Author's Note: (Disclaimer: You know the drill; I don't own Fullmetal Alchemist in any way, shape or form).

Just a heads up, in three days I'll be going out of town for the summer and won't be able to update at all for the two months that I will be gone. Sorry :(

So in return, I've been trying to post as many chapters as I can…I'm hoping to get up to twenty-seven by the time I leave.

Apologetically yours,

AL

I was starving. The past few days had been so chaotic that I hadn't eaten a proper three meals since...well; it had been a long time. This is why I was so grateful when I answered the door to see Cora, cradling a dish covered in tin foil rather than a baby with small patches of flour dappling her smiling face. "I made these this morning but we had some left over and they just aren't the same the day after…"

My face brightened, "thank you much!"

"Huh? Oh, no problem," she smiled, her cheeks flushing red with embarrassment.

I glanced down the hall, it seemed like every once else was still gathered in the kitchen. "Do you want to come in?"

"I'd love to be but I have to go open the store, maybe another time?"

"Of course," I nodded and she handed over the large platter to me. We chatted in the doorway for a moment longer until she decided that she really had to go. I thanked her again and closed the door, the sweet scent of whatever she had baked wafting in the air beneath my face. "Who was it?" Winry asked curiously as I walked into the kitchen.

"Cora stopped by…I think I just solved our breakfast problem." For a good twenty minutes we'd been arguing about what to eat-eggs had been voted out early on and cereal was right behind them (anything to do with milk had been banned by my tyrannical father). We were running low on options but the second I removed the foil from the plate it was obvious on what the verdict would be.

Large, decadent waffles rested on the counter. Eyes widened and stomachs grew louder at the mere sight of them. Crisp and golden, they were topped with fruit and something that appeared to be melting ice cream. And so ensued the waffle massacre of the Rockbell residence. There were no survivors.

My father and Mustang even fought over the last strawberry until Alina slipped in between them and plucked it from the plate with her fork. They watched helplessly as she ate it and sat back down, her stomach full and happy. It was nice-laughing together as the morning sun poured in through the open windows. I leaned back in my chair, my ravenous hunger had dissipated and I basked in the wonderfully light atmosphere which I knew, unfortunately, was not going to last long.

It was the day that we had decided to leave and just as I had predicted, a more serious tone enveloped the room as the discussion of train schedules began. "Are you going to West City through Central or Rush Valley?" Riza was asking Rolland and he shrugged.

Winry popped into the conversation, "Central is faster but I think you should stop in Rush Valley before heading West. I have a friend there who will be able to help you settle in to the new place."

"Great," he smiled sleepily and my father then turned to me. "I'm taking a side route from the East down to Ishval," I told him before he even had time to ask.

"You'll be on the same train then?" he asked, referring to Roy and Riza. Mustang shook his head, "We're going with Ava straight to the Eastern Headquarters so we won't be leaving until late noon-she'll have to leave earlier since she needs to catch the train to Ishval once she reaches East City."

"Speaking of," Winry began, glancing back at the clock on the wall, "we should head to the station soon-the kids trains arrive in an hour or so."

I snuck a peak at the clock and frowned, she was right. Soon we would at the train station, going our separate ways, and nothing from that moment on would ever be the same.

It was a horrible feeling-leaving everyone behind. Alina's violet-tinted eyes had overflowed with tears and her little nose grew red as she sniffled. Winry was more than happy to watch over her but Alina wasn't exactly as thrilled that we weren't staying with her. She only calmed down after the promise that we would soon return. Pinako, on the other hand, had seemed fairly indifferent and it gave me the feeling that she had done this many times before. She smiled and waved and wished us luck-a professional goodbye-er.

Despite the sorrow of the day, I really loved trains. This childhood love of the great big engines came back to me as we hung around the station, saying our final good-byes.

Rolland stood on the opposite platform; his train to Rush Valley was leaving just minutes before mine. I watched as he and his father shook hands, smiling, while Mustang's dark eyes brightened with a discreet sense of pride. He placed a hand on his mother's shoulder and she pulled him into a close hug. I smiled in amusement as he hugged her in return after getting over his initial surprise.

Her lips formed the words, "be safe" as she released her only son. He nodded and picked his bags up from off of the floor, smiling and confident. I froze as our eyes met for a brief moment before he turned back to his mother to reply, "Always."

My father was starting to say something but I only half paid attention, watching Riza lean into Mustang as Rolland disappeared into the seating car.

"Here," my father slipped a small pouch into my jacket pocket and I glanced up at him in surprise before he went on to explain, "it's not much, but it should get you to Xing without a problem."

I could hear the slight jingle of coins as I shifted. I narrowed my eyes, grateful yet suspicious, "how do you have money?"

He shrugged casually, "I borrowed it from the colonel."

I smiled with a condoning shake of my head, "he's a general now-"

"Shh!" my father interrupted, "you'd better get going or you'll miss the train."

I hated to admit it, but he was right. Behind us the giant metal creature snorted with impatience as the last of the passengers boarded. I threw my arms around his neck and he hugged me tightly in return, the tops of my toes barely scraping the ground. My father had always been a good head and a half taller than I was which is why it worried me so much when everyone fretted about his height. If he was short, then what did that make me?

"Thank you daddy," I whispered and released my grasp-he did the same and I was flat on my feet once again. "Hurry back," he smiled as Winry walked up behind him.

I was about to reply, fighting back an onslaught of tears with all my strength when a young, accented voice shouted out, "eh! Eh, girl is you boarding the train? You must come now, we are leaving!"

I waved with a small smile as I rushed to the uniformed man standing in the last open doorway of the boarding car. I climbed up the first two steps and paused, turning in the doorway toward where my father and Winry still stood. "Take care of him!" I called back to her and she nodded while waving a 'good-bye', "I will!"

"Promise?" I cupped my hands around my mouth so that my voice would carry and smiling, she shouted in return, "I promise!"

The door then slid shut in my face and the man shuffled away, grumbling. I stumbled over to a window as the wheels began to turn so that I could watch them fade away into the distance. This was it. The passengers were scarce and the seats fairly empty. I plopped down in an open seat halfway down the aisle and slipped my bag from my shoulder with a hopeful sigh.

I knew that the next time I would see any of them things would be different-we would be different, but it was okay. A small smile crossed my lips as I leaned back against the seat and gazed out at the passing countryside. Our journey had finally begun and slowly but surely, we were going to find all of the pieces and fix what had been broken so very long ago.