i stg i didn't mean to take 3 months to write this but senior year of high school has been kicking my butt and it might take about as long to write the next part too im so sorry i swear im trying and i just got myself back into fma again and im trying my best to write

Enjoy~!

Deliylah sat back in the train seat, thinking about what had just happened. Not with Scar the previous day, but with Doctor Marco just a few minutes ago. They had stopped in a small town when Major Armstrong, who has accompanying them, had recognized an old state alchemist who had disappeared after the war.

They had followed the old Doctor all the way to his house, and after a touchy reunion involving a gun in which Ed almost got shot, Doctor Marco invited them in and soon revealed his biggest secret: he possessed a Philosophers Stone, the very thing Edward had been searching for, created by his own hands. Deliylah hadn't said a word when he mentioned how it was connected to Ishval, but she still wondered why something like the Philosophers Stone would be responsible for death.

When Doctor Marco gave Edward a slip of paper saying "National Library, First Branch," Edward's face had lit up. He finally was drawing close to a reliable lead. Deliylah smiled softly. Progress was always good.

Meanwhile, Doctor Marco closed his door, sighing. He froze when he heard the light shuffling of papers behind him, and turned to see two women, one sifting through his documents with a smirk and the other sitting in a chair, waiting for him.

"It's been a while Marco. We were tailing the Fullmetal boy, and you just dropped into our laps." Lust murmured, her deep voice dripping with danger. The smirk resting on Jealousy's face broke into a full blown grin when Marco slammed his back against the door in terror. A couple of the documents Jealousy handled slipped sloppily on the floor, and she didn't bother to pick them up. She hardly paid any attention to the conversation going on beside her; Lust was better at talking to others anyway. She was the sexy one. Jealousy was the professional, the one who talked to those who had no sexual or desperate motivation, even if it meant playing nice as a military-

Whatever she was thinking was cut off when sparks flew and the wall morphed. Jealousy cried out to her 'sister' a moment too late, and blood splattered the floor. She knew all too well that as homunculi, the two women would regenerate, but it still bothered her to see her family skewered. She sighed when Lust cackled softly lifting her head up from its slumping position. "How mean of you, now you've made me die once…"

"Goddamn, Lust, don't let your guard down like that, I almost forgot we couldn't die like humans can," Jealousy grumbled, playfully pouting. She calmly placed her hand on the alchemic spike still resting through Lusts abdomen; when she tensed her hand, concentrating her energy on one spot, the spike exploded, allowing Lust to pull away and her physical regeneration to force the rest of the stone out of her body, red lights dancing across her skin until it was as good as new.

"Oh, I do apologize, Jealousy, I myself had forgotten that you have human-like feelings of family about us. You really do need to lighten up." Jealousy scoffed. "As for you, Marco, I had forgotten that you're another alchemist to use as a human sacrifice… well now, what should I do with you…" Her question was answered when a small child bounded through the door, unaware of what was going on inside.

"Doctor Marcoh, I brought flowers!" Jealousy only lingered on the fact that the child called him by his real name instead of his false one for a moment, as she was distracted by Lust's ultimate spear piercing the door on either side of the child's neck, pinning her in place.

"Lust…" Jealousy growled warningly. She had her own reasons for disliking the endangerment of children. Had this kid been an adult or even a teen, she would care a lot less, but children were a whole different story. Too many emotions, too much caring.

But it worked. By the time Lust walked out the door, the homunculi had gotten the information they needed. After delivering a threat, Lust beckoned Jealousy and bounced down the stairs, a content grin across her lips. Jealousy, on the other hand, was a bit more annoyed.

"So? Do we keep an eye on the alchemist?"

"No. We have to get to Marcoh's notes about the Stone before the boy does. We're going to the library."

Meanwhile, the train to Resembool finally came to a stop at the desired station. Delilyah picked up her suitcase and stepped off the train to a bright landscape of rolling hills dotted with small houses. She took a deep breath, taking in the fresh scent of the country. It smelt amazing.

Deliylah lengthened her stride to catch up with Ed, who had walked ahead of her. "You two grew up here?"

"Sure did. It hasn't changed one bit."

Alphonse, still packed in the box slung over Major Armstrong's shoulder, was just able to see over the edge to his hometown. "Nope, not at all. Hey Deliylah, this place must be a lot different from where you grew up, huh?"

Deliylah giggled. "Actually, this is sort of similar, although there weren't very many trees, and my home was in the desert instead of the country, so it was sand rather than grass. But the rolling hills do seem familiar. The smell, on the other hand, is quite different. A lot fresher and cleaner."

Edward laughed. "Yeah, we don't have any of the city pollution like in Central City. Come on, it's this way." He quickened his pace up a road leading uphill. He pointed to a spot nearly a mile up the path. "That's the house up there. Ready for a hike?"

"Sure am," Deliylah grinned. "Say, Edward, what kind of person is Winry? I don't think you've really said much about her."

He scoffed, rubbing the back of his head. "Well, she's violent, that's for sure. Whenever I do something to my automail, she always hits me with a wrench or something. But she's also kind and considerate, and she's probably the strongest girl I know."

Delilyah smiled, imagining the kind of girl Edward described. She decided that she was going to get along very well with Winry.

The road on the way to the Rockbell estate provided a breathtaking view of the town. Farms gave the land a quilt-like look, and small pinpoint dots moving around gave it an open liveliness that Delilyah hadn't really even seen in Lior. The buildings were so far apart, she felt like the town itself could go on forever.

A dog barking pulled her attention away from the lovely scenery and to a small yellow two-story house with a hand painted sign out front reading 'Rockbell Automail Mechanics.' A short old lady with a strangely upright bun stood waiting for her customers to make their way up to her house, a trail of smoke drifting from a pipe in her mouth to the clear blue sky. Edward waved to her, a large grin on his face. "Hey, Granny Pinako, I'm gonna need your help with something!"

"Oh dear, what did you do now, Edward?"

"Heh, a lot's happened, can you fix us up?"

Pinako chuckled. "You don't even need to ask. Where's your brother? And who are these two?"

Edward pointed to the box Major Armstrong set on the ground. "Al… it's a long story. Anyway, this is Major Alex Louis Armstrong, from Central." Pinako shook his hand. She looked tiny compared to him. "And this," Ed motioned to Deliylah. "Is my friend Deliylah Hayes. I met her in Lior, and she's been traveling with me for a little while." Pinako also shook Delilyah's hand.

"I hope Edward isn't giving you too much trouble?"

Deliylah giggled. "More than enough, but it's fine~" She glanced around, eager to meet Winry.

"Is it just me," Pinako spoke, "or since the last time I saw you Ed, have you gotten shorter?" Deliylah's attention went back to the little old woman. Edward had kicked in the face of a full grown man just because he called Ed a runt. She tensed, getting ready to hold him back.

However, he only snapped and called her short in return. There were several back and forth short comments, and both were quite mad. Deliylah and Major Armstrong exchanged looks. Suddenly, out of nowhere, a large metal object, something that looked suspiciously like a wrench, came flying and smacked Edward upside the head, causing Deliylah to jump out of the way. A feminine, condescending voice sounded from the balcony. "Edward, how many times have I told you to call before you come back for maintenance?!"

Edward immediately sat up, clutching a now throbbing head. "Winry! You could have killed me!"

The girl, a buff blond stained in greasy oil, then changed demeanor, giggling with a broad smile across her face. "Ha ha ha, Welcome back~!" Deliylah felt herself grin like a dork. Winry was exactly like how she had imagined; smooth muscles evidence of a hard worker and a strong girl, a genuine, wholehearted, charismatic smile plastered across a young optimistic face. Bright blue eyes and straight blond hair clearly giving away that she was pure blooded Amestrian. Edward grumbled, pulling himself off the ground.

Pinako invited the group inside, and Winry disappeared back into the house to quickly wash up and meet them downstairs. Just before entering the house, Deliylah pulled Edward aside for a quick question.

"Ed… how do the Rockbells feel about Ishvalans," she asked warily. She greatly admired Winry already, but she wasn't sure how they thought of her people. Edward, however shrugged his shoulders.

"I'm not quite sure how to answer that. Winry's parents were killed in the war, so they aren't too happy about the fighting itself, but… they are kind people. They aren't the sort to hold a whole race responsible for the death of their family. Don't worry about it, Deliylah," he patted her shoulder. "I wouldn't consider these people like family to me if they were bigoted like that."

Deliylah sighed in relief and quickly followed Edward into the cozy house, accepting a cup of tea from Pinako and seating herself next to Al.

Winry bounded down the stairs, her hair quickly combed and her face now clean. "Ed, long time no see, what are you doing back in…" She paused mid-sentence, catching sight of Edward's missing arm. She let out a confused sort of scream, pointing a finger at it.

Ed shrugged. "Yeah, sorry, it got broken."

Winry's shook with anger. "What do you mean 'it got broken?' That was my masterpiece! A state-of-the-art automail prosthetic! Just let me see the damage so I can fix it and get you out of here!" Deliylah choked on her tea, exchanging glances with Al next to her. Soon enough, Ed had a wrench thoroughly stuck in his skull.

The mechanic huffed a sigh, then turned to Deliylah. "Sorry, I haven't introduced myself, I'm Winry, the unfortunate mechanic of these two knuckleheads," she rubbed her temple with one hand and outstretched the other in greeting.

Deliylah chuckled, shaking Winry's hand. "Yes, I've heard a lot about you from these 'knuckleheads.' All good things, I promise. It's really nice to finally meet you. I'm Deliylah, a recent friend."

Winry blushed. "How in the world did you manage to get stuck with them?"

She eagerly opened her mouth to start explaining her tale in Lior, but Edward cut Deliylah off. "It's a long and boring tale. Besides, I've got more important things right now."

Winry huffed. "Not fair, I was finally going to get something close to an explanation." Edward ignored Winry and instead told Pinako the reason for their rush.

Upon hearing that Edward's new arm would take only three days, Deliylah was thoroughly impressed. Winry accidentally smacked Edward over and into a stack of boxes, giving him a large bump of his head. Deliylah and the boys instead went outside to wait for the mechanics to start working their magic.

Edward laid back on the grass, staring up at the sky in complete boredom. "Sheesh, there's nothing to do around here. There's not even a library."

Al, who had been brought out and sat back against the house, chuckled softly at his brother's annoyed statement. "Things have been so rough lately, maybe it's not such a bad thing to take it easy."

Deliylah, who had sat between the brothers, nodded in agreement with Al. "Too much stress isn't good for anybody, and we've been through more than enough for a while."

The shorter boy wriggled in growing impatience. "I'm not the sort of person to takes it easy!" Al sighed quietly at Deliylah, who raised an eyebrow and the edge of her grin. Then Al got an idea.

"I know, if you're so bored, why don't you go visit mom's grave?"

Deliylah's ears perked. She had nearly forgotten that since this was the boy's hometown, their late mother was buried here as well. Al decided not to go, since neither Deliylah nor Ed could carry him, and Ed instead invited the older girl along.

"You're a good enough friend, and besides, you're bored too. I can see it," Ed replied when she questioned if it was alright if she went with him. He stopped briefly and bought some flowers, the Rockbell's dog on his heels. They started down the country path again, and Deliylah was reminded of the gorgeous view.

"This place really is beautiful…" she mused to herself. Ed nodded in agreement.

The two met several people along the way, all of which expressed surprise to see their old neighbor back from the world of Central and still just as short as ever. Each of them also greeted Deliylah, and one even wondered if she was Edward's girlfriend. Both brushed the comment of quickly and changed the subject. Soon they were on their way once more.

A cemetery came into view after not long. It was clean and well kept, and each headstone was neatly placed next to it's neighbor. Deliylah lamented on the fact that the dead were laid to rest there, and sadly remembered what she was taught of the afterlife in Ishval. Ed led Deliylah to one particular stone, passing by two with bore the name "Rockbell." The grave Edward paid attention to read "Trisha Elric." His and Alphonse's mother. He set the flowers down in front of the headstone, his face sad.

They stood in silence for a moment before Deliylah got an idea. "Edward… do you mind if I… say a few words? It's sort of traditional to give a prayer to the late loved one's to dear friends…"

Ed smiled. "Go ahead, I don't mind at all."

Deliylah nodded and sat on her knees, clasping her hands together in her lap and bowing her head, her native Ishvalan tongue reciting a simple prayer for the deceased which translated to "Thank you, Miss Elric, for raising the brothers to hold such kind and open hearts. They have made a few mistakes along the way, but they are strong and brave, and they have you to thank for it, as do I. I hope you find peace in your passing, whether you rejoin Ishvala or if you hold a different deity dear." She bowed softly and stood back up, brushing the dirt off her skirt.

Footsteps drew her attention to Edward, who was walking away. "There's another place I want to visit. Come on, I'll show you." Deliylah raised an eyebrow in confusion and followed Ed up a road to a simple charred plot of land where a house once was. All that was left were burned bricks and a dead tree.

She took her glove off and crumbled some brick between her fingers. "What happened here?"

"This used to be my house. Al and I burned it down when I got my state license."

"Why did you do that?"

He sighed, closing his eyes. "So we wouldn't be able to turn back. What we're going isn't easy, and it would be all too tempting to go back to the safety of our home. So we destroyed it. We're going to get our bodies back." He glanced and Deliylah. "It's not that bad of a thing, really. I'm sure you've been through worse."

She scoffed. "Edward, tragedy isn't a pissing contest. You've had it bad, I've had it bad, our lives are both awful, simple as that."

He nodded in agreement, chuckling. "I guess you're right. Come on, let's go back, it's getting late."

When they left, the sun with just at the horizon. By the time they got back, the sun had gone down completely, and Deliylah could see millions of stars she hadn't noticed in the city or the dusty sky of Lior. The last time she had had a view of the cosmos like that was back in Ishval, before the war had even been considered.

The next morning, Deliylah was woken to the sounds of grinding and whirring. She sat up, combing her bedhead down to a presentable state before getting dressed exiting the room to find the source of the sound.

She found it in Winry's workroom, where the blond had been drilling away since the night before. Gears, wires, and metal shavings littered the ground. Deliylah hid behind the door frame, peeking around the corner and watching the girl work with fascination.

Winry paused working for a moment and turned around, feeling eyes on the back of her head. Deliylah squeaked and ducked around the corner, her face heating up from the embarrassment of being caught staring. The younger girl chuckled. "It's alright, Deliylah, you can come in and watch me work as long and you don't bother me."

Deliylah hung her head, her face still thoroughly pink. "You don't mind?"

"Nah, you're pretty quiet to start with, so you're not a bother. Besides, I wanted to ask you a question."

"Oh, sure," Deliylah replied, pulling up a chair next to the mechanic. "Ask away."

"Well, first of all, I swear I wasn't snooping, I just…" Winry trailed off. "Well, to put it plainly, I saw your skin. You're Ishvalan, aren't you?" Deliylah froze, a cold rush going through her. Winry saw her reaction and was quick to correct herself. "I-I don't have a problem with it, you know! My parents helped the Ishvalan people during the war, and my Granny had plenty of Ishvalan friends, so-"

"Winry. It's fine," Deliylah assured her. She trusted Edward's word about Winry, and was hopeful that she would be able to trust Ed's closest friend with her secret. She pulled her bangs back, letting Winry see her face in full. The younger leaned it, getting a closer look with wide blue eyes.

"Woah… what caused that?"

Deliylah shrugged. "According to my village doctors, it's a disease. My immune system is attacking the pigments in my skin. By the time I'm fifty they predicted that almost all of my brown skin will be gone." She chuckled. "Although, according to my parents and the other children in my village, I was cursed by Ishvala to look like the Amestrians. Of course, if Ishvala wanted to make me look like an Amestrian, he was have made me have your hair and eyes, not fading brown skin and white hair."

"White? But yours is brown…"

"I dye it. White hair on a seventeen year old is kind of a dead giveaway."

Winry giggled, tightening a screw. "Oh, right, I guess that does make sense."

The two girls talked for a few hours; Deliylah told Winry stories about what happened in Lior, how Edward helped with the train hijacking, and about Scar. She left out Nina and Mr. Tucker. Winry told Deliylah about old memories with the brothers before they and tried the transmutation, and, at Deliylah's request, she also taught her a bit about automail so that Deliylah could at least know a thing or two about Edward's fake limbs. When dinner was finally called, Ed and Al were perplexed by how close the two had suddenly gotten.

Three days went by with very little action. Winry spent all her time crafting Ed's arm. Major Armstrong constantly trained in the front yard where Al sat with Edward. Deliylah took several walks out in the country side, reveling in the fresh, clean air. At noon on the third day, Deliylah approached Al and realized that Ed was nowhere to be found. "Where's your brother?"

"Oh, Deliylah, Winry finished the arm! He's inside getting his arm and leg put back on, and after that he's gonna come out here and fix me!"

"That's wonderful Al!"

Racing footsteps caught her attention. "Al! Hey Al! Sorry for making you wait so long!" Edward's arm and leg were back in their correct place, as if Scar had never attacked at all. The only reminder of it was Al's still morphed body and Deliylah's dull headache from the concussion she had forgotten she had.

While Ed gathered up Al's scraps, Deliyah headed back inside to congratulate Winry and help clean up. From the balcony she heard the clanging of metal on metal, and glanced outside to see Ed and Al sparing as per usual. Soon enough Major Armstrong stripped his shirt off and joined the fray.

In the midst of running away from Armstrong's massive form, Ed called up to Deliylah observing from the balcony. "Deliylah! Come join our sparring! You never usually fight with us, it'd be good exercise!"

"I-I don't know, I don't really have clothes fit for fighting…"

"Then borrow some of Winry's, you two are about the same size!"

Winry immediately pulled open her drawer and took a pair of shorts and a T-shirt, pushing it into Deliylah's arms along with a hair tie. Reluctantly she changed, pulling awkwardly at the clothing was was too small to cover all of her skin. While Edward and Alphonse, who regularly saw it when she wore a similar outfit as nightwear, took no notice of her patchy skin, multiple times she caught Major Armstrong and Winry staring, and when she caught their eye they quickly looked away with a blush on their cheeks.

Ed and Al were formidable opponents, but with Armstrong taking most of their attention, Deliylah managed to hold her own, and by the end, when the sun was at the horizon, all four were covered in dirt and out of breath, eager for Pinako's delightful cooking.

That night, Edward fell into Deliylah's lap and went out like a light, lightly snoring with his stomach exposed as always. Al, of course, sighed softly at his brother's recklessness.

"Aw, Ed, you'll catch a cold if you keep sleeping with your stomach out like this…"

Deliylah giggled. "Maybe you should tell him that when he's awake, Al."

Pinako laughed from behind him. "Heh, it's almost like you're his parent, huh?"

"That's true," he replied softly. "It's not easy having such a high maintenence older brother."

Winry sat down beside Deliylah, having put a blanket over Edward's sleeping form. "I can't even tell which of you is the older brother anymore."

Deliylah chuckled again, looking down at Edward. Now that she thought about it, Edward was always so hot-headed, and Al was always so calm. It seems like if Al wasn't there, Ed would have nothing to hold him back from destroying whatever made him mad, like remarks to his height.

Al's chuckle drew back Deliylah's attention. "What's so funny, Al?"

"Seeing him laying there, I'm reminded of the time we went to the Youswell mining town. You remember that, right Deliylah?"

"Of course, how could I forget! It was the first place we went after Lior, and we got caught in a house fire."

"What? How does this remind you of that?"

"The miners were being taxed out of their livelihoods by the Lieutenant who owned the mines and wanted our help. At first brother had no intention of helping them, but when he heard the miner boss say 'the mines are our homes and our graves, he ended up helping them out after all. He was pretty reckless too."

"He was brilliant though, and he really saved that town. I wonder how Mr Halling and Khayal are doing now."

Pinako laughed, puffing at her pipe. "'This is our home,' huh? I understand, you guys know better than anyone what it feels like to have a home and then lose it. Even you, Deliylah." She nodded. Ishval had been her home, her village was where she was born and raised, and then it was all destroyed in less than a decade.

"Yup. That's why I appreciate how you and Winry always welcome us back like we're your real family. You don't even know Delilyah, and you welcomed her with open arms." Delilyah dipped her head, a blush on her cheeks, giving a glance to Winry. "My brother feels the same way too, even though he never says it. At the same time, the reality is that the three of us no longer have the homes we were born and raised in. Edward and I don't regret burning our house down, but sometimes… we just feel this overwhelming sadness. Maybe we could get over it if we just had a good cry, but with this body, I can't cry even if I wanted to."

Winry sighed with a chuckle. "And there's that idiot who had a body that can cry, but won't. He really tries to be tough, that idiot."

The next morning The three had their things packed and ready for the train to Central city to find Doctor Marco's research notes. Edward and Deliylah tugged their gloves gloves on and picked up their cases.

Al glanced around. "Hey, where's Winry?"

"She did so many all nighters in a row that she's still asleep," Pinako replied. "Want me to make her?"

Ed shrugged. "Don't bother. If you woke her up she'd just go on about automail maintenance."

"Oh, don't worry, Ed. She told me about your maintenance and asked me to keep an eye on it for you," Deliylah chuckled. Ed rolled his eyes.

"Edward! Alphonse! Deliylah!" A call made all three turn to see a very disheveled Winry leaning on the balcony. She had woken up and dragged herself all the way to the balcony to say goodbye. "See you later."

Ed, Al, and Deliylah all waved to her, then walked away from the house to the train station, eager to get to the library and make long-due progress on the Philosophers Stone.

I'll try my best to get another part out sooner. I really didn't feel like writing the part with Marco cause she doesn't do anything. I'll probably do the same with the whole "finding out about the Stones true nature" thing cause all she does is make tea for them and fret a lot.

Please leave a review, I really would like to know how you liked this one~!