NOTE: There are no choices to be made until 3 chapters in.

This is going to be a "Choose Your Own Adventure" style story. Hopefully you guys appreciate it, as it really does take a lot of effort. Anyway, before we get into things, I just wanted to say that this is a very short fic. There are only seven possible endings, and there are few actual choices. Chapters are short, and each diverging storyline will be short as well. It's not the most interactive of interactive stories. That's because it is, more than anything, a test run. I am probably one of the most scatter-brained people there is (though I'm sure most of us think that of ourselves) and I had to write out all the flowcharts by hand. It's also a test to see how the chapter setup works. So please let me know if the chapters end up numbered wrong! If you make a choice, and the chapter it sends you to makes no sense, and it seems like I've done something wrong, let me know right away so I can fix it. Thanks, everyone!

This story is set in the original 2003 FMA universe. It's only relevant because it means that Ed isn't a State Alchemist yet, and no one knows he can transmute without circles.

How to navigate chapters:

When making a decision, it should tell you exactly what chapter number to skip to. As long as you do that, there shouldn't be a problem. If there is, it's more then likely my fault, not yours, and you should let me know immediately. If there is no decision at the end of a chapter (which will often be the case), then simply go forward to the next consecutive chapter.

Chapter 1

"As you know, you find your own training. I suggest him"

That's the sentence that you heard first, and that was when you knew something was wrong. You couldn't pinpoint what, exactly, but those words gave you two things: an extreme sense of deja vu, and a feeling of dread.

"... Ed?"

Hearing your name pulls you out of your thoughts, and you find yourself sitting across from Colonel Mustang. Oddly enough, you don't really remember why you're here. He's looking at you strangely. What are you lookin' at? Oh yeah. He must have said something else to you, but you missed it. You glance down at the table and see a file sitting there. You suppose he expects you to read it.

Shooting one last glare at him for good measure, you pick up the file and carelessly flip it open. Suddenly you know exactly what's wrong with this situation.

"Shou Tucker?" You don't even realize you had spoken out loud until Mustang replies.

"He's the Sewing Life Alchemist-"

"I know who he is." You snap, jumping to your feet. You look back up at him. Then you spin and look at Al for the first time – you'd almost forgotten he was standing there with you. "Is this some kind of joke?" You demand.

"Brother!" Al seems surprised. Genuinely surprised. Why is he surprised?

"I was about to suggest you stay with him while you study for your Alchemy Exam. I didn't realize you had such strong feelings about him already."

You're not sure how long you stand there staring at him, motionless. You're sure that even that bastard wouldn't joke about something like this. You turn to Al again. He hasn't said anything, he's waiting for you to reply.

But I'm already a State Alchemist! I passed the exam months ago. And more importantly... Tucker died.

That bastard is dead.

Nina is dead.

They're both dead. They died months ago. I was there.

This can't be happening.

You sit abruptly. You're starting to feel light headed. But you won't let him know that. Smug bastard. "So... you want me to go visit this Shou Tucker then."

He nods. "That was the idea."

You sigh, and lean back in the chair, before letting out your breath in a huff, blowing your long bangs out of your face casually. "Yeah, sure. Why not?"

It's the next day that Havoc drives you, Mustang, and your brother down. You're vaguely aware of Al and the Colonel talking during the drive, but you're not listening. Besides, you already know everything he's saying. The talking chimera. Yeah, did he mention it was his wife? You're still not sure what to expect. You still half-expect this to be some sort of elaborate setup. But there's no way Al would ever be a part of something like that. And if he wasn't a part of it, he would have reacted before. Like you had.

He hadn't said a word about your outburst earlier. You doubt that he has any plans to bring it up. You look out the window as the car pulls to a stop in front of the house, and take a sharp breath. Everything is exactly how you remember it. It's surreal. You shouldn't be here. You have no reason to ever come back to this place.

But apparently, you've never been here before today. You still haven't thought about how you got here – months into your own past – in the first place. It's one of those things that's been filed away into the "not important, sort it out later" section of your brain. Dealing with Shou Tucker all over again has shifted quite suddenly into the top priority slot. And this time, you'll do it right.

You hesitate before pulling your door open and stepping out of the car. If Al notices how your hands are shaking while you walk up the drive, he doesn't say anything. He instead makes a comment on the size of the house. You remember how surprised you were when you first saw it. "Yeah. That's the kind of money you get as a State Alchemist..." you reply, trailing off.

Before reaching the door, you hear a rustling in the hedge. It takes your brain a full couple of seconds to remember this part of your day. By the time it catches up, it's far too late. You find yourself flat on your back with a huge wet tongue slobbering all over your face. Al is laughing at you. And in spite of yourself, you find that you can't help but laugh as well.

The sound abruptly dies in your throat as the front door creaks open and you hear an achingly familiar, young voice. "You know that's bad, Alexander!"