(Resembool)

**Ed P.O.V**

        We had finally reached our final destination, Resembool. Getting off the train, the scent of the country hit my nose while I took in the sights of Al and my childhood home.
        I tossed my suitcase over my shoulder and began making my way down an all-too-familiar dirt path, Armstrong following my lead. The Rockbell house slowly came into view as we topped the hill, and there, standing on the porch, was a little old woman smoking.
        “Hey there, Granny.” I greeted her once we finally reached the house.
        “Oh dear… What have you done now?” Granny asked, blowing out a small smoke cloud.
        “A lot has happened...” I trailed off.
        “Well, we'll have plenty of time to talk. Now, who have you brought with you?”
        “This is Major Alex Louis Armstrong.”
        "I'm Pinako Rockbell." She shook the Major's hand and then looked me over. "You know, Ed, it looks like you have gone and grown smaller."
        The veins in my temple pulsed; I swear I felt steam blowing out of my nose. “Granny, you’ve got it all wrong; you’re supposed to say how big you’ve grown.”
        “Why should I say something so untrue?”
        “I’m still taller than you, mini hag!” I shouted.
        The sound of something heavy cut through the air, and I found myself sprawled on the ground on my back. Head throbbing, maybe even a little bit of blood trickling down.
        “Edward! I thought I told you two to call first when coming for maintenance!” A girl with long, blonde hair shouted from her window.
        “Winry, are you trying to kill me?!”
        She laughed and then said, “Welcome back!”
        After my head finally stopped throbbing, I got back up to my feet and followed Granny and Armstrong into the living room, where Winry soon joined.
        “So, what brings you guys here?” Winry asked.

~~~***~~~***~~~

        “OH NO!” Winry shouted as she held onto the remains of my automail arm; I couldn't tell if she was shaking from anger or sadness.
        “Yeah, sorry… It’s a little smashed up.” I said, taking a sip of my tea.
        “A little?! Do you see what you’ve done to my beautiful creation?!”
        “It’s basically the same but in smaller pieces…” I tried to joke, but found myself on the floor once again after Winry punched me.
        She turned her attention; you could just tell he was scared.
        “Don’t tell me you’re a little smashed up to Al?” She sighed, then kicked Al's crate over. “You idiots! All you ever do is worry me!”

~~~***~~~***~~~

        “Alright, I see. In order to get the information you need, you want to go to Central as soon as possible… Am I right?” Winry asked while she continued to look at what remained of my arm.
        “Yeah, this is kind of a rush order,” I muttered, avoiding their gaze.
        “Hm… It’s not just the arm… Leg needs adjusting, too.” Granny said as she lined up my legs.
        “Guess your growth isn’t completely stunted after all…” Winry snickered.
       “Shut up!”
        "You're off balance... Leg aside, we’ll have to build the arm from scratch.”
        “Can it be done in a week?” I asked, feeling kind of desperate, “I’m sorry for all the trouble.”
        “Give us some credit, Ed… Three days.” Granny removed my leg, replacing it with the spare.
        Winry sighed and thought for a minute before gathering some supplies into a box. “You need to get to Central as soon as possible, right? Looks like it'll be three all-nighters. I’ll work my butt off for you, but you better believe you’re going to pay a fortune in rush order fees!”
        Winry then disappeared back up to her room. Granny announced that she was going to start making dinner and told Armstrong and me to get comfortable until it was ready. Armstrong took a seat and pulled out the book he's been reading while I walked around in an attempt to get used to my temporary leg.
        Leaning back against the table, I gazed at the large corkboard cluttered with papers, trinkets, and old photos. Among them were pictures of Winry with her parents, surrounded by letters addressed to her and Pinako, sharing news of the good things they were doing and promising to return home as quickly as they could. More images captured Al and me as children, just enjoying the simplicity of being kids. Sometimes, I wish we could go back to those days, a simpler time.
        My gaze drifted around the board before stopping on a picture that made my heart twitch. Al and I were both under two years old; my mother cradled Al in her arms while I was being held by... him. The man who abandoned us, who didn’t return even when Mom got sick. He couldn’t muster the strength to come to our funeral, leaving Al and me alone to face the world.
        Letting out a soft sigh, I quickly grabbed my coat and poked my head into the kitchen.
        “I’m going to Mom’s grave,” I told Granny.
        “Alright, don’t stay out too late.” She said, not looking up from her pot.
        "Going somewhere, Elric?" Armstrong's deep, serious voice called out as soon as I put my hand on the door.
        "I'm just running a quick errand, not that it's any of your business... and before you blow a gasket, I've got another bodyguard to keep me safe."
        Den, Winry, and Pinako's pet dog came running to the door, barking happily.
        "Stubborn child..." Armstrong muttered as he returned to his book.
        On the way, I decided to stop and pick up a couple of flowers that Den was currently carrying in his mouth. As I walked through town, I encountered some of the townsfolk who remembered me. They asked about my work as a state alchemist and inquired about Al. However, our conversation took a turn when they mentioned my short stature. In a moment of maturity, I walked away... after yelling at them... while they laughed.
        Finally, I made it to my mother's grave, gently laying the flowers down on her headstone before sitting in front of it. Den joined me, lying down at my side.
        “Hey Mom… I thought I’d come see you since we were in the neighborhood,” I began, my voice softening. “Everyone is doing fine. We’re still on our search, but the good news is that we found a clue. We’re one step closer…” I spoke out loud, as if sharing my thoughts with her.

~~~***~~~***~~~

        “I'm bac-“
        “Oh, Edward Elric!” Armstrong cried out; he had me in a rib-breaking hug as soon as I stepped through the door.
        “What undying love to try to bring your mother back to life! What a tremendous sacrifice for you to give up your arms and get Al’s soul! What determination to burn down your house to make sure there was no turning back!”
        I had just barely enough time to catch my breath when Armstrong ripped off his shirt. “Come, Edward! Let me hold you in this comforting embrace!”
        “No, stay back! Don’t rub your chest on me!” I screamed, forcing some distance between us.

(Next Day - Day One)

        I was awakened by the sound of power tools coming from the room across the hall. I rolled out of bed and walked into the room Winry worked in, sneaking up behind her to get a better look at what she was working on.
        “Look at you, working hard so early in the morning.”
        “Been up all night…” she trailed off as she went silent, honing back in on her work.
        I felt sweat drop from my face as I awkwardly stumbled my way back to my room.

(Next Day - Day Two)

        It was still dark out when I woke up again and made my way over to check on my arm, finding Winry still hard at work.
        “You’re still at it, busy as a bee. At this rate, you must be almost done.” I chuckled as I saw all the pieces coming together.
        “One more all-nighter…” She went quiet again, so I took that as my ticket to go back to my room.
        Ugh, I just want my arm to hurry up and be finished already! I'm getting way too antsy just thinking about Dr. Marcoh's research sitting there in the library just waiting for us!

(Next Day - Day Three)

        I found myself coming into Winry’s workplace once again to check on my arm. I stood there watching her for a minute, glancing over her shoulders to try and get better angles before she got angry. She slammed down her tools and pulled me by my empty sleeve as she threw me out.        
        "GET OUT!" she yelled, then slammed the door in my face.
        “You finally drove her mad, huh?” Al asked as I walked into the living room sometime later, “They said it would take three days, so give them three days.” He assured me.
        I couldn't help but let out a sigh. “Yeah, I know. It’s just when I think about how that clue to the stone could be in Central Library somewhere, I get impatient.”
        Den barked as the sound of running was heard.
        “Here you go! It’s all ready!” Winry said happily as she flashed my new arm.
        Without any hesitation, I sat down and kicked off my spare leg. Winry placed my arm in the socket as Granny did the same with my leg. Together, they fidgeted with the prosthetics until they were in the right place to connect the nerves.
        “Are you ready?” Winry asked, her tools at the ready.
        “One…two… three.” Winry and Granny turned their tools; a painful shock radiated from the arm and leg as my nerves connected to my limbs. “That’s the worst part…” I muttered, “Just think, when we have the Philosopher’s Stone, you can kiss that pain goodbye!”
        “Our biggest source of income... it’ll be sad to see you go,” Pinako said as she turned her tool again; another wave of pain came from my leg.
        “Hold still; do you want me to do this right?” Winry asked, doing the same thing with my arm. I couldn't help but cry out in pain again.
        “Done. No-”
        Before Winry could go into her spiel about upkeep and what to do with my auto-mail, I was flying out the door to meet with Armstrong, who had taken Al outside of his crate.
        “You ready?” I asked as Al nodded, “Alright, one…two…three!”
        I clapped my hands together; blue light erupted as I placed them on Al, his armor becoming as good as new.
        “There you go, Al!”
        “You ready to try it out?” He asked while getting into a fighting stance, ready to spar after days of being cooped up in a box.
        I smirked and met his stance.