Ooooooh my word I'm so sorry this is like tow months late. I've been really busy with school and I've had such a writers block I haven't been in the mood to write!
But I have a new chapter out now, and hopefully I'll get the other half of Youswell done soon. I've also decided that I'm just gonna go with the manga, it's easier to follow than a mix of manga and anime. Sorry for any confusion earlier~!
Enjoy~!

The scenery blurred by with each chug of the train. Deliylah craned her neck around Alphonse, wide eyed and enthralled at the world outside. She had never been this far East, or this far North. Edward was just going to have to deal with her childish fascination of train rides.

Edward didn't mind, of course. He knew that, as a young Ishvalan, her life mustn't of been very comfortable. He doubted that she had ever even been on a train before. His attention went from the girl to his brother when he spoke.

"Looks like we're the only one's on board, brother."

He nodded. "I've heard the rumors, but I didn't know it was this bad. Guess this isn't exactly tourist country…" He picked up his map, looking closely at it. "The town on the Eastern Border… the Youswell coal mines..."

Deliylah pulled her eyes from the window. "Are you here on orders?"

"Mhm. We've heard a few complains, so Colonel Mustang's sent us out here to inspect it."

She furrowed her brows at the sound of the name. 'Where have I heard that before...' Before she could think of a reason, a whistle sounded, quiet enough to not bother the very few passengers, but loud enough to hear, signaling their arrival at the Youswell station.

The scent of dust and coal lingered in the air and there was barely a surface in sight that didn't have a thin coating of dirt. Deliylah sneezed, adjusted her hair with one hand, tightly clutching her suitcase with the other.

"So this is where we get coal..." Edward murmured, looking around.

"'The wild frontier,' eh? I always thought a place like this would be a little more lively. Everybody seems really tired…"

BONK.

Deliylah looked over at the source of the sound of metal hitting a skull and saw Edward sprawled on the ground, clutching his head. The sound of a half hearted apology pulled her attention to a dirt covered boy perhaps a few years younger than Edward. When he realized that the three were not familiar, his attitude flipped.

"Hey! You from out of town? Where ya from? Need a meal? A place to stay?" He asked questions one right after another, completely ignoring Edwards stuttered responses. He then turned and waved excitedly to somebody in the distance. Deliylah was about as stunned as Alphonse, the two sharing a glance. "Dad! We got customers!"

A man coming from one of the mines carrying rope, chains, and a steel pole stopped when he heard the boys shout. "What's that Khayal?"

"Customers! A piggy bank!"

Edward jumped up, almost speechless. Almost. "A what!?"

The man, apparently the boy named Khayal's father, removed his helmet, revealing fiery eyes and a grimy mustache. "You don't say~? Well, kids, come with me, my inn is the best in the town!"

Deliylah and Alphonse exchanged looks as they gathered up their luggage, wondering how they managed to get a place to stay so soon after arriving.

When they arrived at the cozy inn, Ed, Al, and Deliylah set down their bags and took a seat, grateful for a place to sit and get off their feet.

"Sorry about the mess, the mines don't pay very much, so we run this inn to get by." Mr. Halling explained, bringing pints of beer to other customers seated around the inn.

A muscular man, obviously a miner, laughed heartily. "What're you talking about, chief? Your problem is, you're a soft touch, always givin' what you make to the poor! That's why your old lady's always cryin'!"

"Pipe down, will you?! If you got a problem with how I spend my money, then hurry up and pay me what you owe me for booze!" Loud laughter rippled through the building.

A woman, most likely Mrs. Halling, approached them with a kind smile on her face. "So there's three of you, would you like one nights stay and two meals each?"

"How much?"

"What, afraid you can't afford it?" A sly grin ran across Mr. Halling's face.

"Oh, don't worry, we brought enough."

"200 thousand!"

Edward fell out of his chair. "200 thousand?! What a rip off! You're off by a decimal point!"

"I said you might not be able to afford it."

Edward groaned, blowing them off. "Forget it, we'll go somewhere else."

Mr. Halling gripped Edwards head, stopping him in his tracks. "There's no escape, piggy bank!"

Khayal laughed behind them. "Don't bother, the prices are the same everywhere else, too."

Edward and Alphonse huddled in the corner, whispering about their money. "So, you're here on a trip then?" Mrs. Halling asked.

"Mhm," Deliylah nodded. "I think after this we're going to be on our way to Central. I've never been there before, so it sounds like fun."

"Where were you before?"

"Oh, I lived in Lior for a while, then I met the brothers and-"

"DAD, THIS GUY'S AND ALCHEMIST!" Khayals call cut her off, and the entire inn's attention went to Edward.

"An alchemist, huh? Like, the kind that can fix things?"

Edward shrugged. "Yeah, I guess. Is there anything you need fixed?"

"Well, if it isn't much of a hassle one of our pickaxes broke."

"Bring it here. The whole thing, or I can't fix it."

Khayal disappeared into a back room and reappeared soon after with an armful of what used to be a pickax. The head must have hit something wrong and snapped in half.

Both pieces clunked onto the table in front of Edward. The bar's customers eagerly watched, waiting for something to happen. Ed clapped his hands together, and after a sharp blast of light, the pickax was back in one piece and in even better condition than when it was bought. The miners gathered around in awe, 'oh'ing and 'ah'ing at the bright, shiny tool.

The owner of the pickax pointed to it excitedly, a large grin on his face. "It looks brand new!"

"This is great! Our first customer in ages and he's an alchemist," another man exclaimed.

Mrs. Halling laughed softly as she watched the scene, leaning over to Deliylah. "Alchemists are pretty popular here. Are you an alchemist as well?"

Deliylah shook her head, chuckling awkwardly. "Oh, no, I'm not! It's not as popular where I'm from, in fact people don't really like alchemy."

"Ah, I'm sorry. And where are you from?" Deliylah froze. She had never really had to answer that question before; in Lior she could just say "Oh, somewhere," and they would be satisfied with her answer, but Mrs. Halling was a stranger, and she would most likely be interested in where she came from. She couldn't answer "Ishval," who knew how she would react.

She was saved from answering, however, by the realization that the entire inn had gone dead silent.

"So you're Elric the alchemist, then… the state alchemist?" Deliylah didn't really like how he had said 'state alchemist.' It reminded her too much of how the people from her village talked about alchemy.

"Well, sort of…," he answered awkwardly, reaching for his cup. It, like his food apparently had been according to the fork stuck in the table., was swiped from him before he could grab it. "Hey, what's the big deal?!"

Next thing she knew, she and the brothers were being thrown on the street. "Get lost!"

Edward wheeled around. "Hey, we're paying customers!"

Mr. Hallings attitude had completely changed from the generous demeanor he had before. Now he looked disgusted. "Blegh, we don't have food or lodgings for dogs of the military," he snarled back.

Alphonse raised one hand and put another around Deliylah. "Um, we're civilians. We aren't 'state' anythings."

A sweet smile played on Mr. Hallings lips. "Oh, thats fine then! Come on in!"

"You traitors!" Ed called out in disbelief. Al pulled Deliylah by the shoulders behind him, who looked back at Edward apologetically.

Disappointed miners trudged back into the inn, scuffing their boots on the floor. "Man, just when I thought we had a paying guest. What a let down."

Al and Deliylah took their seats back at the table. She ducked her head to try and avoid more attention. Al, on the other hand, decided to try and figure out what was going on. "State alchemists aren't too popular here, aren't they?"

Khayal scoffed. "Of course, everyone around here hates soldiers. This town's under the authority of Lieutenant Yoki, but all he cares about is making money.

A miner from the bar leaned over, stating unpleasant facts. "I hear he spends it all on bribes to his superiors back in Central City."

"I heard he even bought his way to being a Lieutenant," the miner whose pickaxe Ed fixed grumbled, taking a sip from his cup.

"Used to be he just owned the coal mines, but then he got greedy about movin' on up."

Al glanced over to the man who just spoke in surprise. "Huh? So this is…?"

The mans friend nodded. "Yup. This is Yoki's private property."

"That rat owns everything in this town. We don't get paid enough to get by! And even if we complain to somebody higher up, Yoki bribes them all, so they won't help!"

Khayal sighed, pointing his thumb at the miners who all spoke. "See? It sucks, huh?"

A low voice sounded beside Deliylah, making her jump. "And then there's the state alchemists," Mr. Halling said, placing down two trays of food for Al and herself. "'Alchemists be thou for the people.' Thats the slogan of the alchemists, the source of their pride." He turned away, a sour look on his face. "I know they get a lot in return, but I can't forgive people who sell their souls to the state." He walked away to tend to other guests, his shoulders drooping.

After a few minutes, when the miners attention had gone to other things like booze and friends, Deliylah noticed Al slip the tray into his lap. "Follow me," he whispered, and then, quietly as a tall suit of pure steel armor could, he slid from his seat and calmly walked out the door, Deliylah in tow.

Edward could be seen laying on the porch, looking miserable. He was muttering something about Al being a traitor when he knelt in front of him, holding out the tray. "We snuck out with the food they gave me."

Ed stared at Al for a moment before wrapping his arms around him in an almost comedically grateful hug. "Dear brother!"

Al sat next to Ed as he ate, quoting what the miners had said and describing what the Lieutenant Yoki had done to the town, such as raising taxes, lowering salaries, and bribing officials.

"Hmm, these corrupt officials types are everywhere, huh?"

Al nodded. "I guess, thanks to this guy, they don't even get enough food supplies."

Ed's hand wavered, about to take a bite of his sandwich. "I see…"

The silence was too awkward for Deliylah, so she asked a question that had been on her mind for the past hour. "Um, if you don't mind me asking, is that level of hatred for the military usual for people outside of Ishval?"

Ed nodded. "It's even worse here, that Lieutenant Yoki is causing a lot of trouble. I mean, military personnel like us aren't very popular to begin with. When I became a state alchemist, I knew I'd get a certain amount of flack, but I never knew they would hate me this much."

"... maybe I should become a state alchemist too," Al spoke softly.

Ed laughed half-heartedly. "It's not worth it! One person sitting on this bed on needles is enough."

Deliylah spoke even softer than Al. "If it means anything, Ed, you aren't like a lot of state alchemists I know. You're better, and kinder. You may be a dog of the military, but you're too young to have sold your soul like them."

He chuckled. "'Dog of the military,' huh? I don't know how to respond to that. Not only that, but we broke the laws of alchemy and now we're stuck with these bodies," Al reminisced. "I wonder what teacher would do if she ever found out…" He placed his head in his hand. Then both he and Ed started shivering in fear. "She… she'd kill us!"

Deliylah blinked in surprise, but before she could ask what was wrong she heard military boots stomp up the steps behind her. She wheeled around just as a harsh voice grated her ears. "Out of the way, we're coming in!" She flinched, inching closer to Al.

Ed stood up. "I wonder that that's all about…"

From just in the door, Deliylah saw three military uniforms, two flanking the smallest, who had a handkerchief to his nose. Either he had just sneezed or he was disgusted by the fine layer of dust. "This place looks filthy as usual, Halling." Disgusted it was.

"Well, well, Lieutenant Yoki, what brings you to a shabby little place like this?"

"Hey Ed, that must be the guy who's been causing so much trouble around here, the corrupt Lieutenant," Deliylah exclaimed, pointing to the mousy little man.

"He certainly looks the part," Ed agreed. Deliylah nodded; She didn't typically think about stereotypes, but this man had all the makings of a middle aged corrupt official, whether it be the greasy, receding hairline, the thin moustache that he kept grooming with his stubby fingers, or the sour look behind a crow-like nose that he stuck pompously into the air. Even his voice was annoying.

"Enough small talk. I hear you're late on your taxes. I know you're not the only deadbeat in this town, but don't expect me to just ignore you." He reminded Deliylah of a snake, or perhaps a poisonous worm.

"I'm very sorry, but we're barely getting by as it is," Mr. Halling retorted. Clearly he and the Lieutenant didn't like each other.

"Well, I see you can still afford to sell alcohol, so I guess that means I can lower your salary a little more?"

Several miners cursed, and Khayal threw a wet rag at Lieutenant Yoki's face. "Why you... you better be joking!" The rag hit Yoki's face with a splat. Both soldiers on either side gasped, and Yoki looked like he was ready to throw up.

"Why you little brat! Sir, allow me!" Yoki put up his hand, however, and brought it across Khayals face in a back slap, causing both Mrs. Halling and Deliylah to gasp.

He then motioned towards one of his men, who brought out a sword. "I won't hold back just because he's a child. Let this be a warning."

"Ed, do something, he's gonna kill him!" Deliylah pleaded to Ed, who darted forward and threw his arm up in the way of the blade, which broke on impact.

The soldiers glanced around, confused. "Wh-Where'd this kid come from?!"

Ed shrugged, taking a sip of his coffee, still in his hand. "Just a kid passing through."

Yoki was angry that Ed had interfered, and let him know. "This is none of your business, stay out!"

"Well, I heard the Lieutenant was gonna be here," he dug through his pocket. "I decided to say hello," he said slyly, pulling out his pocket watch. Yoki stared at it for several moments before reeling back in shock, pulling his subordinates aside with hushed whispers.

Deliylah leaned over to Ed. "Um, what are you doing?'

"Improvising. Just wait, you'll see. It'll be fantastic~" He perked up and small whispers made their way to his ears. "I thought I heard 'runt'..."

Finally Yoki turned back to Ed, slithering his way over with his hands clasped and a sly grin across his face. "I'm sorry if my subordinates were impolite. My name is Yoki, and I am in charge of this town. It must be fate that we met here! Theres no need for you to stay at this pig-pen. ("Pig pen?!" Khayal exclaimed angrily.) Even though we are far away from the city, we have some lovely rooms back at my house! Why don't you stay there instead?"

Edward smiled. "Well, I guess that would be alright, since the owner here is too cheap to let me stay~"

Deliylah was very confused, so she turned to Alphonse instead. "Do you know what he's doing or am I just very much out of the loop?"

Al whispered in Deliylah's ear. "I think I have an idea, but brother didn't tell me anything either. I think we should just stay here and wait for him." His sentence was finished by the door slamming and Khayal yelling in anger.

"AAAAAGGGH, THAT MAKES ME SO MAD!"

"Um, mad at who," Al timidly asked.

"BOTH OF THEM," the whole inn replied loudly.

Get ready for a little bit of action, not much but its more than we see in the manga since Ed doesn't witness it. I'm not sure if this is what actually happens, but Brotherhood doesn't include Youswell and the 03' anime is significantly different.