Hello! I have returned with another chapter! Thank you all so much for your response to this fic so far. It's more encouraging than you all will ever know.

I do not own Fullmetal Alchemist.

Maes fought the urge to squirm from his seat. Hohenheim held the pages up, obscuring his expression.

"Draw another one."

Wasting no time, he flipped his notebook open to a blank page and whipped out his pencil. He had another circle drawn within seconds. Hohenheim held out his hand, and he ripped out the page and gave him the drawing without a word.

Finally, his companion met his gaze.

"I believe you're ready to try your first transmutation, Maes."

He sprawled out on the bed before bringing his hands to cover his face. Hohenheim laughed before heading toward the bathroom.

"You've worked hard over these last few days. Get some rest. You'll need to be at your best tomorrow."

The man didn't need to tell him twice. He sat back up and toed off his shoes. He rummaged through his suitcase for the gray sweat pants Knox had packed for him. He clutched the material to his chest, relishing the softness of the clean fabric.

I honestly never thought I'd miss something as mundane as washing my clothes.

Exactly half-way between South and East City lied the small town of Holbeck. Although it was only slightly larger than Resembool, it was an optimal place to stop for a few days and restock their supplies. While neither man would admit it, they really needed the peace and rest.

East City's technically be more suited for our needs, but it's not as if either of us could venture out that far into the city. If the higher ups at Central Command are in on this, there's no telling who else….

Maes shook his head at the thought. He grabbed his wallet off the desk, relaxing when he saw that he had more than enough money to get a train ticket to East City. He hadn't even touched the rest of the money in the suitcase. There was no stopping the grin that spread across his face.

Knox really set me up well, didn't he?

He quickly changed and crawled into bed. Exhaustion from the day crashed over him like a tidal wave, and he fell asleep effortlessly.

*break*

Hohenheim led him out to the outskirts of Holbeck. The lively hum of the town faded until the only sound was the rustling leaves of the trees around them. The man didn't slow, not even when the town was completely out of sight.

"You probably weren't expecting to go on a hike this morning," he joked, "but I wanted to make sure you were away from any distractions. You need to focus."

Maes nodded, doing his best to ignore the growing pit in his stomach.

I've studied the compositions. I've drawn circle after circle until my hands couldn't hold a pencil. I can draw it correctly. Even if I mess up, Hohenheim's here. He's practiced alchemy for literal centuries. Nothing's going to go wrong.

He bumped into his companion, not even realizing the man had stopped.

"We should be good here," he said. Suddenly, he whipped around to face him. "What's the composition of wood?"

"Fifty percent carbon, forty-two percent oxygen, six percent hydrogen, one percent nitrogen, and one percent trace elements."

"Excellent." Hohenheim reached into his pockets, pulling out a small block of wood in one hand and a piece of chalk in the other. "For your first transmutation, I want you to flatten this piece of wood."

Sounds simple enough….

He caught the two items when Hohenheim tossed them his way. He knelt down and pressed the tip of the chalk to the grass. Despite the hundreds of circles he'd drawn, he held his breath as though it'd stop his hand from shaking.

Draw the first circle, then the inner circle. Draw the biggest square. Make sure each vertex touches the outer circle. The inner square's vertices should touch the edges of my first square. This has to be perfect. This is an actual transmutation.

He glanced up to Hohenheim, who was already looming over his shoulder and inspecting the circle. Once he received a nod, Maes finally placed the block of wood within it. He touched his fingertips to the circle. The second they made contact, a foreign energy rushed up through his fingers, into his hands, and up his arms before spreading throughout the rest of his body. Something akin to electricity tingled and danced across his skin. He gasped and pulled his hands away.

What the hell was that?

He stared at the setup before him.

Is this what Roy feels whenever he puts on his gloves? Is that what Ed and Al feel during every transmutation? How do these alchemists….

A hand on his back pulled him out of his thoughts.

"I know it's strange, but you'll get used to it. It will take a lot of practice, but you won't even feel it after a while."

Maes swallowed and nodded before setting his gaze back on the circle. He inhaled deeply through his nose and gently placed his fingertips on the circle. Closing his eyes, he ignored the energy surging through his body until he completely flattened his palms on the ground. He locked himself into place, fighting the urge to yank his hands away. When he mustered the courage to open his eyes again, they widened at the blue glow slowly emanating from the circle. The tingling intensified as the glow brightened.

This is incredible….

He looked to the lone piece of wood, nearly forgetting about the object.

Break down the wood into its basic components. It's nothing more than carbon, oxygen, hydrogen, and nitrogen. Once it's broken down…wait…why isn't anything happening?

The glow faded and the energy left his body as quick as it had entered. His chest heaved and his arms hung limp by his sides. Beads of sweat trickled down his forehead. His heart dropped into his stomach when he saw the block of wood—untouched—in the middle of the circle. He picked it up and turned it over in his hands.

I'm completely drained…after all that energy…nothing….

"You're not going to get it on your first try, Maes," Hohenheim said, handing him a canteen. "Alchemy will require all of your energy and concentration in the beginning. I'd recommend resting between your attempts."

Maes huffed and put the wood back in the circle. Sitting back on his heels, he wiped the sweat off his brow.

"I think it's safe to say I'll be sleeping well tonight," he mumbled to himself.

He took a swig out of the canteen, relishing the cool water running down his throat. He took slow, even breaths. Setting the canteen back down, he sat back up on his knees.

It's just fifty percent carbon, forty-two percent oxygen, six percent hydrogen, one percent nitrogen, and one percent trace elements. Break it down. Reconstruct it.

He closed his eyes and touched the circle.

*break*

"Shouldn't you be resting?"

Roy would've jumped at the voice if his body had been in any condition to do so. He stretched his legs out from his spot on the ground and leaned back, looking over his shoulder.

How did I not hear his footsteps? Maybe Hawkeye was right…I should probably be more careful….

"I have to say I wasn't expecting you, Fullmetal."

"I haven't had the chance to come out here yet. Someone had this insane idea that I might ruin his plans and had me kidnapped and dragged out east."

"Sorry about that," he chuckled.

He turned back to the headstone, barely illuminated by the little sunlight that remained. Ed stopped right behind him. The two stared at the grave. The sun set and night descended on them, but they could still read the name clear as day.

Brigadier General Maes Hughes

"Don't even think about it," Ed said, finally breaking the silence between the two.

Roy's brow furrowed and he turned to his subordinate.

"Don't even think about what—"

"It's impossible to bring him back."

There was an edge to Ed's voice that made his heart stop in his chest. Ed crossed his arms and stared at the ground. Despite his body's protests, he got up and put a hand on the kid's shoulder. Much to his surprise, the boy didn't shrug him off.

"What are you talking about?"

"I know it hurts. I know what it's like to want to bring someone back, but you can't even consider it. It's not possible."

Roy's lips quirked into a thin line.

Technically speaking, if you have the components that make up the human body… but there's the debate as for what counts for the human soul….

"That thing in our basement wasn't our mom."

Roy tensed and his hand tightened on the kid's shoulder.

"How do you know?"

"I guess Hohenheim was in Resembool and decided to pay Granny a visit," Ed laughed bitterly. "He didn't stick around long, though. I guess she gave him an abridged version of the last decade and he high-tailed it out of there. He left a letter for Al and I." He reached into his pocket and pulled out a crumpled piece of paper. "I almost ripped it to shreds the second Granny gave it to me, but I couldn't…."

The boy trailed off. Roy couldn't stop the pang that permeated throughout his chest.

"It's okay to be curious. You haven't seen the man in years. There's nothing wrong with wondering what he has to say to you."

Ed nodded at that, but still wouldn't meet his gaze.

"He didn't say much, just that what we conjured up wasn't our mom. I didn't believe him. I had to go see for myself."

He clenched his hand into a fist, further crinkling the paper. Roy raised his eyebrows.

"Did you—" he started only to be cut off.

"That bastard was right." There was a slight hitch in Ed's voice. "I still can't say I'm completely sure of what that thing was, but it wasn't our mom. We didn't hurt her."

A smile briefly flashed across Roy's face at that, but it faded just as fast. Ed finally looked him in the eye.

They never brought their mom back, so Al lost his body…and Ed lost his arm and leg….

"I just wanted to warn you human transmutation is impossible, so don't even consider it. The price isn't worth it."

Especially when whatever you create won't be the person you loved….

Ed stuffed his hands in his pockets and started walking away from the grave. He'd only made it a few steps before a voice stopped him dead in his tracks.

"Thanks, Fullmetal."

The boy's shoulders hunched up slightly toward his ears, as if the words had physically hit him. He didn't turn back around, but he did glance over his shoulder.

"As a fellow alchemist, I thought you'd be interested in the information. Don't read too much into it."

Roy waited until the kid was out of earshot before chuckling and shaking his head. He took one last look at the grave.

I guess you don't have to worry, Maes. I've got an entire team willing to talk some sense into me since you can't.

He started his own trek across the graveyard back to his car, somehow having an easier time than he did when he first arrived.

*break*

Maes leaned forward on his knees and elbows. His arms were shaking to the point he wasn't sure how much longer he could hold himself up.

I have to keep trying. It can't be this difficult. Our state alchemists do this effortlessly. I have to be doing something wrong. Wait…wouldn't Hohenheim stop me if I was?

"We should probably stop for the day."

Before he could protest, a pair of hands lifted him up from under his arms and helped him to his feet. Bright spots danced across his vision. He would've fallen back over if Hohenheim hadn't been holding him up.

"Are you all right?"

Maes blinked, his vision finally starting to clear up. He made sure he could stand on his own two feet before nodding. Hohenheim let him go. He wiped the sweat off his face with his sleeve and looked around, finally realizing how hard it was to see.

When did it get so dark?

He could see the last rays of sunlight in the distance. He sighed, taking off his glasses and pinching the bridge of his nose.

We've been out here the entire day, and I didn't have one successful transmutation. I didn't even come close.

"You're right. It must be getting late. We have time to come back tomorrow, right?"

"Absolutely."

"Maybe tomorrow I'll actually make some progress," he grumbled under his breath.

Hohenheim approached the circle and knelt down.

"You didn't see your last attempt, did you?"

Maes snapped his head toward his companion. Joining the man at the circle, his jaw dropping when he saw the contents at its center.

A corner of the block of wood had crumbled into dust.

"It looks like you started breaking the wood down, but lost focus part way through," Hohenheim observed. "I honestly didn't think you'd do that much today. I have to say I'm impressed."

There was a bright blue flash. Then the man stood up with the block of wood in hand and back in its original form. Tucking it away in his pocket, he strode past him and started through the trees. Maes shook his head and jogged to catch up with him. Much to his relief, the blond had slowed down once he heard his companion gasping for air.

"I'm sorry, I should've been more considerate. You have to be exhausted. You'll need to get all the rest you can tonight."

"Is it normal to be this tired?" Maes couldn't help but ask.

"I wouldn't necessarily say normal," Hohenheim said, tilting his head. "It makes sense, though. Most alchemists begin their studies at a much younger age and have the liberty of a virtually unrestricted time frame. You have to completely master a basic transmutation in a matter of months. You'll probably feel drained for a while, but the more you practice, the less energy and focus each transmutation will require."

Maes let out the breath he didn't realize he'd been holding.

It won't always be like this.

He straightened up as much as he could and kept pace with his companion. He held his head high.

I'll get it, and it'll only get easier. I'll be able to help on the Promised Day.

Well, that ends another chapter! Maes is finally trying a transmutation! He wasn't exactly successful…but I guess he'll learn. I hope you all enjoyed that little scene with Ed and Roy! I didn't plan it originally, but I actually had a lot of fun writing it.

Anyways, I hope you all are staying healthy and safe! Until next time!