Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters except for Isabella.
*Isabella's POV*
Grannie was looking out in the distance when the four of us made it to our hometown with me and Alice walking by Ed's side, and Armstrong carrying Al. "It's beautiful here and so peaceful." Armstrong said to us."Yeah, it's rural, a nice way of saying nothing is going on." I said to him. "Four years, guys." Al said to us.
"Has it really been that long?" I asked him. "You mean you haven't come home once since you left?"Armstrong asked one of us. "You can't really come home to a place like this where no family is waiting for you. You know our general situation, don't you Major?" Ed asked him. "Yes. I do." Armstrong said to him.
*No POV*
Den noticed something, sits up, and starts barking. And Pinako sees five guests coming here. "Well, this sure is a surprise." Pinako said to herself. "Winry, better get out here! Honored guests!" Pinako called as Winrystooped her work and smiled.
"Humankind cannot gain anything, without first giving something in return. To obtain, something of equal value must be lost. That is alchemy's first law of Equivalent Exchange. In those days, we really believed that to be the world's one, and only truth."
{Opening song}
Ready Steady Go!/L'Arc~en~Ciel
"House of the Waiting Family"
Isabella's POV
We finally made it to Winry's home and Den barked at us as a welcome back bark for us. "Hello to you too, Den." I said to the dog when Ms. Pinako came up to us. "Old lady Pinako. It's been a long time. I need some more of your handiwork." Ed said to her as she chuckles. "Apparently so, you really have done a number this time, huh? I don't know why you have so much trouble keeping your arms." Pinako said to him. "Yeah well, I had a lot of things to swing at." Ed said to her. "Yet it seems you've gotten smaller." Pinako said to him as he growled at this.
"WHO ARE YOU CALLING SMALL, YOU MINIATURE-SIZED HAG?!" Ed stammered at her. "YOU'RE SHORTER THAN YOUR TEMPER!" Pinako stammered back. "YOU'RE SO SHORT YOU'RE TWO-DIMENSIONAL!" Edstammered back. "MICRO-MORON!" Pinako stammered back. "GRANDMA FLEA!" Ed stammered back."Edward Elric!" Armstrong said as he placed Al down, and removed his shirt flexing his muscles. "How dare speak to your elder with such blatant disrespect! Let me remedy this fight with my genteel decorum."Armstrong said as I am sweat-dropped at his idiocy.
"Idiot." I whispered out as well when Pinako sweet dropped as I did. "Who the heck is this guy? He really doesn't get the joke, does he?" Pinako asked when Ed chuckles and Armstrong extends his hand out. "Alex Louis Armstrong, humbly at your service." Armstrong said to her as she shook his hand. "Flattered. I'm Pinako Rockbell." Pinako said to him as we all look on. But then a wrench flew down and hits Ed in the head, and he falls back while we look on in shock. "Brother!"Al cried out. "Edward!" I cried out as well as Ed holds the bump on his head, and he sat up. "Great! I buy you a wrench, and you try to kill me with it!" Ed shouted at Winry. "Well, apparently you're trying to kill yourself! What have you been up to?!" Winry asked him when I waved at her. "Hey, Winry!" I greeted them all together leaving Ed and Al stunned.
FF
Winry begins to freak out. "Gone?! I'm serious, Ed, I want answers! How did you wreck the best auto-mail I've ever made?! I put my heart and soul into that!" Winry stammered at him. "Is it really my fault, though? It fell apart so easily." Ed said to her when she faced Al. "Al's armor is all busted up, too, and still doesn't shatter on its own! You've been getting into some real trouble." Winry said as Al gasped at this. "No. I mean... Ask Ed." Al said to her when Pinako examines the size of Ed's feet.
"Guess I was wrong, pipsqueak. You actually have gotten taller. At least by an inch." Pinako said to him as he growls. "Don't say pipsqueak!" Ed stammered at her. "You're off balance. We'll need to make some adjustments to your leg while you're here. And, the new arm will have to be built from scratch..." Pinako said to him. "Listen, I know I'm asking a lot, but can you finish it all in a week? We don't have much time." Ed said to her as she inhales, and exhales the smoke from her mouth. "Don't insult me, Ed. We'll have it done in three days." Pinako said to him.
"You're the best there is, Grams." Ed said to her. "But you just got in town. What do you have to do that's so urgent?" Winry asked him as he freaks out. "We-We just want to get to Central as soon as possible. We're looking for something, that's all." I said to her as she growls and takes out her wrench. "It wouldn't be something dangerous, would it?" Winry asked me while I freak out at this. "No!" I cried out. "It's nothing like that at all! Just some research!" Ed said to her as she calms down. "Right. You're nothing but trouble." Winry said as she walks up to the table. "We drive her crazy sometimes, but she's always there for us, right?" Al asked him. "Yeah... She is." Ed said to him.
FF
The four of us are outside when Ed got a spare leg from Ms. Pinako. "Ah, yeah. I know it's spare, but there's just something about the way the old lady makes 'em." Ed said to us as we laughed, and I look down. "It's weird being back. Kinda nice. Nothing's really changed here, has it?" Al asked him. "Not at all." Ed said to him.
FF
The four of us are sitting on the grass, and Ed lays back and sighs. "I still feel like we're wasting time here. We've got to go back to Central and find Marcoh's work." Ed said to us. "And we will. But don't you think you should relax while you can? Things probably aren't going to be easy when we get there." Alice said to him. "I know I should." Ed said as he started wiggling, and Den did the same. "But I can't stand lying around doing nothing! I get all fidgety!" Ed said to her.
"Edward." I called as he looked up at me after he stopped wiggling. "I've been thinking. Maybe you should visit your mother." I said to him. "You mean go to her grave." Ed said to me. "They say the auto-mail would be ready in three days, and you've got nothing else to do until then. Go see her. We'll wait for her. " Al said to him as he sat up. "You're right. I'll be back in a while, I guess." Ed said to him.
No POV
Armstrong used his strength to destroy the firewood into chopped ones and came inside with some in his arms. "I saw that your firewood was a little low, Mrs. Rockbell." Armstrong said to her. "Thank you, that's nice! But you know, you're free to relax, too, while you're staying with us." Pinako said to him. "I appreciate that, ma'am, but no. Daily training is essential for a soldier. And do you know where Edward is? I haven't seen him for a while, and that makes me nervous." Armstrong said to her. "He said he was going to visit his mother's grave, I believe." Pinako said to him. "I told him it was dangerous to venture out on his own. He needs to stop taking these risks." Armstrong said to him. "Don't worry, he's not alone. He's got the two best escorts in Risembool with him." Pinako said to him.
Isabella's POV
I was walking with Ed and Den to visit his mother's grave when we see two people over there. "Edward Elric and Isabella Rockbell? Is that really you two?" One person questioned when we stopped and faced them. "Yeah... It's been a while, huh?" Ed asked them. "I'll say... Four or five years, right? Yet you two are just puny as ever." One man said to us which made Ed go mad.
"Don't call me puny!" Ed said to him. "Ah, don't mind them. So, are you two still one of those State whatever-they're-called?" One man asked us. "We sure are." I said to him. "Well you be careful, that must be a dangerous job, you two being puny and all." One man said as Ed and I grow mad again. "Would you stop calling me puny!" Ed stammered as they all laughed.
Al's POV
I saw a girl walking with her cow when Winry came up to me. "Hey, you okay? You're just staring into space." Winry said to me. "Winry... That girl over there. Who is she?" I asked her. "Oh, that's Mellie, you know her." Winry said to me when they waved at each other. "Come on, you remember, we always played together as kids. Hide-and-go-seek and tag... Exploring the river and stuff." Winry said to me. "Oh..." I said to her. "Something wrong, Al?" Winry asked me. "No. I just couldn't remember who she was, that's all. My mind was blank." I said to her. "That's no big deal. It's been years, and she's changed a lot. You just didn't recognize her." Winry said to me. "Yeah. Maybe." I said to her as she looks at me.
Isabella's POV
Ed and I are in front of his mother's grave, and he already set the flowers down on it when he remembers his mother's funeral.
*Flashback Begins*
"How are we gonna live without her?" Al asked his older brother. "We're not, Al... We're going to bring her back." Ed said to him.
*Flashback Ends*
Ed was still thinking about that day. "Are you thinking about your mother's funeral?" I asked him as he faced me. "Yeah." Ed said to me. "Thinking about that day reminds me of my own mother's funeral. And I never wanted to bring her back, because human alchemy's forbidden." I said to him as I showed him my mother's locket. "To be honest, Ed. I like you just the way you are." I said to him as he faced me. "What?" Ed asked me. "It's nothing." I said to him.
"Edward." I called as he faced me. "Was there something that you wanna say to me?" I asked him as he shook his head. "No, Isabelle. It's nothing." Ed said to me. "How 'bout I just show you instead," I said to him as I lean in, and Ed did the same. We were almost at that point when Den started whining, making us face the poor dog. We couldn't help but smile at that dog. "Ready to go home, Den?" I asked the dog as Den barks happily.
*Winry's POV*
After the two came back home with Den, I started measuring Ed's leg until I noticed the pocket watch in his pocket. "Is that the watch they give you and Roberta?" I asked him when he pulls it out. "Yeah. It's got amplifiers that boost your transmutation..." I cut Ed off when I swiped it from him. "Can I see?" I asked him happily as he sweet drops. "The loving workmanship, the detail! Now this is the work of a craftsman! How's it run? Do you wind it? Or is it self-wound? Or could it possibly be a new technique?" I asked him happily. "I don't know. And as long as it's functioning, I don't care." Ed said to me. "Can I see how it works, Ed? Please?" I asked him.
"Are you crazy? I know how you have your hands-on mechanics. You'll take it apart to the last screw." Ed said to me as he swipes it back out of my hand, making me look sad. "So, what if I do? I'll put it back together and it'll work just fine. You know I'm the greatest mechanic on the planet, Ed... Right?" I asked him happily. "Get somebody else's." Ed said to me as I go sad at this. I turn to Mr. Armstrong with my puppy dog eyes on him. "I think I'll go chop about a year's worth of firewood. Yes." Armstrong said as he walks off, and I sulk at this. "Wow... You guys are stingy, aren't you?" I questioned sadly.
*Roberta's POV*
I was with Al when Ed came into the room. "Al, Isa, I talked to Pinako. She said my arm's gonna be ready tomorrow. And then I'll fix you. Things are finally looking up!" Ed said to us as he sat down on the bed where Alice and I are. "Edward? Al told me everything. Did Al ever have friends?" I asked him. "What? That's an out-of-the-blue question." Ed said to me. "I don't remember any of them. I try to, but it's hazy. They don't have faces." Al said to his brother. "You know how memories work. You've had a lot of new experiences, and they just pile up! It's natural for old memories to fade a little." Ed said to his brother. "There's something wrong with your brother." I said to him as he sighs, unaware that someone is behind the door.
"So, listen, Al." Ed said as Al faced him. "There's this thing, see... Something I've been meaning to tell you for a long time now. But I've been kinda scared I guess, of what your reaction would be." Ed said to his brother. "What?" Al asked his brother when he clenched his fist. "Damn it, it's just..." Ed said to him. "Tell me!" Al said to him. "Go on, Edward. What is it that you want to say to him?" I asked him when a long silence came by, then he closed his eyes. "No, it's nothing. Forget it." Ed said to him. "Brother, tell me!" Al said when Armstrong barges through the door. "Ladies, Gentlemen, look up at the sky! This night gives us a bounty of gifts, like a blanket of shimmering, brilliant jewels. It's a majesty that cannot be witnessed in the city, in its haze of electric light." Armstrong said when he placed his hands on Ed and Al's shoulders, and I looked out the window.
"This amazing place you're from, this quiet little village of Risembool. In exchange for its barrenness, it has much the city does not. You can lose yourself in the sky." Armstrong said to us when we all look out the window, and see some stars there. I couldn't help but smile at this. "Years ago... We used to look up at the stars almost every night, didn't we?" Ed asked us as I nodded. "Yeah. And dream." Al said to him.
*The Next Day*
After I got dressed, Winry and Grannie are preparing Ed with his new limbs. "And now the moment you've been waiting for, docking time!" Winry sang as she and her grandmother docked Ed with his new limbs. Armstrong and Al are there to watch while Alice, my father and I are also here to watch. "Yeah right, connecting to each of my nerves. I can't get enough." Ed said to her. "Don't complain, you baby. You wanna hurry up and get back to Central, don't you?" Winry asked him. "You've got that part right. This is just more motivation. I can't wait till I get my body to pure-grade flesh and bone." Ed said to her. "Well, that's going to be a real disappointment for us. We make a killing off you." Pinako said to him.
"Seriously, Ed, why go to all this trouble just for human limbs? You've got the smell of oil, the creak of synthetic muscles, the hum of spinning bearings. Who needs natural when you've got auto-mail?" Winry asked him. "Loser machine junkie." Ed said to her. "Alchemy freak!" Winry said to him as Al sweet drops and Armstrong chuckles. As I sweat-dropped when Winry and Grannie are getting ready for the main event. "Okay, we're ready. One..." Pinako trailed off. "Two..." Winry trailed off. "Three!" Winry and Pinako said all together as they connect the nerves to Ed, and he cringes in pain when they did that. Armstrong and Al just sat there with an expression of which I can't tell on their faces. "You two, get up! We're going to lay him down right here. We could use some help." Pianko said when Armstrong stood up.
No POV
Armstrong and Pinako are in another room. "I had no idea attaching auto-mail was so painful." Armstrong said to her. "I've seen it make the most hardened war heroes scream like children. It's no small matter." Pinako said to him.
Winry's POV
I sat down on the couch where Ed is recovering from the attachments. "Well? What do you think about the changed designs, Ed? I tried to make the steel eighty percent lighter than the last -go-around. After all, we can't have it weighing you down so much you never row any taller." I said to him. "That's got to be illegal." Ed said as he sat up. "Making fun of somebody's height when they're in pain like this." Ed said to me when he started moving his new limbs. "Look at you. You've already got enough energy to argue. You'll be fine. Seriously, now. The lighter weight should make you faster. But that means it's easier to break, too, so don't be reckless. You can replace automail, but you've only got one life." I said to him. "Right." Ed said to me as I stood up and stretch. "That's the first all-nighter I've pulled in a while. I'm beaten." I said to him. "Really. Winry, thanks." Ed said to me. "Don't thank me for the rush. I'm charging you a fortune." I said to him.
Isabella's POV
I was with Al after my father went back inside, and Ed came out looking good as new. "How do I look?" Ed asked one of us as I chuckled. "How do you feel? That's the question." I said to him. "Great! A hundred percent." Ed said to me. "I'm glad to hear it." Al said to him. "Yeah, I bet you are. It means now we can take care of you." Ed said to him. We were with Al along with the Major, with Al's pieces. "So, you're sure this is everything?" I asked him. "Mmhmm. The Major and the rest were very careful to pick up every piece of me." Al said to me. "Will he be able to move once he's fixed?" Armstrong asked one of us. "Yeah, well, you definitely have to know what you're doing." Alice said to him when Ed removes Al's helmet to reveal his blood seal inside. "See that seal in there?" Ed asked Armstrong as he hummed.
"That's the anchoring point. It's the intermediary between Al's soul and the armor." Ed said to him. "It was a close call, wasn't it? If that gash had been a little closer in." Al said to them. "Right, so no matter what else happens, we've gotta guard that better. Without that critical area, Al, there'd be nothing to tie you down." I said to him. "It looks like it was drawn with blood." Armstrong said to us. "Yeah. That's my blood. I was kind of in a hurry." Ed said to him when Armstrong started to spazz happily about Ed and Al's bond. "Awe-inspiring! Such a bond! Such a display of brotherly love!" Armstrong said happily when Ed put Al's helmet back on. "Back up, Major Spazz. You're getting in the way of the work here." Ed said to him when his sparkles went away. Alice and I got out of the way, and Ed can fix his brother.
"Here goes." Ed said as he claps his hands, and used alchemy to fix his brother's body with Armstrong staring in awe. Alice and I just sat back to watch the fireworks at this. Al stared at his body like it was good as new. "I feel great! Thanks, brother." Al said to him. "Ah, don't mention it. Should we do our usual routine now?" Ed asked him. "What does that mean?" Armstrong asked him. "Nothing. Just a little skirmish between brothers and friends. Our teacher told us a long time ago you have to train the body to train the mind. So we spar once in a while to test our skills. But I gotta say, in all these years, I've never beaten this tin can once." Ed said to him while hitting Al's chest playfully. "And as for me, in all these years, I've never beaten my best friend once." I said to him as well as I playfully hit Alice's arm. "Is that so? Then allow me to help you two in your goals, Edward and Isabella!" Armstrong said with his shirt off. And the four of us said no to that. "We're okay. - Yeah, we're okay. - But thanks. - Yeah, thanks a lot. - Thank you." Ed, Al, and I said to him.
FF
Ed and Al got into their positions, and Alice and I got into our own positions away from the theme. Kinda our own territory of training. "I hope you're ready for this, Al" Ed said to him as he gets ready to attack him, but Al tosses him aside and Ed get up and does it again. I did the same thing to Alice, tossing me aside, getting up again, and doing it again. Armstrong watches from the sidelines and Winry came out and sees us, and sighs at this. "Hey now, guys, don't get carried away and break yourselves again!" Winry shouted as we ignored her.
Winry's POV
I sigh at this and went back in. "Good grief... Talk about your one-track minds. They're still a couple of children." I said to myself when I noticed Ed's watch there.
Isabella's POV
The three of us continued our training, and Al tries to hit his brother, but Ed dodges it, and Al grabs his ankle and tosses him aside sending him flying. Then Armstrong came up. "Next up, me!" Armstrong said as he tackles Al.
Winry's POV
I held Ed's watch in the palm of my hands in happiness. "It'd be a crime against discovery not to find out how this thing ticks! The polished form, the curious workmanship. It's clearly the work of a master. Custom jobs are so great! I bet it's even better inside! I wanna take it apart! Oh, please, I wanna put it back together again!" I said to myself when I turned my head to the side. "Edward?" I called and face back to the watch. "Whoops." I said with a couple of screws in my hand, and with a smirk on my face.
Isabella's POV
"You better watch it!" Al said when he and Armstrong collided with one another. "You're strong, but your attitude's soft. You'll never win like this!" Armstrong said when lifts Al and tosses him aside, unaware that I'm still sparring with Alice. "Brother?" Al called to his brother. "Damn..." Ed cursed out.
Winry's POV
I opened Ed's watch and see something inside his watch. "Forget what?" I questioned at the inscription on his watch. ((HN: "For those who care about the inscription in Ed's watch, it says "Don't Forget, October the 3rd, year 10". But in the manga and Brotherhood, it's actually 11. But I promise you that the author will have a story that follows that series in the future. Okay, sorry, back to the show."))
Isabella's POV
Ed and Al are evenly matched against Armstrong while I continued our own sparring. "What's the matter, Elrics? Is that all you've got?" Armstrong asked them when the two charged at him, with Al coming up and he and Armstrong collided with one another again. Ed then came under, and knocks Armstrong off his feet and Al gives him the final blow by sending him to the ground. The two realized that they had beaten Armstrong and they cheered for that. "All right!" The two shouted out of victory. "Yeah!" Ed shouted out. "I can't believe it!" Al shouted out. "We did it! We got him!" Ed shouted out. "We really got him!" Al shouted out. "Good job, brother!" Ed shouted out to him. "Yeah!" Al shouted when Armstrong chuckles, and Alice and I stopped our sparring to see those two cheering for their victory. I sweat-dropped at the sight of this.
No POV
Ed is taking a shower after a long day of training, and he turns the water off and sighs in relief. But then he noticed someone coming and turns to see Winry there with a sad look on her face.
Winry's POV
I had a sad look on my face when Ed saw me there. "Winry? Is there something wrong?" Ed asked me. "I'm sorry, Ed. I'm sorry." I said to him which made him confused at what I said to him. I revealed his watch in my hand and he started freaking out at this and faced me. "You've got some nerve!" Ed said to me. " I know. I didn't mean to see." I said to him when he sighs and walks up to me. "Ah, hell. No one's seen that dumb thing, not even Al." Ed said to me when he takes his watch back. "I'm sorry." I said to him. "I'm one tough survivor, aren't I? Having to carry around my guilty motivation in my pocket, like some sniveling little kid with a magic charm." Ed said to me. "Edward..." I said to him.
"We've got no home, no family. The only thing that makes sense in moving forward. But I'm still wasting all this time here looking back." Ed said to me as I teared up at this. "What's wasted? How can you say that? What about Grandma and me? We're a home that's always been here! Why do want to keep shutting everything out?" I asked him as I sobbed. "Don't be dramatic... What the hell are you getting teary about, anyway?" Ed asked me when tears went down my face. "Because you won't. Neither of you will, after all this time. So I'm crying for you all." I said to him with sadness in my voice as I sobbed.
(Night Time)
Nightfall came and I looked out the window. "Where could they have gone?" I questioned when I faced my grandmother and Roberta's father. "Didn't you tell them that we were having dinner?" I asked my grandmother. "You needn't worry, Winry, I'm sure they'll be along shortly. We just have to wait for them to return like we always have." Grandma said to me. "She's right, Winry. Besides, my Roberta's a tough girl. She's a young woman who will ultimately choose the path she believes to be right." Mark said to me as I sigh.
Isabella's POV
The three of us along with Armstrong are in front of the remains of Ed and Al's home, and Al shows Armstrong how they used to live. "This is where the front door was, and the living room. We'd start it when it got cold. You'd always find an excuse, so you wouldn't have to chop wood yourself." Al said to him when he and Ed remember when they were young. "Whenever we stayed out too late, Mom would flash a lamp from a second-story window. It was bright, and it cut through the darkness, all across the hills. And no matter where we were, we could see it, and we'd keep running home." Al said to him. "Yeah. I forgot about that." Ed said to him.
"You kids are fools, you do have a home, with a caring family waiting for you." Armstrong said to us as we faced him with a smile on his face. We were walking down the dirt road when Al sees something. "Brother, Isabella, look." Al said when he pointed in the direction where the light came from. Turns out that Winry did that so she can help us get back home. Al started running towards the house, and Ed and I couldn't help but smile and walk towards the house.
(The Next Day)
We decided to say our goodbyes to Winry and Grannie the next day. "Now you kids don't be strangers. You come back and have dinner with us sometime soon, you hear?" Pinako said to us. "We will." I said to her. "Home sweet home, right," Ed said when he faced his brother. "Thank you, granny." Al said to her. "Yes, your hospitality has been immeasurable." Armstrong said to her. "So you'll come home soon?" Winry asked Ed. "Yeah." Ed said to her.
Winry's POV
We watched them wave at us from who is also waving at them. "Granny?" I called. "Huh?" Grandma asked me. "I read the inside of Ed's watch. He engraved something on it. "Don't forget." And the date they burned down their house and left. But what, exactly, do you think he wanted to remember?" I asked them as we looked in the distance where they were waving at us.
{Opening song}
Tobira no Mukou e/ YeLLOW Generation