By: WhiteRoseFlame,

A proud Risembool Ranger

Inspired by Hiromu Arakawa and Vic Mignogna

~Dedicated to those with a Fullmetal Heart~

PS: If anyone knows which convention Vic mentioned the "strong female character" at, please let me know! Also, if I completely misheard him or made this up, let me know that as well. I have the memory span of Dory. XD

Nostalgia

It was 6:30 in the morning, yet she wasn't tired. This was thanks to her wise decision to go to bed super early—so early that she had to close her open windows and squeeze shut the thick curtains in her bedroom as it was still day time, courtesy of the Spring season. Her mother gave her "the look" to which she just put on her best smile and said that her and her cousin were going to wake up early and watch the sunrise.

You'd think her mother wouldn't be so gullible given who she married. Fat chance. Both she and her father were all time masters of persuasion, among other secrets.

She leaned all of her weight into the overstuffed suitcase, trying to make as little noise as possible. Though her father was probably the heaviest sleeper in all of Amestris, her mother had a nose for trouble that was stronger than a shark's for blood. After finally forcing the lid closed, she locked the clasp and fastened the strap buckles in place. Quietly she sighed and grabbed her black boots and crimson coat. She placed her scrawled letter on her desk, quietly opened her door and slinked out and down the stairs, pausing at the bottom step to listen for any signs of waking parents. When she heard only silence, her peach lips broke out into a face splitting grin.

Success!

She blew a kiss at her parents' bedroom and eased open the front door. After it was safely closed and she was down the porch stairs into the silent grass, she broke out into a furious dash.

The sound of something whistling through the air was too quick for her to process, and she was struck on the back of the head with the hardest substance known to man, second only to diamond: iron.

This was confirmed when she lifted her pulsing head, golden blonde hair falling around her face, and she saw it.

A wrench.

One thought flashed through her mind.

Run!

Her escape was in vain, for as she barely made it to her feet and she started running again another iron wrench clocked her upside the back of her head and she face planted the ground once more. She growled and whipped around on the ground, glaring at the culprit.

"Dammit, Mom! Stop throwing wrenches! You're gonna crack my skull open!"

The culprit, Winry Elric, stood on the porch, another wrench in her raised hand. A look similar to that of a snarling dog crossed her face. She wore naught but her thin, cotton nightgown. Her pale blonde hair fell around her face and shoulders messily.

"Trisha Elric, you get back in this house right now!"

Trisha pursed her lips and ran her fingers over her scalp, checking for blood. None. Luckily. She'd rather not have stitches again. A look of defiance pulled at her boyish features.

"No." The moment the syllable left her pouting lips, she dodged another projectile wrench split second. "You almost took my head off with that one!"

Winry pulled out three more wrenches and Trisha paled. Where is she keeping all of them!?

"One!"

Trisha dodged the fourth wrench of the morning. "Mom, wait! Listen to me!"

"Two!"

Wrench number five. "Come on! Let's talk this out!"

"Three!"

The sixth never came, even as Trisha covered her face with her arms. Winry looked back and Trisha looked up to see her father grasping the wrench in Winry's hand. Edward Elric stood bleary eyed behind Winry, scuffing his messy, long blonde hair with his free hand. He yawned widely and yanked the wrench out of Winry's hand.

"Where do you even get all of these? I swore I hid the bulk of them just days ago." He tossed the wrench back in the house.

Winry turned on him and placed her hands on her hips. "Your daughter is trying to run off again!"

"Eh?" Edward muttered, half asleep. He yawned again. "You're surprised?"

"Don't 'eh' me! Do something!"

Edward only blinked. However, in the distance, Trisha yelled, "Dad said I could!"

Edward's eyes suddenly snapped fully open, now completely awake. "Er…"

Winry's eyes narrowed. "Ed?"

Edward frowned deeply and sweated superfluously. He suddenly turned around and made for the stairs. "I'm going back to bed."

Winry snatched a handful of his golden locks and dragged him back. Edward protested in pain. "You told her to go!?"

"Come on Winry! You knew this was coming!" Edward clutched his head as Winry continued to yank at his hair.

"Allan didn't leave until he was grown! I expected her to do the same!"

"Well, Allen was like me when he was young, then he turned into you! Trisha is the opposite! It makes sense logically!"

"Don't start that science crap with me!"

Trisha blinked, unenthused by her parent's antics. She sighed and rolled her eyes. Reaching into her coat pocket she pulled out two white gloves, each had embroidered, red circles on them with runes within the circles. She slipped them on, clapped her hands together and placed her hands on the ground.

Edward and Winry were so busy bickering back and forth that the light from Trisha's alchemy and the sound of Earth shifting came and went unnoticed.

"For the last time! She's not leaving home until she's eighteen! Now go and get her!" Winry pointed.

Edward growled and looked over to the spot where Trisha was standing. However he blinked in surprise and sighed. "Too late."

Winry looked over and gasped. In Trisha's place was an Earthen dummy with big round eyes, an antenna, and a tongue sticking out. Around the base was the word "suckers."

"Trisha Sara Elric you are grounded!" Winry roared at the escaping girl.

Trisha beamed back at them, laughing as she ran with her suitcase. "I'll take my punishment when I get back!"

"When the hell is that going to be!?" Winry yelled back with tears in her eyes. She sniffled and Edward sighed and smiled down at her, embracing her.

"Crybaby. She'll be fine."

"Shut up…" Winry sniffled, pulling out another wrench and throwing it at the dummy fashioned from alchemy.

Edward laughed at her and pushed her gently back inside.

If Trisha is leaving, then that means she will probably be there too…

Another young girl with long golden blonde hair and black bangs sat on the edge of the train station platform. Her hair was pleated into a long braid down her back, tied off with a blue ribbon. In her lap sat Xiao Mei the panda. As the girl swung her legs back and forth, Xiao Mei did the same, copying her. Beside them sat a suitcase similar to that of Trisha's.

She looked across the grassy plains of Risembool. "Goodbye, green grass." She looked up at the aquamarine sky. "Goodbye, blue sky."

"And what about me?"

She blinked and turned to glance behind her with large, dark eyes. An older boy wearing a pine tree, short sleeved shirt and beige coveralls, carrying a crate of what looked like wine towards the cargo car of the train. He had dark brown hair and wore a red bandana.

The girl smiled up at him and laughed. "Goodbye, Gunther. And say goodbye to your dad for me too."

Gunther laughed. "So, Nina, your parents are really letting you go on this trip?"

"Yeah. Papa said that I have a lot of Mama in me, so he knew I'd be okay," Nina smiled brightly.

"Well, damn! Why can't my mom think that way!?" Nina and Gunther turned to see Trisha standing there out of breath, an irritated scowl on her face. She wore black, fitting pants, black boots with white laces, a black tank that hugged her chest and her father's trademark red coat. Her blonde hair stuck out every which way from being windblown.

Gunther smiled at the Trisha. "So, I'm guessing you ran away?"

Trisha growled, baring her teeth and stomped up to the boy. She stopped in front of him and lifted her head to look up into his face. "I didn't run away! I escaped my mom's wrath!" She whipped to the side, crossing her arms and closing her eyes. "Besides, my dad didn't have any problems with it! As far as I'm concerned, this trip is allowed!"

"Sure. Like that'd change anything," Nina grinned playfully at her older cousin.

Trisha clenched her fists and growled at her laughing younger cousin.

"Well, have fun wherever you're headed," Gunther nodded to them. "Hope you grow a couple inches next time I see you, Trisha!"

A vein popped in Trisha's temple and the cowlick resting in the middle of her bangs twitched. She growled and roared at Gunther, "What was that?! You're just aching for me to break one of those wine bottles over your head, aren't 'cha!?"

When Gunther laughed as he walked away, Trisha attempted to run after him, clapping her hands together. However, Nina was already behind her, holding her back by her arms.

"Come on~ We don't want to miss our train. And we still have to get our tickets."

With a sigh, Trisha gave up and snatched up her suitcase, stomping away. "I'll get him next time!"

"Sure sure~" Nina sang as she picked up her own suitcase and set Xiao Mei on her head, following after her hot blooded cousin.

The two girls stopped in front of the ticket vendor. Trisha slammed one hand on top of the counter, a wad of cash underneath her palm. "Two tickets to—"

"Dublith," came two low voices behind her.

Trisha and Nina blinked, both knowing exactly who the voices belonged to. The both turned around, Nina with a surprised expression, and Trisha with a terrified one. Standing behind them were their fathers. Alphonse wore his same, warm smile, dressed in a white button up and black slacks. Edward, now with his hair brushed and pulled back into a long ponytail, wore a black tank and black slacks. His expression was cocky as ever.

"That IS where you're going, right?" Ed tilted his head knowingly, his grin growing wider by the second.

Trisha scowled and clicked her tongue. "Tch. You found us out."

Her father's expression switched to irritated. "What do you mean 'tch!?' It was obvious where you two were going!"

Alphonse laughed at his brother and only niece who never ceased to amaze him as to just how similar she was to her father. He turned his own daughter. "Are you sure this is what you want? You know how hard it will be."

Edward turned away, placing a hand on his head, shaking it back and forth gravely. "I can't even fathom why the hell you would want to go there in the first place!"

Nina opened her mouth to speak, but Trisha beat her to the punch. "Does there have to be a reason other than alchemy?" Trisha's eyes, as she looked at her father and her uncle, burned with intensity. "It doesn't matter why. What matters is what we get out of it!"

The three others blinked at her. Trisha's expression didn't waver. Suddenly Alphonse looked to his brother and snorted in laughter. Edward growled and shouted at him, "SHUT UP! DON'T EVEN GO THERE!"

Alphonse held up his hands and Edward turned back to the girls, sighing and scratching the back of his head. "Alright, fine. Just remember to call your mother as often as you can. You know how she gets."

Trisha's serious look fell and then she broke out into a wide, beaming smile. "I'll call if you don't tell her where I'm going. She'll kill both of us!"

Edward groaned and muttered something about scouring the house for more wrenches but nodded. Alphonse nodded as well and Nina stepped forward to hug her father tightly.

When they were finally on the train, the two girls leaned out of the window as Edward and Alphonse stood next to it.

"Be careful. Make sure you eat right and get lots of sleep!" Alphonse reminded. "And drink your milk!"

Nina chimed in with an "okay" as both Trisha and Edward clicked their tongues in disgust.

"Like hell," Trisha growled. Then she blinked and turned to her father who looked back at her with a suspicious look in his eyes. "You were super short in the beginning, so how did you get so tall?"

Edward's face scrunched in annoyance and a vein pulsed in his forehead. He leaned forward, coming within an inch of his daughter's nose. "I told you never to bring that up," he growled.

Nina giggled. "Taboo subject."

Alphonse shrugged and shook his head. "Amazing. She called him short AND tall in the same breath. Talk about a backhanded compliment."

Trisha grinned. "That's okay. I'll figure it out on my own." She kissed her father's forehead and leaned back inside the train car. "And then I'll come back even taller than you!"

"Yeah right! As if! You're a girl, so your DNA is hardwired for you to be short!"

"Then I'll REWIRE my DNA so I'll be tall!"

"Are you trying to turn yourself into a chimera!? Besides, that'd be human transmutation! You can't do that!"

"If becoming a chimera is what it'll take to be taller, then I'll do it! Evolution doesn't stop at humans! If giraffes can grow taller by stretching their necks to reach high branches then I'll stretch every day till I grow taller!"

Edward was about to retaliate when he paused, mid breath and put his hand to his chin. "No wait. That actually makes sense."

Alphonse laughed at the two of them. "No it doesn't! Giraffes are tall because of natural selection of giraffes who were born taller than other giraffes."

Trisha grinned as the train blew its whistle and started to pull out of the station. "Ha! Dad is tall and Mom is tall, so that means that I'll be tall too!"

Once again, Edward opened his mouth to quip back, but brother's hand stopped him. Alphonse shook his head and turned to wave at the girls. Edward sighed and smiled, raising his hand to wave at them. From the window of the train car, the girls waved back, shouting their love. When the train was out of sight, they lowered their hands. Edward's chin dropped, his eyes staring down at the open toed sandals he wore. His gaze shifted back and forth between his feet.

One foot of flesh and blood.

The other of steel and oil.

He raised his hands, palm up. And for the slightest, briefest of moments, he could have sworn his right hand matched his left foot. However when he blinked, it was whole again, normal, feeling. He clenched it, unclenched it, and then clenched it again. He kept his hand a tight fist until his knuckles cracked and his wrist ached. He welcomed the dull pain. It felt human. He sighed in relief and shook his head.

"So you feel it too?"

Edward turned to see his brother raise one hand to clench his opposite arm. He then pushed up his sleeve and grazed his nails over his skin. Alphonse rose his arm to look at the white trails on his arm, caused by his nails.

"I hope they'll be okay," Alphonse said, his hand going back to subconsciously scratch at his arm. "I have this bad feeling… like something's bound to happen."

Edward didn't answer, even though he felt the exact same way. He was too preoccupied with watching his brother scratch his skin in paranoia. He sometimes did this whenever he remembered what it was like to be inside the armor suit for so long. Edward understood why he did it. It was for the same reason he would sometimes sit there and hold his hand in a tight fist until he got carpal tunnel. The feeling, no matter whether it was a sensation of pain, a dull ache or a tickle, was an addictive reminder that they were back. They survived. Edward had his arm back and Alphonse had his body back. Yet, when Edward sometimes spotted the scabs on his arm, he got angry. Mostly at himself.

Edward raised his hand and cracked his palm across the back of Alphonse's hand, halting his paranoid tick. Alphonse let out a gasp of surprise and pain as he jerked his hand back. He looked at the red blotchy welt on the back of his hand.

"What was that for?!"

Edward only grinned. "Did ya feel that?"

"Yeah I felt it!" Alphonse rubbed his hand, his voice taking on a "duh" tone.

Edward put his hands on his hips and grinned wider. "Good!"

Alphonse's annoyed look dissipated into one of surprise, then understanding. Suddenly, he raised his own hand and slapped Edward's right hand.

"Ack!" Edward exclaimed and cradled his hand, looking at his brother in surprise.

"Did ya feel that?" Alphonse mocked his brother with a smirk, then said, "I'll stop scratching if you stop giving yourself nerve pains."

Edward gave a sort of pout, growling and rubbing his stinging hand. "Fair enough." He turned and started heading back towards the trail that head to the Rockbell family house. "I'm heading back. Winry's making breakfast, so bring over May in a bit."

"Sure," Alphonse nodded. "Don't miss Trisha too much."

"Shaddup!" Edward called back as he walked home with his hands in his pockets. After he was out of earshot, he sighed and said to himself, "Too late…"

On the train, Nina read as Trisha leaned her head on her hand, staring out the window. Suddenly, the sound of uneven footsteps broke through her daydream. She blinked and her head shot up. She looked towards the isle of the train. The man resonating the sound that was so familiar to her sat down in the seat across from her, on the other side of the isle. As he sat down, his pant legs hiked up a bit, revealing the shiny metal of an automail right leg. As she blinked, the image of her father's false left leg and the sound if his uneven footsteps outside her bedroom at night appeared in her mind, behind the dark of her eyelids. That sound—tak, tonk, tak, tonk—had always been comforting to her. Just like the scent of one's parents or a soft blanket, as a child, that sound had always meant one thing to her: her hero, her father. Now, she wasn't sure when the next time would be that she would hear that specific sound radiate from him as he snuck up behind her or walked into her bedroom to kiss her goodnight when he was sure she was already asleep.

"Trisha? You okay?"

Trisha looked up to see Nina's concerned expression. She realized her eyes stung and she quickly reached up and dug her palms into her eyeballs. "Yeah." She turned and crossed her arms on the window sill of the train, laying her head on her arms. "I think I'll put rocks in one of my boots. Or get a steel toe put in one of them."

Immediately, Nina knew what she meant and only nodded. "Whatever you want, Sister."

Nina went back to her book and Trisha closed her eyes. Within a few seconds, she was asleep, dreaming of that uneven sound, of steel that smelled like oil, and of the brightest red she had ever seen. Redder than blood. Redder than the coat that was now hers.