Edward's head jerked up as the train came to a screeching halt at his destination. East City. "Woah, that was faster than usual." He mumbled, rubbing the sleep from his eyes. Checking out through the window, it was pretty easy to see what time of the day it was. Early-coming-to-late morning, probably about nine.

"Ooh, this brings back such wonderful memories." Ed sarcastically muttered under his breath as he hopped off the train, kicking up dirt. Who was he kidding? This East City dust ball was hardly a good memory, because to put it very mildly, it sucked. Each and every time he came by to give reports to Colonel Sarcasm, he always left covered in dust -except for that one time it was raining, but that made his automail ports ache-, and with a few extra pebbles stuck in his shoes. He hadn't been so grateful to have an automail foot to ease his suffering.

Also, there was that Chimera incident and that time he left with an automail arm in a million pieces, and Alphonse's armour partially deconstructed, courtesy of Scar. Boy, was Winry ever pissed. Ed's head still hurt just thinking about it.

Speaking of Winry, she was definately going to kill him the next time he saw her because he wrecked his automail arm, aka her 'baby', in that last fight with Father.

Just then, a horrible thought occurred to Ed while he was busy having day nightmares about wrenches.

If he had defeated Father -after a lot of agony-, and he just got sent back to the past, doesn't that mean he'll have to fight Father again?! Aw man, all his hard work, down the drain!

"Noooooo...!" Ed whined pathetically, sulking in a corner, which attracted a bunch of strange looks directed pointedly at him. For a genius like him who knew the Homunculi were still around in this time period, he sure caught on slowly about what going back in time meant. Dead friends would still be alive, but so will dead enemies.

Couldn't it just have been the former?

Edward remained in his depressing corner of gloom for a few more minutes before he slowly got up and dusted himself off, sighing dramatically at the newest -and worst- revelation he had.

Eh, no point whining about that now. He'll just have to kick Father's behind again, like he did about forty eight or so hours ago. And damn, that really felt good, beating the crap out of Father.

But then comes the more pressing issue. The seven Homunculi, how was he going to get rid of them? In the original timeline, they were all eventually killed off, with the sole exception of Pride. But with Ed's messing around, they might not even be defeated.

Crap. What should he do?

Well, he could just leave some the events as they should be, like in Liore, and he could change the events that got people killed, like how he was planning to do for Nina and Hughes. Also, should he prevent himself from finding out about the Philosopher's Stone?

Ed paused, debating on that idea before he threw it out of the window. Nah, his younger self needs to know that bit of information, the Truth about the Philosopher's Stone.

Ed contemplated on a few other ideas, before he finally made up his mind on what to do. He wouldn't necessarily intervene with the events unless he really needed to, but he would just play the cryptic stranger and give subtle hints.

Ed rubbed his hands together and chuckled in his normal 'evil Ed's' laugh. Oh, the Homunculi won't know what hit them. But, before that, first things first. He had a little girl to save.

LINE BREAK

"... And so, Colonel Bastard, you owe me for this." Ed -Younger. Do I still need to say it?- grinned smugly at his womanizing, lazy excuse of a superior officer sitting comfortably at his desk.

Mustang's eye twitched as he fought to keep his calm composure, a bead of sweat dripping down the side of his face. "Hearing you say that is unsettling, Fullmetal. And since I don't like owing you, what do you need?"

"Is there anyone who spealizes in Bio Alchemy nearby?" Ed got straight to the point, seeing no need to continue with pleasantries, and besides, when had he ever beaten around the bush? Answer? Never, unless he was trying to distract someone, but that was mostly Alphonse's job. "I want to research that kind of Alchemy to see if me and Al can find any leads on getting our bodies back."

"I believe there is one such specialist." Mustang got up from his desk and pulled out a file from one of his numerous records on one of the shelves that decorated his office walls. "Shou Tucker, the Life Sewing Alchemist. He specializes in Chimeras and attained his certification two years ago when he succeeded in transmuting a talking chimera."

Ed's eyes widened to almost comical proportions. "You mean he actually managed to transmute one that talks? That's amazing!"

"Well, it was. I wasn't in charge two years ago, so I've never actually seen it. But from what I heard, the only thing it said was, "I want to die." Then it refused to eat anything and died shortly after." Mustang finished..

Ed paused, considering whether or not he should consult this specialist. "Alright, we'll see this guy."

The first few days went as they should have, but just before that day in which Ed was supposed to find out about the horrific actions of Tucker, everything diverged from there.

LINE BREAK

Night crept upon East City and it's inhabitants, lulling a good number of it's population to a night of blissful sleep.

However, of the small percentage who remained awake, one such individual was silently making his way to the Tucker household, his footsteps barely making noise. Four days, he recalled. Four days before Nina and her dog Alexander became the result of a horrific transmutation. He went to Tucker's house for that same number of days to keep an eye on the inhabitants, nearly being spotted by his younger self several times. Honestly, Ed didn't know whether or not he should applaud himself, or just groan in frustration. It was so damn hard to hide each and every time!

And now, on the fourth night, he had to act quickly, and get Nina away from her father swiftly. Tucker was going to 'play' with her the next day, something which Ed had to prevent at all costs. He didn't need another person to die because of his failure to notice the signs.

The lights were out by the time he got there, which meant he could easily sneak in without Tucker's knowledge. Good. There was no need for a confrontation then, which probably would spare Nina's mind since Ed was more than happy to beat the living daylights out of Tucker like he had the last time.

It was easy scaling up the wall of the large estate to Nina room, where he rapped against the glass of the window sharply, rousing the small, sleepy girl, who instantly brightened up when she saw Edward, who had let down his hood so that Nina would have a familiar face to be around for the time being.

"Big brother Ed!" Nina cheered as she stood on tip toes to unlock her window. "What are you doing here?"

Ed didn't know whether or not he should cry. This innocent light, snuffed out just because her bastard of a father decided it was a good idea to transmute her into a chimera.

"Big brother?" Nina asked hesitantly, seeing the lack of response from Ed. "What's wrong? Did I do something bad?"

"N- no, Nina." Ed smiled softly at her, fighting to keep his voice from cracking. She really was too innocent for any of the horrors she was forced to go through.

"Hey, Nina, would you like to come and play?"

"Really?!" Nina's eyes sparkled, before she seemingly wilted before Ed's eyes, her large eyes watering. "But daddy said he was going to play with me..."

Ed gritted his teeth, the sad tone in Nina's voice hitting a soft spot. But there was no other choice. He wouldn't let her die again.

"Don't worry Nina. Your daddy is going to play with you some other time." Ed lied through his clenched teeth as he climbed into her room, landing with a soft thump and unintentionally rousing a sleeping Alexander.

Ed didn't give the large dog much thought at first, seeing how fond it was of him back in the original timeline, if the pouncing and licks -Man, it took him forever to get the dog spit out of his hair!- weren't any clue. Which was why Ed was completely unprepared when Alexander growled hostilely at him, causing him to take a step back cautiously.

"No, Alexander! Bad! Don't growl at big brother Ed!" Nina cried, trying to calm the large mammal, but to no avail. Ed cursed under his breath. Alexander really was one smart dog, being able to tell he wasn't the same Ed that visited.

"Shit!" Ed cursed as Alexander barked at him, loudly. Sending weary glances at Nina's room door, he quickly gestured for Nina to climb on his back. "C'mon Nina!"

Just as Ed had lifted up Nina in a piggy bag, the door clicked open slowly, revealing Shou Tucker, who blinked in surprise at Edward. Ed swore violently in his mind. One of times he didn't need something to go wrong-! "Edward, what are you doing here at this unearthly hour?"

Ed narrowed eyes at Tucker until his eyes were almost slits. He had never hated someone with every fibre of his being before Tucker. "Stopping you from turning her into a chimera!"

Tucker started, shocked that Ed would know of his inhumane plans for his daughter, before his eyes turned stone cold. "I see, you do know."

Tucker took a threatening step forward, and in response, Ed took a step back, with Nina witnessing everything with large, frightened eyes. "Edward, give me my daughter."

"Like hell!" Ed spat, nearly shaking with the hate and rage he felt for the man. "I'm not about to let you do that to her!"

"It's for the sake of science's advancements! Surely a scientist like you would understand!" Tucker reasoned, the look of a true madman appearing in his eyes, exposing him for what he truly was.

He was right next to the window now, his hand reaching out blindly for the window sill as Nina whimpered softly. Ed's eyes darted to the side briefly, but that was all it took for Tucker to realize his intention.

"You won't get away!" Reaching into his pocket, Tucker drew out a-

OHMYTRUTHWASTHATAGUN?!

With no time to spare, Ed tightened his hold on Nina and barreled out of the window, a gunshot ringing out just above his head.

Landing with as much grace as an elephant -his excuse was tht he hadn't the time to land properly-, Ed groaned at his misfortune. A gun. Really? Why? Just, why? Honestly, he wouldn't be suprised if he really was cursed. If being extremely knowledgable with the ability to use clap Alchemy by meeting the Truth came with being cursed like this, he didn't need the knowledge, thank you very much. His life was exciting enough, Ed sarcastically rolled his eyes. Yeah, exciting his foot. More like terrifying.

"Big brother," Nina whimpered, burying her face into his back. "What's wrong with daddy? Why's he scary?"

Another gunshot rang out, this time hitting the ground mere inches from Ed, who unintentionally gave a small scream. Well, it was a good thing the only witness was Nina, because if it had been Colonel Bastard...

Ed fought the images of mockery and taunts down. Now was really not the time!

Adjusting his hold on Nina, he darted around a building, just as another shot rang out, slamming into the concrete war with a sharp crack.

"You won't escape me!" Ed heard Tucker laugh. "I will do it! It's for the sake of science!"

Ed gritted his teeth in frustration as sweat poured down his face. Damn it, why didn't he check if Tucker kept firearms in his house?! He should have least expected it, seeing as how Tucker was technically military personnel.

So, now what?! Ok, it's good that he probably saved Nina from being turned into a chimera, but now, he was dealing with the risk of being filled with lead. Well, at least he did get some practice in dodging bullets, thanks to Hawkeye, so it couldn't be too bad, right?

Hawkeye was a skilled, long range sniper, while Tucker probably never handled a gun to often. So basically, his odds were slightly higher.

But then again, Hawkeye wasn't trying to kill him and Tucker is trying to possibly murder him.

The sound of feet pounding against the pavement was enough to make Ed start running again.

"Give her to me!"

"Daddy! You're scaring me!" Nina cried, hugging Ed tighter in fright. "Make him stop, big brother! Make him stop!"

"I'm sorry, Nina!" Ed rounded another corner, only to freeze dead in his tracks, dread settling at the bottom of his stomach. Oh dear, not again.

"You?!"

"The Fullmetal Alchemist, Edward Elric." Scar murmured, bringing up his right hand, the one that deconstructs. "Alchemists who stray from the path of god, shall be punished."

Yup, Ed was definately cursed.

"Shit!" Ed yelped as he narrowly dodged Scar's hand after he lunged at him, before turning tail and going in the opposite direction, only to remember Shou Tucker was running from that direction.

"Oh boy..." Ed groaned. "This is definately not my day."

Darting a different way, he could clearly hear the exchange between Tucker and Scar.

"The Sewing Life Alchemist, Shou Tucker."

"So what if I am? I'll kill you if you stand in my way!"

"Alchemists like you who create, shall be destroyed!"

Ed spared a glance behind him, and almost wished he hadn't. Blood exploded from Tucker's head in copious amounts, painting the sidewalk with a crimson hue as Tucker collapsed to the floor, his blank eyes staring and his jaw slack, in the middle of a gasp of fear and shock.

"Daddy?" Nina whimpered as she turned around to look.

"Don't look!" Ed gasped, fighting down the urge to empty the contents of his stomach at the side of the road.

Nina's head snapped back to the front, alarmed by the tone of Ed's voice. "Big brother, what happened to daddy?"

"Nina, I'll tell you later, but I need you to listen to me!" Ed said desperately, the pounding of feet behind him seemingly getting louder. "You have to get to Mr Hughes's house if something happens to me! You know who Mr Hughes is, right?"

"But-!"

"Promise me Nina!"

"O-ok, big brother, but I want you to follow me! It's scary out here!" Nina wailed.

"I'll try!"

Rounding yet another corner, Ed found that he was at the warehouse yard. Dozens of warehouses filled the large stretch of land. Ed couldn't resist the smirk that pulled at his lips.

Perfect.

Making sure that Scar couldn't see him, Ed ducked into one of the many warehouses, making use of the night's cover to hide. Right now, he really was grateful that he wasn't wearing his signature red coat. It was harder to hide while wearing red since it was much more noticeable than brown.

"Big bro-"

"Shh, Nina. We can't let him know we're here."

Ed tensed as he heard footsteps approaching. As each step came closer, it felt like Ed was counting down to his own death. But, when Scar passed, it was like a huge weight was lifted off his shoulders. Ed sighed in relief, his shoulders sagging, and releasing a breath he hadn't known he had been holding.

Unforetunately, Scar knew they were somewhere in that yard, so now they had to get out before Scar showed up and blew his brains out, scarring Nina's mind for life, something which Ed did not want.

Clapping his hands together silently, he touched the dirt ground, praying feverently

Alchemical lights crackled through the air, as Ed transmuted a dirt tunnel, leading directly into Central's sewers. Ed wrinkled his nose in disgust. He hated sewers, and even more so since he usually ended up in them at least twice a month while tracking down a rouge Alchemist, or someone across that line.

Ed smiled softly at the small girl as he let her down from his back. "C'mon, Nina. I guess I'll be able to follow you."

Nina smiled brightly. "Ok, big brother Ed!"

Taking her small hand into his own, Ed walked through the tunnel, feeling satisfied as he felt the weight of Nina's hand. He hoped Nina wouldn't ask about her dad. He couldn't bear to see her cry.

But, she was alive, something Ed could still hardly believe. He actually did it. He saved her in time. He succeeded. His heart lightened significantly.

Nina was alive.

LINE BREAK

"It's cloudy today. Do you think we can play with Nina today?" Alphonse asked, twiddling his fingers.

"Al, we're here to research, not play. But I guess we're done, we could play with Nina indoors if it does rain." Ed finished thoughtfully as he trudged down the road to Mr Tucker's house.

However, the scene they came upon minutes later shocked the brothers to the core. Military personnel were outside the house

"Hey, what happened here?" Ed exclaimed, running to the nearest man, pushing down the fear he felt bubbling up in his gut. Nina had her dad had to be ok!

"Move along kid," The man grunted, sparing Ed a brief glance. "It's not your business."

Ed's eye twitched irritably as he dug into his pocket and drew out his pocket watch, practically shoving it into the man's face.

"I'm a State Alchemist," Edward almost snarled. "And I've got business here. And so I reiterate. What happened here?!"

The military recruit who had previously brushed Ed off as some random kid off the street paled at the sight of the pocket watch, before he snapped into a salute. "I'm sorry, sir! Mr Tucker was found dead a few blocks down, and his daughter is currently missing. There have been reports of gunfire late last night, but the rest of the situation is currently unknown."

"Brother..." Ed heard Al whisper fearfully. They were both thinking the same thing. Where was Nina? Ed clenched his fists angrily. This couldn't be happening! Everything was perfectly fine just yesterday, just twenty four hours ago!

"C'mon, Al!" Edward yelled as he turned and ran. "We have to find Nina!"

Please be alive, Nina!

[A/N Not much of a cliffhanger, but oh well. Sorry if you think the chapter is a little rushed, but I really didn't know how I was going to get rid of Tucker, so just went, hey, what the heck? Just kill Tucker using Scar!

And then came the problem of how Ed was going to escape. So yeah. I pretty much just made everything up on the spot. Yes, this was three hours of continuous writing!

And now my hand is killing me. Ow ow ow ow...

So yeah. And by the way, even though this story is pretty much Brotherhood based, I'm bringing in some Elements from the 2003 anime, if you hadn't noticed already. One such example is how Nina knows who Hughes is.

So yeah, hope you enjoyed this, and please forgive me if you think this is poorly written. And, by the way, I know about the line break thing, but I just write LINE BREAK because it's a pain to scroll up everytime I want to change scenes.

Crap, I sound like Sloth.

~Gwntan12]