Thanks for updating your story.:) It's cool that they are getting help for Ed.:) Will he be okay? I'm really excited and curious about the next chapter.:)

There's so much to unpack here...

Ed's reasoning is...um interesting but it's understandable, he's lost someone extremely close to him and every one's crowding him. He's not had one moment to truly mourn Mustang and those feelings that he's harboring about Ren is relatable- on the surface. Ren didn't kill Mustang, blood loss did. Ed was a catalyst for Mustang's death but so was Tucker and his lunacy(and Ed isn't fostering any blame toward him, I notice). Ed didn't seek to murder Mustang, he did it out of a sense of loyalty, a promise made to someone so dear to him. He also promised to see to Ren's well-being. But stress will cloud any day.

It's understandable that a boy in Ed's position will react the way he did and quite possibly his fractured mindset isn't going to get any better (you do love to torture him, don't you?). There's hope though.

Good chapter!

Wow, that's something very interesting you wrote there. First of all: Roy is dead and has a child. Secondly: everybody is acting strange. For example Havoc would never be angry with Ed, but given the situation his behaviour is so reasonable - with Fuery as chimera and Roy's funeral. Ed has to remember what he himself would do but fails. Maes can't accept his best friends death. They're all suffering.
On top of that everybody seems to deny Ren. Nobody wants him but he did nothing wrong - he's just there and Roy isn't. I'm glad that at least Havoc is there.
I think with time everybody would accept Ren (I'm looking at you, Ed), but the problem is that Ren doesn't have time. If nobody helps him he will be dead in a year. And at this point I don't see that Ed would let that happen. He lost Roy - now he can't just watch and see how his son dies. That's not Ed. Same for the others - they have to learn how to be strong without Roy, because they aren't weak and never were.
I'm looking forward for the next chapters!

(Sorry for mistakes in language, I'm not a native speaker.)

First, poor Fuery. He's locked in without any hope of returning to a semblance of a life and Ed's nowhere to be seen. At least he gained a bit of hope from the success of the rabbit-dog's transformation. Now, if Ed would just come through for Fuery...

Secondly...

Ugh, if there was ever a moment in which I would want to throat punch Ed, it's now. Ren doesn't need the guilt with a side of passive aggressive bs Ed's dropping on his shoulders (even inadvertently) and Ed's unwillingness to table his own ridiculous thoughts is annoyingly irresponsible. Ren's not long for this world, the very least Ed could do was just be there- as Mustang requested- in those moments of need.

I know, I know, everyone has their ceiling but I think it's somewhat selfish of Ed to drop everything at Ren's feet and just be like, deuces (I'm oversimplifying quite a bit but, yeah...).

*sigh* At least Havoc's taking up the slack.

Intrigued at where this is going. Can't wait for more!

Thanks for updating your story. It's cool that someone is there to comfort Ren.:) These two chapters are awesome and cool.:) I'm really excited and curious about the next chapter.:)

Love XD
Can't wait for you to update XD

Oh the funeral- I was not ready for this.

I was fully expecting to bawl my eyes out but was surprised that I would be doing it for an entirely different reason. To know that Roy considered Ed and Alphonse his sons and did so without letting on to Ed himself was a blow to the feels. Ed's already on the sharp edge of the darkened abyss as he hasn't come to terms with Roy's death but this adds just that much more gravitas to an already heavy day. Kudos on balancing out the angst with the love.

What's going on with Ren? I feel like his rapid aging will bring about some interesting developments . What I'm anxious to see is how that affects his and Ed's relationship. Ren's got more than a little bit of Roy inside of him, it will be interesting to see what manifests. I just hope he doesn't age too quickly- I'm not ready to see him go just yet.

And poor Fuery. He's had this expectation that wasn't necessarily explained to him in the most conducive manner. I can understand his frustration at the innocuous omission of details. Like Ren, I'm anxious to see how his transformation comes about and what manifests later.

You continue to keep me at the edge of my seat with this story. I can't wait for more!

Excellent work!

This is an awesome and cool chapter.:) It's cool that Ren is being held by a familiar person.:) I'm really excited and happy about the next chapter.:)

" The funeral for the Colonel is today..."

That right there sets the tone perfectly. I knew from that moment that this was going to be a heaping ball of visceral emotions- and I was right on the money. From Ed's fury to Ren's & Maes' melancholy to Madame Christmas' dismissal, all who encompassed Mustang's life are suffering. I can't leave out his subordinates; Havoc, Breda and Hawkeye respond in such a heartbreaking manner. It really does pull at the heart strings and it had me thinking "What in the world would we have done if Mustang bit it in the show?" We'd probably be just as heartbroken, if not more than what we feel for Maes' demise.

I digress.

Remember when I said that Ed was at the breaking point? He's fully arrived, and tipping right over that precipice. Again, the emotion is full and brimming here; his internal mantra is evidence enough that he's not processing this well, he's distancing himself, positing how Edward Elric, Fullmetal Alchemist is supposed to act/feel/be instead of how Ed the person is supposed to act/feel/be. There's a difference there, and you conveyed it in such an achingly beautiful manner. I had to bite my lip every time he reminded himself of that fallacy.

*Sigh*

The feels are strong here. I wonder how Ed's going to navigate the service and beyond. Will he shatter or will he further internalize and implode?

Great work :)

Yeah, I have a problem with Gracia's OOC-ness but it's for the good of the story. Still...

That aside, I liked this chapter simply for the heft of the emotional backlash. Poor Ed's not processing well and he's faced with what he perceives as his own failures every time he looks at Ren. It's a lot to handle and Ed's simply at his breaking point. Understandable for sure and I'm not certain at this juncture how he can bounce back from this and still uphold his promise to Mustang.

As for poor Ren- he's in such a predicament himself- knowing that his birth was the catalyst to Mustang's death and that everyone thinks he's a freak. It's definitely gotta be hard to handle all of that and having to look into the eyes of his Uncle Ed and see such uncertainty.

*Sigh* Angst is angst and it goes hard here. Love it though!

Great work :)

You know the first fic I ever read that made me cry was the one you're now continuing with this? That ruined my life! ;-; You're so good at the feels... So good that you make me mildly hate myself for reading your work despite knowing how angsty it is... So why am I reading this now?! ;-; Because you're too good an author, I guess...

...um...YAY?

What a predicament this is! Ren's growing at an accelerated rate and Ed's despair doesn't seem to be getting any better, despite having to be "on" for Ren. My heart goes out to both Ed and Ren here: they're both missing someone vital in their lives and neither one knows how to compensate for that loss. It's so heartbreaking, yet invigorating to read.

I'm definitely on pins and needles about how they're going to navigate this tough road ahead of them.

Loved the chapter!

Of course, I'm following, of course, I'm favoring, and most assuredly, I'm reviewing every chapter.

I love the way you hook your readers; whether it's familiar or something new, there's something about the way you put the words to paper that make the reader want to read- and read fast (I'm seriously going to reread this chapter because, feels). The previous version of this story had me in tears and here, the feeling remains a bit of the same but I'm intrigued on how Ed is going to move on and care for someone who he feels took away his Colonel.

*sigh*

I wish there was another chapter to read!

Great work :)