For some unfathomable reason, I was under the impression that during the Resembool episodes, Winry didn't sleep for like three days straight and worked that entire time. Please ignore my lapse in common sense.

Resembool 2: The Sequel

The next morning, Ana wakes up feeling like her eyes are filled with sandpaper. She's in Winry's bed, the blonde still asleep on the other side, and Ana thinks it better not to wake her up. For a while, Ana lays there watching Winry's curled form. Her mind, though tired, is blissfully blank.

She doesn't know how much times passes, but her daze is interrupted when the door nudges open. Den's there, probably looking for his owner. He saunters over and sniffs at Winry's face. Blue eyes flutter open and Winry calmly reaches out to scratch at his furry neck.

"Morning," Winry greets. Then she looks over to where Ana lays. "Is it still morning?"

Ana shrugs, the movement made awkward by her lying position.

Winry considers Ana's silence and asks, "How'd you sleep?"

"Better," Ana admits.

"Good," Winry smiles and sits up with a stretch. "I'm feeling like biscuits this morning. How about you?"

"Sure," Ana agrees. She has to glance away from the easy smile that Winry shows her. For some reason, it makes Ana nervous.

"Great! Upsi'daisy. Let's got see who else is up."

Ana follows Winry's lead that morning. She gets the feeling that Winry is being extra attentive to her after last night's incident. Ana recalls sitting up late with her, talking quietly about anything other than disturbing nightmares. Winry has a good mind for tending to people, sensing out that what Ana needed most was a distraction. The way she handled Ana's freak out in a strong, steady manner, it makes Ana flustered to remember. At the time she didn't mind it, but now all Ana can think about is how Winry saw her crying like a baby and probably thinks she's a crazy person. How embarrassing.

"What's got you so quiet?" Ed asks her at the dining table. Everyone's up and most have finished eating. Ana's still poking around her half-eaten plate.

Ana replies, "Long night. Me and Winry were up late talking."

"Like girl talk?" Al asks in such an eager way that manages to make Ana crack a small smile.

"Yeah, talking about taking over the world. You know, girl things."

Armstrong agrees, "I remember similar discussions from my youth."

"Major?" Ed asks, looking at the bulky man in a new, fearful light. Thinking about a world ruled by Armstrong is enough to give Ana shivers too.

"It's natural to have these thoughts when you are young," Armstrong says, nodding sage-like. "You feel powerful and capable of anything, and truly there are so many possibilities before you."

Pinako, smoking her pipe at the end of the table, adds, "As they say, the children of today shape the future of tomorrow."

"Precisely why it is good to encourage such ambition."

"Just to be clear, we weren't really talking about taking over the world," Winry says, laughing nervously at how the two adults in the room seem to be condoning world domination.

"Or were we?" Ana says.

"We weren't!" Winry yells.

After breakfast, Winry retreats into her workroom with Pinako. Ana lingers, wanting to join the women while also not wanting to interrupt their work. Not having Winry nearby is disconcerting, like having her around would stop the nervous thrum of energy that runs through Ana's body and collects in the pit of her stomach. Ana scratches at her arm, briefly considering if scraping the skin off with her nails would make the feeling go away.

In the middle of her indecisiveness, a large hand settles on her shoulder. Ana looks up to find Armstrong's pale, blue eyes staring down at her.

"Would you care to come outside, Miss Ana? The Elrics have already gone."

Ana glances around and, sure enough, the world kept spinning without her. Despite the sunlight coming through the window, the room is bleak with emptiness.

"I don't know," Ana says. She could stay in, take a nap. Or pretend to take a nap.

Armstrong is quiet. He's concerned, Ana senses it, but she's too tired to care.

"Look outside," Armstrong instructs.

She doesn't feel up for talking, so she just does what he says. Out the window, there are a few clouds sweeping down the sky and falling onto the hills in the distance. Nearby, past the porch, she can see Den run by on the grass. He runs back a few seconds later, carrying a stick in his mouth.

"This place is different from the city," he tells her. "Here, the people are not in a hurry. You can breathe in the life and see the stars. It's incredibly calming, have you noticed?"

Ana hums noncommittally in lieu of speaking.

"Though the Elrics claim to have no home, this place tells a different story. They carry many burdens, but here they're able to find some peace and renew their strength. When their journey weighs them down, this is the place they will remember to bring them comfort."

The memory of home, huh? Seems more painful than anything.

"I have seen terrible things. Many terrible things that I was not strong enough to prevent."

Ana thinks of the war in Ishval, how Armstrong must have taken part of the genocide. He'd killed people, and she'd never thought of that before, never connected murderer with his name.

She tears her gaze away from the window, and though Armstrong's eyes are closed, she can feel the remorse seeping off of him.

"There is honor in being strong, but I have also learned there is relief in weakness. It is not shameful, to be human."

His eyes open, and they look right into her.

"Find your peace," he says. Then he's gone, having left outside.

Ana sits there, chewing on his message, trying to see just what he wants her to do. Does he think she's not doing enough? Too much? Ever since coming here, she's been doing everything she can to get home. She's dealing with it, isn't she?

. . . isn't she?

Ana bangs her fist on the table. She's mad at the implication that she's running away or . . . or doing something she shouldn't be doing. She is doing what she can. How she deals with it isn't anyone else's business. She'll get through, and she's not going to sulk here and cry about her problems.

She shoves away from the table and exits the house. The wind is blowing, raising goosebumps on her arms from the chill. Armstrong's nowhere to be seen, but Ed's in the front yard playing fetch with the dog. Beside him, Al sits in his crate and watches Den prance around. Her appearance catches their attention immediately.

"Hey Ana!" Edward calls. "Come over here. We want to talk to you about something."

A daunting thought skitters across her mind, one that warns her that she's done something wrong. Immediately after, Ana squashes the moment of weakness. Hadn't she just decided that she wouldn't doubt herself? So what if she hasn't really talked to the brothers the past couple of days. It's not like she'd been avoiding them or anything.

Determined, Ana makes her way towards them, careful to keep her expression neutral.

"What's up?" she asks. This may take a while, so she flops to the ground. Den saunters over to her, the stick wedged in his mouth. He nudges her as if he wants her to take it, but they just end up in a half-hearted tug-of-war.

Ed's looking a little awkward, standing there with his one-armed self. Ana wonders if Al put him up to this conversation, whatever it may be. She really has no idea.

"Brother?" Al prompts.

Edward glances at Ana. Looking away just as quickly, he gestures for Al to take the lead. "You go ahead."

Al sighs and begins, "We've been talking about ways to get you home."

The word strikes a chord in Ana, not one reminiscent of Armstrong's conversation or even of memories with her sister and parents. Dreams of fire and shadows consume her mind for an instant.

Stupid nightmares, Ana thinks, grimacing inwardly. It must be all the stress lately.

"Did you find a pair of ruby slippers I can tap together?" Ana asks.

"What?"

"Oh, sorry. I keep forgetting y'all won't get my references. Doesn't matter. What did you decide?"

"We haven't found anything doing book research. Not that there isn't something there! There could be, but mostly we were considering how you came to be here."

"Well ya see, when a man loves a woman—"

"He didn't mean that, idiot!" Ed yells. "You said the last thing you can remember is waking up in the Arcadia Mine, right?"

"Yeah, everything's fuzzy before that."

"So there's no telling how you really got there."

Ana frowns, ready to glare up at him. "Edward, this better not be another round of you trying to debunk my story."

"It's not," he responds, surprisingly less aggressive than she would have expected. He usually likes reminding her of how unbelievable her alibi sounds. "This isn't about what you know. It's about what you don't know."

". . .what do you mean?"

"You don't remember how you actually got to Arcadia," Alphonse answers. "Anything could have happened."

"I know I'm not in my world, and that I crossed through the gate. Or at least that's the only explanation that makes sense." Her brain hurts at the mere idea that something else is to blame.

"And yet no one's ever heard of this happening," Ed says. "Maybe this has happened before, but if it was simple then there would be loads of world travelers. The catalyst responsible must have been extraordinarily powerful. If you could remember, then we could work backwards."

"If I could remember, don't you think I would have already?" Ana grumbles. Never mind that she's no longer sure if she wants to remember. Yes, she wants to go home, but if something horrible had happened to get her here. . . "And what do you mean by working backwards?"

"We know the solution. All we need are the missing parts of the formula."

Al chimes in as well, "If we know what it takes to get you here, then we could either recreate it or use it as a base. You being here proves it's possible."

"Yeah, that's pretty much a given," Ana says, not that impressed. "But that's assuming I can remember, which I can't."

"Stop being so negative," Ed complains. Den gave up on playing with Ana and returns to him. Ed takes the stick and lobs it through the air.

"Not negative. Realistic," Ana counters.

"And realistically, there's a chance you could remember. Giving your brain a jump start might be the key."

"Sure, just hook my head up to some electricity. Either I remember or my head explodes. Win-win for everybody."

"Brother's right, you are being very negative today."

"I blame Father Roy. And Scar. And Timmy. And Edward."

"What'd I do?!"

Ana gives him a look as she points to her arm in a sling.

Ed grits his teeth and turns away.

"Anyway," Al cuts in, trying to ease the tension. "We thought it would be best to visit Arcadia soon. There might be something there that triggers your memory, or we might find something that you didn't see before."

"Really?" Ana asks. And here she thought they would be essentially living in musty libraries for the next month.

"It's worth a shot."

To think, they would be going to the place where it all began.

"What, you don't want to?" Ed asks when Ana remains silent for too long.

"No, I . . . just wonder if we'll really find something there. Oh, I guess I can see Martha again."

At their questioning looks, Ana recounts meeting Martha the innkeeper and her brother Demetri. They were an interesting pair, and Ana is reminded once again that she was lucky to have met them in her time of need. Ana would like to see them again, thank them and let Martha know that she managed to get along well enough. The brothers don't mind and agree they should stop by there. They decide that they'll most likely go to Arcadia after they return to Central and look into Marcoh's research. Ana wants to protest, suggest that they go ahead and swing by Arcadia. However, she can see how in a hurry Ed and Al are to get back to the capital. There would probably be no swaying them. Besides, they could take care of that fairly quickly. Head back to Central, look into the research, and then the brothers went to that lab place, right? In terms of the timeline, Ana doesn't remember exactly what comes after that, so it shouldn't be that bad to have a detour around then.

Ana spends most of the day hanging out with the Elrics. They spend a lot of time outdoors, and Armstrong makes a reappearance at some point. Ana doesn't really look his way, not wanting to remember their earlier conversation. Armstrong doesn't bring it up either. For the most part, Armstrong does work around the yard, like chopping firewood.

"He's using his bare hands. What the fuck," Ana says.

"Show off."

"Like you're one to talk, Brother."

"Edward's alchemy aesthetic is pretty gaudy."

"There's nothing gaudy about it! I have good taste!"

"Totally. If the alchemy business doesn't work out for you, you could go into interior design."

To be honest, it's not a bad way to spend the day. Ana does enjoy their company, she does, but there's a lot on her mind and she finds herself discontented. She should be happy, knowing that they would be investigating more ways to send her home.

"Is something wrong?"

Ana looks over to Alphonse. It's late afternoon and they're sitting in the living room, alone for the moment.

"I'm fine, why?"

"Something Ed said earlier, about you being quite recently."

Ana huffs and brings her legs onto the couch to curl up more comfortably. "He has no room to talk. Edward's been acting weird too lately, kinda quiet."

"I think you two should talk."

"Talk? About what?"

"Just talk, clear the air." Al talks in a tone that says the subject should be obvious, and maybe it is, but Ana's not interested.

"If he really wanted to talk, then he'll talk to me. I can't help that he's stubborn."

"You're both stubborn."

"Maybe."

"No. You're both stubborn."

Ana hushes and glances over to Alphonse. His voice had been hardened, leaving no room for argument. It makes her feel like she'd done something wrong and was getting chided for it.

Ana stares down at her hands, sitting still. ". . .yeah."

"And it's not doing either of you any good. At least try, please."

For a moment, Ana wants to shout at him, to hit something. She has been trying. All she's been doing is trying. And she's tired. Tired and hurt and lonely in ways that they can't help her with. At least they still have each other. Ana can't even call home.

"Ana?"

But yelling and crying isn't going to do anything about it. She shouldn't feel so irrationally angry in the first place. Alphonse is right, and he doesn't even know he's stepping on strained nerves. It's not his fault. She's overreacting. She needs to calm down. Things weren't this bad in Central. Why is she getting upset over stupid things now?

"Is something else bothering you?"

Ana looks across the room at the telephone hanging on the wall, where she had been staring earlier.

"I used to call my sister every day," Ana admits. Al is silent, sensing the shift in the air. "I've got a lot of siblings. My older sister . . . I've never lived with her, but I was closest to her. And we'd talk on the phone every day. But I can't now."

Ana swallows thickly, unable to say anything more. She waits for Al to speak.

Finally, he does. "You will. You will again. You'll get there."

It's enough for now.

Ana has no intentions of talking to Edward any time soon. Ever since leaving Central, they've been beating around the bush. It's remarkable, considering how straightforward they are. Alphonse alluded to Ana knowing what troubles Edward, and maybe she would realize if she bothered to figure it out. It's easier to not think about it, and it's easy to not talk about what really matters. That's why they've been subdued and avoiding each other.

Early the next morning, when night disperses in the growing glow of the rising sun, Ana sits on the front porch steps. People would be waking up soon and going about their daily lives. For now, the dirt roads and distant houses are quiet and devoid of movement. Gray clouds oppress the sky, rolling towards a foggy horizon. It's like the world is muffled. It hushes Ana's mind to where not even the cool air can make her go back inside.

The front door opens and footsteps pad out to stop beside her.

"What's got you up so early?"

It's Edward's voice. Ana almost wants to laugh. She had decided she wouldn't talk to him, and Ed has to go and be the bigger person.

"I woke up and couldn't go back to sleep," she answers, shrugging.

He waits a minute before easing down to sit on the step. Ana peeks to the side. Ed's already dressed for the day, and though there's a pensive pinch to his brows, he has a resolute look about him.

"Listen," he begins, tone somber and head down. "I know I haven't given you much trust. And we still don't know much about you. But still, the other day, when we ran into Scar, I just wanted to say—"

"Don't say anything."

Taken aback, Ed looks to her, mouth still open to speak.

Ana grips the material of her jacket and hunches in on herself a little. "Stop sounding so angsty. It's whatever."

Peeved at the interruption, Ed tries to continue, "Don't sound so flippant. If you would listen to what I'm trying to say—"

"I don't wanna hear it," she cuts him off again. "I don't want to hear that you're sorry, or that you want to thank me. It's not needed. Just let it go."

His frustration boils over. He stands, probably unaware that he's on his feet now. He's borderline yelling when he says, "How can you say that when you were almost killed because of me!"

"Edwar—"

"You and Al both. I couldn't stop him when he blew Al apart. And once he had me on the ground, I couldn't move. I just sat there and gave up, until you threw yourself out there. Even then I couldn't do anything but run like a scared child."

"What do you want me to say, Edward? That I shouldn't have protected you?"

"You shouldn't have had to in the first place!"

"But I did, because you were going to die, and if you haven't realized yet, you and Alphonse are the closest people I have right now!"

Ed's taking a moment to process this, and Ana's close to losing control. She covers her face and breathes in a shaky breath. She doesn't want to talk about this, or remember how broken and scared the brothers had been that day. They're just teenagers, she knows this, but she's used to them as being strong and self-assured. Their vulnerability frightens her, because she knows that they are stronger than her. And if people like them can break, then what will become of someone like her?

No, she thinks fiercely. That doesn't matter. Because we're still here.

"Even if you don't consider me your friend, you're mine. And I'm not just going to stand on the sidelines when I can do something. I'd do it again if I had to. If I die, then I die. So be it, if it means that you're alive."

If nothing else, Ana is protective of those she cares about. It doesn't mean she isn't scared of the pain of dying. Their lives are worth more than her fear. Briefly, she thinks to confess that fear, to tell Ed that she does get scared. Her pride thinks the better of it.

"That's what I thought."

Ana removes her hand to look at him. He's glaring at the ground, fist clenched at his side. However, his words weren't told in a mocking fashion. He's admitting something, and Ana will listen.

"After he shattered my automail, and he was about to kill me, all I could think was, 'If I die, then that's fine. As long as it's just me and not them.'"

"And Scar wouldn't have either," Ana agrees. "He just murders people in his way and State Alchemists. He would have killed you and left us alone"

"Maybe so, but I shouldn't have acted so recklessly. It was stupid of me."

"You? Stupid? And here I thought you were a genius or somethin'."

The barest twitch of a smile pulls at his mouth. Little by little, the tension is seeping out of the air. "Trust me, Al made it abundantly clear what an idiot I am."

"Well, if Alphonse says it's true, then it must be."

"Yeah. . . He yelled at me, ya know. Made me realize that I can't give up like that. I can't leave him alone like that to fix our mistake. He still needs me, so even if I'm staring death in the face, I'm not going to roll over next time."

Determination ignites in his gold gaze. This isn't the broken and scared boy she remembers that day. This is Edward, the fighter with heart.

"The fact that you say there's going to be a next time worries me," Ana jokes to hide how relieved she is.

"I don't know, is there going to be a next time?"

"Not if you just stay here in Resembool and marry Winry and become a sheep herder."

As expected, he spazzes out. His arm waves up and down so fast that, had he the other arm, he might just achieve flight.

"Who said anything about marrying Winry!" he hollers, voice cracking.

Ana smirks. "I did. We can have a joint wedding if you want: me and Alphonse, and you and Winry."

Ed flusters even more and Ana hums in contentment as she gets up to go inside.

"I'm starving. Let's get something to eat," she says, deciding that their conversation is now done. The air is cleared between them and now Al can't complain.

Ana hasn't reached the door when Ed calls after her, "And for your information, I do you know."

She looks back, face blank with confusion. "Do? Do what?"

Cheeks still pink, Ed crosses his arms and turns his head away. "Consider you as my friend."

Not knowing what else to do, Ana looks down at herself, then at the area around them, and lastly she looks up at the sky.

"What? What are you doing?"

"Just making sure that I'm still awake and the world isn't ending," she answers, completely serious.

"I'm being serious!"

"So am I. I should at least see some flying pigs."

"You're being ridiculous. Just go inside already."

"No, no, I think I need to stand here and bask in our newfound friendship."

"Well as your friend, then I suggest you shut up and go inside."

"And as your friend, I suggest we commemorate this occasion."

"It doesn't need commemoration. Just let it be."

"We should milk a cow."

"A what?"

"Cows, Edward. Let's go cow milking together."

"Is everyone from your world as strange as you?"

"My level of perfection is unattainable."

He gives her a look that lets her know that she's full of bullshit.

She turns her nose up at him. "Well it's true. Some have come close, but none have succeeded."

"Thank goodness for small favors."

"Hey!" she gasps but can't hold back a grin. "I am awesome and you know it."

"Maybe you really are related to the colonel. Your ego is as big as his."

Stars light up in Ana's eyes. "Awww, you really mean it?"

Ed has a flat expression, as if he's sweat dropping. "How can I even insult you right when you take them as compliments?"

"Because I'm awesome."

"That's not a fact; that's an opinion."

"Pfft, please, you know you love me."

"I- I never said that! You're crazy! Hey, get back here!"

Ana cackles as she runs inside, Ed hot on her heels.

Armstrong is the real MVP.

Hope this was worth the wait. I graduated college recently, and now I'm figuring out what to do next. I've got plans for a novel I want to write and publish, which by the way, Ana is one of the main characters in it. She plays a prostitute, but the major themes of the book would be on identity, sexuality, and social class. Mostly though, I want to be an editor. I might try freelance editing. Anybody need an editor? Heh heh. . .

I dunno about the next time I'll rise from the ashes to bring a new chapter. I still find it funny that I said I would stick to summary but these are turning into legit chapters, just with a verb tense shift to present. But really, I wanted to get into more detail about Ana's personal struggle with what she's been through and how she's dealing with it mentally. It's kinda push and pull, but Ana's a stubborn, prideful person who would rather run away or bottle up her problems rather than deal with them. I really like that some of the characters notice and try to help, like Armstrong's talk with her, or how Alphonse can make her face her own faults. And then there's her and Ed, too similar for their own good. But they're friends now so it's chill.

See ya around, my furry friends! And thank you for all the reviews.