel so powerless, reaching for his flesh hand and taking it with both of hers, his gaze following her actions, moving up to her face as he silently questioned what she was doing.

"You're human," She agreed softly, "And that's why we're doing this." She looked up at him, and she saw his eyes widen as she said it. It was just a very simple phrase but looking into her eyes and seeing everything she had to give, the warmth of her comfort, the knowledge she carried to reassure her of their success, but most importantly he saw fire behind her eyes. One that he had seen in himself plenty of times, that determined energy to make things right, to follow through and create a better world than the one they knew. His expression relaxed, that determined fire showing in his own expression, nodding quietly in agreement as she said it. They were human, and that's why they were fighting to begin with. They were fighting for all the other humans who didn't deserve what would come to them if they didn't try to stop it. When he seemed to find that hope, that flame igniting in him, she smiled at him, her hands gently squeezing around his palm as she leaned her body on his, her head resting on his shoulder. He welcomed the gesture, his head resting on top of hers to feel that closeness. Even though that fire was there, the burns from before were still present, and to have her with him felt like a soothing balm over his wounds. His fingers threaded through hers, gently squeezing as he took in that comfort that she gave him. He let out a long sigh, letting himself relax and feel vulnerable with her as they had this private moment, showing his weakness and his fears and letting her keep him close, reminding him of that sensation of safety he used to feel when he would come to his mother in times of fear and anxiety.

"Edward…?" A voice got their attention, both teenagers looking up and seeing Winry in the doorway, her eyes wide as she looked over the pair of them.

"Winry?" Edward called her name, shocked to see her. Before they could finish their greetings, they heard the sound of voices reaching them from downstairs.

"Drop your guns!" All three jumped at the voice.

"Is that Darius?" Amelia asked, getting up from the bed with Edward, Winry following them downstairs to see that Darius and Heinkel were standing at the front doorway with Pinako behind them, pointing them at two men who had guns of their own. They heard Den barking and growling, rushing up and biting Darius's leg, causing the larger man to cry out as Greed rushed in from the kitchen, pulling the dog off of him by the collar. Not that this action deterred Den in any way, still growling and barking at the intruders, but also at Greed for holding him back.

"What the hell is going on here?" Greed demanded.

"Ling?" Winry could hardly believe she was seeing him too.

"Wait, you guys are Kimblee's men, aren't you?" One of the unknown men said. Amelia looked over at them, her eyes widening as she recognized the men as two Briggs soldiers.

As Darius turned his gaze back on them, he recognized them as well, "Hey, I know you guys. You're from Briggs." He said, calming down a little as he realized these men weren't the enemy, they were just out of uniform.

"Sergeant Penns?" Amelia called out his name from the staircase, getting him to turn and see her, though he still kept his gun on Darius and Heinkel, his eyes widening as he saw who she was with.

"What are you two doing here?" He asked. The other man he was with, Lieutenant Samuels glared at Darius and Heinkel.

"Have you two been following us this whole time?" He demanded. Meanwhile, Den was still barking and Pinako was still standing behind the front doorway of her own home, holding a bag of groceries. As Amelia looked around Darius and Heinkel, she could see the dropped paper bags that they had been holding on the floor, apparently abandoned as soon as they saw Penns and Samuels in the house.

"Everyone calm down!" Heinkel ordered, getting their attention, "Lower your guns!"

"You lower yours first!" Penns demanded, refusing to let their guard down.

"How did you get here?" Samuels demanded, still needing information, "Did Kimblee come with you here?"

"Kimblee's got nothing to do with us!" Heinkel angrily responded, still holding a bit of a grudge against their old boss.

"Whatever, just put your guns down!" Darius demanded again.

"Get out of my way!" Pinako's voice caught everyone's attention, Darius and Heinkel yelling out as they were suddenly pushed aside, stumbling on their feet as the angry old woman glared up at the two men, "Put your guns down! I'm not about to have a shootout in my own home!" The two Briggs soldiers looked at her with wide eyes as she approached them fearlessly, "Now tell me, just what on earth are you doing in my house?!"

"We were… just helping deliver Miss Winry back home," Samuels said, he and Penns slowly lowering their guns and Darius and Heinkel started to do the same, putting them away as Pinako looked around the two men to see her granddaughter standing at the middle of the staircase with Edward and Amelia. Her expression softened as she saw her for the first time in what was likely months.

"Winry?" She called to her softly, and Winry started making her way down the stairs, a soft smile on her face as she came down to greet her. "Welcome home."

"Hey Granny," Winry said, coming to embrace her, "I hope you weren't worried. I missed you." The reunion between them seemed to settle the tension in the room, everyone beginning to realize that they weren't in any danger aside from what they were doing to themselves. Greed put Den down and he happily came to greet Winry with a wagging tail and doggy kisses, making her laugh, "It's good to see you, too Den." She said, happily scratching and petting her dog as he came over to her.

Edward and Amelia made their way down the staircase, "I'm glad you made it home safe," Amelia said, sincerely meaning it as she saw Winry getting comfortable in her own home again.

"Yeah, I thought you were traveling with Al, right?" Edward asked, wondering what had happened since they had been separated at Briggs, only really getting vague details since then. Winry's eyes widened and she looked over at Edward.

"He's at the train station right now. He's with Miles," She said, Ed's eyes growing wide at the news that his brother was so close after months of trying to see him again, "The train's going to leave soon, you might be able to make it if you hurry!" Edward took a few quick steps forward towards the front door, but stopped just before his hand reached the handle, pulling away from it as he thought better of it, though this just confused Winry, "Hey, what's wrong? Don't you want to see him?"

Edward's hands tightened into fists at his sides as he held himself back from just leaping at the door and making a mad dash for the train station, "Well technically I'm a fugitive right now… I can't risk anyone seeing me." He said.

"But still…!" Winry insisted, knowing what it would mean to Alphonse to see his brother again after so many months, what it would mean to Edward. He didn't move, knowing it was smarter for them to stay there, hidden away where no one could see them, as much as it pained him to stay still and keep himself from rushing out to do what he had been wanting to do for months.

Amelia came over to him, her hand reaching out to his automail shoulder, sliding along to his back where he could feel her touch. He looked over at her, and she gave him a gentle smile. This wasn't the only opportunity he would have, they would meet again later. He relaxed a bit, his hands unclenching as his shoulders lost the tension they held, smiling in return to her and he nodded. He turned back to Pinako, "I'm guessing you got everything you needed for dinner?" He asked her, and the old woman nodded.

"Yep, and I could use some help in the kitchen," She said.

"I'll help," Amelia offered.

"Uh, us too." Penns said sheepishly, "I'm really sorry about all the chaos earlier." Samuels nodded in agreement, a sheepish expression on his face.

"Good, I appreciate it." Pinako replied, "But also just who are you?"

"I'm Sergeant William Penns, and this is Lieutenant Liam Samuels," He introduced, "Liam and I are both soldiers from Fort Briggs."

"We've been acting as Miss Winry's bodyguards," Samuels explained. Winry looked over at the other men that had joined Edward and Amelia in their travels.

She made her way over to Ling, looking up at him while Greed kept a content yet smug grin on his face that quickly vanished as soon as he realized she was coming to him, "Hey Ling, you remember me?" She asked, knowing it had been a long time since she and Ling last spoke.

"What? Oh, right! I guess you know this guy!" He said, grinning again as he pointed a thumb at his face, though the action only further confused Winry, "The name's Greed. It's a pleasure to meet you."

Winry just blinked, a bit dumbfounded before letting out a confused, "Huh?" Tilting her head to the side as she looked at him.

"Oh… we have a lot of explaining to do…" Amelia sighed, not realizing that Winry hadn't been told of Greed's possession of Ling's body. They had so much to catch up on…

---

Over the next two hours, Amelia helped Pinako with cooking up dinner, Winry pitching in too with the two Briggs soldiers. As they cooked together, Amelia found out a little about what all had happened to Winry in the time that they had separated, hearing her tell her of the alkahestry circle they discovered with Alphonse, catching her up on everything that had happened in Lior that she and Edward never knew about, though not everything as she didn't have the entire story that Alphonse did, but enough to pass it on to her so she could pass it on to Edward.

While the food was being made, Edward took advantage of the time they had to take a well-deserved shower to clean up and feel a bit more human again. Darius and Heinkel did the same in another bathroom. Greed would just make his way into the kitchen to sneak food, calling it a 'tasting sample' until Amelia chased him out with a wooden spoon. When the food was cooking and all that was left was plating, Pinako let Amelia have her turn to get clean in the shower while she worked with the others. It was a welcome reprieve, the hot water giving her a moment to relax as she cleaned herself up and started to feel her energy coming back as they prepared for everything that was ahead of them.

When she was finished cleaning, she came back downstairs to see that Pinako had set up a kind of makeshift dining table in the living room, claiming that it was better the lights be on there since that was where she had been taking her dinners alone of late and didn't want to arouse any suspicion. She helped to set the table, putting out the food that she had made for everyone and taking a seat beside Edward as they all began to dig in. As they ate, Greed started to tell the tales of all their travels when Winry asked about what all had happened to Ling. He didn't make it detailed, thankfully not telling Winry of everything that had happened, only the parts that involved him and the basics of how their little group came to be as he gladly chowed down on the roast chicken that Pinako had made for them.

"...And after all that went down, these guys signed up to work for me!" Ling said, gesturing to Heinkel and Darius.

"Why did you come to our house?" Winry asked.

"We're trying to get prepared," Ling said, pointing his thumb at Edward, "His automail's in serious need of maintenance and I need him in peak condition."

"Give him a look-see after dinner," Pinako said, turning to Winry, "It is your fine craftsmanship after all. I'm not really comfortable tinkering with it."

Winry nodded, looking back over at Edward, "Yeah, of course." She replied. She looked over to Amelia, glancing between her and Edward before going back to her meal, "Have there been any problems with it?"

"Nothing that keeps me from using it," Edward answered, "Just a kind of funny feeling when I move my hand up and down." Winry nodded, taking note of that as she continued to eat.

She looked back up at Amelia, "What about you?" Amelia looked up at her questioningly, "It's been a long time since we last saw each other."

"Yeah, it has," Amelia smiled at her, "I've been fine, though. It's been a little weird being the only girl to travel in a group of men, but they're all good guys." She said, taking another bite of her food.

"And what's going on with you and Edward?" The two teens jumped, cheeks turning a bit red as the question came up.

"Well… um…" She wasn't sure where to begin, glancing over at Edward. It was a bit of a strange question to answer now, especially because she was essentially saying it in front of Edward's parental guardian. Was this the equivalent of meeting the family as his girlfriend?

"Oh, those two?" Greed spoke up, "The little lovebirds have been going at it like rabbits."

"We have not!" Amelia immediately blurted out.

"Well, you oughta. It was bad enough when you two were giving each other goo-goo eyes when you thought the other person wasn't looking." Amelia rolled her eyes, face very red and Edward was in a much worse state. "Now you just sit there and snuggle and kiss and it's just as irritating. Just screw each other already." Amelia held her face in her hands as Edward was stunned into an embarrassed silence.

"I am very sorry," She apologized to Winry and Pinako, "I don't know why he thinks that kind of talk is okay, especially at the dinner table." She gave him a pointed glare at the last words, and all he did was wink and grin, making her shake her head again. "So, so sorry." She sat back a little, glancing over at Edward who looked back at her, his hand finding hers under the table, "But, uh… we have kind of… started a relationship."

To Amelia's surprise, Winry smiled, "I'm really glad to hear that," She said, seeming to be genuinely happy for them, "After all that time you spent together, I was wondering when you two were going to become a couple."

"You were?" Edward asked, a little surprised.

"Well, when we did maintenance back at Briggs, all you could talk about was the progress she had made as your student." Winry reminded him, "Honestly, I'm surprised you didn't go out with her sooner." Amelia looked over at Edward, who was still blushing and pushing food into his mouth to keep himself from talking, looking away from her as he was a bit embarrassed to have it called out so quickly. He hadn't been expecting Winry to bring that up, and she was a little surprised to hear that he had sung her praises and almost nothing else when they had been together back in Briggs. She couldn't deny it was a little satisfying to know that he had expressed his feelings that way so long ago, around the same time she had realized her own. She smiled to herself and just continued to eat, not speaking further on the subject so Edward wouldn't be more embarrassed, filling her belly with the warm homemade food that she had been missing since they started this journey.

---

After dinner, Penns and Samuels left early to hurry on to the meeting spot they had with the other Briggs soldiers in the east. Darius and Heinkel took on dish-cleaning duty, leaving Winry to tend to Edward's maintenance while Pinako went about her business. Amelia was relaxing in the guest bedroom, getting a few moments of rest before they had to move out again. She lay on her side, eyes closed in the darkness, her body tempted to drift away into sleep, but she couldn't let herself just yet. Winry would be finished with her maintenance soon enough, and they would be on their way out of there. The guest room happened to be right next to her bedroom, and she could hear the gentle murmur of their voices as she worked, and the quiet clinking of tools as she worked on his automail. Given the short time frame they had, Edward didn't want to switch out the new carbon automail for his old iron one (She imagined it was likely because he didn't want to hinder his growth anymore) so that's what she was fixing up for them.

If she concentrated, she could just barely make out what they were saying on the other side of the wall, quieting her breathing to listen to their chat while she got what rest she could before the rest of their journey continued.

"You don't say? Lior's getting up and running again, huh? Good to hear, I was nervous they might not." Edward's voice leaked through, and she could hear the relief there. Knowing him, having held on to what happened to Nina for so long, she imagined he was likely carrying the burden of guilt from what happened in Lior too. "So, why is Al traveling with Major Miles, anyway?"

"I'm not sure on the details, but the northern troops are hatching some plan in the east. Al figured he could help out so he volunteered to tag along." Winry replied, though her voice was much softer. Amelia imagined she was likely cleaning up her tools that she had used on the other side of the room.

"I see…"

"We ran into your father in Lior, he should be on his way to Central now. I think he's headed for some slum named Kanama. You oughta go there and get the full story from him." They already knew this, Marcoh had already told them, but Edward didn't bother to let Winry know that as she kept speaking on it. Amelia heard a thud, likely those tools being put away on a shelf somewhere, which meant Edward's maintenance was finished and she would have to get up soon… She let out a slow breath as she began to mentally prepare herself for waking her body up. "...You know, it's almost the Promised Day." Amelia's eyes opened as she heard Winry mention this. They knew that. They had been dreading that information for weeks now, and although she wasn't as scared of it as she was a week ago, there was still plenty to fear in the next two days.

"Ling and Greed told me all about it," Edward said, "It could give us a chance to get our bodies back, but it's most likely going to result in catastrophe for Amestris." There was a beat of silence, and Amelia started to push herself up and stretch her tired limbs. She supposed she could sleep more once they found some vehicle to get them through everything. "Listen," She turned her head as she heard Edward speaking again.

"What is it?" Winry asked.

"I want you to take Granny and Den and leave the country for a while," Edward said, the only response Amelia could hear following that was a loud thud and a sharp cry of pain from him.

"I'm not running away!" Winry snapped at him, "You can't just send us off like that! I know you want to protect us, but you need to try to save everyone!" Amelia grimaced at Winry's chewing him out. It was easy for her to say when she wasn't directly involved in what was going on…

"I'm gonna do everything I can to stop it, but there's a chance it might not work!" Edward barked at her.

"I don't want to hear any doubts from you!" Winry barked back just as loud, their voices coming through clear as a bell as they yelled at each other. "Please, Ed. You can't let them go through with this…! Just tell me you're going to stop them and save the country…!" Her voice of angered encouragement turned into a plea for hope from him. "I want to hear you say you're going to protect the country and then get your bodies back. Do whatever it takes to make that happen!" Amelia got up from the bed to open the door, glancing down the hall at the room as she heard no immediate response from Edward. It was shocking to know that Winry had so much faith in him, and she wanted him to have that same faith in himself. While Amelia felt that certainty on her own, that was more because she knew this was a story with a happy ending that her existence hopefully wouldn't jeopardize. Edward was the hero, there was no doubt there, but it was harder to have faith when you had so much weight on your shoulders…

After a long moment of silence, Edward spoke again, "Winry, you make it sound like it's easy–"

"This isn't the time to start doubting yourself, Ed!" Amelia could hear the footsteps of someone moving around, assuming it was Edward going to leave, "Listen to me!"

"Argh, Winry you just don't know when to shut up, do ya?!" Edward groaned, opening the door and heading out into the hall.

"Edward…!" Winry gasped, hurt that he would say something like that as he shut the door in her face. He walked on, holding his shirt over his shoulder as he made his way down the hall towards the stairs. Amelia started to walk behind him, and he noticed her. His eyes were wide as he realized she must have heard everything that just happened. She looked at him with concern, knowing that Winry was still an important friendship to him, she didn't want him to ruin it. She was about to ask how he was feeling when they were interrupted.

Greed's laughter came up from the stairs, the couple looking over as they saw the homunculus walking up the stairs to meet them, "Oh man, she's a peach!" Greed sardonically commented with a wide grin on his face, "Sounds like she wants everything, my kinda girl." Amelia rolled her eyes as she could so easily see how this was just him teasing Ed again.

"That kind of wanting is dangerous. It's not how reality works," Edward replied in a serious tone, lifting up his automail to the homunculus, "Take a look, this is what I got for wanting something unrealistic."

"I disagree," Greed answered, his words catching Edward's attention as he put his arm down, "You want to bring back someone that you've lost, you want to be with someone who doesn't feel the same, you might want money, maybe you want women, or you might want to protect the world. These are all common things people want, things that their hearts desire. Greed may not be good, but it's not so bad, either." As he spoke, Edward started to walk past him, not seeing a point in listening to this rhetoric that he had heard from the first incarnation he had met. Amelia started to trail behind him, also assuming this was just Greed's way of entertaining himself out of boredom since there wasn't anyone else for him to talk to, the two making their way down the stairs to get everything ready. He continued as they kept walking, "You humans think greed is just for money and power, but everyone wants something they don't have."

Those last words struck a chord with both teenagers, and they stopped on the stairs for a moment. Amelia glanced at Edward, her eyes moving over his back and his shoulders, remembering how she had refused to let herself act on her feelings, even her subconscious refusing to let her recognize them for a long time. It wasn't like Greed was wrong, there were plenty of things that people wanted that they didn't have, she wanted to go back to her creature comforts of a luxurious rich home where she had a space all of her own… though, that image shifted in her mind from her old bedroom back home with her family to the bedroom she was given on the Armstrong estate. It was hard to know if she wanted to go back to them or go back to everything she knew. It was still her goal if only because she was still fairly certain she didn't belong here and she wanted to set things right, but it would be hard to let go of. Not just Edward, but Darius and Heinkel, Ling and Greed, Major Armstrong, and all of his sisters, she would have to say goodbye to all of them. Not to mention that she still had to work on helping Katie, stuck in the Gate all this time for her sacrifice that she had given so Amelia could be here now and live.

Edward was in a similar state of mind, thinking about how he kept noticing Amelia and how she had grown on him. How he could see parts of himself in her, parts that he wasn't always fond of, but to see her grow so determined was still something to admire. She had become a welcome facet of his life, one that he never expected from her since it had just been him and Al for the longest time. And he knew that, for all their time spent here, there was still a chance that he could lose her just as easily as he found her if not because of the Promised Day and the impending battles it would bring, but also because she still planned to go back home where he could never see her again. That day during the Ishvalan festival had ignited that fear in him, seeing her sinking helplessly under the water, unable to cry out, unable to breathe or swim, it shook him to his core to think that he could lose her again. It terrified him to think that he could lose all of his family, Alphonse, Winry, Granny, Den, and Amelia. He had a hard time coping with loss, that much had been made clear by the loss of his mother when he put himself into trying to resurrect her. It had been a foolish childhood hope that he had pinned everything on, and he wasn't sure that he could trust that feeling again, even if Winry wanted him to believe in it.

All of these thoughts raced in their heads in the span of a second, and when Edward started walking again, Amelia followed after him. When he got to the bottom of the stairs, he waited for her to catch up with him.

"You didn't have to yell at her like that," Amelia gently chided him, "She's only trying to help." Edward frowned, starting to put his shirt on as he went further into the house.

"I know… but it's not that simple," He said.

"Believe me, I know that." She reached her hand out to his flesh shoulder, stopping him for a minute as she smiled at him, "But we'll make it that simple. Just like you told me way back when." Edward's eyes widened as she took his own words to give back to him, like he had done months ago when she expressed how she wasn't sure she was going to be able to get Katie back from out of the portal, back when they were preparing to meet an injured Lan Fan at the safehouse. "It seems hard, but your story has a happy ending. That's kind of why it's going to be so hard so that the happy ending is that much more satisfying."

Edward scoffed, though he smiled back at her, "Seriously? Using my own words against me?" Amelia grinned at him.

"I had to learn from someone," She teased, nudging him a little as the two kept walking together. "She's not wrong about you wanting to have faith in yourself. The Edward Elric I know makes the impossible happen."

"Okay, now you're just trying to feed my ego," Edward dismissed her, but he still smiled as he enjoyed hearing her say it.

"Maybe a little, I know we're only human," She said softly, reminding him of their talk from earlier, "But that's why we're doing this. It's not just for the people we love."

"I know," Edward said, sighing, "I just… want to cover all my bases."

"I know," Amelia reassured him, "That's normal to want to make sure the people you care about are safe." She reached for his hand and threaded her fingers through, giving him a squeeze, "But she's not going anywhere, and I'm not going anywhere. We're going to stay here because Edward Elric is going to save the country, and we know that because we know you." Edward's expression softened as she said it, looking over at her as he could feel something welling up inside of him as he kept listening to her speak to try and encourage him. How was she like this? She was so smart, so pretty, and she knew exactly what to say to make him feel like himself again. Even now, he wanted to pay attention to what she was saying, but it was hard for him to focus on her words when he got to see her eyes light up, showing that she meant every word she was seeing, see the way that light spread through her whole face and seemed to reach him, too. She was so incredible, "You're determined and smart, and probably one of the most talented alchemists this country has ever seen. You're going to do this, and you're going to win, and we're going to save everyone. It'll all—" She was cut off as Edward's automail hand reached to cup her cheek, leaning in and pressing a kiss to her lips. She closed her eyes, silencing her voice as she gladly accepted the affection. She could feel her heart racing as his lips moved over hers for a few long seconds before he pulled away. Her eyes fluttered open, looking up at him as she saw a gentle smile on his face, and a loving gaze in his eyes as he looked at her.

"You're amazing," He said softly, Amelia's cheeks burning from the compliment. It was something so simple, but it made her heart soar to hear him say that to her. She wasn't used to hearing compliments at all, though she knew better than to try and refute them, especially from the boy she was in a relationship with. And Edward was so sparse with his words, hearing him call her amazing and genuinely mean it with that loving look and that sincere and gentle touch… she felt like she would melt into a puddle on the spot, "I know I need to have more faith in myself." His automail thumb gently ran over her skin, the metal feeling cool against her burning red cheeks, "It's incredible how good you are with your words. You've got me all fired up again." He leaned in, pressing one more soft kiss to her lips before pulling away, his automail arm coming to stay at his side.

"Well… if talking is all I have to do to get you to kiss me, I might just become a regular chatterbox." Amelia joked with a small laugh, feeling a bit bashful as she stood there with him in the hallway. The two glanced down in front of them, seeing that the kitchen door was in front of them, opened, with Darius and Heinkel peeking through. As soon as they were spotted, they looked away and pretended to busy themselves with something else by the sink, as if they hadn't been listening and seeing everything that had happened the entire time. Amelia's flushed face only got worse at the realization that their little moment had been seen, but Edward was just as embarrassed. "Uh…"

"Are you guys almost done?" Edward said, "We should get out of here soon."

"Oh, uh, yeah, we're just about finished. Just a couple more plates." Darius said, the two of them hearing the clatter of plate ware as it was put back into a cabinet.

"Yeah, great, let's get out of here soon," Edward said, looking away from the two men as he tried to hide his embarrassment at being seen. Amelia looked up at him, her hand reaching up and gently cupping his cheek, making him jump a little. His heart raced excitedly, wondering if she was planning on returning the kisses she had just gotten from him. He glanced over at the door, knowing this wasn't really the best place to show affection. She leaned in to give him one quick peck of her own before she pulled away, her hand gently patting his cheek.

"Come on, we should get everything ready." Pinako had been kind enough to put some food to the side for them for tomorrow, so it would be something they definitely enjoyed before they made their way into Central tomorrow evening.

It didn't take them too long to get everything set up for them to leave, Amelia volunteering to carry the little box of wrapped up sandwiches for them to eat later. They found Greed and were joined by the two chimeras, heading out into the dark night of Resembool. As they made their way out, Granny and Winry came to see them off as well as Penns and Samuels.

"You're leaving in the middle of the night?" Winry asked.

"We were actually planning on leaving earlier today, and then we ran into you." Edward said, he smiled up at her, "It was good to see you, and thanks for the tune-up Winry." He turned to head down the stairs, going to join the others.

"If you happen to run into Hohenheim, you make sure to give him that message from your mother, alright?" Pinako said as she bid him goodbye.

"I will, I will," Edward sighed, somewhat reluctant to broach the subject too much considering his relationship with his father.

Winry's brows knitted together, not wanting him to leave with their potential last words to each other having been a big argument. She went to follow after him, to try and apologize and try to instill just a little more hope in him, though she knew there was still very much a chance that he might not succeed like she had said, "Wait Ed, I need to—"

"Just lay low until the Promised Day passes," Edward interrupted, turning back to look at her with that determined fire, having been lit after letting her words sink in as well as Amelia's encouragement, "We're gonna stop them, Winry. And Al and I will be home before you know it." He grinned up at her, "Have an apple pie waiting for us, okay?"

Winry was understandably stunned at first, not having expected him to make a turnaround in such a short amount of time, but she was relieved and glad to see it. She smiled and nodded, "Okay, I will." She promised. Edward kept smiling, coming back to join the others, taking Amelia's hand in his automail one once he was close enough, the five of them walking off towards their destination. There weren't any running trains at this time of night, not this far out in the country, so they were confident they could get away with using a handcar to get a majority of the distance to Kanama to find Hohenheim and hear the full story about what was happening, get all of the details from him about the upcoming plan that they needed to know.

It took a little work, but they did manage to find one that helped them down the rest of the tracks. Amelia grunted as she pulled herself up onto it, reaching back to help pull up Edward as Greed hopped up with Darius and Heinkel. Darius took the first shift with the car, taking the controls and starting to push it up and down to move it down the tracks. They started to pick up speed after a while, but it still needed to be worked consistently and constantly if they wanted to keep moving down far enough to get to where they needed to be.

Amelia yawned as they started their journey, Edward looking over at her, "Tired?"

"A little," She admitted, "I got a little rest back at the house, but I guess it wasn't enough." Edward nodded, moving around on the cart to make a bit of space before he reached his arm around her shoulder and pulled her into his body so that her cheek was resting up against the place where his shoulder met his chest. She looked up at him curiously, and he kept looking ahead of them, "Go ahead and rest a little. You'll need it." His cheeks were a little red, and Amelia knew better than to question him about it further when he wasn't used to this kind of stuff, but she appreciated it nonetheless. She looked ahead with him, her eyes focusing on the tracks before moving up to look at the sky, her eyes widening a little as she could see so many stars through the branches of the trees as they rolled on down the tracks. Even with the moon out, there were still so many she could see shining in the dark. It reminded her of that night in Briggs when they had caught a view of the landscape before going about their chores in the freezing winter cold.

"The stars…" She said softly, Edward glancing at her when she spoke, and then up to the sky. He smiled a bit.

"Oh yeah, they look really good, don't they?" He said, his hand gently squeezing her shoulder as he looked up with her. "It's a shame we didn't get a better look before we got on the tracks… We'll have to come back to Resembool to stargaze once this is over."

"Yeah…" That sounds nice." Amelia said, looking up at the sky with him, her head resting on his shoulder and letting him hold her as he leaned back on his automail arm. There was barely enough room for all 5 of them to sit, but it was good enough for now.

Greed saw the exchange and rolled his eyes, "You know, I think I preferred it when you two were silently pining for each other. At least then you didn't get so mushy." He groused.

"Oh, let the kids rest and be quiet." Heinkel chided him, the other three not feeling all that energetic themselves. "We'll rest in shifts and work in shifts. We all need to make sure we at least get some sleep before we get to Kanama. Technically, it's the day before the Promised Day." It was the very early hours of the morning just beginning. They didn't have a lot of time left to prepare themselves, but they did what they could as the handcart rolled on down the tracks.

---

General Armstrong filed in with the other generals of Bradley's council. An emergency meeting had been called in the early hours of the morning, with the sun just barely rising over the horizon. She took her seat, once filled by General Raven, as all others came in. Soon enough, they were met with General Edison, a somewhat portly man with grey hair and a thick beard around his jaw. He wore a pale expression as he went to his seat, standing as the others waited for him to speak, "We have received some devastating news," He grimly began, "Over in the East, Fuhrer Bradley was informed that the plan to stage a coup with the eastern forces was a lie." The other generals murmured their shock, though Olivier remained quiet as she observed the others, "Instead, he was told false intelligence from General Hakuro that led him to make his way back to Central immediately. When the train was traveling over a ravine, they blew up his car."

"What?! The Fuhrer's dead?!" General Klemin exclaimed, the other generals growing pale as they realized the implications of what this meant for all of them. Their leader was suddenly gone.

"He can't be dead, this has got to be a mistake!" General Fox exclaimed.

"We're still waiting on confirmation that it's true," General Edison said, meaning that they had yet to find the fuhrer's body.

"So have they even started searching yet?!" General Smith asked.

"Last I heard, they hadn't even reached the site," Edison answered.

"What's taking them so long?!" Smith demanded.

"Gentlemen, this is no time to fight! Our Commander-in-Chief might very well be dead!" General Jameson broke in, trying to cease the arguing.

"We're aware of that!" General Smith snapped back.

Meanwhile, Olivier couldn't help but be silently amazed, withholding her amusement inside of her as she looked around at the group of men frantically asking questions. They start panicking the moment they lose their leader, like chickens with their heads cut off. She thought to herself, her eyes narrowing just the slightest as she realized what a massive opportunity this was, seeing the Fuhrer's empty seat at the head of the table, This could be my chance.

But before she even had a moment to think of saying something, she felt an eerie presence behind her, looming over her as someone stood behind her. She wasn't able to turn her head to look at him fully, but from what she could see he was a tall, blonde, middle-aged man with a beard. His skin was pale, and his eyes seemed to bear that inhuman gleam that was shared in Fuhrer Bradley. Behind him was an all-too-familiar face, that of the monstrous homunculus Sloth that had once invaded her precious fort. She kept her reactions to herself, though she wasn't able to deny the chill she felt rushing down her spine as he came up behind her without her even noticing. As she glanced back in the room, she noticed the other generals all began to relax, breathing sighs of relief as their shoulders slumped.

"Oh, it's a genuine honor to have you amongst us." General Smith welcomed him. This was the man she had only heard about the last few months, never met. This was the man that created Fuhrer Bradley, the homunculus known as Wrath. This was the man that created Sloth. This was the man that was the Father of all the homunculi monsters that plagued their nation.

He gave the generals a smile that they must have seen as calming and reassuring, but to Olivier it felt like watching a snake speak, "Calm down, stop panicking." He advised them, bringing one of his hands to rest on Olivier's shoulders, seeking to calm her own tension with his presence, though starkly remind her that she was still at the disadvantage here, and needed to continue to play her role as a double-agent, "I'm still here with you, and I'm watching over Central." A foreboding reassurance that Olivier hated, but she remained silent. She had learned from a very young age not to give away her emotions on her face, only those trained in that same art would be able to tell she was forcing them down. Luckily, none of these male generals even bothered to give her a second glance as the man made his way to the seat that once was occupied by Fuhrer Bradley. Apparently, the Fuhrer was keeping the seat warm for him in his absence. "Now, we have a great deal of work to do for tomorrow. Tell me what you know, and we'll begin."

---

It wasn't the most enjoyable journey to travel by handcar, it was cramped, and a little cold as the night still held onto that chill of winter that seemed to stay in the dark spring nights. Still, when the sun rose and the world started to grow a little warmer, they had to abandon the handcar on the tracks. They got as far as they needed to, and their journey to Kanama would continue on foot from there. Amelia distributed the sandwiches that Pinako had made for breakfast, everyone taking their little meal as they went on to face the day. Edward took the basket from Amelia, transmuting it into a small bag for them to use to carry anything else they need for tomorrow. It was handy having alchemy to just transmute anything when they needed it. She shouldered the empty bag, walking with it into the simple slum of Kanama.

Even though it was called a slum, and certainly it was clear that the people there were among the impoverished – shabby homes with plenty of people sitting out on the street with little else to do – it was among the largest they had ever seen, and one of the older ones. There was a warmth to it, there were people who lived here and made a life for themselves. It wasn't easy, and not a place to live if you couldn't handle hard work, but people here seemed more than happy to do their fair share to keep everything running smoothly for everyone. It was a community, and it very much showed that as they arrived. They could see people plowing in the ground, whether that was for growing their own food or creating an irrigation system was anyone's guess. Still, the community of homes stretched as far as they could see, a populous community on the outskirts of Central City.

"Excuse me," Edward approached one of the men tilling the ground, "Is this place called Kanama?"

"Yes, it is." The man replied, "Do you need help with something?"

"We're looking for someone," Edward said, "He would have gotten here a couple of weeks ago, goes by Hohenheim?"

The man looked over the group of them, sizing them up, and immediately Amelia knew where his mind was going, "We just need to talk with him about something, we're not here to arrest him or hurt him."

"Speak for yourself," Edward muttered under his breath, and was met with a harsh elbow from Amelia, "Ow!"

"This is his son," Amelia introduced, ignoring Edward's annoyed glare in her direction, "Is he here?"

"Yeah, he's here." He said, "I don't know where exactly though, you'd have to ask someone else."

"Okay, thank you anyway," Amelia said, the group starting to walk on to keep looking for Edward's father.

"Go ask for Jerry," The man called to them, "He's been housing the guy."

"We will, thank you." Amelia smiled at the man, walking with Edward as they went further into the slums. She looked over at Edward, "I know you and your dad have a complicated past, but you could at least try to be civil. Don't try to beat up your dad."

"I'm not gonna beat him up…" Edward grumbled, "Just maybe hit him once. In the face. As hard as I can."

"Edward,"

"I don't see how you expect me to just go into this calmly!" He defensively shot back, "It was bad enough the last time I had to see his stupid face!"

"Just try to be nice, please?" Amelia said, "I know you don't like him, you have every reason not to like him, but if we do this we're doing it with the best possible shot at winning and like it or not, we need your dad's help." Edward grumbled, shoving his hands in the pockets of his coat as they walked on, seemingly placated for now and Amelia let out a small sigh as she went over to a man, "Excuse me, we're looking for someone named Jerry?"

"I'm Jerry," The man replied, "Do you need something? I don't think I've got any fabric orders to deliver." He said, holding up a roll of blue denim fabric over his shoulder.

"No, we're looking for a man you've been housing, Hohenheim?" Amelia said.

"Oh, yeah, him." He glanced over the rest of their party, "He mentioned some folks might come ask for him. He's not far from here." He led them out of the way of the main dirt roads of the town, taking them between houses and alleys until they came to a small spot. Three logs had been set out for seats around a fire contained in a metal bucket. Tending to that fire was the very man they had been looking for, pulling out a roasted potato that he had been cooking, "Mr. Ho," He lifted his head up at the name, "You've got some company."

Hohenheim looked back, his eyes moving over the group but stopping as soon as he saw his son Edward. The boy in question wore a scowl on his face as he looked at his father, and Hohenheim imagined this wasn't going to be a pleasant conversation, but they still had a great deal ahead of them. He put his food down, pushing himself to stand up from his seat to greet them properly, "Edward, I didn't think—" before he could even finish speaking, Edward dashed over to him to punch him as hard as he could in his jaw, knocking his father back several feet from the sucker punch.

"Edward!" Amelia called out his name, appalled that he actually went through with his threat to hit his father in the face.

The blonde only turned back around, rubbing at his automail fist that he had hit him with, "That felt good." He said, sounding satisfied though he didn't stop scowling.

Hohenheim sat up, his hand going to his punched jaw, "Ah, you could have at least warned me you were about to slug me! And with your metal hand, too!" He complained. Edward didn't respond beyond a huff and put his hands at his hips. Amelia groaned to herself, putting her face in her hands as she began to question her taste if this was the guy she decided to date. Hohenheim seemed to recover quickly enough to come over to speak with them, he didn't even have any swelling on his face… maybe Edward didn't hit him that hard? "I see you've made a new group of friends." He commented as he wiped the dirt and dust from his pants.

"We're not—" Darius wasn't quite sure how to correct him on that.

"It's more like we're all in the same sinking ship," Heinkel said.

"That's right, and I guess you could say I'm the captain of that ship," Greed added with a grin, pointing at himself.

"So you're the one in charge?" Hohenheim asked as he approached the homunculus, "Then I'd like to thank you for looking after my son." The comment made Edward's eyes go a bit wide, looking up at his father as he thanked Greed for looking after him. He was always under the impression that he didn't really care all that much.

"Sure, but you know he can be a real pain in the ass." Greed replied.

"Hey!" Edward snapped.

"Greed, stop it," Amelia scolded the homunculus, who only grinned back at her, "This is hardly the time for teasing each other." She looked up at Hohenheim, intending to apologize for their behavior when he saw his gaze very solely focused on Greed.

"That's an interesting tattoo," He said knowingly, Greed blinking in surprise before looking down at his left hand that bore the ouroboros symbol, marking him as a homunculus.

"Yeah… you noticed," He said, showing the older man, "Guess there's no point in hiding it." He put his hand back at his side, looking up at Hohenheim, "But let's make this honesty thing mutual, Pops." Hohenheim glanced from him to Edward, knowing what was coming and wanting to hear if this is really what Edward wanted.

"Look, we need to talk," He said, "The Promised Day is tomorrow." He said, pointing out the urgency. There was a lot they needed to discuss, especially to figure out his role in their plans for stopping the transmutation circle from continuing, as well as what he knew about their enemy.

"Fair enough," Hohenheim conceded without much of a fight when it came to Edward, "I'll tell you everything." He looked over at the rest of the group, "It's a bit of a long story, so you might all want to come and sit down." He went back to where he had been sitting around the fire, picking up the potato that he had been roasting and starting to bite into it, as the others all seated themselves around him. Amelia sat beside Edward and Greed sat with Darius and Heinkel, "I apologize for speaking while eating, but I'm afraid you caught me in the middle of my lunch."

"It's fine, just talk," Edward said shortly. Amelia gave him a sharp look, and he looked away stubbornly. He didn't want to stay with his father more than he had to, but Amelia could at least get him to be polite.

"Of course," Hohenheim continued regardless, "But first, let's speak openly. What do you know about everything that's happening so far? Alphonse told me that you're aware of the country-wide transmutation circle."

Edward was hesitant to say anything, but he did go on to tell Hohenheim what they knew. He told them what they knew about the circle, the homunculi, their enemies in the military high command, the potential dangers they faced going into The Promised Day and just how little they knew about their greatest threat, the Father of the homunculi. Amelia would chime in here and there, adding on more information that Edward seemed to cut short, telling him of the allies they had made in Briggs and in Central, the plans they all had for that day and what they could expect to see. It took some time to tell him everything, the afternoon sun having shifted into early evening by the time it was over, blue skies darkening as the sun began its descent into the horizon. All the while, Hohenheim never interrupted, nodding along and taking in everything they were saying.

When they reached the end, Hohenheim began to speak, "I'll start from the beginning, I suppose… Do you know how old our enemy is?"

The question caught Edward's attention, and Amelia's. She thought back, "Well… the homunculi have been around for a while, and this guy has been here since the country was founded in… what year was it?"

"1557 was the year Amestris was founded," Edward answered.

"So… yeah, it's like 1915 now, so that's a solid 300 or so years." She looked back to Hohenheim, "Are you saying he's over 3 centuries old?" Hohenheim nodded.

"Much older than that, honestly." Hohenheim said, "If we're going by our current calendar, he's well over 500 years old." The news was a bit shocking to them.

"He's that old…?" Amelia asked, a little shocked.

"Yes, the man you know as the father of the homunculi has been around for well over half of a millennium," Hohenheim said, "He didn't always resemble a man, though. His original form was much smaller than that." He paused to take another bite of his food, "Originally, he was little more than the size of my fist," He held up his fist to illustrate this, "And his body was very fragile, he was placed inside of a glass flask to contain him so that he wouldn't die. If it was opened or broken, it was very likely that he would perish." He brought his hand back down, "So he was contained in that small prison, something he resented greatly but not enough to risk his own life and try to break out or have someone break him out. Instead, he gathered what knowledge he could, though he was already gifted with a great deal of alchemical knowledge when he was first created. A Xerxian alchemist pulled him from beyond the gate, summoned with the blood of one of his slaves as an experiment. While there was a great deal the homunculus knew and passed on to his master, there were still gaps in his information that he filled with texts whenever he could get someone to lay one out for him."

Amelia was a little surprised to hear so much detail about this being from Hohenheim, where was all of this information coming from? "Xerxian?" Edward repeated, "So… he was in Xerxes?"

"Yes, back when it was still a booming empire," Hohenheim, "And I'm sure you know how old those ruins are." He continued to eat, "When he was alive, Xerxes was at its peak – at least as I believed it was. There were over one million citizens in its nation, over one million people that had hopes for the future, plenty had great dreams for themselves that were dashed… but I think I'm getting ahead of myself." He said, taking another moment to take a bite of food, and Amelia couldn't withhold her curiosity as she had to wonder where he was getting this information from.

"So, where did you find out about this?" She couldn't help asking, "Stuff related to Xerxes is kind of hard to find around here. How did you find out about his beginnings as a dwarf in a flask?"

"Because I first met him when he was in the flask," Hohenheim answered simply. There was a stunned silence from the others, some trying to figure out what he meant by that, Amelia and Edward more just confused that he was able to say something like that so casually. "I'm sure you've met him before, haven't you? Alphonse mentioned your encounter to me." Edward and Amelia nodded, "And you've noticed the resemblance between him and myself?" They nodded again, Edward's brow furrowing as he started to realize where his father was going with this. "That was because it was my blood used to summon him."

"Wait… what?" Amelia had a hard time wrapping her mind around it, "You gave your blood?"

"Yes, I did," Hohenheim answered.

"You just said the blood came from a slave… So that was you?"

"Yes,"

"You were a slave… in Xerxes… with the father of the homunculi…" Amelia was putting the pieces together, but she was finding it hard to believe "That… that would mean you're just as old as he is."

"I met him when I was only about 15 or 16, it's hard to keep count of the day you're born when no one tells you exactly when that is." Hohenheim said with a bit of a wry smile, "So I'm only a little older than him, though in comparison to how long we've both lived a decade and a half seems like a very small amount to have over another person."

"You're… older than he is…" Amelia slowly uttered out, shocked as she looked at the man.

"What, are you saying you're immortal somehow?" Edward blurted out, "How is that even possible?"

"It's possible because of everything that happened back then," Hohenheim said, "As I said before, I met him when I was very young. I had fallen asleep while I was working and he had woken me up, he had grown bored and I was the only thing there to entertain him, I suppose. He liked that I wasn't afraid of him, and we introduced ourselves to each other, back then he was simply the dwarf in the flask homunculus and I was slave number 23. He didn't care for my number, so he gave me the name of Van Hohenheim to thank me for giving him the blood that allowed him to exist. He related to the fact that I was a slave, given no rights and no name, forced to live only to work with no freedoms comparing it to his flask that he was trapped in. He offered to teach me how to read and write, and all the other skills I had lacked from doing only menial labor so that I might grow from a slave into an alchemist to earn the respect from my master to gain my freedom. When we first met, I admired his tenacity to promise me freedom and that of a proper life where I could pursue what I wanted and my desires, and I accepted his offer. It took a few years and plenty of hardships to impress him, but I did eventually graduate from the status of slave to alchemist. Once I held that title, I was granted all the freedoms I could need in my life, and I was very grateful for the education he had given me."

Edward and Amelia sat, enraptured as he told the story of his time with this homunculus, "So… wait, hold on, this is a lot…" Amelia said, trying to slow down the story, "I think I'm still processing the fact that you're over 500 years old…" She glanced over at Edward, who seemed to be in a similar state of shock still. But his brow was furrowed, and he was biting his tongue to keep from speaking out. He wanted to hear the rest of the story, though he still had plenty of questions of his own. "You were a slave and he taught you alchemy? The homunculus?"

"It was a combined effort, truthfully. Between him and my master, I learned a great deal about the practice of alchemy to where I could call myself an expert in the subject. In the time it took to learn, it felt like a small eternity on its own even though it was only 5 years, but I did manage to get through and make myself the assistant to my master." Hohenheim said, continuing, "But we maintained a friendship from that, or at least what I had assumed was a friendship. I told him I was grateful for his help, he had moved me up from the status of a slave to an alchemist's assistant, which meant one day I could even get married and have a family. He seemed to dismiss that idea altogether when I told him, saying that there was little point beyond our communities besides the purpose of breeding to continue our species, in his mind happiness was the byproduct, not the goal of creating families. When I asked him what would bring him happiness, he modestly suggested being able to leave his flask. I'm not sure if that's when he started concocting his plan or not, but perhaps it's been something he's been thinking about for a long time still."

"In any case, it wasn't long after my graduation that the king of our empire requested to see him to ask if immortality was possible. He was growing old, and he feared death, and he wanted to see if he could become immortal and live out his life in peace, forever ruling his great empire. The dwarf in the flask did tell him of a method, one that I later learned was the creation of a philosopher's stone on a much greater scale than anything I had ever known. Back then, the philosopher's stone was still very much considered a myth, and no one had any idea of how to make one, but he did. He knew he could gain immortality by the sacrifice of lives, but he wanted to do it on a greater scale than a single stone made from the life of a dozen or so people. King Xerxes used his power to create a giant circle around the nation, carving out crests of blood at every point they needed."

"Crests of blood…?" Edward repeated, "Kimblee said something like that to me before. It was his way of saying they had to commit mass murder."

"Yes, back then news didn't travel as quickly, and no one knew why it was happening that town after town was suddenly being attacked and destroyed. There was not one survivor to tell the full tale of how it began, but every city was destroyed by those who worked under King Xerxes. The circle was dug under the guise of being a nationwide irrigation canal, and no one really questioned it. I doubt anyone could know the gravity of what was about to happen." Hohenheim said.

"Wait, so…" Amelia paused, "Does that mean… Xerxes had its own nationwide transmutation circle?" Hohenheim nodded.

"Yes, it took them fifteen years to finish creating it with those crests, but they succeeded before the king had his chance to pass on into the next life. His palace was placed at the center of the circle, and he was told that was where the transmutation needed to be performed in order for him to achieve immortality. If you've ever visited the ruins, you might see the stone guide made for King Xerxes to show the points they needed. It was carved at his order." Edward's eyes widened, knowing exactly which stone circle he was talking about, the one that had caught his attention because of its similarity to the transmutation circles in the Fifth Laboratory. "When the day came for the transmutation to finally be activated, the dwarf specifically asked that I be there to hold his flask to supervise the entire thing. I had no idea of the horrors that had been committed in the name of giving the king immortality, only heard of the tragedies that had taken place. He had me stand behind the king as he activated the circle with his own blood."

Hohenheim's expression darkened as the memories resurfaced, "I still remember watching how the black smoke arose from where it began, only to disappear and be replaced with black tendrils rising up from the ground. The darkness spread over all of Xerxes, but I only knew it as it happened in that room. They surrounded us, forcing us to be corralled in one place, and just as the king began to suspect that something was wrong, claiming this couldn't be immortality, I watched as my master and his colleague died, their bodies losing their ability to function as their souls were taken away." Amelia shivered at his description, "When I didn't understand why they were falling, I demanded answers from the dwarf in the flask. He had told the king that the center of the circle was safe and that they wouldn't be harmed, but apparently he had made it so that they were just outside the center, and he and I were directly in the true center together. He said he used my blood to open the gateway to allow this transmutation to happen. Before I could even begin to think of destroying his flask as I should have back then, we were swallowed into the gate that opened, everything being consumed in that darkness, that giant eye overseeing all of it." Amelia and Edward both stiffened at the mention, remembering that massive gray eye that looked at them as they were pulled into the gate. "We were both pushed through the portal, and I could hear the cries of the souls that were taken away as I was deconstructed with that homunculus."

There was a heavy silence surrounding them, everyone in the group completely engrossed as Hohenheim continued, putting down the remains of his food now that he had finished eating, "I didn't come to until the next morning, and the palace was filled with the corpses of my master and his alchemical colleagues. I couldn't find the body of the King of Xerxes, though I imagine the homunculus did away with it before I awoke. When I came outside, there was not one person left alive aside from myself. Everyone was dead, and corpses littered every street. The entire nation was empty of life, save for myself and the homunculus. When I called out for someone, he was the only one who answered, telling me that it was pointless to find someone when they had all lost their souls. I mistook him for the King of Xerxes when I first saw him, but that was only because he had stolen his clothes. I'm sure he still wears them today." Amelia thought back, remembering the unusual white robes the Father of the homunculi had worn. Had they lasted all those years? "But soon enough I saw that he had made himself into a copy of me, a receptacle so he could move and walk around on his own like he wanted. The reason he looked like me had something to do with the fact that he carried my blood. He said the transmutation had been done so that we could both have bodies that wouldn't die as thanks for giving him that blood, and I was left with the souls that he didn't take. My body contained 536,329 souls from the citizens of Xerxes, and so did his."

"That many people…?" Amelia gasped, her mind remembering the stones that she had seen in the past, none much larger than a small pebble or two, and they were usually made with about a dozen or so lives. "So… wait, that means… um…" If they were all in his body, then that would make Hohenheim a very unusual kind of human.

"Yes," He answered her unasked question, "I am a living Philosopher's Stone." The answer stunned Amelia into silence, as well as the others around them. "And I have been alive these many years, unable to die no matter what." He reached into his pocket, pulling out a cloth and starting to clean off his glasses as he continued to speak, "It took some time, but when I realized the inevitability of my condition, I made it my plan to take this body and simply extend my life. For a long time, that was enough for me as I got to watch the world change and see the new and wondrous things that people created with the passage of time that I wouldn't have been able to experience otherwise." He put his glasses back on to look at the others, though his gaze focused on Edward for a moment. When their eyes met, Edward hardly acknowledged it, his eyes wide as he was still processing everything he had just heard about his father. "At least, until a few years ago. My goals changed, and I started to look into the alchemical theory of this country, to see if I could find a better way to reach what I was looking for. That was when I discovered the plan of the dwarf in the flask homunculus to repeat what he did in Xerxes here in Amestris. It was a long-term plan, spanning over centuries, for the very purpose of attracting people and creating a nation with a large enough population to draw from. I've been working against him and his plan for this country ever since."

"As it stands now, I believe I know the easiest way to defeat him is to destroy the body he's in." Hohenheim said, "I'm certain it still functions as his flask once did, the leather bag of skin he created to look like me. If we can destroy it, he won't be able to survive and we can end this before it ever begins though I doubt he'll make that task easy for us to follow through with. I'm sure he'll plant as many obstacles as he can in our way before we reach him, but I'm certain this is the quickest way."

There was a heavy silence following this news, and Edward was struggling with everything he had learned about his father from this. Amelia looked over, seeing Edward put his hand to his head like he had a headache, his automail arm gripped into a fist so tight the metal was shaking and clinking together, "I was worried this might be more difficult for you to accept than it was for Alphonse." He said.

"Wait, you told Al about this?" Edward asked.

"I did," His father answered, "I'm sure he has his own thoughts on the matter, but he accepted it nonetheless." Amelia was a little surprised to hear that Alphonse had done that, but at the same time, the only response she had ever seen to Hohenheim from either of his sons was Edward's anger. She wasn't sure how Alphonse felt about their father after he left them, it was possible he was more ready to forgive him than Edward was… or is, rather. Hohenheim looked up at Edward, "If you want to use me to get your bodies back, you can."

"Are you crazy?!" Edward snapped, standing up from his seat with a furious scowl, "Maybe you are a living philosopher's stone, but I'm not gonna sacrifice innocent souls! It's our fault we lost our bodies!" Even though he was so angry at hearing that suggestion, Hohenheim had a smile on his face as he heard his son's pure-hearted intent displayed so clearly.

"I'm proud my son feels that way," He spoke sincerely and warmly. Edward didn't share the sentiment, his mind a massive storm of emotions now that he knew the reason why his father had left, the reason why he knew so much about their enemy, knowing that his father had been suffering alone for centuries until his mother – supposedly. He had spent so many years angry at his father for leaving, he didn't know how to respond to hearing his praises. When Edward didn't respond, Hohenheim continued, "There will be a solar eclipse tomorrow. He plans on harnessing it for his scheme."

"An eclipse? So that's his plan?" Edward was surprised that he would use it, but at the same time it made sense to him alchemically. If nothing else, the sun and moon had great significance in the symbology of alchemy, doing a transmutation of that magnitude during a time when they were combined could mean any number of things… The implications were more than a little concerning to him, considering that when the sun and moon were brought together they signified the perfect being, something on par with God.

"Listen Edward, he has to be stopped at all costs. I need you to help me." Hohenheim said, making a plea to his son.

"Help you?!" Edward snarled out, that storm of emotions latching onto his anger, something that had fueled him for so many years, "Now, look here! I'm gonna stop that bearded bastard, but I'm not doing it because you want me to help you! Our best chance at beating this guy is to team up and that's the only reason I'm even talking to you right now!" Even as he unloaded his anger in refusing to say he would ever accept his father's plea for help, he still showed that desire to help others, something that everyone around him could see. Edward was an angry little fireball of a kid, but he was still that pure-hearted kid that wanted to help everyone in the world, going into a fight like David did in his battle with Goliath carrying nothing but a slingshot against a fully armored man.

"Ed," Amelia gently put her hand on Edward's flesh arm, giving it a gentle squeeze as she got up, her voice soft to try and remind him to stay calm. If he yelled too much, they would call too much attention to themselves and what they were doing. Edward glanced at her, his shoulders relaxing just the slightest as he looked at her, but then he turned away. He marched away from his father, the others starting to get up and follow him. They knew what they needed to know, and they still had their trip to make back into Central before tomorrow.

"That's fine with me," Hohenheim said to his back, that sincere pride still coming through in his voice, "It doesn't matter what your reasons are as long as you'll still fight alongside me." Edward heard this and stopped, though Greed and the chimeras kept walking into town. Amelia looked back when she noticed Edward had stopped walking with them, wondering if he still had more anger he wanted to spew at his father.

His fists were clenched at his sides before he spoke, "Granny asked me… to give you Mom's final words." He said, catching Hohenheim's attention as he spoke of his mother. Edward took a deep breath, forcing himself to get the words out so that he would have no further reason to ever speak to his father again, "'Sorry I couldn't keep my promise, but I'm dying first.'" Edward's back was turned to his father, but Amelia could see him plainly. She watched as Hohenheim's eyes were wide, his expression that of a man who had seen a ghost. It was only a second later that expression of shock crumbled away, and Amelia watched as his expression shifted to what she could only see as immense heartbreak and grief. Hearing his wife's last words to him had allowed him to come undone, and she knew she shouldn't be looking at such a vulnerable moment for someone she barely knew, but it was hard to look away as she watched the man standing up and turn himself away so that his son wouldn't see his crying face as tears began to stream down his cheeks, "So there, I told you!" Edward snapped as he turned back to him with a glare, only to have it turn to shock when he recognized what had happened to his father in that brief moment following his delivery of his mother's last words.

"Edward," Amelia put her hand on Edward's automail shoulder to get his attention, the boy jumping at the contact, "We should go," Her voice was little more than a whisper, wanting to give Hohenheim some privacy so that he could handle these emotions himself and come to terms with what was going on inside of him. Edward looked a little uneasy, glancing back once more at his nearly sobbing father who was hanging by a thread as the tears seemed to endlessly stream down his face before he turned and the two started to walk into town, "Maybe we should get something to eat before we leave." She said, trying to get his mind on something else. She knew he wouldn't want to talk about everything that had just happened, not right then at least. Maybe later, when they were alone and he'd had his time to collect his thoughts about it.

He nodded, his flesh hand reaching for hers and holding it tight. He seemed calmer now, though he still had plenty of thoughts rushing through his mind about what he had just seen from his father, the man he had hated more than anyone else for a very large portion of his life. It was unexpected to see him so vulnerable like that, he wasn't used to it, and he didn't know how to process it as they went further into the slums of Kanama to find someplace where they might have some dinner before they continued their journey to Central.

---

They did find a place, a small business that created some good food for everyone to chow down on, get some energy before they began the long trek into Central City. It was quiet as everyone ate their own food, though there was that unspoken question about Edward. The boy in question seemed to be ignoring it as everyone else glanced at each other wondering how he felt about this information about his father. Amelia gave Darius and Heinkel silent signs not to bring it up. It was a sensitive subject and she wasn't sure that them butting in was the best option, but as the two looked to each other, they seemed to silently decide it was better to say something than to leave it be after all of that.

"You know, Ed," Heinkel began, "Don't you think you should try being a little nicer to your old man?" Edward didn't say anything, though he began stuffing his face more aggressively as he brought it up.

"Yeah, really. You could at least refer to him as 'Dad.'" Darius chimed in. All the while, Edward's act of shoving food into his mouth only got more aggressive as they each spoke about it.

"It sounds like you've had a rocky past with him, but he doesn't strike me as the type who'd abandon his wife, you know?" Heinkel continued.

"The guy must've had his reasons," Darius added, "So why don't you give him a chance to explain?"

Edward couldn't take anymore, letting out a shout of frustration before angrily looking up at the two chimeras, "Shut up! Did you ever think that I've got my reasons?!"

"Oh yeah? Let's hear 'em then," Heinkel challenged.

"You're just stubbornly holding a grudge," Darius said.

"Guys, maybe you should let this one go?" Amelia spoke insistently, though Edward had already wilted as he knew Darius's and Heinkel's comments had him pegged down on his feelings there.

"What, and just leave it there?" Darius asked, knowing it was such an awkward place for them to have left their talk with Hohenheim after Edward's outburst.

"I know, but this is kind of a sore subject…" Amelia replied, knowing it was probably something to be better addressed later.

Greed just chuckled, "Such a whirlwind of emotions," Edward glared at him as the homunculus leaned against the wall of the place where they ate, "I can see why. The guy's a walking, talking philosopher's stone," he looked Edward right in the eye as he continued, not afraid of his anger from this, "And to make it worse, he also happens to be your father."

"There's more to it than that," Edward admitted, catching even Amelia's surprise, "It's just… he's not what I was expecting."

"Well, what were you expecting?" Heinkel asked, curious to know more of Edward's thoughts. Edward's lips pressed together, struggling to put his feelings into words, and Amelia knew this wasn't going to go well for him or Heinkel. She glanced back to where they had left Hohenheim alone, having her own questions about what happened, and Darius made a good point that they hadn't really left things on the best terms with him. She took a moment to think of something she could do to at least apologize, finding a solution fairly quickly as she looked up at Heinkel.

"Hey, how much money do we have left?" She asked, interrupting anything Edward might've said. The blond chimera glanced over at her.

"Maybe somewhere around 4000 cenz. Why?" He asked.

"Give me 2000 of them,"

"Why?" Heinkel asked again, more insistent this time.

"This is kind of the last pit stop before Central, we might as well use what money we have left on things we might need." Amelia reasoned, "Just give me half and I'll look to find some stuff so we can carry the last of our rations and we don't have to hope we don't get hungry heading into Central."

Heinkel hummed, finding it hard to argue with her logic as he reached for the wallet that had their travel expenses in it, handing her the bills she asked for. "I'll be back in a sec." She said as she stuffed it in her pocket and started to walk away.

"You don't want one of us to come with you?" Darius asked.

"I'll be fine, I won't be more than a few minutes," Amelia said and picked up her pace so that she could get away from them a little faster. She moved around the shabby self-made shelters and eventually made her way back to the firepit where she saw Hohenheim sitting. He didn't seem to be the crying mess she had left him as, instead sitting and looking at a photograph intently.

She took a slow breath in and out before she went to him, "Mr. Hohenheim?" She called out to him, the older man looking back at her, "I don't know if you remember me, I'm Amelia. We met back in Resembool."

"Yes, you're my son's alchemy student," He said, putting his hand on the log, making to get up, "Amelia Seymour, wasn't it?"

"Yes," Amelia came up to him, seeing the older man extending his hand and she shook it, smiling up at him, "Um… I just wanted to apologize on behalf of Edward." She said, the older man keeping a stoic expression as she spoke, "He was… well, he didn't need to say all of that to you. I'm sorry."

"Given our history, I'm not surprised that he's still angry with me," Hohenheim said, going to sit down and inviting her to join him. She took a seat on the end of the log as he began to put his photograph in his pocket, "After all, I think it's possible I may have lost track of time over the years. It can happen when you live as long as I have. Before I understood what had happened, 10 years had gone by before I made my way back to Resembool."

"Right…" Amelia nodded, "Still, I don't think he needed to blow up at you like he did."

"He had every right to," Hohenheim said, turning to her with a smile, "But I appreciate you coming to try and make amends on his behalf. It's very kind of you." She smiled back at him, though she had to admit she felt a little awkward speaking with him. "How has he been since we last saw each other? Have you been with him all this time?"

She nodded again, "Yes, things have been… a little bit crazy, I'm sure that's not hard to figure out from what we told you. He had no idea about the country-wide transmutation circle when we met. You had only given him that clue about human transmutation." She was quiet for a moment, "...The day you left, he actually went to dig up the human he transmuted." Hohenheim looked over at her as she recalled it, "We dug for hours, but eventually he did find out that it wasn't their mother." Hohenheim nodded. She looked up at him, "Can I ask… how did you figure that out?"

"A poorly timed experiment or two in my day," Hohenheim answered, "After the events at Xerxes, I ended up wandering into the desert to try and find somewhere else to live that wasn't filled with corpses. I ended up making my way to the nation of Xing, where I believe your friend Ling is from." Amelia's ears perked a little at the mention of it, her mind going back to the old tales they shared about alchemy and alkahestry back in the Xerxian ruins, "I knew that the homunculus was headed west, so I went east. I did a great deal back there, including attempting human transmutation in the name of a grieving patient. I never got it quite right, the person I brought into existence was never the person I meant it to be." He looked into the small fire in front of him as the memory entered his mind.

"I'm sorry, that must have been a really difficult time," Amelia said, feeling a great deal of sympathy for the immortal man.

"At the time, it didn't feel that way, but looking back on it now I'm very shocked at my callousness for that life." Hohenheim let out a small laugh, "At least, that's how it was for a very long time, I think there was a part of me that resented the fact I couldn't die like the others could, but it was also something to be celebrated. After all, if I hadn't lived as long as I did, I never would have met Trisha."

"Edward's mother?"

Hohenheim nodded, "Yes, I was completely smitten with her, it was love at first sight." He said it with a fond smile, and Amelia smiled as he seemed to recall happy memories, "You remind me of her a little, actually. You two seem to have that same kindness."

"I don't think so, but that's sweet of you to say anyway." Amelia said with a small laugh, "I doubt I could live up to the standard of Edward's mother."

Hohenheim shrugged, "Still, I'm glad to know you've been traveling with my son. I imagine it's been good for him to have someone to help calm him down since he and Alphonse separated."

"How is Alphonse?" Amelia asked, curious since they had hardly talked about him.

"He's well, the last I saw of him, he was helping in the efforts to restore Lior." Hohenheim answered, "He's a very kind-hearted boy, he takes much more after Trisha than me."

"Really?" Amelia was a bit surprised, "So who does Edward's temper belong to?"

Hohenheim chuckled, "Ah, that would be me. I was quite the hothead in my youth, a hairpin trigger of a temper."

"You?" Amelia could hardly believe it, "I guess you just kind of mellowed out with age…?"

"Something like that, I imagine it'll be the same for Edward as he gets older," Hohenheim said, "Though, it helps to have someone remind you of the important things that aren't worth losing your temper over." He looked up at her, and when Amelia met his eyes, she could see the wisdom there, the experience, and suddenly she'd felt like he'd read her in an instant as she was still trying to get a read on him. "I'm sure he appreciates that you're there for him when he needs it, even if he won't say it out loud." There was something to his tone that spoke of more that he knew, and Amelia couldn't help feeling a little sheepish.

"I'm guessing… you figured out our relationship…?" She asked, Hohenheim smiled.

"As I said before, it's good for Edward to have someone like you around." He replied, "Whether he says it or not, it's clear that he cares. I'm sure that feeling is driving him to put everything he has into this upcoming battle." Amelia couldn't help nodding in agreement, "You'll inspire him to do great things, I'm sure." She blushed a little at the compliment.

"I don't know about all that…" She said, "But I'm glad to be here to help him through this." Her hands threaded together in front of her, "Though… there is a part of me that wonders if everyone might be better off without me," Hohenheim listened as she continued to speak, "I mean I'm… not exactly the strongest fighter or strongest alchemist. There's a lot I've gotten better at since I've started learning but I'm not… I feel like I'm not really bringing enough against our enemies to really be considered a viable threat." Hohenheim quietly listened, giving her his attention as she spoke to him, finding the words spilling out of her as he didn't stop her speaking, "And I know that I was never supposed to be involved in this battle… And I'm a little scared that I'll get in the way more than I'll help. If I become an obstacle or get taken hostage or something, I'm worried that the tide will turn in the homunculi's favor, and it'll be all my fault." She squeezed her hands together as she felt those anxieties that she had been pushing down welling up the more she spoke about it, "I don't want anything to happen to Edward or the others just because I didn't know where I'm supposed to be or… or if I just get in the way. I feel like I don't know what I'm doing, and I really wish I did." She wished she had paid more attention to Katie and how she described the story, how she would gush over it and tell all of her favorite parts, wishing she could recall something that could help guide her forward, but she couldn't think of anything. Her mind drew a blank, all of the times that she had just tuned Katie out to walk and think to herself while she babbled on and on. "But at the same time, if something happens to Ed, something unexpected because of me, I don't want to just leave him behind and not try to help, you know?" Hohenheim nodded.

"The desire to protect someone and trying to do what's best for them can be a very conflicting feeling," He said, "It's hard to know what's best for what person and going into a battle it's better to play to your strengths."

"I'm starting to think I don't have any," Amelia wryly commented.

"I'm sure that's not true, otherwise how else would you have made it here?" Hohenheim asked, "This isn't your first encounter with the homunculi, though we may be facing our last ones soon. This isn't the best time to be doubting yourself, if you don't believe your strength best serves in a battle then maybe it would be better for you to step to the sidelines if that's what you want." Amelia couldn't help feeling a little deflated to hear him agree with that, even though she was the one that suggested it, "But at the same time, it's very clear that you've learned a great deal and made great progress to the point where Edward feels comfortable keeping you at his side for this fight. And I'm sure you believe in Edward, don't you?" She nodded, "So what makes you think that Edward's belief in you isn't enough to believe in yourself?"

Amelia's mouth opened to answer but quickly closed as no words came to mind. She took a moment to think, there was a part of her that wanted to justify it, but Hohenheim made a good point. If Edward really did think she wouldn't survive the battle, he wouldn't let her be at his side, would he? He wouldn't have just suggested she leave, like he did in Resembool, he would have made sure to send her away somewhere she would be safe. He would have argued with her about it but knowing how stubborn he was she wouldn't have been able to change his mind. He would have forced her or tricked her if that's what it would take. "I guess… that's a really good reason. I can't find a way to argue that." Hohenheim smiled again as she admitted that she couldn't dispute him, "You… have a surprising amount of faith in your son's judgment."

"Of course, he's my son," Hohenheim said, "He's had a hard life, and part of that is my fault, but he's learned a great deal from that alone. I trust him when he says he's found valuable allies to join him in the fight, and he considers you one of them."

Amelia's hands released each other, going to push herself up to stand, "Here I come to try and make amends for Edward's behavior, but you sound like you were never upset at him to begin with," She couldn't help laughing about the irony of the situation, "And now you're giving me a pep talk."

"We're going up against a powerful enemy, doubt and fear are to be expected, but we can't let it rule us," Hohenheim said, "And I'm sure Edward feels the same way you do about this fight. He's still going forward and I'll be joining you, we can still beat him."

"Right," Amelia nodded, feeling a bit more fired up after hearing all of this talk, "Speaking of Edward, I should probably get back to him. He thinks I'm getting some last-minute supplies, I doubt he would have let me come talk to you alone." She smiled at Hohenheim, "Thank you for helping me, I really appreciate it."

"Of course, I'll see you in Central," Hohenheim said, bidding his goodbye to the young woman as she made her way back to the market.

Amelia did make a stop at a couple of places, getting some wrapped up food they could use for breakfast tomorrow, and something to boost their energy just in case they needed it for the early morning. She didn't have many cenz left when she managed to find the others again, seeing Edward speaking with someone at a stall and coming away with a wrapped-up piece of red fabric. As she came closer, she watched as he transmuted it into an all-too-familiar red coat and she let out a small groan at the sight of it as the others all grimaced with her.

"Whoa…" Darius gasped.

"Come on, what's wrong with what you're wearing now?" Heinkel asked.

"That doesn't seem flashy to you?" Greed asked.

Edward ignored their comments as he held up the coat, looking at it with a fond smile before glancing past it to see Amelia and he tucked it over his arm, grinning as he saw the disgusted look on her face.

"Please tell me you didn't spend the last of our money on that," She said as she came up to him.

He answered with a small shrug, his expression turning a bit more serious, "There's a pretty good chance this is going to be the last battle we ever fight. I want to do it in style." He said.

Amelia sighed through her nose, "Fine, I guess I can't really see an issue with changing clothes before we get to Central…" She said, "Though I might just 'accidentally' find a way to destroy that coat before The Promised Day is over."

"Like I'd let you," Edward grinned.

"What'd you find?" Heinkel asked Amelia, coming over to see what she had.

"Mostly just some food for breakfast tomorrow," She said, showing him what she had and he began to put it away in their designated pack, "It's not a lot, but I figure we'll need to eat before we head there."

"Fair enough," Heinkel said as he shouldered the pack.

"Alright, let's get moving," Edward said, "We'll need to make sure we're in Central before that eclipse happens, I'd like to be there a little early."

"So would I," Greed agreed, beginning to lead their group out of the slum, the five of them not knowing it would be one of the last moments of peace they would have before the sun rose the next day.