06-24-2007, 04:05 PM
Rikdo Osaka's Notes: This Fullmetal Alchemist fan fiction story is a fan-made fiction written by me so it's not meant for profit. It's set in an alternative universe exploring what might be different if Edward Elric was a female named Sara Elric. This series will have spin off stories like crossovers as well as people from our world ending up in this alternative universe of Fullmetal Alchemist. Oh yes, I kind of used part of Syldoran's Alchemical Experience's chapter 22 since she was going to say the same thing anyways, I edited it a bit however so I hope she don't mind since this the only time I use do that.
Alternative Fullmetal Alchemist Series
Written by Rikdo Osaka
Rewitten by Syldoran
Chapter 1: The Death of a Mother
An eight year old, golden haired girl and her seven year old brother perused though their father's study, trying to find something that would interest them. All they found in the room was a book titled "The Basics of Alchemy,■ which sounded like an interesting book for them to read. The girl grabbed the volume before siting down on the floor, and began to read, with her brother reading it next to her.
"Do you understand any of this, Sara?" the young boy asked, not really understanding anything in the book at all.
"Well, Al, if we take the time to read this book then I'm sure we will get it." said Sara, trying to understand the basic factions of the transmutation circles and the physical principle of ⌠equivalent exchange.■
"It says here that something of equal value must be lost in order to get something out of it. What does that mean?" asked a very confused Alphonse. He didn't comprehend exactly what he was reading meant, but his older sister did.
"It's a very simple explanation," she said pointing to the picture of a radio. "It's an equation. Your output has to be of equal mass and materials to what you started with and the base elements have to be similar too. Like the radio in this book, you couldn't make it bigger, or a tree, or something along those lines."
Alphonse nodded, now understanding what she had just told him. Then an idea popped into his head. "I know! Why don't we make a present for Winry when we learn more about alchemy?■
"Sure. That would be cool!" she said, laughing a bit before returning to reading the book.
--------------------
Trisha placed a loaf of bread in the large paper grocery bag that contained the rest of her purchases. She walked up to the counter and rang the service bell. The woman behind turned around to face Mrs. Elric.
"Hi there Trisha, how are the kids?" asked the woman as Trisha handed her the money.
"They are doing alright, they just can't help with staying out of trouble but they are good kids " Trisha giggled a bit, making the woman smile.
"You have been raising them well without a father," said the woman giving her some change back. "Still waiting for Hohenheim to return to you?"
"Yeah..." said Trisha sighing sadly.
"I'm sure he'll come back to you... he does have two kids to come back to, after all," said the woman, attempting to cheer Trisha up. It worked, since the mother of two smiled after.
"Thanks" was all she said before leaving the market with her bag of groceries.
--------------------
Sara and Al walked down the packed dirt path until they made it to a two-story house that had a sign post that read "Rockbell's Automail Mechanic Services" on it. The two siblings looked at each other and nodded before walking up to the door and knocking. They waited until someone answered the door and saw that it was a man and woman in their late thirties.
"Oh, hi, you two, what brings you here today?" asked the man.
"Oh, we're here to play with Winry. We want to show her something we learned!" Al replied cheerily, while Sara simply nodded her head.
"Alright, come on in." said Winry's father, letting the two siblings into their house. "Winry! Your friends are here to see you!"
It wasn't long until their daughter, Winry Rockbell, came downstairs with her favorite puppy, Den, following behind her. When she saw the two there, she smiled and started to hug the two making Alphonse the only one that was blushing.
"Did you two come to play?" asked Winry, as Sara and Alphonse looked at each other with a smile on their faces before looking back at Winry.
"We came here to give you a present and we were wondering if we could use your room for it," Sara said. Winry gave her a confused look while her parents knew what Sara meant by that.
"Sure. Go ahead and be sure to use something that can be cleaned away with water." Winry's mom said while Sara nodded.
"Don't worry, Mrs. Rockwell, we have something that's washable." Sara giggled, before facing her brother and Winry. "Come on, let's go and do this!"
Mrs. Rockbell couldn't help but smile at the two children as they went upstairs to Winry's room. She couldn't believe that they learned the art of alchemy so fast at that age. Then again, mastering the basics wasn't that hard for them to do and it gave them to something to do.
Upstairs, Winry was stood with her dog in her arms, watching her two friends drawing something on the ground with a piece of chalk. She didn't understand what they were doing but she was getting bored just watching.
"Hey, I'm getting bored," Winry whined.
"We're almost done, Winry." Al assured her as they put in the finishing touches on the transmutation circle. When they finished, Al noticed an error and corrected his mistake, thoroughly erasing the original marking before replacing it with the correct one. Sara and Al each got out a small money bag, and emptied the contents -sand, actually- in the middle of their array.
"We're done! What do you think, Winry?" Sara asked, getting down on her knees as did her brother.
"You call that a present? That's just a drawing... what's the real present?" Winry replied, not really liking their ⌠gift.■
"That's not the present, it's just an outline for one. You ready, Al?" Sara asked her brother, who nodded back.
They clapped their hands and placed them on the transmutation circle, resulting in a flurry of electric blue sparks surrounding the two amateurs. Winry watched in awe as the sand began to shift before her eyes, and soon her expression turned to terror when she saw the demon-like sand taking form. Sara and Al stopped what they were doing when they were finished and rushed to Winry's side to comfort her.
--------------------
Trisha sat down gracefully in a wooden chair in the Rockbell residence, silently observing as Winry's parents attempted to calm the frightened young girl. Trisha sympathized with her, having had the same reaction when she first saw alchemy.
"Sweetie, they weren't trying to scare you, they went out of their way to make that for you," Mrs. Rockbell said soothingly, as a short elderly lady entered the room with the doll that Sara and Al made for Winry.
"That's right. I must say that those two will made great alchemists someday. I mean, look at this craftsmanship," Granny Rockbell said, holding up the well-made doll. "I know they learned the basics, but at such a young is so unheard of."
"I know... I didn't think they would be interested in alchemy," Trisha said, contemplating the thoughts.
"Here you go, and be sure to thank them." Granny Rockbell said, giving the doll to Winy. The girl smiled as she looked the doll over.
Outside a short while later, the Elric family was all ready to go back home. Sara and Al laid on their backs and stared up at the sky, seeing what shapes they could make of the clouds. Footsteps sounded behind them, and when they sat up, the two saw their mother approaching, smiling as always.
⌠It's about time we go home,■ Trisha said gently. Winry popped out from behind her.
"Hey, thanks again for making me that doll!" Winry said with a smile before going back into the house.
"Does that mean we're not in trouble?" asked Sara. Her mother nodded.
"Come on you two, let's go home," said Mrs. Elric, walking down the dirt path, followed by her children.
--------------------Perhaps a month later--------------------
It was a nice bright sunny day, and the two kids were playing outside while their mother was doing the laudry, hanging clean clothes on the line outside. Al and Sara had been very busy trying to learn more about alchemy; too busy, in fact, to even visit Winry while her parents were in the Ishbal war working as doctors. The mother finished what she was doing and watched her two children playing in front of her.
"Do you think we should go visit Winry today?" Al asked, resting on the grass.
"Huh?" was all Sara could say.
"I mean, since her parents are away and all she has is Granny Rockbell... I thought we could visit her since we haven't been seeing her in awhile," Al explained, making Sara smile and pat her brother on the back.
"Well, it looks like my brother has gotten bitten by the love bug," Sara giggled making her brother blush.
"It's not that, I just think we should just go and play with her," Al protested, as Sara nodded in agreement.
"Mom, can we visit Winry's place?" Sara asked, getting a nod from her mother.
"Sure. Just be back before dinner, okay?" Ms. Elric told them.
--------------------
They entered the house of the Rockbells and saw Winry siting down on a chair with her head face down on the table, crying. It wasn't until Granny Rockbell showed up and told them the reason for Winry's crying, which shocked the both of them.
"W-what d-do you mean?" Sara stuttered, the words failing her.
"My parents are dead, okay?!" Winry yelled at them as more tears ran down her cheeks.
"B-but how?" Alphonse asked, he couldn't believe that her parents died.
"T-there was an attack on where they were stationed... th-that's all the letter said," Winry sobbed, as Al walked up to her.
"Winry, our dad is gone too and we do just fine-" Al was cut off by Winry pounding the table with her fists.
"Don't be stupid, Al! Your dad just ran off! Mine will never come back!" Winry yelled in anger, making Al back away.
"Alphonse, I think we should leave," Sara said clearly, also tearing up about the news. "I think Winry needs time alone right now with her grandma.■
"Yeah... Bye, Winry and bye, Granny Rockbell," Alphonse waved at the two before leaving the house
"Poor Winry, I feel sorry for her." Al said as he walked beside his sister. He noticed Sara didn't respond and asked, "What's the matter?
"Something about the letter troubles me," Sara answered, watching the path they were walking on.
"You think the State is keeping something from them about Mrs. and Mr. Rockbell, right?" Al asked, as Sara nodded and looked at him.
"Yeah... I think so," Sara replied.
They soon made it to the house and saw their mother hanging the rest of the clothes to dry out in the sun. Al and Sara ran up to her and started to hug their mother like they would never see her ever again.
"What's wrong, you two? Did something happen?" their mother asked but got no reply from them as they cried into her apron. Trisha stood there for a second before she started to hug the two back, trying to cheer them up.
--------------------Two years later--------------------
Both Sara and Al were raced down the path to see who would get to the house first as they each carried a basket full of food. The winner to make it home first was none other than Alphonse. Sara high-fived him and used her free hand to open the door. The two entered the house cheerily, winded from their run.
⌠Mom, we're back with the grocer-■ Sara was cut short by a shocking sight. Trisha was lying, unmoving, on the floor. Sara and Al knelt down next to her, eyes wide, shaking their mother gently by the shoulder and calling to her to wake up.
"Al, call the doctor now!" Sara ordered, Al did as he was told while Sara stayed at her mom's side.
--------------------
Sara and Al sat nervously outside the door with Winry and Pinako, awaiting any news about their mother. The doctor had been looking her over for about a half hour now, and as every minute ticked by the group was more anxious.
When the doctor finally came from the room, letting the door click quietly behind him, his expression was grave. Sara and Alphonse looked to him, desperate for any good news. The doctor shook his head slowly, the only explanation they needed.
"Y-You m-mean she's going to d-die?" asked Sara, unable to believe what she was hearing.
"Yes, it looks like she had it for years not telling anyone about it," the doctor explained. "My guess worrying for Hohenheim and trying to take care of you cause her sickness."
Sara's face turned to rage once she heard her father's name, but she calmed down a bit and said, "Can we see her?"
"Yeah.." said the doctor letting them all enter the room.
Their mother lay weakly in bed, her face pale. When the group entered the room, a small smile spread across her lips.
"Mom, what are we going to do without you?" Al stammered, tears welling in his eyes and running down his cheeks.
⌠I know you'll be fine,■ Trisha said weakly. ⌠You're both smart... and very strong, just like your father...■
"But-■ Sara was interrupted by her mother.
"There's money in the your father's study... that will last you for awhile.. I want you to use it to...buy food or whatever you want," said Trisha gently. "There's...one other thing I want you...to do for me...■
"What is it?■ Alphonse asked quickly.
"I want you to transmute... flowers for me... your father used to make for me..." These were the last words that they were going to hear from her. She closed her eyes, and her breathing slowed to a halt.
--------------------
Many in Resembool showed to Trisha's funeral, offering comfort and support to the two siblings. Sara and Al hardly noticed the people, and as time passed, the guests left, leaving the two alone near the grave under the tree.
"Sara, how are we going to..." Al trailed off as Sara stood there looking at their mother's gravestone.
"We're not, Al, we're going to bring her back," Sara muttered.
"What? But how?" Al asked. Sara looked back at him.
"Let's go back home and I'll show you" was all she said before running down the path to their home as her brother followed.
Sara and Al chorused a sigh as they closed yet another alchemy book. Their father's study was full of the things, keeping them rather busy in the three days it'd been since their mother's death.
"Sara, do you think we should get an teacher that knows alchemy?" Al asked. Sara gave it a moment's thought.
⌠I like that idea, it'd make it easier for us to understand all of this,■ Sara agreed.
Al hesitated for a moment, then said, ⌠Sara, do you think we really should be doing something like this? I mean, every one of these books-■ he gestured to the piles, ⌠-have said human transmutation is forbidden. If we 're really going to do it, maybe we should ask for Dad's help-■
"We don't need that bastard's help!!" Sara interrupted, her yell echoing back at her off the walls. She nearly dropped the books she was holding in sheer rage.
⌠S-sorry,■ Alphonse backed away from his sister. "Do you want to ask Granny Rockbell if she knows an alchemy teacher?"
"Fine... let's go, Al," Sara ordered leaving the room followed by her brother.
The two kids entered the house of Winry and her grandma to the pleasant sound of food being made in kitchen. They walked in and saw Winry setting the table while Granny Rockbell was doing the cooking. They sighed and took a seat in their own chairs waiting for food to be ready before they bombed Pinako with the question.
"Dinner will be ready soon," said Granny. Sara frowned but didn't say anything.
"Hey, I wanted to say that you can call this place your new home," Winry said with a grin. Sara and Al nodded to show they heard her.
Sara looked at Al, who give her the "tell her" look, and turned her head to face Winry's grandma. "Oh Granny Rockbell, after we eat, there's something we'd like to tell you.■
"You can ask me now if you like." Granny Rockbell said, continuing to focus on her cooking.
"Uh... well.. we were wondering if you knew any alchemy teachers around?" Sara asked.
"Alchemy teachers? Well, there's Izumi Curtis in Dublith," Pinako answered, turning off the fire. ⌠Though her taking apprentices is rather unheard of.■
"Izumi Curtis? Isn't she the one that can do alchemy without a transmutation circle?" Al asked with a smile as Winry put on oven mitts and helped her grandma by serving the food.
"Yes. May I ask why you want an alchemy teacher?" the old woman asked rising an eyebrow at them.
"Uhh... well... Mom used to say that we'd be great alchemists, and we want to prove it," lied Sara quickly.
"I see... well we're talk more about this after we finished eating." Granny said as all started to dig into their soup.
--------------------
"Thanks, Mrs. Harrison." said as a teenage couple as they got their change and left with the food they bought.
The store owner, known as Mrs. Harrison, smiled at the young couple leaving the store and knew that sometime that Al and Sara would have someone. She felt sorry for the two Elrics, and always tried to support whenever they appeared to get candy or food. The ring of the bell snapped her from her thoughts as the two siblings came in.
"Hey, Mrs. Harrison, can we ask you something?" Al asked, as Sara stood by his side.
"Sure, what is it?" Mrs. Harrison asked, smiling at the two.
"We were wondering if you could take us to Dublith to see Izumi Curtis," Sara said putting her hands into her pockets. "We want to become her students."
Mrs. Harrison was shocked that they would want to be the students of Izumi Curtis, known everywhere in Amestris as the woman who could do alchemy without a transmutation circle. She sighed, knowing that changing their minds wasn't going to happen anytime soon, so she was going to take them there anyways.
"Fine, I want you to go to the train station and wait for me while I talk to my daughter about taking over the store for me,■ Mrs. Harrison said, earning a nod from the two children.
--------------------
Al and Sara waited at the train station for Mrs. Harrison to arrive. To pass the time, they looked at the time board, where it listed the arrivals and departures of trains. From this, they learned that the train they were to take was due to leave soon, making a stop in Dublith before continuing to Osaka.
"Well, she better hurry if we going to go on this train," Sara said with a sigh.
"Don't worry about it, I'm sure she would make it," Al reassured her, and then asked, "What do you think Izumi is like, Sara?"
"How should I know? I never met the woman!" Sara exclaimed, making Alphonse laugh a bit.
Sara smiled at her brother and jokingly snapped him on the back of the head before going back to waiting for Mrs. Harrison. It didn't long for them to see her jogging up to them with a little bag filled with food.
"Sorry to keep you waiting, let's go get our tickets,■ said Mrs. Harrison, trying to catch her breath.
Sara and nodded their heads before following Mrs. Harrison to the ticket manager and got themselves three tickets. All three boarded the train before Winry and her grandma ran up to the train car they were on.
"We just wanted to say 'bye before you leave and stay out of trouble while in Dublith,■ Winry giggled getting a smile from Sara and Al.
"Don't worry about us, we're going to be fine!" came the enthusiastic reply from Sara and Al. The train conductor called for passengers to begin boarding soon before the train left, as Winry and and her waved them goodbye, and it soon disappeared.
---------------------
A window slid open, and Sara poked her head out and saw the town of Dublith up ahead. She was amazed at how beautiful the place was with its village-like feel, with its buildings and clean-looking streets. The train stopped at the station, leaving behind about one hundred people who came to Dublith for a vacation or to see family.
"So, where should we start?" Sara asked, as her and the other two left the station and walked into the streets.
"Ask around the town," Mrs. Harrison responded. "That way we can find Curtis' place much easier.■
"Hey there, you know where Izumi Curtis lives?■ Sara said to a kid with a tool box.
"She should be working over there,■ the kid said pointed to a building that sold meat.
"Alright, thanks," said Sara as the kid left the area and then turned around to Al and Mrs. Harrison. "That was easy!"
"Yup, let's just go," Al remarked. The three headed to the meat store and entered to see a husky and well-built man standing behind the counter giving change to a mother. Sara and Al looked at each other and went up to the man when the woman left the store. The two kids could guess this man was the husband of Izumi Curtis and looked like he was a man of a few words.
"We're looking for Izumi Curtis!" the two kids said in an eagerly tone.
"Why are you looking for me?" a fit-appearing woman asked, coming from a back room.
Before she knew it, the two kids were on their knees yelling, ⌠Make us your apprentices!■
"No,■ was what she responded with, a little taken back by the wild request from these children. "You two are far too young to be my apprentices! Besides, what would your parents think?"
"They don't have family, at least, not anymore," Mrs. Harrison said, walking up to the woman. "Their father left them and their mother passed away recently.■
Izumi looked at the determined eyes of Sara and Al; their expressions told her they weren't stupid and were willing to learn from her at whatever cost. She smiled at the two, turned to go back into the room that she came from, getting confused glances exchanged between the Elrics.
"Well, aren't you coming?" the woman asked stopping mid-way.
"What?" Al asked, looking up at Izumi.
"If you're both serious, come on,■ Izumi said, gesturing with one hand into the room.
"So you really intend to teach us alchemy?" Sara asked, thinking this was going to be easier than she originally thought.
"If you pass the test I have in store for you, then I will teach you, but if you don't, you'll be sent straight back home. Understand?" Izumi asked, expecting a suitable answer.
"Of course, we won't let you down!" Al exclaimed.
"You can count on us!" Sara said, as the two got back up and followed the older woman into the room. Mrs. Harrison smiled and left the store, looking for an inn to stay at so she could catch a train home in the morning.
--------------------
The next morning, the mainland was slowly disappearing from view as the small boat rowed farther and farther away, and closer to a small island. Sara and Al passed time by playfully sticking their hands over the side of the boat and splashing each other's faces, laughing joyously. In no time, they made it to land and all three climbed out of the craft, all but the man who rowed them out. The kids looked around seeing nothing but trees up ahead (which was still neat in their eyes) until Izumi walked up behind them.
"Do we begin our..." Sara didn't get a chance to finish when she was handed a leather sheath with a dagger-style knife inside.
"You'll be on this island for the next month," said Izumi, her dark eyes intently focused on her possible to-be apprentices. "You two are to survive on your own until the end of that time. If you can't, that shows me that you aren't worth my time to train. There's no alchemy permitted while you are here. You are to survive on your own, with nothing but the knife you have now.■
"What!?" they both yelled.
"And one last thing," Izumi said, looking back at the two shocked kids. " 'All for one and one for all.' You must be able to tell me exactly what that means. If you can't, you'll fail."
Izumi turned and got back into the boat before it left them behind on the island to survive on their own. A rather mad Sara ran up to edge of the water and started to yell at the top of her lugs.
"Get back here, you old hag!" When Sara screamed this, a rock was thrown back, hitting her squarely in the head and knocking her down.
"She's scary..." Al muttered, dragging his sister into the forest.
Alternative Fullmetal Alchemist Series
Written by Rikdo Osaka
Rewitten by Syldoran
Chapter 1: The Death of a Mother
An eight year old, golden haired girl and her seven year old brother perused though their father's study, trying to find something that would interest them. All they found in the room was a book titled "The Basics of Alchemy,■ which sounded like an interesting book for them to read. The girl grabbed the volume before siting down on the floor, and began to read, with her brother reading it next to her.
"Do you understand any of this, Sara?" the young boy asked, not really understanding anything in the book at all.
"Well, Al, if we take the time to read this book then I'm sure we will get it." said Sara, trying to understand the basic factions of the transmutation circles and the physical principle of ⌠equivalent exchange.■
"It says here that something of equal value must be lost in order to get something out of it. What does that mean?" asked a very confused Alphonse. He didn't comprehend exactly what he was reading meant, but his older sister did.
"It's a very simple explanation," she said pointing to the picture of a radio. "It's an equation. Your output has to be of equal mass and materials to what you started with and the base elements have to be similar too. Like the radio in this book, you couldn't make it bigger, or a tree, or something along those lines."
Alphonse nodded, now understanding what she had just told him. Then an idea popped into his head. "I know! Why don't we make a present for Winry when we learn more about alchemy?■
"Sure. That would be cool!" she said, laughing a bit before returning to reading the book.
--------------------
Trisha placed a loaf of bread in the large paper grocery bag that contained the rest of her purchases. She walked up to the counter and rang the service bell. The woman behind turned around to face Mrs. Elric.
"Hi there Trisha, how are the kids?" asked the woman as Trisha handed her the money.
"They are doing alright, they just can't help with staying out of trouble but they are good kids " Trisha giggled a bit, making the woman smile.
"You have been raising them well without a father," said the woman giving her some change back. "Still waiting for Hohenheim to return to you?"
"Yeah..." said Trisha sighing sadly.
"I'm sure he'll come back to you... he does have two kids to come back to, after all," said the woman, attempting to cheer Trisha up. It worked, since the mother of two smiled after.
"Thanks" was all she said before leaving the market with her bag of groceries.
--------------------
Sara and Al walked down the packed dirt path until they made it to a two-story house that had a sign post that read "Rockbell's Automail Mechanic Services" on it. The two siblings looked at each other and nodded before walking up to the door and knocking. They waited until someone answered the door and saw that it was a man and woman in their late thirties.
"Oh, hi, you two, what brings you here today?" asked the man.
"Oh, we're here to play with Winry. We want to show her something we learned!" Al replied cheerily, while Sara simply nodded her head.
"Alright, come on in." said Winry's father, letting the two siblings into their house. "Winry! Your friends are here to see you!"
It wasn't long until their daughter, Winry Rockbell, came downstairs with her favorite puppy, Den, following behind her. When she saw the two there, she smiled and started to hug the two making Alphonse the only one that was blushing.
"Did you two come to play?" asked Winry, as Sara and Alphonse looked at each other with a smile on their faces before looking back at Winry.
"We came here to give you a present and we were wondering if we could use your room for it," Sara said. Winry gave her a confused look while her parents knew what Sara meant by that.
"Sure. Go ahead and be sure to use something that can be cleaned away with water." Winry's mom said while Sara nodded.
"Don't worry, Mrs. Rockwell, we have something that's washable." Sara giggled, before facing her brother and Winry. "Come on, let's go and do this!"
Mrs. Rockbell couldn't help but smile at the two children as they went upstairs to Winry's room. She couldn't believe that they learned the art of alchemy so fast at that age. Then again, mastering the basics wasn't that hard for them to do and it gave them to something to do.
Upstairs, Winry was stood with her dog in her arms, watching her two friends drawing something on the ground with a piece of chalk. She didn't understand what they were doing but she was getting bored just watching.
"Hey, I'm getting bored," Winry whined.
"We're almost done, Winry." Al assured her as they put in the finishing touches on the transmutation circle. When they finished, Al noticed an error and corrected his mistake, thoroughly erasing the original marking before replacing it with the correct one. Sara and Al each got out a small money bag, and emptied the contents -sand, actually- in the middle of their array.
"We're done! What do you think, Winry?" Sara asked, getting down on her knees as did her brother.
"You call that a present? That's just a drawing... what's the real present?" Winry replied, not really liking their ⌠gift.■
"That's not the present, it's just an outline for one. You ready, Al?" Sara asked her brother, who nodded back.
They clapped their hands and placed them on the transmutation circle, resulting in a flurry of electric blue sparks surrounding the two amateurs. Winry watched in awe as the sand began to shift before her eyes, and soon her expression turned to terror when she saw the demon-like sand taking form. Sara and Al stopped what they were doing when they were finished and rushed to Winry's side to comfort her.
--------------------
Trisha sat down gracefully in a wooden chair in the Rockbell residence, silently observing as Winry's parents attempted to calm the frightened young girl. Trisha sympathized with her, having had the same reaction when she first saw alchemy.
"Sweetie, they weren't trying to scare you, they went out of their way to make that for you," Mrs. Rockbell said soothingly, as a short elderly lady entered the room with the doll that Sara and Al made for Winry.
"That's right. I must say that those two will made great alchemists someday. I mean, look at this craftsmanship," Granny Rockbell said, holding up the well-made doll. "I know they learned the basics, but at such a young is so unheard of."
"I know... I didn't think they would be interested in alchemy," Trisha said, contemplating the thoughts.
"Here you go, and be sure to thank them." Granny Rockbell said, giving the doll to Winy. The girl smiled as she looked the doll over.
Outside a short while later, the Elric family was all ready to go back home. Sara and Al laid on their backs and stared up at the sky, seeing what shapes they could make of the clouds. Footsteps sounded behind them, and when they sat up, the two saw their mother approaching, smiling as always.
⌠It's about time we go home,■ Trisha said gently. Winry popped out from behind her.
"Hey, thanks again for making me that doll!" Winry said with a smile before going back into the house.
"Does that mean we're not in trouble?" asked Sara. Her mother nodded.
"Come on you two, let's go home," said Mrs. Elric, walking down the dirt path, followed by her children.
--------------------Perhaps a month later--------------------
It was a nice bright sunny day, and the two kids were playing outside while their mother was doing the laudry, hanging clean clothes on the line outside. Al and Sara had been very busy trying to learn more about alchemy; too busy, in fact, to even visit Winry while her parents were in the Ishbal war working as doctors. The mother finished what she was doing and watched her two children playing in front of her.
"Do you think we should go visit Winry today?" Al asked, resting on the grass.
"Huh?" was all Sara could say.
"I mean, since her parents are away and all she has is Granny Rockbell... I thought we could visit her since we haven't been seeing her in awhile," Al explained, making Sara smile and pat her brother on the back.
"Well, it looks like my brother has gotten bitten by the love bug," Sara giggled making her brother blush.
"It's not that, I just think we should just go and play with her," Al protested, as Sara nodded in agreement.
"Mom, can we visit Winry's place?" Sara asked, getting a nod from her mother.
"Sure. Just be back before dinner, okay?" Ms. Elric told them.
--------------------
They entered the house of the Rockbells and saw Winry siting down on a chair with her head face down on the table, crying. It wasn't until Granny Rockbell showed up and told them the reason for Winry's crying, which shocked the both of them.
"W-what d-do you mean?" Sara stuttered, the words failing her.
"My parents are dead, okay?!" Winry yelled at them as more tears ran down her cheeks.
"B-but how?" Alphonse asked, he couldn't believe that her parents died.
"T-there was an attack on where they were stationed... th-that's all the letter said," Winry sobbed, as Al walked up to her.
"Winry, our dad is gone too and we do just fine-" Al was cut off by Winry pounding the table with her fists.
"Don't be stupid, Al! Your dad just ran off! Mine will never come back!" Winry yelled in anger, making Al back away.
"Alphonse, I think we should leave," Sara said clearly, also tearing up about the news. "I think Winry needs time alone right now with her grandma.■
"Yeah... Bye, Winry and bye, Granny Rockbell," Alphonse waved at the two before leaving the house
"Poor Winry, I feel sorry for her." Al said as he walked beside his sister. He noticed Sara didn't respond and asked, "What's the matter?
"Something about the letter troubles me," Sara answered, watching the path they were walking on.
"You think the State is keeping something from them about Mrs. and Mr. Rockbell, right?" Al asked, as Sara nodded and looked at him.
"Yeah... I think so," Sara replied.
They soon made it to the house and saw their mother hanging the rest of the clothes to dry out in the sun. Al and Sara ran up to her and started to hug their mother like they would never see her ever again.
"What's wrong, you two? Did something happen?" their mother asked but got no reply from them as they cried into her apron. Trisha stood there for a second before she started to hug the two back, trying to cheer them up.
--------------------Two years later--------------------
Both Sara and Al were raced down the path to see who would get to the house first as they each carried a basket full of food. The winner to make it home first was none other than Alphonse. Sara high-fived him and used her free hand to open the door. The two entered the house cheerily, winded from their run.
⌠Mom, we're back with the grocer-■ Sara was cut short by a shocking sight. Trisha was lying, unmoving, on the floor. Sara and Al knelt down next to her, eyes wide, shaking their mother gently by the shoulder and calling to her to wake up.
"Al, call the doctor now!" Sara ordered, Al did as he was told while Sara stayed at her mom's side.
--------------------
Sara and Al sat nervously outside the door with Winry and Pinako, awaiting any news about their mother. The doctor had been looking her over for about a half hour now, and as every minute ticked by the group was more anxious.
When the doctor finally came from the room, letting the door click quietly behind him, his expression was grave. Sara and Alphonse looked to him, desperate for any good news. The doctor shook his head slowly, the only explanation they needed.
"Y-You m-mean she's going to d-die?" asked Sara, unable to believe what she was hearing.
"Yes, it looks like she had it for years not telling anyone about it," the doctor explained. "My guess worrying for Hohenheim and trying to take care of you cause her sickness."
Sara's face turned to rage once she heard her father's name, but she calmed down a bit and said, "Can we see her?"
"Yeah.." said the doctor letting them all enter the room.
Their mother lay weakly in bed, her face pale. When the group entered the room, a small smile spread across her lips.
"Mom, what are we going to do without you?" Al stammered, tears welling in his eyes and running down his cheeks.
⌠I know you'll be fine,■ Trisha said weakly. ⌠You're both smart... and very strong, just like your father...■
"But-■ Sara was interrupted by her mother.
"There's money in the your father's study... that will last you for awhile.. I want you to use it to...buy food or whatever you want," said Trisha gently. "There's...one other thing I want you...to do for me...■
"What is it?■ Alphonse asked quickly.
"I want you to transmute... flowers for me... your father used to make for me..." These were the last words that they were going to hear from her. She closed her eyes, and her breathing slowed to a halt.
--------------------
Many in Resembool showed to Trisha's funeral, offering comfort and support to the two siblings. Sara and Al hardly noticed the people, and as time passed, the guests left, leaving the two alone near the grave under the tree.
"Sara, how are we going to..." Al trailed off as Sara stood there looking at their mother's gravestone.
"We're not, Al, we're going to bring her back," Sara muttered.
"What? But how?" Al asked. Sara looked back at him.
"Let's go back home and I'll show you" was all she said before running down the path to their home as her brother followed.
Sara and Al chorused a sigh as they closed yet another alchemy book. Their father's study was full of the things, keeping them rather busy in the three days it'd been since their mother's death.
"Sara, do you think we should get an teacher that knows alchemy?" Al asked. Sara gave it a moment's thought.
⌠I like that idea, it'd make it easier for us to understand all of this,■ Sara agreed.
Al hesitated for a moment, then said, ⌠Sara, do you think we really should be doing something like this? I mean, every one of these books-■ he gestured to the piles, ⌠-have said human transmutation is forbidden. If we 're really going to do it, maybe we should ask for Dad's help-■
"We don't need that bastard's help!!" Sara interrupted, her yell echoing back at her off the walls. She nearly dropped the books she was holding in sheer rage.
⌠S-sorry,■ Alphonse backed away from his sister. "Do you want to ask Granny Rockbell if she knows an alchemy teacher?"
"Fine... let's go, Al," Sara ordered leaving the room followed by her brother.
The two kids entered the house of Winry and her grandma to the pleasant sound of food being made in kitchen. They walked in and saw Winry setting the table while Granny Rockbell was doing the cooking. They sighed and took a seat in their own chairs waiting for food to be ready before they bombed Pinako with the question.
"Dinner will be ready soon," said Granny. Sara frowned but didn't say anything.
"Hey, I wanted to say that you can call this place your new home," Winry said with a grin. Sara and Al nodded to show they heard her.
Sara looked at Al, who give her the "tell her" look, and turned her head to face Winry's grandma. "Oh Granny Rockbell, after we eat, there's something we'd like to tell you.■
"You can ask me now if you like." Granny Rockbell said, continuing to focus on her cooking.
"Uh... well.. we were wondering if you knew any alchemy teachers around?" Sara asked.
"Alchemy teachers? Well, there's Izumi Curtis in Dublith," Pinako answered, turning off the fire. ⌠Though her taking apprentices is rather unheard of.■
"Izumi Curtis? Isn't she the one that can do alchemy without a transmutation circle?" Al asked with a smile as Winry put on oven mitts and helped her grandma by serving the food.
"Yes. May I ask why you want an alchemy teacher?" the old woman asked rising an eyebrow at them.
"Uhh... well... Mom used to say that we'd be great alchemists, and we want to prove it," lied Sara quickly.
"I see... well we're talk more about this after we finished eating." Granny said as all started to dig into their soup.
--------------------
"Thanks, Mrs. Harrison." said as a teenage couple as they got their change and left with the food they bought.
The store owner, known as Mrs. Harrison, smiled at the young couple leaving the store and knew that sometime that Al and Sara would have someone. She felt sorry for the two Elrics, and always tried to support whenever they appeared to get candy or food. The ring of the bell snapped her from her thoughts as the two siblings came in.
"Hey, Mrs. Harrison, can we ask you something?" Al asked, as Sara stood by his side.
"Sure, what is it?" Mrs. Harrison asked, smiling at the two.
"We were wondering if you could take us to Dublith to see Izumi Curtis," Sara said putting her hands into her pockets. "We want to become her students."
Mrs. Harrison was shocked that they would want to be the students of Izumi Curtis, known everywhere in Amestris as the woman who could do alchemy without a transmutation circle. She sighed, knowing that changing their minds wasn't going to happen anytime soon, so she was going to take them there anyways.
"Fine, I want you to go to the train station and wait for me while I talk to my daughter about taking over the store for me,■ Mrs. Harrison said, earning a nod from the two children.
--------------------
Al and Sara waited at the train station for Mrs. Harrison to arrive. To pass the time, they looked at the time board, where it listed the arrivals and departures of trains. From this, they learned that the train they were to take was due to leave soon, making a stop in Dublith before continuing to Osaka.
"Well, she better hurry if we going to go on this train," Sara said with a sigh.
"Don't worry about it, I'm sure she would make it," Al reassured her, and then asked, "What do you think Izumi is like, Sara?"
"How should I know? I never met the woman!" Sara exclaimed, making Alphonse laugh a bit.
Sara smiled at her brother and jokingly snapped him on the back of the head before going back to waiting for Mrs. Harrison. It didn't long for them to see her jogging up to them with a little bag filled with food.
"Sorry to keep you waiting, let's go get our tickets,■ said Mrs. Harrison, trying to catch her breath.
Sara and nodded their heads before following Mrs. Harrison to the ticket manager and got themselves three tickets. All three boarded the train before Winry and her grandma ran up to the train car they were on.
"We just wanted to say 'bye before you leave and stay out of trouble while in Dublith,■ Winry giggled getting a smile from Sara and Al.
"Don't worry about us, we're going to be fine!" came the enthusiastic reply from Sara and Al. The train conductor called for passengers to begin boarding soon before the train left, as Winry and and her waved them goodbye, and it soon disappeared.
---------------------
A window slid open, and Sara poked her head out and saw the town of Dublith up ahead. She was amazed at how beautiful the place was with its village-like feel, with its buildings and clean-looking streets. The train stopped at the station, leaving behind about one hundred people who came to Dublith for a vacation or to see family.
"So, where should we start?" Sara asked, as her and the other two left the station and walked into the streets.
"Ask around the town," Mrs. Harrison responded. "That way we can find Curtis' place much easier.■
"Hey there, you know where Izumi Curtis lives?■ Sara said to a kid with a tool box.
"She should be working over there,■ the kid said pointed to a building that sold meat.
"Alright, thanks," said Sara as the kid left the area and then turned around to Al and Mrs. Harrison. "That was easy!"
"Yup, let's just go," Al remarked. The three headed to the meat store and entered to see a husky and well-built man standing behind the counter giving change to a mother. Sara and Al looked at each other and went up to the man when the woman left the store. The two kids could guess this man was the husband of Izumi Curtis and looked like he was a man of a few words.
"We're looking for Izumi Curtis!" the two kids said in an eagerly tone.
"Why are you looking for me?" a fit-appearing woman asked, coming from a back room.
Before she knew it, the two kids were on their knees yelling, ⌠Make us your apprentices!■
"No,■ was what she responded with, a little taken back by the wild request from these children. "You two are far too young to be my apprentices! Besides, what would your parents think?"
"They don't have family, at least, not anymore," Mrs. Harrison said, walking up to the woman. "Their father left them and their mother passed away recently.■
Izumi looked at the determined eyes of Sara and Al; their expressions told her they weren't stupid and were willing to learn from her at whatever cost. She smiled at the two, turned to go back into the room that she came from, getting confused glances exchanged between the Elrics.
"Well, aren't you coming?" the woman asked stopping mid-way.
"What?" Al asked, looking up at Izumi.
"If you're both serious, come on,■ Izumi said, gesturing with one hand into the room.
"So you really intend to teach us alchemy?" Sara asked, thinking this was going to be easier than she originally thought.
"If you pass the test I have in store for you, then I will teach you, but if you don't, you'll be sent straight back home. Understand?" Izumi asked, expecting a suitable answer.
"Of course, we won't let you down!" Al exclaimed.
"You can count on us!" Sara said, as the two got back up and followed the older woman into the room. Mrs. Harrison smiled and left the store, looking for an inn to stay at so she could catch a train home in the morning.
--------------------
The next morning, the mainland was slowly disappearing from view as the small boat rowed farther and farther away, and closer to a small island. Sara and Al passed time by playfully sticking their hands over the side of the boat and splashing each other's faces, laughing joyously. In no time, they made it to land and all three climbed out of the craft, all but the man who rowed them out. The kids looked around seeing nothing but trees up ahead (which was still neat in their eyes) until Izumi walked up behind them.
"Do we begin our..." Sara didn't get a chance to finish when she was handed a leather sheath with a dagger-style knife inside.
"You'll be on this island for the next month," said Izumi, her dark eyes intently focused on her possible to-be apprentices. "You two are to survive on your own until the end of that time. If you can't, that shows me that you aren't worth my time to train. There's no alchemy permitted while you are here. You are to survive on your own, with nothing but the knife you have now.■
"What!?" they both yelled.
"And one last thing," Izumi said, looking back at the two shocked kids. " 'All for one and one for all.' You must be able to tell me exactly what that means. If you can't, you'll fail."
Izumi turned and got back into the boat before it left them behind on the island to survive on their own. A rather mad Sara ran up to edge of the water and started to yell at the top of her lugs.
"Get back here, you old hag!" When Sara screamed this, a rock was thrown back, hitting her squarely in the head and knocking her down.
"She's scary..." Al muttered, dragging his sister into the forest.