"MAYA!"

The echo of Nina's shout for me rolled through the few hills that I laid away from the Rockbell cottage. My right eye opened, trying to shut out at least half of the sun's bright light from my field of vision. My lips curved into a smile as I sat up on the grass to peer over the distance to the house, where Nina stood outside the front door with a few familiar faces.

After Ed, Al, and I had crossed the desert, I was sent on a train immediately to get a check up from Winry and her grandmother on my automail. In order to do so, they had to perform a bit of surgery. I was lucky that Pinako was a bit experienced in performing surgical procedures. Along with Winry's knowledge of mechanics, they were able to take a look at the artificial spinal cord I had. However, it was still very difficult. I needed to be awake. I needed to be able to feel the attachments of a new addition to the spine, just simple reinforcements that needed to be welded to it. Winry had never been more nervous.

In order to distract me from the pain, Pinako would talk to me and make me do relaxation exercises, telling me how to go somewhere in my mind to block out the horrible sensations. At the time, I had imagined being with my mother and Nina. I pictured us all in a small cottage near a beach, away from war and the military and alchemists. Though I still imagined myself as a gifted one. I avoided thoughts of my father as if he never even existed, as if Nina and I were born without one. There was one point where it seemed so real, at least as real as a dream felt, where I needed to make an excuse for the tears that had formed their tracks down my cheeks.

After a week, I had been able to start walking and running again. The stitches dissolved after another fortnight, and only a scar over a scar was left behind. If I had to thank Winry and Pinako any more, I would have doubled over and worshipped them. Even the doctors and mechanics that had treated me in Central had nothing on the two of them. I was sure there were those more skilled, but I had never had the privilege of seeing them.

Nina had grown much more than I had imagined. She was at least four inches taller, and she had to cut her hair because it had gotten so long. By now, it was short enough to make two low pigtails that only reached just below her shoulders. Her writing and drawing had gotten more legible, since it was the most that she had to work on to pass the time. I learned that Alexander and Den had become the best of playmates while I was away, and both laid under the kitchen table whenever Winry set up to work on something new or Nina thought of a new picture to create. During my stay there, when I was able to get up and move around, I would sat at the table for hours to watch the both of them. "I wish I had some talent to work on like you do," I had muttered to Winry one night.

"Well," she said, twisting a screw into some piece of metal. "I think you just need to find one. What are you good at?"

"Sneaking out of the house and starting fights," I sighed, reflecting on my younger days of disobeying my parents to have midnight ball games with my friends. I hadn't even become a teenager yet, and I was reckless as hell.

Winry gave me a look through her goggles. "You could take up alchemy again."

I thought about it for a moment, and then blew my lingering bangs out of my eyes. "If only the best candidates for teaching me about it would show up every once in a while."

"You've seen them much more than I have," she said, her voice lowering a bit. I frowned, realizing I was preaching to the choir.

"I'm sorry."

She shook her head and continued tinkering with the metallic parts. "They'll come as soon as one of them is missing another limb, I'm sure."

At the time, I had laughed at the sarcasm. But now, lying on the grass, I realized how much Winry had been serious about it. I kept looking into the distance, instinctively raising my right hand to my left shoulder, where it itched from the lack of cover of the grass. Feeling bare skin, I looked down, only just remembering that Winry had lent me a strapless top, something she wore to move better when working hard. Plus, it was always incredibly hot in the house from lack of ventilation after dinner had been made, especially in the summer. Her pants were a bit long for me, and I had to roll them up quite a bit before the cuffs were just resting on my heels. I sighed. Before the surgery, I had had to cut my hair too. I had bangs now, and my hair only went to the middle of my back. Nina and I no longer looked extremely similar. One might have thought I was her mother back in Central.

I ran back to the house with bare feet slicing through the grass, aiming toward the short destination trying to get there as fast as I could. My smile got wider and wider as Ed and Al came closer into view. However, it faded rather quickly when I saw exactly how the two brothers had come back with missing limbs. In fact, Alphonse was in a box, being carried by a member of the military I did not recognize. Still, I was glad to see them both. Without bothering to mind the fact that Edward was missing a limb that allowed him to balance, I wrapped my arms around his neck and slammed into him, unable to say anything.

His gloved fingers touched the bare skin on my back and lingered over the fresher scar. "How did it go?" he only asked, without any other greeting.

When I finally pulled away from him, I answered. "Great. I'm perfectly fine for traveling again." The reason I had been sent to Risembool in the first place was to straighten my spine. Apparently, I had grown just a bit, but it made a big difference in my stance. Extra reinforcements had to be placed into the steel to stunt my growth. I didn't really mind it too much. If it meant I kept my spine, I could handle being on the short side.

Not three flat seconds after I had separated myself from Ed, a gleam of silver went flying past my vision. I blinked, and suddenly Ed was on the ground. A wrench that shone in the sunlight rested next to his head on the grass. Glancing up at the balcony of the house, I noticed Winry going a little red in the face. Ed shot up from the dirt. "Great, I buy you a wrench, AND YOU TRY TO KILL ME WITH IT!"

"Apparently you're trying to kill yourself! What have you two been up to?" she shrieked right back. I sighed. Maybe it was just the way people expressed their greetings toward Ed, they argued. Even Pinako began commenting on Ed's height, which sparked a response from him, which made her retort again, and so on. I huffed a breath and crossed my arms, then suddenly started when the military personnel with Ed began to scold the young alchemist for being rude to his elders.

"Major Louis Armstrong at your service!" he cried, introducing himself to Pinako, Nina, and me. I shook the rather large and strong hand very lightly, feeling as if the brute could snap my arm in half if he so much as had a muscle spasm in his pinky.

I laid down in the grass yet again after only a half hour of Ed and Al catching up with Winry and Pinako. Now the two mechanics were hard at work, promising to get Ed's new limbs made in three days or less. The two of them and I had nothing to do but wait. So I told Nina to come out with me and get fresh air. She gathered up sticks and threw them before Den and Alexander, playing a long game of fetch through the green hills. Alphonse was propped up against a barrel. It was the best I could find that could handle the weight of the suit of armor. "So what do you both plan to find in Central?"

Ed plopped down next to me in the grass. "Research from an alchemist named Marcoh. He worked on searching for the Philosopher's Stone a long time ago before quitting the military and going into hiding."

My eyebrows furrowed. "I've heard of him," I said. "He served in some war that went on, I heard, did research for the military. I didn't know it was on the Philosopher's Stone; that was just what my father had said. He liked to show to our mom that he was in the loop."

I could sense Ed's eyes on me, but I kept mine focused on the white puffs moving through the sky. "Yeah, well, he told us where he hid his books. It's the library in Central, and we need to get there as soon as possible."

I laughed a bit as he already began to fidget in the grass. "The library will still be there when you get your arm and leg back, Ed."

"Things probably aren't going to be easy when we get there, Brother," started Al. "You should probably relax while you can, don't you think?"

Ed frowned. "I know, I know…" he trailed off with a stubborn expression on his face.

"Maybe…" Al began again, seeming to try to find the courage to say what he wanted to. "Maybe you should go and see Mom."

I immediately tensed. Ed had told me about their parents in the cab through the desert the month before. I bit my lip when Ed agreed to it. Still, I took a breath and remained on the grass, silent, until Ed asked. "You want to come with, Maya?"

I blinked. It was an invitation I had not expected. But Nina was there to keep Al company at least, so I agreed.

It wasn't until after sunset that Ed and I, followed by Alexander, had made it to the gravesite. When we approached it, Ed noted the red rose that was already spread across the ground by the grave. "Where did that come from?" he said, kneeling down by the stone.

I smiled a bit. "I put it there," I said. "When I had started walking again, I followed the path through the hills for a whole day, and came across these graves. When I saw her name, I…" I trailed off, lowering my eyes to the ground. "She is the reason that I was able to meet you and Al, after all. Without her, you wouldn't exist. And without you, I would probably be dead."

Edward never responded to me, only laid the small batch of flowers he had grabbed next to my rose. "I think she would have liked you."

"I'd hoped she would have."

It was long after dark by the time we got back, and Alexander busted through the cottage door for dinner as soon as we did. I rolled my eyes and let Ed in before me, shutting the door and yawning. Winry was taking a break from her work, and Pinako and Armstrong were at the table drinking coffee. Nina was sitting next to Alphonse, who had been propped up against a chair in the living room. Ed sat down on the couch, and I curled up on the chair next to it.

"Good," Winry said, taking out a piece of string. "I can get your measurements now Ed." She knelt down on the floor next to him and ran the string up his leg to get the right measurements for the automail. I watched with my head resting on my hand.

While doing her measuring, Winry noticed the watch that the military gave to State Alchemists. I breathed a laugh as she practically swooned over the instrument, begging Ed to let her take it apart and see how it ticked. Of course he said no, and so did Major Armstrong in a manner of making an excuse. I stood up from the chair and quickly ran upstairs, rummaging through the lone suitcase that I had. When I returned back into the living room, I held out a similar pocket watch, just years older than Ed's. It wasn't as shiny and new, but the detail and craftsmanship were still intact.

"Here," I said to her. "Do whatever the hell you want with this one." I sat down onto the couch next to Ed as she took it, rather confused.

"How did you get a State Alchemist's watch?" Ed asked with a bit of disbelief.

I hesitated a moment before answering, staring at the silver clock swinging back and forth in Winry's grasp. "It was my father's."

"Your father?" Winry asked, suddenly wanting to give the thing back to me. "I couldn't do that. Why wouldn't you want it?" I looked up at her. Had Ed not told her who I was in the first place? Maybe in the emergency of my automail, it hadn't come up.

"I don't want it because I don't want any memories of him," I answered, sparing the details for Nina's sake. She still had no idea what he did to our mother, and I intended to keep it that way until I was sure she was old enough to understand everything. Hell, I was twelve and barely understood. I hadn't even told her what had happened to my back this time. My parents had hard enough of a time telling her when it originally happened. "I'll just destroy it if you don't want to."

She lowered the watch in understanding. "Well, consider us even for your spine repairs then," she said. "I'm charging Ed a fortune for the rush on his limbs anyway."

I smiled. How generous.

As soon as they were ready, Edward's limbs were attached to him. Being the only one knowing how painful it was besides him, I tried to distract him from it like Pinako had done for me. Keeping a light conversation, I dabbed at his forehead with a cold rag. Beads of sweat gathered every minute, but I kept it up nonetheless. Even after the limbs were properly attached, I remained next to the couch he laid on, dabbing at his forehead every few minutes. We didn't talk, which made it awkward for me. I never could stand silence, but I still held my tongue for his sake. I never wanted to talk either directly afterward.

Of course, maybe I was mistaken. As soon as Winry came in the room and said something, Ed was up, moving, and talking. I let the rag drop back into the cold water and grabbed the bucket, taking it out of the room to dump it before I could hear any conversation. I was grateful to Winry. She had been the only friend I had had in a long time, but there were some moments where I was so full of envy I couldn't even talk to her. After all, Ed had only saved my life. I was indebted to him. Winry? She had saved Ed's life before, including his ability to walk and use alchemy. She knew everything about him, knew exactly how we worked. I had barely broken the outer shell in over three years.

I sighed as the water from the bucket sloshed through the soil on the ground. Placing the wooden carrier back on the deck of the balcony, I watched as Ed headed outside to repair Alphonse. The suit of armor rested with all of its pieces, and it only took a clap of Ed's hands to put everything back together again. Not long after, they began to spar, a test of physical ability against each other. I only sat and watched, breathing in the outside air as a slight wind blew past. I tried to pay attention to the brotherly fight, but I could not help getting a feeling that distracted me from it.

I suddenly felt incredibly sad, for an unknown reason. I sighed again, heavier this time, so that my face fell from its resting point on my hand to rest on the railing of the balcony. I could feel sudden tears welling up behind my eyes, but tried to blink them away.

"Maya?"

I turned immediately toward the door to the room I shared with Winry while staying here. Nina was peering behind the now open door. She had an uncertain look on her face, but I smile nonetheless. "What is it Nina?"

She came over to me, leaving the door open. I saw Alexander follow her inside and sit down on the balcony when Nina stood next to me. Her smaller hand snuck into mine. It took her a moment to answer me. She just looked down at Ed and Al sparring. "Are you going to leave with them?" she asked. I didn't reply right away. "I won't be mad if you do," she suddenly added. "I just miss you. That's all, and Alexander does too." She wrapped her arms around the large dog's neck and sighed.

I smiled a bit. "I'm glad you aren't mad at me," I finally answered, placing a hand on top of her head. "Some day, Nina, I'll get us a house. We'll be a family again." I frowned then and knelt down at her height, making her face me. "But right now, there are a lot of things going on. Bad things. There are too many bad people for you to come with me everywhere and for me to keep you safe from all of them. Some day all the bad stuff will end, but right now you have to be patient and wait." I paused a bit after that. "Do you understand?"

Without warning, Nina wrapped her arms around my torso and pressed her head to my chest, hugging me tighter than when I had greeted her here. Saying goodbye was always hard, but now it almost seemed unbearable for me. When I responded and held her close, I heard her whisper, "Don't let Daddy hurt you anymore."

The words caught me off guard. I pulled away and looked at my little sister. Did she understand more than I gave her credit for? This time, I let the tears fall without even realizing they had started to gather. Though it had already been so long, it seemed as if our family had suddenly been killed in a matter of days. At that moment, I tried to think of what was to blame. What was the first thing that happened that determined our mother's fate? Our father's? There was so much history in both. It could go all the way back to the first time my father picked up an alchemy book as a kid, as if we were doomed from the start of our family's existence. What would Nina and I gain from the loss of both of our parents? Where was the Equivalent Exchange in our lives?

All the way until the sunset and Winry came to get us for dinner, Nina stayed with me in the bedroom. We sat out on the balcony and just talked about anything that came to mind, which was a lot from a seven-year-old. We took turns petting Alexander, who loyally remained with us for the few hours as well. I jumped when the door opening interrupted our peacefulness. "Have you been up here all day?" asked Winry with her hands on her hips.

I nodded as Nina and Alexander ran out, both happy to be having dinner soon. "We were talking," I said, brushing a strand of hair behind my back. "Turns out Nina knows more about what happened to us than I ever thought she did."

Winry nodded in what I guessed was fake understanding. Still, it was a nice gesture. "Did you know what was written on the inside of Ed's watch?" she suddenly asked.

I peered over at her with confusion. That was random. "No," I replied. "Why? What's written in his watch?"

She grabbed a lamp from one of the many storage boxes that had piled up in her room over the years. "The date that they burned their home down and left, along with the words 'don't forget'. I figured you knew when you tried to give me your dad's; my only question is what he isn't supposed to forget."

I shrugged. "Winry, you know a lot more about them than I do." She came over to the deck and placed the lamp on the railing, alternating between turning it on and off, shining it into the distance. I didn't bother asking her what she was doing. I didn't really care. "You say I've spent a lot more time with them than you have," I continued. "That I've gotten to see them more and that I'm lucky. But really, I don't even know if I mean much to them. At least you know you're their friend. How do I know I'm not just baggage that they carry around because they feel bad for me? Do I mean anything to them at all?" I avoided her eyes as I looked out into the distance, realizing she was signaling the two Elrics because they had been out in the dark. "Do I mean anything to anyone?"

Before she could even try to answer either of my rhetorical questions, I got up and slowly walked downstairs. I made it there just as Ed and Al opened the door. Nina was excitedly waiting to eat, and Den and Alexander were already busy chowing down on whatever was in their bowls. I sat down next to my sister without a word, grateful when she took my hand under the table.

After tucking Nina into one of the beds Pinako had set up for her, Ed, and Al, I waited until I was sure she was asleep before leaving the room. Just when I shut the door, I looked up to see the oldest Elric staring right back at me. His red jacket was draped over his mechanical arm, his gloves sticking out of its side pocket. The normal braid that kept back most of his blond hair was undone so it draped over his shoulders. If I could have turned and walked the other way, I would have, but he was blocking the way to where I was supposed to sleep.

I made it obvious I wasn't going to speak, and only started to walk past him. But he grabbed my arm and stopped me. "Winry told me what you said," he muttered in my ear.

I let out a light sigh. She had been listening to me more than I thought. "And what did I say, exactly?"

His tone became slightly angrier. "Something along the lines of Al and I thinking of you as a burden." He paused, as if expecting me to retaliate. I didn't. "Do you really think that?"

Finally, I brought myself back a step and looked at him. "Ed, all you've done is take care of me. You've saved my life; you and Hughes paid for my hospital expenses after what my dad did. You've now paid for Winry and her grandmother's work on my back. I've known you for three years, and all it seems you've done is pay for me! I barely know anything about you," I retorted, trying to keep my voice at a low level. "I can't talk to you like Winry can. The only time I can ever have a decent conversation with you is when you talk to me. Did you ever notice?"

He stared at me with what looked like anger in his eyes, but remained silent. When he didn't say anything, I tried walking past him again, but Ed only tightened his grip on my arm even more and pulled me back. I would have pushed him away, demanded him to let go, had he not pulled me even closer until I was pressed against him. And then I stopped fighting, surprised at the action. "Are you looking to be Winry?" he asked. "Are you asking for me to treat you like a friend, like I treat Winry? Is that all you want?"

My head rested against his shoulder, and I didn't answer. I could have said yes. I wanted to be his friend. I wanted to know that I meant something to him. I did. But if I said no, which way would he take it? He could take it as I didn't want to be anything to him. Or Edward could see past what I mean, but what were the odds of that? So I chose not to answer and just stood there, feeling both his warm flesh and cold metal hands on my back. In any case, I hoped he knew what I meant.

In the morning, I rolled over on the bed that I slept on and glanced out at the strip of sun that beamed at me through the window. Winry had yet to wake up, and I only adjusted the covers to completely cover me again, having moved quite a bit in my sleep. It was early. I was sure no one else was awake, except for maybe Alphonse. But going to talk to him meant going into their room, and that would wake Ed for sure. Instead, I stayed where I was, alternating between sleeping for minutes at a time, listening for sounds of others being awake, and counting more minutes, until I finally heard the floor boards in the kitchen creaking with movement.

I stood up after knocking the bed covers away and slid on the new sweatpants from Winry on over my legs, tying them tightly around my hips. I threw my suitcase on the bed after putting the bed sheets back in order, having barely opened it when I had come here in the first place. I was ready to leave whenever the brothers were. Though I tried to keep my thoughts away from leaving Nina as I headed downstairs.

As I had assumed, Ed was already dressed and sitting at the kitchen table, where breakfast was being made. As soon as I sat down across from him, Nina came quickly shuffling down the stairs with her hair all out of place from sleeping. I smiled as she hopped up onto my lap. In the middle of breakfast, Winry came slowly down the stairs dressed as well. It was expected she would sleep late, since she had stayed up all night making Ed's limbs.

Everyone ate in silence, except for Pinako and Major Armstrong, who kept up a conversation that none of us had to join into from across the table. It took longer than expected for everyone to gather out front to say goodbye, or maybe we were all just putting it off on purpose. I knew deep down that I was trying to.

"Now don't be strangers. Come home and have dinner with us sometime," ordered Pinako.

I was working on fixing the last bit of Nina's hair into a high ponytail. When all of it was in place, I stood up. "Thank you," I said. "For everything you've done for me, for both of us."

"You know," said Winry. "This makes this place your home too, right?"

I looked up at her, a bit surprised. "Of course," Pinako added. "Just because you haven't stayed here long doesn't mean it's not a home."

Nina still had a locked grip around my waist. I picked her up quickly, glad that I could do so and hug her once more. "Yes," I said softly. "I think that wherever I can go and stay with my sister is a good enough home for me." At least, for now, I thought to myself.

Nina, when we all finally started walking away from Rockbell Automail, immediately ran inside the house. I saw her form run onto the balcony. Whenever we reached the top of one of the hills on the way back to the train station, I could look back and see her in the distance, still waving. I wondered how long she would.

Nonetheless, every time I reached the top of one of the green mountains, I would wave back.