"Aww… they're so cute..!"
"Don't wake them, Win… let 'em sleep."
Manami's eyes slowly opened to see two yellow blurs in front of her. She blinked the sleep away and jumped when she realized who those blurs were.
"Huh?!"
"Morning, lovebirds." Ed greeted her with a smug grin.
"Ready for breakfast?" Winry chimed in with a matching expression.
"!" Manami felt her cheeks sting in embarrassment as she was still trying to gather where she was. She felt someone stir beside her, and looked over to see Al waking out of his own slumber.
"Nngh… what time is it..?"
"Ten thirty." Pinako had stepped in the room. She didn't look happy.
"Don't make a habit out of this." She told them. "I expect you two to be in your own beds tonight."
"Y-Yes ma'am…" Manami and Al both bowed their heads. "Sorry, Granny…"
Pinako gave them a look before going back into the kitchen. Manami and Al exchanged bashful grins before pulling away from each other.
Three more days passed. Manami was spending just about anytime she had with Al, whether it was helping him do his daily stretches and exercises, or hanging out somewhere.
Today, they were having a small picnic outside. They didn't need to go far out, especially because Al still wasn't ready to walk long distances yet. Manami found the back porch perfectly suitable anyway.
Al loved eating food, but he found whatever Manami made to be just as tasty as anything from anyone else.
"These sandwiches are so good, Manami!"
"They're just ham and cheeses…" Manami laughed.
"Yeah, but you made them." Al grinned at her, and Manami leaned over to kiss his cheek.
"You're such a dork."
They could faintly hear the phone ring from inside, but paid no mind to it. It stopped only after a few rings anyway, so someone inside had gotten it.
But, a few seconds later...
"Manami!"
Manami perked up when she heard Pinako call for her.
"You have a call!"
"..?" Al and Manami both blinked at each other.
"Who would be calling me?" Manami wondered aloud.
"Maybe it's Gracia..?" Al guessed, watching her as she stood up and walked to the door.
"I'll be right back."
"Okay."
She went inside and made her way to the kitchen, where Pinako was holding the phone receiver up to her.
Pinako's expression seemed off. Manami raised a questioning eyebrow, as she took the receiver and held it to her ear.
"H-Hello? This is Manami speaking…"
"Miss Manami Kami?" Manami was shocked to realize that the female voice she heard wasn't Gracia.
"I am calling on behalf of Furher Grumman. He has summoned you to see him in Central as soon as possible."
"Furher Grumman..?" Manami blinked. "What does he want with me?"
"That will be discussed when you arrive, Miss Kami." The woman replied.
Manami felt herself getting nervous. Still, she couldn't deny a meeting with the Furher…
"Alright… should I be bringing anything… or anyone?" She asked.
Maybe Grumman wanted to see Ed, too?
"Just yourself, Miss Kami." The woman said.
"Okay…" Manami slowly nodded. "I'll... be there tomorrow."
She slowly put the receiver down, then turned to look behind her and see that Ed and Winry were standing at the doorway to the living room, while Al was standing at the doorway to the back porch that she had come through earlier.
"You're going back to Central..?" Winry asked quietly, looking disappointed.
"I guess so…" Manami crossed her arms and looked down in thought, her lips pursing. "Apparently the new Furher wants to see me."
She couldn't help but feel like she was in trouble… it made her nervous.
"Don't sweat it," Ed waved his automail hand dismissively. "It's probably to see what your plans are; whether or not you want to retire."
"Oh..." Manami hadn't thought of that. She immediately felt better and smiled up at him.
"Yeah! That's probably exactly what it is!"
"You're going to retire, Manami?" Al blinked.
"Yeah…" Manami nodded to him. He smiled back at her, looking relieved.
"Still…" Winry huffed, still seeming annoyed. "This had to happen right after you came home?"
Manami chuckled weakly. "Sorry, Win... that's my fault."
"Huh?" Winry blinked.
"I mean… I never told them what I planned to do before leaving Central in the first place." She sighed and put her hands on her hips.
"It can't be helped. I just have to make a day trip out of it tomorrow."
"Did you, um... want company?" Al asked.
As much as Manami wanted Al to come with her, she knew he still didn't have the strength to.
"Nah," She shook her head. "No reason to drag anyone along. You all should stay here and relax." She smiled at him.
"Good. Because I didn't wanna go, anyway." Ed said.
Al shot his brother a glare, but Manami laughed.
"Good! I didn't want you to, either."
Early the next morning, before the sun had risen, Manami went to leave the Rockbell house. Despite not going with her, Ed, Al, and Winry still got up to see her off.
"I'm hoping to be back in time for dinner." Manami told them. "If not, go ahead and eat without me."
"Sounds good." Ed yawned, Winry elbowed his side.
"Ow—"
"If anything, try to give a call when you have more of an idea when you'll be back." Winry said.
"Can and will do." Manami nodded to her, then looked back to Al. They met eyes, and Al forced a smile.
"Have a safe trip, Manami..."
Manami's expression saddened a little. She didn't like to see him sad...
"Hey... I'll be back tonight." She stepped forward to pat his upper arm.
"I know… it won't be too long." Al put more effort into forcing a more believable smile.
Manami glanced over to see that Ed and Winry were still there, and then looked back to Al...
She considered giving him a kiss goodbye.
Would it be weird to do that in front of Ed and Winry? It wasn't like the two of them didn't find her and Al sleeping together on the couch...
After all, they were boyfriend and girlfriend, weren't they?
She decided to go for it. She leaned up to give him a quick peck him on the lips before turning to run down the dirt road. Luckily, no one said anything...
Or at least, not that she heard.
"I hate getting up early..."
Manami slept for most of the train ride to Central, but still felt groggy as she got off the train and made her way to Central HQ. When she arrived, she was escorted to the third floor and through a set of double doors.
She stepped inside, seeing a red carpet extend across the room to long desk made of a fancy wood. Behind it was a chair, its back facing her.
"Good morning to you, Miss Kami!" The chair swung around to reveal a gray haired man with a long moustache and glasses.
So… this was Furher Grumman.
"Good morning, sir." Manami greeted him.
"How are you? Go on, have a seat!" He offered. "Do you need anything? Tea?"
He at least seemed very nice and hospitable.
"No thank you, sir." Manami kindly declined as she sat in the chair in front of his desk.
"Very well." Grumman shrugged, going to make his own cup of tea before continuing. "I bet you're wondering why I've summoned you."
"Yes, sir…" Manami replied, smiling nervously.
"Well, it's for a few things actually. First…" Grumman leaned back to pull open the drawer in front of him and pull out a parcel, which he handed to her.
"These were recovered while cleaning up the battlefield after The Promised Day." He told her, watching as she opened the parcel. "They were going to be sent to you, but since you were coming, I wanted to see to it that they were returned to you personally."
Manami pulled out four pieces, and she quickly realized what they were.
Her fans.
She stared down at the splintered pieces for a moment, then gripped them tightly in her hands.
"Thank you, sir. I appreciate it." She said, looking back to him after putting the pieces back in the packaging.
"Of course. Now... on to the next thing." Grumman folded his hands on his desk. "You're aware of your annual duties as a State Alchemist, yes?"
Manami slowly nodded, her silence allowing him to continue.
"So you're aware that State Alchemists must present their research and are judged annually." He explained.
Manami raised a brow, wondering to herself if she had missed her deadline...
"Don't worry, you're not overdue!" Grumman could tell what she was thinking by her expression and let out a laugh.
"While we require that you write a report and, depending on the research, prepare a presentation... we also keep record of all banking and library activities. This is why State Alchemists are sometimes 'randomly' summoned. It's not because of your annual report, but because we noticed something in your activity that we'd like to further inquire about."
Manami blinked, still not following. "So…"
"Yes." Grumman's brows furrowed. "I'd like to inquire about your research, Miss Kami."
"..." Manami shrunk a little. "Uh… well, I haven't really done any research in the last year…" She confessed.
"On the contrary…" Grumman pulled out a sheet of paper and set it on his desk, facing her. "You were pretty busy last month."
"..?" Manami raised a brow, but looked down to the paper, seeing...
All the books and records she checked out on Renee Wolfe.
"O-Oh…" She felt herself getting nervous.
Was she in trouble for researching a celebrity, instead of something related to alchemy?
That seemed far-fetched, but also not surprising...
"Tell me…" Grumman folded his hands together once more, now looking serious. "Why were you looking into Renee Wolfe?"
Manami stared back at him for a moment, unable to think of a good excuse...
She decided that it would be best to tell the truth.
"I was, um…" She swallowed. "I-I had found out… that she was my mother."
Grumman stared at her for a moment.
"You… are the daughter of Renee Wolfe?"
"Y-Yes, sir..." Manami nodded.
"WOW!" Grumman threw his hands up and stood up, his sudden outburst making Manami jump in surprise. Her mouth hung open as he quickly got up to walk around his desk and take both of her hands in his, shaking them excitedly.
"Pardon my excitement!" Grumman laughed. "I just can't contain it! I'm a huge fan!"
He was quick to compose himself and clear his throat. "Tell me… has she passed her talent to you?"
"Um…" Manami was so confused that she was practically speechless. "I-I guess… I can play, but I—"
"Perfect!" Grumman grinned, then returned to his seat. "Then I have a proposition for you, Miss Kami."
Manami was silent, still wondering in the back of her mind how this conversation even led to this point…
"You see, while I've already taken on the role and responsibilities as Furher, I've yet to have my Inauguration Ceremony. That is scheduled for June 30th." Grumman explained.
That was the end of this month...
"I wanted to ask if you would be willing to be a guest of honor, and perform at this ceremony." Grumman asked her, making her eyes widen.
"M-Me?!" She squeaked, pointing to herself.
"Yes, you!" Grumman laughed. "Of course, the Elric brothers and any other guests you'd like to bring are welcome. Oh! And all expenses will be paid!"
"S-Sir…" Manami croaked, still taken aback. "I'm... honored that you'd like for me to perform... but I've never actually… you know..."
"What better time than now? This would be the perfect debut!" Grumman smiled at her. "After all, you were retiring from the military, were you not?"
Manami's eyes widened even more.
"H-How did you—"
"As far as I'm concerned, your research is complete." Grumman said simply. "And this is a perfect opportunity to take the first step in following in your mother's footsteps— not as a soldier, but as a performer."
"..." Manami looked down to the parcel containing her broken and splintered fans in her hands, her brows furrowing in thought.
No longer a State Alchemist… no longer a soldier… following in her mother's footsteps…
A performer..?
Those were big shoes to fill. What if she didn't have what it takes?
"It appears that you need time to think." Grumman spoke up, breaking her train of thought.
"I-I'm sorry, sir…" Manami said nervously, looking back up to him. "This is just so sudden…"
"I understand." Grumman nodded in understanding. "How about this? You give me an answer tomorrow. You can call in if you'd like. I would offer a longer time to think, but there isn't much time— there will be rehearsals prior to the event and such..."
"N-No, tomorrow would be great…" Manami chuckled weakly, bowing her head politely. "Thank you, sir—"
"But, there is one final thing," Grumman quickly added. "Regardless of your choice… as of today, you are honorably discharged from the Amestrian Military."
Manami's eyes widened. She couldn't say she wasn't expecting it, but...
"If I may have your silver pocket watch…" Grumman gestured to his desk in front of him.
"..." Manami reached in her pocket, grateful that she still had the habit of carrying her pocket watch. It probably would have been bad if she left it in Resembool.
She pulled out the watch and stared at it for a moment. She was hesitant, and unsure why... maybe it was sentimentalities? She had a long journey with this watch… but that journey was now over.
She finally brought herself to set the pocket watch down on the desk in front of Grumman.
"That's it, then." Grumman looked up from the watch to meet her eyes.
"Today, June 9, 1915, marks the retirement of the Wind Alchemist. Thank you for your service, ma'am."
"..." Manami slowly nodded. She still coming to terms with it.
She was no longer a State Alchemist… it felt like a huge weight had been lifted off her shoulders, but she also felt a little empty.
Now, she was about to make a decision that would determine which way her life would go afterwards.
"That's everything! You're free to go." Grumman smiled. "Safe travels back home to Resembool. Thank you for coming to see me, it was a pleasure."
Manami put on a small smile and went to stand and bow politely to the new Furher, before turning away to approach the door.
"I hope you make the decision to perform, Miss Kami." Grumman said, making her stop and look over her shoulder at him.
"I've seen it time and time again throughout my life… music is the best remedy for the hearts of those who have suffered from war."
"..." Manami nodded again, once again bowing her head politely before she went to walk out the door.
She walked down the hallway, gripping the parcel containing her broken fans in her hand.
"Music is the best remedy for the hearts who have suffered from war, huh..?" She thought aloud.
"Wind?"
A familiar voice broke Manami out of her trance, making her stop walking. She looked over to see... Roy Mustang.
"Colonel…"