Disclaimer- I don't own FullMetal Alchemist

So some of you are probably wondering why I'm writing another story when I already have four going, a Naruto one in planning and should probably be working on those, right? Well, I don't have much of an answer for you aside from this just came to me one day. I have the 2nd chapter done and part of the 3rd done too. Also don't expect frequent updates.

Anyways, this is mainly based off the manga, not the anime. The pairing is eventual so don't expect much right away.

I'm done now. Read on!

Chapter 1

A Broken Family

Two young boys sat in front of a dull gray gravestone, it was one amongst many in the flat expanse of gray dotted green that served as the graveyard for the small rural town of Resembool. The sun that had been shining brightly over the town was beginning to sink below the groups of grassy hills that surrounded it, painting the sky in beautiful hues of purples and deep reds. With the departure of the sun came a chill breeze that ruffled the hair of both boys.

One boy had blonde hair and golden eyes, the other, appeared to be just a bit younger and had more of a dark blonde almost light brown colored hair and light brown eyes with flecks of gold in them. It was this one that broke the calm silence that had descended over them hours ago.

"Brother, I'm cold," he said quietly, lifting his head to look at the boy to his left who didn't take his eyes from the gray stone in front of him. Pulling his knees into his chest and wrapping his arms around his legs to get as much warmth as he could, the little boy went back to staring at the stone that had his mother's name carved so perfectly into it. "Big brother, I'm hungry."

Still there was no response from the blonde boy that looked so lost as he sat unmoving on the vibrant green grass that seemed to him like a mockery since it covered the dead. The sound of hushed footsteps could be heard approaching them from behind, the blonde didn't bother to look at the person approaching, but the other boy did and his face brightened a little as he looked into the beautiful gold eyes of the teen girl behind him as her brown hair frolicked about her shoulders due to the breeze. She was carrying a large woven basket in her hands that she set down between the two boys.

Smiling back at the young boy, the girl leaned down and put a blanket over his shoulders before kissing his head. "You two have had me worried," she said softly.

"Sorry Kay," the young boy replied apologetically.

"It's alright Al, but it's getting cold, you two shouldn't be out here," she answered before standing up to pull another blanket from the basket and place it over the other boy's shoulders. "Ed, why don't you come and have some hot chocolate and cookies."

"I don't want any," Ed mumbled.

"You're not going to get any bigger if you don't eat you know."

"Shut up Kate," Ed grumbled with little energy, he still had yet to remove his eyes from the stone before him.

"Sorry little brother, but that's not happening. Now get over here and eat with Al and I," Kate replied, it was an obvious order despite the soft tone of her voice.

With a grumble of annoyance, the young Ed scooted over so that he was closer to Al, Kate sat between them and placed the basket in front of her. Reaching inside, she pulled out two ceramic cups which she passed to each of her brothers before pulling out another that she set in her lap. The next thing to come out was a box that she set aside and then a cylindrical canister which was also set aside. Closing the lid of the basket, Kate set the box on top and pulled off the lid. Inside was an array of different cookies that smelled delicious.

"Mrs. Cooper made these for us, we have a lot of other things too. Everyone is being very supportive, you boys should remember to thank them since you weren't at the house with me," Kate said as she poured them each a glass of steaming hot chocolate.

"Sorry, but big brother didn't want to leave," Al replied, hanging his head sadly.

Kate ruffled his hair, elbowing Ed in the side when the boy grumbled something under his breath. "It's alright, I understand. Now get over here and keep your big sister warm, I didn't bring a blanket for myself and this coat's not very warm."

The group huddled together, sipping at the hot beverage in their hands and nibbling on the fresh baked cookies. It wasn't long after the sun sank completely behind the hills, covering everything in darkness, that Kate had to carefully pluck the remainder of the boys' drinks from their hands and set them aside. They had both fallen asleep, Ed with his head on her shoulder and Al with his head in her lap since he had scooted down to get more comfortable. Pulling Al's blanket over his small shoulders, Kate then shifted a little to wrap her arm around Ed and rest her cheek against his head.

She hummed a quiet tune to herself, occasionally stroking Ed or Al's heads while she looked up at the star lit sky above them. After what felt like hours, Kate looked down at the two boys and sighed. It was a cool night and she wanted to get the boys back home, but she didn't want to wake them when they looked so peaceful. Just as she was about to reluctantly wake her younger brothers, the light of an oil lamp from behind them, threw their elongated shadows on to the grass.

Glancing back at the person who had walked up to them, she smiled wanly at the two men and short older woman that were looking down at her.

"Hey Grandma Pinako, Mr Cooper, Mr Quartz," Kate greeted.

"Let's get you three home, shall we," Pinako said, the thin tobacco pipe that she was never without, temporarily removed from her mouth.

"That would be nice, they're a bit too big for me to carry anymore," Kate replied, letting Mr Cooper and Mr Quartz pick up Ed and Al.

Quickly packing up the blankets, cookies and left over hot chocolate, Kate grabbed her basket and led the way to the quaint little house that had been left to them. She half expected to see a light in the second story window, flashing every few seconds as her mom waved her hand over it, but she knew that she would never again see the beacon that their mom would use to make sure they all found their way home when they were out too late.

Their mother, Trisha Elric, had been a kind woman and the best mother she could have asked for. She had died suddenly three days before of a disease that she had apparently had for quite some time, but had never told anyone about. Her and her brothers were now left alone to fend for themselves since they had no idea where their father was, he had left when Kate was twelve and the boys were five and four.

Kate didn't hold any animosity towards their father unlike Ed who absolutely despised the man and now with the death of their mother, that hate only intensified. He blamed him for her death. Kate knew better, she had been able to spend more time with the man and he, though usually immersed in his alchemical research, had been a loving father and a devoted husband.

Their father, Hohenheim, had been a soft spoken man with hair similar to Al's although she thought that Ed resembled him much more, not that she would tell him that, the brat had a very short temper that she found quite troublesome at times. She on the other hand, resembled her mother more than her father, with dark chestnut hair she was told she had gotten from her grandfather and a naturally thin build. She was slimmer and more toned than her mother had been, being that she was usually chasing after one of the two boys for stealing something of hers. She was of average height for an eighteen year old, just below five and a half feet tall. Her eye color was the same as her father's, a bright gold that always made her think of a lion.

"Their bedroom is upstairs, first door on the right," Kate told the two men carrying her sleeping brothers as she let them into their small, but cozy home and set the basket down on the table a little ways to the right.

"Now might not be a good time to ask, but what exactly are you going to do Kate?" Pinako asked the obviously tired and drained girl as she plopped herself into a chair at the table.

Kate sighed, putting her head in her hands so that her long hair brushed against the smooth wooden surface. "I don't know. Dad left us a good sum of money, but it won't last forever. I can take care of them, but we'll have no source of income once that money is gone. I was planning on going to East City this year. The war with Ishbal is winding down so it should be safe enough, I was planning on getting a job and I've already been accepted to the college, it would be a shame to miss that opportunity. I know it's not as great as the one in Central, but it's close and it'll do. I could always consider the military I suppose, but then I'd be away too much and I don't want to be at someone else's beck and call."

Pinako looked up at the sound of footsteps coming back down the stairs and nodded at the two men. "We'll talk more in the morning. Get some rest and then come over for breakfast."

"Thank you," Kate replied with a weary smile.

"Ed, Al, come on get up will ya?!"

Kate grunted as she pulled on a black cardigan over a gray tank top before stomping out of her room and to the room across the hall.

"I said-"

She stopped when she saw that both beds in the room were devoid of their usual occupants and that the sheets had been left in disarray. She let a small, sad sigh slip from her lips as she shut the door and made her way downstairs. The sun was pouring through the windows on the first floor, giving everything an ethereal glow, pulling on the knee high black boots she had left downstairs the night before and lacing them slowly Kate let her mind wander, her hands pausing in their task of tying the laces of the plain, but heavy duty boots. She could hear the laughing and giggling of her brothers as they ran home with yet another of the toys they had created by using alchemy, she could hear her mom talking to them and praising them, telling them that they really were their father's sons.....

With a forlorn sigh, she pulled the legs of her jeans over the boots and stood up. The somewhat heavy material of the boots clunked on the wooden panels of the floor as she opened the door and stepped out into the sunlit day. Resembool was a rural town, there wasn't much here and since they lived on the outskirts of the town it was a bit of a walk to get anywhere, there were no cars here, only horses and your own two feet.

Standing under the shade of the large tree in front of their little blue house, Kate looked around for any sight of her brothers, but when she didn't see them nearby she knew that they were back at the cemetery. Deciding to leave them alone for the time being, she made the short trek over the dirt paths to the large two story building that served as the Rockbell home and business.

Granny Pinako and Winry were the only two there at the moment, Pinako's son and his wife, Winry's parents, were off in Ishbal trying to help as much as two surgeons could. Pinako herself was also a surgeon and very skilled maker of artificial limbs and automail, metal limbs that were attached to the nerves, giving the person who lost an arm or leg almost full use of the replacement, unlike the limited movement of something less mechanized and that was strapped on.

As the house came into view Kate's stomach grumbled, the smell of food was drifting to her nose and she hadn't eaten a full meal since the morning before and was very hungry. She thought about going to get her brothers, but she decided to let them have sometime alone, they had all been close to her and her death was hitting them all hard. Kate was just better at hiding her emotions, after all she had to step up and take care of the two young boys and she wouldn't be able to do that if she couldn't think properly and spent too much time mourning a woman she knew would want her to be happy and not sad. Ed and Al were still too young to understand that and she hoped that letting them have time alone to grieve would be good for them.

"Hey Winry, what are you doing out here," Kate asked, surprised to see the blonde girl on the porch of her home.

"Where's Ed and Al?" The ten year old asked.

"Ah, well they...." she trailed off for a moment to look over her shoulder in the direction of the cemetery. "They'll be here when they're ready."

"Oh," Winry replied, her head falling a little and her eyes drooping sadly.

After finishing the meal with Pinako and Winry there was still no sign of Ed and Al, Winry was doing the dishes in the kitchen and it was just Pinako and Kate sitting at the table.

"I thought over it a little last night, I'm going to go to East City and get a job and go to school. The boys won't be happy, but I can't do much without more education. I'll become a teacher since there's not much else to do out here," Kate told the short, elderly woman across from her.

"You could become a doctor."

Kate laughed half heartedly and shook her head. "No, I'm not suited for that line of work. I don't think I should be giving people shots when I freak out at the sight of a needle. It might not end well."

"Hmm, that's true," the old woman mused over her pipe. Her arms were folded over her chest and she looked as if she were thinking about something. "Doesn't the term start in January?"

"..Yeah," Kate answered, lowering head and staring at the cup of now cold tea that she held in her hands on the table.

"When will you be leaving," Pinako asked somberly.

It took her a moment to answer, a sad look making its way into her eyes. January was less than a month away and their mother had just past, she wasn't too keen on leaving so soon, but she needed to if she planned on providing a stable home for her brothers. "Since I was already accepted into East City's college all I have to do is find an apartment and a job....both of which shouldn't take me long. I'll probably be leaving in two weeks."

"Wh-what?"

"You're leaving?!"

Kate's eyes widened and her head snapped towards the door that she hadn't realized had opened while she had spoken. Ed and Al stood staring at her, tears forming in their eyes. Al looked sad and lost while Ed looked angry and hurt. "Ed, Al..."

"Why are you leaving?! Mom just died and now you're going to leave us too, just like that bastard did," Ed shouted, his fists balled up at his sides.

Al just sniffled as tears ran down his sad little face.

"Edward," Kate pleaded softly. "I won't be gone forever. I need to be able to provide for you in the future, dad only left us so much money and it won't last forever."

"You're not my sister," Ed yelled before turning and pushing Al out of the way and running from the house.

"Ed," Kate called, standing up so quickly that she knocked over her chair.

"Let him go Kate," Pinako said calmly, still siting with her arms folded over her chest in her chair.

"But..." Kate couldn't hold back the tears that slipped from her eyes as her own hands clenched at her sides. "Come here Alphonse," she said hoarsely, dropping to her knees when her youngest brother ran up to her and wrapping her arms around him. "I love you guys, you know that right?"

"Ummhmm," Al mumbled, rubbing at his eyes with his fists. "D-do you ha-have to..to go?"

"I'm sorry, but I'll call and write and visit all the time. I promise. I won't be gone forever, just a few years and then I'll come home and get a good job here and we'll be a family again," holding tightly to her younger brother, Kate let the tears fall from her eyes as she held him, her forehead on his small, shaking shoulder.

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