AN: Thanks to everyone for the review, favorites, alerts, etc. Here is chapter 2, dear readers.
Disclaimer: First and foremost, I don't own FMA. Second of all, I have very little knowledge about social work. My only experience is with elderly people, not children. So if anyone reading this has any experience with the field and you feel like I got some information wrong, then please feel free to PM me. I always strive to be accurate in portraying real life events, so if what I've written is way off base then I want to know so I can properly edit it. I would very much appreciate it!
Just like in chapter 1, some of the dialogue here is taken from Viz's translation from volume 2 and a little bit from volume 3 (in some cases they have been tweaked to work better with the fanfic). Credit to them for helping me fill in the gaps.
Edward woke up the next morning with a start, gasping for air.
Nightmares.
At first it was about his mother, but then it melted into him walking into Shou Tucker's home. However, instead of finding him attempting to make Nina and Alexander into a chimera, what he found when Tucker moved out of the way was much more disturbing.
In the center of the circle was a dog-like creature. Its eyes were pupil-less, almost unseeing, and it had long, flowing brown locks. When it opened its mouth, the voice was a distorted version of a little girl's.
A distorted version of Nina's voice.
"Ed…ward…"
That's what led him to awaken. He looked around the unfamiliar room, confused and disoriented.
That's right, they were still in the safe house.
"Big Brother?"
Ed looked down at his side. Nina was wiping the sleep from her eyes, giving him a worried look. Sometime yesterday evening, he and Al decided to tell Nina the truth—she wouldn't be able to return home to her father. The girl was devastated naturally, demanding answers as to why. As gently as Ed could, he explained that Tucker had done "a very bad thing," in the past, and Edward and Alphonse found out he planned on repeating the "very bad thing." Because of this, the military would be taking him away for a "very long time."
Maybe it wasn't the best decision to keep everything vague, but the brothers weren't sure if revealing how terrible her father was would be a good idea either. At Nina's age, how would she react? Ed wasn't a fan of keeping her in the dark, but having her become traumatized didn't appeal to him either. Al felt the same, so they agreed to keep quiet about Tucker's true intentions, just until they were sure Nina was old and mature enough to handle it.
Poor Nina cried for hours afterward the brothers broke the news of her never living with her father again. When Ed tried to tell her that she might be going home with the brothers, she still cried, throwing a tantrum and demanding she be with her daddy again.
It had broken Ed's heart.
He was surprised when Nina came into their room that night asking if she could stay with him and Al. It was an unfamiliar environment and it unsettled her to be away from her home and her father. Of course Ed relented and allowed the child to share his bed with him, reassuring her that he and Al would protect her from any scary boogeymen.
Her asking to stay with them gave him a little hope. She was upset with them about the newest developments, but there was a chance she could slowly forgive them and allow them to stay in her life.
After all, other than Alexander, the boys were all she's got.
Now, however, Ed flinched at the girl being at his side. He hoped he hadn't screamed or thrashed in his sleep. Al told him he did that sometimes when he had a nightmare.
Al sat across the room, his glowing red eyes giving Ed a wary look.
"Are you okay, Brother?"
Ed was about to nod and brush everything off when he winced at a sharp pain. On reflex he lifted his left leg up to his chest, hugging where the metal met his stump.
Phantom pains.
Somehow, they always hurt the worst after nightmares. Didn't help that the rain continued to fall.
"Is Big Brother Ed okay?" he heard Nina ask Alphonse, her voice anxious.
"M'fine," Ed grunted. No need to worry the girl any further. It wouldn't help anything.
"Brother's arm and leg ache sometimes, Nina," Al gently explained. "The change in the weather hurts him."
Nina frowned. She turned back to Edward and placed a small hand on his thigh where skin met metal.
"Mommy and Daddy used to kiss my booboos and make them better. Would that help you, Big Brother?"
Ed smiled. Had it been anyone else, he would have bit their head off. Kissing the pain away was childish and never did any good anyway. There was no medical evidence to prove such nonsense was possible.
But Nina's innocence and determination to make him feel better melted his heart. He gave the girl a small smile.
"Yeah, it might."
So the girl gave quick pecks to Ed's "booboos" and then stood up to pat him on the head.
"There! All better!"
Ed laughed. The girl was being taken from the only home she'd ever known and yet here she was, smiling like a ray of freaking sunshine and kissing Ed's phantom pains like it was no big deal.
She was a strong one.
Ed didn't really believe there was a God out there, but in this quiet moment he thanked whoever it was that was listening that they helped him save this little girl.
A couple hours later, the trio (Alexander was left at the safe house) made their way to East City's military HQ to talk to Nina's appointed social worker.
Before stopping in the office that was to be the meeting place, Ed decided to take a detour and find out what the status of Shou Tucker was.
If he was incarcerated then Nina could visit him one last time before he was shipped to Central and she to Risembool. It was the least Ed could do, right? He was her father after all…
As they approached the door, they were met with Riza Hawkeye as she exited.
She spotted them, giving them a kind smile, "Oh, hello boys. And hello to you, Nina."
"Hello, Miss Hawkeye!" Nina politely greeted from on top of Al's shoulders. The little girl waved to Riza, who happily waved back.
"Are you here to see the social worker?" the lieutenant asked them.
"Yes," Ed said, "but I also wanted to ask the colonel about Tucker. Is he in detainment?"
Riza's eyes widened before an uncomfortable look fell on her face. She gave an uneasy glance in Nina's direction, prompting Ed to realize that there was something amiss. And whatever it was, it was questionable whether Nina should be present for it.
Ed was about to signal to Al to take Nina away when Riza stopped him, "She needs to hear this."
Al noticed the change in tension as well, and lifted Nina off his shoulders and onto the ground. Nina looked confused.
"What's the matter? Why do you look sad?" she asked Riza.
Riza got on eye level with the girl and held her hand, "I'm so sorry, Nina. Yesterday, we were going to pick up your father from your house to take him here, but we…" the lieutenant bit her lip, seeming to judge how she should say her next words. Ed swallowed; he had a bad feeling about this.
"Your father is dead, Nina. I'm so sorry."
Nina's eyes widened, her mouth parted in disbelief.
"Wh-what?"
"Are you serious, Lieutenant?!" Ed yelled, shocked by this revelation.
"How?!" Al asked, also in shock.
"You were going to find out anyway, so I might as well tell you," came Riza's straightforward reply. Part of Ed wondered if she also did it to lesson the burden of the boys having to tell Nina this news. "There are officers at the scene of the crime investigating. Lt. Colonel Hughes and Major Armstrong from Central arrived yesterday afternoon to take Mr. Tucker into their custody, when they happened upon him dead in a pool of his own blood. There is suspicion of murder. I don't know all the details myself, but I'm on my way to the Tucker residence right now."
"I'm coming with you!" Ed said.
"No." Riza said, her tone informing Ed that there was no room for argument.
"Why not?!"
Riza whirled around to give Ed a pointed look then shifted her gaze to the four-year-old girl who was standing still in shock.
"She needs you more than we do right now, Edward."
With that, she left.
Edward stared after her for a while before it registered what was happening. Tucker was dead. He was murdered. He then thought about Nina. Had Ed and Al not saved her, would she have been killed too?
The thought made Ed's stomach churn, but this was not the time to think about "what ifs."
Nina was here with them now, and she just found out her father died.
Rushing back to the little girl's side, Ed crouched down and looked to her. Al was also crouching down, though his large size was hindering him from getting a good look at Nina.
"Nina," Al tentatively said, "we're so sorry. We didn't know. Is there anything we can do for you?"
Nina didn't say anything at first, which worried Ed a lot. She already knew she'd be taken away from her daddy, but now she'll never see him again?
This was too much for a child to take.
Ed was scared she'd never recover from this. What if this was the last draw and he'll never see this sweet little girl smile again?
"Nina—"
Finally the dam broke and Nina cried. Not just cried, but hardcore sobbed. She sobbed for her father. Sobbed for her situation. Sobbed because, "It's just not fair!"
Ed was suddenly taken back in time—a time where he and his brother stumbled across their mother's lifeless body on the ground. A time where they watched as she was taken away from them forever.
Al was Nina's age when Trisha died. She looked a lot like he did too during that time with fat tears coming out of her big eyes as she wailed and shrieked in heartbreak.
Ed couldn't stand it anymore and held the girl in his arms. He tried his best to sooth her, telling her it would all be okay, that he and Al were there for her and they weren't going anywhere. They were here for her and she wasn't going to lose them.
He registered that Alphonse had scooped the two up into his big armored arms as well, his voice repeating Ed's words to the girl.
Ed wasn't crying and Al couldn't cry, but in this moment they both wish they were.
This little girl who they grew to love like their own sister was hurting. And they'd do everything in their power to make her happy again.
They were a family now.
And family stuck together, helping each other through the bad times as well as the good.
It took a few minutes for Nina to stop crying. The four-year-old was emotionally drained enough that Edward thought it best to carry her, allowing her to rest her head against his shoulder.
The trio met up with the social worker assigned to Nina's case. Her name was Kim and she was a nice woman in her late twenties or early thirties, Ed wasn't sure. The brothers apologized for their tardiness, but Kim completely understood when they explained the hold up being due to Nina finding out about her father's passing. She was even prepared for their meeting, having read up on a file Mustang had written up for her, and already getting preparations done in order for the Rockbells to officially adopt Nina as she was unsuccessful for finding any next-of-kin to take her in.
Ed was extremely grateful for the lady.
"I hope I'm not imposing too much but would it be fine with you boys if we continued at your current residence? I think it would be best for Nina if she were properly put to bed. Then once she wakes up we can talk to her more about what should come next in her life."
Ed shrugged (being mindful of the girl still resting in his arms); he saw no harm in that.
As they walked out of HQ, Alphonse and Kim conversed about her job and how long the adoption process would take. Ed wasn't really paying much attention, but what he did absorb was that apparently Mustang informed the woman that the boys couldn't stay in East City for very long as they were "on an important mission," so they had to get Nina settle as soon as possible. If things ran smoothly, then she would be able to stay with her new foster family while someone (either Kim or anyone from an adoption agency) would make house visits from time to time in order to check to see if the child was being taken well care of. If this proves true, Nina should be an official Rockbell by the end of the year at the earliest.
Ed liked the idea of that.
As they continued to walk, passing by random citizens, Edward heard someone call his name.
"Mr. Edward Elric!"
Ed turned, spotting a man in military garments running up to him.
"Oh, I'm so glad you're alright!" he said to the boy as he caught up, "We've been looking for you!"
Ed raised an eyebrow. That was odd. Why would they be looking for him?
"What is it? Do you need me for something?"
"You're to return to headquarters immediately," replied the soldier. Now Ed was really confused. The colonel and his team knew very well he was to be with Kim today. Why would they decide he needed to go back?
As he handed Nina off to Kim, the soldier continued, "There's a killer on the loose in this area—"
"Edward Elric..."
Suddenly, a stranger appeared before them—a man with a dark complexion and a shock of white hair on the top of his head. He was wearing sunglasses, but he had a large, pale X-shaped scar on his face.
And even though he could barely make out the man's eyes behind the tinted lenses, Ed just knew there was a murderous look to them.
"The Fullmetal Alchemist!" the stranger snarled. Ed's blood ran cold. He didn't know who this guy was, but every instinct in his body was telling him to run.
This was amplified when the soldier pulled his gun, hoping to protect the little alchemist. Unfortunately, the scarred man got to him first, quickly placing the palm of his right hand onto the soldier's face.
With a crack of alchemic energy, the soldier fell to the ground dead, blood gushing out of every orifice of his head.
Every bystander present stared in horror.
The scarred man turned back to Edward.
'Who is this guy?' Edward asked himself. 'This is bad! Bad! BAD! Everything from the core of my body says to run away but my legs won't move!'
He watched as the scarred man started to move toward him, right arm extended.
'Oh no…' Edward thought, 'I'm gonna die!'
Just then the bell tower above them rang, indicating the hour. It was loud enough to distract the mysterious man and shake Ed out of his stupor.
"Miss Kim, take Nina to the safe house, now! She'll be safe there. Al, run!"
And with that the Elric Brothers bolted away from the newest threat. Ed didn't look back, but he hoped the social worker listened to him and got Nina out of harm's way. It looked like only the older brother was the target, therefore the last thing he needed was to put the little girl in any more danger.
He wished Al would have gone with them, but his little brother loyally stayed by his side. That idiot…
But on the other hand it was a good thing. He and Al were a good team.
He just hoped they were good enough to handle this dangerous man…
Edward heaved another sigh, exhausted by everything that's happened in the past few days.
First it was Tucker.
Then it was the stress of the plans to get Nina to Resembool as well as the lingering worry that she'd resent the brothers for her current situation.
Then it was that scar-faced bastard.
And now this…
His automail arm was completely destroyed (no thanks to that Ishvalan prick who thought murdering State Alchemists was justifiable for his revenge), and almost half of Al was destroyed too (again, fuck that bastard!).
Now the brothers (Edward mostly) were to be heavily guarded because that freak was still on the loose!
After the fight with Scar (the man's codename as no one was sure of his true identity), Edward and Al first and foremost wanted to go to their safe house to see if Kim made it there safely with Nina.
It was a pain in the ass to have the colonel and the rest of his military party escorting them, but Al convinced Ed it was worth it in case Scar made another appearance to finish what he started.
When they arrived, Alexander met them, promptly jumping on Ed in his excitement to see him.
Then the door swung open and Nina ran out, crying out for her older brothers. Kim ran out after her, calling for the little girl to be careful.
Ed hated that Nina had to see him and Al like this—all busted up and wore out—but having her throw her small arms around his neck in relief made him glad he was alive.
It would have majorly sucked if Ed had allowed Scar to kill him off. Nina already suffered too much, he'd never forgive himself if he went and died on her too.
"Is Big Brother Al okay?" she asked, her voice laced with so much worry.
Alphonse had to be carried by Major Armstrong as he only had one leg to stand on. Seeing Nina close to tears, Al raised his remaining arm in a wave. "Don't cry, Nina. I'm okay. Just a little banged up is all."
Ed snorted. Yeah, banged up is one way of putting it…
Roy had wanted to continue talking in his office, but given the circumstances, he opted to discuss matters at the safe house. There, Ed cleaned himself up a bit while 2nd Lieutenants Havoc and Breda found some sheets to wrap around the openings of Al's armor. Nina sat by Al's side, holding onto his only armored hand like he would disappear at any time. When Ed came back from the bathroom, he sat on Nina's other side. The four-year-old tried to hold onto Ed's hand too, but was shocked to find there was nothing to hold onto.
"You remember how my right arm is metal?" at her nod, Ed continued, "Well, it got broken and fell off. I only have one arm left, see?" he waved his left hand.
Nina frowned, looking between the brothers, "Can Big Brother Ed and Big Brother Al get better?"
Ed patted the girl on the head, "Of course we will, Squirt. Do you remember us talking about Winry, the nice girl who we said you'd live with from now on? Well, she's my mechanic. The best one there is! She'll build me a new right arm in no time!"
If she didn't kill him first…
"Yeah," Al chimed in, "and once Brother has his arm back, then he'll patch me up! He uses alchemy to fix my armor. Don't worry, we'll be good as new before you know it."
Nina gave them a smile and nodded. Alexander came over to his master, giving her licks to her face causing the girl to giggle.
Once that was settled, Colonel Mustang got down to business. He explained some things about the Ishvalan War and how Scar was most likely acting against State Alchemists as a means of justice, which Ed had to roll his eyes at. Yeah, killing innocents for your own selfish means and saying it was an act of God. Real justice right there…
Then it came to the question of what the Elrics would do next. Ed shrugged.
"Obviously I need to get my arm fixed. I can't fix Al without it," he then explained how it was only him who could fix up Al's body without it tampering with his blood seal. "So I gotta see my mechanic in Resembool. We also gotta take Nina with us since she'll be living there from now on." He then turned to the social worker, "Right?"
Kim, who had been politely listening to the military personnel speak, nodded, "It's a bit unconventional, and we hardly got anything done thanks to this—umm—road block…" she averted her eyes from the beat down Elrics, "But I would be glad to accompany you to Resembool and finish out any paperwork there. It would be better if I got to know and spoke with Nina's new caretakers anyway."
Edward gave the woman a grateful smile, nodding his head as he proclaimed, "Alright, it's settled! First thing tomorrow morning, we hop on a train to Resembool!"
"Not so fast, Fullmetal."
Shit, what now?
Turns out, since there's a serial killer on the loose and Edward is currently incapacitated, Mustang advised he'd need a bodyguard.
Edward disagreed, but the fact that he currently had one arm while his brother looked more like scrap metal than a suit of armor; and they were traveling with a defenseless little girl, her dog, and a woman with no fighting abilities then—well—he had absolutely no room to argue.
But did it have to be the Major of all people who was the only one free and capable of the job?
Don't get Ed wrong, he respected Major Armstrong and thought he was a good guy.
He's just…well…
"OH EDWARD ELRIC! I AM SO DEEPLY MOVED BY YOU! YOUR LOVE FOR YOUR BROTHER WAS SO STRONG YOU GAVE UP YOUR ARM FOR HIS SOUL! AND YOUR LOVE FOR THIS LITTLE GIRL—WHO YOU HAVE ONLY KNOWN FOR MERELY A FEW DAYS—IS SO STRONG YOU ARE WILLING TO TAKE HER TO A NEW, LOVING HOME. YOU HAVE MY UTMOST RESPECT!"
"Major… Can't breathe…"
Too much…
The next day was even more exhausting to Ed.
Not only did he have to be babysat by Major Armstrong, but Ed also had to make sure to keep up with Nina and Kim—who had the patience of a saint as she was able to keep conversation with the buff alchemist while keeping an eye on a curious four-year-old and her grumpy (Lt. Colonel Hughes's words, not Ed's) "older brother."
And as for Al…
"Baggage fees are a lot cheaper than travel fees!" said the Major, the Armstrong Family trademark sparkle in his eye.
"MY LITTLE BROTHER IS NOT LUGGAGE!" the older of the Elrics screamed.
Poor Al had to be put inside a crate due to his limited mobility and placed into where the train stores precious cargo.
Well, at least Alexander was keeping him company. They had to buy a large crate to put the dog in. He wasn't too happy about it, but thankfully Al was there to talk to him and calm his whines.
There were other delays of course, namely when Major Armstrong spotted an old colleague of his named Dr. Marcoh.
That was an entirely different story altogether…
By the time they made it back on the scheduled train to Resembool, Ed had many things on his mind:
First, he needed his arm fixed.
Second—once he had his new arm—he had to fix Al's armor.
Third, make sure Nina was comfortable and happy at the Rockbells.
And finally, he and Alphonse would have to book it to Central as soon as possible. Dr. Marcoh was involved in creating the Philosopher's Stone, and his research notes were somewhere in the First Branch Library.
It would be tough to leave Nina so soon, but it has to be done. If they were going to bring a brighter future for her and other people like her, then they needed to be completely whole again.
Resembool hadn't changed much.
And the old woman and her granddaughter who lived in the yellow house on the hill hadn't changed much either.
Well, Winry's throwing arm might have gotten a little better…
"'Just fine' huh?! When you said your automail was 'just fine,' Edward, I actually thought it was in one piece!"
"It was! Until this freak decided to get in a fight with me and break it!"
"Another fight?! Seriously, Edward, you have to be more careful—"
"I'm always careful!"
"Could've fooled me!"
"Ouch! Watch it with that wrench, you crazy Gearhead!"
"Reckless Alchemy Freak!"
"Is this normal?" Kim asked the Fullmetal Alchemist's younger brother, warily watching the two teenagers argue.
"Yep," Al said, not the least perturbed by his brother and childhood friend's antics. "It's how they show they care about each other."
Kim just nodded while Nina laughed at her surrogate older brother and the girl who would soon be her adopted older sister. What an eccentric bunch…
"So is this the famous Nina I've heard so much about?"
Everyone (sans Ed and Winry who were still bickering in the background) turned toward Pinako, who eyed the little girl with interest.
Nina became shy, hiding herself behind Alphonse's crate. She gave the older woman a nod.
Pinako gave the child a kind smile, "Well, it's a pleasure to meet you. Edward's told me nothing but good things about you. You must be pretty special then. Getting a compliment out of that bullheaded pipsqueak is like pulling teeth."
"WHO YOU CALLING A PIPSQUEAK YOU OLD HAG?!" Ed bellowed, "I'm actually taller than you, you know!"
Pinako huffed, "True, but that's not saying much, now is it?"
"What'd you say?!"
As Ed turned his temper to the older woman, Winry took this time to get a good look at Nina. She could tell the little girl was nervous. She would be too if their roles were reversed. Crouching down to her level, Winry gave Nina a comforting smile.
"Hello, Nina. My name's Winry. I hope you like it here in Resembool. It's a small town and there's not a lot to do, but me and Granny will try to make it as pleasant for you as possible."
Nina stared at the older girl. She was really pretty with her long blonde hair and her big blue eyes. And she was really nice, even if she did hit her big brother with tools and called him names. But in a way, it was funny. Getting a rise out of Big Brother Edward was always funny to Nina.
She thought she might like Winry.
Nina gave a big grin, "Hi, Winry! It's nice to meet you! Big Brother Ed said that you'd be my new big sister. Is it true?"
Winry stared at the little girl, and Nina was afraid she said something wrong before a huge squeal erupted from the blonde, causing everyone to stare at her in mild panic.
"YOU'RE SO ADORABLE!" Winry exclaimed, gathering Nina in her arms for a big hug. "Of course we can be sisters! I'll teach you everything I know. Do you like automail? What am I saying, you probably don't really know what it is. That's okay though, we can find other interests for you. Oh, you have a dog too don't you? I love dogs! Den is the name of my dog, you saw her when you walked up. I bet she and Alexander will make the best of friends."
Edward watched as Winry rambled to the little girl. He was afraid she was overwhelming Nina, but changed his mind when he saw the four year old beaming at his childhood friend and nodding along with her.
He smiled; he knew they'd get along great.
"Want to see your new room? There isn't a lot in it though, I'm afraid. I didn't have a lot of time to prepare, but your bed is made and I found some furniture in town I bet you'd like. I even found this toy chest at the market you can put all your toys in."
Nina bounced up and down, clearly excited, "Yeah! Yeah! I wanna see my new room!"
It took a while before automail-related business could happen. If circumstances were different Ed would be griping and complaining about how much time he was wasting. And while he was anxious to get to Central, he allowed himself some patience. The First Branch in Central wasn't going anywhere anytime soon. They had time.
Nina was more important right now.
As Nina went outside to play with the dogs, Ed sat down with Pinako and Winry to discuss the damage to his arm. With the way his arm was completely destroyed, Winry would have to completely rebuild it. There was also the fact that Ed actually grew a couple of centimeters (much to his delight), so the leg would have to be readjusted as well.
They told him he'd be ready to get to Central in three days time. Ed was eternally thankful he had the best of the best working on his limbs.
Three days went by quicker than expected. In that time, Nina had adjusted well, and Kim was able to get her end of the work done. She had left on the second day, promising monthly visits and leaving with the hope that at the end of the year, the adoption process would be complete.
Major Armstrong also made himself useful by chopping firewood for the Rockbells. He was given a spare room and a free meal. It was the least he could do.
Alexander and Den became good friends, although Ed could tell the big white dog was more playful than the older and serious Den. Den took a very good liking to Nina and the little girl was happy to have another doggy in her life.
On the third day, Winry's work was complete and Edward regained his lost limbs. After thanking the Rockbell women and promising they'd get their payment, Edward took to work on fixing Al's armor. The rest of the day was spent sparring (much to Winry's chagrin), and playing with Nina.
That night, Ed and Al heard a knock on their bedroom door. Opening it revealed Nina, Alexander faithfully at her side.
"Hey, Squirt, what are you still doing up?" Ed asked. Even though the clock said nine o'clock, the four-year-old's bedtime usually rang about eight. She would insist she wasn't tired, but her falling asleep where she stood at the late hour proved otherwise.
Tonight seemed to be different though, as Nina was wide awake and looking troubled.
"Are Big Brother Ed and Big Brother Al really leaving tomorrow?" she asked with a pout.
Ed and Al shared a look. They had informed the girl that first day that they'd stay with her for a couple of days, but then they had to leave once Ed's arm and leg were fixed because they still had work to do. She didn't look happy about it at first, but the excitement of her new home distracted her enough to keep her mind off it. Now, with the day of their departure drawing near, it was dawning on the little girl that her big brothers were leaving her.
"Nina, don't be sad." Al comforted the girl, "We may be leaving, but it won't be forever. Besides, you have Alexander and Den and Granny and Winry to be with you, so you won't be alone."
Nina nodded but she still looked distraught. Ed figured it was his turn to do some comforting.
"Hey, listen, Nina. It may seem like a long time, but like Al said, we won't be gone forever. We visit every now and then—"
"Mostly when Brother needs Winry to fix his automail," Al interrupted with a laugh. Ed glared at his younger brother before turning back to Nina to continue comforting her.
"And to be honest, we're really bad at keeping in touch—like really, really bad—"
"Just ask Winry," Al chimed in again.
"But," Ed continued, miming for Al to zip it, "for you, we'll try to do better. We'll call more often."
"And we can write you letters too! Winry was saying she wanted to help you read so when you go to school next year, you'll be ahead of the kids. That'll be our way of helping you!" Al said excitedly.
"Yeah, and in no time, we'll come back to you guys. For good though."
Nina seemed to be perking up. She looked hopeful as she asked, "Really?"
"Yep!" Ed and Al said at the same time.
"And when that time happens," Ed told her, "you'll be really surprised to see Al and me!"
Nina cocked her head to the side. She wasn't really sure what Edward was saying. Why would she be surprised? Would they bring presents?
She liked presents. Big Sister Winry already gave her some toys that she said she didn't use anymore. She hoped that was what the brothers were talking about.
If they had to leave to bring her a present, then she guessed it was okay for them to go.
Nina gave the brothers a big smile, "Okay! I'll miss my Big Brothers, but I hope you have a safe trip!"
Ed grinned, ruffling the little girl's head.
"Don't worry. We'll be careful."
Ed chose to ignore Al's snort. Okay so that wasn't exactly something he could guarantee, but hey, they've made it this far right?
"Umm," Nina started, shifting from side in side again, nervous, "can I sleep in your room tonight?"
Al nodded his head, and Ed grinned, "Sure, why not?"
As morning broke on the sleepy town of Resembool, the Fullmetal Alchemist and his companions were preparing to once again leave on their journey.
"Thanks for everything, Granny." He said to his surrogate grandmother.
Pinako nodded at him. Al glanced at the house, "Where's Winry?"
"She did so many all-nighters that she's still asleep," Pinako replied. "Is the little one still asleep too?"
"Yeah," Al nodded, "We said our goodbyes to her last night and we didn't feel like waking her up."
Pinako hummed at the explanation before redirecting it back to her granddaughter, "Should I wake Winry up?"
"Don't bother." Ed said, "If you woke her up she'd just go on and on about automail maintenance."
"Okay then." Pinako shrugged, "Well, take care of yourselves. Don't be strangers. Come back sometime when you feel like some good home cooking."
"Okay, we'll be back." Al said but his words were rebuffed by his older brother's more brash reply.
"Like we'd come all the way to the boondocks just for a meal."
If anything, they'd come back to check up on Nina.
Okay, and maybe for automail maintenance, too. Ed could admit to himself that he can be a little too reckless sometimes…
Major Armstrong chuckled, prompting Ed to ask what was so funny.
"A family that welcomes you back…" Armstrong mused, "Having a place to come home to is truly a wonderful feeling."
Ed huffed, "We just drift from place to place like a couple of tumbleweeds." Really, after the Elrics burned their house, nothing's really felt like home before. True, they have the Rockbells and now Nina, but as stable as they are, Ed couldn't say the same for himself.
As long as he and Al were still the way they were, stability was just a far off luxury to dream about.
"Ed! Al!"
The aforementioned boys whirled around at the familiar voice. Up on the balcony of the Rockbell home was Winry, looking like she literally rolled out of bed. In her arms was Nina, looking just as sleepy as the blonde holding her. The two girls waved at the boys.
"See you later."
"Bye-bye Big Brother Ed. Bye-bye Big Brother Al."
Al enthusiastically waved back, shouting his own goodbyes. Ed scratched the back of his head, turned his back toward them and lifted his right hand in a wave, "Later!"
True, he and Al may be drifters, but they did having something to come back to in this old country town.
It's broken and slightly unconventional, but it's the closest thing to a family the Elrics have.
And Edward didn't mind always coming back to it.
AN: Finally, this monster is finished! But there's still one more chapter left of this main story, so stay tuned for it. It's a bit of an epilogue, taking place after the end of the manga.
Just a fun fact, Kim the social worker wasn't supposed to be this big in the story (hell, she wasn't even supposed to have a NAME), but she just kinda wrote herself in. I'm not good with OC's so her part in the story isn't all that elaborate. She's not meant to be a staple, just there to get the plot going.
There was also so much more I wanted to add in the Resembool section of this story, but I held off because at this point, the story had gone off on many tangents. I couldn't keep on like that. I have plans to make an anthology series of miscellaneous moments of Nina experiencing life in FMA, so I hope to get those ideas incorporated in that.
Also, there's something that isn't addressed in the fic, but I could not for the life of me figure out how to squeeze it in: Nina noticing Al is hollow. As I was writing this I thought back to the Blind Alchemist side story and how that little girl didn't bat an eye to Al being hollow—so my mind automatically thought Nina wouldn't either. It would just be something she'd accept about him. For now, this is the reason the dilemma isn't brought up. If I do write the aforementioned anthology series, I'll write a fic going into more detail about this (along with Nina discovering a picture of Al's body, but again, this is if I actually sit down and write the series).
Anyways, thank you for reading! Review if you liked it!