Disclaimer: Don't own FMA.
Author's Note: Okay, finally decided to post. I'm a few chapters ahead so . . . yeah. There's no way I'll have this whole story written before I post it, so might as well start now. Loosely based off the Young Elrics Saga (parts I and II) from my NaNo/100 Themes, 'A Blue September Morning'. Very loosely. This is AU, Royai, and most likely EdWin and Alxpseudo-OC (you'll see) in the future. Takes place soon after the Ishbal war. Being AU, I've taken oodles of liberties, particularly with the timeline. Woops. Due to said liberties, there will be these lovely things called 'plotholes'. Fortunately, I plan on dealing with them the way my favorite author, Jasper Fforde, does - drawing attention to them before promptly dropping them.
Preamble and ramble aside, let's get this show on the road!
Prologue
When they said Risembool was a small town, he never thought they meant this small.
"So, Lieutenant Colonel Mustang," the old man asked, "why are you looking for the Elrics?"
Roy Mustang rearranged himself a little uncomfortably in the old wooden cart and pulled out the paperwork, looking it over once more – a much welcomed break from the same old countryside rolling by. "I heard that the Elric brothers in Risembool are seeking to become alchemists. I looked into their history, thinking to recruit them, but then I saw just how young they really are." The cart hit a sudden bump in the road, and he lurched forward, hands bracing themselves on the nearest thing they could find – which just so happened to be his pretty second lieutenant's skirt-clad knees.
She raised an eyebrow at him, and he gave her a nervous smile, warily removing the offending limbs, careful not to touch anything else in the process.
"So if you're not here to recruit them, then why come all the way out here?" the military policeman asked, urging the horse along, apparently oblivious to the exchange behind him.
Mustang glanced up at the woman opposite him and they exchanged a sad look. "It seems," he said quietly, "that with no legal guardian declared, they are to be put in the state's custody."
The man made a noise of disapproval and remained silent for the remainder of the trip to the Rockbell residence, where, he stoically informed them, the Elrics had stayed since their mother passed on.
Roy climbed out of the rickety old cart, and helped the blonde down as well. Standing at the door, he hesitated, seemingly intrigued by the 'Automail Shop' sign.
"Sir?"
"Hawkeye, does the name 'Rockbell' sound familiar to you?"
"Yes, sir," she replied softly. "They were doctors in Ishbal. They treated me once. Bullet wound."
"They were the ones that . . . ?" he trailed off, anxiously stuffing his hands in his pockets.
"Yes, sir," she said, and without further hesitation, reached forward and knocked.
There was a brief scuffle inside, and presently the door creaked open to reveal a short old woman. She frowned upon seeing their uniforms. "Officers," she greeted icily.
"Mrs. Rockbell," Roy began, composed once more. "I am Lieutenant Colonel Roy Mustang and this is my aide, Second Lieutenant Riza Hawkeye. If you will, we're here to see the Elrics."
Ten minutes later, the three of them – Mrs. Rockbell, Roy and Riza – were seated at the kitchen table, each nursing a cup of some strong herbal tea.
"They should be back soon," the old woman said. "They've already been gone awhile."
Roy swished his mug idly, moving it round in circles. "Maybe it's best this way, speaking to you alone first, Mrs. Rockbell."
"Oh, please, call me Pinako," she insisted.
He took a sip of the tea and wrinkled his nose the second the bitter liquid made contact with his tongue. Wordlessly, Hawkeye slid the honey across the table to him. "Pinako, I'm assuming you know of the Elrics' parental situation?"
She merely nodded.
"And from what I hear they've been living here with you."
"Their father was a good friend of mine."
He stirred some honey into his tea. "But you are not their legal guardian."
"No," she admitted, fingertips hovering over her mug, allowing the steam to warm them. "Trisha was so damn certain he'd come back. Of course, if she'd have known, I would have been given the rights – you see, those boys and my granddaughter have been best friends since birth."
Roy sighed, not wanting to say what he knew he must, and took a few sips of his tea. "At first, I heard of two brothers from Risembool that were quite talented alchemists. Upon investigating in hopes of recruiting them, I managed to come across this situation, and . . ."
"Cut to the chase, young man, what will happen to them?" Pinako cut him off, clearly not one for beating around the bush.
He gave her a sympathetic look. "They will be taken into military custody."
The old woman gazed sadly at her teacup. "I suppose it was only a matter of time. I'm amazed we've been able to slip through the cracks for this long."
"We'll be leaving in two days' time. The Elrics will remain in my custody until the state grants them a guardian." He frowned. "I really am sorry about this, but there's nothing I can do."
The old woman nodded, and after some time in silence, collected their mugs and took them over to the sink to be washed.
It was then they heard the front door open, followed by a chorus of laughter (and the occasional bark). "Granny!" a little girl called out, scampering into the room followed by a dog – oddly enough with an automail foreleg – and two blond boys about her age. The girl stopped a few paces from her grandmother and frowned, eyeing Mustang's and Hawkeye's military uniforms warily. The boys stumbled to a halt behind her, the younger of the two with his fingers hooked into the dog's collar. "Who are they?"
The old woman stood and wiped her hands on her apron. "Winry, Ed, Al, this is Lieutenant Colonel Mustang and Lieutenant Hawkeye."
The girl folded her arms across her chest and Roy could have sworn she scowled at him. "Why are they here?"
The two military officers exchanged a hesitant look before Pinako laid a hand on her granddaughter's shoulder. "Winry, dear, I think it's best if you took Den upstairs for awhile, all right?"
Reluctantly, Winry did as she was told, leaving two very confused Elrics in her wake.
"Have a seat," Pinako insisted, and soon the five of them were gathered round the small table, the younger of the brothers gazing at the officers in awe while the elder was glaring at Mustang, taking an instant disliking to him. The woman turned to Roy and explained, "The little one with the scowl is Edward and the one with an attraction to anything with fuzz and four legs is Alphonse."
"I'm not little, you puny hag," Edward grumbled, moving his glare from Mustang to Pinako.
"He's also very cranky," the old woman added.
Both officers nodded and Roy began awkwardly, trying his hardest to keep his tone even and businesslike, "It seems that you boys are lacking a guardian." It was blunt, straight forward; best to get this over with quickly.
"But we have Granny," the younger one protested.
Riza nodded sympathetically, folding her hands on the edge of the table. "Yes, but the state doesn't recognize it. It's not official."
"So you're here to make it official, right?" Ed asked hopefully.
Roy and Riza exchanged a look, before Roy sighed, "No, Edward. No, we are here to take you back to Central with us until a decision can be made."
"Granny?" Al squeaked, seeking confirmation.
Ed's eyes narrowed to a glare for a moment, before he stormed out of the room, slamming the door on the way.
Love it? Lump it? Tell me via the pretty blue button.