Fullmetal Alchemist, Naruto 1. Chapter 1

**Concrete Angel**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Fullmetal Alchemist, hell I don't own the title to this fan fic. FMA belongs to Arakawa-sama and the title and song belong to the writers, editors, and whatnot of Martina McBride. I do not condone abuse nor am I a fan of it.**

_A/N: Dark themes, child abuse, violence, language. This story is fictional and should it offend anyone please do not read. Flames will be used to make smores and comments and constructive criticism is welcome. This story is un-beta'd and edited by me. Oh, and here's a shocker, Hoenhiem is the good parent in this, OMFG. lol.  


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_Through the wind and the rain  
She stands hard as a stone  
In a world that she can't rise above  
But her dreams give her wings  
And she flies to a place where  
She's loved  
Concrete Angel_

**Chapter One**

A little girl watched from her bedroom window as the new neighbors moved in, there was a big truck parked out on the street next door and there were a few grown ups moving furniture and boxes into the two story home. It was the same size and structure as her own home, three bedrooms, two bathrooms, a kitchen, a living room, a dining room, a nice front yard and a spacey back yard. There were two more trees in the neighbors backyard than in her own. Her blue eyes watched with excitement as two little boys laughed at their father who was making faces at them in the yard as they tried their best to move boxes into the house. The three walked inside with laughs and smiles and she felt sadness well up inside her at the sight, wishing that her family could be like that.

Her soft blond hair was only inches past shoulder length and she wore it down because she couldn't braid her own hair and because she wanted to hide behind those bangs. Her lip was busted and stung when she ran her tongue over her chapped lips. She always wore a white long sleeved shirt and a faded, blue, summer dress since it was summer vacation. She could get away with not wearing pants or long socks to cover her legs since her adoptive parents knew that people would be suspicious if she wore pants in the summer heat. She had white curtains on the two windows of her room, the one she watched out of was along the wall across the room from her door and allowed her to watch the neighborhood. There was another curtained window with blinds in the middle of the front wall that faced the front of the house but she knew better than to watch from that window in case her parents stepped outside and looked up and saw her.

Her bedroom was simple with light blue walls and a twin sized bed with light blue sheets and a pink quilt and one pillow with a light blue pillow case that was against the wall in the center of the wall across from the other window. The head of the bed rested against the wall and a small, simple nightstand with a lamp and a digital clock sat on top of it was up against the right side of the bed. The lamp had a white shade with purple and pink butterflies painted on the lamp shade. The closet was to the right of the bed from the direction of the window and there was a Chester wood dresser in there. Her room was kept tidy and clean at all times because she didn't want to risk making her parents mad at her for finding it messy.

There was a bookshelf to the left of the bed pushed back against the corner where childrens' books were organized alphabetically on two of the four shelves. On the third and fourth shelf were dolls she'd collected. At the foot of her bed was a chest where her other toys were kept, those were the toys her parents had bought her to appease the adoption agency four years ago when they'd adopted her. All her dresses and pants were hung up in her closet with two of the three jackets she had and arranged by color. Her shorts and shirts were organized by color and her shirts were folded exactly and stacked in stacks by sleeve length and color. Her shorts and her one bathing suit were in the first to last drawer beneath the drawer where her shirts were. Her under clothes were in the bottom drawer and her five pairs of pajama's were arranged by warmth and color in the top drawer.

There was a special hiding place under a floorboard under her bed where she kept a small box where she had the locket from her mother, the picture of her birth parents and herself when she was only a new born with a short old woman that was her grandmother.

They were standing outside a big yellow house in the country and it was her grandmother that had brought her to an orphanage in the city before she'd died only weeks later. The locket was something her grandmother gave her, she'd said it belonged to her mom and that her dad had given it to her mom when they got married. She also said that she was sure her parents would want her to have it and she'd put two pictures in it, one of her mom and one of her dad from their wedding day. She had two notebooks underneath the box where she wrote letters to her parents and to an imaginary friend she called 'Rose.'

She'd spent a whole of three months in the orphanage, depressed and crying all the time and refusing to talk to anyone or make friends. Her parents had died, they were in a car accident when she was only two years old and for one year she'd lived with only her grandmother and her dog Den. But then her grandmother got sick and she died too leaving her all alone.

Then her foster parents had come by, one was pale skinned with blond hair and blue eyes and he looked friendly at first glance and had a smile to fool anyone. His hair was kept short and he always wore a brown suit with a white shirt, brown pants, vest, jacket, and shoes. His wife was darker skinned and she had luscious, wavy, black hair and soft brown eyes and she looked friendly and had a gentle smile that could fool anyone too. At first she was afraid of them because they were strangers, but they talked sweetly to her and she soon felt confident enough to tell them her name and say hello. She was then offered a home with them and then that was it. She came to live in this house that she'd thought was really nice with people she thought were really nice. That only lasted for the first year and then things changed when the adoption agency stopped calling and checking in as frequently and they changed.

Then the wife started being mean to her and blaming her for everything and scolding her and calling her a slob and a messy, spoiled, brat. She would grab her so tightly she left bruises and she would hit her when she cried and she would tear up her dolls and rip apart her notebooks that she drew and wrote in. She would hit her even more when she cried from being hit or when she yelled out for help.

But the husband, he was worse than the wife. He would hit her when her room wasn't perfect or when she would tell him how mean the wife was he would hit her more. He would insult her and he called her worse names than his wife did. He would call her pompous and a bitch and he would slap her and grab her by her hair and shove her head into the sink after filling it with hot water that stung. When she tried to get away or yell or when she cried he would punch her and if she messed up or her hands shook when he stood over her and yelled at her to clean up her room after he tore it up he would stomp on her fingers or hit her knuckles until they bled with his belt.

She didn't like the belt at all, the belt hurt and it really, really hurt when the buckle hit her and scraped and cut into the skin of her back. They didn't care where they hit her as long as they hit her. The belt was used when they were really angry, which was when they would drink or when they saw her talking to the other kids or if she stuttered when answering them or when talking to other adults. They never hit her in public and they never hit her when someone else was present but afterwards if she did something they didn't like they would hit her until her whole body was so sore she silently cried herself to sleep.

That was four years ago, she hardly cried anymore though she did sometimes cry herself to sleep. She never stuttered anymore and she never held her head up or looked an adult in the eyes. She didn't talk to other kids and she was picked on at school for that and the teachers had stopped asking. She went to school everyday unless she had a mark on her face then they would keep her home. They worked all day from nine in the morning to five in the evening but she learned quickly not to sneak out of the house. The first and last time she tried to run away when they made her stay home from school because they'd given her a black eye the neighbors had told on her.

The neighbors that used to live in the house she was watching. She decided to call the new neighbors the 'sunny family.' They all had golden blond hair, and tan skin, and they laughed and smiled and when she caught the dad and the older boy glancing her way she gasped at the golden eyes she saw. They were so golden it was like looking into the sun. The younger brother had soft, copper eyes and his hair was a light shade of brown but he looked really sweet. She wasn't going to let herself believe that they were as they seemed since her foster parents had seemed to be sweet and caring too, but she wanted to believe that the boys next door and their dad were nice people.

She stepped back from the window when the older brother looked up to her window pointing at her and saying something to his younger brother. She jumped and ran with silent footsteps to her bed when there was a loud knock on her door.

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Hoenhiem Elric scooped his youngest son up in his arms with a laugh to his sons' laughter as he set him on top of his shoulders and reached down to take his oldest sons' hand. Ed glared at his father with a look that clearly said I'm-big- enough- to-not-need-hold-your-hand which made him laugh again and say, "Let's go meet the neighbors."

Ed followed his dad across the yard and kept glancing to the window on the second floor where he saw the little girl watching them when they were playing in the yard just a few minutes ago. He looked back up when he nearly tripped going up the two steps to the front door. This house was just like theirs but it was blue and white instead of light brown and white. His dad let go of his hand and Ed put both of his hands in the pockets of his jeans shorts as he dad reached up and knocked firmly on the door.

Ed looked up when a really pretty woman with her hair tied back in a ponytail wearing a red blouse and blue jeans with a white apron answered the door with a gentle smile. She had brown eyes and the shade reminded him a little bit of his mom's eyes but there was something that he just didn't like about them when she met his gaze.

"Why hello there, can I help you?" She directed the second part of her greeting to Ed's dad with a bright smile. It was already five in the evening and most of the parents were home with their children at this hour. There were two cars parked in the driveway. Ed looked back to his dad as he introduced himself, "My name is Hoenhiem Elric, these are my sons Alphonse and Edward," he motioned swung Al down from his shoulders first and then messed up Ed's hair as he said their names.

The woman nodded with the same bright smile, "I'm Jasmine Wetherton, it's a pleasure to meet you. Are you the new neighbors," they shook hands after exchanging names. Hoenhiem nodded politely, "Yes ma'am Mrs. Wetherton we are."

She nodded in return, "Welcome to the neighborhood," she turned her head as someone walked up the walkway. He stood taller than her and was paler than her dark tan with blond hair and blue eyes. He smiled as looked at them and there was something fake and forced about his smile to Ed but he didn't dare to say anything, he didn't know these adults and even though he didn't trust or like them he knew his dad wanted him to behave and be polite.

The man held out his hand, "Hello there, I'm Alex Wetherton." Hoenhiem shook his hand and introduced himself and both Al and Ed. The couple stepped aside and invited them in. Ed took his dad's hand trying to tell him he didn't want to go inside but Hoenhiem smiled at him and accepted their invitation. They were led down the hallway and past a stairway to the second door on the left and into the kitchen. Mrs. Wetherton invited them to dinner and when Hoenhiem commented that he didn't want to be a bother her husband commented that it was their way of welcoming new neighbors.

Hoenhiem kept both Al and Ed in the kitchen with him and sat them down at the table and asked them to behave, polite, and mostly quiet. Ed made to say something but Al elbowed him in the ribs and the two exchanged glares but Ed busied himself with staring at the patterns in the table cloth as he listened to the adults talk.

"So what brings you to this neighborhood Mr. Elric," the husband asked.

"Well, there is a good school and I thought the boys could use the experience of living in the city."

"Really, did you used to live in the country before," the wife inquired.

"Yes, we used to live in a small town of Resembool."

"Resembool, where is that exactly," the husband asked with what sounded like genuine curiosity.

"The country side of Britain actually, we came to America after I received an offer to work as a professor at Harvard University."

"Harvard University, that's quite the well know school. What subject do you teach Mr. Elric," the wife asked with excitement and a bright smile.

"Advanced chemistry and physics."

"That's quite impressive. My wife is a high school English teacher."

"I sympathize with you Mrs. Wetherton," the adults all laughed and Ed rolled his eyes which earned him another jab to the ribs and the two exchanged glares again. Al whispered to him, "Be nice brother." Ed scoffed which earned him a sharp look from his dad.

Ed could feel a glare from the couple as well and turned to them with one of his own then asked before they could all start talking about something boring again; "Do you have a daughter?"

"Edward," Hoenhiem began but Mrs. Wetherton turned another of her off smiles to him with a nod, "Of course we do. Her name is Winifred and she's up in her room right now."

"Can we meet her?"

Al turned to the couple with a smile of his own and Mrs. Wetherton nodded once more, "Of course, why don't I take you upstairs then boys?"

She glanced to Hoenhiem who nodded and then held out her hand for them to take. Al took her hand immediately but Ed didn't want to and wouldn't have if his dad hadn't of looked sharply at him. He stifled a groan but took her hand with a forced smile as they got to their feet and let her lead them out of the kitchen and towards the stairs.

Mr. Wetherton turned to Hoenhiem, "How old are your sons, if you don't mind my asking?"

"Edward is nine and Alphonse is seven, they usually get along really well."

"How are they in school?"

"Both of them are straight A students in school and Edward is already enrolled in advanced classes."

"Really? You know there's a prestigious private school in this area if you're interested in having them attend I could put in a good word for you."

"Really, how so?"

Mr. Wetherton motioned for them to take seats at the small table in the middle of the comfortable kitchen. "Well, I used to be a student and I'm good friends with the headmaster at the school. I'm sure that if they both make such good grades in school then he would be glad to have them attend."

"I'll have to check into it, do you mind giving me the information on the school?"

"Not at all," Mr. Wetherton got to his feet and walked over to the counter and opened a drawer to the left of the refrigerator where he took out a tablet and a pen. He wrote something down and then ripped out a page, but the tablet and pen back, closed the drawer and returned to the table holding out a folded piece of paper. Hoenhiem read its' contents silently then slipped the paper in his shirt pocket, "Thank you."

"Of course, I hope you don't mind lasagna for dinner, its my wife's specialty."

"Of course not, are you sure we are not imposing?"

"Quite certain Mr. Elric," came Mrs. Wetherton's voice from the doorway. "The children are upstairs playing and its' good that they make friends with one another."

"Yes, they could spend the summer getting to know one another."

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Ed stood in front of the closed door with Al next to him, the little girl was sitting on her bed reading a book she had on her lap. The wife had told them her name earlier but none of them had spoken to one another. She had shown them to the room, opened the door and more or less shoved them inside then closed the door behind her without a word. Ed felt even more suspicious of her because of that. Usually a mom would introduce guests to her daughter and make sure they got along and said something before leaving them alone.

That was what his mom had done when introducing them to other kids that had shown up asking them to play. Ed cleared his throat to which the girl jumped and looked up. She glared at him, "What are you doing in my room?"

Ed bristled but Al cut him off, "Umm, your mom brought us up here-"

"That woman isn't my mom."

"Sorry . . . well we're your neighbors, I'm Al and this is my brother Ed."

"I'm Winry, why are you here?"

"Our parents are downstairs talking to each other. So uh-that nice lady brought us up here to play with you. We were invited to dinner."

"Great," the girl all but huffed. Ed growled and brushed past Al, "What's your problem?"

"I don't have a problem. I just don't like strangers in my room or strangers that mistake that woman as my mom or as being nice or anything else. Why don't you just go downstairs and leave?"

"Why would we do that, we want to be friends," Al inquired.

Winry knew what would happen if she made friends, she would get punished for it like she always did. She wasn't allowed to have friends because she wasn't good enough to have friends and because friends asked questions. She couldn't have friends that would ask questions because they might find out and if they found out then she was going to be kicked out or locked in the basement like she was that time she tried to run away from home last year. She couldn't make friends because she didn't want them to know, couldn't let anyone know. It was with those thoughts that she threw her book towards Al.

The older brother stepped forward and snatched it out of the air with an infuriated scowl, "Why'd you go and throw that book at my brother, what's wrong with you?"

Winry jumped off her bed, her fists clenched at her sides and she forced an angry glare on her face, "I told you to leave, get out of here, I don't want to make friends! I don't need any friends so just go home!"

"Fine, I don't like this place anyway!" Ed yelled back before throwing the book to the ground, grabbing his brother's wrists and stomping out of the room to slam the door behind him. He stomped down the stairs and pulled Al behind him. Al managed to pull his hand free once they reach the bottom and watched Ed storm out of the house, slam the door behind him and run across the yard to their house. Hoenhiem and the husband and wife came out of the kitchen and into the hallway. Al turned teary eyes at his dad who closed the distance quickly and knelt down in front of him with his hands on his shoulders.

"What's the matter Al?"

Al sniffed and wiped at his eyes with the back of his hand before answering, he'd decided to place the blame on Ed since he was so rude to the girl and because he'd noticed that she was scared before she'd thrown the book at him. "Brother was mean and h-he . . . we can't ever make any friends c-cause brother is such a Meany."

Hoenhiem sighed and picked Al up in his arms then turned an apologetic smile to the couple, "I'm sorry, but perhaps another time."

The wife nodded, "Of course, it was a pleasure meeting you."

"Thank you for the warm welcome, I'm sorry again."

"Oh, don't worry about it. Children can be quite tricky from time to time. I was sure they were getting along before."

"Ah," Hoenhiem brought a hand to the back of his neck nervously, "I should have warned you that Edward has a short temper. I apologize again," with that Hoenhiem left and closed the door behind him before crossing the yard to his own house. Mr. Wetherton turned and stomped up the stairs and kicked in Winry's bedroom door which caused a yelp of surprise to leave her lips. She looked up and paled at the angry expression on his face and backed away with her hands in front of her, "You said I couldn't have any friends so I told them to leave."

"I didn't tell you to be rude or to make the younger boy cry," Alex growled.

"But I, I didn't know what else to say to them. They were both persistent."

He closed the distance and backhanded her so hard she fell to the ground. Her right hand came up to caress her cheek as she used to other to support her. She yelped when he grabbed a handful of her hair and forced her to look up at him as he loomed over her, his face inches from her own. "The next time they come over I want you to apologize. I want you to make friends with these two boys."

Winry's blue eyes widened, "Yes sir."

He released her and shoved her head down but she caught herself. When he left Winry got to her feet to see Jasmine leaning against the doorframe with a smug look on her face. "You need to learn some tact you little worthless girl. Those boys' father is well known and quite accomplished. We need you to make friends with his sons so that we can get closer to their father. Do you understand?"

Winry nodded, "Yes ma'am."

"Good, now get your lazy ass downstairs and make dinner. You'd better not burn it this time or I'll take the belt to you."

"Yes ma'am," Winry said clearly as she dusted herself off and waited until Jasmine turned and headed downstairs before following her, closing her door silently behind her.

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Hoenhiem told Al to head upstairs to his room and start unpacking while he made his way into Ed's room which was on the opposite end of the hall on the second floor. His room was right across from the neighbors' daughters room. He opened the door to see Ed on his bed that was against the wall beneath the window that face their neighbors house. He was staring through the window with his arms around his knees and his knees hugged to his chest with a scowl on his face. His bookshelf was against the wall to the right of the door about three paces from the doorway and their were four boxes piled in front of it. His closet was across the room from where his bed was and there were about five boxes piled on the floor and a dresser was already situated in the closet. There was a wooden chest at the foot of his bed with two boxes in front of it.

Hoenhiem noticed the silver chain from the pocket watch he and his wife had given Ed for his last birthday hanging down from where he held it in his right hand. There was a small wooden, hand made desk underneath the window in the center of the wall that faced the front yard and their were two boxes stacked on top of it. He noticed the backpack on the ground at the head of Ed's bed. The room had a beige carpet and red walls with a wooden ceiling fan with frosted glass and gold metal pieces.

"Son?"

Ed didn't respond he only clenched his hands tighter and hugged his knees closer. Hoenhiem sat on the edge of the bed with his back facing the window to try and give his son some privacy, he knew that Ed hated it when people stared when he was upset. "Talk to me Edward."

"She started it."

Hoenhiem waited for Ed to continue, which he did after a moment, "She was ignoring us and Al spoke up first and I let him because he's nicer than I am and better with people and all." Hoenhiem nodded, that was true. Ed continued, "He was nice to her and she was rude and she got mad and threw her book at him so I snapped at her."

Hoenhiem nodded, there were times when Ed could be nice and not let his words run away with him or let his temper get the best of him. He usually behaved himself well when asked and held his tongue, if you compared it to his usual attitude anyway. But insulting, threatening, or disrespecting Al made him forget about everything else and he would snap at anyone for that. He used to get in fights at school for things like that, even in the small countryside town they all lived for years. He didn't want to pick up and leave at first, but the boys were always depressed and they just couldn't handle being in the same house that they'd found their mother unconscious and dying on the floor at. He couldn't stomach it himself, the house and all the memories of her were eating him alive.

So, he called around and put in applications for a job and when Harvard asked him he jumped at the chance and picked up and left. Harvard offered the best money and he could afford to take care of both of his sons' with the income and afford to live in the suburbs as well so that they would have a nice neighborhood to spend the rest of their childhood in. Not only that, but as a professor he could spend time with his sons' and would have the same time off as they did which worked for their schooling. He would spend this summer getting to know the neighbors and see if they were willing to watch the boys when he had to work and he wasn't able to make it home to them on time. If he couldn't find anyone then he could hire a babysitter or sign them up for a Y.M.C.A. or something.

He knew that Ed wanted to join martial arts now that they lived in the city and that Al would like learning to play a musical instrument. Thanks to one of Trisha's family friends both of his sons were taught martial arts growing up and both of them were tutored in all the main courses which put them ahead of the kids at the small town school and up to date, possibly past the students in the school's in the city. Once he'd accepted the job at Harvard they sent tests to him for his sons' to take to see where they were at. The letters with the results and which years they would be put in were due to arrive on Monday of next week.

"I don't like them," Ed muttered with his forehead on his folded arms. Hoenhiem grimaced, "Why not?"

Ed raised his head and lowered his arms and legs and turned around to sit on the edge of the bed beside him.

"The adults, their smiles are fake and they acted too cheerful."

Hoenhiem laughed and Ed scowled up at him, Hoenhiem ruffled his hair, "You barely know them Ed."

"I still don't like them, there's something off about them."

"I think you're just saying that because you just met them"  
Ed shook his head, "Nu-uh, I really mean it, I don't like them dad."

Hoenhiem sighed and stood up, "Well . . . even so, when we go back over there sometime next week I want you to apologize to them and their daughter."

Ed grimaced, "I don't want to, why should I? I don't like the adults and Winry was mean to Al."

"You're going to apologize because it's good manners and because I said so Edward."

Ed scoffed, "Fine, but I'll only apologize to -her- if she apologizes to Al."

"That's fair, but you still have to say you're sorry to her parents."

"They are not her parents."

Hoenhiem raised an eyebrow, "What do you mean, why do you say that?"

"Well, she doesn't look like them and because she said so."

"Is that so?"

"Yes."

"Well, alright. Then you have to apologize to Mr. and Mrs. Wetherton then."

Ed crossed his arms over his chest and huffed. Hoenhiem shook his head with a sigh and headed to the door. He held the door open and turned to Ed from the doorway, "Why don't you start unpacking while I order us some dinner?"

Ed uncrossed his arms and looked around his room then sighed and said, "That's going to take forever."

"Which is why you should get started now," Hoenhiem said with a smile.

Ed hung his head tiredly, "Alright," he mumbled and Hoenhiem closed the door behind him and walked down to the other end of the hallway. Al's room was the third door from the left on the other side of the bathroom that separated his and Ed's room. He knocked lightly and Al said cheerfully, "Come in."

Hoenhiem opened the door and smiled to see his son folding his clothes neatly and putting them away in his dresser in his closet. His room was situated the exact opposite of Ed's. His bed was against the wall beneath the window facing the backyard, his bookshelf was against the wall to the left of the door, the desk was positioned under the side window facing the neighbors house, and the closet was along the same wall as the door in the corner. He had a wooden chest at the foot of his bed as well. There were only half as many boxes in his room and half of them were already empty and folded in the middle of the floor. His room was painted blue and the carpet was tan color.

Hoenhiem walked into the room glancing up at the white and silver ceiling fan before looking around the corner of the outward wall that shaped the closet. "What do you want for dinner Al?"

Al grinned, "Really, I thought it was brothers' turn."

"He chose lunch on the way here."

"Okay, umm . . . " he raised his hand to his chin and tapped it with his index finger while he bit his lip in thought for a few moments. "Umm, can we have . . . " He turned to grin at his dad, "Chinese?"

"Okay, Chinese it is. The usual?"

Al nodded, "Yes please."

Hoenhiem smiled with a nod, "Alright, I'll call you when it gets here, don't work too hard and help your brother if you can. We both know how he is."

Al nodded with a contemplative expression, "Okay."

Hoenhiem left the room and crossed the hallway to the study in the middle of the other side of the hall. It was large enough for him to have his shelves, his filing cabinets, and his cheery wood desk. The floor to ceiling bookshelves lined half of the left and right walls and the back wall and his desk and desk chair sat in the middle of the room. His filing cabinets lined the rest of the right wall and then the left wall beside the door while a comfortable leather couch sat between the bookshelf and the filing cabinets leaving the right amount of space between the corner of the couch and the filing cabinet to prevent difficulty and opening the drawers. There were boxes stacked in front of the bookshelves, on top of the desk, the filing cabinets, and the couch and two stacks of three boxes on the floor in front of the couch.

He would have to take a couple of days to unpack everything and sort it where it belonged. He sighed and stepped back closing the door behind him.

There was a door at the end of the room that he was going to turn into a study for his sons when he had the money. He planned on having enough shelves to hold all the books they wanted to read and have two desks put in so that they could have their own workspace. He also planned on putting in a couch and a small table with two chairs so that they could have somewhere to eat and rest and debate without having to do that in the kitchen or dining room like they had at home.

At the moment the room was empty, but it wouldn't be long, hopefully, before he changed it. All the rooms were carpeted with the same beige carpet that was in Ed's room. But he hallways and the stairs that were in the center of the hallway and led down to right in front of the front door were made of polished hardwood. The walls of the hallways were white and he'd had only the bedrooms painted a specific color letting Ed and Al chose the colors of their rooms and carpets. His bedroom was to the right at the back of the house beneath Al's room. The living room was beneath Ed's room and the dining room across from that. The kitchen was across from his own bedroom and there was another bathroom between the his room and the living room while he had a private bathroom in his own master bedroom.

He walked down the stairs and glanced into the living room and dining room before heading to the kitchen by walking down the hallway to the right of the stairs from the direction of the front door. They had plenty of boxes but he knew once they were moved in they would still need to do some shopping to fill up all the added space. Right now he was living off his own savings from when he'd worked as a professor in Berlin before the boys were born. Before getting to the kitchen he stopped to see the box on the inn table against the stairs open and a single picture taken out. It was the latest family photo of the four of them together.

He picked it up and smiled at the picture. It was taken during the winter holidays last year, only weeks before Trisha had fallen ill. Al looked so like her, sweet, copper eyes, light brown hair, that gentle and happy smile. He was more like her in looks and personality. He was patient and kind and sometimes too gullible for his own good which generally got him into trouble when his older brother talked him into doing something childish and reckless.

She was wearing a velvet red dress and smiling, the smile reaching her eyes and she held one hand on Al's shoulder standing in front of her. He was standing next to her with one arm around her waist and the other on Ed's shoulder. All three of them were wearing khaki pants and white button up shirts, he wore a khaki vest and his long blond hair was tied back in a ponytail. Her soft brown hair cascaded across her back and shoulders. All of them were smiling, well Ed was smirking and Al was grinning.

He pinched his nose beneath his glasses and closed his eyes to blink back the tears that had welled up in his eyes. It had been nearly eight months since she'd died, but the heartache, the sorrow and longing were still fresh and still so painful to bear. If it wasn't for their two sons he was sure he wouldn't be able to go on without her. She'd given him so much, had fulfilled his life and gave it meaning when he didn't even know he didn't really have any. She'd healed the wounds of his past and taken in all that he was when he'd revealed his darkest secrets to her. She'd married him and waited when he sought to find something he could do and be content with. She supported him when he wanted to become a doctor and a teacher later on. Then she gave him two beautiful sons and she left him all too soon.

The good die young, they always leave us much too soon. He removed his glasses and set the picture on the table before setting his glasses down and running his hand over his face. After a few deep breaths he replaced his glasses and then headed to the kitchen, he'd had the phone company install his phone before he'd arrived. It was against the wall to his right as soon as he walked in. He had another phone installed in his own room, his study, and one more in the living room. They were all black, cordless phones with caller i.d.'s.

There were boxes in front of the refrigerator, on the counters, on the small table in the center of the kitchen, and on the floor. But he took the phone and turned his back to the kitchen and made his way to the living room where he searched through a few boxes to find the phone book with a number to a Chinese place that delivered. He'd need to at least clear off the dining room table and get a few dishes for them to use unpacked but he wanted to spend the weekend trying to organize the house. Dinner, a shower, and then sleep, he was completely exhausted.


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer: I don't own Fullmetal Alchemist, hell I don't own the title to this fan fic. FMA belongs to Arakawa-sama and the title and song belong to the writers, editors, and whatnot of Martina McBride. I do not condone abuse nor am I a fan of it.**

_A/N: Dark themes, child abuse, violence, language. This story is fictional and should it offend anyone please do not read. Flames will be used to make smores and comments and constructive critism is welcome. This story is un-beta'd and edited by me. Oh, and here's a shocker, Hoenhiem is the good parent in this, OMFG. lol._

* * *

_If I fall and all is lost  
No light to lead the way  
Remember that all alone  
Is where I belong_

_Cloud Nine-**Evanescence**_

**  
Chapter Two**

_  
Two Weeks Later . . ._

After being pestered by his brother, who finished unpacking everything only two days after they moved in, Ed finally finished unpacking everything. Their father made them go shopping with him for new furniture for their study and dishes, and clothes, and groceries, and a bunch of other pointless things that Ed had just found to be tiring and boring. He was laying on his bed in his room with his arms crossed behind his head staring up at the ceiling. He'd just had lunch and had gone up to his own room because Al and his dad were downstairs going over different things they could do for the remainder of the summer.

Ed sighed and turned over on his side to look out his window, he couldn't figure out what was worse, moving to the city or that he had to go to a private school now. He sat up when he noticed something in the window next door. The curtains were drawn but there were two shadows in front of the window, one of them he knew was the girl next door, but the other was much bigger than her and was looming over her from what he could tell. He tensed when he saw the larger figure raise their hand above their head and then strike the smaller one and her shadow fell out of view.

Ed jumped off his bed and ran out of his room downstairs to the living room where Al and his dad were on the couch going through brochures and looking over maps they'd strewn on the dining room table. He stopped in the door way looking at his dad who rose to his feet at the serious expression on his face.

"What is it son?"

Ed pointed towards the neighbors house where the girl lived, "I saw something going on in her room, it looked like someone was hurting her."

Hoenhiem raised an eyebrow at his son, "Are you sure?"

Ed glared at him, he wasn't lying and he wouldn't come downstairs and say anything if he hadn't seen anything. "Yes I'm sure, you have to do something."

"We need to be logical about this, I can go over there and see if anything is wrong."

"You have to stop them-"

"Edward, I will do what I can."

Hoenhiem walked up to him and put his hand on top of his head, "You and Al stay here."

"But-"

"Brother," Al inquired. Ed sighed and gave a short nod and Hoenhiem ruffled his hair before he walked out the front door. Ed turned and ran up the stairs to his room to look out his window. He could still see two figures in the window but he could only just barely make out the girls shadow. He glanced to the front of the house to see his father crossing the lawn. He looked back to the window to see the larger shadow pause and release his hold on the girl then turn away from the window. His breath caught in his throat when the curtain was pulled back just the slightest and the look of the girl as she peered out her window before ducking away from it and out of sight was carved into his mind.

Ed jumped when Al's voice carried over to him, "Brother?"

Ed turned on his bed to regard his brother who was watching him from the doorway, "What's going on?"

Ed made to say something, he tried to find the words, but he couldn't say them, he didn't want his brother to know more than he already did. Ed looked away from him and closed his eyes only to open them as the sight of the girl next door came to the forefront of his mind. Ed kept his mouth shut and his gaze averted but Al leaned against the door frame watching him and Ed knew his brother could be just as stubborn if not more so than he was and he was going to keep waiting for an answer.

Ed didn't know how much time passed, but before long they heard the front door opening and closing. Ed jumped off the bed and dashed out of the room and past Al, careful not to push him or knock him down. He ran down the stairs and stopped at the bottom of the stairs to look at his dad. Hoenhiem looked at him, "Ed, we need to have a talk, go wait in the study for me."

Ed made to say something but Hoenhiem held up his hand to silence him, "Please just do as I ask Edward."

Ed flinched at the tone and grimaced before turning sharply and making his way up the stairs and heading to his and Al's study slamming the door behind him. Al had stood looking over the railing and walked around to walk down the stairs, "Dad?"

Hoenhiem smiled softly at Al, "Everything is alright Al, go look through the brochures and maps and see if you can find something for all of us to do together."

Al nodded and walked to the living room to do as he was told while Hoenhiem walked up the stairs and into the study closing the door softly behind him. Three of the four walls were lined with bookshelves full of books of science, alchemy, history, mechanics, and even some music and art books for Al and some martial arts books for Ed. There were two desks against the only wall not lined with bookshelves and they were along the wall where the window facing the front of the house was. There was a couch and two chairs in the middle of the room with a coffee table in front of the couch and chairs that was aligned to make a 'U' and a small table with two chairs towards the back of the room.

Ed was sitting at his desk which was cluttered with two stacks of books and notebooks full of notes, his arms were crossed over his chest and he was looking pointedly away with his ankles crossed on the desk top. Hoenhiem sighed, "Edward."

Ed huffed but still didn't look at him as he said, "You're going to tell me you didn't see anything and that I was making it up, right?"

Hoenhiem crossed the room to sit at the couch and regarded his son for a moment, "No, I wasn't going to say that."

Ed moved his legs off the desk and turned in the chair to look at him, "What happened?"

"I spoke with them and they wouldn't let me see her."

"That's because-"

"Ed, listen."

Ed sighed but nodded and Hoenhiem continued, "Even though they wouldn't let me see her there's nothing I can do. They are her guardians Ed and unless there's proof"

"There's proof on her-"

"Did you see her?"

"In the window . . . just for a moment . . . "

Hoenhiem got up from the couch and moved to kneel down in front of Ed as he looked away. Hoenhiem reached up and rested his hand on his son's smaller hand, "Ed, tell me what you saw."

"It was only a moment . . . but she was hurt, I saw one of them hit her . . . "

Hoenhiem sighed, he believed his son, he'd believed him when he first said something. When he'd gone next door to speak to her parents both of them were friendly but there was something behind their smiles, something they were hiding and they were adamant about not allowing him to see their daughter. It unsettled him and he knew that if he called the cops they would be the same way with them and only speculation or suspicion wouldn't get them into the home to see the daughter. But he was still calling the cops, to at least make a report, it would take more testimony or claims from others of suspected abuse to get a warrant.

"Can't you do anything dad?"

He shook his head and squeezed Ed's hand when he made to argue or say anything. "I'm sorry Ed, I am going to call the police and we can file a complaint but there really isn't much that we can do."

Ed hung his head and Hoenhiem got to his feet pulling Ed out of the chair to hug him close, "I'm sorry Ed. When I call the police they are going to want to talk to you, they'll ask questions about what you saw."

"They won't believe me," Ed mumbled while he buried his face in Hoenhiems' shirt.

Hoenhiem sighed with a nod, that was also very likely. He wasn't going to lie to his son and of course Ed took the silence as confirmation. Within the next few hours the cops were called, they were questioned, and the police went next door to talk to the Wethertons'. It was time for dinner by the time the police left and even though they did file a complaint they were still skeptical to believe Ed.

Hoenhiem was making a quick dinner in the kitchen and Ed and Al were setting the table in the dining room. Hoenhiem smiled as their conversation carried into the kitchen as they made their way back into the kitchen.

"Who were the Daimyo's anyway to rule over samurai's anyway"

Al sighed, "Brother that's history, there's nothing we can do about it now."

"But still, the samurai were warriors and they could have killed the Daimyo's."

Hoenhiem shook his head and turned off the burners on the stove. With the help of Al and Ed he managed to move the hamburger helper, green beans, and mashed potatoes to the dining room and they ate in mostly silence lost to their own thoughts. Ed helped wash the dishes after dinner while Al went upstairs to get ready to take a shower and go to bed. Hoenhiem expected both boys to lock themselves in the study until at least ten in the evening like they did every night. Once he and Ed finished cleaning the kitchen Hoenhiem stopped Ed from going upstairs, "Can I talk to you Ed?"

Ed shrugged and took a seat at the kitchen table across from his dad, "Okay."

"I wanted to talk to you about school-"

"Dad," Ed sighed, they'd already talked about school and he didn't want to talk about during the summer.

"I want to make sure that you know how big of a change this is going to be for you."

"I already know dad, there's going to be a lot more kids and there's so many students at the school that they are separated by what year and there are even different schools to separate certain years."

"It's more than just the number of students Ed. You're going to be in a class with students three years older than you, they placed you in advanced classes ahead of the year for students your age. There's most likely going to be kids that are going to mess with you about that."

"What about Al, he's being place a year ahead-"

"There's more of a gap between you and your class than Al and his class. You know Al wanted to go to a public school."

"Yeah, but I want to go to a public school too."

"You'd have more problems at a public school son, we discussed that already."

Ed sighed, "Okay then, so I have to worry about the other kids messing with me because I am being placed three years ahead in school. I am going to the junior high instead of going to the grade school."

Hoenhiem sighed at the exasperated tone of voice Ed was using, "Alright Ed, you can go."

Ed stood up and walked out of the kitchen, Hoenhiem heard him make his way up the stairs and heard him calling out to Al telling him to hurry up that he wanted to take a hot shower too. Hoenhiem ran a hand through his hair and stood up, he pushed the chairs back and turned off the light as he left the kitchen. He had called all of the schools that were more than willing to except Ed as a student and had tried to talk them into moving him back, but he scored really high on all the tests they sent him and they didn't want to put him in classes where he would be bored or unchallenged. Al had scored really high on the tests as well, but Hoenhiem was determined about not moving Al ahead too much until he was older.

He knew how hard it was going to be on both of his sons but was more worried about Ed. Being moved to junior high at nine years old, regardless of how smart or mature he was for his age Hoenhiem had spent enough time in the city when he was younger. He knew kids could be crueler than adults at times and he was pretty certain that with the times the kids would only get meaner just as they seemed to be growing up faster than ever.

* * *

She wanted to hate them, the neighbors next door, especially now that she was locked down in the basement again. She'd heard the adults talking and saw the flashing lights outside before they'd locked her in the basement, but she had expected them to do so. Even though she should hate them, should be angry at them because now she was going to be beaten worse than ealier, but she couldn't be. She tried but she couldn't be angry with them, that split second when she peered out her window her eyes had locked with those golden ones and she'd seen the horror, the genuine fear in his eyes. She hardly knew the boy next door and she was rude to him when they first met but he was still concerned for her. That was something she didn't know anyone could do, you could treat them poorly and you still cared, it was new for her.

She shifted and flinched from the sound of the chain rattling on the ground at her movement from the metal shackle around her right ankle. She'd pulled her knees up to her chest and wrapped her arms around her knees to hug them close as she sat huddled in the corner of the dark, damp, and cold basement. She knew the basement well, the washer and drier were to her left against the wall a good ten feet away from the corner where she was. The water heater was in the corner opposite where she was. Other than that there was only the cabinet along the wall to her right where they stored the items they used on her; the whips, other shackles and chains, needles and different types of drugs they used on her when they felt like it. She also knew that there were other instruments in there but she didn't want to think about them.

The drugs they gave her they were careful not to let her know what they were considering her real family's history with medicine and so she could never tell anyone else what she was given. She preferred the daily beatings for whatever reasons to being locked in the basement. Down here she only recieved the bare minimum of nutrition and they would splash her with buckets of cold water as a means of giving her a bath. They would take turns at beating her and when they wanted to whip, drug, or torture her one would hold her down while the other did so. Overhead about ten paces from where she was a thick chain hung from a beam in the ceiling that had two cuffs, that was where they would put her to whip her most of the time because they didn't want to end up hurting one another.

She was already sore from the beating earlier, this time it was because she was caught staring out her window, even though the curtains were drawn, watching the the boy next door. They'd put thicker curtains up when they caught her the first time and had taken her downstairs to punish her. She'd been injured so much that she knew when she had broken limbs, internal injuries, or just bruises. Right now her left eye was swollen shut, her lip was busted, she had a cut across her right cheek that stung, her ribs were bruised, her right wrist was sprained, and she had bruises up and down her arms and legs, and she knew that her kidneys hurt. She knew that they wouldn't take her to the hospital, he was medically trained and could take care of serious injuries so that questions would be avoided.

She took in a deep breath and winced from the sharp pain that caused in her chest. She rested her forehead on her folded arms and let her mind wander. Those golden eyes had caught her attention since she first saw them and from his reaction at seeing her just hours ago she felt drawn to trust him, to befriend him. Her parents had told her that she would be going to school with the younger brother and in a few years she would be able to attend school with the elder brother. She was only a year younger than the elder brother but he was two years ahead of her in school and was going to attend a private school.

She smiled at that, they went on to say that the older was a genius and that both brothers had the potential to become just as renown as their father. They wanted her to befriend them and wouldn't stop her, but she was not to tell them anything that wasn't their business and to stay away from them after she was punished. That was why they were so angry with her looking out her window. Then, when she was bold and told them that it would be easier to make friends and not hide the marks they left on her if they didn't hurt her so much. She felt a little bit of achievement at that, she hardly ever stood up to them and even though they were just rougher with her after that she still liked that it made them angry because that meant that she was right.

Screams never echoed or reached above ground while in the basement just like no one ever saw what went on in the basement. It didn't matter if she fought or screamed, it never really did because the truth of it was, she couldn't get away from them anyway, there was no where for her to go if she tried. So when a blood curling scream sounded in the basement a few hours later, no one heard it, no one saw what caused the scream, and the world outside of the house remained unfathomed and undisturbed.

* * *

Except for the golden eyed, blond haired boy lying in his bed. He sat up in his bed drenched in a cold sweat and looking fearfully at the house next door. He let out a sigh at seeing the lights in the room of his neighbor were off, but he still felt sick, like something was terribly wrong. Normally he would have given anything to escape the dreams of the night his mother died, of the funeral, but when those dreams were clouded over with dreams where he watched that girl next door being hurt and being powerless to stop it he would have preferred anything else. He heard her scream in his dream and it chilled him to the core. But dreams were not something he could wake his dad up about, he couldn't demand that he go next door again in the middle of the night because of a nightmare.

Ed laid back down and wiped the cold sweat from his brow and rested his forearm over his eyes before turning his head tiredly towards the window again. If there really wasn't anything that anyone could do right now, then he would get strong enough and learn enough to be able to do something. If the girl next door was really being hurt then he was going to do what he could to stop it, one way or another. For now he just wanted to be friends with her, to maybe try and let her know he wanted to help her, to do what he could. He didn't know why but he felt so pulled towards her, like he knew her.

He decided that he would look through the photo albums from the time he lived in Resembool, to try and see if he'd met her once before or something. But that would have to wait until the next day, the nightmare had made him even more exhausted than he'd been when he went to sleep. He let out a yawn and burrowed back into his blankets and closed his eyes trying to get what little sleep he could manage.


	3. Chapter 3

**Disclaimer: I don't own Fullmetal Alchemist, hell I don't own the title to this fan fic. FMA belongs to Arakawa-sama and the title and song belong to the writers, editors, and whatnot of Martina McBride. I do not condone abuse nor am I a fan of it.**

_A/N: Dark themes, child abuse, violence, language. This story is fictional and should it offend anyone please do not read. Flames will be used to make smores and comments and constructive criticism is welcome. This story is un-beta'd and edited by me. Oh, and here's a shocker, Hoenhiem is the good parent in this, OMFG. lol.  
_

**

* * *

**

Chapter 3

_  
Two Months and One Week Later . . ._

It was bad enough he had to go to a private school, be place three years ahead of those his age, wear the black slacks, white polo shirt, a blue and yellow tie, a damn sweater vest with the stupid symbol of the school on the breast of the sweater, and that he was already being looked at funny because he was knew, but did his dad really have to walk him to the office too? Ed glared at the gawking faces as he passed by and adjusted the strap of his backpack on his back as he walked beside his dad down the hall.

When they finally came up to the office Ed was a little taken back by the extravagance of it and even more taken back by the woman seated behind the desk as they came in. She had a stern look on her face and it reminded him of soldiers he'd seen in history books. Her blond hair was tied back into a bun and even though she offered a smile to them it still didn't reach her brown eyes. She rose to her feet and even her stance and posture was sharp and her tone was professional as she shook his dad's hand.

"Mr. Elric, I'm Miss Hawkeye."

Hoenhiem shook her hand with a nod and a smile, "Ah yes, the woman I spoke to on the phone. You are the Headmasters' secretary?"

She nodded at they released each others' hand and then she turned to Ed who tensed under her scrutiny, she smiled at him and then spoke in an acutely softer tone of voice.

"You must be Edward Elric. Headmaster Mustang should be with you shortly."

Ed nodded but remained silent, he didn't want to say anything because the only thing he could think of was something sarcastic. They were told to be there by a certain time and the man was too busy doing something else to see them when he told them to be there. He looked around the office to see three other doors with name plates on them. He looked back to the woman as she explained to him and his dad who was also looking towards the other doors.

"Those are the Principles offices. This office is where the head principles are. The elementary, junior high, and high school level prinicples are in this office. The office next door is where the principles of each grade level are and the office on the other side are where the school therapists are. Once you've met with the headmaster I will show you around more."

She paused when the phone rang and answered it, "Yes sir, they just arrived."

She hung up and motioned for them to follow as she stepped from behind the desk and walked to the door at the back of the room. She held the door open for them and Hoenhiem pulled Ed inside the room. It resembled his fathers' study at home as he stepped inside. There were bookshelves along the wall circling the desk in a 'U' shape that left the large window behind the desk clear and there were two leather chairs situated in front of the desk. There were chairs lining the wall on either side of the door and filing cabinets along the side walls leading to the bookshelves.

Ed glanced over his shoulder when the door closed to see that he and his dad were left alone in the office. The chair was turned away from them and the man in it was talking on the phone to someone. He seemed to be a little irritated as he talked but his voice was deep and smooth and Ed wandered how old the guy was. Hoenhiem led Ed over to the chairs and sat down which Ed did as well.

"I don't have time for this right now Maes I'm supposed to be meeting with a new student right now."

He was silent a moment before he replied with a little ire in his voice, "Seriously, save these conversations for after working hours." He then turned and hung up the phone and got to his feet which Hoenhiem did as well. Ed paused for a moment taken back by how young the man looked, he couldn't be any older than his late twenties. He had dark eyes, pale skin, short black hair, and he looked like what one would expect to be the poster boy for a modeling magazine or something.

Ed felt his blood boil when the man smirked and said to him, "You must be Edward Elric, I've heard a lot about you."

Hoenhiem chuckled and nodded to Mustang as they exchanged greetings and then took their seats. Ed sat back down with a glare on his face. Mustang picked up a file on his desk which was littered with folders and files that seemed to be neglected for the most part.

After a few minutes Mustang closed the file and then looked directly at Ed, "From the test scores I received as well as your transcripts it would seem you're quite the catch for this school."

Hoenhiem smirked, "This was the only co-ed private school that was willing to take him considering his reputation."

Ed turned his glare to his dad but remained silent. Mustang chuckled, "Yes it would seem so. I've noted that you have some disciplinary problems, but I think that you won't be too much trouble."

Ed smirked, _The hell I won't you smug bastard._ Mustang raised an eyebrow, "Even if you are I'm sure that your principal will manage. The only reason I am willing to overlook your disciplinary problems is due to the fact that you're quite the genius. Ninth grade at eleven, that's quite the accomplishment."

"Wasn't my choice," Ed muttered darkly.

"No, I suppose not. Should you find the classes too challenging then we will be happy to have you moved back a year. This school will not be the same as the school you previously attended and interacting with more students than you're used to may be challenging."

Ed glared and crossed his arms over his chest, "Like that scares me."

Hoenhiem glared at his son and looked to Mustang apologetically but Mustang waved it off and addressed Ed once again, "Very well then. Today will mostly consist of showing you around the school and figuring out which classes are best for you to start with. You won't be starting class until tomorrow."

Ed shrugged to say he didn't really care and Mustang stood, "It's been nice meeting you Mr. Elric, I'm sure you have plenty of work to do at your job. I can take over and make sure things are in order."

Hoenhiem stood with a nod, "Thank you, please call me if he gives you any trouble."

Mustang nodded and walked around his desk to escort Hoenhiem to the door, "I will be sure to do so."

Ed watched his dad walk out of the office and then turned back to glare at the window when the door closed. Mustang walked back over to the desk and leaned back against it with his arms crossed over his chest, "So, how about you tell me a little about yourself?"

Ed scoffed, "Read the file."

Mustang smirked, "I read the file but it usually just told me that you were a good student but have a short temper."

"Well there you go, now you know all about me," Ed commented mockingly.

Mustang sighed, "Edward, I usually take the time to get to know my students. It makes things much easier if I know certain things so that I can try my best to help them out. I just want to make sure that your transition into this school will be smooth and that all your needs will be met."

Ed turned his glare on the man leaning against the desk, "I can take care of myself."

"I wasn't implying that you couldn't."

"Why am I still sitting in here with you, I thought my schedule was already worked out."

"It is worked out, but we still need to discuss which classes you wish to take. Other than the four core classes you have four other classes that you can chose to take."

"I already decided to take philosophy, orchestra for the music credits, web mastering for the computer classes, and then baseball or whatever for the physical education."

"Yes and we have that on your schedule, but are you going to active in those classes?"

Ed shrugged, it was bad enough he'd had to go on that stupid trip he'd just returned from a few days ago. Apparently it was tradition that all freshmen go on this two week trip called the "Bivouac." He'd had to spend two weeks with a bunch of students that were supposed to be his classmates this year. It was a camping trip and he hadn't gotten along with most of the students anyway, they'd picked on him because he was younger, shorter, and because he had long hair that he refused to cut. It wasn't pleasant and he'd come to despise the school even more for making him go.

"Well, the majority of our students here are active and participate in school activities. Were you able to make any friends over the summer?"

"My neighbor, but none of those gits at that 'camping trip' were worth getting to know."

Mustang smirked, "No I suppose not."

Ed looked up at that, there was an amused tone in Mustang's voice as he sat that and it made Ed smirk. "I expected most of the students to act out towards you because of the difference in age. In reality you should be in sixth grade instead of ninth grade. They are jealous because even despite your age they worry that you will show them up. I wouldn't say that all the students here all the same, there's bound to be some students here that may be worth you getting to know."

"If you agree that most of the students are gits and that then why do you work here?"

Mustang shrugged, "Well, every now and then I come across students like you who are not 'gits' as you said."

"You don't even know what a 'git' is do you?"

Mustang smirked, "No, I can't say I do."

Ed smirked again, "It's the same as calling someone a punk, brat, or idiot."

"Ah, really. I'd forgotten that you grew up in Britain."

"What about you, where are you from?"

"Me? Well, I grew up here in the states."

"Well duh, where at?"

"Chicago."

Ed straightened in his chair, "Really, I heard Chicago was one of the most dangerous cities in the states."

Mustang laughed at that, "Yes, many believe that. It wasn't so bad but I can say I like Cambridge a lot more."

"Why did you come here anyway?"

Mustang raised an eyebrow, "I thought I was getting to know you not the other way around."

"Equivalent exchange, you expect me to answer your questions but you won't answer mine?"

Mustang smirked at that, "Alright alchemist, I came here because I went to Harvard. Becoming Headmaster wasn't my original intentions, but I found that its' something I enjoy doing. So, why did you and your family suddenly come here?"

Ed sighed, "My mum died and my dad was offered a job at Harvard."

"I'm sorry for your loss Edward."

Ed shrugged, "Don't worry about it. What did you do before you became headmaster?"

"I was in the military for a few years while going to school at Harvard. I was discharged and offered a job here as a teacher. I've only been headmaster for two years now."

"How old are you anyway?"

"That's pretty direct Edward. How about this, I will tell you how old I am if you agree to try and make some friends here."

"What?" Ed looked at Mustang questionably, did this guy actually think he could make that kind of deal. He didn't want to make friends with the students he'd met in his class. "Do they have to be classmates?"

"No."

"Okay, fine. I'll try and play nice and make friends."

"Okay then, I'm twenty-six."

"Really? You have to kidding me, there's no way you're only twenty-six."

"It's the truth."

"But you said you were in the military and a teacher before you were headmaster and who would appoint someone as headmaster when they are only twenty-four?"

"I'm mature and experienced for my age."

"Right, what have you been through that would merit that?"

"Everyone has their own ghosts Edward."

Ed paused at that and sighed, "Okay, fine. Did you graduate early or something?"

"I was about the same age as you are now when I started high school. I was ahead and even though I had to wait until I turned eighteen to join the military I already had a degree by then so it wasn't long before I was an officer."

"So how old were you when you graduated from college then?"

"Twenty-one."

Ed scoffed, "Okay, I'll take your word for it then."

"Do you plan on going to Harvard when you graduate?"

Ed shrugged, he'd never really thought about what he would do after he graduated from high school. Before he'd only thought of passing each year, the school in Resembool was pretty simplistic and he'd taken to studying on his own because he was always bored with nothing to do. "Don't know really, never thought about it."

"Well, you have this year and three years after that to figure it out. Have you eaten breakfast?"

Ed's stomach chose that time to growl at him and Ed blushed embarrassed and glared at Mustang as he chuckled and stood making his way to the door, "Let's get something to eat. I will show you around the school and maybe by the time we get back they will have everything in order."

Ed stood and followed behind him, "What's taking so long anyway?"

"Well, the classes are pretty packed, but we are trying to find you classes with less students in them so that you can better adjust. Not only that, but it would seem that they are having trouble locating books for you as well."

Ed closed the door behind him after glancing to his backpack for a moment and deciding he could leave it behind. He followed Mustang out of the office as the older man waved to his secretary and informed her that he was getting something to eat and would show Ed around the school a little. She nodded and told him to return before lunch and that she would make sure things were taken care of by then.

Ed was surprised by how easily he was pulled into conversation with Mustang, but he decided to brush it off and enjoy the fact that the man was talking to him as an equal rather than as a child that was ignorant of the world. It didn't seem as though the man was put off by his brash attitude or his attitude too much, instead it seemed to amuse him. They walked the silent halls and Ed paid attention to the turns and twists so that he could remember how to get where they were going and how to get back by himself if the need arose. After about twenty minutes of walking they finally came up to a pair of double doors and when they walked inside they were in a cafeteria.

It looked more like it belonged in a mall, there were stands where popular fast food places were represented and at the back were three lines that most likely served the common cafeteria food most schools had. The cafeteria was large and spacious and to the left there was glass walls with double doors in the center that led to a spacious courtyard with tall trees, benches, and stone circular tables. Mustang chuckled at the startled and awed look on Ed's face, "It's late in the morning, that's why its' empty. This cafeteria was built to commentate the entire student body, the staff lounge is less spacious."

Ed glanced at him, "How large is the staff here?"

Mustang shrugged as he led the way to the left hand door where the usual line for getting cafeteria food was served, Ed followed behind him as he took in his surroundings.

"I would say we have a large staff, you only met the ninth grade staff. We have a pretty good number of students and if put in ratio's then I would say we have one staff member for every fifteen students."

Ed knew how large the student body was so he was quickly able to figure out how large the staff had to be given that ration. The staff lounge would have to be at least half the size of the cafeteria alone to accommodate everyone. "The staff lounge would have to be pretty big then."

"Well yes, but its' not. It's about a quarter of this size to tell the truth. The staff has to work around the lunch hours provided for the grade levels they teach. Grade school students have first lunch, and it goes up by grade levels. Lunch usually starts at ten thirty and ends at one in the afternoon. The elementary students usually interact, the same can be said for junior high, and then high school. Senior students have the option of eating lunch off campus and have an hour for lunch to give them the time to leave and come back."

"Why come back?"

Mustang chuckled, "Why indeed, the rules are strict here, this school is prestigious and very selective about its' students. If it wasn't for your academic scores then I am sure no one would have been interested in having you here as a student." They both grabbed trays and quickly helped themselves to the breakfast still left hot. Ed wandered why the breakfast was left out like that if the students had already eaten. Mustang paid for their meals and seemed to know what he was thinking; "The staff sometimes enjoys the simple breakfast the cafeteria has to offer. Those working in the cafeteria usually try to leave fresh, hot food here in case the staff comes by. They usually remove it around ten just before setting out the lunch."

Mustang led Ed towards the courtyard and held the door open before following him. There were at least five towering Oak trees in the courtyard that shaded it pretty well and the sidewalks and smoothly cut grass reminded him of Harvard Yard at the univeristy where his dad worked. He followed Mustang to a stone table in the middle of the courtyard and they sat down. They ate in silence and Ed was drinking the rest of the orange juice he'd grabbed when Mustang broke the silence.

"So what do you think so far?"

"Why," Ed set down the empty container before looking at Mustang, "Why do you care what I think?"

"I'm just asking your opinion. This has to be a change from the school you grew up attending."

"It's a lot bigger."

"I supposed so," Mustang replied with a smirk.

Ed got up picking up his tray and heading back to the cafeteria leaving Mustang to follow behind him. "You don't find it overwhelming?"

Ed glanced over his shoulder before opening the doors and heading inside leaving Mustang to open the door and follow him as he answered indifferently.

"Why should I?"

They disposed of their trays handing them over to the cafeteria workers that were waiting near the front of the cafeteria. Mustang led the way out and back into the hallways turning to head back towards the office. "It's not everyday that one gets to ask the opinion of genius, I'm just wandering if you noticed anything that could use improvement."

"Why would my opinion matter anyway, I'm just a kid and this is the first time I've seen a school like this."

"You have seen Harvard University have you not?"

Ed shrugged and unconsciously put his hands in his pockets, "Yeah, but its' a university, not a private school."

Mustang nodded and narrowed his eyes at Ed's hands in his pockets, "You should break that habit."

Ed raised an eyebrow at him, "What habit?"

Mustang paused causing Ed to stop a few steps in front of him and turn around. Mustang looked him up and down closely, his shirt was untucked, he'd left one of the buttons undone at the collar, the tie was lazily done, the v-neck sweater looked uncomfortable, and though his shoes were the standard they still need shining. He couldn't say much about the long hair since it was at least tied back in a neat braid.

"You're going to need some help following dress code and getting used to the rules set here."

Ed scowled, "Oh now you want to act like the headmaster. What's wrong with how I'm dressed, I'm wearing the hideous uniform am I not?"

Mustang smirked, "Yes, you're wearing it, but not the way it should be worn. The tie is crooked and it was tied sloppily. Your shirt should be tucked in and buttoned all the way. Your shoes should be shiny instead of looking scuffed up and like you dragged your feet through mud and dirt before showing up. You should also find a material that doesn't irritate you near as much as that sweater."

"I was issued these clothes by you. It's not like I've ever worn clothes this preppy before."

Mustang couldn't help but chuckle at Ed's choice of words, "Preppy is also how the clothes should be worn."

Ed turned on his heel and headed off down the hallway. Mustang noticed the confidence in his walk and quickly noticed that Ed must have memorized his way back to the office on their way here. He was definitely brighter and different from most eleven year olds his age. He knew he didn't lack in intelligence, that much was obvious by his transcripts as well as the test scores. He could even tell that the boy harbored experiences that made him mature for his age, but he still couldn't stop but worry that the other students were not going to be easy on him and would act out because of the difference in Ed and themselves. He'd gone through the same growing up, he'd worked hard to get ahead in school and he at least had his best friend who happened to be the head councilor at BB&N.

Maes also happened to be three years his senior and a neighbor that had befriended him instantly and was ecstatic that his best friend was going to school with him and would even graduate with him. He didn't seem to be jealous that Roy was in the same advanced classes even though he was younger, he was excited to have his best friend by him. He followed Ed back to his office and motioned for Ed to follow him into the offices to the left of where his own was. Now he needed to have Ed have a talk with Maes so that he could go over his schedule as well as make sure things would go over as smoothly as possible.

He entered the office and nodded to Fuery sitting behind the desk. Fuery looked up startled and rose to his feet and pushed his glasses up his nose. He was a small man who many thought to be fragile, but Roy knew he was anything but. He was sharp minded and a hard worker, but his time spent in the military made him a little skiddish. "Headmaster-"

"Calm down, is Maes in his office?"

"Y-yes sir."

Mustang nodded, "Thanks, come on Ed."

Ed glanced at Fuery as he took his seat back at his desk before he followed Roy to the door at the back of the room. This room was about the same as the one where Mustang's office was. One desk, filing cabinets, four doors that led into different offices and had name plates on them. When Mustang knocked on the door and opened it after someone called out cheerfully for him to come in he felt like he'd had a deja vu moment. The office was practically identical, except their were pictures on the wall, ones of a family and when he looked to the man grinning behind the desk he noticed that it was the mans' family.

He looked to the name on the door before Mustang closed it behind them and saw that Hues was a few inches taller than Mustang as he stood and came to stand before them. He wore glasses, had sharp, intelligent, mirthful, green eyes and was just a shade darker than Mustang. There was a relaxed atmosphere between the two men and Ed couldn't help but return the smile turned towards him as a hand was held out to him.

"I'm Maes Hues, the head councilor here at BB&N."

Ed shook his hand and let Hues guide him to one of the chairs in front of the desk. Mustang nodded to them and turned to leave. Ed looked over at him as Hues said to him before he could walk out the door.

"I meant what I said earlier Roy, you should go find yourself a wife."

Ed laughed at Mustang glared at Hues darkly before slamming the door shut. Hues sat down in his chair behind his desk with a sigh, "He's always so serious." He adjusted his glasses then turned to regard Ed, he looked at him for a moment before he grinned, "So Edward, did you enjoy meeting the headmaster and seeing some of the school?"

Ed shrugged and answered indifferently, "Yeah, I guess."

"Hmm, you don't really care do you?"

Ed raised an eyebrow at that but said nothing. Hues nodded to himself, "Well, it would seem that you need some guidance with the dress code here. Do you know how to tie a tie?"

Ed glared, "Yes."

"Really, its' hard to tell. Anyway, dress code can be overlooked for today, but tomorrow you should make sure you're within dress code otherwise you might find that Hawkeye and Mustang are not as nice as you may think they are."

Ed tilted his head to the side wandering about Hues addressing them with only their last names with the titles of Miss or Mister before it. Hues uncannily seemed to read his thoughts as he explained, "All of us spent a fair bit of time in the military, old habits die hard."

"Did everyone that works here serve in the military or something?"

"No," Hues chuckled, "Just the head staff members mostly. The Armstrong's, Hawkeye, Fuery, Mustang, myself, Havoc, Breda, Kimble, and Bradly mostly. Bradly is the head principal for mid level classes, sixth through eight grade. Olivia Armstrong is the principal for senior level grades, ninth through twelfth. She's not to be taken lightly and can be quite strict, it would be best to avoid getting on her bad side."

Ed nodded, "Okay then, what about the rest of the people you mentioned."

"Ah yes, well Fuery is the secretary of sorts for the councilors here. Hawkeye works for Mustang directly and she's even the assistant Headmaster here. Alex Armstrong is the the head of physical fitness. Havoc is his assistant. Kimble is in charge of the the senior class. Best stay away from him, he's the trouble maker among the staff if truth be told. Of course you know the rest."

"Yeah."

"You should watch that as well, its' yes not yeah. The teachers are going to have a field day with you in my opinion. You may be frequenting these offices"

Ed glared at that, how could this man speak with a smile on his face and in a light hearted tone when what he was saying seemed pretty serious?

"Let's see, you're schedule was finally fixed up though it's going to take a few days to get your books in order. How much of the school were you shown?"

"The cafeteria and courtyard mostly."

Hues stood, "Alright then, I'll show you to your part of the school, its' on the other side of the campus. This school isn't quite large enough to separate students by years, but we at least seperated them by levels."

"Levels?" Ed asked as he got to his feet and followed Hues to the door. Hues answered him as they left the office, "Elementary, junior high, high school, levels but not grades. Senior level classes are all in the same building. The gyms have their own building as well as the music department, art department, and advanced department. Your classes are all advanced with the exception of your music class and physical education."

They were walking down the hallway, this time they were headed in the opposite direction of the cafeteria and they turned at the end to go right and then walked to the end before they stepped outside and crossed over another courtyard to come to a two story building that they entered. Once inside Hues pulled a scheldule from his pocket, he pointed to the twelfth door on the right as they walked down the hallway, "That's where your math class will be." They kept going to come to a stair way that led upstairs and Hues pointed to the third door on their left, "That's English." They walked past about five more doors on either side and then Hues pointed to the sixth on the right, "That will be history."

They walked to the end and Ed noticed that there was a walkway that led to another building, it was a sky walk. Ed looked down at the courtyard below and after a moment noticed that he could see a gym across from the building they'd just left. He looked forward again as Hues turned to walk down the hallway to their left and they passed by ten doors before Hues pointed to the eleventh on their right, "That is your philosophy class, nice choice of elective if I say so myself. Philosophy is an interesting class and the teacher you have is pretty open minded about everything in general."

Ed smirked as he followed and they walked down a flight of stairs on the right hand side at the end of the hall. Once downstairs he noticed that the rooms were more spaced out and when Hues pointed to the eight door on the left and said, "Science," Ed wasn't that surprised. They continued to the end of the hall and walked outside to step out on the shaded sidewalk and then crossed the a small parking lot to another building, this one was smaller but it seemed to be close to the size of the gym Ed saw earlier.

"This is the music building, that's where your orchestra class will be. I believe that Miss Arastella has this class period off, would you like to meet her?"

"Sure . . . I mean yes."

Hues nodded to his correction and led the way inside. The building was a huge box to Ed and their footsteps echoed on the tile floors as they crossed to the end of the hallway to come before a pair of double doors. Inside was a spacious room and Hues smiled as the woman seated at the piano looked to him with a brilliant smile as she stood. She had long, dark red hair, tan skin, green eyes, and she was wearing a simple black, woman's' suit. She crossed the room quickly and literally beamed at the sight of Ed.

"You must be the new student Edward, I'm Miss Jasmine Arastella," she held out her hand and Ed shook it with a blush at he bright smile and enthusiasm.

"Nice to meet you Miss Arastella," Ed mumbled. She nodded, "It's a pleasure to meet you I'm sure, can you play any instruments Edward?"

Ed shrugged as they dropped their hands, "My brother Al was always better at playing than I was, but I did play the violin a little back home"

Her face lit up and when he glanced to Hues he noticed that his face lit up with open curiosity and held back a groan knowing now he would have to play. The only thing he could ever remember how to play on the violin was Amazing Grace because it was him moms' favorite song. The music teacher turned away and made her way towards the wall of large cabinets and opened one of the doors with the keys she had in her pocket and pulled out a violin.

She returned to stand before him, "You don't mind playing a little something for me, it would give me a chance to know what you remember and what work you may need while in my class."

Ed sighed but took the violin and the bow held out to him anyway, she smiled with a nod and then went over to the piano and sat down before it. Hues took a seat in one of the many chairs in the room, there were stands throughout most of the room and Ed could tell that this was definitely where the orchestra class was held and possibly choir as well given the size of the room and how easily music would echo in the room.

He set the violin and the bow in a chair nearby and then shook his hands and popped his knuckles to work out the tension in them before he picked up the violin and carefully looked it over to make sure it was tuned, he position the violin on his left shoulder and under his chin before he raised the bow and played a few notes to double check that it was tuned properly then lowered the violin and bow to look at the music teacher. She was smiling as though she approved of what he'd done and he smirked.

She bowed her head before she asked, "Which song would you like to play?"

Ed pursed his lips before he closed his eyes for a moment to shove down the sudden sorrow that he knew this song was going to bring to the surface, but his mother had always told him that when you played music you had to play with your heart or it never meant your were truly playing. He would play the song for her and because of her it had become his most cherished song, he opened his eyes and answered in a stronger tone that he'd expected, "Amazing grace."

The teacher nodded and Ed noticed that both she and Hues seemed to have picked up on the emotions he was feeling before he'd answered them. Ed closed his eyes as the piano began to play and opened them fixing them on the instrument in his hands as he waited for the chord that told him when the violin's notes began. The music echoed in the large, mostly empty room and he felt his emotions rise to the surface as he began to play in tune and harmony with the piano. He let himself fall into the familiar threads of music and let the sound of it wrap around him so that everything but the music was distant.

Memories of his mother and her gentle smile and thoughtful look as she used to listen to Ed and Al play came to the forefront of his mind and he had to blink back tears. He didn't have to focus on his fingers or the bow or violin as he played, he knew this song well enough to play it with his eyes closed. He hadn't touched a violin since his mother had died, and the swelling of emotions washing over him reminded him of why. He'd brought this upon himself by signing up for orchestra but as he played and the music flowed through him he found that he'd missed it more than he would have thought.

Music was like science to him, it made him feel complete as though that something he was missing most of the time had been found finally. But it was different with music because music was part of the heart and soul where as science was part of the mind. When music was involved he could let himself go and immerse himself in it so deeply that he was usually left feeling sated after the music ended, as though for a moment he'd found peace of mind. As the song came to a close and he played the final notes he felt his eyes drift closed at the sound and then lowered his hands to his side numbly. He had to take a few deep breaths before he could open his eyes and shove all the emotions he'd felt back down and control himself enough to set the violin and bow down on the chair.

He looked between Hues and Arastella who were watching him intently, mixtures of curiosity, awe, and a spark of understanding in their gazes. He nodded to them silently and then turned and walked out of the room closing the door behind him and moving to lean against the wall beside it. He slid down the wall and took in a few shuddering breaths. Why was he so intent on torturing himself? Why did he have to ask to take orchestra, why did he let Hues lead him into the music building and then let the music teacher talk him into playing?

Arastella looked at Hues, her eyes were glistening with barely restrained tears. As a music teacher she knew the difference between one who could play because they were formally taught and one who played from their hearts and souls. Ed was definitely a true musician who played from his heart and soul. He hit the notes flawlessly and had played with a level of emotion that was startling and bittersweet, it spoke of grief, of memories, and it took every fiber of her being to not rush out of the room and pull the boy into her arms. The song was a medium level song and he'd played it as well as any professional musician, played it better than she could have herself on a violin.

"He's truly gifted that boy."

Hues nodded, "He is. You've seen the scores of the tests they gave him, and to hear him play the violin like that without any formal training at all . . . Truly unbelievable unless you see it for yourself."

"There's a lot of pain in him though, perhaps it wasn't best for him to be pulled away from his home after such a loss."

"He's strong Jasmine, he truly is. I can see a lot of potential and determination."

"He may ask to be removed from this class."

"I think he should remain in this class, it may help him heal."

"Maybe, perhaps you should go and talk with him."

"I believe you should be the one to do such a thing, spend some time with him and try to convince him how much music obviously means to him."

Arastella nodded and rose to her feet and crossed the room and eased the doors open to find golden eyes looking up at her before Ed shuffled to his feet and stepped back as she stepped out into the hall and closed the door behind her silently. Ed wiped at the tears on his face furiously and when he looked back to her his expression was guarded.

"Edward, why did you chose a song that would bring forth memories and emotions?"

Ed stammered before he looked away and answered, "My mum told me that when me or Al played that we should play from our hearts."

"She was right, that's where music is supposed to come from. Are you alright?"

"I'm fine."

"Do you wish to continue playing music, right now would be the best time for you to decide if you wish to continue."

Ed looked back at her his eyes alight with whirling emotions before he settled on determination and he nodded, "Yes."

"I think your mother would be proud of you and happy that you've decided to continue. You have such talent and a true gift. If you like, I could give you some music to take home and study and even a instrument that you can borrow if you don't have one yet."

Ed nodded but remained silent and she smiled gently at him before she reached for the door. "Can you read music?"

Ed nodded again and she nodded to him before she walked inside purposely leaving the door open in invitation. Ed took a few deep breaths before he walked back into the room.

* * *

Ed sighed as he finally walked through his front door, he had his back pack slung over his shoulder and carried the violin case in his right hand as he opened the door with his left. He'd had to ride the bus home from school because his dad had to stay late after school. The bus dropped him off at the end of the street and he'd waved to Winry as she watched him from her window. She only offered a slight wave before she ducked back from the window. He closed the door behind him and called out, "Al, I'm home."

He heard shuffling upstairs and then Al was running down the stairs with a grin on his face. Al paused when he saw the violin case in Ed's right hand. "Brother?"

Ed looked up at the questioning tone in his brothers' voice and brought his hand up to the back of his neck, "Some teacher talked me into taking her class."

"Are you sure, I mean mum used to-"

"I know Al. Dad said he was going to be late and that's he's bringing home pizza to celebrate our first day of school or something."

Al nodded with a grin and stepped aside as Ed walked up the stairs and made his way to his room. Al followed him and watched as Ed flung his backpack on the floor by his desk before he set the violin case on the bed. Ed then walked over to his backpack and pulled out some papers before he walked back to his bed and sat down looking up at Al standing in the doorway.

"What?"

"What are you doing?"

"Practicing, what do you think?"

"You're going to practice? What music is it?"

Al crossed the room to sit down at Ed's desk and smiled at the glare Ed was giving him. Ed shrugged eventually and looked at the sheets of music in his hand before he scowled, "That woman is nuts, how am I supposed to play this?"

"What is it?"

"Pathetigue."

"Really, by Beethoven?"

"No, by Choplin, yes by Beethoven. She's nuts, that's not mid-level."

"You must have played Amazing Grace."

Ed looked at his brother in disbelief, "How did you-"

"You always play that song like its' a part of you, I'm not near as good at playing the violin as you are. Is it a duet?"

"What? I don't know . . . " He trailed off as he looked at the music and nodded, "Yes."

Al raised an eyebrow, did his brother just say yes instead of his usual yeah? Al smirked, "It looks like they already had an effect on you brother."

Ed looked back at him, "Huh?"

"Not much of one, but you didn't say yeah, you said yes instead."

"So?"

"Well, you usually say yeah so I thought I would point that out, maybe going to a private school will teach you some manners and etiquette."

"Shut up."

Al laughed, "Brother. Maybe I can talk dad into buying a piano, I've always wanted to play the piano."

Ed sighed, "Al, seriously."

"I am serious brother, besides I could help you practice. Don't you remember teacher telling us that sometimes it was best to hear the song in the original version to learn how to play it."

"Teacher was nuts too. She tried to teach us everything at once."

"That's because music, dancing, fighting, and learning are all ways to expand the mind."

"Geeze, I can't believe you're sprouting off the same shit-"

"Brother!"

"What?"

"Watch your language."

"Gah, whatever."

Al shook his head at his brother, it looked like it was going to take a while to get his brother to stop cussing all the time. But he was happy to see that his brother was going to play music again, he truly did have a gift for it and it might help level him out. If anything his brother could use anything to help lessen his temper and aggression and he always seemed pretty calm when he played music and it helped him if he was feeling frustrated. He knew Ed would never admit it, but music was as much a part of him as learning and fighting were.

Growing up in Resembool left them with little to do but read the books their father left and take lessons from a teacher that lived two towns over. That teacher taught them how to fight, the basics of alchemy as well as kept them up to date with the same things students were learning in the city. She also taught them how to dance and got them started on playing music saying that music brought forth creativity and expanded their minds as much as any book could. Dancing helped them learn how to fight better. Fighting sharpened their bodies so that they didn't just exercise their minds. Al missed his time in Resembool, he missed the peace there, and his mum, and his teacher. He missed their friends as well, but if his brother was getting back to playing music and if they could make friends here then he could adapt.

Al was so lost in his thoughts that it startled him when Ed set to tuning the violin before he stood up and walked to his desk. Al moved aside with the chair as Ed reached towards the drawers and pulled out the tape in the top, right hand drawer before he closed it. He'd set the violin on his bed and was crossing the room to his closet with the music in his hand and the tape. He quickly taped the music on the closet doors and then tossed the tape to Al.

Al caught it and put it back in the drawer and then turned back to Ed as he crossed the room, picked up the violin and the bow and then walked back over to the stand before the closet so he could look at the music. Al remained still and quiet as he listened to Ed go through the music. It wasn't perfect and he messed up a few notes the first few times through but soon Ed seemed to fall into the music and it filled the house.

Neither of them heard the front door opening and closing or Hoenhiem walking up the stairs to stand in the doorway. Ed was entranced in the music he was playing and Al seemed transfixed on listening to him. Hoenhiem stood in the doorway and listened with a smile on his face and waited until Ed finished before knocking on the door and holding the two boxes of pizza up, "Dinner."

Ed and Al looked at him startled before they grinned at him. Ed set the violin and bow on the desk before he and Al followed Hoenhiem downstairs to the dining room to eat dinner. Hoenhiem couldn't help but smile, it seemed like things were going to look up, it was a true joy to see that Ed was playing again and he had the funny feeling that Al was going to ask him something that had to do with an instrument. He'd have to buy Ed his own violin since he was playing again and after dinner he wasn't surprised to have Ed tell him as such.

Al's request for a piano was surprising but he agreed and told Al that he would even hire a piano teacher for him if he wanted. It seemed that the hectic, busy day was leading them towards a promising new life in Cambridge. He idly worried that something would happen that would dampen the new changes but decided as his sons' made their way upstairs to shower and get ready for bed that he would try to focus on the poistive rather than the possibilities of the negative.


	4. Chapter 4

**Disclaimer: I don't own Fullmetal Alchemist, hell I don't own the title to this fan fic. FMA belongs to Arakawa-sama and the title and song belong to the writers, editors, and whatnot of Martina McBride. I do not condone abuse nor am I a fan of it.**

_A/N: Dark themes, child abuse, violence, language. This story is fictional and should it offend anyone please do not read. Flames will be used to make smores and comments and constructive criticism is welcome. This story is un-beta'd and edited by me. Oh, and here's a shocker, Hoenhiem is the good parent in this, OMFG. lol._

* * *

**Chapter 4**

Winry was grateful school had started once again, that meant that the beatings would be less frequent and she would actually be able to spend at least some time getting to know the Elric brothers, well mostly Al considering that Ed was going to a private school. As she got on the school bus with Al following behind her she ignored the looks of everyone else as they walked down the ail and took the empty seats in the middle of the bus. Winry sat by the window and stared out to watch Ed walking down to the end of the street.

She smiled at the sight of seeing him in the private school uniform and turned to Al to ask why Ed was carrying a violin case. She never would have figured that Ed would be one to play music.

Al turned to her with a grin and said excitedly, "Brother met this teacher at the school that talked him into playing again."

"Has he always played?"

Al nodded, "Yes, brother and I were taught all kinds of things back in Resembool. This teacher we had taught us how to do a little bit of everything."

Winry was definitely intrigued, she also enjoyed how Al always answered her honestly and how easily he opened up to her. It was as though they had known each other forever and he never seemed to pass judgment on anyone. She could tell that he was going to make a lot of friends in school from how kind and honest he was. It was because of this that she asked, "What do you mean by a little bit of everything?"  
"Well, brother and I were taught how to fight, to play music, and about all these different kinds of subjects. Brother was always a quicker study than me and he picked up things really quickly."

"So you're brother is really a genius," a boy behind them asked who happened to be listening in on the conversation. They turned to look and saw that it was a boy the same age as Al. Winry recalled his name being Fletcher Tringham. Al nodded to the boy and answered with a smile, "Yes, brother is a genius. He's going to school at BB and N. And he was placed in the ninth grade too."

Winry was surprised by that, she didn't know that Ed was actually placed that far ahead, she learned yesterday on the first day of school that Al was placed a year ahead of her making him two years ahead of the kids his age. But to learn that Ed was already being placed in the ninth grade was startling, just how smart was he?

"Wow, really?" Another boy sitting across from them asked, the three of them turned to see a boy her age that Winry recognized as Chouji. He was a heavy set kid and really friendly but through the years she never was nice to anyone and it seemed that the only reason anyone was talking was because of Al. Al nodded to Chouji, "Yup, brother is really smart. They originally wanted to place him another year ahead but my dad made a compromise and said that they could place him in all advanced classes instead."

"All advanced classes? That's bound to be really tough and he's playing the violin on top of that?"

Al shrugged, "Brother is really good at multi-tasking."

"Wow, so how smart are you?"

Winry waited to see if Al would feel offended by that but he just continued to smile as he answered, "I'm not as smart as brother, but I heard my dad arguing with the school so that I was only placed one year ahead."

"That's right, you're not in any of our classes. So you're a genius too?"

Al blushed at Fletchers' question and shook his head, "No, I'm not a genius. We were just taught subjects that most of the kids our age are learning so we were placed ahead. It had a lot to do with how strict our teacher was back in Resembool."

"Resembool? Where is that?"

"It's in England, it is a small town in the country."

"So you're from the country and from England? I was wondering about your accent it sounded a little different."

Al continued to smile, "Brother's accent is worse but so is his language," Al laughed at that.

Winry actually smiled a little and asked, "Does he cuss a lot or something?"

Al nodded and returned her smile with a bright one as he turned back to her, "Yes. Mum always tried to break him or cursing, she actually washed his mouth out with soap a lot growing up. But it was teacher that finally made him stop cursing so much. She used to beat us up pretty badly when she was teaching us how to fight and when brother started cursing to her she really let him have it."

"Wow she sounds really mean," Fletcher commented.

Al shook his head, "She was just really strict. She didn't make brother stop cursing, but she did get him to stop cursing around mum. After sparring and training she always doctored us up and cooked us something hot to eat. She was actually really nice, but she was really strict."

"She sounds like a pleasant person considering how you talk about her. Do you miss her?"

Al nodded with a reminiscent smile, "Yes. She was there for us after mum died and took care of us while dad was trying to gather up enough money so that we could go somewhere he could take care of us. She was like a really cool aunt I think."

"What happened to your mom?"

Winry watched Al's smile falter and the shadow in his eyes but he just looked out the window past her as he answered in a calm voice; "She was really sick for a long time, but she never showed it. Before we came here she passed away, that was a little over half a year ago."

"What kind of mom was she?" Al smiled again as he addressed Fletcher, "She was really nice and kind, brother keeps saying that I'm a lot like her and dad says the same thing."

Winry did smile then and she nodded, "I think they are right, you are really nice and kind Alphonse."

Al blushed and smiled to her, "Thanks Winry."

* * *

Ed ran his hand through his hair as he made his way to the cafeteria for lunch. He had orchestra and P.E. next, his first two classes were advanced physics and advanced geography. He wasn't all that concerned about dealing with the other students, he wasn't particularly social anyway considering how he preferred to just keep his nose in a book, study, and ignore the majority of the population. At his other school, in the small town where everyone went to the same school regardless of age he usually pulled pranks and skipped the boring classes because he knew more than the teacher did. He had a total of eight classes.

He ran through his classes in his head as he ate his lunch in silence; _Physics, geography, orchestra, then P.E. every other day, then speech, English, keyboarding, then Algebra._ He scowled as he guzzled his apple juice before he stood with his tray, balancing it with one hand as he carried his violin case in the other hand, his backpack already slung over his shoulder and made his way to dispose of his tray. As he stepped out of the cafeteria into the courtyard he couldn't help but to think it would have been better to have Algebra first period so he could get the class over with. He already knew that speech and keyboarding were going to become health and webmastery next semester, an easy way to get the required classes out of the way early.

Most of his classes were easy, he caught on to his subjects and liked how they moved through the material quickly. He had homework from physics and geography and was sure he would receive more homework from English and Algebra tomorrow, but it didn't bother him because at least he would have something to do at home. He worked better when he had a lot to do than when he had nearly nothing to do so the advanced classes and the homework load wouldn't bother him. He still had to practice with the violin.

It didn't take him that long to become reacquainted with the violin and he was glad to be playing it once more, it always made his mother happy to hear him and Al play music as much as she liked them to perform alchemy. But he wasn't going to use alchemy anytime soon, it wasn't that he could no longer bring himself to use it, he didn't care to listen to his father lecturing him about it and how he shouldn't let others see him using alchemy. He knew not to use alchemy in front of others but the lecturing when he used alchemy at home was grating on his nerves so he just studied it instead of actually testing the circles and arrays.

The bell rang signaling that lunch was over and Ed headed towards the music building still lost in thought, he rolled his shoulders as the strap from his backpack bit into his shoulder and grimaced, they could have at least assigned him a locker so he didn't have to hall the heavy backpack with him on days when he had orchestra and P.E. after lunch. So far, he'd made no friends, most of the students in his classes were snobbish and didn't care too much for having someone three to fours years younger than them in their classes, especially their advanced, honors classes. The pop quiz he'd scored a ninety-five on, which happened to be two points higher than the top student in the class scored and that just added up to the other students resentment. That was in his first class, in physics.

Geography was boring to him, he never cared much about the subject and so he just did the work and kept silent, but he still ended up making enemies because he finished to assignment quicker than anyone else and did half of his homework before the class ended. Because of the block schedule each class was an hour and a half a piece and the classes were every other day. Because it was already Wednsday, the first day of school being yesterday, he only had to endure the classes for three days this week, but he could tell that the next four years were going to be long. The students hated him and he was going to have to rely on the classes keeping his mind off how suffocating going to a school with so many students that resented him was.

He finally made it to the music building and made his way down the hall to the orchestra hall. He offered a slight smile at seeing Miss Arastella waiting at the door with a warm smile on her face. She nodded to him, "Hello Edward, how is your day going so far?"

"Fine," was Ed's automatic reply. He'd already been asked by every teacher he'd seen today as well as Hues and Mustang so he just answered on impulse. She nodded as Ed walked into the room. He stepped over to the side waiting for the teacher to tell him where he was to sit, he could tell from how the other students purposely went to specific areas that the places were assigned and so he just waited. It was at least five minutes later before the room was filled with thirty other students and Miss Arastella closed the door and made her way to the front of the class.

Ed grimaced when she motioned for him to come to the front of the class, she smiled at him as he finally managed to move so he was standing beside her. "Were you not given a locker yet?"

Ed shook his head, "No ma'am."

She nodded and then turned back to her class, she cleared her throat loudly and Ed was impressed that the class actually fell silent and looked to her attentively. In his other classes the teachers usually had to say something to get the class to be quiet. "Class, this is Edward Elric, he's a new student here and in advanced placement. I expect each and everyone of you to welcome him to our class with open arms and kindness. As we do have a few younger students in this class already I expect you to show Mr. Elric the same respect you show to your other classmates. He deserves to be in this class as much as the rest of you do and I would appreciate it if some of you would make his transition into this class as well as this school as pleasant as you can should you seen him in your other classes or just within the school."

She smiled at Ed and then asked while the class fell into curious gossip about Ed. "Did you manage to practice that song I gave you yesterday?"

"Yes ma'am."

"Good, how about you play it for the class, I'm sure the class would be interested in hearing you play," she had raised her voice so that the rest of the class could hear. Ed licked his dry lips nervously as he saw that the class had fallen silent and were now watching him expectantly. Ed dropped his backpack on the floor as he knelt down setting his violin case on the ground, he opened it and removed the bow and violin before he stood up and made sure the violin was tuned. He'd already memorized the song so he didn't bother to untape it from his closet door this morning before he left. Miss Arastella stepped back to give him room with a surprised and pleased look on her face, she seemed to be impressed that Ed was going to play without the music and she waited patiently when Ed hesitated, she could tell he was feeling nervous and offered a encouraging smile.

Ed took a deep breath and closed his eyes for a moment before he began playing, after he made his way through the first movement his eyes opened and he began to play with more confidence, the class remained silent. They were astounded by how well he played the song, some were even jealous that he could play the song without the music in front of him. By the time Ed finished playing the song the entire class had fallen silent and even Miss Arastella seemed at a loss for words, after a moment she smiled brightly at him and nodded, "Thank you Edward."

Ed nodded and lowered the bow and violin to his side. One of the students his age raised their hand before Miss Arastella could tell Ed where he was going to sit. The music teacher turned to her student, "Yes Sasuke, what is it?"

"Maybe it would be wise to have our new student sit with students his own age."

Ed glared at the pale youth, but Miss Arastella smiled, "Yes, maybe that is a good idea. Since you've brought this to the attention of the class then perhaps I should have Edward sit next to you."

Ed smirked at the grimace on the pale face across the room. He gathered his things at Miss Arastella's nod in his direction and headed towards the pale youth. He had black hair, some of which was spiked in the back and the darkest eyes Ed had ever seen. Though he was the same age as himself he could still wager that the kid was intimidating and wasn't bullied often. He could also tell as he set his backpack under his seat and his case next to it that the kid was smarter than a kid his age would be, it could prove to be interesting getting to know him.

He wasn't going to start up a conversation with him though, if the scowl on his face was anything to go by, it didn't seem that the other student was one for conversation or socializing. Ed just turned to the teacher as she began to tell everyone about a concert in two months and started to pass out copies of the music they were expected to play. It didn't seem to difficult and he looked through them even as the teacher informed the class that there were going to be five, hand selected, soloists at the concert. Since this class was the advanced Orchestra class she expected each and everyone of them to at least put forth the effort for the solo's and learn the songs she expected them to play. She handed out another five copies of music as she instructed them that those five songs were for the solos' and the five chosen to play one of the songs would be expected to play them without the aid of the music sheets, much like the entire class was expected to learn the eight songs and memorize them so they could be played without the music by the time of the concert.

One of the students raised their hands, it was an older student, possibly a sophomore and from what Ed could see he had blond hair, tan skin, and blue eyes. He seemed to be cheerful and though most of the class spoke out of turn he seemed to be lively as well.

"Yo, Miss A., what kind of practice schedule are we going to have while preparing for this concert?"

Miss Arastella smiled to him, "Good question Tidus, I was just going to get to that."

"Right, sorry."

"The practice schedule is going to require everyone to stay after school at least three days a week, Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. If for some reason you can't come to the after school practices then I need a note from your coach, your parents, or another teacher stating why. If need be, those who cannot stay after school during the week might need to come to Saturday practices, those of you relying on the bus will need to come to morning practices, the buses do bring the students to the school forty-five minutes early and that would be better than nothing."

"Miss A. I can't make practices on Friday's or Saturdays, so can I come in the morning on Fridays to make up for it," Tidus asked.

Miss Arastella nodded, "Yes Tidus, I'm aware of your practice with the team, that would be just fine. Anyone else think they won't be able to make practice during the week, practices will start after school next week."

Ed and Sasuke next to him raised their hands, Miss Arastella looked to them both and nodded, "Sasuke, I know why you can't make practice during the week, we will work something else after class," Sasuke put down his hand.

"Yes Edward?"

"I don't have a way to get home if I stay after school."

She nodded, "Alright, see me after class as well then and we will see if we can work something out."

Ed lowered his hand and Miss Arastella turned back to address the entire class.

* * *

Hoenhiem saw the last of his students out before he turned to his office at the sound of his phone ringing, he walked briskly to the phone and answered, "Professor Elric speaking."

"Hey dad."

"Ed? Is something wrong?"

"No old man," Hoenhiem could picture the irritated look on his sons' face and chuckled, "Then why are you calling me at work?"

"I'm calling because my orchestra teacher says that we have practice after school three days a week and was wondering if you'd somehow be able to pick me up and that when you get off work."

"Hmm, well when does practice end?"

"I don't know, hold on a minute," the line was staticy for a moment before Ed answered, "At five Monday and Wednesday and seven on Friday."

Hoenhiem sighed, "I can pick you up Fridays, but five is cutting it a little close, you would have to wait for at least thirty minutes for me to get there."

"Ah . . . Hold on a minute Miss Arastella wants to talk to you."

Hoenhiem didn't get to say okay before a new voice came on, "Hello, Mr. Elric?"

"Yes?"

"I'm terribly sorry to bother you at work, this could have very well waited until Edward returned home and discussed this with you. But, I wanted to ask a favor of you, if it isn't too much."

"Of course."

"I have another student here that is not able to attend after school practices and was wondering if you would be able to provide a way for him to get home as well."

"Another student, where does this other student happen to reside?"

"North Cambridge in the neighborhood bordering along the Arlington border."

That was quite the commute, but he didn't mind too much since giving another student a ride might prove to allow Ed to make some friends. "I don't mind as long as neither of the boys mind having to wait for half an hour for me to arrive on Monday and Wednesday."

"Thank you Mr. Elric."

"Or course, thank you for calling and asking, I'm sure my son wouldn't have asked me."

She laughed on the other line and Hoenhiem found he rather liked the sound of her laughter, it was light and joyful. "Does the practice begin today or next week?"

"Next week."

"Alright. Have a good evening Miss Arastella."

"You as well Mr. Elric."

Hoenhiem hung up just as she did and turned to go back to his classroom, he could hear his next class making their way into the classroom already. He hoped that his boys had at least a decent day, he was sure the day would be long and possibly rough considering neither boy had ever attended a highly populated school in the city before, but he still hoped the day wasn't a bad day.

-------------------------------------------------------------

As Ed and Sasuke left the music building, both having to go to P.E. next, Ed noticed that the older student, Tidus was standing outside of the gymnasium waiting for them with his arms crossed over his chest. He straightened and smirked at the two of them which earned him a glare from Sasuke.

"So, it looks like the two of you are already the best of buddies then."

"Go to hell Benshi," came a cold, indifferent and dismissive reply from Sasuke. Tidus glared at him, "I'm sure I'd only meet your entire family there if I did."

The glare Sasuke was sending his way darkened immensely and Sasuke brushed past him and went inside the gym. Ed followed without bothering to look at the older boy. "What about it Elric, are the two of you old acquaintances or something?"

"What does it matter to you?"

Tidus made to grab Ed by the shoulder as Ed turned away from him and kept going following after Sasuke who was making his way to the locker room to change into P.E. clothes. Tidus seemed a little surprised when Ed simply side stepped out of reach and turned to him with a glare, "What do you want?"

Tidus glared, "Just trying to get to know the new student."

"Right, maybe you should change tactics."

"What's that?"

"Seems to me that you're just as snobbish as the rest of the students in this school, trying to bully the younger students into respecting you or some shit. You want to get to know 'the new student' then grow the fuck up first."

Ed didn't give him the chance to reply before he turned and made his way to the locker room. Tidus smirked as he watched him, '_This kid might be interesting, he sure seems to be able to hold his own despite his size and age._' Tidus shrugged his thoughts off and made his way into the locker room. He'd expected Sasuke to be an asshole, the kid was always an asshole which was why he usually didn't bother to play nice with him. But this new kid was something else, it wasn't everyday that one of the advanced placement students stood toe to toe with him and even talked to him the way this one did.

He'd start over with a better approach on Friday, besides, if the he ended up befriending the kid he might be able to prevent the other students from bullying the younger boy. He usually used the bullying approach to test the kids, see if they needed his protection because he didn't care much for the snobbish students at this school and hated seeing them bully the younger students, or the geeks, or just the weaker students. Sasuke had his own threat against the older students, his family name, his older brother, and he happened to be a distant cousin to the Headmaster as well. Plus the arrogant kid was a hell of a lot tougher than he looked and could take care of himself as long as he wasn't teamed up on by a bunch of seniors, that was usually when Tidus stepped in.

When he entered the locker room the older students all glared at him and then returned to glaring at Ed and Sasuke who were standing side by side changing into the red shorts and gray t-shirts of the P.E. uniforms. Tidus glared back at the other students before he made his way to the locker on Sasuke's right, opposite where Ed was tossing his school uniform in the locker on top of his violin case and his backpack. Tidus had already set his backpack and violin case in his own locker so he just changed silently. He could feel the venom of Sasuke's glare on him as he changed but once finished he just smirked at the younger boy and then closed and locked his locker.

Sasuke and Ed did the same before they turned and headed out of the locker room and made their way to the gym. Tidus followed after them and then turned to the rest of the guys in the locker with a glare that clearly told them not to even think about. Some of the juniors and seniors returned the glare with challenging looks while the sophomores and freshmen scowled not daring to challenge Tidus.

One of the seniors, an inch or so taller than Tidus, with short, spiky, brown hair, dark skin, and a predatory grin and glint in his dark eyes said, "You can't always protect them Benshi."

"No, but I doubt any of you could take either of them without ganging up on them."

"Is that so?"

"Damn right Avnas."

Avnas smirked and shoved past him the others following before Tidus turned and joined the rest of the class. He knew the cocky senior posed a threat to him as well as anyone he set his sights on. But that didn't matter, he'd long since decided that he would try and keep the bullies at bay at this school when his father had forced him to come to this school after having a disciplinary problem with the public schools for fighting. His father had assumed going to a private school would keep him out of trouble, but the students at this school were snobbish and though that the majority of the student body should bow down before them and worship the ground they walked on so Tidus had a lot more trouble on his hands.

He liked the new staff and principals well enough, trusted the Headmaster, especially since the guy happened to be his uncle from his mothers' side. But they could only do so much about the bullies and snobbish attitudes at the school. Avnas happened to be the one bully at the school Tidus always had trouble with, the guy was tough, violent, and he scared enough of the staff that they usually left the guy alone. Of course Bradly and Kimblee both always sided with him so the bastard was never suspended or spending much time in the alternative school across town for fighting, bullying, or just being downright violent.

He first met the asshole when he started at this school five years ago and he became acquainted with Sasuke then because he banged heads with Avnas because he and a few of his friends were ganging up on the kid. Sasuke managed to land a hit on each and everyone of the older kids and even with Tidus' help both of them ended up pretty beaten up. Avnas ended up in the hospital a few days later due to the violent, protective nature of his elder brother and the Headmaster managed to suspend him for two months after that. But then Avanas had the gull to try again, to which Tidus and his best friend Shuyin, who graduated last year stepped in and forced him to back off.

Sasuke took to resenting Tidus as of last year, seemed the kid was catching some beef for relying on someone else to take care of his problems. Now with this new kid, who also happened to be out of place in the high school level classes at only eleven was in Avnas' sights. If nothing else, the now senior was determined and Tidus was determined to keep Avnas from teaming up on the new kid.

* * *

Al stepped off the bus with Winry behind him, there was smile on his face as he looked over his shoulder at Winry belaying that he'd had a good day, he'd even made friends with those students on the bus. Winry returned his smile and looked to the driveway of her house. She was told that she was to go over to the Elric should they not be home when she arrived and they wanted her to spend some time with both brothers. She was happy she was being allowed to make friends but she still didn't like that they were using her to play nice with the Elric family with the intention to use them for their own reasons.

Al grabbed her hand and said over his shoulder, "Dad already said it was fine if you came over to wait until your parents got home, brother should be home soon."

Winry let Al lead her to the front door of his house and he released her hand so that he could pull his key from his pocket, though Al was a year younger than her and kind and quiet he seemed to be mature for his age as well. She didn't press the issue and she hadn't asked him about him mom other than on the bus that morning, but she was still curious as to why Al seemed so mature for his age. She also found herself wondering how Ed's day had gone.

Al finally managed to unlock and open the door and he stepped inside the house holding the door open for Winry. Winry walked inside and paused in the doorway, it was a lovely house, and just as big as she thought it was from seeing the outside. Al made to close the door and Winry quickly stepped aside as her eyes settled on living room and the hallway. The living room looked cozy and the pictures on the walls along the hallway brought a homey feeling to the house. Al turned to her with a grin, "Do you want to see upstairs?"

Winry nodded and removed her backpack from her shoulder and laid it on the ground next to the door. She noticed that Al had removed his shoes and set them on the other side of the door so she quickly did the same and set them next to Al's before she followed him up the stairs. Al pointed to the door on the left, the room above the living room and said that was Ed's room as they walked upstairs. Then he showed her the bathroom and his own room, both were tidy and clean and then he pointed out his fathers' room, his fathers' study, and then led her to the room across from Ed's room. This room was his and Ed's study. She was surprised by the number of books in the room and asked if all of the books belonged to the brothers.

"Yes, but we have our own books as well. We keep our favorite books in our rooms. Dad said that he was going to get us some better desks and some more furniture in here so that we will be more comfortable studying and doing homework in here."

"Can't you just do your homework in your own rooms?"

"We could, but this way brother and I can talk about our assignments and help each other out. Plus, in here we won't be distracted so we can actually do our homework. I'm sure brother will end up spending more time studying subjects they don't teach in school than he will doing homework, school has always been boring and easy for brother."

"Really? What other subjects does he study?"

"Mostly chemistry, alchemy, things like that."

"Alchemy? I thought alchemy was just a myth or something."

Al smirked and Winry had a feeling that when it came to alchemy the younger boy probably felt some pride in what he knew, "Alchemy is real. Brother and I used to create all kinds of things for mum while dad was away. When dad came back he and brother ended up in an argument and brother stopped using alchemy, but he refused to stop studying it."

"Can you actually use alchemy?"

"I can do really simple things, but dad and brother would know I used alchemy and I'd get into trouble. Brother is better with alchemy anyway. You shouldn't ask him though, it will get him into trouble."

Winry nodded, "Okay," she agreed. She wasn't a genius by any means, at least she didn't think of herself as one. But she still thought she was starting to understand why her foster parents wanted her to become friends with the Elric brothers. They were alchemists, and while she found it hard to believe that alchemy was real, she thought of alchemy as some sort of magic, she could also sense that alchemy was possibly just as dangerous as it was fanciful.

Al made his way to the desk situated in the middle of the room and set to taking out his homework, Winry turned and made her way downstairs to grab her backpack and decided it would be a good idea to do her own homework as well. At least while she was here she was safe and would be able to actually do her homework.

It was an hour later that the front door opened and closed, Winry and Al looked up as they heard footsteps walking upstairs and after a few moments saw Ed standing in the doorway with a violin case in one hand, his backpack slung over his left shoulder, black eye, scrape across his left cheek, and his knuckles looked bloody. Winry and Al both jumped to their feet at the sight.

"Brother!"

When both of them came close they noticed the blood on Ed's shirt, near his colar. He'd removed the tie which was hanging from his pocket, his uniform was scruffed up and the knuckles holding the guitar case were white beneath the blood he was gripping it so hard.

"What happened brother?"

Al's voice was heavy with concern, Ed shrugged and winced and Winry noticed that he flinched from what looked like a pain in his side and possibly his ribs.

"I got in a fight, kind of expected, thought I'd let you know I was home."

"A fight, but it's the first day brother."

Ed walked into the room past them and set his backpack and violin case roughly on the desk next to Winry's school work and books. He flinched from the movement and let out a low hiss before he turned back to them with a smirk, "The other guy is worse off though, hope I broke the asshole's nose with that kick."

Winry couldn't help but smirk at that though her smirk turned into a scowl when Ed made to pull the sweater vest off only to let out another painful hiss and decide against it with a scowl of his own.

"It looks like your ribs were injured, you should at least get cleaned up now that you're home," Winry said which earned her a questioning look from both brothers. Ed shrugged again before he crossed the room heading towards the bathroom, Winry and Al both followed him and it was Al that stepped into the bathroom after Ed and helped him remove the sweater and uniform shirt. Winry let out a sympathetic hiss of her own, there was already a nasty bruise forming on right side and it followed along his chest proving her guess at his injuries.

She also noticed the bruise in the shape of fingers around his right wrist and with a deep breath she stepped into the bathroom and asked Al to find some bandages, alcohol, and some wrap for Ed's ribs. While Al gathered what she asked for Winry directed Ed to sit on the toilet so she could get a better look at his injuries. Though she wasn't a genius herself, she still knew plenty about patching up injuries having to do the same for herself on more occasions than she would have liked.

Al set the supplies she requested on the floor next to where she kneeled down in front of Ed and she asked even as she lightly ran her fingers over Ed's ribs to check that they weren't broken; "How many were there?"

"About five," Ed let out a hiss between clenched teeth when she pressed her fingers harder on his ribs, she pulled her hand back and said, "They are just bruised, if you keep them wrapped up and don't overexert yourself they should heal just fine. But either way they are still going to hurt."

Ed nodded but remained silent, Winry wrapped his ribs first before she grabbed some toilet paper to pour alcohol on to clean the cuts on his knuckles as well as the cut on his face. His knuckles were busted up and he gritted his teeth as she cleaned them and wrapped them to keep them from getting infected, as she cleaned the smeared blood from his cheek she noticed that the cut was jagged and deeper than it looked, it would leave a scar. She could tell that it was from being punched in the face by someone wearing a ring.

She had a similar scar on her right cheek that ran diagonally from under her right eye down to her chin but her pale complexion helped to make the four year old scar less vissable. She felt Ed's gaze on her face as she bandaged the cut on his face and met his eyes, "What?"

"You-how do you know how to do this?"

"I have plenty of practice, you might want to put some ice on that black eye of yours to help with the swelling."

Winry moved back and got to her feet disposing of the band aid wrappings and the used toilet paper in the trash can next to the toilet as Al silently put everything back and left the bathroom heading downstairs most likely to get some ice for Ed's black eye. Winry made to leave but Ed stopped her, "Wait."

Winry turned to regard him, "What?"

"You know how to patch someone up because you have plenty of practice, on yourself?"

Winry turned away, "No."

"You're lying."

"I am not."

"Yes you are, that's why you turned away."

Winry turned with a glare on her face and her hands on her hips, "What does it matter if I'm lying or not?"

"You wouldn't be so defensive if your weren't lying."

"Who the hell are you to accuse me of lying, I hardly know you."

"I'm not an idiot, why would a pretty girl like you wear clothes that cover up her arms and legs if she wasn't hiding something?"

Winry's glare fell at that, _Did he just say I was pretty?_

Ed seemed to catch what he'd said when she stopped glaring at her and blushed and turned his face away, "Thanks by the way."

Winry was relieved by the change of subject but still startled to hear him compliment her so easily when they hardly even knew anything about each other. She stepped aside when Ed made to leave and watched him make his way downstairs before she heard that Al was calling Ed downstairs. Winry blinked and walked across the hall to the study to grab her things deciding it was best that she return home, though she was loath to do so, before she ended up calling Ed out on what he'd said just to make sure she'd heard right. She knew if she did call him out on it that they'd probably end up in an argument and then they would get nowhere and she truly did want to be friends with both brothers. Another thing that prompted her to return to the house where she lived was that Ed seemed to suspect something going on and it frightened her that he may find out and say something like when the cops were called because Ed had seen her in her window the other night.

She packed her things into her backpack and slung it over her shoulder before she stepped out of the study and headed downstairs, she was greeted by Al standing at the bottom of the stairs, "Are you going home Winry?"

She nodded with a warm smile, "Yes, I'm sure they are home by now."

Al smiled at her and stepped aside to let he pass as she reached the bottom of the stairs. She noticed Ed out of the corner of her eye leaning back against the hallway wall as she put on her shoes and opened the door. Al held the door open for her and waved, "See you tomorrow Winry," he called cheerfully after her.

Winry waved over her shoulder and said, "Bye Al," then her smile fell once the door was closed. She looked up to see that her foster parents were both home and she was greeted by her foster mother upon stepping up to the front door.

"How did it go?"

"It went well."

Jasmine stepped aside to let her pass and closed the door behind her as Winry ran upstairs to set her backpack on her bed and then made her way quickly downstairs to start dinner. Both Alex and Jasmine sat at the small table in silence until dinner was fully ready and served. While they ate Jasmine broke the silence, "Do they suspect anything?"

Winry swallowed her food before looking up startled that a conversation was taking place during dinner. It took her a moment to answer and she nodded slightly as she answered truthfully, "The older brother suspects something, he said something about it being weird that a girl wears long sleeves and pants, that it looks like I'm covering something up dressing the way I do."

"You're certain the elder son suspects something?"

Winry nodded and drank some of her water to help with her dry throat, she was feeling nervous. Her stomach was tying itself into knots and her hands were starting to sweat as she felt fear well up inside her, she hoped that they decided to lay off the beatings so she could dress like normal kids her age to throw off the elder brothers' suspicion, but she didn't think they would do that.

Finally Alex was the one to break the tense silence, "I think maybe we should be more careful, it seems as though the father trusts the elder brother and if he already suspects something . . . if we wish for her to become friends with them and not suspect anything it would seem as though we will need to make certain not to give them any evidence or reason to suspect us."

Jasmine scowled but nodded, "Yes, it would seem so." Jasmine reached across the table and seized Winry's chin roughly despite Winry flinching back. "It would seem as though you just managed to get some reprieve of the punishment you deserve. Since we can't discipline you how we see fit then you're going to have to pay us back. You're going to be doing all the housework here and doubling your efforts to befriend the Elric boys. As soon as your bruises heal then you going to dress like all the other kids. But don't think for one second," her fingers bit into Winry's skin making her tense, "that we won't punish you if you get out of line. We're doing this for our benefit, not yours. You are just as worthless and a waste of space as you ever were and there are things we can do to punish you that won't leave marks child."

Winry nodded as much as she could and when Jasmine released her she didn't dare work the soreness out of her jaw, she finished eating quickly and silently with her head bowed, drank her water and stood to gather the dishes and clean the kitchen. When she finished she quickly and silently made her way upstairs and into her room. She closed and locked the door before she crossed the room to her bed and set to finishing up her homework.

* * *

Hoenhiem smiled at the smell of dinner cooking as he walked into the house and closed and locked the door behind him. The smile feel from his face as he removed his shoes and remembered the phone call he received from Mustang just before leaving for the day. He was informed that Ed was in a fight during P.E. and though it wasn't his sons' fault he'd was still angry that his son was already being bullied on his first day. He had a few words with Mustang who ensured him that the student that started the fight was going to see disciplinary actions and he would make sure it did not happen again.

Hoenhiem knew that even if Mustang tried to make sure it didn't happen again it was still possible for it to happen and even when Mustang informed him that his nephew and another member of his family were both students at the school and seemed to befriend Ed so they would try and protect him it still didn't make Hoenhiem less worried over his sons' safety. He spoke with Hues about what had happened and Hues informed him that Ed had refused to see the nurse before leaving because he didn't want to stick around and miss his bus but the other students involved in the fight happened to sustain injuries as well indicating that Ed managed to fight back. He was also inform by Hues that Tidus and Sasuke, the students Mustang mentioned earlier, were also injured defending Ed and fighting alongside him.

His son was still hurt, was still bullied on his first day, and he didn't like that one bit no matter how much the staff promised to keep a closer eye on Ed. He walked into the kitchen to see Ed stirring what looked to be the noodles for spaghetti, his back was to him so Hoenhiem could only see the bandages on his hands from where he stood. Hoenhiem set his briefcase and the papers in his arms on the counter before he turned to look at his son who glanced his way before ducking his head and concentrating on what he was cooking.

Hoenhiem waited, leaned against the counter, with his arms crossed over his chest for Ed to finish the noodles and drain them in the strainer set in the sink before he finally stood straight and uncrossed his arms grabbing Ed by the shoulder and causing Ed to jump. Hoenhiem remained silent as he made Ed turn and look at him, finally when Ed faced him he spoke, "Look at me son."

Ed raised his head and Hoenhiem grimaced at the bandage on his face and the black eye that was swollen enough to keep Ed from fully opening his eye. Hoenhiem brought up his free hand to touch the band aid on Ed's face to which Ed flinched back before he released him.

Ed turned away as he said, "I didn't start it, they swung first."

"I know, I spoke with Mustang. You're not in trouble, and they are sending the other kid to an alternative school for two months."

Ed shrugged as he grabbed the pot with the spaghetti sauce in it and made to carry it into the dining room. Hoenhiem stopped him, "Ed, are you alright?"

"I'm fine dad."

"Ed, are you sure?"

Ed huffed irritably, "I'm not a little kid, I said I'm fine. It's not like I haven't been in fights before."

Hoenhiem sighed and Ed crossed the hall making his way to the dining room where Al was setting the table. Ed set the pot in the middle of the table before walking back to the kitchen to grab the noodles. He found that Hoenhiem had already returned the noodles to the pot they were cooked in and was stirring some butter into the noodles to keep them from sticking together. Ed made his way to the fridge and grabbed the pitcher of cool aid he'd made earlier when he saw that they were nearly out from having drank half the pitcher yesterday and then when returning home from school.

Ed carried the pitcher back to the dining room behind his father carrying the noodles. They ate dinner in heavy silence and Hoenhiem asked if Al could clean up once they finished. Ed sighed and made to cross his arms over his chest only to decide against it when a stab of pain shot through his ribs from the attempt. He slumped in his chair and glared at his father, "Well?"

Hoenhiem would have usually reprimanded Ed for his attitude but considering his injured state and how irritable he'd looked before hand he decided to let it slide at the moment, "Do you still wish to attend this school?"

Ed raised an eyebrow at him, "Do you seriously think I can't handle one fight?"

"You and I both know that this is only the first."

"Sure, I can tell the other kids resent me and hate me because I'm younger than them and in their classes, and of course because I'm in the advanced classes on top of that. But that kid has it in for everyone, from what those two said he's the resident bully at that school so it would have been the same regardless of my age. The fight today was because I was the new student."

"What happens when someone bullies you because of your age? Ed, I know you don't want to back down, but if this continues I would rather you be bored at school than end up hurt."

"I can take care of myself."

Hoenhiem sighed, "It looks differently at the moment."

"I'm fine, I'm not dead, not in the hospital, besides I can take care of myself as long as it's not five to one."

"I would rather you be removed from the school before that happens, again."

"The classes are actually challenging for once and I can handle the students. I don't give a damn what the other students think of me or how rude they are. They are a bunch of snobs anyway so I could care less what opinions they have of me. I can handle bullies anyway, do you think me and Al were never bullied because you up and left old man?"

"Edward . . . "

"No, damn it. Because you left we were bullied, called bastard children, some of the parents even insulted us with the kids. Mum up and dies and you show up a year later for some damn reason and now you want to act like you actually care enough to try and protect me? I'm staying at the school because I can actually learn something there and because I am not going to be scared off by a bunch of snobbish punks that think they are better than me because they are older and their parents own this and that."

Ed got to his feet angrily and walked out of the dining room, Hoenhiem got to his feet trying to reign in his temper, "I'm not done speaking to you son."

"I'm done speaking to you old man."

"Edward Johnathan Elric," Hoenhiem said in a warning tone. Ed stopped in the doorway and dug his fingers into the door frame, his shoulders and back tense and shaking slightly as he tried to keep his anger under control. Hoenhiem knew he was treading on rocky ground with his tone, his words, and then calling Ed by his full name was sure to set his already moody son off. But he was truly concerned and he did want to make up for having left, he wanted Ed to trust him, to forgive him and though he didn't expect it to be easy or happen quickly he still thought they'd come far in the past year.

"If this happens again then I am withdrawing you from the school."

"Fine," Ed ground out through clenched teeth, blood started to soak through the bandages around his knuckles and Hoenhiem remained silent knowing he'd already pushed his limits with his sons' temper. It wasn't that he feared his son, he just kept in mind that Ed had taken care of Al while he was gone and it was hard for Ed to relinquish his role as caretaker as well as the independence he'd had to grow into in the time it took Hoenhiem to return and step up to the role as their father.

He regretted leaving, but there was nothing he could do but try to make amends and he would be damned if keeping Ed at this school was going to endanger his son's health and safety. Ed stormed down the hallway, up the stairs and then he slammed the door to the study as he disappeared into the room. Hoenhiem let out a sigh and turned to the kitchen to check on Al. He smiled at Al who returned the smile, "How was your day Al?"

Al's smile brightened as he finished washing up the last of the dishes, "It was good, I made some friends and Winry even spent some time here. Her and brother didn't get into a fight this time. Is brother alright?"

Hoenhiem nodded and mussed up Al's hair with a sigh, "Yes, he's just angry right now."

"Will you really take him out of that school?"

"I don't want him to get hurt."

Al dried his hands and used the same hand towel to wipe down the counters before he turned to look at him, "Brother really can take care of himself. I think if he makes some friends then it won't be so bad for him."

"Thank you Al, I'll keep that in mind."

"I don't think you should take him out of school because of bullies, brother really can take care of himself. Don't you remember that teacher we had back home? She taught us all kinds of things and so we both know how to take care of ourselves. Plus if brother really does like this school and can learn something there then he's not going to like being moved to another school."

Hoenhiem nodded, "I know Al, but I think Ed's safety comes first."

"Dad? I know you mean well, but you should believe me when I say brother can take care of himself."

Hoenhiem looked fully at his son, Al was telling him over and over again with such conviction that Ed could take care of himself that he finally realized that Al was telling him so much more than just that. It wasn't that he didn't believe Ed when he told him that they'd dealt with bullies before, he just didn't like the idea of being the cause of the bullies reason for messing with his sons. To hear Al telling him with such conviction that Ed could take care of himself really sent it home for him. The time while he was away his sons' had grown up and then the time after Trisha died had hardened Ed and forced him to become the provider on top of being Al's protector.

"I understand Al, thank you for cleaning up."

Al nodded and hugged him, to which Hoenhiem was slow to respond but once he did Al let go and walked out of the kitchen. Hoenhiem ran his hands through his hair before turning and grabbing his briefcase and papers and making his way out of the kitchen. He managed to balance everything in one arm so that he could shut off the lights as Al made his way upstairs and to the study. Hoenhiem headed to his own and set out to finish up as much grading and lesson plans as he could.


	5. Chapter 5

**Disclaimer: I don't own Fullmetal Alchemist, hell I don't own the title to this fan fic. FMA belongs to Arakawa-sama and the title and song belong to the writers, editors, and whatnot of Martina McBride. I do not condone abuse nor am I a fan of it. I also do not own any characters from Naruto or familiar characters from other series, they belong to Kishimoto-sensei and their respective artists.**

_A/N: Dark themes, child abuse, violence, language. This story is fictional and should it offend anyone please do not read. Flames will be used to make smores and comments and constructive criticism is welcome. This story is un-beta'd and edited by me. Oh, and here's a shocker, Hoenhiem is the good parent in this, OMFG. lol._

_A/N P.S.: There are two time jumps in this chapter._

_Side/Note/Useless info: Guitar Hero, yes I'm a fan, love the game because that's about as close as I will ever get to playing the Guitar, am getting used to playing Hard mode on GH3 and want GH-Metallica (what rock/ metal/ GH fan doesn't?) I believe I should let anyone reading this know ahead of time that there shall possibly be some time between updates to this story as I have numerous ongoing projects going and am still trying to work out what is to come in this one. Enough of my babbling, enjoy the story.  
_

* * *

**Chapter 5**

_  
Within each of us lies  
A power to do what's right  
And not ignore the painful cries  
Using your own might  
And possessing the will to protect  
And the strength to sacrifice  
To do more than others expect  
When words do not suffice_

_**Two months later . . .**_

Winry would have felt blessed to no longer suffer the physical abuse if the verbal and emotional abuse had not worsened considerably because of it. Now she loathed to go home even more than ever. Both Jasmine and Alex took to regularly telling her how much of a burden she was, always sure to point out how she could do nothing right, insulting her to the point where she usually ran to her room in tears at their cruelty only to cry harder as they laughed at her tears. Though she no longer had bruises on her arms or legs or split lips or black eyes she had bruises and deep cuts on her soul and her heart.

Of course, Al, along with the friends he easily made began to notice her and it was because of them that she could act cheerful and carefree around them at school. But still, the younger brother wasn't buying it, he kept watching her suspiciously, kept asking her at least once a week if anything was wrong. Winry continued to brush him off saying she was worried about school or had a lot on her mind. That seemed to work but it didn't shake his curiosity and though she was touched by his concern she still felt even more stressed about him finding out the truth.

She'd taken to spending a great deal of time at the Elric's home, studying after school on the weekdays only returning home to cook and clean before the day was over to do the same routine all over again. She started to feel welcome and comfortable at their home and felt as though she really was close friends with them. Al was cheerful, polite, and kind to her and often helped her forget about her depression with just a kind smile. Ed could make her forget about nearly everything when he started a debate with her about medicine versus science and it seemed that she wasn't nearly as ignorant or incapable as her foster parents tried to make her believe. Al often pointed out that she was a genius in her own right if she could keep up with his 'spastic, obsessed' brother.

On the weekends she was even allowed to stay over and was given the couch to sleep on and she thoroughly enjoyed having meals and the free time not revolved around studying to spend with the Elric family. Ed seemed to get into fights at school at least once a week but the violence of the fights seemed to have decreased and for that she, Al, and their father were grateful. She was actually present to overhear a rather heated argument between Ed and his father concerning the subject of the fights at school. Hoenhiem wished to withdraw Ed from school but Ed's argument was that the point of going to a private school was so that he could get a good education and he rather liked the school despite the hostility from the older students. When their mother was brought up and Ed said his mother would want him to have the best education he could have Hoenhiem had conceded. Al later lectured Ed about laying a guilt trip on their father to get his way but Ed had only said that their father deserved it, in less than kind words.

"Winry, are you paying attention?"

Winry blinked and shook herself free from her thoughts to look up at Al seated across the room from her in the study. She smiled, "Sorry, what were you saying Al?"

"I was telling you about that birthday party we were invited to and whether you thought it was a good idea to invite brother or not."

Winry nodded, "I think he should come, he's always studying and practicing so it would be good for him to take a break at least for one day."

Both looked to the door at the sound of Ed's scoff and watched him cross his arms and scowl, "Who said I'd want to go to some birthday party?"

Al rounded on Ed, "You should come brother, it might be nice to get out of the house for something other than school."

"I have a concert coming up I need to practice for."

Winry cut in this time with a smirk, "That's not an excuse, you've already memorized the music so well you could play at the concert with your eyes closed."

Al nodded, "Winry's right. So you should come. And you don't have any tests, quizzes don't count, so you can't use that as an excuse."

Ed sighed admitting defeat, "Fine, I'll go. But don't expect me to make friends or act any differently than I usually do."

Al and Winry exchanged knowing grins and then Al looked at Ed to add, "We're not looking for a miracle brother."

* * *

Therefore, Saturday was spent at a birthday in a neighborhood that was just as nice as the one Ed and Al lived at and of course Hoenhiem talked Winry's foster parents into allowing her to attend the party. It happened to be the birthday party of Naruto Uzumaki who just happened to be the best friend of one of Ed's classmates, Sasuke Uchiha. Naturally the two of them stuck together at the beginning but then Ed found that hanging around Sasuke meant he was liable to be dragged into the activities with him since he was the birthday boys' childhood best friend. His efforts to try and avoid such a fate were in vain as Sasuke suddenly decided to declare that he and Ed were also the best of friends and that whatever Sasuke had to suffer through so did Ed.

Also, since Sasuke and Naruto had known one another all their lives apparently, Sasuke's entire family also decided to attend the party. This was how Ed learned that Sasuke and Tidus were cousins, that they were nephews to Mustang, and that the Uchiha clan was distantly related to the Hyuga clan as well, since they showed up. Ed recognized the eldest kid of the Hyuga family was cousins with Sasuke through their mothers and the two seemed to dislike each other and also be competitive of who received Naruto's attention. It wasn't all that surprising to find that Naruto's grandmother happened to know Ed's father personally and somehow, as Ed's luck would have it, he and Naruto were apparently distantly related.

Of course Naruto was sure to alert everyone at the party of this fact and therefore Ed could no more escape the party in any fashion because he was forced to talk to Naruto's parents, meet his grandparents, and converse with Sasuke's family, all of them, because he was so pointedly named a close friend of Sasuke's even though they only had two classes together and Hoenhiem gave Sasuke a ride home and that they'd only known one another for all of two months. Either way, by the time the barbecue dinner was done, all presents were open, the cake was handed out and all games were played Ed was more than ready to leave the party, go home, and lock himself in his room to get some much needed peace, quiet, and rest.

But of course, his father had to sit there and continue talking to Tsunade, he believed her name was, as though the two didn't work together and never had the time to catch up. So Ed was sitting on the couch in the living room next to Winry who was subjected to meeting and mingling with everyone as well but looked more cheerful and happy than he ever recalled her being so he just sat there quietly and tried to be polite. At the moment Sasuke was sitting in the chair situated at the left corner of the couch watching everyone with a bored expression, thanks to Naruto it seemed Sasuke was expected to spend the night along with Al, Kiba, and a few other friends of Naruto's whose names Ed couldn't really remember.

Winry was laughing with the others while watching Al beat Naruto repeatedly on whatever versus game they were currently playing. Naruto was taking advantage of his birthday privileges and declared that now they were going to play _Guitar Hero III_ and even went so far as to go and fetch two guitars from his room. Al sat on the couch next to Ed and Winry while he waited for Naruto to come back and grinned at them in such a way that neither Winry nor Ed could suppress smiles as a result.

The party was fun, for the most part, but Ed felt out of place among kids younger than himself and even though he was used to Sasuke's stoic attitude there still wasn't much he found interesting about video games or anything else going on at the party. It was nearly ten in the evening before his father wandered into the living room where they were currently watching some horror movie to say they were heading home. After quick goodbyes, a promise from Al that he'd call if anything came up and that he would be nice (not that Al ever wasn't nice, polite, and well behaved) Ed and Winry were led out to the car.

The ride home was silent, but still comfortable and when they pulled back into the driveway Ed found that even after all the forced social involvment at the party he wasn't looking forward to Winry leaving. Hoenhiem told Ed to walk Winry home before going inside. It wasn't like it was that far of a walk, maybe an entire twenty feet, but Ed did it anyway. Winry unlocked her door and went to go inside when she was greeted by her foster father.

Ed forced a smile and looked up at the man, "Good evening Mr. Wetherton, uh . . . we just got back and I was just walking Winry home."

"How very kind of you young man, thank you."

Ed nodded but said nothing then he noticed that Winry's foster father had reached out and grabbed a hold of Winry's arm to pull her inside. Though she didn't stumble Ed could tell that the grip he had on her was less than gentle. Mr. Wetherton cleared his throat, "Perhaps you should go home, it is quite late."

Ed blinked and looked back at the man with a nod, "Yes. Umm, goodnight Winry, I'm glad you came with us."

Winry looked at him with a smile but Ed could tell that she was having to force it even if the smile did manage to reach her eyes. "Thanks Ed, goodnight," before they could say anything else the door was abruptly shut in Ed's face. Ed scowled at the door and wondered at what excuse Winry's foster parents would come up with tomorrow to cover up the bruise Winry was sure to have on her arm tomorrow. Ed turned reluctantly away and went back to his own house closing and locking the front door behind him before he made his way to his own room for the night.

Once he had stripped down to only his boxers and climbed into bed he cast one glance towards Winry's window before laying down and going to sleep. His concern for the girl next door not letting him get more than a restless sleep throughout the night.

* * *

_**Eight Months later . . .**_

Summer vacation, well the end of considering school would be starting up again in three more weeks. Nonetheless, it was still summer and Ed was a little surprised by the invitation he received in the mail. Apparently Sasuke had invited him to his birthday party which was in three more days and two days after his actual birthday. The invitation was sitting on his desk in the study and he was currently glaring at it for what it said.

_Mr. Elric,_

_On behalf of the Uchiha family we would like to invite you to the celebration of Uchiha Sasuke's thirteenth year. We would also wish to invite your family and the lovely young lady who accompanied you at the party where we were previously introduced. Please have your father reply with your response promptly. Festivities shall began at precisely **noon, Saturday, June 25th** at our residence. We look forward to your presence._

Ed hated the formality of the invitation as well as how he was addressed at _Mr. Elric_ and that pissed him off because he didn't want to be addressed the same way his father often was. He was Edward or Ed, nothing else. He figured that he would no undoubtedly have to put up with the whole of Sasuke's family and while he did considerate the quite, prideful classmate of his a friend he never did like large social gatherings.

Ed's head fell forward to bang on the top of the desk and he let out a groan, the damn party was tomorrow and he still hadn't managed to walk next door and pry an answer from Winry's foster parents on whether or not she could go with them. He'd asked after his father had read the invitation and called to confirm that they would be there a week ago. Obviously the Uchiha family like to be prepared enough to send invitations out a week and a half before the actual function or whatever.

Ed turned his head on his desk to glare at the wall, why the hell was he being pulled into this kind of shit? He would have preferred sitting in his study doing summer assignments, studying alchemy books, or hell going into the backyard and training over having to attend birthday parties. He hadn't even wanted to throw a party on his own birthday back in January and yet his father had refused to not throw one. Then there was Al's party and being dragged to all of Al's friends parties in between then and now. He was partied out, he hated birthday parties, all the kids were younger than him, boring, and then there were the parents wanting to talk about pointless things, and of course how he managed to get coerced into participating in the activities.

Ed closed his eyes, maybe Al was right, maybe Ed was just thinking this way because he wasn't socially adept and never knew what to say to anyone. Ed knew how to be polite when he felt like beating someone's face in, like with Winry's foster parents, or some of the students and teachers at the academy, or that smug headmaster. A scowl formed on his face then, that smug bastard was going to be at this party no doubt, he was Sasuke's uncle after all so of course he would be there. He'd have to put up with him and his friends, who worked at the academy, and their families, it was going to be even more annoying than the last party he'd been dragged off too.

He perked up a little bit when he remembered that there was a possibility that Winry could go with him this time. She had only been able to come to his and Al's parties after they'd all gone to Naruto's. Then his mood dropped as he remembered that Naruto and his family were going to be at the party, he didn't mind them too much and Naruto was interesting and entertaining, but with Naruto going there was a chance that all his friends would show up.

Ed jumped and banged his knee on the desk when his cell phone started ringing, damn he hated that thing, his father had bought both him and Al one once they started being invited to more parties and outings with friends. Though Al had more friends than Ed did. Ed had Sasuke, Winry, and Tidus when the older kid wasn't being a sardonic, pompous ass anyway. Ed pulled his black cell from his pocket and looked at it as it rang with the ring tone of some song by Slipknot he couldn't remember. It was Sasuke calling and Ed flipped it open and sat up as he answered, "Yeah, what's up Sasuke?"

"Hn. My mother keeps pestering me about whether that girl is coming with you or not."

"I don't know yet, I was just about to go over there and ask them, again."

"Hn."

"This party isn't going to be like Naruto's is it?"

"No. But he will be here."

"I already knew that, the two of you grew up together after all."

"Hn."

"I'll go over there and ask again and let you know."

"Hn."

"You're an ass."

"Hn."

Ed hung up and pocketed his phone before he made his way out of the study and downstairs to head next door. His father called out to him just before he could walk outside, "Where are you going?"

"Next door," Ed called back before slipping outside and closing the door behind him before Hoenhiem had the chance to say otherwise. It only took a few second before Ed stood before the door and knocked on it, a few more for the door to open and for Mr. Wetherton to stand before him looking at him in question.

"Can I help you with something Edward?"

Ed put his hands in his pockets and shrugged, he'd let at least three days go by since the last time he'd asked the same question that came out of his mouth, "I was wondering if you and Mrs. Wetherton had decided on whether or not Winry can come with us to my friends' party."

Mr. Wetherton was silent a few moments before he stepped aside and motioned for Ed to come inside. Ed stood there looking at him with curiosity. Ed had never been invited into their home before without his fathers' presence and that made him feel unnerved but he stepped forward into the house anyway. The door was closed behind him and he was led to the living room and instructed to sit down while Mrs. Wetherton was fetched.

Now that Ed thought about it he hadn't seen Winry in a week, she wasn't outside, she hadn't come over even though she often liked to hang out at Ed's house upstairs in the study and try to convince Ed to play his violin for her when they weren't studying or researching something. That was one of the things Ed liked about Winry, she could devote herself to something as fully as he could and their interest in sciences often gave them things to talk about. While he discussed alchemy with Al silently so his father didn't complain or anything, he could talk to Winry about their common interests.

Winry wanted to study martial arts for instance, Ed suspected it was so she could learn to defend herself against those he already had his suspicions about even if he didn't have any proof. He and Al had spent time in their home country studying martial arts with their alchemy teacher so Ed was confident he could teach Winry what he knew if she really wanted to learn, but he didn't think he could teach her much as he couldn't bring himself to swing at her.

Ed looked up when both of Winry's parents entered the living room and looked around them hoping to see Winry but finding she wasn't there.

"We haven't had the time to ask you the specifics about this party," Mrs. Wetherton said with a polite smile.

"Uh . . . well I thought my dad told you all that already," Ed answered feeling that uneasiness grow.

"Ah, that's true, but as we've been busy we would like to hear them once more from you," Mrs. Wetherton continued as she and her husband took seats in the chairs across from Ed. Ed shifted from where he sat and shrugged, "Well, its' my friend Sasuke's party, he goes to school with me."

"Ah yes, I believe its' Sasuke Uchiha you speak of."

Ed nodded, "Yeah," he'd already broken the habit of saying yes, he'd have to get back into that habit before school started or put up with some crap from his teachers.

Ed rubbed the back of his neck as he was looked at expectantly, "Umm, well it's in North Cambridge. I guess from what I know of Sasuke's family it's kind of formal. There's uh . . . going to be a lot of people there and I'm supposedly staying over there for the night or something. But my dad's going to bring Winry and Al home, if she can go."

Silence fell over the room again and it was a few minutes before the Wetherton's exchanged glances and looked at Ed again, who shifted restlessly under their scrutiny. He didn't like the couple and he sure as hell didn't like how much they seemed to enjoy how uncomfortable they were making him. He didn't like that they'd suddenly invited him into their home and were asking for details on a party they were already told about last week.

"Very well then, I think we can allow her to go even though she's still grounded."

"Grounded, for what," Ed let slip out before he could stop himself.

Mr. Wetherton scowled but Ed glared back at the man feeling his anger get the best of him. Mrs. Wetherton chuckled and got to her feet, "I believe the party is tomorrow afternoon correct?"

Ed let the glare fall to look at her with a nod, she smiled, "Thank you. Why don't you go upstairs and say hello to Winry and let her know?"

Ed jumped to is feet, more than ready to get the hell out of the living room and away from them and ran up the stairs to Winry's room. There was startled yelp from upstairs before a door closed. The couple downstairs chuckled and exchanged glances before the husband said with a smirk, "It seems we make that young man quite uneasy."

"I believe our earlier suspicions about him were correct dear, it may prove to be troublesome."

"We'll just have to be careful and make sure that we ensure his silence."

Winry stared at Ed, "What the hell are you doing just barging into my room like that?"

Ed glowered at her, "It's not like you were changing or anything."

"That's besides the point," Winry hissed angrily as she glared at him.

Ed let out a sigh and relaxed, "Sorry, but your foster parents creep the hell outta me."

Winry sighed and sat back down on the edge of her bed where she'd previously been before Ed had barreled into her room so suddenly. She felt Ed's gaze on her and immediately remembered that while she had been confined to her room for the past week she hadn't bothered with her long sleeves and pants to cover up the bruises or evidence of her foster parents apparent '_disciplinary_' actions. Before she could fold her arms over her chest in an attempt to hide the marks Ed was there and had seized both of her wrists. It was a painful grip but it was strong enough to keep her from pulling or twisting free.

"What the hell is this," Ed motioned with a nod at her arms. There were bruises like hand prints on her arms, a pair on her forearm just below her elbow and then on her biceps, the bottom showing just under the short sleeves of the light blue shirt she wore. She had on a pair of worn out blue jeans as the clothes she wore were better for doing household chores than her usual outfits.

"Nothing," Winry muttered. Ed released her and glared at her, "Bullshit Winry."

Winry looked away as she crossed her arms over her chest and felt a blush rise on her cheeks when she very well felt Ed looking at her legs and the marks there. She had at few violent, purple bruises, faded yellowish ones and a few scrapes here and there. Winry unfolded her arms and shifted to tuck her legs under her on her bed and then recrossed her arms and met Ed's gaze as he finally looked back into her face.

"What the fuck are they doing to you?"

Winry was caught off guard by the venom in Ed's voice, she could tell that he wasn't angry with her but at her foster parents and she felt flattered by that. Ed cared, he really did, and that was something that she had never really felt that she could remember, having someone care about her.

Winry kept silent, she couldn't answer him, even though Ed cared there was really nothing he could do to help her. He'd already tried once before and while she did appreciate that he'd tried it had cost her dearly. She didn't want to go through that again, she didn't want Ed to try and help her because it would just make things worse for her. But she also worried over the fact that Ed was here, by himself, and that he'd barged into her room and made a comment about her foster parents being creepy. What was going on, did they have some agenda with Ed other than what she already knew? Did they plan on hurting her friend?

Winry tensed up immediately at that thought, _No, I won't let them hurt him._

"Don't worry about it Ed-"

Ed glared at her in disbelief, "Don't worry about it? How the hell can I not worry about it, they're hurting you and I-"

Winry cut him off, "You can't do anything about it."

"The hell I can't!" Ed growled, "I'll go down there and beat the shit out of both of them," Winry flinched at the rise in volume to his voice but she was on her feet instantly when Ed turned to leave the room. She wrapped her arms around his middle and he froze in his tracks.

"Don't! I don't want them to hurt you Ed," Winry muttered where she'd buried her face into his back. Ed slumped in her arms and turned forcing her to let go and stepped back to put some space between them. Winry wouldn't look up at him, she knew she'd pretty much admitted to what he'd been saying now and there was no going back. She hadn't known Ed for a very long time but she knew that now that she'd amitted it he wasn't going to back down, she knew that he was stubborn.

"Have you tried to do anything, tell someone, report it, anything?"

"Who would believe me Ed," Winry demanded finally looking up at him.

"Hell, I don't know, teachers, other adults. You could just as easily just show them all those bruises, that's evidence of what they're doing, anyone would have the common sense to figure it out just by seeing them-"

Both of them jumped when the bedroom door was suddenly slammed open and Winry let out a cry of distress at seeing a very pissed off Alex standing in the doorway. Ed had turned around only to back up at the sight greeting him. Winry had taken a few backwards steps but she didn't want to move to far away from Ed.

"I think its' time you went home young man."

Ed recovered from his shock of the angered entrance and glared darkly at the glowering man towering over him a few feet away, he was still blocking the doorway. Ed didn't take kindly to threats and this man was very obviously trying to threaten him, not to mention he was also one of the people hurting his friend and that pissed him off more than anything.

"Fuck you," Ed spat out.

Ed jumped back when the man stepped into the room looking as though he was about to strike Ed. Ed clenched his fists at his sides and continued to glare at the man challengingly, as though to say he dared him to hit him. Winry had raised her hands to cover her eyes so she didn't have to see her foster father hit Ed but now she had them folded over her chest. When Ed had jumped back she'd moved to sit on the edge of her bed.

"I think you're biting off more than you can chew Edward, its' best you returned home and I believe I've changed my mind about my daughter-"

"She's not your daughter you piece of shit! What kind of human being beats on a young girl who can't defend herself?! You're a sick son of a bitch! I'll leave but there's no way I'm leaving her here with you."

There was a knock on the door and all three of them looking to see a smiling Mrs. Wetherton standing in the doorway. She looked at everyone with the same easy smile on her face and then she addressed her husband, "I just spoke with Mr. Elric, it seems he doesn't mind Edward staying with us for the night."

Ed's jaw dropped in utter disbelief and then he clenched his jaw as he glanced at Winry's pale face before he turned to glare at the couple standing before him.

"Hell no, there's no way I'm staying here with you two psychopaths."

Ed was forced back a few steps when Alex stepped towards him, Ed stopped and stood his ground when he noticed that he was close to Winry. He refused to give this guy a chance to take a swing or grab at her so he made a split second decision, he swung with his right fist and when it was caught he swung with the other. The man smirked and caught that fist as well but his smirk fell when Ed smirked right back and then brought up his left knee and hit the man right in the groin. He was released immediately and fell to his knees with a grunt. Ed backed up but was caught off guard when something sharp struck his right arm cutting it deeply and forcing a hiss from Ed's lips.

Winry was on her feet then and at his side after that and Ed looked up to see Mrs. Wetherton standing there with a calm expression on her face and throwing knives in her hand. Ed's eyes widened when she made to throw another and he was caught by too much surprise to dodge the knife which landed painfully in his right thigh. Ed gritted his teeth and glowered at the woman as his hand dropped to the knife and gripped the handle sticking out of his leg.

He smirked when the woman looked startled to see him pull the knife out without a sound and threw it back. She easily dodged and went to throw another but Ed was prepared this time. He grabbed Winry's hand and pulled her behind him across the room towards her. Ed delivered a kick to Alex's face when the man made to grab him and swung at Jasmine as he passed by her and down the stairs. Ed heard feet shift behind him and pulled Winry around, turning on the stairs so that she was in front of him. Both of them ducked just in time to dodge a pair of knives and then Ed got to his feet, pulled Winry to hers and made for the front door. They were out of the house and running across the yard before either adults could stop them but not before Ed felt another pain flare in his lower back.

Winry and Ed were breathless when they finally made it inside and slammed Ed's front door closed behind them. Winry was sitting on the ground in front of Ed in the entrance while Ed stood trying to regain his breath, his hand reached back to try and remove what he assumed was a knife from his back but froze when he saw his father running down the hallway towards them.

"What's going on," his words died in his throat when he took in Ed's disheveled appearance and his eyes widened when he saw Winry sitting there on the floor. It took Hoenhiem only a few seconds to take in the injured appearance of both kids and he rushed forward at the same time Winry clamored to her feet when Ed suddenly hit his knees.

Ed let out a hiss of pain when the knee of his injured right leg hit the ground and let out growl between clenched teeth when he managed to get a hold of the handle of the knife sticking out of his back and pull it out. When the metal landed on the floor Hoenhiem grabbed his chin suddenly and forced Ed to look at him, "What the fuck happened, who did this?"

Ed blinked at him, he felt light-headed suddenly and his fathers' words sounded slurred to him when they finally registered in his mind. Ed glanced at Winry but regretted that movement when the world spun around him, _What the hell, a few knife wounds shouldn't do this much damage_. Ed wasn't aware of the blood pooling from his leg anymore than he was aware of the blood soaking through his black t-shirt and blue jean shorts. When he nearly feel forward when his eyes had nearly closed Hoenhiem caught him.

Winry was paler than a ghost at the moment and Hoenhiem's mind was racing. He could figure this out for himself, it was obvious that since Ed had gone over to Winry's house and brought her back with brusies and marks of obvious abuse and injuries of his own what had gone on. The only good thing to come of this was that now they had evidence on the Wethertons. Hoenhiem pulled out his cell phone and quickly called 9-1-1, he wasn't well versed with any knowledge on medical things despite his expertise in alchemy and science.

Winry shook his head beside him to clear her mind as Hoenhiem moved to turn Ed over.

Winry found her voice then and said in a confidant tone, "No, don't lay him down yet, we have to find out where the wound on his back is and then lay him on the opposite side."

Hoenhiem looked at her startled while he waited for the operator to connect him to E.R. Winry moved around to examine Ed's back and carefully peeled his blood soaked shirt up to find the wound. She looked up at the startled cry that came from Al as he ran down the stairs and her voice took on an authoritative tone when Al stood there at the bottom in shock.

"Al, go and get some towels so we can stop the bleeding."

Al didn't move for a minute and Hoenhiem looked to his youngest son, "AL! Do as she says!"

Al nodded, swallowed and then turned and ran back upstairs to do as Winry had instructed him. He was back in minutes with an armful of towels and then he was at Winry's side. Al let out a horrified gasp at the blood and all the color drained from his face, Winry worried over whether or not Al might faint but turned her attention back to Ed. When she pressed a towel to the wound she'd put her hand over to try and get it to stop breathing Ed let out a groan but still didn't open his eyes.

"Lay him down on his left side," Winry said to Hoenhiem who did as she said and spoke into his phone insistently and quickly. Winry glanced at Al and then said, "Al, press a towel to the wound on his leg," Al nodded numbly and grabbed a towel with shaky fingers but managed to hold the towel against his brothers' thigh. Winry let out a heavy sigh, she was still sore and shaken from what had happened as well as shocked by what Ed had done. He'd deliberately put himself in harms way to protect her, he'd stood up to both of her foster parents and was injured for it, how could someone as young as Ed be that stupid, crazy, and selfless?

She glanced at where Al was holding to towel to Ed's leg and said, "You have to put more pressure on it Al," he nodded and did so forcing another of those low groans from Ed. Winry carefully reached over Ed from where she was knelt down behind him and felt his pulse on his neck. She counted to herself as she watched a minute go by on the simple watch Ed wore on his right wrist. His pulse was too low, she hoped the ambulance would get here soon. She wasn't an expert or a doctor by any means but she'd spent a lot of time studying medical information and biology and since meeting Ed and Al she'd added mechanics and the theories of artificial limbs to her studies. Ed was bleeding too much and it wasn't stopping or slowing down and she numbly worried if an artery had been hit but couldn't remember fully where the arteries were specifically located.

She kept her fingers on Ed's pulse and didn't like how pale or clammy his skin was. It was the longest fifteen minutes Winry had even known before the paramedics finally knocked on the door. Hoenhiem had regained some of his composure and moved quickly to carefully move Ed from being directly in front of the door. Hoenhiem took in the quickened, short breathing, the pale skin, the sweat, and the blood on his floor within seconds and opened to the door. The paramedics didn't have Winry move aside right away when they saw what she was doing but Al was pulled up on his feet by Hoenhiem seizing him around the middle and stepping out of the way with a firm hold on his younger son.

Both of the paramedics were young men but Winry didn't look at them directly even as they told her to move back. She barely noticed that one of them was talking to her when he asked, "How long has he been bleeding?"

Winry swallowed and looked up with startled, frightened eyes, now that she wasn't focused on trying to keep her friend alive the shock and horror of what was going on had set in. She let out a shaky breath and shuddered, "Umm, his leg was bleeding first, about two or three minutes before we managed to run over here," she hated how weak and small her voice sounded as she spoke.

The paramedic nodded to her with a reassuring smile and for some reason Winry felt irritated by it, she cleared her throat and looked at him directly, taking in pale skin, pale green eyes, and unusual silver hair and it made her pause for a moment in awe before she managed to find her voice.

"We were at my house, it was my foster mother that hurt him."

The paramedic nodded, "Alright, you're going to need to come to the hospital as well."

Hoenhiem spoke up and the paramedic's gaze turned to him, "Of course, we'll follow you there. Is he going to be alright?"

This time the other paramedic was the one to speak but he didn't answer Hoenhiem directly, "Get the gurney Riku."

The silver haired paramedic nodded and ran outside to the waiting ambulance, he returned with the gurney and Winry got to her feet and moved aside as both paramedics moved Ed onto it. The brown haired paramedic fixed a oxygen mask to Ed as the other connected a respirator to it. They were moving Ed to the ambulance without answering Hoenhiem and all of them felt sick with worry about that but Hoenhiem was moving down the hall to grab his keys, he ushered Winry and Al out of the house, turned and locked the door behind him and then they all made their way to the car. Hoenhiem had Winry sit up front and once he made sure everyone was buckled up he started the car and eased out of the drive just as the ambulance pulled off, sirens blaring loudly.

Winry glanced towards her house and saw both of her foster parents watching from the living room window, she felt the twisting of hatred turn in her stomach as she looked at them but they turned away from the window as they passed. Winry looked forward again and minutes of tense, thick silence settled over everyone before Hoenhiem cleared his throat and spoke up without looking at her.

"Tell me what happened Winry."

Winry nodded solemnly before forcing herself to take a deep, calming breath. The anger she felt towards her foster parents faded as her distress over Ed came back to the forefront and she was finding it harder and harder to keep calm. With all she'd already endured this was truly a trail for her. She knew she was shaking but she took a few more deep breaths and turned her gaze out the window, "Ed came over, I didn't know he was there until he barged into my room. I found out later it was because he was asking whether or not I could go to Sasuke's party."

Hoenhiem nodded, "Yes, he's been bothering me to go over and pester your adopted parents about that all week," his voice had taken a sullen, regretful tone and Winry felt it wasn't fair that Hoenhiem blame himself. Ed was hurt protecting her and her voice shook when she continued, "It's not . . . he was hurt because he was protecting me, he stood up to my foster father when he burst into the room-"

"Burst into the room?"

Winry nodded, "He was angry about something then, I don't know, maybe he overheard us talking."

"Talking about what?"

Winry shifted but was silent for a long time and when they had to stop at a red light, now very far behind the ambulance Hoenhiem looked at her. The bruises, the marks, he'd forgotten noticing them because of how stressed and worried he was over Ed. He nodded, "I understand, what happened then, when Mr. Wetherton arrived?"

Winry closed her eyes and curled her arms around her middle, the guilt added in with the dread and she let out a distressed sound. She took a few more deep breaths to try and steady her voice before she went on, "He told Ed he needed to go home. But Ed refused, he cussed at him and told him he refused to leave without me . . . My mother showed up, saying you said Ed could stay over for the night," Winry paused to glance at Hoenhiem and saw that it wasn't guilt but anger that showed on his face. _She was lying_, Winry thought to herself.

"Ed swung at him when he advanced and managed to kick him in the groin, but then my foster mother threw a knife at him. That cut on Ed's arm . . . "

Hoenhiem let out a breath through clenched teeth and nodded, "What else?"

"She threw another knife, that's how his leg was hurt, he pulled it out and threw it back at her," she smirked as she remembered the shocked look on Jasmine's face and noticed that Hoenhiem was smirking as well.

"Then Ed pulled me behind him and we made a run for it. He turned us around on the stairs and managed to keep both of us from getting hit with the throwing knives. I heard his breath hitch right before we made it outside so I assumed he'd been hit with another one . . ." Winry trailed off and clamped her mouth shut closing her eyes. Hoenhiem reached over and put a comforting hand on her shoulder.

"Brothers' going to be alright," Al said suddenly with absolute confidence and conviction in the back seat. Winry turned to look at him and she offered a weak smile at the determined look in those honey colored eyes. Winry nodded, "I think so to Al."

Hoenhiem smiled at them as they finally made it to the hospital and pulled into the E.R. parking lot. "Of course he will, he's strong and an Elric after all." Both of them smiled at him as Hoenhiem shut off the car and they removed their seat belts. He was glad he had a picture phone because now that his sense had come back to him in his need to console the kids as well as find out what had happened he was going to get pictures of his son's injuries and then have pictures done of Winry's.

His son had been right and there was no way to deny it, he refused to let this happen to his son and not do all that he could to have the Wethertons pay for all the pain they had caused. He wasn't going to turn a blind eye or walk away without doing anything, not this time, never again. They walked silently into the E.R. entrance and up to the desk where Hoenhiem was handed a clipboard with paperwork to fill out. They had to wait for the surgeon or doctor to arrive to be told of Ed's condition. It was a wait that would be the longest of their lives up until now.

_TBC . . .  
_

* * *

_**Afterthought. I couldn't resist putting Naruto and Kingdom Hearts characters in this, I love them so. Anyway. Sasuke's birthday is July 23, in case anyone was wondering, he's also a Leo. Also, I don't know Ed's birthday anymore than anyone else. It's between January and March, I think that's what the last investigation said anyway. Thanks for reading and sorry for the delay in updates.**_


	6. Chapter 6

**Disclaimer: I don't own Fullmetal Alchemist, hell I don't own the title to this fan fic. FMA belongs to Arakawa-sama and the title and song belong to the writers, editors, and whatnot of Martina McBride. I do not condone abuse nor am I a fan of it. I also do not own any characters from Naruto or familiar characters from other series, they belong to Kishimoto-sensei and their respective artists.**

_A/N: Dark themes, child abuse, violence, language. This story is fictional and should it offend anyone please do not read. Flames will be used to make smores and comments and constructive criticism is welcome. This story is un-beta'd and edited by me. Oh, and here's a shocker, Hoenhiem is the good parent in this, OMFG. lol_.

_In this time of fear,  
When prayers so often prove in vain.  
Hope seems like the summer birds  
Too swiftly flown away.  
Yet now I'm standing here,  
My heart's so full I can't explain._

-_**When You Believe:**_ **Prince of Egypt Soundtrack**

**Chapter 6  
**

Hours had gone by, but it felt like days, weeks, months, an entire lifetime. It was already getting dark and at the moment she was sitting in a small office with Al seated in the hall outside the room with Hoenhiem in the seat next to her. They had yet to hear anything other than Ed needed to have surgery, the blood loss was extensive and though an artery wasn't hit there was some nerve damage and the knife in Ed's back struck a vertebrae. That was why he needed surgery, they were going to try and set the ligaments up and repair what they could of his nerves and he was also going to have two blood transfusions.

Right now they were waiting on Officer Heartwell to return from getting some paperwork together. Hoenhiem was adamant that Winry have pictures taken to provide evidence of child abuse and so Winry had to have a full physical and she knew she also have to have x-rays because doctors could tell if someone had broken bones before and they would want extensive proof that they were correct and which bones were broken. Winry wished she'd decided on a different outfit to wear today, she didn't like the stares or pity filled looks others had cast on her.

Officer Heartwell was the police officer that had showed up at the hospital after Hoenhiem had finally spoken to the surgeons and informed them of what had happened. C.P.S. was also going to be notified and Hoenhiem had informed the hospital staff that he was pressing charges on those responsible for harming his son. The officer was a laid back man and that helped put Winry at ease. He was as tall as Hoenhiem and had dark skin, hair, and brown eyes, he was obviously Japanese and when she asked he'd said he was from Osaka with a grin.

He was friendly and easy to get along with and seemed very interested in helping them get all the facts and figures of what was going on and what had taken place. Winry turned in her seat when the door open and glared at the man. He smiled, his eyes turning up and waved his free hand as he carried two clipboards in the other.

"Hey, sorry I took so long, I had a time printing out this paperwork. Never did get along well with computers."

Hoenhiem nodded and Winry face forward again with a disbelieving huff. He closed the door behind him and then made his way behind his desk and sat down before handing the clipboards to Hoenhiem.

"The first one is for your complaint against the Wethertons. The second is one confirming that you are a witness of the suspected domestic disturbance."

"I filed a complaint before on the Wethertons, were you able to find that?"

"Yes, this is a formal complaint and because of the obvious evidence before me I am confident this will stand and this young lady will receive the help she deserves."

Winry shifted in her seat and looked at Hoenhiem who offered a gentle smile before he leaned back in his chair and set the clipboards on his lap to gaze at Officer Heartwell who was leaned back in his chair casually as though the chair was a couch in his own home.

"Would it be alright for you to tell me what may possibly take place should this go through?"

The room fell silent for a while before the police officer leaned forward to rest his elbows on the desk and looked between Hoenhiem and Winry. "Considering what information we have on this young woman I am aware she is an orphan. It looks as though the adoption agency that allowed such a couple to adopt her needs to be suspected in poor judgment and investigative skills. I will make sure that takes place but Miss Winry may very well end up back in an orphanage."

Winry sank in her chair, she didn't want to go back to an orphanage. She wanted to stay close to Ed and Al, they were the only friends she'd ever had in her life and she didn't want to lose them. "I don't want to go back," Winry said softly.

Both of them looked to her and Hoenhiem looked sympathetic before turning back to Heartwell, "Is there anyway that I could adopt her?"

Winry perked up but felt that hope diminish when Heartwell shook his head, "I'm sorry Mr. Elric, I'm afraid not. Family members are the only ones that can adopt a child on such short notice. You also have a record that would not allow it."

Hoenhiem tensed and said stiffly, "I was granted custody of my sons."

"Yes, I am aware of that. But it remains the same."

"Which orphanage would I end up at, I don't want to leave Cambridge, I want to keep going to the same school."

Heartwell turned to her with that smile of his again, "I understand. I can tell that you've managed to make friends with the Elrics and care a lot for them."

Winry nodded, "Yes I have. I've never had any friends, I don't want to lose them . . ." Winry grimaced internally at the desperation in her voice.

Heartwell's expression softened, "I understand. I will see what I can do."

"Mr. Elric feel free to use this office to fill out the paperwork. Once you've finished feel free to return to the hospital, I'm sure you're all anxious to get back."

Hoenhiem nodded, "Yes. Thank you."

Heartwell got to his feet with a nod, "Don't thank me yet." He seemed to be say something to Al once he left the office and Al nodded but didn't say anything back. It was at least twenty minutes later before he returned escorting a pale skinned young woman with deep red hair and bright blue eyes. She smiled at Winry and then said with a kind voice, "Miss Winry? I'm Dr. Harrison. I'm here to give you your physical would you mind coming with me?"

Winry slowly got to her feet, she was feeling nervous, doctors asked a lot of questions and she worried about whether she could answer them all. The doctor held out her hand as Winry came up to her and Winry took it reluctantly while glancing back at Hoenhiem who smiled reassuringly at her as she was led out of the room.

"So Winry, how old are you?"

Winry turned back to the doctor looking into her face, "Eleven."

"Is that so? Well you certainly look more mature than eleven."

Winry blushed and looked away, "Thanks I guess."

"You've had it pretty rough huh?"

Winry nodded but said nothing. Dr. Harrison continued, "Well hopefully things will get much better for you. You look like a strong young woman so I'm sure you'll be alright in time."

Winry nodded again but she didn't say anything, there seemed to be some underlying meaning behind the doctors' words and it made her feel suspicious. All the time she'd spent with her foster parents naturally made her suspicious of the genuineness of people's words and motives. She was led away from the office and down a narrow hallway. Once they passed three doors on either side Dr. Harrison opened a door to the left and motioned for Winry to go inside. Winry was surprised to find that the room looked just like a doctors' exam room and she silently made her way to the exam table and hopped up on it with her legs dangling over the edge.

Dr. Harrison closed the door after stepping into the room and walked over to the cabinet, counter, sink combination that was usually in a doctors exam room. There was even one of those light boards on the wall to exam X-rays in the room. Dr. Harrison sat down on the small stool with a clip board in her lap and a pen in her left hand.

She wrote down a few things before she looked at Winry with that same smile from before, "So Miss Winry, could you tell me your entire name?"

Winry nodded, "Winifred Christine Rockbell."

"Really, I thought for sure your foster parents would have changed your last name to their own in all this time, "the doctor said casually before writing on her paperwork.

Winry shrugged indifferently, she didn't care to have their last name and was grateful to keep her own. Dr. Harrison looked at her, "How does that make you feel, that they never tried to change your last name to theirs?"

Winry was startled by that but she answered anyway, "I wasn't bothered by it really. They didn't treat me like a daughter-" Winry cut herself off and closed her mouth. She hadn't meant to say that, even though Mr. Elric was pressing charges and Officer Heartwell had assured her that something would be done and she wouldn't be going back to them she still had a difficult time believing it. Why was it that all this time, now someone cared to do something, to help her? Why had it taken so long for that distrusting feeling to wash through her anyway? She shouldn't trust any of these people not to send her back there where she was sure to be beaten within an inch of her life. There was also the chance of being separated from Ed and Al, she didn't want that, she wanted to stay close to them, they were her only friends. It was because of them that she had stopped thinking of running away, they were why she stayed, why she kept fighting to live through the hell she was trapped in.

Dr. Harrison sat in silence and watched the emotions cross Winry's face and flash in her eyes. There was scolding when she'd cut herself off, then there was doubt, disbelief, and distrust crossing her face. Now there was a deep sadness and ageless suffering. The reason Dr. Harrison was the one called was due to her experience with abused children, she had a psychology degree as well as a doctrine in medicine. She was a pediatrician that had experience working in the E.R. saving lives that were nearly lost because of abusive parents, the majority of them being adopted kids.

She knew what to expect, had known what expect from having to pick her husband up and help him move past his trouble and painful childhood. She never gave up on a patient, never let a child back down out of fear because she couldn't stand to let them go back to that hell they were living in. She would try everything she could to get them to talk and once the questions were finished she was going to document and photograph the injuries this young girl had all over her body. She was going to have a cat-scan done, she would do everything and anything to pull up as much evidence as she could.

The silence continued and Dr. Harrison waited patiently for Winry to speak once more. After a full twenty minutes went by with the girl saying nothing the doctor took a deep breath and exhaled before asking, "When were you born Winry?"

"February 11, 1987."

"Are you certain?"

Winry raised an eyebrow at that, "Why wouldn't I be?"

"I took the liberty of drawing up your old medical records, I came across you're birth certificate and it says differently."

Winry straightened up at that, "They said my birth certificate was lost, are my parents names on there, does it say where I was born?"

Dr. Harrison smiled internally at the enthusiasm in Winry's voice and turned on her stool and opened a drawer to take out a thick manila file. She had indeed taken the liberty of trying to find out who young Winry was for certain, she'd had Harvey assist her along with his partner Jimmy. Both of them were detectives and it was Harvey that had volunteered their time to help with this case because of the injuries that Edward Elric had suffered.

She opened the file folder Jimmy had thrown together, thanks to Harvey giving up and getting frustrated. She found the printed out copy of Winry's birth certificate and handed it to the girl who took it and stared at it in shock. She flipped it over several times before she just stared at the back of it and her eyes glazed over in tears but she closed her eyes and managed to blink them away.

"Can I keep this?"

Dr. Harrison nodded, "Yes you may."

"Thank you," Winry said sincerely, her emotions cracking her voice some.

"I'm actually a year older than I thought," Winry mumbled more to herself than to the doctor. "I can't believe they lied to me, even the orphanage claimed that they couldn't find a birth certificate, but how did they know my birthday and my full name then?"

Dr. Harrison nodded, "I agree, that orphanage is quite suspicious. It's regulation to have a birth certificate, social security card, and a green card, in your case, in order to allow a family to adopt you. It took some time to locate these things but they were found. Do you remember how you ended up here in America?"

Winry shook her head sadly and the doctor nodded in understanding, this was going to be rather difficult to figure out. She hoped that Jimmy would find the location and information of the orphanage Winry was adopted from. This case was definitely one in the two detectives' leagues. She didn't understand why they had left Japan to become detectives in America, especially considering that detectives made a few dollars more an hour in Japan than they did in America.

She turned back to the questions on the paperwork, she could ponder that another time. "Now, let's finish this up. The routine questions, do you have any allergies?"

Winry shook her head once. Dr. Harrison continued, "You're not on any medications, doing drugs, drinking, any of those things?"

Again she was answered with a single nod. Dr. Harrison nodded and marked off the answers then she asked, "Have you had chicken pox, tonsillitis, appendicitis, any surgeries, illnesses other than common colds, or been hospitalized?"

"Chicken pox when I was six I think, and no to the rest."

"Okay, thank you," again the doctor marked off the answers before getting to her feet and taking her stethoscope from her pocket. Winry straightened up and took deep breaths without having to be told to do so when she pressed the end of the stethoscope to her chest. There was the slightest hitch to Winry's breathing and so Dr. Harrison noted that. She could also hear signs that Winry's ribs had once been broken and that deeply concerned her since the young woman had said she'd never been hospitalized. These foster parents seemed crueler and more disturbed than she thought. She moved to her back to listen and then she took Winry's pulse, which was a little too fast, but not dangerously so. Dr. Harrison could easily assume it was because of stress and anxiety but she noted that as well regardless. It was better to have it checked out and it be nothing than to ignore it and it become something unexpected because it was not taken seriously.

She took Winry's blood pressure then, which was gratefully normal and then she examined her ears, her eyes, her throat, and then checked her reflexes. With the exception of a few days' old scarring in Winry's throat that would not have been noticed given that there was no scratchy, hoarse quality to the girls' voice everything was normal. Dr. Harrison made sure to keep her professional mask in check and not take any injuries personally at all, she had to wait until she was out of the office to express how she felt after the following part of the exam and then it was time for the tests at the hospital.

* * *

It was hazy, everything, his mind was gray and contorted and he felt extremely sore but at the same time lax and immobilized. He couldn't remember where he was, why was there something beeping and was it close or far away. Why did his throat feel parched and what was that weirdness in his chest and was something shoved down his throat. His thoughts started to come to him faster and he fought to make his body obey his demands, he wanted to rip whatever was shoved down his throat off and that incessant beeping kept growing louder and it was definitely close by. It sounded like a heart monitor and there was some sort of machine going as well.

Machine's flared and he felt his head bounding when he'd finally managed to move, he'd disconnected something and whatever it was he wanted it reconnected so the noise would stop. He heard rushing footsteps, shouts, and then he felt hands grabbing at him and yelling and the blaring, deafening noise stopped. He felt a burning sensation race through his arm and then into his chest and stomach and wanted it to stop but then everything went blank.

* * *

Hoenhiem and Al sat in the waiting room at the hospital on the third floor, Ed was being kept in I.C.U. for however long it took for his respiratory system to work by itself again. A few hours had passed since they had left the police offices on the first floor. Hoenhiem questioned why they had police offices and was informed that it made it much easier for the patients and their families to have police officers within the perimeters of the hospital. The full police station was five blocks from the hospital so the only ones that needed to make the short commute were the police officers themselves. It was logical and it did make it easier.

He was informed when Officer Heartwell escorted him to the I.C.U. waiting area that Winry would be escorted to where they were as soon as she was finished with the doctor. Then he was told that Winry would be Hoenhiem's responsibility until C.P.S. arrived the next morning and things would be handled and settled with Winry by then, as far as where she would be going anyway. He would of course have to go through the standard investigation from C.P.S. because of the cause of Edward's hospitalization and the injuries he suffered but that he shouldn't worry as any suspicions would be directed to the officers handling the case against the Wethertons.

The surgeons had told him that Ed had woken up a few hours ago but he'd disconnected his respirator and pulled off the pulse keeper. They had to sedate him because he was flailing about and fighting back as he'd done in surgery and recovery. Hoenhiem expected his oldest son to be very combative, Edward never was one to like hospitals and he greatly disliked people touching him, even pats on the back or handshakes made him uncomfortable. The surgeons then informed him that they would do what they could but if Ed continued to be combative then he would again reopen his wounds and since he kept rolling onto his back where one injury was they'd had to restrain him.

Al was told that Ed was recovering and that he would be alright if he was less like himself and stopped fighting the doctors and nurses. Hoenhiem was reluctant to let his son go with him to see Ed when Winry returned but he'd been too close to losing his oldest son to want Al out of his sight. He had asked the doctors whether or not it would help or hurt Al if he saw Ed in his current state. They had told him that it was up to him but they advised that he tell his son what to expect so it would be better to go up by himself first.

* * *

Dr. Harrison had Harvey escort Winry to the Elric family as she sat in her office down the hall from the exam rooms. It was cozy office but she could hardly enjoy the comfort her office usually presented. Tomorrow she was going to have to assist in a psyche evaluation on Winry as her attending. The girl had not slipped up once since the first few times and had remained defensive and indifferent throughout the rest of the exam and the tests. This young girl was much stronger and troubled than she'd already thought. It was going to take a lot of patience, prying, and pushing to get a confession out of her.

Kairi knew what it was that made the girl reluctant, for the first time in her life she had people that cared about her, she had friends, and she could even detect a crush when she'd mentioned the elder Elric brother. Why would a young girl who has been through as much as Winry want to make it possible to be separated from the only friends she'd ever had. Her husband Sora had been the same way when someone finally did something about his living conditions. But, while they had been seperated for five years they met up once again.

The situation was different, for one there were two adults abusing this girl and it would be longer before she could see her friends again. Though she was twelve years old, instead of the forged change to her birth date, it would be six long, lonely, hard years ahead for the girl should she confess and confide in those who would and could change her situation. Kairi started to tap her pen repeatedly on her desktop, she still had six more hours to go before her shift was over and she would be too exhausted to mull over this when she got home.

She looked at the files opened on top of her desk, she'd read them at least four times already so she knew what they said. Thanks to the detective work of Jimmy and Harvey they now had the location, name, and number of the orphanage as well as the name, number, and address of the employee at the orphanage that had released Winry into the care of the Wethertons. This man was a shady character from what they were able to dig up, he used to work in stock, was a salesman, and then suddenly he changed course and started working for daycare's and then orphanages. There was something there but they would have to speak to this person to figure out what it was.

Then there was the orphanage itself, it was no longer an orphanage but a shoddy, run down pub now located in the bad part of town. Then there was the information they found on the Wethertons. Jasmine was a school teacher, Alex was a real estate agent, and neither of them had any charges or trouble with the law. According to the records they were upstanding citizens and were involved in some volunteer work. But the weird thing about it was how the Wethertons only existed a year before they'd adopted Winry. Nothing came up before that, so the Wethertons were not who they said they were. And another thing bothered her, adding the years up and confirming them with the gathered information proved that it wasn't the Wethertons that had forged the birth certificate nor was it the orphanage.

Where had that year gone, why was it that Winry was suddenly missing an entire year of her life? Had something happened, had she been in the accident that killed her parents and then in a coma? But that didn't make sense either because surely the grandmother would have noticed or said something or it would have been documented. The dates lined up with the exception the year between when Pinako Rockbell died and when Winry was documented to have arrived in America at the orphanage. How in the world did someone smuggle a British child into America unnoticed and what had happened for that entire year that not even Winry herself could remember that year at all?

Kairi looked up at a knock on her door and stopped tapping her pen, "Come in."

The door opened to reveal Harvey and Jimmy both walking into her office. Jimmy closed the door behind him and they exchanged greetings before both detectives walked over to the comfy leather chairs in front of her medium sized oak desk. A stained floor to ceiling bookshelf line the wall to the left from the door and filing cabinets lined the wall to the right. There was a couch against the wall next to the bookshelf and three cushioned chairs along the wall across from them. It wasn't a large office but it was spacious enough to be comfortable.

Her degrees hung on the wall behind her and the pictures of her and her husband from last Christmas on her desk, one of her, Sora, Riku, Harvey, Kazuha, Jimmy, and Rachel together. "So," Harvey began pulling her out of her thoughts, "what have you come up with Doc'."  
Kairi sighed, closed the files on her desk, set her pen down and leaned forward folding her hands on her desk before she regarded them both. Naturally Harvey had practically reclined back in the chair and Jimmy looked as though he were bored with everything though she knew both of their minds were whirling with scenarios and would note everything that she said that was valid.

"Winry is very defensive and has thick walls around her. She's not going to be easy to get a confession out of. It would be much easier to get her to talk if we assured her that she wouldn't be separated from the Elric family, but we'd also need to prove it to her."

"Is she that sharp at her age to want proof and not just believe us?"

Kairi nodded to Jimmy's question, Harvey seemed bored, he already knew the girl was smarter than she looked and mature for her age. He had talked to Riku and Sora and they told him about what Winry was doing and after speaking with Mr. Elric he found that it was that young girl that had instructed him and his son on what to do, truth was, Winry had saved her friend's life with her quick thinking. How could a twelve year old girl know how to do all that and where did that kind of maturity come from?

"She's beyond sharp, she's highly intuitive and intellectual as well as mature. She refused to volunteer anything after slipping up twice. I'm sure the shock and fear were the reasons behind those slip ups, but once she regained her composure her defenses rose and I couldn't get anything else from her. There were things that I noticed from her behavior."

"Really now, that's interesting. I hope you manage to figure this girl out, she seems like a really interesting kid."

"I'm sure she is. She feels very attached to the Elrics, as though they are family. Plus, I managed to find out that she once lived in the same small town as the Elrics when the boys' mother was still alive. Though she doesn't remember that much about living in Resembool at all. She doesn't remember an entire year of her life and all this time she had thought she was a year younger than she is. There is nothing documented for that year between the ages of three and four, it's as though she disappeared off the face of the Earth for an entire year. Not to mention, she doesn't have a green card, nothing that makes it legal for her to be in America at all. We need to fix that as soon as we can, but it shouldn't be too difficult given that she only recalls living in Cambridge where she has been for the last eight years."

"Not even C.P.S. is going to kick her back to Britain, it would be too traumatizing on a girl her age," Jimmy supplied.

"Yeah, I agree. The national guard might be hard on most immigrants, but not so much on kids," Harvey commented confidently.

"There's another thing, she has a crush on the elder brother."

"That's something else, wonder if it will become anything if we manage to keep her in Cambridge," Harvey said.

"I don't know, but we need to do all we can to keep her around the Elrics," Kairi said with a tired sigh.

"It would be the best course, this is going to be a rough time for both the Elrics and Winry and any kind of support they can give one another would be advantageous. It will be less difficult to get all the information we need if we keep them together. We're going to need to speak with Edward Elric once he's able. The first complaint from the Elric family was due to the elder son and this time he was a witness. Did you already interview the girl," Jimmy asked Harvey.

"I didn't today, she was already shaken up bad enough. I spoke with Mr. Elric privately and he told me what he managed to get out of her on the ride to the hospital. It's not everything, but its' enough for today. We still need Edward Elrics' side of the story and we need to get the story of what went on before that-"

"That's going to take a lot more than a few days. It could extend for weeks, months, or even years."

Harvey shrugged at Kairi's comment, "Oh well. We will have to keep her in protective custody until then."

"We could do that," Jimmy said offhandedly. Kairi looked at him for a moment and then she and Harvey exchanged glances and then they looked back at Jimmy and smiled.

"We could, as long as she is the material witness she will be protected. She could stay one of us so that we can keep an eye on her and try to convince her to trust us."

Harvey nodded, "Exactly. The three of us qualify as we are part of investigations and married. But I think you and Sora would have to take a cut in hours if you took her in. The two of us would have to talk it over but it will take a few days for the paperwork and of course we have to put up with C.P.S. and their airhead crap to get this done. But it's a good way to keep her here and keep her protected."

"If we do make progress with her though, would any of us be willing to make it permanent and give her a real home?"

Jimmy and Harvey exchanged glances, they both knew what their wives would say so they looked back at Kairi and nodded. Kairi smiled brightly at them, "I take it you're nodding because you know what your wives would say?"

"Yup," Harvey said with a grin.

"I'm sure Rachel would ask me whether or not its' permanent when I first mention it," Jimmy supplied in a bored tone. Kairi smirked, "You are truly impossible, are you certain you're not related to the Uchiha clan?"

Jimmy scowled, "Why do you keep asking me that?"

"Oh, wait, nevermind, you finally showed some emotion," she commented with a chuckle that Harvey shared until Jimmy reached over and punched him on the arm. Harvey glared and punched him back then they shared a heated glare and Kairi cleared her throat to break them up before an argument or fight broke out.

"You two are insufferable, sometimes you're even worse than Sora and Riku."

"The hell I am," Harvey said indignantly. Jimmy said nothing for his cell phone had started ringing, he reached into his pocket and flipped it open, glancing at the number before answering, "Kudo speaking."

Both Harvey and Kairi were watching him closely as the other person spoke on the other line. It was a few minutes before Jimmy said anything but he had clenched his hand in his lap and his eyebrow was twitching which meant he was irritated or highly pissed about something. "Thank you, fax it here," he said in a clipped tone. Kairi and Harvey exchanged curious glances and then looked expectantly at Jimmy when he closed his phone, pocketed it, and got to his feet to leave the office.

"Hey, what's going on," Harvey asked as he got to his feet and followed after his best friend and partner. Kairi made to get up but Jimmy said over his shoulder, "Stay there and try to reach any conclusion you can about the girl. I'll call you as soon as I have something concrete."

Kairi didn't have the chance to reply before Harvey closed the door behind him and then her beeper went off. She was needed in the E.R. Kairi sighed and stacked the file folders together and picked them up to put them in the file cabinet. If anything, her time working as the expert Pediatrician for the Investigative department taught her that she needed locks on her file cabinets and should never leave anyones' case files out in the open. The adults that were often the culprits for abuse and sometimes homicide and rape were never forgetful or forgiving and she'd helped put away a good number of them since working with Kudo and Heartwell.

She took out her keys and unlocked one of the drawers, put the file in the first file cabinet in the third drawer, and then closed and locked it. She turned to leave her office and then her office phone rang, she let out a sigh and then she walked back over to it and picked it up. "Hello?"

"Is this Dr. Harrison?"

"Yes, who is this?"

"This is Alex Wetherton, Winifred's foster father."

"Ah, Mr. Wetherton, I wasn't expecting a phone call from you," she reached over and pressed the record button on her phone. "What can I help you with?"

"Is my daughter alright, can you tell me how that young man is doing?"

"I'm afraid I cannot disclose such information at this time."

"Not even about my daughter, I'm her legal guardian," there was a hint of anger in his voice but just barely.

"Yes, I'm afraid so. As there is suspected foul play and you are not the biological parent of Miss Rockbell I'm afraid I cannot disclose any information."

"Foul play?"

Kairi scowled at the wall since she wasn't talking face to face with the man. How dare he try to play ignorant, though he could very well be testing how much she knew. She schooled her voice to one strictly professional, "I'm afraid I have told you too much already. You could always call the police department and ask to speak with the investigators, though until there is no longer any suspicion on you and your wife there will be very little information that we can disclose."

"That is bullshit," he hissed out angrily and Kairi didn't even flinch, she was expecting a violent and angry reaction. It was usually the habit of an abusive parent to have a very short amount of patience. "Me and my wife have been that child's legal guardians for fucking eight years. So listen you bitch, I want to know what's going on and why you won't tell me anything-"

He was cut off abrubtly and then a calm female voice came on the line.

"Hello, Dr. Harrison? I'm Mrs. Wetherton. Are you positive you cannot tell us anything at all?"

"Yes ma'am Mrs. Wetherton, I'm terribly sorry but it is hospital policy and against the law presently."

"Very well, thank you for your time and I sincerely apologize for my husbands behavior. Please tell our daughter that we love her, hope she is alright and that her friend will be alright."

"You're welcome and I will. Have a pleasant evening Mrs. Wetherton."

"You as well Kairi Harrison," then she hung up. Kairi stood there holding the phone hovering above the cradle, how did this woman know her first name? Better yet, how in the world did they know that she was their adopted daughters physician?

Kairi pressed stop and hung up the phone then removed the tape and rushed out of her office just remembering to lock the door behind her. She was halfway towards the location of Harvey and Jimmy's office when she stopped in her tracks. They had called her office, but why? Had they done that to mess with her, or was it so they could freak her out and make her leave her office. Her beeper went off again but she ignored it and pulled out her cell phone as she turned and ran back to her office. She fumbled with her keys when she arrived and cradled the phone between her ear and shoulder.

One, two, three rings and then Harvey answered, "Yeah, what's up Kairi?"

"Are you two still in the building, I need you to come to my office right now. The Wethertons just called my office and that bitch knew my name, something is going on."

"Wait, what did you just say? How the hell did they get your number?"

"I'm more concerned with them knowing my name, where are you?"

"On my way to you, just stay there and lock yourself in the office until we get there."

Kairi managed to unlock her office door and said into the phone as she opened the door, "Okay, hurry u-"

Kairi jumped when her cell phone was suddenly snatched from her and looked up to see a smirking man and woman she knew to be the Wethertons. "HARVEY," she screamed out before the phone was thrown at the wall next to where she stood frozen in the doorway making her flinch. She tried to turn away and run but before she could take two steps she was suddenly grabbed by the husband. She twisted and thrashed and tried to get free but his hold was too strong. She looked around desperately for something she could use but then her eyes widened and she felt fear rush through her upon seeing the wife casually twirling a kunai knife with her right hand as she leaned back casually against the front of the desk.

The husband kicked the door and then slammed Kairi against the wall forcing a cry from her throat and she brought up her knee to try and hit him in the balls but her attempt was blocked and before she could do anything about the sudden release on her left arm she was backhanded hard. Her head snapped to the side from the force of the blow and she felt the metalic taste of her own blood in her mouth. She yelled out angrily and started to fight harder but he effortlessly blocked her attempts and then they turned and she found herself slammed down on her couch with him looming over her.

He held her wrists above her head and grasped them in one hand while he straddled her thighs to keep her from kicking. She twisted and screamed and kept glancing anywhere but at the man holding her down. When he leaned down she snapped at him but he pulled back and with his free hand he punched her in the face. Kairi let out a startled and pain cry as pain and stars exploded in her vision and she kept her face turned to the side as she waited it out.

But she wasn't one to give up so she just kept twisting and pulling and trying to break free. _Damn it,_ she hissed in her mind as she continued to struggle with all her strength. She was determined to take martial arts classes after this, she should have listened to Rachel and Kazuha when they'd told her she should. How the hell was this bastard so much stronger than her anyway, she worked out but she still couldn't break free.

"GET OFF ME! LET GO OF ME," Kairi screamed out at the top of her lungs. She was backhanded yet again and then he hissed at her, "Shut the fuck up bitch before I shut you up myself." He held her down and tightened his grip on her wrists to painful forcing a hiss through clenched teeth as he looked over at his wife, "Where's the tape?"

The wife casually walked over to the chairs along the wall and picked up a bag, she pulled out a roll of duck tape and tossed it to her husband with a kiss on the air. He smooched back as he caught it and then grabbed it with his teeth and using his other hand pulled the roll back to stretch off a piece. He ripped it off by holding the roll securely in his mouth and just when Kairi had taken a deep breath to scream with all she had her mouth was covered with the tape and her scream was muted.

Kairi watched with frantic eyes as her heart pounded in her chest and her breath came much too fast as the wife crossed the room and stopped hovering over the end of the couch smiling down at her. The smile would have looked sincere if not for the sinister satisfaction in her eyes. Kairi thrashed even more when the husband handed the tape over to his wife and she tried in vain to break free of his hold as the wife taped her hands together. Once that was done the husband suddenly got up and then roughly pulled Kairi to her feet. Kairi stumbled a minute and then she made to kick at both of them but a raised kunai at her throat stopped her.

"Now Dr. Harrison, you're a smart, intelligent woman, so don't do anything dire," the wife said coolly in a mocking attempt to comfort or calm her.

The husband had Kairi in a vice grip on her left forearm and it was painful, Kairi tried to take a deep breath but failed. She needed to calm down before she hyperventilated. This had never happened before and she couldn't believe this was happening, where were Harvey and Jimmy, had something happened to them, what were these two up to?

Before Kairi could think anymore about what was going on, what she could do, and where her friends were she felt a pang in her arm and then everything began to fade slowly to gray and then went completely black.

* * *

Hoenhiem took several deep breaths as the secretary working the desk in the waiting room led him up the stairs to the fourth floor where I.C.U. was located. He was informed that he would have to thoroughly wash his hands and wear gloves and a disposable sort of gown when he saw Ed. She didn't know his condition more than the summary and so she told him to be prepared, it wasn't ever an easy thing for a parent to see their child when they were hurt. He also had to make sure that he kept himself calm and controlled while seeing Edward and that was mostly because it was never good to have parents or family and friends becoming emotional as it often upset the patients and their visitors.

She stopped outside a pair of double doors and motioned for the light blue visitors i.d. pinned to his shirt by the metal clip and then to the small black scanner next to a more high tech one just outside the doors and against the wall. He nodded and she gave a reassuring smile, "Have faith Mr. Elric, things will be alright."

Hoenhiem nodded and offered a weak smile as a silent show of gratitude before he unclipped the badge and scanned it. There was a very slight beep and when he pushed the doors they opened to permit him entrance. It was a large room, all white tiles and walls and even as he walked inside he found the desk to be mostly white. The desk where the nurses worked had computers but he didn't pay much attention, he was looking around trying to figure out where his son's bed was at. Most of the curtains were pulled to separate the patients and it made it a little hard to find his son. One of the nurses walked up to him, but like the secretary he couldn't really make out her appearances.

She gave a smile and motioned for him to follow her after glancing at his badge to confirm the bed number. He couldn't really see the patients lying in the beds as he went by, his mind too focused on whatever condition his son would be in. He vaguely remembered being told that Ed was restrained, partially lying on his side because of the wound in his back, and breathing through a respirator. Ed's bed was five beds along the wall the large desk faced. He thought he'd had to pass by two beds to stand next to that desk but he wasn't sure.

The nurse stopped at the end of one of the beds and said softly, "Here you are Mr. Elric."

Hoenhiem nodded numbly and found it rather hard to get his feet to move and push him closer to the bed. After a few more careful breaths and a few blinks to try and fight against the moisture that gathered there he finally stepped forward so he was standing at the edge of the bed on the left side. It took a few moments for him to hear the machines and he cast glances at them but scolded himself from trying to avoid looking at Ed. It looked worse and better than he'd thought.

His golden skin was nearly as pale as the sheets under and around him. He was just slightly turned on his side, just enough to avoid lying on his wound with a yellow foam cushion propped under his back. The tubes down his throat helping build up the strength in his lungs made his lips swollen and chapped and there was a suction that made light sounds in his mouth. The I.V. was in his right arm and upon looking he saw antibiotics and several other types of medicines being pumped into him but couldn't remember what they were or what they did at the moment.

The gash on his arm was neatly bandaged but the blood on the wrappings made Hoenhiems' stomach twist even more painfully than it had already done upon setting eyes on him or before that, when his son had sat there bleeding at their front doorstep. He'd already lost so much blood he looked like a ghost and he was still bleeding from that wound? He looked away from Ed's arm to his covered legs and wondered if the first wound he'd seen on his son was still bleeding as well. What was worse was that the hideous green gown they'd put Ed in made him even paler and made the golden hair looked washed out and dingy.

He noticed a bloodied lip on his son and seethed inside, he was going to make them pay for hurting his son. He would do all he could to make sure they did not get away with this or the pain they were causing that young girl downstairs waiting with his youngest son. He may have practically walked out on his family but he would never intentionally cause them any harm, he'd done so because he had aimed to protect him. He was a well known scientist and alchemist and that made enemies and he had not wanted his enemies showing up and harming his family. Now he was standing at his son's bedside watching fluids being pumped into him to help him stay alive, listening to a respirator breath for him and the heart monitor ensuring him that his son was there.

His ambitious, lively, passionate, independent, incredible son looked so frail and weak lying in a hospital bed and guilt was not merciful. He'd failed both his wife and two sons time and again but never had he failed them in this way and it was eating him up inside at how absolutely powerless and helpless he was to ease his son's pain and suffering. But it was the same for the agony they had felt when their mother had died and they were left to fend for themselves until their father was able to ward off any possible threats. But still word came around and he'd had to leave his home country and he knew that Edward was bitter about that as well despite how brave he acted for Al's sake.

Hoenhiem took in a deep breath and flexed his hands just noticing he'd had them clenched at his side while his thoughts raced through his mind. Right now was not the time for any of this, he needed to be a dad for his son, both of his sons deserved him to be the adult and responsible and to take care of them and he was going to do this. His guilt and thoughts on anything other than the here and now were for when he had the luxury to be by himself.

He reached out for Ed's immobile, limp hand and kept his own gloved hand hovering there before laying it gently on top of that hand. It was so cold, ice cold and that caused a sickening feeling to race through him. Usually Ed's skin was so warm and glowing with the life bursting inside of him but now it was freezing and void of that life. He felt a tremble run through him and tightened his hand to grasp Ed's for a brief moment. Just before he was going to move away and return to the waiting room or to gather his composure outside of the I.C.U. Ed's hand twitched. The nurse stepped forward slowly in case anything happened but Ed lay still and in a state of drug induced relaxation once more.

Hoenhiem let out a breath he hadn't known he was holding, closed his eyes and dropped his hand to his side. He took a moment to gather himself the best he could before opening his eyes and nodding to the nurse. She offered a gentle smile and said softly, "We're going to change his bandages and give him a brief, but thorough look over. It will take about forty-five minutes then you can come back up and see him."

"Thank you," he managed to say.

"I think he's going to be alright Mr. Elric, he seems very strong, if his struggle with our staff earlier is any indication."

Hoenhiem allowed a small, genuine smile at that, "Yes, he's always been the strongest one in our family."

The nurse's smile brightened a bit and she gave a brief wave as he turned away reluctantly and set off out of the I.C.U. Each step away now that he was no longer at his son's side was like wadding through quick sand but he managed. He managed to make it all the way down the hall and then the stairs before he felt all those rushing emotions engulf him. He walked a little farther down the hall to the bathroom before walking into a random stall and sinking down to sit on the toilet. For the first time since he'd sat before his late wife's grave Hoenhiem Elric wept.

* * *

_A.T. (After thought) It seems this story has turned into quite the crossover as well as quite emotional, maybe I should have catergorized it as a drama *shrugs* I don't have much control over where the plot goes and I have the tendency to over think plots or complicate the stories. In case anyone doesn't know, Kairi, Sora, Riku, Jimmy, Harvey, Rachel, and Azuha don't belong to me. The first three are from Kingdom Hearts and the other four are from Case Closed (Japan-Detective Conan) Since I ended up making these characters have significant roles I thought I would go with characters I love. Anyone who has read my KH2 Fic may recognize the Kairi's last name, though the characters are not from the same Universe. I'm not an expert on medical things (other than hospital looks and rules for visitors) so I apologize if anything came out over the top or unrealistic, let me know and I'll correct it and try to make it believable but try to be courteous please. Sorry for the rant of sorts at the end, thanks for reading. ^^_


	7. Chapter 7

**Disclaimer: I don't own Fullmetal Alchemist, hell I don't own the title to this fan fic. FMA belongs to Arakawa-sama and the title and song belong to the writers, editors, and whatnot of Martina McBride. I do not condone abuse nor am I a fan of it. I also do not own any characters from Naruto or familiar characters from other series, they belong to Kishimoto-sensei and their respective artists.**

_A/N: Dark themes, child abuse, violence, language. This story is fictional and should it offend anyone please do not read. Flames will be used to make smores and comments and constructive criticism is welcome. This story is un-beta'd and edited by me. Oh, and here's a shocker, Hoenhiem is the good parent in this, OMFG. lol._

**  
Chapter 7**

_  
Come as you are  
As you were  
As I want you to be  
As a friend, as a friend  
As I've known you to be_

_**Come As You Are-**_**Nirvana  
**

Harvey and Jimmy raced down the hall, their breaths coming out in burning pants and their hearts both pounding from the exertion, Riku and Sora were both following them since the detectives were speaking with the paramedics on the other side of the hospital when Harvey had spoken to Kairi over the phone. The blood had drained from all their faces at the shrill scream that had sounded through the phone before the line had gone dead.

Another scream had greeted them when they came into the area where the police were stationed inside the hospital. Sora and Riku had rushed ahead when Kairi's office door came into view. Both Jimmy and Harvey pulled their guns from their holsters at the same time as they ran up behind them. The sight that greeted the four men upon arrival caused anger to rush through their blood streams and both detectives grips tightened on their guns as the paramedics' fists clenched at their sides.

The man and woman were looming over an obviously unconscious, restrained doctor. The man was straddling her legs and smirking triumphantly at them while the wife continued to smile in a decietfully innocent way while she held a kunai knife to Kairi's pale throat. Sora hissed through his teeth in front of Harvey but held his ground. The man shifted and then slowly moved to his feet, Jimmy noticed Sora shaking with anger when the man shifted Kairi's legs onto his lap as he sat down on the couch.

"Ah, to what do we owe such an audience," the man asked casually not feeling threatened in the least but the guns raised and aimed at himself and the woman. Harvey spoke up first cutting off whatever Sora or Riku were about to say, his voice was cold as he locked eyes with the man; "Who are you and what do you think your doing?"

The wife looked directly at him then and Harvey fought to stop the shudder that threatened to run through him from the calm look in her eyes. There was no placement for such calmness and it made her seem even more dangerous and insane than he smug companion.

When she spoke with a stereotypical housewife pleasantry it strengthed that urge to shudder; "Why dear we are the Wethertons. My name is Jasmine and this is my husband Alex. Just who might the four of you gentlemen be?"

Harvey chanced a quick glance at Jimmy who gave a very slight nod to indicate he believed they should inform them of who they were. Harvey looked back at her, it was already known to them that these two knew who they were considering what Kairi had said on the phone anyway, so what more harm could giving their identities cause? "I'm Harvey Heartwell, this is my partner Jimmy Kudo," he nodded at Jimmy who bowed his head just the slightest. This entire exchange didn't cause either of the officers to lower their weapons.

Jimmy spoke up next, "The other two are Riku Silverthorn and Sora Harrison."

Mrs. Wetherton looked to Sora at that last bit of information, her smile still firmly in place. She inclined her head in a polite bow of her head and said in that same pleasant tone, "It's truly a pleasure. You're wife is quite the intellectual and accomplished young woman. I'm sure you're quite proud of her-"

Her husband cut her off, "Enough with the pleasantries. I think its' time we get down to business."

"Please do," Riku hissed angrily. The man glowered at him and his hands took purchase on Kairi's ankles and held them firmly. His action caused the wife to press the kunai harder against Kairi's throat and a drop of blood slid down her skin making the four of them tense as a result.

"It would seem that all of you are acquainted with one another, it doesn't take much to dig up information that is needed. As I'm sure Detective Kudo is well aware," Harvey noticed his friends' narrow in response but Wetherton just smirked smugly. He turned his gaze to study the doctors features before looking around the room at each of them for a moment. He then continued as his gaze fell on the filing cabinets against the wall, "I believe that all of you are trying to remove my wife and I of our daughter and thus rip our family apart. I cannot condone such heartless actions-"

"Heartless? You're abusing that girl and you're calling us-"

A deeper cut and the blade moved slowly along the curve of Kairi's neck at the outraged words from Sora and he silenced himself immediately and clenched his teeth together.

"As I was saying, I cannot condone such heartless actions. I will not allow my family to be torn apart because of the actions of a nosy, upstart brat. I should have beaten that child within an inch of his life for standing up to me when I tried to discipline my daughter for saying things that are not of anyones' concern. Every family has its' secrets after all," he looked around the room pointedly at each of them and then focused back on the filing cabinets once more.

"What stopped you from delivering what you thought was an apt punishment on Edward Elric?"

"Ah, I underestimated him, as is the mistake of anyone. I had forgotten that the boy was a prodigy and that his father had before mentioned his time spent studying martial arts under an alchemy teacher in his home country. In my anger I did not remember such information and acted on impulse."

"What would you do should you have the chance to rectify your mistake," Jimmy continued in a controlled and calm tone. He always was better as masking his emotions but the dark color in his eyes when Harvey momentarily glanced at him showed how truly angry and disgusted he was.

"I will of course correct my mistake and deliver the punishment he deserves and of course see to it that my daughter receives the discipline awaiting her."

"So you wish to ensure you have the chance to do this by taking Dr. Harrison hostage in an attempt to still our hands from delivering the justice we believe you and your wife rightfully deserve?"

"You truly are a marvel Detective Kudo. But you've also forgotten that we have something other than this young woman's life at our disposal to ensure your silence as well as prevent you from taking an action. My wife is very thorough when it comes to digging up the dirt on others, she has always been quite gifted with such a task and can walk through a computers database very easily."

"You gentlemen are very fortunate to have such lovely wives and we are fortunate to have such loyal and reliable friends," Mrs. Wetherton commented in that same aggravatingly casual way. Now it was Harvey's turn to bite his tongue and grind his teeth together. So help him-If they laid one hand on Kazuha or Rachel he was going to shoot them both before they knew what happened. The only reason he didn't now was because he preferred that offenders saw the justice of prison rather than the burdenless escape of death.

"You seem very confident Mr. Wetherton and it would seem that with the information you have that you also acquire the authority to take more lives than the one hanging in the balance before our eyes."

Mr. Wetherton grinned arrogantly at Kudo's words, again the only sign that showed how enraged Jimmy felt was by how his eyes looked nearly black now. Riku was the one to speak up next and Harvey felt relieved that it wasn't up to him to do it, he was still itching to kill both of these pieces of shit. His voice was level and controlled as he looked at the husband, "How will you go about ensuring our co-operation once the two of you vacate this office?"

"That is a good question, I suppose we will have to let the girl go before we lose our lives. But of course, I believe the two with the means to arrest or kill us remember the other lives in jeopardy."

"Why don't you go ahead and go then, what's the point of remaining here and threatening my wife's life," Sora ground out in a shaky voice.

"I believe the young man does make a valid point dear."

Mr. Wetherton turned to smile warmly at his wife and the disbelief became a tangible thing among the four men at the change on the mans' features. He turned back to Sora with a smirk, "There is something that we require before we are willing to leave. An exchange, if you wish to have your wife back then I want '_you'_ to bring my daughter to us."

"What will that accomplish, do you really believe we have the power to stop another police officer from arresting the two of you should you walk out of this hospital with Miss Rockbell?"

"That is not of my concern, I simply wish to have my daughter returned to me. I find it odd that you value a child you hardly know over that of a childhood friend Detective Heartwell."

"What are your conditions on this exchange," Kudo asked suddenly.

"Simple. Bring my daughter to us and we will leave."

The may have sounded simple enough, but they knew that Sora would be the only one leaving and with Kairi being threatened it would make it difficult for them to act. But if Sora brought Winry down here to be handed over to this couple then they would be condemning her to the life they swore to save her from and possibly asking her to walk to her own end. Sora was silent, his face was void of emotion and there was a glaze to his eyes as though he was about to cry. Jimmy glanced from him to Kairi and then to the couple who were waiting patiently, seeming to enjoy the inner struggle among them.

Jimmy glanced at Harvey and then at the wife and then back again, the action took no more than a few seconds but Harvey blinked obscurely to confirm he got the message. Harvey glanced at Sora in return and then to Kairi and back and Sora closed his eyes momentarily and let out a sigh then ran a hand over his face and stretched his thumb up so that when he briefly stroked his chin he made a thumbs up, all of this took place within only one second of time. All of them turned their attention back to the couple waiting and watching them.

Sora locked eyes with Mr. Wetherton, "Fine. Have it your way," he said in a clipped tone. The man's face took on that arrogant grin once more but then his eyes widened when the defeaning sound of gunfire sounded in the room making everyone but the oblivious doctor jump. The husband rose to his feet when his wife let out a scream of pain and fell to her knees, Harvey had aimed at her left knee cap bringing her to the ground and then he'd rushed forward at the same time that Jimmy pulled the trigger to shoot Mr. Wetherton in right shoulder.

The man staggered back from the shock, pain, and blow but his face contorted in anger. That was when Riku and Sora ran forward as Harvey made quick work of handcuffing Mrs. Wetherton who was still letting out soft whimpers of pain from her wound. It wasn't too difficult but he didn't take his eyes off her even when another round sounded and a howl of anguished pain reverberated in the room.

Kudo shot him again, this time in the left thigh and the man fell to his knees. Sora had landed a solid punch to the man's face while Riku rushed forward to remove Kairi from harm and check on her. He grimaced at the swelling, bruising, and blood on her face and checked her pulse while Sora assisted Jimmy in handcuffing Mr. Wetherton while he was still immobilized by the seering pain in his shoulder and leg.

* * *

_**The Following Morning . . .**_

It felt like his chest was constricting as they pulled that tube out and his gag reflex forced him into painful attempts at violent coughing that didn't come until it was completely removed. It didn't matter what any of the nurses and doctors said, it hurt and completely sucked and whatever pain medicine they were giving him wasn't working at all. His entire body felt like one huge, throbbing bruise and he wasn't to groan and growl his displeasure but even without the tube shoved down his throat his voice was raw, scratchy, and dry. Damn he was thirsty, no parched, he wanted some water and he made to say something when he finally opened his eyes again.

The nurse seemed to understand him as she looked at him with a sympathetic smile. But what she said she would do was not what he wanted. "I'm afraid I can only give you some ice cubes for now, its' going to be another day before you can have more than that."

He grunted in annoyance as much as his abused throat allowed him too and the doctor on his left smirked, "I will be back later today to check on your breathing. If your respiratory system proves strong enough then I will let a nurse give you some water, but you will still have to drink sparingly."

Ed closed his eyes in disbelief, there was a definite reason he hated hospitals. He also hated that he was still restrained and that his back and leg were constantly shooting sharp, stabbing, piercing pain throughout his entire body as though they wanted to share their experience. He still felt a little fuzzy about why he was here but he blamed that on the damn drugs they kept feeding him even though they weren't working to numb any of his pain.

"It should be safe to give him some more pain medicine, I'm sure the strain of removing the respirator managed to pump all the narcotics out of him."

The nurse nodded to the doctor and turned away to do as instructed with a reassuring smile at Ed. Ed tried to take in a deep breath in order to say something but the attempt made him have another coughing fit. He flinched when an oxygen mask was put over his face and was only grateful when he found it much easier to breath with that thing. The doctor was switching between watching him and looking at the machine above Ed's head that he couldn't see no matter how much he craned his neck. His head was suddenly lifted by the doctors' gloved hands cupping the back of his neck and the strap on the oxygen mask was set in place around his head.

Ed conceded, its' not like he could do much of anything with those restraints still around his wrist that were ensuring he wouldn't roll onto the injured part of his back. Now that he was conscious did they really think he was that much of an idiot? He looked up suddenly when the nurse returned and this time took the time to notice her appearance. She was actually very pretty, dirty blond hair that was tied back in a ponytail, lightly tanned skin, blue eyes, a nice face and expression. Ed jerked back from her suddenly when a memory flashed through his mind.

_That pleasant, unsettling smile, that woman, Winry's foster parents._ His eyes closed tightly as his mind raced through what had happened and he heard the machines going haywire for a minute but he forced himself to take in deep breaths and calm down. Now was not the time to have a fucking anxiety attack, he was in the hospital not there, and he was sure that Winry was just fine, she had to be. _But what about Al and his father, had the Wethertons showed up and done something and now am I the only one alive?_ That sent his thoughts into overdrive and he felt the overwhelming fear of being alone and failing to protect everyone he cared about washed over him.

"Edward, Edward calm down, you've got to calm down. You're alright, you're safe and you're family is safe but you need to calm down alright?"

It took a while for the words to drift to him, how did this woman know what was going through his mind? He felt disbelief and suspicion stomp out her attempts to console him and though he did start to fight against his irrational thoughts and calm down he found it much harder this time. His negative thoughts and fears were fighting back and making it impossible for him to ignore them.

_How do you know she doesn't know those bastards and isn't covering up for them?_

_Who's to say that what's left of your family isn't dead or that girl wasn't killed despite your efforts to save her? You couldn't save your mother, couldn't save her from leaving when you were kids anymore than you could stop your father from abandoning your mom, brother, and you._

_You've always been weak, too weak to care for your brother just like you were too weak to stop those men from seizing your house and throwing you and Al out on the street before that bastard of a father of yours arrived to claim you. You can't even take care of yourself so what makes you think you managed to save Winry and didn't just get everyone killed for your efforts?_

That voice broke through again and he tried to cling to it regardless of what his mind was telling him. He wanted, needed to escape the dark places his mind and his memories were trying to take him too and damn it he wanted someone to pull him above that.

"Edward, listen to me, you're safe and your family and friends are safe. You've got to calm down, that's right, open your eyes and look at me."

He did, with a lot of effort and he had to force back the thoughts and memories again at seeing her pretty face and her worried expression. That look on her face reminded him of his mom and that brought a whole wave of emotions and thoughts and memories to his mind and he wanted to shut them out and make them go away. He didn't even feel the prick on his arm that managed to still his mind. Her worried expression turned into a gentle smile and he felt a thread of panic race through him from the first face that came to mind but it faded as the world became heavy and dark around him.

* * *

"We can't keep him sedated all the time Mr. Elric. But, when he's awake and fully aware for more than twenty minutes he falls into anxiety and panic attacks. He's breathing with some help as his respitory system is still building up its' strength. But this is rather difficult, he still requires a blood transfusion and it would be best if he were conscious, there are less risks that way. We will do it while he's sedated if we have to but I really don't want to put his life in more danger than his mind is already doing."

"What do you suggest be done about these attacks then?"

"Considering his current state of mind and the complications they present I am having him moved to the psychiatric until we can get him mentally stabilized."

"Ed's not crazy," Winry said from her seat next to Hoenhiem across from the table in the green room, literally green. The couch, walls, floor, chairs for the table. Even the table was a dark green. Al was currently in the waiting area just outside being entertained by the secretary who was letting him watch the small, portable t.v. she had behind the desk.

"I'm not saying he is young lady," the doctor said with a kind smile. But Winry glared at him, "Then why do you want to lock him up in psychiatrics then? The only reason he's panicked and stressed is because he was hurt protecting me and so he's worried about his family. If you would stop drugging him and knocking him out so he was conscious when we went to see him then we could calm him down."

The doctor looked shocked by Winry's words but Hoenhiem smiled at her and then nodded to the doctor, "I believe she's quite right Doctor. Sometimes we often forget the simple logic a child possesses."

The doctor nodded, "Of course. I'll have him moved to another room so that all of you may see him." Of course, the doctor had refused to allow Winry to see Ed upholding the strict 'family only' policy for the I.C.U. with a bit of coldness and smugness. He seemed to dislike the young woman because she could understand his elongated medical terms and repeat them back in simple terms back to the doctor and also in light of how obvious she made it that she disliked the way the doctor was handling Ed.

The doctor stood as did they and then he walked out of the room. Hoenheim smiled down at Winry, "That was quite smooth of you Miss Winry."

She smiled at him brightly obviously enjoying the compliment, "Thank you Mr. Elric, but it was really just common sense."

Hoenhiem nodded, "Of course it was," and then led her to the door and opened it for her. Once they walked out Al jumped to his feet, said a quiet apology to the startled secretary and then bounded over to them with an expectant look on his face.

"They are going to see about getting him a room so that all of us may visit him. He's recovering nicely and he's even breathing on his own now."

Al beamed at his father, "That's great, I hope they get him a room soon. Can we go up and see him and tell brother the good news?"

Hoenhiem gave a brief smile, "We can try."

The secretary spoke up then causing them to look at her, "I just called, they said its' alright. It's going to be a few hours before they can get him moved to his own room."

Hoenhiem nodded, "Thank you."

She nodded and smiled kindly at Winry, "Why don't you come over here dear and watch some t.v. with me?"

Winry shook her head and said politely, "No thank you ma'am."

"Alright dear," Winry walked over to one of the chairs tucked in the corner of the room and hidden from view because of a vending machine against the wall while Hoenhiem led Al out of the waiting room.

* * *

"I'm looking for a Miss Winry Rockbell, do you happen to know where she is?"

The secretary looked up with a nod, "Yes, of course Officer Heartwell. How is Dr. Harrison doing?"

Harvey smiled, "She's alright, where is she?"

"She's sitting in that chair in the corner by the vending machine."

Harvey glanced that way and then back at the secretary, "Thanks Milan," the middle aged woman smiled and waved off his thanks as he turned and made his way to Winry. She looked up and her face fell at seeing him.

"Aw, don't look so depressed Miss Rockbell, I was just coming by to check on you. Do you mind if I sit and talk to you a bit?"

She shook her head and he took the seat across from her and smiled, "Thanks. How is your friend doing?"

Winry shrugged, "Better," she answered vaguely.

"You know, you're supposed to have a visit with Dr. Harrison today, I was just coming by to let you know that it's postponed. You're going to have to stay with the Elrics for a few more days."

Winry brightened at that and actually allowed a smile before she checked herself and crossed her arms over her chest and shrugged, "So?"

"So? Aren't you curious to know why your appointment was postponed?"

"No," she said simply.

Harvey fought the urge to sigh, he understood her defensiveness but after what had happened yesterday evening he really wished the girl would open up a bit and not act so indifferent. Just before he was going to say something Hoenhiem and Al returned with a cheerful hello's. Winry looked to them with a smile and then turned to glare at Harvey. Hoenhiem chuckled as he came up to them and rubbed the back of his neck, "Sorry, Miss Winry doesn't do well with strangers."

Harvey smiled, "That's understandable," Harvey got to his feet as he asked, "Do you mind if I have a word with you Mr. Elric?"

Hoenhiem shook his head, "No of course not."

Harvey led him towards the green room and once the door was closed Hoenhiem took the seat he'd occupied nearly an hour ago. Harvey took a seat in the chair across from him and folded his arms over the table, "There has been a change in plans. We have sufficient evidence," (thanks to Kudo setting his phone on record during that hell last night) "against the Wethertons and therefore C.P.S. felt there was no need to come here to conduct their investigation."

Hoenhiem looked perplexed and surprised and Harvey continued, "There was an incident last night and during that we luckily got a confession out of them. It was vague when pertaining to Miss Rockbell, but we're very good at what we do and made sure to point out the implications made to C.P.S."

"What happened? Better yet, what's going to happen now?"

"Because of last nights' occurrence its' been decided that Miss Rockbell will be put into protective custody until this case goes to trial. I'm pushing for a trial by jury because that would ensure a harsher sentence, but of course its' going to require your family's and Miss Rockbell's cooperation. Due to the obvious threat on your sons' life you and your family will also need to be put under protective services as well."

"Protective custody means what for Winry and what does protective services entail for my family and I?"

Harvey nodded, "Of course you have every right to know that. While we push paperwork around we're leaving Miss Rockbell in your custody. I had to struggle for that but I felt it best in light of the doctors' explanation on your sons' state of mind. Miss Rockbell will be put in the protective custody of my wife and I or my parent and his wife as both of us are detectives. As for you and your family, once Edward is released from the hospital we're going to need to relocate you and put a guard on your family for your protection. If anything at all should happen your family and yourself may have to go into the witness protective program, but I sincerely hope to avoid that."

Hoenhiem nodded, he wanted to avoid that as well. He knew what that would mean, changing their names, their identities, their entire lives would have to start all over again and it would separate his sons' from their friends, especially Winry who truly needed and valued their friendship.

"I believe I wish to get to know you and your wife as well as your partner and his wife. Even if I don't have much say on what happens to Winry I would still feel much better knowing who she may end up being handed over to."

Harvey nodded with a smile, "Of course Mr. Elric, I understand. If you like I was going to meet with everyone for lunch in the cafeteria, despite the poor excuse for food they have there. You could retrieve a beeper from Miss Milan and meet us there."

"A beeper?"

"Yes. They often give beepers out to the family of the patients in case anything should happen if they go get something to eat or otherwise need to head to another part of the hospital. Those beepers only work here in the hospital."

Hoenhiem nodded, "Thank you. I would be delighted to join you for lunch Detective."

Harvey stood up and they nodded then Harvey left and Hoenhiem followed him out to be greeted by two expectant expressions. He chuckled and went over to an unoccupied couch on the far end of the room and sat down. Al plopped down next to him while Winry took the chair positioned at the corner of the couch against the wall to the left of it.

"They have something on your foster parents and so we don't have to speak with C.P.S. immediately. They plan to let you stay with us until they get all the paperwork worked out and then you're going to have to go into protective services and live with one of the detectives' families."

"Why one of them?"

"Well, because they are detectives and would be able to protect you better than someone else."

"I'd rather just stay with you Mr. Elric."

"I'd enjoy that very much Winry, however I think you going with them would be best for you."

"I don't want to, I don't like cops."

"Winry," Hoenhiem said softly and seriously, "You have to cooperate with them and the doctor from yesterday. They are trying to help you so that you don't have to go back to your foster parents."

"Who's going to stop them, they almost killed Ed and I'm supposed to tell a bunch of strangers everything and make them even madder?"

"It's because they hurt Ed and you that you should tell them. Its' the only way to stop them from hurting either of you again Winry."

Winry was silent for a long while but she didn't nod or give an inclination that she agreed with Hoenhiem. For now he decided to let it lie and allow her time to think about it, there was a lot going on and a lot that had happened. They remained in the waiting room watching the t.v. in the corner for an hour before Al suddenly spoke up breaking the silence that had settled over the three.

"Do you think Brother would want his violin to keep him occupied when he wakes up?"

Hoenhiem smiled at Al and noticed that Winry had also smiled and gave Al a nod, "I think he would, you're always so considerate and thoughtful Al."

Al blushed a bit and said a bashful, "Thanks."

"When I can I will go to the house and get Ed's violin as well as some clothes for all three of us."

The two nodded and the smile on Al's face fell suddenly, "How are we going to get anything from home if none of us can leave though?"

Hoenhiem sighed, "You have a point Al, perhaps we can ask one of those detectives to do that for us."

"We could, they are police officers after all so they can be trusted not to steal anything."

Hoenhiem chuckled, "Yes, that's true Al. We can ask them at lunch."

Winry stiffened and Al grinned, "Really? We're having lunch with them?"

Hoenhiem ruffled Al's hair, "Yes son, we were invited to lunch with them. I believe we should head to the cafeteria soon."

Al jumped to his feet, "Can we go now?"

Hoenhiem glanced at his wristwatch, it was only ten thirty, "It's a bit too early right now. But soon."

* * *

The hospital cafeteria was busy when the three arrived but it only took a few minutes before they were found by Officer Heartwell. It was this meeting that Hoenhiem noticed he should have realized the young man was a detective given his civilian clothes. He could remember if the young man had worn uniform or not but said nothing as they followed behind him towards the back of the cafeteria. He explained on the way that his wife and his partner's wife had decided to bring lunch with them instead of forcing everyone to eat the questionable food the cafeteria served. The table they had was really a booth tucked back in the corner of the cafeteria that could have easily seated ten people.

When they came up to the table the three occupants got to their feet with smiles to introduce themselves. The young woman that introduced herself as Azuha Heartwell was of average height with a slim figure, pale skin, reddish brown hair, and brown eyes. Both she and the other young woman wore simple, one piece dresses and high heels with their hair pulled back into ponytails. While Azuha wore a white dress the other wore a light blue one.

Rachel was the next to introduce herself as Rachel Kudo, she had a pleasant smile and polite manners that were much more genuine than any of Mrs. Wethertons attempts. Her long, dark brown hair still went down her back and there was strength that was well hidden behind the feminine exterior she held this meeting. Once names were exchanged everyone took their seats with Hoenhiem sitting on the outside of the booth across from Kudo and his wife. Al and Winry were seated between himself and the Heartwell's. Winry did not look pleased to be there but Hoenhiem was relieved that she was acting polite when in the presence of the two couples.

Azuha was the one to bring out the box of pizza and she laughed at the enthusiasm that had shown on both of the childrens' faces. Rachel brought out a small cooler with soda beverages to which she recieved the same excited smiles. Once everyone had their first helpings of the pizza and drinks it seemed as though it was time to get down to business.

Rachel was the one to break the silence, "So Mr. Elric, as I'm sure neither of these dimwits have bothered to ask, is there anything the three of you need from your homes for the next couple of days?"

Hoenhiem smiled in gratitude at her thoughtfulness as well as from the obvious reprimand in her words directed at both detectives. He replied with a nod, "Yes," while thinking that it was indeed the wives that kept their husbands grounded despite their being detectives and famous detectives, it wasn't as though he had not heard of the famous Japanese detectives that had moved to America a few years ago. It was luck that the two were in Cambridge.

"I'm glad you asked because I was just contemplating on how to go about asking if someone could bring us some things since I cannot leave the hospital."

Rachel had the grace to glare at Jimmy seated next to her, he shrugged and then said casually, "One of us could do that."

Azuha smiled, "Yes we very well can, how about you give us some particulars Mr. Elric?"

Rachel reached down to the purse she had sitting on the bench of the booth and pulled out a notebook and pen then looked at Hoenhiem expectantly.

Hoenhiem chuckled and rubbed the back of his neck, "Oh, well. Other than the obvious of clothes and necessities I guess the only request is my eldest son's violin."

Jimmy suddenly seemed very interested, "Your son plays the violin?"

Rachel laughed lightly and said before Hoenhiem or Al could answer, "Jimmy plays as well, he has since he was eight."

Hoenhiem smiled, "Ah, well my son has been playing the violin for-"

"Five years, since Brother was seven. He always played for mom and it wasn't until recently that he started playing again after mom died."

"I'm so sorry," Rachel said sincerely.

Al smiled at her, "Oh, don't worry about it. Mom was happy and she passed away in her sleep. I understand that so I'm alright. But brother holds onto her memory by playing the violin, his favorite is Amazing Grace since that was mom's favorite."

"What an interesting kid," Harvey said with a chuckle and a meaningful look at Jimmy. Jimmy smirked, "I wonder if your brother reads any Sherlock Holmes books."

Winry finally said something, "No he doesn't. He like science and music the best."

"What about you Miss Winry?"

Winry took a drink before she looked at Rachel, "I like science as well but I only listen to music."

"What kind of music?"

"Classical, mostly I listen to Al and Ed play."

"Oh, Alphonse you play an instrument as well?"

Al nodded with a smile to Azuha's question, "I recently started playing the piano, I'm still learning. I did play the violin but brother is much better at it than I am."

Hoenhiem smiled down at Al warmly, Al was always so humble, "Al is being very bashful, he went from the beginners lessons to advanced in the past eight months. Both of my son's are very gifted when it comes to music, among many other things."

"Ah yes, that's right, I heard that both of you boys'," Rachel began with a smile at Al, "were able to skip ahead of the kids your age. Isn't it this next year that you and Miss Winry will be going on to junior high?"

Al and Winry both nodded after exchanging glances, Winry was the one to ask the question on their minds, "How do you know that?"

"Well, its' not everyday that one gets to meet an Elric, of course the bonus for us is getting to meet your acquaintance as well Miss Winry," Jimmy replied smoothly.

"Why? Are the Elric's famous or something?"

Harvey and Jimmy both exchanged glances then looked at Hoenhiem before Harvey replied, "You could say that."

Winry and Al looked at each other again completely lost. It didn't seem as though either one of them had any idea what was being discussed now. How could Hoenhiem be famous and why was he famous, was it because he was really smart just like both of his sons or was it something else?

"It's been pleasant meeting all of you and thank you for lunch, I believe we should be heading back. Before we go however, do you mind if I ask a question?"

"Of course not Mr. Elric," Rachel replied with smile.

"Why was Winry's doctor appointment postponed, what exactly happened?"

Both Al and Winry straightened up at that and a heavy silence fell amongst everyone. There were a few exchanged glances between the husband and wives before Harvey spoke up, "One of our friends was attacked, it just so happened to be Dr. Harrison. For the time being she is a patient here, but she's going to be fine in a few days. That's the reason why the appointment was postponed."

"Attacked," Winry mumbled weakly and the color had drained from her face. She knew without a doubt that it was her foster parents that were behind this so she didn't bother to ask.

Harvey nodded to her with a sad smile and it was Rachel that smiled reassuringly at her, "Miss Winry, it's alright now. Both of them were arrested and because of their actions and their confession they are going to remain incarcerated until things are settled."

"Settled?"

Rachel nodded to her even though Winry refused to look at her and everyone remained silent and watchful as Rachel continued; "The only way to make sure that they cannot hurt anyone for a long time is if you and Edward are willing to testify against them in court. We don't want them to get away with the pain they have caused both of you or Alphonse and Mr. Elric because of this. That's why we ask that you cooperate with us and help us put them away."

"How do I know that they won't get out soon and just come back," Winry asked softly.

"Because we have plenty of evidence to prove what you and Edward will be saying. We have pictures and X-rays as well as doctors that are willing to say in front of a courtroom what injuried they have caused both of you. But if neither of you are willing to speak up then they could get out sooner."

Winry nodded but said nothing, she looked on the verge of tears and Al grabbed her hand and held it in an attempt to comfort her.

"I don't mean to upset you Miss Winry but I believe that you're mature enough to know what is at stake and what must be done here," Rachel finished with a gentle smile. Winry looked up at her blinking back tears and gave a curt nod then turned to Hoenhiem, "Can we go see if they moved Ed to another room yet?"

Hoenhiem gave his own reassuring smile and moved out of the booth followed by Al and Winry, Al didn't release her hand and at the moment it didn't seem as though Winry wanted him too. Then Al broke the silence and looked at his father to ask, "Shouldn't we tell Ed's friend that he can't make it to the party?"

Hoenhiem nodded, he'd completely forgotten, he hoped he hadn't offended the Uchiha's by not showing up. He pulled out his cell phone, nodded and offered thanks to the Heartwell's and Kudo's and then led the way out of the cafeteria and towards the waiting room. Once Al and Winry were settled he stepped out into the hall and scrolled through his contacts to find Mr. Uchiha's number. He'd been given the number the first time he'd taken Sasuke home in case anything happened.

Mr. Uchiha picked up on the first ring, "Ah, hello Mr. Elric, I was afraid you were not going to come despite your assurances that you would."

"I apologize Mr. Uchiha. Something has come up and I'm afraid that due to recent events I momentarily forgot about our previous engagement. My son Edward is in the hospital so he won't be able to attend the party."

"That is understandable, is he going to be alright is there anything that I can do for you?"

"Please just relay my apologies to everyone. He is going to be alright we hope, they should be moving him to his own room sometime later today."

"We will have to come and see him and offer our condolences."

Hoenhiem heard Sasuke and Mrs. Uchiha's voices in the background asking what was going on as well as the muted sounds of a party taking place. Mr. Uchiha cleared his throat and said something to them in Japanese and then spoke into the phone once more, "I believe my wife and son wish to know what occurred, do you mind speaking with my wife?"

"Of course not," there was shifting and then the softer, worried voice of Mikoto Uchiha spoke into the phone, "What has happened Elric-san?"

"Edward was attacked by his friend Winry's foster parents trying to defend her. The doctors assure me that he is making a good recovery physically."

"Only physically, is something else the matter, what exactly happened Elric-san?"

"He lost a lot of blood and as a result his respiratory system failed on him, he spent the night in I.C.U. on a respirator but he's breathing without that today. He still needs oxygen until he can build up his strength. The most trying part of his condition is his state of mind, every time he is conscious he goes into a panic or anxiety attack."

"Oh my, is he going to be alright, what's being done to prevent that?"

"Well Winry suggested to the doctors to stop drugging him up and let him see us when he's conscious to prevent the attacks."

"That young lady is quite something isn't she?"

"She truly is, it was due to her quick thinking that Ed didn't bleed to death, she saved his life."

There was a moment of Sasuke asking Mikoto something and then she came back on the line, "Do you mind if I bring Sasuke and Naruto up to the hospital to see him?"

"Not at all, I'm sure that both of my boys would appreciate it."

"We will be up there shortly Mr. Elric."

"I truly appreciate it Mrs. Uchiha, but there's no need to disrupt the party right-"

"Nonsense Elric-san, neither of them would be able to enjoy the party in light of recent events. My husband can help entertain the quests and let them know why my son, his best friend, and I had to leave suddenly. Hold on a moment Elric-san,"

"Of course," another voice was heard in the background for a moment and then she came back on the line again, "I hope you wouldn't mind terribly if my eldest son accompanied us."

"Of course not. I'm sorry to be the bearer of bad news."

"There's no need for apologies Elric-san recent events were not a fault of yours. We shall be up there within the hour, I will call you as soon as we arrive so you can direct us to your location."

"Thank you very much Mrs. Uchiha."

"It is my pleasure truly, I will do all I can to assist you and your family. I will see you soon Elric-san."

"Ah, yes. See you soon Mrs. Uchiha," Hoenhiem then closed the phone and ran a hand through his hair and straightened his mishelved ponytail before turning to enter the waiting room. Al and Winry were sitting next to one another on the couch watching t.v. silently. They both looked up when he walked over to them and sat in the chair Winry had occupied earlier.

"Mrs. Uchiha, her sons, and Naruto are going to come up here. I couldn't persuade them to do otherwise."

Al smiled, "Really, that's nice of them."

"I agree," Hoenhiem said with a smile. Winry sighed heavily and a dark expression crossed over her face. Al looked back at her, "Is something wrong Winry?"

"I . . . " she glanced at her still bruised arms and then away and Hoenhiem nodded in understanding, "I'll see if I can find some different clothes for you."

She nodded silently as he stood up and made his way back to the secretaries desk. The secretary nodded and picked up the phone to see if she could have someone bring them some clothes and a means to freshen up. She told him that they would most likely be given the scrubs surgeons wore but it was all she could do. Hoenhiem thanked her and it took only thirty minutes for them to arrive. They were quick about using the communal showers down the hall in the bathrooms and by the time they finished Mrs. Uchiha had called saying she was there.

* * *

Jimmy sat at his desk going through the paperwork to have custody of Winry handed over to himself and his wife. It was due to Rachel's insistence that Winry stay with them. Apparently Azuha had conceded that given what occurred at lunch that perhaps Winry would be more likely to open up to Rachel than herself. So there Jimmy was filling out the necessary paperwork from the police station as well as the paperwork C.P.S. required in order for them to have temporary custody. They were not going to be refused considering he was not a patrol officer but a detective but he was sure they would do a background check nonetheless.

He wasn't concerned about that, there was nothing incriminating about his past, just painful and dark. He'd left Japan after his family and Rachel's passed away to try and start anew and move past the darkest part of his life. Harvey, being his best friend accompanied him without little resistance from Azuha. Though both Harvey and Azuha's families were still alive they understood their friends need to leave Japan. That was six years ago and when they came to Cambridge so that Harvey and Jimmy could go to college they met Kairi. Kairi became fast friends with Rachel and Azuha and things went from there.

Though he and Rachel had married at eighteen they still had yet to have any kids, the same went for the other four that were married. Sora and Kairi had married during Kairi's junior year in college and Harvey and Azuha married after Harvey graduated from law school. The four of them had waited to graduate from high school before leaving Japan and the only reason they had a means to do so was because he and Harvey were accepted to Harvard and because of the money Jimmy's parents had left him in their will.

Jimmy let out a tired sigh, all these thoughts of the past were making him too depressed and the dullness of the paperwork was making it hard not to think about them. He needed some fresh air or something and just before he thought about getting up Harvey came into his view and slammed his hands down on his desk. Jimmy glared up at him, "What?"

"Don't what me buddy, I just caught word that Mrs. Mikoto Uchiha, her two sons, and one Naruto Uzumaki have arrived at the hospital. Apparently they are good friends with the Elric boys."

"Is that so, I already told you that much."

"Well it's not everyday that you get to see one of our old classmates you know, Itachi is here in case you missed the 'two sons' bit."

Jimmy shrugged, he remember Itachi alright, he'd only graduated from college two years ago. Itachi had been in one of his psychology classes. The man was arrogant, cold, but highly intelligent and a bit of a challenge to get to know. Later on, of course, he learned that was common for Uchiha's. It was interesting to learn that the younger Uchiha was close friends and classmates with Edward Elric. Truthfully he looked forward to speaking with the prodigal elder Elric son. While Al and Winry were right and mature for their age there was much more to Edward than one would expect from a twelve year old.  
"I'm not too interested in meeting an old classmate at the moment Harvey."

"But why the hell not, the two of you had some rivalry going on back in college and for some strange reason the two of you are friends."

"If he wishes to see me he can come here I'm not going to him."

"Oh, that's what it is, a pride thing."

Jimmy glared at Harvey who grinned in return and then turned away and waved over his shoulder, "Fine, suit yourself, I'm going to drop by and say hello."

"Don't you ever give anyone a moment of peace," Jimmy called out after him.

Harvey chuckled in reply but was gone. Jimmy turned back towards the files he had on the Elric family. There was a gap between the time when Trisha Elric passed away and Hoenhiem Elric suddenly appeared and moved his sons' to America. The gap was between the ages of seven and nine, for two years the two boys were left to fend for themselves and he wondered just how the elder had managed to do so. There were no medical records, nothing at all on both boys during that entire time.

The only thing he had at all on either one was a time when the elder Elric was arrested for assaulting a peace officer. He couldn't find any details on the case and Edward was held for only twenty-four hours before he was released, in a solitary cell, and was kept handcuffed the entire time. Other than that there was nothing else. It made Jimmy wonder if foul play had occurred and what exactly had happened. It was cruel and unusual punishment for a child of only eight to be held in a solitary confinement cell with handcuffs still on for that long of a time. He'd yet to get in touch with the office in London where the incident occurred as no one would answer the phone. If he had to he would go there personally and interview the arresting officer to find out the truth.

He also planned to ask Edward about it when he could, he was going to be the one to interview Edward, Harvey would handle interviewing Winry until she was within his and Rachel's' custody and then they would switch witnesses. His cell phone started to go off in his pocket and he pulled it out and answered, "Kudo speaking."

"Yo Kudo, get your ass down here. He said that he wasn't going to seek you out but that it was disrespectful to not wish to visit with an old friend. His mother and brother, well in the kids' silent, Uchiha way, want to see you as well. They were surprised when I came to greet them, surely your partner is here somewhere, they said. Plus, they are moving the kid to his own room so he will be able to have visitors. But doc says we should hold off on interviewing the kid for another day, let him recover a bit and get his strength back up and that."

"Fine Heartwell, I will head that way, where are you?"

"Uh, walking down to Ame's Pavilion, meet us there."

Jimmy hung up and got to his feet, he closed his open files and stacked them together before unlocking the filing cabinet of his desk and putting them inside. It was a habit all of them had so it wasn't one he was willing to break. Once the files were locked in the drawer he grabbed his jacket and threw it on then left the office.

* * *

They were walking down the hall on the second floor when Jimmy came into view from the other end of the hallway. It was almost funny how he wore a suit that looked a lot like his old high school uniform. Not that Harvey could really talk, his was black and white anyway. Neither of them ever wore ties, not really liking the things to begin with, so the top two buttons were left undone and the jackets were left open. Jimmy waved half heartedly as Harvey shouted a hello to him and grinned.

Itachi was walking behind his mother who was talking with Hoenhiem quitely about Ed's condition. Winry and Al were behind Itachi with Sasuke trailing behind next to Naruto who had his hands folded behind his head and was talking excitedly about some game he'd played. When they came to stand before the waiting room hello's were exchanged and greetings and then they all walked inside and found empty seats close to one another so they could continue talking.

Sasuke and Itachi took seats on either side of Mikoto and Naruto took the seat next to Sasuke while Hoenhiem, Al, and Winry took the seats across from them with Harvey and Jimmy sitting in the chairs against the back wall so that they were facing towards the doors.

"We haven't heard from you in quite some time Shinichi-kun, how have you and your wife been lately?"

Jimmy nodded with a polite smile, "We've been doing fine Uchiha-san, thank you."

"It's regretful that we should meet up under such trying circumstances."

"I agree Uchiha-san."

"Oh dear, please call me Mikoto, we've known one another long enough for a first name basis Shinichi-kun."

"Yes, my apologies Mikoto-san."

"None needed Shinichi-kun, I understand you're busy. I believe that Elric-san is very fortunate to have you and Heiji-kun handling this case."

Sasuke snorted and Winry and Al looked at him guestionably but Sasuke hissed when Mikoto reached over and pinched his arm. Kudo and Heartwell both smirked at the display before schooling their features when Sasuke glared at both of them. Mikoto continued in a matter of seconds as though nothing had happened, "Are the two of you going to be handling this case personally as it continues, I hear that Rockbell-chan is going to be put into protective custody."

"Speaking of which, Shinichi and Rachel are actually looking to keep Miss Rockbell with them once paperwork is finished," Harvey supplied.

Mikoto turned a smile to Winry who was glaring at Harvey in indignation. Mikoto addressed Winry, "Are you displeased by this information Rockbell-chan?"

"I don't want to leave them."

"Leave who dear?"

"The Elrics, they were dragged into this because of me but I still don't want to leave them."

"Well young lady, that's just how it has to be. You wouldn't be able to stay with them even if the circumstances were different. The main point in all of this is that your foster parents are cruel, inhuman, dispicable people who deserve to pay for the crimes they have committed against Edward-kun and most assuredly yourself. If you do nothing to make sure they can hurt no one else then they will win and you will never be able to move on with your life. I think that if Edward-kun were awake right now to talk to you that he would feel that his suffering was for nothing should you refuse to tell those who can make your foster parents pay what they need to know."

"Mikoto-san . . . "Harvey began.

Mikoto raised her hand to him to silence him and continued to look Winry in the eyes as she spoke, "You've been through a lot in your young life and you've proven that you're both strong and very brave. But your actions and animosity towards these two gentlemen that want to help you, as well as towards their friend Dr. Harrison discredits the courage and strength you have had since now. Do you understand what I am trying to say Winry-chan?"

"I understand," Winry said with a slow nod before she got to her feet and walked out of the waiting room. Sasuke was on his feet and following her before his mother could stop him, Naruto naturally following after his best friend. Al however was stopped by Hoenhiem speaking up, "Give her a moment Al, I'm sure she will be fine."

Al bit his lip in contemplation before he nodded and sat back down. Mikoto let out a sigh and looked at the Elrics apologetically, "I terribly sorry, I didn't mean to offend her or sound impersonal towards her situation."

"Not at all Mrs. Uchiha, I think you said what she really needed to hear but none of us had the heart to say. I have confidence that Winry understood your intentions and your words and will not take great offense."

"Thank you for the consolation Elric-san. Has anything been brought here for your family and Winry-chan to accommodate your current stay at the hospital?"

"Rachel and Azuha are currently doing that right now, they should be getting back soon if they don't end up going on some shopping spree in the city before then," Harvey said with a smile.

Mikoto chuckled and the tense silence eased up, "It does sound like them, I do recall both of those young women often indulging in their habits at shopping before. Was there a reason Shinichi-kun and Ran-chan chose to take Winry-chan in instead of you and Azuha-chan, Heiji-kun?"

Harvey looked at Jimmy who shrugged and said to Mikoto, "Rachel seems to be able to connect with Miss Rockbell more than Azuha does."

"Ah, well I can understand that."

"So," Harvey turned to regard Itachi, "What have you been up to lately Itachi-san?"

Mikoto smiled at her son and looked at him expectantly, he looked to her before turning to regard the two detectives. He then said obviously feeling smug as he spoke, "I'm in charge of an assistant living home for those who have just left Child Protective Services and orphanages."

"That's quite a noble profession."

"Itachi is also one of the Psychologists that speaks with the truly troubled young adults that come to the office and he helps them deal with their pasts so that they can begin to make their futures."

Itachi had the decency to look a little embarrassed by his mothers praise but it was something only Mikoto and Kudo noticed. Itachi let out a barely audible sigh, "I suppose I could offer my services but if you feel you are capable then I will leave you to it Shinichi-san." Itachi rose to his feet and nodded to his mother, "I am going to find outoto."

"Of course dear, perhaps you could give it a try at talking with Winry-chan as well."

"I will," then Itachi left the room. Hoenhiem watched him go before turning back to everyone else, they all sat in a awkward silence that slowly turned to comfortable when Harvey jumped as his phone went off in his pocket, at the same time Jimmy's phone also chose to go off and they both retrieved them, glanced at the numbers and then rose with a nod to everyone and walked out of the waiting room.

Mikoto turned a polite smile to Hoenhiem and Al, Al was now leaning against his father with his head resting on his shoulder. Mikoto lowered her voice so as not to wake him, "I'm sure that all of you are exhausted, I don't wish to make things more complicated for you but Sasuke was insistent about coming up here."

"Of course, I understand and it's not a problem Mrs. Uchiha."

"They also bothered me about staying here but I told them it wasn't possible. I will let them stay until they can see Edward-kun and bring them to see him everyday, but staying overnight is a bit too much I believe."

"I agree, and that is perfectly fine with me."

Mikoto nodded with another of her polite smiles, "The two of you should get some rest, I'm certain you need it. I will listen for when you are called to see Edward-kun. It's the least I can do, before you protest Elric-san."

Hoenhiem nodded, "Thank you Mrs. Uchiha."


	8. Chapter 8

**Disclaimer: I don't own Fullmetal Alchemist, hell I don't own the title to this fan fic. FMA belongs to Arakawa-sama and the title and song belong to the writers, editors, and whatnot of Martina McBride. I do not condone abuse nor am I a fan of it. I also do not own any characters from Naruto or familiar characters from other series, they belong to Kishimoto-sensei and their respective artists.**

_A/N: Dark themes, child abuse, violence, language. This story is fictional and should it offend anyone please do not read. Flames will be used to make smores and comments and constructive criticism is welcome. This story is un-beta'd and edited by me. Oh, and here's a shocker, Hoenhiem is the good parent in this, OMFG. lol._

**  
Chapter 8  
**

_Step by step, heart to heart, left right left  
We all fall down  
Step by step, heart to heart, left right left  
We all fall down like toy soldiers  
Bit by bit torn apart  
We never win  
But the battle wages on  
For toy soldiers_

_I'm suppose to be the soldier who never blows his composure  
Even though I hold the weight of the whole world on my shoulders_

_**-Like Toy Soldiers: Eminem**_

It was better this time, at least he could admit that. He hadn't forgotten how horrible he'd felt or how panicked he'd felt waking up the last couple of times, but he knew in the back of his mind that it was only a matter of time if he didn't see anyone soon with his own eyes. The nurses kept trying to reassure him that his family and friends were alright but how could he believe that when all he felt were lingering touches that weren't there and all he could see were their faces in his memories and hear their voices in his mind.

He still felt groggy and he still felt like one huge bruise and that oxygen mask was still there but his hands were still restrained so he couldn't very well remove it to test whether or not he needed it and he let out a sigh and regretted it when his chest throbbed. His eyes didn't open and his body felt like it was reacting slowly to any of his commands so it was ten minutes of trying to open his eyes, so he thought before they finally opened and he could see again. The room was still too white, but it was a room and the lighting was dimmed even if the sun poured into the room from the window at his back.

A nurse came in then and light poured into the room from outside the room and then the lights in the room were turned on because the nurse had seen him looking at her. She was middle aged, skinny, red hair, green eyes, pale skin, wearing simple purple scrubs and she looked nice enough.

"Well good morning Mr. Elric."

Ed grunted and tried to say something but his throat was still raw and sore and didn't want to let him use his voice.

"Ah, that's right, Edward. I'm sorry. How are you feeling, any better?"

Ed waved his hand a bit to signal the same and the nurse nodded, "That's understandable, you lost a lot of blood and its' going to take a few days before it replenishes itself. We had to keep you restrained because you kept fighting us, and the attacks as well as you're constant attempt to lie fully on your back. When you have visitors we can remove them but while you sleep its' best to keep them so you don't cause further injury to yourself."

Ed gave her a thumbs up to try and convey he understood. He hated this, he couldn't talk, he couldn't move, and the simple motions with his hands sent shocks of pain from his back up his spine and back to his fingers making certain to pause and sent a jolt of pain straight to his head and through his chest on the way there.

"We're going to slowly bring you off the doses of medication that we give you for your attacks but the pain medication will continue, I'm sure you're in a lot of pain."

Another thumb's up and she nodded, "It's another twenty minutes until I have to change out your meds but I will bring some pain medication back for you. If you feel like you're going to be conscious a while I can send word to those waiting to see you downstairs."

A third thumbs up and an attempted nod that only made him wince back, that stab wound was close to his spine, if the pain he felt from the simplest of movements was any indication. The nurse nodded, "Alright, I'm leaving the door open," she reached over to the bedside table and grabbed a remote looking thing and laid it next to his hands and pointed to the red cross button on it, "Just hit that button if you need anything. I'll be right back."

Then she turned and left and Ed didn't bother to give a thumbs up in response, it would take too much effort on his part. He stubbornly refused to let his eyes closed, he didn't want to sleep and even if he worried about the next five or ten minutes giving his mind enough time to think about all the negative scenarios he wanted to believe the nurse, he wanted to know they were all alright. When she came back in he was grateful that the panic had yet to set in again and she offered him a smile.

"They will be up here in less than five minutes, can you hold out that long Edward?"

He gave another one of his thumbs ups and she nodded, "Good. Now do you want to try and sit up some? If we keep that foam cushion of yours behind you I think we can still manage to sit you up without ripping or tearing that wound you have."

Ed flexed his hands and ground his teeth to force back the groan of pain threatening to sound and the nurse offered another smile before she set the small cups she had on the bedside table. She walked over to him and slowly reached out for the restraints, Ed forced a deep breath and held still while she undid them once they were no longer tied to the bed rail Ed shifted a bit with his hands placed on the mattress.

The nurse reached out and grabbed his right arm, "Hold on a minute, you don't want to lift up that way it's going to cause you a lot of pain. Let me help you alright?"

With a lot of careful shifting and maneuvering and the help of the nurse they eventually got Ed into a seated position. She raised the bed up so that it was easier for Ed since he was still too weak to hold himself upright for very long and he sank back with a sigh and then lifted his right hand to the oxygen mask. She gave another smile at that and pulled it off careful not to let it catch in his hair and then she walked around the bed and opened a drawer in the other bedside table and pulled out an oxygen hose, the kind that had the hooks that went in someone's nose.

By the time she finished with that there was a light knock on the door. Ed turned his head and he felt a calming wave of relief flood through him at the familiar sight of Al, Winry, and his father standing there. There were timid smiles on their faces and Ed opened his mouth to say something but then his gaze turned back to the nurse when she placed a finger over his lips and it was then he noticed she was actually wearing gloves.

"I wouldn't try that voice of yours just yet sweetheart, lets' give you your meds and then I will change out the fluids and you can visit with them. But don't push yourself too hard, you still need a lot of rest."

Ed gave her a slight nod, at least some of the pain he'd woken up to earlier was becoming more bearable, he didn't know if it was any less than before but he found it easier to ignore. It was Hoenhiem that stepped forward to stand at the side of the bed on Ed's right when the nurse did just as she'd said. She changed out the antibiotics and then helped him take the two pills on the bedside table. Ed found that he couldn't swallow that much water and detested that because he was thirsty as hell.

She just continued to smile, "Don't worry dear, in a day or two you will be able to drink all that you want to. Now that you're awake and can finally visit with your family and friends I'm going to talk to your doctor and ask him to come speak with you and your dad."

Hoenhiem looked at her then with a polite smile and Ed felt like flinching back but didn't when his hand was suddenly seized by Winry who was there at his side. Al came over to the other side of Ed and there were tears in their eyes but Ed was grateful that they weren't all out crying, he hated trying to console people, he was never any good at it and it made him feel awkward and helpless.

"I know he's constantly been having blood and antibiotics given to him through his I.V. but why the wait on an all out blood transfusion?"

"There were some risk factors and we also needed to wait for the blood to arrive, your son has a very rare blood type Mr. Elric. I am going to speak with his doctor and inquire whether or not the blood has arrived and then we will go from there. There will have to be a few tests run before the transfusion can take place, normally from one hour to two and then the transfusion itself takes four hours."

"Does it hurt," Ed rasped out with a voice that was just as raw and hoarse as his throat felt.

"It might at first but it will get better and if it gets too bad we can give you something for the pain. Now, don't talk too much and drink only a little bit at a time of that water, if you want to lie back down again let your dad help you move, don't strain yourself. I'll be back or the doctor will come see you when I get some news alright dear?"

Ed gave a slight nod, he didn't care if he was acting like a little kid, he felt too horrible to give a damn about appearances. He didn't pull his hand free from Winry's when the nurse walked out and he shifted his gaze to Hoenhiem. Hoenhiem gave him an obviously relieved smile while his eyes tried to convey that everything was going to be alright. Al had jumped into action when the nurse left and he went looking through the doors searching for something until he came up with a dry erase board and a small marker.

Al turned to grin at Ed who smiled in return and reached out for the board.

"That way your voice can heal from that respirator thing they had in you. Brother, how are you really feeling?"

Ed grinned and wrote on the board then turned it back to Al, it read _Alright, just sore, weak, and tired._

"That doesn't sound like alright to me brother," Al said with his hands on his hips and a glare. Ed tried to laugh but it turned into a short coughing fit. He waved Al's worried look off and erased what he'd written by pulling up on the blanket over him and using that. Then he wrote, _It's my lungs, they are trying to expand so I cough, nothing to be worried about Al._

Al looked at Winry who moved to sit on the edge of the bed still holding Ed's hand in her own, Winry nodded to him.

"He's right Al, because his respiratory system failed to pump enough oxygen into his blood because of the amount of blood he'd lost it has to build its' strength back. Coughing is a way to exercise your lungs and will make it easier for his body to build up the oxygen in his blood and replace the blood he's lost. He's already had two blood transfusions, one when he arrived and then another during surgery. They are slowly giving him blood right now," she nodded to the bag of blood from the I.V.

"He has more coloring now than he did the last time and he does look better too," Al commented with a soft smile. Ed returned the smile and reached for Al's hand. Al took it and with a gentle shake they released hands and Ed looked back to Winry and then to his board and erased it to write, _Are you alright, they didn't show up and hurt anyone did they after I passed out?_

Winry exchanged glances with Hoenhiem and then smirked when she looked back at Ed, "I knew that was on your mind. I kept telling your doctor not to keep you drugged up, to let you see us when you were conscious, but he . . . I don't like him," Ed knew she was about to say something his father was probably not going to like hearing. It wasn't just him that cussed a lot, when it was just him and Winry she could rival him in the different types of insults that came from her mouth.

"But we're fine son, none of us were hurt by them and they were arrested."

Ed glanced at his father and gave a nod then set to his board again, this time writing out _What's being done about this?_

"A lot, to tell the truth. I don't think you need to know right now. You have other visitors waiting downstairs. Naruto, Sasuke, Mrs. Uchiha and her oldest son are waiting to see you."

Ed erased the board again and then wrote out _I don't want all three of you to leave._

Hoenhiem smile, "Alright, one of us will stay here with you. We're going to be staying here with you at the hospital anyway. I have to stay here as your father."

"I'll go stay with Naruto," Al piped up and Winry, Ed, and Hoenhiem looked at him surprised. Al smiled and explained, "I want to give Ed and Winry a chance to talk and he's my brother so I have to see him all the time," Al ended that with a playful smile directed at Ed.

Ed glared at Al _Thanks little brother, I love you too._

Al laughed and it made Ed feel a bit better then Al further explained, "Besides, I really want to have a chance to tell Sasuke happy birthday and I can come back with them tomorrow."

Hoenhiem smiled, he knew why Al was really volunteering to leave and how hard it must be for him. He and Ed had already been through so much and always stuck together. Al was playing it off as though it was for simple reasons, but it was because Al wanted to give his brother and Winry a chance to spend time together before Winry had to leave. It didn't matter if they were still going to be able to see each other again, it was the simple fact that Winry would be further away and there was also the possibility that all of them could end up not seeing one another again.

Hoenhiem cleared his throat, "Alright, well I'm going to take Al back down and speak with Mrs. Uchiha and have Naruto call his folks to confirm that Al can stay with them and then I will send them up to see you. I'll be back up shortly."

Winry nodded with a smile and then Al walked around the bed and gave her a hug before walking back to Ed's left side and giving his a careful hug. Al smiled brightly at Ed, "Love you brother, I'm glad you're going to be alright."

Ed wrote out just before Al left _Of course, was there really any doubt._

Al laughed again, "Guess not, you're always alright brother," then Al walked out with Hoenhiem.

Ed turned to Winry, the pain meds were helping but now that he'd seen everyone and his frantic thoughts were settled his mind had cleared. _What is really going on and what's really going to happen?_

"I don't think I should-"

_Come on Winry, I can handle it, I'm not a little kid and you know that I'm more mature than most._

"That's not the point, if I tell you and you can handle it then you're going to have to talk to those detectives sooner and I'm scared to tell them everything."

_Scared to tell them everything. Damn it Winry, what the hell was all this shit for then? You want to go back to that hell you were living in all this time? You want to give them a chance to hurt you again?_

Winry released his hand and stood up shaking her head, "No, I don't. But what if they get out, what if they come after me or you since it was because of you that anyone is even trying to do anything now. I was living with that since I left the orphanage and I just-I . . . I don't know how else to live, I'm confused and lost and how am I supposed to try to live a normal life when I never have and it's . . . It's too much right now . . . "

"Winry," Ed rasped out and she turned back to look at him with tears glistening down her cheeks, her eyes were wild and frightened and Ed raised his right hand up and held it hovering in the air there. Winry looked at his hand and then her eyes traveled up to meet his and she eased her way back to the bed and sat down there on the edge. Ed lowered his hand and she let out a sigh and quickly wiped away the tears before she turned her gaze to stare at the floor, "I feel like a little kid, here I am crying and you're the one who's-"

Ed stopped her by nudging her with the board and shook his head, she looked down to see his sprawled handwriting there. _Don't try to make this seem like I'm the one who's hurting more than you, I know you're pretty damn selfless, another reason you never said anything. They hurt you for years Winry, its' time they paid for that._

"They hurt you too Ed," Ed shook his head and erased the board then wrote out _Not nearly as much as they've hurt you, this is nothing compared to what you've been through. I really do know how it feels to be trapped in something horrible and how frightening it is when you get a chance to escape. When you go through something like that, its' hard to believe its' real when you get a chance to escape._

"How do you-" Winry was cut off when there was a light knock at the door and Ed and Winry's exposed emotions closed off as they looked to see a smiling Mrs. Uchiha standing there in the doorway. Sasuke was held at her side by her firm grip on his arm and Ed smirked at the display earning him a dark glare from his friend. Mikoto walked fully into the room and right over to Ed's bed and leaned down to place a light kiss on his forehead making him blush in embarrassment, he offered his own glare at Sasuke when he noticed the smirk on his face.

"I'm glad you're doing better Edward-kun, it's good to see you up and awake."

Ed erased the board _Thanks Mikoto-san._

She continued to smile at him and then she turned to introduce her older son, "This is Itachi-kun, he came down for Sasuke-chan's birthday."

"Mother, do you really have to use that honorific," Sasuke asked indignantly.

Mikoto glared at him and then went back to smiling as Itachi stepped forward. He inclined his head in a slight bow and said, "It's a pleasure to finally meet you Elric-san, my parents and outoto speak very highly of you."

Ed had the decency to flush in embarrassment once more and quickly responded _Ed or Edward is fine and thanks, pleasure to meet you too._ One thing was for certain, the board allowed him to reply without his usual flustered stuttering or inputting 'Umm's and Uhh's.' Itachi smirked and then said in the usual stoic tone of voice Ed had become accustomed to hearing from his time around Sasuke, "Of course Edward-san."

Ed scowled, it was definitely a fact, all Uchiha's were bastards and loved to embarrass him. The whole san thing at the end was over the top, there was no need to address him in the Japanese equivalent of sir. Winry laughed softly from where she sat on the edge of his bed and he turned his scowl to her. She just laughed louder and it was Naruto that broke through at the next moment with a cheerful hello and bounded across the room to bounce onto the bed.

Ed was ready to kill him after that, his less than soft landing jostled the bed enough to jostle him and then he felt a sharp pain shoot right through his injured leg, the wound in his back, and the gash in his arm and travel straight through the rest of his body in sharp, unrelenting amounts of pain. He closed his eyes tightly and clenched his fists and then gritted his teeth to hold back the cry of pain that want to rip through his vocal cords.

When he opened his eyes at the sudden loud yelp and bang he saw that it was actually Winry that had seized Naruto from the bed and had punched him straight in the face and was now straddling him on the floor with her hand raised in an attempt to punch him again. Ed watched as he took in several deep breaths to try and make the pain ebb away or ease up on him and noticed that Sasuke was standing next to his bed with his hands in his pockets looking at him. When Ed glanced at him Sasuke turned his attention back to Winry and his best friend on the ground at her mercy.

"You idiot, he's hurt enough as it is, think before you act," she reached down and seized his shirt in her hands and shook him, "I know you're the class clown but now is not the time for you to be horsing around."

"Oh my, this is certainly something to walk in on," a voice Ed recognized called from the doorway. Ed turned his gaze towards the nurse standing there with a smile on her face. She turned her gaze from Ed once Winry released Naruto and got to her feet, she returned to sitting on the bed next to Ed once more and gave the nurse an innocent smile that threatened to make Ed scoff in disbelief. How could she go from threatening and beating up on Naruto to smiling innocently at the nurse, that took some talent.

He nearly laughed at his own train of thought but thought better of it when he remembered how much it hurt to cough. The nurse came over to his bedside as Mikoto and Itachi cleared the way. Sasuke pulled Naruto to his feet who was rubbing at his jaw where Winry had hit him. "She's hits pretty hard," Naruto glared at Sasuke, "how could you just stand there and let her hit me teme, your supposed to be my best friend."

Sasuke shrugged, "You deserved it."

"Bas-" Naruto stopped when he received a glare from Mikoto and the nurse who was working at unwrapping the bandage around Ed's arm. Ed smirked when Naruto looked to him and Naruto narrowed his eyes at him, Winry cracked her knuckles casually and Naruto looked away quickly. Ed really wished he could laugh, it was always entertaining to see Winry knocking the hell out of Naruto when he was an idiot and the continuing pain from his leg and back made him wish he wasn't hurt just so he could kick Naruto's ass himself.

The nurse had finally finished unwrapping the wound and Ed glanced at it, ignoring the fact that everyone else had turned their gazes to zero in on the wound as well. There were six neat stitches through the gash and the skin looked mildly irritate around the wound, it didn't hurt that much when you compared it to the other injuries at least. The nurse turned her gaze to him, "Is your arm bothering you any?"

Ed shook his head and she nodded, "Good, I'm going to apply some anti-septic to it and then put a clean bandage on it. I will need to have a look at your other injuries as well," she paused to look around the room. "All of you will need to wait out in the hall for that, it shouldn't take that long."

Before Naruto or Winry could try to protest Mikoto spoke up, "Of course."

The nurse nodded with a smile and then she stood fully and walked back to that bedside table from before and opened the skinnier drawer at the top and pulled out a few things. She opened the drawer beneath it and did the same, again it took Ed a moment to realize that she had gloves on. It must be some hospital sanity policy or something, the only time she didn't keep the gloves on was when she gave him his meds or changed out whatever was hooked up to his I.V., guess the bags were enough to keep things sanitary.

She carried everything back to the bedside table at Ed's right and set them down, picked up what Ed knew to be an alcohol swab and then some sort of metallic looking tube that he took to be the hospital issue neosporin and a gauze pad and roll or medical tape. She put the gauze and tape in the pocket at her hip on her shirt and then opened the swab and proceeded to clean the wound on his arm. It burned but not too much and Ed didn't even notice that Winry had seized his hand again. If it wasn't for the fact that she'd done that earlier and it actually helped him stay pretty calm he would have been embarrassed or protested the notion.

After that she squeezed some of whatever was in that tube onto her finger and lightly applied it to his arm, closed it, put it in her other pocket then brought the gauze and tape out. She opened the gauze, situated it, and taped it down then threw away the trash and looked around at everyone. Mikoto ushered everyone out and looked at Ed as she stood in the doorway, "I could stay in here with you if you like Edward-kun."

Ed contemplated it and then glanced at the nurse. The nurse nodded, "She's an adult for one, and a mom for another, its' fine if you want her to stay in here."

Ed nodded very subtly and Mikoto offered a gentle smile and closed the door before turning back towards him and crossing the room to stand at his bedside. The nurse looked at Ed, "I'm going to check your leg wound first and then your back."

Ed nodded, this was the first time he'd be fully conscious for this bandage changing thing so he didn't know what to expect or how much it would hurt. He glanced at the nurses name tag when she grabbed the blanket and sheets to pull them down so she could see his injured thigh. Ed flushed at the fact that he only had boxers and the crappy gown on now that the blanket was pulled back. But Glenda, as her tag said, kept a professional and concentrated expression on her face and he felt the flush fade. Mikoto stepped forward and brushed back his bangs and he looked up at her, she smiled and moved her hand to rest on his shoulder in a comforting gesture.

In those few moments Glenda had removed the bandage from Ed's thigh and when he looked back down he grimaced. His skin around the wound was dark purple and there were staples in his leg instead of stitches. His skin was also red and swollen where the staples went in and he looked for his board only to have Mikoto hand it to him. Ed wrote out _Why staples and not stitches_ while Mikoto said something to the nurse, "Glenda-san, Ed-kun has a question for you."

Glenda looked up, "The wound was pretty deep so they wanted to be prepared. When it heals some more they will take out the staples and probably add stitches instead."

"How deep was the wound," Mikoto asked.

"Hmm, I believe it was at least four inches deep. That was one of the reasons he lost so much blood. One of the blood vessels was hit and there's a significant amount of nerve and muscle damage. It's going to be a while before Edward will be able to walk on it."

Ed grimaced and Mikoto chuckled, "Will he need to use clutches or a wheelchair?"

Glenda continued to work and Mikoto glanced at Ed when he hissed as she cleaned the wound and applied the medicine to it. "Considering where the wound is as well as the wound on his back which is much more serious, I'd say he is going to have to be confined to a wheelchair. It's going to take at least two weeks for the wounds to heal fully enough for there to be no risk that he will rip them open again. But even after that he will still need to use a wheelchair. It's going to take a little longer for the muscles in his leg and nerves in his back and leg to heal enough for him to even want to attempt to walk again. The wound to his back was close to his spin and they had to stitch the ligaments to his vertebrae as those were damaged as well."

"I take it that its' policy for the attending nurses to be aware of their patients cases, how is it you can remember the details with Ed-kun when you surely have many other patients as well?"

Glenda finished bandaging Ed's leg and stood up while she answered with a smile, "Thank you Mrs. Uchiha for the compliment. It's a lot of work and it is also policy for the nurses to know in case anything should happen we can alert the doctors. I think of it as experience and practice when it comes to remembering, plus Edward has grown on me since I saw him," she turned a smile to Ed. Ed blushed and looked away and Mikoto gave a light laugh, "Yes, he can be a dear when he wants to. I think it has more to do with the pain medicine than anything, he's never taken well to being helped or taken care of."

Glenda laughed then and looked at Ed, "Is that so? Well I'll have you know that if you prove to give me any trouble I'll have to let you see the side my kids at home see when they are difficult."

Ed swallowed and Glenda laughed kindheartedly, "Let's get you turned over and tend to that wound on your back. Let us help you move, don't start doing it yourself or you're just going to make it worse on yourself."

Ed gave her a nod, his leg was throbbing incessantly but it did feel a bit better with a clean bandage and that medicine was dulling the throbbing some, at least it had stopped the stabbing pain from earlier. He tried to help as much as the two women allowed him to and it took nearly twenty minutes to get him onto his stomach. Glenda untied the gown and pushed it off to the side so that his back was bare and Ed shivered from the cold air hitting his back.

He turned his head so that he rested a side of it on the bed and could look at Mikoto who was now sitting at his side, she'd pulled a chair up next to the bed and was now threading her fingers through his still lose hair. It was one of the few ways to get Ed to relax and stay calm and something mom's usually did because they knew that worked with kids. It probably was also because Ed could guess that maybe she'd had to console both of her sons on more than one occasion.

Mikoto looked closely at the wound on Ed's back, it the other two wounds looked painful then this one was agonizing. It was black and blue around the wound which was a violent red and swollen around the staple and it was also diagonal starting from his waistline at the small of his back and going to an angle towards his spine. The closest part near the spine was stitched with thick thread and there was dried blood, both new and old on his skin. Glenda was careful to remove the soiled bandage slowly so as not to pull at his skin or the staple and stitches.

It looked horrible, even though the wound was two days old it still looked really bad and Mikoto felt a rush of sympathy run through her, how grotesque. How could anyone do this to another person, make them have to feel such pain and have such a wound. As she looked at it and Glenda cleaned it with the alcohol her attention was brought back to Ed when he tensed and a weak, breathless, groan passed from his lips. Mikoto reached down and grabbed hold of Ed's hand and squeezed and he closed his eyes tightly and held her hand tightly. She continued threading her fingers through his hair soothingly with her other hand and leaned forward to whisper softly to him, "It's alright Ed-kun, just a little longer and it will be over."

Mikoto glanced at Glenda once more who gave a sympathetic smile as she applied the medicine and set to bandaging it once more. Mikoto looked back at Ed as another groan escaped him from the light bit of pressure Glenda had to apply to tape the gauze down, it wasn't directly over the wound but the bruising and swelling had to be rather poignant. When she finished she fixed Ed's gown and they spent another twenty minutes adjusting Ed on the bed so that he was lying down, he didn't want to sit up anymore and neither of them could blame him.

Mikoto lowered the bed and leaned forward to place a light kiss on his forehead and brushed back his bangs again, "You get some rest, I'll have everyone come say their goodbyes for the night and send Al-kun up here as well. He's going to stay with us since Naruto-chan is staying with us for the next two weeks while his parents are out of town. Don't push yourself, you need rest to build up your strength dear."

Ed gave a weak nod and smile and Mikoto offered her own smile. Mikoto turned to leave and then turned back to smile politely at Glenda, "I was wondering if I could talk to you for a moment outside Glenda-san."

"Of course Mrs. Uchiha."

The two walked out of the room and left the door cracked and Ed could hear muffled sounds of Mikoto and the nurse telling everyone something about making it short and quick so that he could rest or something. Ed tugged the blanket and sheets around him more securely and could feel his meds finally fully setting in and it made it harder to keep his eyes open and stay awake. Sasuke was the first one to come back into the room, it would probably be Winry that would be the last as she was staying anyway.

Sasuke came in alone with everyone waiting out in the hall, "I hope you feel better, it sucks that you're going to be stuck with-"

Ed waved his words off, "S'kay Sas'ke," Ed managed to rasp weakly and Sasuke let out an inaudible sigh. "I'm not good with this, they are doing something are they not?"

Ed nodded and Sasuke glanced at the door to see his older brother standing there smirking and huffed, "I'm gonna go, the two detectives working on this case are family friends, they went to school with nii- Itachi-san."

Ed smirked at the slip up, it did seem that Sasuke called his brother by an endearment and it wasn't often Sasuke showed his softer side. It was rare even around Naruto as the two fought and argued most of the time, it was like they were a married couple or something. Ed's smirk turned into a mischievous grin, he planned to ask Sasuke about that particular thing later. One would assume he was asexual but no one was really asexual after all and it was around the time everyone was going to start getting curious.

Ed was pulled out of his train of thoughts when Sasuke held out his hand towards Ed, "See you tomorrow."

Ed reached out tiredly and they shook hands, well as much as Ed could anyway and then Sasuke pulled back and walked out. Ed didn't expect him to say anything else, he was surprised by what words he did get out of him. Naruto was the next one in the room and he offered a bright grin and Ed couldn't help but to grin back. It was funny, Naruto was a year younger than him and that made him a year and a half or so younger than Sasuke but sometimes the kid could act like he was older. He stopped at Ed's bedside and rubbed his neck with a nervous smile, "About earlier, I'm really sorry about that, I didn't mean to hurt you, was just excited and happy to see you up and awake and that-"

"Stop. S'fine 'Ruto," his voice was getting better but it still hurt to talk and his voice was starting to slur badly with how exhausted he felt at the moment.

Naruto heaved a heavy sigh, "Thanks, I'll be more careful. I hope you get better soon and get some rest and that. Uh . . . I guess that's it. We're all coming back up here tomorrow, I don't know if the elder teme is coming with or not but yeah. So, see you later Ed and I won't get Al into any trouble. The Uchiha's are pretty strict so there's not much I can get into anyway," he ended on a laugh.

Ed nodded and Naruto came forward and shook his hand for a second then turned and left, he stopped at the door and said over his shoulder; "Don't do anything with Winry I wouldn't."  
Ed would have thrown something at him but there was nothing within reach so he just glared darkly and Naruto laughed and walked out. Itachi and Mikoto came back inside the room and Itachi offered a nod and said, "Take care," then left and Mikoto kissed his forehead and ruffled his bangs again and then she left with a smile and stern words for him to rest up and take care of himself.

Winry came back inside after that and closed the door then turned off the light and took residence in the chair Mikoto had moved to the bedside earlier. She smiled and said to him softly just before he closed his eyes, "Go to sleep Ed, I'll still be here when you wake up." He let those words sooth any frantic thoughts his mind might conjure up.

* * *

Mikoto sent Itachi, Sasuke, and Naruto back downstairs and told them to send Hoenhiem and Al back up so that Al could say a brief goodbye and goodnight to Ed. It was only four in the afternoon but with what she'd seen of his injuries and the paleness to his skin, even if she'd heard he had more coloring, and how weak he was, it was very unnerving and heartbreaking. She'd gotten to know Edward quite well as he was dragged to all of Sasuke's friends and Naruto's friends birthday parties for Sasuke or Al's sakes. She'd gotten to know that what the schools and anyone else said was mostly true. Of course with Roy being her brother she'd heard quite a bit about Edward including the story from his past as that came a natural knowledge for academic reasons.

She glanced in the small window of the room to see Winry had turned off the lights and was sitting in the chair at Ed's side watching him sleep with a tranquil look on her face. It was doing the young woman well to be around Ed and she would make sure to get her story as well so that she may possibly be able to help her.

Glenda broke her out of her thoughts, "Do you mind waiting until Mr. Elric arrives, for legal reasons mostly."

"Of course, that's perfectly alright. As you can tell I'm worried and wish to know all I can about Ed-kun's condition for obvious reasons."

"I understand, he is a friend of your sons and from what many know about your family he's also a prized student of your brothers' as well as the older brother of your sons' best friends' friend, if that makes any sense."

Mikoto and Glenda shared a laugh and then Mikoto said, "Ah yes, there's all of that of course. He's also a very special young man and he's grown on me and my family."

"I would say so, I've known him for all of twenty-four hours and I already want to do all I can. But of course as you pointed out earlier, he's not always this pleasant."

"He has manners of course, but usually his very rambunctious and outspoken, it comes with him being very independent."

"Hello ladies," Hoenhiem called from a few feet away, they turned to him with pleasant smiles and Al said hello to them before looking pointedly at the door. Glenda laughed and nodded,

"Go ahead young man, he may be sleeping however."

"Could you give us a moment to talk amongst us adults Al-kun?"

"Yes Mikoto-san, of course," Al said politely before stepping forward and easing his way into Ed's room. Once the door was closed behind him Hoenhiem and Mikoto turned to Glenda. Glenda smiled and held up a hand, "Give me a moment and I will go get his chart to make sure what I'm saying is factual. I know how hard it is to get all the details from the doctors so I'm going to try and tell you all we have on his condition."

Hoenhiem and Mikoto nodded and watched her walk away and then Hoenhiem turned to Mikoto, "How, better yet, what did you do to get her to tell us everything Mikoto-san?"

"My and my husband's family name have a lot of sway, I'm sure it was enough persuasion for her to see me and my son's in person. We normally get the best possible service and therefore many are more than willing to go over the top and making sure we are well informed."

"Ah, have you dealt with hospitals before?"

"I have, for more than fortunate reasons like giving birth. Our influence and power does make enemies after all."

"Yes, it does seem that way," Hoenhiem said tonelessly and Mikoto watched him in silence but before she could ask him about it Glenda walked back over to them.

"Do you have any specific questions?"

"Have you managed to get in touch with Ed's doctor?"

"I have, but he's in surgery at the moment. He was called to the E.R. earlier today and he's been there since."

"What is this doctor's name?"

"Dr. Vaso, Mrs. Uchiha."

"Ah, I recall this doctor, he's an arrogant man, but as he did save Ed-kun's life I can overlook his usual attitude."

"It would be greatly appreciated Mrs. Uchiha."

"Can you give us the details of the surgery and what Ed is going to be going through from here on out?"

"Of course Mr. Elric. The surgery had some complications. Of course you're aware that his blood loss was a major concern. I don't know if you were told but the reason for that wasn't because of an artery being hit but because of a blood vessel being damaged in his leg and his back. His arm is a deep wound but it's going to heal just fine. There was a good amount of nerve and muscle damage in both wounds and . . ." she glanced at the file in her hand and opened it. She took a few seconds to skim through the pages and then she said, "The ligaments were damaged in his back near his vertebrae and in his wounded leg. He's going to need physical therapy, that is an educated guess from my experience and what I know of injuries," she said as she looked back to both of them.

"How much pain is he going to be going through throughout all of this," Hoenhiem asked while trying to keep the emotion out of his voice.

"He's going to be in a lot of pain Elric-san. Nerve and muscle damage is very painful and while muscle damage can be repaired and the strength can be rebuilt there's little that can be done about nerve damage," Mikoto answered simply.

Hoenhiem sighed, "Thank you."

Glenda gave a sad smile and continued, "She's right, while we can repair most of the damage the nerve damage is something we can do very little about. The physical therapy is going to be very trying on him and it's going to effect his mood. He's going to need as much support as he can get throughout this and I know there's a legal case he is undoubtedly going to be a part of. I know that there is more than one person at stake here and I'm sure he's very strong willed, but try to make sure he doesn't push himself too hard, especially for the next two weeks."

"He does have a catheter in doesn't he?"

"Yes Mrs. Uchiha, he does and until the blood transfusion and the recovery from that I think it's going to remain that way. This morning I was able to take the oxygen mask off so he's breathing mostly on his own right now, I think he's going to make a really good recovery, as long as he doesn't over tax himself."

Both of them nodded and Glenda addressed Hoenhiem, "If you wish Mr. Elric, there is paperwork you can fill out to get some assistance paying for what it's going to cost to stay here at the hospital and pay for parking and food. I can also get some paperwork for you to talk to a social worker to help speed up the process of getting some assistance. I understand you do have health insurance so medical bills and prescriptions are fortunately taken care of. It's the least I can do considering how long you're likely to be here with your son."

"I would appreciate all you can do and everything you have done so far Miss Glenda."

Glenda smiled, "Of course, I work this floor from seven to seven six days a week. When I am here I will do all in my power to help you in any way that I can."

"How long will Ed-kun be here in the hospital?"

"At the very least I would say three weeks, at the most five."

"Is it going to be possible for Ed-kun to be present for the legal obligations?"

"In three or more weeks, we can allow the detectives to speak with him during visiting hours but any lawyers will have to wait until he is discharged."

"Thank you very much Glenda-san."

"Of course Mrs. Uchiha. Is there anything else I can do or any questions I can answer for you Mr. Elric?"

"Ah yes, the visitors' policy, I know normally the hospital only allows two overnight visitors to stay here, but Winry is temporarily in my custody and my son Al-"

"Say no more, I understand. I will get to that paperwork as soon as possible in case anyone else gives you any trouble and to alert the night staff. I heard that your youngest son would be going with Mrs. Uchiha for the night, I believe it would do him some good to get away from the hospital and get some rest."

"That brings up another thought, I know I have to be here as Edward's father, but should I have to leave for any reason, if even for a short period of time is there anyone that I can give permission to talk to the doctors or get information for?"

"I'm afraid not, unless they were blood related Mr. Elric I'm afraid that can't be done. I'm sure this is going to be very trying for you. While you are here I would be glad to keep a close eye on him but you're the only person with any authority with any of the paperwork or talking to the doctors."

"Thank you again Miss Glenda."

"Of course, have a good night Mrs. Uchiha and drive safely."

"Before you go, could you possibly give me your information, I wish to leave a formal thanks for your services."

"Of course, I will be right back with that information Mrs. Uchiha."

Glenda turned and walked away, she returned in a few more minutes with a sticky note and a quickly written name and phone number as well as her work number. Mrs. Uchiha thanked her once more and then turned to Hoenhiem, "You must have faith Elric-san, it's going to be rough for you but I believe that you and your boys will make it through this as well as Winry-chan. Call me if you need anything at all and I will be here bright and early with Al-kun in tow."

Hoenhiem smiled, "Thank you very much for everything you've done Mrs.-"

"Tut tut Mr. Elric, I told the boys earlier, Mikoto-san is fine."

"You may call me Hoenhiem then Mikoto-san."

"Of course, try and get some rest yourself tonight and make sure that you and Winry-chan eat well and sleep well, there's no need for your health to decrease at these times, much better to stay strong so you can be strong for Ed-kun."

Hoenhiem nodded, "Yes Mikoto-san."

Mikoto smiled and bowed her head to him, "May your days bring you as much solace and peace as possible. Thoughts and well wishes to you and yours will be ever present in our minds and hearts."

"I wish you the same and drive carefully Mikoto-san."

"Always do take care, I will wait here for Al-kun."

Hoenhiem turned from her and went into Ed's room trying to stay as quiet as possible, and nodded to Winry who was watching him as he walked in. Al got to his feet from where he was kneeling at Ed's side holding his hand and he squeezed his brothers hand before turning to Hoenhiem. "He's sound asleep at least, brother sleeps through everything, but he's usually sensitive to my presence."

Hoenhiem nodded in understanding and offered a smile to which Al returned before his son stepped forward and gave him a hug. Hoenhiem returned it and then pulled back to look at Al directly, "I don't have to tell you to behave yourself and stay out of trouble, but please call me or send me a text or whatever those things are when you get there."

"I will dad, I'll even let you know when I'm going to bed too, I love you, take care of brother and Winry until I come back alright?"

"Of course Al. I love you too, now go on, Mrs. Uchiha is waiting for you."

Al hugged him again and Hoenhiem smoothed his hair down as he hugged him back, Al gave a hug to Winry and a smile and then he made his way quietly out the door. As Hoenhiem watched him leave he idly wondered how he could have left and never cherished what time he could have had watching his son's grow up. There was so much he didn't know about them, so much they had to have been through that he didn't know and he should know because he is their father. What really made him think in such a way was more than Ed being injured . . . His oldest son was so strong, so protective, and mature even if he had temper problems and seemed angry all the time. Ed had proved time and again that he knew how to take care of Al, how to console him, how to let Al know only the need to know. Ed could make selfless decisions without thinking of the consequences to himself and protect others.

_Ed is rash, outspoken, independent, strong, hell stronger than any of us could ever hope to be at times. He constantly brushes offenses aside after some time and he's able to be there and lead and take charge and protect anyone that needs it without thinking about it. How in the world did my son get such strength, where did he learn to do such things, has he always given all of himself in everything he does? Even the simplest, easiest of things, like standing up for a friend or doing school work, or playing the violin?_

_He always just throws himself headfirst into everything and so many people seem to see the same incredible person Ed is and will continue to be when they meet him or even just see him. I have two sons to be very proud of, both are brilliant, talented, ambitious, strong, devoted, loyal, selfless in their own ways, and they are my sons above all else. I hope one day that I can be forgiven for having left them to face their mothers' illness and death alone and whatever they had to live through to survive until I returned. I hope they can forgive me for making them leave Britain and come to the States and start all over again. I have confidence one day Al will truly and fully forgive me if he doesn't already, even if he really shouldn't, but I don't think Ed will even if he knows why I had to leave._

Three hours went by at a crawl and Winry discovered that Ed snored, lightly so it wasn't too bad, but he still sored and she was going to jot that down in her mind as one of the many things she could use to tease her best friend. She spent a lot of time picking on him, teasing him, talking to him, thinking about him, wondering what he was doing. She wondered how recent this was or how long Ed would occupy most of her thoughts. Even when seeing him weak and frail and hurt in the hospital he still looked strong and like a protector to her, she'd never admit that aloud, Ed's head was often big enough on its' own. But she supposed he acted that way for his own reasons, it was now, when he was pretty much defenseless that she could see another side of Ed that she had never see before.

Here, lying in a hospital bed, depending on others, he was just like everyone else. He was a twelve year old kid in need of help and protecting and rather than seeing it as weak she saw it as endearing and brave because it also took strength to accept help. She grimaced internally to herself, _It takes strength to accept help_, she knew that now, could see it because of Ed. What he'd said earlier, his attempt at consoling and complimenting and helping made sense to her. She owed it herself and the Elrics and everyone else trying to help all of them to tell them the truth. She had to open up and she had to trust everyone around her to help her and keep her safe and from having to go back.

She was going to have to apologize to the detectives, Dr. Harrison, and Miss Rachel and Kazuha. She'd behave poorly and immaturely and she really was better than that. If Ed could accept help and he was proud, independent, and strong then she definitely could because she certainly didn't feel that way. Ed was hurt because he'd protected her, he'd risked his life and nearly lost it to try and get her out of the situation she was in, to prevent her foster parents from hurting her anymore and she wasn't going to let that go to waste.

Her mind made up she finally let her thoughts settle down and closed her eyes intent on trying to get some sleep even if someone came in the room every hour to check Ed's temperature, pulse, and blood pressure, she was really tired. She'd slept very little in the last two days with everything going on and spinning out of control and her body needed rest, demanded it. She opened her eyes to study Ed's sleeping, relaxed face for a moment and then her eyes slid shut and she fell into dreams about a possible, happy future that may just be attainable now.


	9. Chapter 9

**Disclaimer: I don't own Fullmetal Alchemist, hell I don't own the title to this fan fic. FMA belongs to Arakawa-sama and the title and song belong to the writers, editors, and whatnot of Martina McBride. I do not condone abuse nor am I a fan of it. I also do not own any characters from Naruto or familiar characters from other series, they belong to Kishimoto-sensei and their respective artists.**

_A/N: Dark themes, child abuse, violence, language. This story is fictional and should it offend anyone please do not read. Flames will be used to make smores and comments and constructive criticism is welcome. This story is un-beta'd and edited by me. Oh, and here's a shocker, Hoenhiem is the good parent in this, OMFG. lol._

**Chapter 9**

_We embrace love . . . . . .  
Heaven, too, is merely our creation.  
We can grant ourselves our own salvation.  
All that's required is imagination._

_**-The Book of Counted Sorrows**_

Winry was startled awake by a groan and she opened her eyes and stared directly at Ed, he's somewhat rolled over and she leapt forward and caught hold of his wrists and pulled him back towards her. Golden eyes shot open and he looked panicked for a minute but when his eyes met hers he calmed. Winry released him, "You scared the shit out of me, don't do that."

"Couldn't help it," Ed replied, his voice was still raw and he glanced towards the glass of water on the table, Winry sighed and took hold of it and then helped him drink some before putting it back and sitting in the chair once more. The two of them had slept through most of the day and then all night after eating dinner. Now it was early morning on the third day Ed was in the hospital. The color was back in his skin, well as much as it would be with the whites all around him. Winry let out a yawn as she stretched her arms over her head and then looked around the room.

Hoenhiem wasn't present but she didn't feel unsettled about that, he could have gone to get some coffee or perhaps they'd slept late enough for visiting hours to start and he was greeting everyone in the waiting room. Ed let out a rough sigh and shifted to try and sit up. Winry was on her feet and helping him without thinking about it and together they managed to maneuver him and Winry figured out how to lift the bed into a sitting position.

"Sucks," Ed murmured and Winry nodded, "I agree, it does suck. Hospitals smell funny and no one is hardly here for good reasons."

Ed let out one of his coughing laughs and laid his head back to stare at the ceiling, "That too. Feel too mellow."

"Well they do have you on a lot of drugs. But you're hurt so that's normal, your going to be here for a while."

"'Ow long?"

"A few weeks probably, I doubt they'll let you leave until your wounds close because of where that wound on your back is. But you do look better today, more alive and awake than yesterday. You slept most of the entire day yesterday."

"So did you," Ed replied with a smirk.

"Your voice is recovering pretty well you brat."

"Older 'n you."

"So what? You're still a brat. I bet you're going to have a lot of visitors today, those detectives were in a hurry to see you."

"Runnin' from 'em, s'at why you were-"

"No. I'm not running from anyone, I was worried about you and they wouldn't let me see you while you were in I.C.U. because I'm not family-"

"Are too, best friend."

"Thanks, but that doesn't weigh anything with I.C.U. and their rules. Besides, I get to see you now and I wanted to make up for lost time from the day before."

"Gonna be a doctor 'N'ry?"

"One day, maybe, I haven't decided yet. But I plan to have a career that has something to do with medicine."

"Should, brilliant," Ed's voice was slurring and Winry looked up to see Ed's eyes closing. A gentle smile crossed over her face then, she could get used to Ed being drugged up. He was much easier to get along with and talk to, and he kept giving her compliments. She wondered if he would remember any of them later on when he was no longer being fed medications.

* * *

Harvey and Jimmy both looked up from their desks across the room from each other when Kairi and Sora walked into the office. There was a bandage on the side of Kairi's neck covering the cut, it wasn't very deep but it could still get infected and it had to make it irritating to move her neck a certain way. The swelling in her face had gone down but she still had a split lip and their was still bruising around her left eye and right cheek. Her wrists had been bruised as well but she was stubborn and a hell or a lot stronger than most thought of her.

Which was why they weren't too surprised to see her walking over to them with her husband in her casual woman's suit beneath the doctors coat she wore. She gave them a brief smile and then she took the chair in front of Jimmy's desk and leaned forward on her elbows, "Did you two find everything we needed for this case or not?"

Jimmy turned back towards his computer and grabbed the two manila file folders sitting next to his printer and turned back to her setting them on the desk in front of her as Sora took residence in the chair before Harvey's desk.

"There isn't much at all on the Elric's for the years between their mothers' death and their fathers' sudden reappearance."

"What do you have," Kairi asked casually.

"Well, I still haven't had any luck getting in touch with the Chief of Police in London to ask about a closed case Edward Elric was involved in."

"A case, but the kid couldn't have been more than seven, eight, or nine then."

"He wasn't, he was eight years old. They held him in solitary confinement for twenty four hours but even opening the case file doesn't give any reason why. That's cruel and unusual punishment even if Edward was originally arrested for assaulting a police officer in the first place."

"An eight year old being arrested on such a charge in very unlikely and pure bullshit," Harvey committed. "There was a dirty cop working with their police station and from the way they are avoiding and ignoring our attempts at inquiries I believe the son of a bitch is still there, might be the Chief."

"Exactly," Jimmy continued, "which is why I want to talk to him. I may have to go speak with him personally but I'm still trying to get through the red tape to do just that."

"If you and Rachel are going to take Winry into your custody then you won't be able to go, it will have to be Harvey that goes," Kairi said simply.

"She has a valid point, maybe I should push the director to let me go. The department head doesn't like me too much."

"You can't skip ranks Harvey."

"Yeah well . . . "

"Look, simply put, I need to know what happened and find that son of bitch that locked an eight year old kid up in solitary confinement for an entire day. I plan to bring up charges against this bastard and then we can ask around while in London about what went on with those boys after their mother died. Maybe we can get some information about Winry as well and try to solve the mystery of the lost year of her life."

"That sounds like a good plan, but its' getting it approved that's the problem Kudo. You know the boss is going to give you a hard time."

"We're detectives and we're handling a domestic juvenile disturbance and assault case. If they want us to do our jobs right then they need to give us the means to complete our assignment fully."

"Hey I'm not arguing at all, I'm just telling you how you already know its' going to be."

"Maybe if I get a chance to speak to both of them and talk to them I can get you the information you need, well their sides of the story anyway."

"I don't think seeing you right now is going to help them trust us, you're hurt and those kids are smart, they'll know why you were hurt."

"Miss Winry already knows and I'm sure that if she knows then Edward will know soon as well. There's also the gap between acts of violence of the Wethertons' parts we need to figure out, why did they wait so long to leave obvious evidence on the girl?"

Jimmy sighed, "Considering the influence and power the Elric name holds I believe that is obvious. There is also the sway that the Uchiha family has, as the eldest son is friends with the younger Uchiha heir. Then of course the younger Elric is friends with Naruto Uzumaki and that leads to another powerful and influential family. If one were to look back far enough you might find that the Elrics and Uzumaki's are related through the Namikaze bloodline. It's distant but definite."

Jimmy nudged the files towards Kairi, "Just read those, it has all the information I have so far, I've repeated myself ten times in the past three days."

* * *

"I see you're awake and feeling better than yesterday," Mikoto said with a smile as she walked into Ed's room in the early afternoon. Ed was sitting up in his bed and was flipping through channels before she walked in then he muted the t.v. and looked at her with a smile. Mikoto's smile brightened at the sight, it wasn't all that often Ed smiled genuinely at anyone but it did seem as though his stay in the hospital was opening him up a bit more which just showed how much stress and how traumatizing this was for him.

Winry was sitting on the edge of his bed and she also smiled at her as Mikoto took a seat in the chair next to Ed's bed, "How are you feeling today Ed-kun?"

"Better," thanks to eating and drinking plenty of fluids today his voice was only slight hoarse now when he spoke.

"That's good, has Glenda-san already been by to change your bandages and give you your medicine?"

"Yes," Ed said simply.

"Good. Your father and Al-kun are downstairs sorting through the belongings Rachel-san brought from your house. They have a surprise for you and I sent my boys to get you and Winry-chan some real food to eat for lunch."

Ed grinned at her then turned his grin to Winry, "Winry-chan?"

"Shut up Ed-kun," Winry snapped back with a smirk to the glare she received for that from Ed. Mikoto chuckled, "Now you two behave yourselves. I believe that Sasuke-kun decided on the choice of lunch."

"Nice, he has better taste than Naruto does."

"That's because Naruto eats mostly ramen," Winry replied to Ed's comment.

Mikoto chuckled again, "I would say you are feeling better and the mood has definitely infected us all. Naruto-kun does prefer ramen over just about everything else but he has quite the selection of ramen he can tell you about. His parents were mindful to expand his horizons on food and delicacies, though most of them hail from our home country of Japan and so are served only at my home or at his own. Perhaps you should stay with us for a while so you may have a go at trying authentic Japanese food Edward-kun."

Ed nodded, "That sounds uh . . . wonderful Mikoto-san."

"Very good, I do believe that when Sasuke-kun feels it is the appropriate time to bring it up he will inquire how you missed his birthday party and try to guilt you into spending some time at our home anyway."

"He would do that," Ed said with a huff. Mikoto chuckled once more and then she turned a smile at Winry, "You are of course invited Winry-chan, it would be our pleasure to have such a splendid young lady in our home gracing us with her presence."

Winry blushed, "Thank you Uchiha-san."

"Tut tut Winry-chan, Mikoto is fine."

Winry nodded but remained quiet as she turned to look at Ed, she clenched her hands at her side at seeing that he was holding back the urge to laugh at her expense and wished she could beat him over the head with something. Any retaliation was stopped when there was a light knock at the door. All three of them turned towards it to find that Al and Hoenhiem were making their way inside. Hoenhiem was carrying two duffel bags and Al had one slung over his shoulder and a case in his other hand that when Ed saw it his entire face lit up.

Al grinned at the look on his brothers face at that grin was catching when everyone else noticed the pleased look on Ed's face. Al set the bag he was carrying on the floor next to the ceiling high cabinet tucked into the far corner of the room where his father had set the other bags and then walked briskly to Ed's bedside to hand over the case in his hand. Ed took hold of it and opened the case once he set it on his lap. There was a slight grimace on his face from the case jostling his wounded leg but he ignored the pain as he looked at his violin.

Ed ran the fingers of his right hand lightly over the strings and then picked up the bow carefully and everyone watched with small smiles on their faces as Ed resigned the bow with precision that showed his expertise with the violin. Once he finished that he picked up the violin with his left hand and it was Al that grabbed the case and set it on the floor next to the bed to keep anyone from stepping on it.

Everyone except for Ed looked up when the door opened to admit Itachi, Naruto, and Sasuke each of them carrying a bag of food. The silence wasn't broken and when Naruto made to say something Sasuke used his free hand to put his hand over Naruto's mouth and gave him a stern look which silenced anything Naruto had to say. There was a low growl heard when Naruto licked the palm of Sasuke's hand covering his mouth and the younger Uchiha pulled his hand away with a scowl and wiped his hand off on his shorts.

Ed was tuning his violin while those three were entering the room not giving them any amount of his attention. Winry offered to help Ed but he managed on his own and put the violin in position. He pulled the bow across the violin a few times testing the notes and made little adjustments to the tuning. Ed closed his eyes and took in a deep breath and when he opened his eyes again he blinked as he finally noticed how closely and expectantly everyone was watching him. Ed smirked when a song came to mind, it was song he'd recently found the music sheets for, instead of a classical song like he usually played he decided on a slower song of a band called Nightwish he'd taken a liking to considering their outstanding orchestra music.

He glanced at Winry as he played through the first few notes and saw her lips turn up into a smile. Everyone else remained silent and watchful as Ed played through the song. He was good at memorizing the notes so he closed his eyes to picture them in his mind, as long as he'd been playing there was no need for him to have to watch what he was doing. The guitar pieces were incorporated into notes meant for the violin piece he'd wanted of the song. He came to the short solo and played it with a slight smirk on his face.

Hoenhiem could feel his heart swell with pride and love for his multi-talented son, it was one thing to watch how quickly and efficiently he poured over his studies and how gracefully, precisely, and quickly he could move when he was training with what he knew of martial arts. But this, to watch him as he played the violin, as music, advanced or even simple pieces flowed from Ed's fingers and the violin sounded it wasn't just the music itself but the look on his son's face, the joy and tranquil look in his eyes even if he kept his expression concentrated that truly brought meaning to hearing him play. Al would light up with love, adoration, and awe at hearing Edward play just because he saw much of the same thing as his father when Ed was playing.

Music had become a part of both of his sons and it was all because of their mother and the love she expressed very openly at hearing them play. They had talent and Hoenhiem had no doubt if they wanted they could become professional musicians, but neither of them showed any interest in participating in anything that would get them glory for playing music, they played because it was something they loved to do. They both brought so much happiness to the hearts of those that heard them and now was no different. Even the Sasuke, who was a very talented violinist, was in awe of hearing Ed play through music so flawlessly and with all of himself as Ed did everything with all he had. He never gave less than one hundred percent of himself in anything he did.

As the song began to fade Ed started up another song, this one Hoenhiem didn't know nor had he ever heard him play. This song was definitely much faster and it sounded a bit Irish as he played it. This time Al was the one with the knowing look on his face and when Hoenhiem turned his gaze to Naruto, Sasuke, and Itachi standing in front of the door he noticed the smirk on Sasuke's face which told him Sasuke knew the song as well. There was a light knock on the door but Ed's attention didn't waver as he continued to play. Itachi opened the door as Sasuke and Naruto stepped out of the way and Glenda came into the room, her face lit up in a smile as the sound of Ed playing the violin came to her and she didn't bother to close the door but just stood in the doorway.

The song was about four minutes long and when Ed finished playing his eyes opened and he turned a grin to Al and Winry as everyone in the room started to applaud him. Ed handed the bow and violin to Al who carefully put them back in the case and moved the case over to the leather chair tucked against the wall close to the cabinet. Glenda moved then and let the door close behind her as she made her way to Ed's side.

"That was quite something Edward, I never would have guessed you had such a splendid amount of talent."

Ed blushed and ducked his head and Winry gave a light laugh, it was a natural laugh that caused Ed to turn his gaze to her in slight surprise. She smiled brightly at him and then turned to Hoenhiem who was on the verge of asking what those two songs were Ed had played. She beat him to it when she said, "The first one was a song by Nightwish and the second was an Irish song called Trip to Galacia."

Hoenhiem smiled in turn and looked back to Glenda who was taking Ed's temperature, blood pressure, and pulse. She stood up fully once she finished and turned to everyone, "He's doing well, he's obviously feeling much better today."

"Is the doctor going to grace us with his presence today Glenda-san," Mikoto asked kindly.

Glenda gave a nod, "Yes Mrs. Uchiha, I just spoke with Dr. Vaso and he should be up here to speak with everyone at two o'clock."

"Arigato Glenda-san."

"Your welcome Mrs. Uchiha. I came here to also pass along a message from those two gentlemen, the detectives."

Hoenhiem glanced at Ed and Winry who were both remaining silent and watching Glenda intently. Al was watching his brother and everyone else was silently watching the exchanging of words between the three adults. It was Itachi the stirred the silence by finally moving towards the bedside table to set the food down on it causing Naruto and Sasuke to do the same.

"What is it they had to say Miss Glenda," Hoenhiem asked.

"It was Detective Kudo that asked me to relay the message. He said that once Dr. Vaso came to speak with you that he and Detective Heartwell would like a word with you and Miss Winry downstairs in the office. He also wanted you to know that Dr. Harrison has returned and she also wishes to speak with both of you."

Hoenhiem nodded and he looked to Winry who was looking at Ed, Ed grabbed the board and marker tucked behind his pillow and wrote something on it then handed it to Winry. She gave a solemn nod and let out a sigh before turning her gaze to Glenda, "I'll go," she said softly. Glenda smile softly at her and even Mikoto smiled at Winry's response. Ed smirked and Winry turned back to him to glare and erased the board to write something on it quickly before handing it back to him.

Ed glowered at her after he read it and she jumped off the bed when he tossed the marker at her. Mikoto, Glenda, and Hoenhiem all said indignantly, "Ed!"

Ed looked back at them and then away with a huff and a glare at Winry who just stuck out her tongue at him. Ed was about to mouth the word 'brat' to her but he stopped when Glenda broke the silence once more, "I can see that all of you are looking to enjoy lunch together, I will leave you to it and then I will be back when Dr. Vaso arrives."

"Thanks again Miss Glenda," Hoenhiem said as she turned to leave. She nodded to him and said, "You're very welcome," then left the room.

* * *

Five Hours Later . . .

Harvey, Jimmy, and Kairi walked along the hallway together on their way back to the detectives office area when Kairi stopped them by asking a question on her mind aloud.

"I wonder what kind of life they have to look forward to after all of this?"

"Probably one that will be peaceful for a while and then will end up with some hardships later down the road," Harvey commented.

"Harvey!" Kairi said indignantly with a glare.

Harvey shrugged, "I'm only going off what I know about these kids. The Rockbell family and the Elric family have a history together as well as their own individual reputations. It's not going to be an easy life for them should their parents or grandparents enemies or the enemies kids catch wind of where they are. Sure, they have friends in high places, but those friends have enemies too, influence and power and all that come with a price and usually means having to step on a few toes, intentional or not."

"Don't you just have so much know all about this?"

"He does actually, both of us and our wives know plenty about the cost of power," Jimmy commented casually before walking through the double doors. As they were told earlier Hoenhiem and Winry were waiting in the chairs in front of Kudo's desk and they got to their feet when the three came into view. After shaking hands and introductions between Kairi and Hoenhiem were made he and Winry took their seats again and Kudo walked around to his desk to take his seat. Kairi took a seat in the chair in front of Heartwell's desk while the detective sat in his own chair behind his.

"We did a bit of research on the history of both families as well as the records of both minors'."

"Where did you recieve the consent for such an invasion of privacy?"

Harvey sighed and was about to answer but again Kudo took the lead. "Mr. Elric, most everything we managed to learn was public record to begin with. To be completely honest my partner and I as well as Dr. Harrison would prefer to be prepared for anything that may be brought up in court should the Wethertons' lawyers bring it up. Of course, when things start going we may need to have more information so as not to be caught unaware."

Hoenhiem looked intently at Kudo before turning his gaze to Harvey who was sitting back in his cheer with a casual expression on his face. Though at first he'd thought both young men too young to be detectives he was finding with each encounter that they were not to be underestimated and were well aware and experienced in what they were doing. He turned his gaze to Dr. Harrison, she was a beautiful and obviously bright young woman. He decided that he would address her, "Do you believe this is the best course of action considering that two children are very much involved in what is going on, Dr. Harrison?"

Kairi gave a soft smile and a nod, "Yes Mr. Elric, I do. I know both of these detectives personally and I trust them with my very life. I know they will do nothing but protect your family and this young lady, they only wish to help you."

"How do we know you're not just saying that because they are your friends," Winry inquired haughtily.

"Even from a professional stand point what they are doing is in the best interest of yourself and the Elric family. I assure you that if Mr. Elric, you, or his son Edward felt threatened or wronged in any way that you are very well free to hire a lawyer and do as you wish to correct the wrongs. You can also tell us and should our explanations of anything we have done that feels wrong to you not be good enough then you may do as you wish and dismiss all of us from trying to help you or even go so far as to report us to our superiors."

Winry continued to stare at Kairi doubtfully and it was a few tense moments of silence before Winry finally gave a nod and said, "Fine."

Kairi turned her gaze to Hoenhiem who gave a curt nod and then turned his attention back to Kudo as he spoke once more; "I know you were told Mr. Elric that we require an interview with your son Edward," Hoenhiem nodded.

"Alright, we plan to have that word with your son as soon as we speak with both of you."

Harvey straightened in his chair and everyone turned to him when he finally spoke up, "Right. So, we basically wanted both of you down here because we wished to inform you of what is going to take place. Since social services and C.P.S. are involved there is not going to be too long of a wait period before the court date. That means we have to work fast to gather as much information as possible about both the pursicuting party and in Edward's case, his family as well as the history everyone has with school and any brushes with the law. We are going to need facts mostly but details would be nice to have since this is going to be a jury trial and we definitely want the jury to sympathize with us. Now, usually lawyers would handle all of this, but luckily . . . "

Kudo spoke up, "Being detectives isn't the only thing we excel in. We went to college but not to become detectives, we already had the credentials and experience on the field for that."

Hoenhiem looked between them then back to Kairi for an explanation. She let out a sigh and then said, "What they say is true, the smug, arrogant, guys they are. They can of course present proof of what they say should you ask."

Hoenhiem looked to them both expectantly and didn't miss the glare the doctor received from both for her comment. After a few minutes of digging around in their desks and then turning for the plagues beside their computers they looked back at her and then to Hoenhiem. Harvey held up his college diploma to show he had a bachelor's degree in Criminal Law and said casually, "These are the most recent cases I have won as a lawyer, we have a room with wall to ceiling filing cabinets of our other cases both as lawyers and as detectives."

Hoenhiem looked to Kudo who held out his plague to show that he had the same degree though his was obviously for Valedictorian. Kudo smirked at the glare Harvey gave him and Hoenhiem let out a brief chuckle, "It seems the two of you have a bit of a rivalry going."

"They always have, being best friends and rivaling detectives back home," she received a pointed look for that comment from both of them. Hoenhiem felt his interest and curiosity piqued but it was Winry that spoke up.

"Where exactly are you from? Besides if you are so accomplished why haven't I heard of you before?"

Kudo glared at Kairi then turned to Winry and Hoenhiem after exchanging a glance with Harvey who gave a breif nod and nonchalant wave of his hand.

"We are originally from Japan, I grew up in Tokyo and Harvey in Osaka. The reason you probably haven't heard of us is because you don't keep up with detective stories, Miss Winry."

"I can say neither do I Detective," Hoenheim replied smoothly.

"Well it could also be because our more famous cases were when we were in junior high and high school and under our Japanese names," Harvey commented casually.

"We will come back to that later, right now we need to discuss what is to be expected," Kudo said briskly.

"I agree, for now," Hoenhiem said calmly.

"By the time they get everything together to make whatever claims they will then Miss Winry will be in protective custody, therefore making my partner her attorney. Thus, I shall be the representative of your son and yourself, Mr. Elric, in court."

"How is that going to work, the two of you are also the investigative detectives."

"That's a good question. We could also go about this another way. We could have another attorney step in to represent one of the clients leaving myself or Heartwell open to take the position as the investigative detective, as you called us. We could recommend a lawyer, someone who's name you should recognize, who happens to be a big shot, a traveler, and who usually handles big, corporate cases but also owes us a favor. Or, we could call in another detective, give them the information needed, and go about it that way."

Hoenheim was starting to see why the elder Uchiha son got along so well with Kudo, they seemed to have some of the prideful, arrogant personalities. It was a bit irritating and he couldn't say he trust the young man despite his experience or friendship with the Uchiha family, even if he found said family trustworthy. Harvey cleared his throat and Hoenhiem looked to him.

"Excuse my partner, he has a bigger head than I do, most of the damn time, the arrogant prick. Basically, we know a really good lawyer and we know a really good detective who happens to have a smaller head than Kudo does. This lawyer guy we keep mentioning, names' Namikaze. He's the father of your son Al's friend Naruto. That detective, well she is . . . different, but good at what she does. She might be a bit irritated with us involving her, but hell she owes us a favor too."

"What's this female detective's name?"

"And why didn't Naruto say much of anything to you two if you are friends with the Uchiha family and know his father anyway," Winry asked before Harvey had the chance to answer Hoenheim's question.

Harvey sighed, "I couldn't tell you why that blond- uh well, I don't know, maybe you should ask him. Anyway, this detective is Kurenai Sarutobi. We helped out her and her partner, who happens to be her husband now so that's why we could call in a favor."

"Sarutobi? It seems as though you two know a lot of people in high places," Hoenhiem commented.

"We get around, it has a lot to do with us being detectives and powerful families usually have a brush with the law or need the law because they've had a brush with law breakers. It doesn't help when one of them gets involved in public service or another career of influence. That was originally how Kudo and Itachi became friends."

"You're not friends with Itachi," Winry asked curiously.

Harvey shook his head, "No. Half the time I don't know how I'm friends with Kudo when he has the habit of getting an inflated head most the time. But those two have a lot in common. I didn't spend much time around them, I usually hung around Mikoto-san, she's cooler than any of the guys in that family."

Winry and Hoenhiem exchanged smiles, they could agree with that but Winry caught herself and glared at Harvey. He shrugged and continued, "So, well, its' up to you. This is going to get rough and difficult, even though there is sufficient evidence, they are still going to ask a lot of hard questions and they are going to attack your personal lives. As for you Mr. Elric, you should expect to be grilled by some tough questions about your absence in your sons' lives after your wife died."

Hoenhiem nodded, "I understand. I was aware that may come up considering the two of you mentioned it before. What are the kids going to have to go through and how hard is it going to be on them?"

Harvey looked at Kairi and then back to Hoenhiem with a heavy sigh, "Mr. Elric. Its' going to be very trying on them, they will most likely be accused of making it up, lying, crying out for attention. There isn't really anything whatever lawyer representing the Wethertons' won't do to make it look like their clients are innocent and Miss Winry and Edward are guilty of telling stories. That's usually what they try to play it off as."

"Another thing to be aware of Mr. Elric," Kairi said as she looked at him directly, "is that anything from their past will be brought up. They will try to claim that there is something psychologically, mentally, and emotionally wrong with both of them. They will try to bring up any experiences the two have had and make that just cause for their claim that they are lying or crying out for attention."

Winry took a deep breath and closed her eyes. She told herself sternly that she was going to do this, she would go through with this. After that night of talking to Ed she'd already made up her mind and then earlier the message on the board, she'd promised that she would go through with this. She refused to back down, no matter how tough it got, she'd lived through that hell for so long, this was nothing, this was the last trial she'd have to face to finally be released from their reach where they could never hurt her again.

Everyone fell silent and Winry could feel their eyes on her, waiting for her reaction, her answer after what she had just been told what to expect. Winry took a few more moments to calm herself and strengthen her resolve to go through with this and then opened her eyes. She looked first to Hoenhiem then to the doctor and then to the detectives before her gaze turned back to Ed's dad.

"I'm tired of this, I don't want to have to survive anymore. I want it to end," though her voice was soft as she spoke everyone heard what she said. Hoenheim nodded and when Winry met his gaze she could see the pride clearly and she gave a brief smile before turning her attention to Dr. Harrison.

"Don't I have a evaluation?"

Kairi nodded with a proud smile, "Yes you do, are you ready for that now?"

Winry nodded as she rose to her feet, "The sooner the better."

* * *

Ed shifted on the bed again, he couldn't get comfortable no matter how he sat on the bed and Al, Sasuke, and Naruto watching him was making him even more uncomfortable. Sasuke and Naruto had moved chairs from somewhere, Ed wasn't paying attention before because they had done so when Mikoto and Itachi decided they wanted to talk to him. They were sitting next to each other across the bed from where Al sat in the chair that was always next to Ed's bed. Mikoto and Itachi had left nearly an hour ago Mikoto saying something about catching up with someone they knew.

Ed grimaced in irritation, that doctor was an asshole, he'd even managed to piss off his dad and Mikoto when he'd come in. Ed figured out that it had something to do with him being vague about his condition and what lay ahead of him as he recovered and Mikoto saying that they were well aware of mostly everything and why should Dr. Vaso sit there and not tell them everything. He said something Ed hadn't caught because he was thinking about how weird it was to see Itachi, who he really didn't know all that well, going off on the doctor for disrespecting his mother.

"Are you just going to sit there and glare at the wall," Naruto broke the silence.

Sasuke smirked, "Some people actually like silence to think, not that that is something you do often dobe."

Naruto turned to Sasuke with a glare, "Teme, I think plenty, with how much of an asshole you are I often think why I put up with you."

"I could say the same considering how idiotic you are," Sasuke replied smoothly. Ed sighed and brought his left hand up to ruffle his bangs before turning his gaze to Al. Al seemed amused by the bickering that always took place between Naruto and Sasuke but Ed was tuning it out already so he hardly heard anything else they said. Al turned to look at him, "They have to let dad be here when they talk to you."

It took a moment before Ed understood what he was talking about, but not long. He nodded, "I know that, they are still taking their sweet time."

"You're just impatient brother, they do have to talk with dad and Winry first and then they were going to come up here."

"There's a lot of paperwork involved in police work as well," Sasuke commented suddenly making the two brothers aware that he and Naruto were listening to them.

"Yeah, there's also how lazy Harvey can be at times too," Naruto said with a smirk.

"You would have hung out with Harvey, the two of you are both lazy idiots-"

"And in martial arts teme," Naruto cut him off with a glare.

"Hn," Sasuke replied and crossed his arms over his chest with a smug expression.

Ed wondered how long it would take Naruto to figure out that he hadn't argued Sasuke calling him and this Harvey person lazy idiots. It was only a matter of seconds before Naruto balled his fists and growled, "You arrogant prick, sitting there smug-I'm not a lazy idiot. Besides, you're the one that lives the pampered life bastard."

Ed laughed at that and he smirked when Naruto turned a glare to him, before anything else could be said Hoenhiem walked back into the room. Ed looked over at him and then noticed the two detectives behind him, he'd expected them to be old men or something, but they didn't look any older than Sasuke's older brother. Sasuke got to his feet and pulled Naruto to his by his arm. Ed watched as the four exchanged glances and then Sasuke scoffed and walked out of the room pulling Naruto behind him.

Hoenhiem took the chair closer to Ed across from Al that Sasuke had previously occupied while Al got up and moved to take the other beside him. It was the paler detective that moved before the remaining chair. He gave a nod to Al then turned to Ed, "I'm Detective Jimmy Kudo, its' nice to meet you Edward Elric."

Ed glanced at his dad then back to the detective, "Yeah, uh likewise I guess," Ed looked to the other guy, "Who're you?"

Harvey shrugged and said with a casual grin, "I'm Harvey Heartwell, Kudo's partner."

"What are you ex-military, you're addressing your partner by his last name."

"Kid's quick, it's habit since we're Japanese," Harvey answered Ed.

"Japanese, I'd buy that from him but you're a little too tan for me to buy that about you."

Harvey scowled, "I'm from Osaka."

"So? That doesn't mean anything," Ed replied quickly.

"Edward, that's enough," Hoenheim said sharply, but when Al looked to his father he noticed that his lip was twitching. Ed scoffed and then turned a glare to Hoenheim, "Yeah right old man, I've been stuck in this hospital long enough to be able to get away with an attitude."

"No you haven't it's only been four days."

"Two of which I don't remember and then two more than I'd like."

Kudo let out an exasperated sigh, "We could instead talk about what you do remember, the Wetherton's for instance."

Ed looked back to Jimmy and his expression sobered up and it was then that both detectives caught just how intelligent and old this twelve year old truly was in his soul. Such intelligent, haunted, knowing golden eyes that when gazed into made you feel as though they could peer right into your soul. It felt much the same when both detectives had met a particular brother of Mrs. Uchiha, her sons' often presented the same knowing looks in their gazes at times.

Harvey ran a hand through his dark hair and moved to stand leaning back against the wall by the door with his arms crossed while he and Kudo simply watched Ed watching them. It was Ed who finally broke the silence and this time his voice held some agitation in it even though his eyes continued watching them with sharp intellect, "Well what the hell do you want to know?"

Harvey smirked but remained silent and turned his gaze to his silent partner who was most likely turning things over in his mind contemplating which of the questions he wanted to ask and which one he should voice. Instead Kudo said, "It depends on how much you're willing to let us know."

"I figured with two investigative detectives you'd end up saying something like that," Ed commented dryly with a glare at Kudo. Harvey was left wondering how in the hell the kid knew they were in investigations when they were certain no one had told them. But it seemed that Ed picked up on his curiosity as well, "You two both took less than five seconds to take everything in this room in when you arrived, it doesn't take a genius to notice when someone is giving a place a quick once over."

_The hell it doesn't. Damn this kid really is a genius, I am definitely interested now even if he does seem a bit volatile and sharp tongued._ Harvey just held his smirk in place and kept his gaze on his partner, Ed, and the kids' family. Kudo spoke up, "Alright, well we know you're observant. That leaves less work for us, when did you first suggest your friends foster parents weren't what they seemed?"

Ed gave Kudo a look that made Harvey have to fight laughing out loud at for it clearly said Ed was looking at Kudo like he was an idiot.

"Their smiles when we met them the day we moved in. Not to mention they tried to act pleasant and fake when it was obvious neither of them usually worked in the kitchen. They said they were making dinner and invited us but there was nothing laid out to cook with." Hoenheim and Al were both watching Ed closely, they'd never even noticed any of that. It was also a surprise that Ed was paying that much attention nearly a year ago and could remember his own observations.

"They were quick to ask my father what his profession was, about my and Al's schooling, and then they mentioned their daughter. But what family would have their daughter locked up in her room when they were making dinner? They didn't have much to say about Winry and they called her Winifred when they introduced her, but the way they said it was like they didn't care much to talk about her and what mother or father figure always calls their kid by their full name when its' a name like Winifred? That woman must have noticed I noticed because when she took us upstairs she addressed her as Winry."

"That does sound suspicious, what was it like when you first met Winry?"

"She acted like a rude bitch," Ed yelped when Al reached up and pinched him on his arm with an indignant cry of, "Brother!"

"What? They wanted the truth and that's how she acted," Ed said with a huff. Harvey was having a hard time keeping himself from laughing. Not only was the kid smart and observant, he had one hell of a mouth on him too. He wondered if Winry would have beat him up for saying that about her.

"She did act that way, she was rude to Al, who spoke up first, which is how it goes usually 'cause he's better with people and that. She threw a book at Al and I snapped at her and we left. I found out later why she acted that way," Ed glanced at Al who was watching him curiously then back to Harvey who now had his expression schooled and was waiting.  
"Why did she act that way," Kudo inquired.

"She, those two-" Ed paused at a sharp look from his father and cleared his throat, "The Wethertons," he said dryly in retaliation of the look from Hoenheim, "told her she wasn't worth having any friends. There was a night when I saw Winry in her bedroom window, because our rooms are across from each other, and I told the old man that she was hurt."

"Were you able to actually see that she was hurt from your window?"

"When your hurt that badly its' hard not to see it from across a football field. Dad went next door and spoke with her foster parents and they wouldn't let him see whether or not Winry was alright."

"I remember this, it was one of the two complaints that were filed against the Wethertons since they adopted Winry," Harvey commented.

"We have the report yes, but go one Edward," Kudo said after a look to Harvey.

Ed sighed, "You have the report so you know already. The cops were called, they went over there, didn't have a warrant so they couldn't go inside. But the Wethertons let them in anyway and but wouldn't let the police see Winry either. They gave us some b.s. about needing a reason to demand to see Winry, but that's shit because when you suspect foul play or violence or anything you're supposed to prove its' not that until you drop it."

"I agree, did you happen to get the police officers names?"

"How the hell would I know their names, I don't like cops."

"We can tell that much," Harvey replied which earned him a glare from Ed.

"Care to tell us why you don't like cops?"

"Fuck no, go look it up," Ed replied angrily with a dark glare at Kudo for asking.

Kudo sighed and got to his feet, "Alright then, suit yourself. Thanks for talking to us, guess we'll go then."

"Wait," Ed snapped, "I thought you two were supposed to help put those bastards away for attacking me and for all they did to Winry."

Kudo looked at Harvey sharply to keep him from saying anything then turned back to Ed with a blank expression, "We are. But of course we need to know as much as we can about any run-ins with the law you or Miss Winry have been in previously. You could think of it as-"

"Equivalent exchange. So asshole, you're going to make me tell you about shit that happened a long time ago, in another country, that has nothing to do with my dad or brother, or Winry, or you're not going to help us?"

"Precisely Edward."

Ed scowled, "Fine, but I have a condition."

"And that is?"

"I don't want my brother or my dad here when I tell it and I sure as hell want your word it won't be repeated. Don't you have to follow some sort of confidentiality clause or something?"

"Not necessarily and while you are old enough to decide which parent to-"

"Shut up," Ed snapped darkly, "its' that or I'm not talking."

"Son, they can't speak with you on record unless I'm here," Hoenheim tried.

"Well what he's asking about you weren't there for anyway old man," Ed replied with a darker glare.

"We have to uphold the law," Harvey interjected.

"London's' cops should have thought of that one," Ed replied dryly.

"You're going to refuse to tell us that story unless your father and brother leave the room?"

"Exactly, I've got to take a risk of telling you something I didn't want to ever talk about which is going to bring up unsettled dark emotions and shit so you've got to take a risk to get that information."

Harvey chuckled, "Damn, this kid is good Kudo," said person turned a glare to his partner. Harvey shrugged it off, "Maybe its' because of all that time at school."

"What the hell does that mean," Ed nearly yelled at Harvey.

Harvey raised his hands in surrender, "Nothing kid, just maybe spending time around Mustang taught you how to convince people or something."

"Convince people? The only thing that arrogant, lazy, bastard is good for is waiting until the last minute to do his job."

"You don't say," Harvey asked with a smirk.

"Yeah, every time I needed to talk to that bastard he was sleeping on his damn desk."

Hoenheim and Al let out exasperated sighs and got to their feet, only Kudo bothered to watch them leave without a word before he turned back to Harvey and Ed.

" . . . I kept trying to tell everyone he isn't really doing anything at that school."

"That school sucks, most of the kids there are snotty and think they are better than everyone else."

"Uchiha's included even if they mostly act stoic and indifferent about everything."

"Sasuke isn't near as bad as most of them are."

"That kid is still just as arrogant as his brother and my partner-"

"Can we please just get on with this," Kudo finally asked after getting tired of listening to the two.

Harvey sighed and moved to sit in the chair Hoenheim had just occupied. It was then Ed noticed his father and brother were missing and looked to Kudo, "Where'd they go?"

"They didn't say, they just got up and left," Kudo replied indifferently. "Now that they are gone and your condition was met, its' your turn to tell us what we want to know."

"Want to know, thought you needed to know."

"You're exhausting. Why were you arrested? Why did you assault a police officer?"

"Assault a police officer?! That's the bullshit they came up with for the reason they arrested me?"

"That's what was on file. I wasn't able to get a hold of the chief of police in London to ask him what happened-"

"Of course not, he was the son of bitch that arrested me. I was making my way back to where me and Al were staying at the time. It was night out but curfew was an hour away, you can ask the sales clerk where I bought the food I was carrying, I asked him when curfew was. His name was Herald Jones, maybe thirty, tall, about one hundred and forty pounds or something."

"Hair? Eyes? Was he British?"

"Brown, green, no, German."

"How do you know he was German," Harvey asked curiously. Ed really was observant and he had one hell of a memory.

"I know because he had an accent and he kept calling all the adults Herr."

Kudo had taken out a notepad from his back pocket and he only wrote the name and description, he had a good memory as well so there was no reason to write down everything Ed said. He noticed the silence that fell and looked at Ed, "What really took place between you and the chief of police?"

"He stopped me two blocks from the shop. He called out to me, calling me boy, and asked what I was doing walking through the streets so late by myself. I told him I was getting something from the store for my parents. He didn't buy it, said he'd seen me and my 'snot nosed' brother wondering through the streets disturbing the peace."

Harvey could tell where this was going, this chief obviously had a problem with abusing his authority. It also seemed as though Ed hadn't taken the insult to his younger brother lightly at all.

"I called him a pig for insulting my brother and told him to mind his business and let me go home since it wasn't curfew yet."

"Of course this police officer didn't take that well did he?"

"Well no, that fat lard-I had to avoid Al for a few days after those twenty-four hours I spent in solitary confinement, which I thought was pretty harsh for an eight year old kid. It's complete bull that they brought charges on me for assaulting a police officer. That fucker hit me first so I hit him back, there was no way I was going to let him get away with hitting me. I broke his fat nose at least," Ed said with a smug look.

"Were there any witnesses?"

"Don't know," Ed shook his head, "I didn't see anyone around, kind of blacked out after the second blow. I sure as hell would have run instead of letting him arrest me and drag me to the police station if I was able. I don't know if Al was humoring me when he said he got by for the next three days or not . . ."

"Three days? What happened that kept you away for three days?"

Harvey was clenching his fists and leaning forward in the chair to cover up how angry he felt and keep his hands out of view, he also kept his gaze focused on the floor. Ed took a few minutes to answer and when he did he was hesitant.

"It was . . . it wasn't pleasant. Solitary confinement sucks more than sitting in a damn hospital bed because at least I can lay down if I want to and I can see and hear something other than my own breathing and my heartbeat. It didn't help my left eye was swollen and Winry told me an X-ray can show evidence of broken bones even if its' years old . . . so my wrist would show up-"

"Your wrist was broken?"

"Yeah, bastard did that twisting the handcuffs, which they left on and was a pain to deal with later because it made the swelling worse. I had a habit of wearing gloves that lasted until the old man showed up again and told me to take them off for whatever reason he had. The bastard showed up for the funeral then took off for two years and left us to fend for ourselves, some dad he is."

"He's taking care of you now isn't he?"

"That's part of the reason he got approved for a green card."

"How do you figure that," Harvey asked finally looking up at Ed.

Ed shrugged without thinking and winced for his trouble, "Like that bastard could get approved to leave Europe without a reason. He made a damn name for himself and of course for those two years me and Al had to catch the shit for the old mans' reputation."

"You cuss a lot for a twelve year old," Kudo commented.

"I've been through a lot of shit for a twelve year old. Like your old enough to tell me anything about my cussing anyway, you're what twenty-four or something?"

"Twenty-six."

"Not old enough to be my dad and your not my dad so don't tell me anything about how much I cuss. Is that all you wanted?"

"Yes, mostly. Unless you wish to tell us how your mother died?"

Ed said nothing for a few minutes then said coldly, "Look it up. If your done get out."

Kudo stood up and made his way to the door, Harvey stood up after a glance to Ed then turned to leave. Ed spoke up just before they walked out of the room, "Next time you detectives want to talk, I'd prefer the Osaka native talk to me."

"That's fine," Kudo replied before opening the door and stepping out of the room.

Harvey waved at Ed, "See ya' later kid."

"But stop calling me kid," Ed called out as Harvey left the room and closed the door behind him. Ed leaned back as much as he could and smirked at the sound of Harvey laughing as he walked down the hallway. By the time Al and Hoenheim came back into the room Ed was asleep again.


	10. Chapter 10

**Disclaimer: I don't own Fullmetal Alchemist, hell I don't own the title to this fan fic. FMA belongs to Arakawa-sama and the title and song belong to the writers, editors, and whatnot of Martina McBride. I do not condone abuse nor am I a fan of it. I also do not own any characters from Naruto or familiar characters from other series, they belong to Kishimoto-sensei and their respective artists.**

_A/N: Dark themes, child abuse, violence, language. This story is fictional and should it offend anyone please do not read. Flames will be used to make smores and comments and constructive criticism is welcome. This story is un-beta'd and edited by me. Oh, and here's a shocker, Hoenhiem is the good parent in this, OMFG. lol._

**Chapter 10**

_Life isn't simple or easy  
It's not about fairytale endings  
It's about trials and hardships  
Life is about getting through the rough times  
So you can cherish the good times . . ._

Dr. Harrison sat in her office in a thick silence after listening to Winry tell her story. It weighed heavily in her heart that such a beautiful, intelligent young woman had to live with such a dark secret held in her heart for so long. Most of her years were spent thinking she wasn't good enough, wasn't loved, that she wasn't worthy of being cared for, befriended, or loved for who she was. It was now, in this silence, watching Winry furiously wipe away tears that had shed without her knowing that Kairi could see how very afraid and unsure this girl was. Those gorgeous blue eyes had clouded to a dark blue when she spoke of the abuse and torture her foster parents had put her through. Her voice had broken plenty of times or would grow quiet, there were times when her eyes, voice, and expression would grow distant and cold.

The doctor was familiar with the signs, the distance, the heartache, the pain and agony it was there and it was heartbreaking for Kairi to see such suffering in someone so young. It reminded her of when she and Sora had to help Riku move past his horrid childhood and Kairi swore she'd do all she could to help Winry. She finally got to her feet and walked around her desk to kneel in front of Winry. She took both of the girls' hands in her own and Winry looked directly at her. Kairi met her eyes and held her gaze as she squeezed her hands gently, "Winry, thank you for sharing this with me. I know how hard it is for you to let anyone in on something you held inside of you all this time. I'm not exaggerating or just humoring you when I say that you are a very strong young woman, very brave, and very strong to have not only lived through so much but also for telling me."

Winry sniffed with a nod and Kairi released one of her hands and reached up to push a loose strand of Winry's hair behind her ear, "A beautiful, intelligent, brave, strong young woman such as yourself deserves a peaceful life. I'm going to do everything that I can to make sure that you get to have a family that will love you and take care of you like your foster parents should have done. You're going to have to trust me and my friends to help you and protect you and you're also going to need to be brave and strong enough to make sure you tell your story in court so we can make those two pay for all the pain they caused you. Can you do that, can you speak up and help us put them away?"

Winry was silent a moment and she closed her eyes and looked away before she gave a nod, "Yes," she said weakly, "I promised I would and I'm going to."

Kairi was curious, "Who did you promise Winry?"

"I promised Ed."

Kairi smiled and got to her feet causing Winry to open her eyes and look at her, there was a soft smile on her face.

"Miss Winry, I think that's a definite way to ensure you keep your promise."

"Why's that," Winry asked curiously.

"Well, I've found that when you make a promise to do something with someone else and not yourself it's harder to break it."

Winry nodded in understanding, "Ed said the same thing."

Kairi laughed, "I'm not surprised. Are you ready to go back upstairs to see Ed?"

Winry shook her head, "I still feel a bit shaky . . . "

Kairi gave her a soft smile, "That's alright," Kairi glanced at the clock on her wall, "it's nearly dinner time, do you mind accompanying me to get something to eat?"

Winry shook her head and slowly got to her feet, "No, if you don't mind . . . Um, I wanted to apologize for my behavior from before I-"

Kairi shook her head, "There's no need Winry, there's nothing to apologize for, after all you're just as human as I am."

Winry gave her a smile and when Kairi held out her hand for her Winry took it and they walked out of the office together.

* * *

Al looked up from his seat next to his sleeping brother when Winry walked into the room after a light knock and Al smiled at the gentle smile on her face. She turned and waved and said a soft thank you and goodnight then closed the door quietly behind her. Winry glanced around the room and noticed Hoenheim wasn't there and look to Al questionably.

"Dad went to get some dinner with Mrs. Uchiha. They were going to bring something back for me and brother so that someone was here in case brother woke up," Al explained in a quiet whisper. Both of them glanced at Ed when he shifted but he stayed asleep.

Winry carefully moved the chair across from Al over next to him and sat down. "So what are you doing," she asked in a whisper.

Al grinned and showed her the book he was reading, he held his finger in place as he closed it to hold his place, it was Stephen King's The Dead Zone. Winry was a bit bewildered to see Al reading a horror book, she didn't think Al would be a fan of Stephen King. Al was usually observant and intuitive so she didn't have to ask why he was reading for he simply explained.

"Dad brought it to me, he said it wasn't really a horror book, more of one that made you think. He was worried it was too mature for me but other than the violence in parts its' actually interesting."

Winry nodded and they both went silent when Ed shifted and groaned and looked to the sleeping blond again, but he still stayed asleep. It was only dusk outside but it was bright enough in the room for them to see thanks to the light coming in from the window. They sat in a comfortable silence before something came to Winry she'd never really thought about before.

"Al, why do you always address Ed as brother instead of using his name?"

Al shrugged casually, "I don't know really, I've just always called him brother. I only use his name when I am trying to make a point or if I'm upset with him."

"Does he have a middle name, I never did ask him."

"Brother and I both have middle names, but its' not on any documents or anything. Mum was the only one that used our middle names so brother told dad not to write them down or use them. She only used them when she'd call us by our full names and that was when we were in trouble or when she had something important to tell us and wanted our full attention."

Winry nodded in understanding, she'd already figured out that both Al and Ed were close to their mother and missed her greatly. It was only natural that they didn't want anyone to know their middle names because that was something only their mother had known or ever addressed them by. It was sentimental and meaningful to them, just like how Ed loved to play the violin and study alchemy and how Al called Ed brother instead of Ed. The more time she spent around the two the more she found that they were complex, more Ed than Al, but complicated and with pasts that she still didn't really know about . . .

"My middle name," Al began pulling Winry from her thoughts, "is Jackson and Ed's is Johnathon."

Winry wasn't expecting Al to tell her and it caught her off guard, her breath hitched when Ed let out another groan and then she and Al saw Ed looking right at them with sleep hazed eyes.

"Mum was caught on J. names when it came to our middle names," he mumbled sleepily.

"How are you feeling brother?"

"Like shit, as usual, and tired."

"Did we wake you," Winry asked as Ed shifted so that he was sort of sitting up so he could look at them.

"Not really, was having a fitful sleep anyway," he let out a sigh, "how'd that meeting with that doctor go?"

Winry shrugged, "It went alright," she answered simply with a heavy look in her eyes when she met Ed's gaze. He gave a slight nod then looked at Al, "did the old man go get some food?"

"Yes, dad said they were going to bring you back some Italian, since that's usually your favorite."

Ed grinned, "Great," Ed looked to the book in Al's lap and grimaced, "why are you reading in the dark? You're going to strain your eyes, you don't have to read in the dark just because I fell asleep Al."

Al scoffed, "I didn't want to wake you, you need your rest."

"You need your eyesight," Ed shot back.

"I could see just fine with the light from the window," Al replied with a glare to match Ed's.

"That's not enough light to read by Al-"

"Stop acting like a mother hen brother, I told you I could see just fine."

"I'm awake now so turn on the light and don't read without it."

"What else am I supposed to do when you fall asleep, stare at a wall brother," Al said as he got to his feet and walked to flip the light switch by the door.

"Just leave the light on."

"Right brother, as though you can sleep with the light on," Al said as he made his way back to his seat and looked at his brother with a smug expression. He knew Ed would keep arguing about this and denying anything Al said, but Al had the advantage of being the logical between the two.

"I can sleep with the light on if I have to and I will if it keeps you from ruining your eyes."

"Jackson and Johnathon, that would make it A.J. and E.J. if you two went by initials," Winry commented in an attempt to keep the two from arguing anymore.

Ed looked at her, "She never called us by just our initials. Don't repeat our middle names either, I don't want everyone to know them."

"I get that already. Kairi is going to want to talk to you later as well, just so you know."

"Kairi, now you're on a first name basis with that doctor," Ed asked with a smirk.

"So what? She's nice and I like her."

"Told you it would be easier if you told her," Ed said smugly.

"Yeah, yeah. What did you think of those detectives?"

Ed leaned back a bit and said in a casual tone, "The guy from Osaka was alright, but that other guy was just as arrogant and smug as Mustang."

"Brother, Mustang is a nice man and so is Detective Kudo, you're just mouthy so you end up making them angry."

"Hey! I'm your brother, you're supposed to be on my side," Ed said with a scowl at Al.

"Only when your reasonable, which isn't often," Al said with a smirk.

There was a knock at the door that interrupted anything else the three of them would have to say and then Hoenheim and Mrs. Uchiha walked into the room with Itachi, Sasuke, and Naruto trailing behind them. It was time for dinner and the smell of food made Ed forget about what they were talking about as his stomach growled loudly.

* * *

_**The Following Afternoon . . .  
**_

Naruto and Sasuke were spending the afternoon wandering through the hospital. At the moment Al and Winry were wandering through the gift shops on the first floor while Ed was meeting with Dr. Harrison and after that he had to go through his first session of physical therapy. Hoenheim and Sasuke's mom were with Ed and Itachi had left to go back to work that morning.

Sasuke walked with his hands in his pockets while Naruto walked next to him with his hands folded behind his head.

"So teme, there anything you can think of to do?"

"Hn," Sasuke gave as an answer with an indifferent expression.

"Why do I hang out with you when you can never think of anything to do?"

"Hn."

"You suck Sasuke," Naruto lowered his hands and pocketed them.

"Same to you," Sasuke said simply.

"See, you only say more than some monosyllable when you are making some smart ass comment."

"I'm surprised you even know what monosyllable is, let alone how to say it," Sasuke replied with a smirk.

"Bastard. You think Ed will be out of the hospital in time for school?"

"Probably, considering Ed," Sasuke said as they rounded a corner and continued down the hall heading towards the gift shops an indoor cafe's in the center of the hospital.

"It's still pretty fucked up that Winry's foster parents were abusing her all this time and no one said anything."

"You didn't even notice it dobe."

"That's besides the point, the adults should have noticed at least and then they should have done something to stop it."

Sasuke had to agree with that, even if Naruto was two years younger than him they weren't best friends just because their parents were old friends. Naruto was actually a lot more intelligent than most people thought he was and right now with his last statement was a prime example of that.

"Something is being done now."

"Should have been done before, Winry went all that time living like that and with a huge secret. It wasn't until Al moved here that anyone even tried to be friends with her, we just all thought she was a distant and unfriendly person."

"Looks can be deceiving."

"No shit, everyone still thinks I'm an idiot."

"That's because you are."

"Bastard. Same could be said about you, everyone thinks you're a cold bastard, and look, you are."

"Moron."

"Why do you always have to be a prick?"

"Hn."

"Right, whatever, like you could give me an answer anyway," the two were making their way up the escalator where the coffee shops and cafe's were, most of the stores were downstairs on the first floor. Whatever Naruto was about to say was cut off when they noticed Harvey and Jimmy sitting at one of the small tables right outside a coffee shop. It was Harvey who called out to them and Naruto waved with a grin and made his way towards them grabbing Sasuke's shirt to drag him behind him.

"Hey you two," Harvey said with a grin they came up to the table. Harvey pulled a chair from the other table behind him for Sasuke as Naruto pulled one from another table for himself.

Naruto sat down at the table without acknowledging Jimmy who was reading a newspaper and didn't bother to look at either of them. Sasuke snorted then sat down in the chair Harvey offered, nodded in greeting, crossed his arms over his chest, and leaned back in his chair with a stoic expression.

Harvey leaned forward on the table with his elbows propped up and continued to grin at Naruto, "So what are you two doing?"

Naruto shrugged, "Walking around the hospital."

"Why?"

"Nothing better to do right now," Naruto said with another shrug of his shoulders.

Harvey glanced at Sasuke then back to Naruto, "Is Edward not in his room right now or something?"

"Kairi is meeting with him Heartwell," Jimmy said offhandedly while he turned a page of the newspaper.

"Oh yeah, she said something about that earlier. Hopefully it won't take her all day, though I think she'll be surprised by how quick that kid is, and that sharp tongue of his," Harvey said with a chuckle.

Naruto grinned, "Yeah, at least Ed's not as boring as this bastard," Naruto looked at Sasuke pointedly. Sasuke glared but said nothing.

Harvey just laughed, "Yeah, that's an Uchiha thing, though I have to say Kudo here managed to end up acting the same way. Guess that's what happens when you're friends with an Uchiha, you must be immune to it Naruto."

"Guess so," Naruto commented keeping his grin in place.

"Immune to any chance of gaining any intelligence as well," Sasuke commented casually. Harvey chuckled as Naruto glared at Sasuke and smacked him on the arm to which Sasuke pinched him on the forearm. Jimmy cleared his throat before they could continue and said simply, "Behave."

"Perhaps Kudo only acts as he does because he wishes to be respected by my family," Sasuke retaliated.

Harvey shook with the effort it took to keep from snickering as Jimmy finally lowered his newspaper to fix a glare on Sasuke who met his glare squarely and even had a smug look on his face.

"Coming from the kid who used to worship the ground his _'Aniki'_ walked on."

Sasuke's smirk turned into a scowl and Harvey and Naruto both burst into laughter.

"As though you had enough balls to step foot in our house without your partner accompanying you."

"It wasn't a matter of whether or not I had the balls, shameful that an Uchiha would use such language in a public place," Kudo replied simply with a smirk when Sasuke glanced around. There were a few people listening and watching them.

Sasuke ducked his head before turning to scowl darkly at Kudo as he continued, "I saw no reason to have to meet your family when your brother and I were merely classmates."  
Harvey scoffed, "Classmates that often left behind their other friends to debate over something. You even left Rachel high and dry once to hang out with Itachi."

"That was merely a coincidence and hardly my fault. There was nothing I could do."

"Don't give me 'the seminar was rescheduled suddenly' crap. Rachel knew you were lying, hell I knew you were lying later when I asked you about it. You suck at lying Kudo."

"Obviously not considering I've said on numerous occasions you're my best friend."

"Fuck you too Kudo, you couldn't get rid of me is you tried."

"I think now I sympathize with Kudo," Sasuke mumbled under his breath with a look to Naruto who grinned in return.

"That's right teme, you're not getting rid of me either. Someone has to keep your head from getting too big."

Harvey nodded, "I agree with Naruto, kid's got a point. That's what I'm here for, to keep Kudo's head getting too inflated just like Naruto has to do for Sasuke."

It wasn't long before Kudo and Sasuke got up and left the table leaving the two grinning idiots to talk amongst themselves for a solid hour until they noticed their best friends had left them there.

* * *

Sasuke was making his way back to Ed's room without Naruto for company, which he was grateful for at the moment, when his mother called him on his cell phone. He picked up on the first ring, "Hello."

"Sasuke-chan, I need you to come and sit with Ed-kun for a moment. There is some paperwork that Elric-san needs to fill out and I was going to go and speak with Dr. Harrison for a while. Where are you?"

"I was on my way there."

"Good, is Naruto-kun with you?"

"No."

"Alright, if I see him I will take him with me, have you see Al-kun and Winry-chan?"

"No."

"Okay then."

She hung up and Sasuke pocketed his phone before pressing the button for the elevator. He stepped in without paying much attention to whether or not anyone was there with him and pressed the button for the third floor as the doors closed. As the elevator started to move Sasuke felt a chill run up his spine and turned his head slightly to look around the elevator. He noticed for the other man on the elevator with him and felt that chill grow stronger, but his upbringing kept his trepidation from showing on his expression and he casually moved his hands to his pockets and closed his hand around his phone in his right pocket. He'd only glanced at the man, but the dark clothes and something about the mans' unusual eyes was very unsettling.

Obsidian eyes looked to see what floor the elevator was on, he still had one more floor to go but he didn't think he'd get there fast enough. For some reason the atmosphere was tense and stifling and despite his own self control when the man reached forward he flinched and his stomach twisted when the mans' covered arm brushed his shoulder as he pressed the button for the fifth floor. Sasuke let out a breath he didn't know he'd been holding when the doors opened on his floor and he quickly stepped out. He felt the mans' gaze boring into him as he walked down the hallway.

Sasuke glanced back at the elevator when the door closed and let out a sigh before taking a deep breath and releasing it, there was no reason for his reaction. It didn't matter that the guy wore all black or that his eyes looked like the eyes of a snake, it was just some random guy in an elevator, it wasn't important and he was being completely irrational. He calmed down before he finally continued down the hall and then took a right at the end to head towards the hospital rooms. His mother greeted him outside of Ed's room with a smile.

"I shouldn't be long but I'm sure Elric-san will return before I do. Ed-kun is awake and watching t.v. and now is a good time for the two of you to catch up. I know you two haven't had a chance to talk without the company of everyone else. Call me if you need anything."

Sasuke nodded but said nothing, Mikoto looked at him worriedly and when Sasuke still remained silent she asked softly, "Is something wrong dear?"

"No, I'm fine."

"Are you sure, you do look a bit pale."

Sasuke grimaced, he was always pale, how could she tell whether or not he looked paler than he always was? "I'm fine Okasan."

Mikoto looked as though she didn't believe him but after a moment she smiled then grabbed Sasuke's chin and held him in place long enough to place a light kiss on his forehead before stepping back, "Alright then, you two have fun. But keep in mind that Ed-kun still needs his rest."

"Yes mother," Sasuke said as he watched her walk away before he walked into Ed's room and closed the door behind him. He made his way over to one of the two chairs on the left side of Ed's bed and sat down heavily. Ed turned his gaze from browsing through the channels on the t.v. to look curiously at his friend.

"Something happen or did Naruto annoy you again."

"Both."

"What?"

"Nothing serious."

"It has to be to effect the untouchable, ice princess."

"Moron."

"You're confusing me with another blond."

"Just shut up."

"You could have lied to me and said you were fine, but you had to be honest so elaborate."

"Hn."

"Great, back to that. Fine, ask me something and I'll tell you the answer honestly then you tell me what's bothering you."

"Idiot alchemist."

"It's fair, doesn't have to be seen as equivalency."

"Everything with you is."

"That's because alchemy is a simple way of life."

"For you."

"Thanks, alchemists can't be idiots."

"Now you're complimenting my uncle."

"Oh yeah, forgot that bastard was an alchemist," Ed said with a huff.

Sasuke sighed and said just to avoid Ed going on a rant about how much the blond hated and loathed his uncle, "Fine. The scar."

"Which one," Ed replied with a smirk though his expression was hard his eyes showed no humor.

"The one on your forehead," Sasuke mostly scoffed.

"Accident."

"Honesty," this time Sasuke had a smug look on his face.

Ed sighed heavily, "Jerk. Street fight in London. Some punk hit me over the head with a pipe."

"You're lying."

"The hell I am," Ed growled.

"It was that cop."

"How the hell do you know that," Ed hissed.

"Because you just admitted it."

"You really are a bastard, why do I put up with you?"

"Hn."

"Bullshit, it's not because of that."

"Hmm."

"Fuck you Uchiha, you didn't save my ass, I could have handled those punks just fine without you or your cousins help."

"Hn."

"Stop trying to change to subject, you got your answer now where's mine?"

"How do you understand what I say when I say nothing?"

"Didn't I just tell you not to change the subject."

"It's stupid."

"You usually worry about the stupidest shit anyway. Besides, if your mother noticed there was no way I wasn't going to. I'm just going to keep asking until you tell me anyway."

Sasuke looked at Ed sharply and the two had a staring contest that ended in Sasuke looking away because he always hated how Ed's unusual golden eyes seemed to see right through him. Why did he have to have all the luck, he had Naruto who could see right through him and get him to do the stupidest things that got him in trouble while they were growing up and now he had Ed who could get him to tell him anything by looking at him. His luck sucked, a lot, at least his older brother had friends that didn't bother to try and pry anything out of him even if his brother did always know what he was thinking.

"Well speak and stop thinking whatever the hell your thinking," Ed said impatiently.

"It was just a weird guy on the elevator."

"Just before you got here?"

"No, two weeks ago," Sasuke said irritably.

"Sheesh, I get it. Fine, weird how?"

"Yellow eyes."

"Yellow eyes, sure it wasn't gold and not my old man?"

"Yes," Sasuke said sharply.

"Okay, I'll take your word for it. What else?"  
"That's it."

"Bullshit, why else do you think he was weird? Did he stare at you, did he make it seem casual and touch you or something?"

Sasuke looked sharply at Ed with those words and Ed made an 'O' motion with his mouth, "Uh, that is weird. Did you get a good look at his face?"

"Not really."

"Why not, you're an Uchiha, don't you have instincts?"

"He was wearing a mask."

"Dark clothes?"

"Yes."

"Yeah, that's definitely weird and creepy, why didn't you say something to your mom?"

"Hn."

"Right, that pride thing. I still think you should say something, never know. That creepy guy might have been some enemy your family has made or something. Happens a lot with prestigious families."

"Like yours?"

"Yeah, that's why we moved here-" Ed glared at Sasuke for that, "bastard, you caught me off guard-"

"Medicine seems to make you soft Elric."

"Shut up Uchiha. Go read a book or something."

"I'm supposed to keep you company."

"Well you're here, that's good enough so find something to do besides playing mind games and making me say shit I shouldn't be saying."

"You believe an Uchiha wouldn't have heard of the Elric family."

"You're family has spent the last century in America, so no, you shouldn't have."

"My family has only been here for three decades."

"Probably why your parents still use honorifics and Japanese customs."

"There's nothing wrong with keeping your heritage alive."

"Never said there was, but is there a need for honorifics?"

"You're just pissed because my parents called you Elric-san when they first met you, and pointed out how much you looked like your father."

"Didn't I tell you to shut up and read a book? Why do you always feel the need to hold a conversation with me when no one is around to believe me when I say you can talk?"

"Hn."

"Fucking, arrogant, bastard," Ed mumbled before turning his attention back to the television in a vain attempt to find something to watch. It wasn't long before he gave up and found himself tired now that the adrenaline from talking about the guy that had bothered Sasuke in the elevator and then Sasuke aggravating him died down. The physical therapy was tiring and had left him sore and aching. He let his eyes drift closed and Sasuke didn't seem to mind that they were no longer talking because he just picked up the remote, muted the t.v., then picked up the discarded book on the bedside table and read.

* * *

Mikoto sat in Dr. Harrisons' office with Hoenheim in silence waiting for the doctor to arrive with a rough copy of the evaluation on Ed. The full evaluation, which Kairi had recommended was scheduled to take place in two months once he'd had enough time to recover and come to terms with what had happened. The results to the all day evaluation later on would take a while to get back and so Hoenheim had asked to have something to go by on what the doctor thought of his sons' condition currently.

Kairi was kind enough to bring them both a cup of hot tea as she walked back into the office. She handed them both a glass and then walked around her desk to take her seat and set the file folder and the copy for Hoenheim on her desk top. She took a drink from her water bottle before she looked to both adults.

"I was meaning to speak with you both as its' quite obvious both of you care a great deal about Edward, Alphonse, and Winry. I can tell that your two families have grown close in the time you've known one another."

Mikoto smiled as Hoenheim nodded, "Especially with recent events, Mrs. Uchiha has been a great deal of help, as have you and the detectives."

"As I'm sure. Are you comfortable with Mrs. Uchiha hearing what my evaluation on Edward is Mr. Elric?"

"Yes," he said with a nod before taking another drink from his tea.

Kairi nodded, "Alright. One of the things that stood out about Edward was his resentment towards you Mr. Elric. He told me that even though you showed up to your wife's funeral that you disappeared for two years after her death. Could you tell me why? Edward had no idea what your reason for leaving was anymore than he knew why you left when Ed was only two years old only to make an appearance when their mother died."

Mikoto watched Hoenheim closely as he answered and when he glanced at her he noticed that her expression was void of emotion.

"I left for the safety of my family. Other than that I am not at liberty to say."

Kairi nodded and continued, "There was also the fact that Edward and Alphonse were often the victims of taunts, bullying, and jeering from the other kids and even some of the adults because they were thought of as 'Bastard children' because of your absence. Though Edward pointed out that Alphonse holds little to no resentment and wishes to give you the benefit of the doubt, Edward still has unresolved issues with you Mr. Elric."

"Neither one of my sons are old enough to know the truth about why I left and I do not wish to tell you."

"You will need to tell someone. You could be brought up with charges of child abandonment, especially for the two years after your wife died. I hardly think you believed a seven year old who had just lost his mother was old enough or capable of looking after himself and his younger brother Mr. Elric. Though Edward did manage, that is besides the point. They lived off the streets for two years and your oldest son was often the victim of assault, abuse, and bullying because of predicament he was in because of your absence."

"I understand that-"

"I don't believe you do. Your son was completely robbed of his childhood after his mother died because of something your not at liberty to tell me is the reason you left two children to fend for themselves," Kairi had kept her voice professional the entire time though now her eyes had darkened in anger and accusation.

Hoenheim let out a heavy sigh, "I'm certain that as a friend of not only Detective Shinichi Kudo, Detective Heiji Heartwell, and the Uchiha family you can come to your own conclusion. The Elric name is well known in Europe."

"I am aware of the risks, but that doesn't excuse your actions. You may have left with good intentions, but are you foolish enough to believe your sons were actually safer without you there to protect them should they run into one of your enemies. They carry the names of their ancestors, as many of the present generations of prestigious families at the moment do. You put them at more risk by leaving them to fend for themselves and endangered your wife and children while your wife was still alive by leaving. What would you have done if one of your enemies had shown up and killed your family just because you were not present to protect them?"

Hoenheim went silent and looked away in shame. Mikoto finally spoke up, her voice controlled, "What will happen to those boys should this be brought up in court?"

"Nothing, they will remain with their father," Kairi answered simply. "Mr. Elric is their only remaining parent and the court would prefer that both of his sons remain with him. Mr. Elric did eventually take responsibility and he has yet to fail taking care of them since he arrived in America. However, should he chose to leave them behind again there will be no choice but to send them to live with the only remaining relatives they have, however distantly related they are."

"Who might they be?"

"The Namikaze family. It would seem that Mr. Elric is a second cousin to Tsunade Namikaze, the wife of Jaraiya Namikaze and mother of Minato Namikaze."

"Ah, yes, of course, I believe Tsunade-sama mentioned that once before."

"I'm certain that the Wetherton's lawyers will bring this up in order to discredit anything Ed will have to say. They will try to make it seem as though Edward is mentally and emotionally unstable which will give them the opening to bring Mr. Elric's past into light as the reasoning behind such claims."

"Did you have to bring that to my attention so harshly," Hoenheim asked and received a sharp look from Kairi.

"I want you to understand something Mr. Elric, even though I am trying to help your son and Winry that does not mean I sympathize with you. I am a pediatrician as well as a licensed child psychiatrist. I am on their side because there are not a lot of people who are on any child's side or will listen to them. I do not like any parent that sees fit to abandon their children and leave them to fend for themselves. I especially dislike a father that could do so right after his wife, the mother of his children, passes away from a deadly, incurable disease. Your wife suffered for years and she had to raise two young boys while she was sick, the only reason I believe your sons' are still alive to give you a second chance is because of the devotion your wife had for them. A fathers' love isn't something that comes and goes, it is supposed to be eternal, and a father is supposed to protect his family, shelter them, care for them. You never should have left, you should have stayed, you would have been better able to protect them if you had."

"What else did Ed-kun say Dr. Harrison," Mikoto asked casually. Kairi took a deep breath and looked back to the paper work on her desk.

"Edward admitted that he was relieved to leave Britain because it gave him a chance to start over. He also stated that although he doesn't like his father that he does have confidence in him that the, 'old man' as he said, will take care of Al. He also told me that you haven't done too poorly of a job since you moved here Mr. Elric. I believe he said it took you a while to stop trying to hold his hand like he was some toddler, but you learned. Ed spoke a lot of how much faith Al has in you Mr. Elric and that Ed was willing to try and move on if it would make Al happy. He's very devoted to his younger brother and he values the friendships he has. Though I'm not familiar with this Tidus Benshi person he spoke of."

Mikoto chuckled lightly, "Tidus Benshi is my nephew. He is the son on my sister Lauren Benshi and my brother-in-law Jecht Benshi."

"Jecht Benshi, the famous soccer player?"

"Yes," Mikoto said with a smile.

"It seems as though Edward unintentionally makes friends with many influential people."

"Or enemies of them," Mikoto said simply, "I was informed by my brother Roy that Edward is quite notorious at school for fighting with some of the bullies there."

"Bullying is natural considering the gap between his age and the students in his grade level. Which brings up another interesting point, why would you place your son so far ahead in school when surely you were aware he would have to deal with even more bullying?"

"If I had placed him in the grade level with students his age he would have been bored and more prone to get into trouble. The bullying has gotten better according to Ed."

Mikoto looked at Hoenheim, "That's hardly the truth Elric-san. Sasuke-kun often returns home roughened up from fighting in school. Most of the marks are not in obvious places so I have to poke and prod to get anything out of him, but it has not gotten any better. In fact, the last few months the bullying took a sharp turn to becoming a very serious issue. I had a very stern talk with my brother for him to do something about the bullies, I'd prefer not to see my son in the hospital."

"I told Ed to tell me if things got any worse, I didn't want to continue letting him attend school at the academy if the bullying persisted."

"Perhaps we should be discussing ulterior options for both of your sons' educations if that is the case. It would seem that both of them value their education enough to lie to both of you about the seriousness of the violence they have to deal with at school. Have you considering home schooling?"

"I don't have that option, I'm a college professor."

"I'm hardly qualified to try and teach both of them anything they don't know academically," Mikoto stated.

"Surely an academy like BB and N would have a better handle on violence in their own school. Though only three or four of the fights are on record, the way Edward spoke of it led me to believe it was a daily occurrence. I believe this is only going to continue for as long as Edward attends school."

"So I should take away his chance at getting a good education?"

"No, hardly. No one should be denied the possibility of getting a good education or furthering their education, even though many are denied for financial reasons, sadly. But both of you do not need to worry about that, your concerns are the safety of your sons."

Kairi paused and let out a sigh, "It seems that involving myself in this case definitely brings about more work. I will have Kudo and Harvey find something that we can do. I will also have a meeting with the headmaster and the administrative board to see what changes are being made to ensure the safety of all students at the academy. Before we call this a day, is there anything that gives you reason to suspect Alphonse is also dealing with bullies?"

"No, Al is kind, friendly, and gets along with everyone, there's no reason he would have to deal with bullies."

"I received the same answer from Edward. Thank you Mr. Elric, Mrs. Uchiha," Kairi said as she got to her feet. Mikoto and Hoenheim set their cups down on the end of the desk and Kairi handed the copy of her evaluation over to Hoenheim, "Keep what I said in mind Mr. Elric, its' best to be prepared and I sincerly wish you luck with patching things up with Edward. He seems like a handful."

"He is a handful, but I really wouldn't have it any other way," Hoenheim said simply with a smile in return to the smile gave him in response. Mikoto said her thanks and a goodbye and then she followed Hoenheim out of the office with, "Have a good night Kairi."

"You as well Mrs. Uchiha, drive safely."


	11. Chapter 11

**Disclaimer: I don't own Fullmetal Alchemist, hell I don't own the title to this fan fic. FMA belongs to Arakawa-sama and the title and song belong to the writers, editors, and whatnot of Martina McBride. I do not condone abuse nor am I a fan of it. I also do not own any characters from Naruto or familiar characters from other series, they belong to Kishimoto-sensei and their respective artists.**

_A/N: Dark themes, child abuse, violence, language. This story is fictional and should it offend anyone please do not read. Flames will be used to make smores and comments and constructive criticism is welcome. This story is un-beta'd and edited by me. Oh, and here's a shocker, Hoenhiem is the good parent in this, OMFG. lol._

**Chapter 11**

_Born from silence,  
silence full of it  
A perfect concert my best friend  
So much to live for, so much to die for  
If only my heart had a home_

_**Dead Boys Poem-Nightwish  
**_

_**One Month Later**_

Hoenheim stood in his kitchen at their new home they'd had to move into as a safety precaution. Thanks to the help of Mr. and Mrs. Uchiha as well as the detectives they lived in the same part of Cambridge as the Uchiha family, only five blocks away to be precise. This house was an old Victorian home with a wrap around porch, two floors, a large front and back yard, and a spacious attic. Hoenheim's room was downstairs towards the back of the house. The kitchen was across from the living room towards the front and the dining room was through the kitchen. There were four rooms upstairs and he only used one as his office upstairs, even though his bedroom was large enough for him to have an office and still comfortably have enough space for his bedroom.

Ed and Al had even more spacious rooms than they had in their previous house and Ed had taken the room in the middle of the upstairs area and given the back bedroom to Al. They still had their study and within the past week, with the help of Sasuke and Naruto's families as well as the Harrison's, Kudo's, Heartwell's, and Riku they were able to make short work of getting everything unpacked and settled in the new home.

Mikoto had insisted that they hang up all the pictures that had frames and had even brought some more frames for them to hang up other pictures. Though there was hardly enough pictures to cover all the walls with there were family portraits in the hall leading to the back of the house, one in the living room, and both boys had a copy of the most recent family photo of all four of them together in their rooms. Ed had taken to putting posters on his walls of rock bands, movies, or anime, Hoenheim believed it was called, that he was a fan of.

Al put posters on his walls of movies he liked, promotional posters for books he was a fan of, and he believed Al found a poster for a piece of art Al liked. It made it obvious that two young boys with diverse personalities occupied the rooms upstairs. Their study was bare of posters because the full bookshelves and their desks occupied the walls. Both of them had refused to leave Winry's desk out of the study and Ed had been adamant about pointing out that if Winry came over after school to study she would need somewhere as a workplace so refused to hand over the desk even when the Kudo's suggested it.

Though Winry wasn't officially adopted by the young detective and karate teacher, he believed it was only a matter of time and convincing before they did so. He did wonder if Winry would agree to changing her last name to Kudo once it was said and done. They had still yet to go to court against the Wethertons' but Minato Namikaze, who Hoenheim eventually agreed to having as the lawyer for this case, said it was only a matter of time and presently it was best to let things settle down so that Ed and Winry were not overwhelmed.

Hoenheim was currently washing the dishes from dinner when he heard the footsteps of Ed and Al coming downstairs and making their way into the kitchen. It pained Hoenheim to hear the slight gait to Ed's footsteps, though he was mostly healed and was released from the hospital last week the muscle, nerve, and ligament damage was going to take a while to heal and there was a possibility that Ed would have to live with a slight limp for the rest of his life.

He was rinsing off the last of the dishes and drying his hands with the dish towel when Al said cheerfully as he and Ed stepped over to the small table in the center of the kitchen; "Dad, can I go stay with Naruto for a few days tomorrow?"

Hoenheim smiled, "Of course, as long as you clear it with Kushina."

"Okay," Al grinned before walking over to him, hugging him, giving a brief thanks, then turning and running back to his room most likely to call Naruto back and tell him. Ed sat down at the table and propped an elbow up on the table to rest his chin in the palm of his hand. Hoenheim turned and started drying and putting away dishes so that he could clean the countertops easier as he said, "Is something wrong Edward?"

"No, what makes you think that?"

That was one of the things that frustrated Hoenheim, Ed was much more closed off and distant since being released from the hospital. He was often short, sarcastic, and spiteful towards him and though he was used to the treatment considering how the first six months of being around one another had gone, but he disliked moving backwards since the progress they had made since leaving Europe.

"I often assume something is wrong when all you've presented me with is attitude lately son."

"Funny that, considering you track record old man."

"Edward, if you have something you wish to say please say it."

The room fell into a thick silence but Hoenheim continued to put away dishes and then set to cleaning the counters and the stove before he finally turned to regard his son still sitting there silently. Ed was looking at him contemplatively, as though he was weighing the pros and cons of saying what was on his mind. Ed got to his feet and still didn't look away, "Why did you leave," he said finally.

"I had to," Hoenheim answered simply.

"I want more than that."

"I can't give you more than that."

"I went through enough shit while you were gone to deserve a better explanation old man. Why did you leave, the real reason, the truth?"

"To protect your mother, you, and Al."

"That's crap, what father would leave his family to fend for themselves thinking it was for the best?"

"It was."

"The hell it was!" Ed said sharply while slamming his palms on the table angrily. "All that time . . . do you have any idea what it was like to watch her suffer like that? No! Of course you don't! You weren't fucking there!"

"You're hardly old enough to understand that or demand answers from me Edward."

"I was hardly old enough to take care of myself and Al at seven years old after she died too you son of a bitch!"

"Brother! Stop it! Don't talk to dad like that!" Al had run back downstairs at the sound of raised voice and was now looking at his brother with a horrified look on his face. Ed turned on his heel and stomped out of the room almost brushing past Al by side stepping at the last second to keep from doing so, he wasn't mad at Al so he wasn't going to take it out on him. The next thing they heard was the back door slamming shut and Al looked at his dad pleadingly. Hoenheim let out a heavy sigh and ran a hand through his hair, "I'm sorry Al."

"I know, but it was brother that started it so don't be, I'm going to try to talk-"

"No. I think its' time I lived up to the consequences of my actions. Both of you deserve a answer and your brother is right. You are both mature for you age, and that's my fault for leaving, but you do deserve to hear the truth."

"Dad-"

"Let us speak with your brother Alphonse."

Al followed his father silently out to the backyard and they found Ed sitting underneath one of the trees closest to the house with his arms folded over his chest. Al ran over to him and Ed looked up at the sound of Al's hurried footsteps, Al gave Al an apologetic smile but grimaced when Hoenheim stepped over to them. Ed got to his feet and was about to say something when Hoenheim held up one hand and said, "You're right Edward. You deserve to know the truth more than anyone else."

"So are you going to say it or is that it?"

"Brother . . ." there was a pleading tone in Al's voice. Ed sighed and looked at Hoenheim expectantly but otherwise stayed quiet.

"As I found out recently, both of you are aware of the dangers of carrying the Elric name, especially in London."

Al nodded solemnly, "I don't know the dangers firsthand, but what brother suffered was enough to enlighten me."

Ed glanced at Al with another apologetic look but Hoenheim continued so his gaze turned back to his father.

"I was a fool for thinking you were better protected without my presence. I should have never left so I could have been there as a father is supposed to be."

Ed nodded, "Exactly, but this enemies crap is getting on my nerves. Enemies in the shadows, the ones you can't see, how can you run from something you don't know even exists?"

"I know they exist and who they are. Many of them were soldiers that were brought into the light for being cruel and inhuman towards civilians captured in times of war."

"The civil wars in the middle east or something," Ed asked.

"Mostly, but there were also times where the military had to step in to deal with riots in countries in Europe, such as Italy, Germany, France, or Spain."

"So you pissed a bunch of psychopaths off by seeing they received the justice they deserved and that's why?"

"That's one of the reasons, yes. There is another reason."

"Well, what's the other reason old man?"

Hoenheim sighed, "Edward, you know I have given up alchemy, especially since the three of us have been together."

"Alchemy, that has something to do with you disappearing and leaving mum to die of a broken heart and a disease she tried to hide from us? Alchemy is the damn source of-"

"Edward, listen for a moment. I do not wish to tarnish something you value very highly in your life, but it was my expertise and knowledge on alchemy that posed the most threat. There are other alchemists out there that are just as powerful and intelligent as myself if not more so. Alchemists who practice human transmutation or the making of chimera's."

The color drained from both Ed and Al's faces and they looked between one another and then back to Hoenheim. Al was the first to speak up in a quiet voice, "You were worried those alchemist would find us . . . "

Hoenheim gave a nod, "Among other things. One of these alchemists had the idea that by using a strong alchemist as a sacrifice they could obtain the legendary Philosophers' stone. This is why I did not want either of you to continue studying alchemy, but your mother wasn't aware of the danger of both of your growing and developing your alchemical skills so she continued to encourage you. There's nothing that can be done about that now. Even without studying you two were likely to become powerful alchemists anyway, your namesakes were legends in their time after all."

"Namesakes?"

Hoenheim smirked, he couldn't help it, it wasn't often that he came across a bit of history his sons' didn't already know about. Hoenheim motioned to the house and turned towards it, "I have a few books that tell their story if you care to read them."

"You're actually going to share you allusive archive with us," Ed asked as he and Al followed him, both always eager to learn something new. Hoenheim chuckled, "Not the entire archive Ed, just the books on the two brothers you boys are named after."

* * *

The following morning Hoenheim welcomed Minato and Kushina into his home while Naruto ran upstairs to find Ed and Al. Minato chuckled at his sons antics while he followed Hoenheim into the kitchen to sit at the small table. There was no denying Naruto was Minato's son, the same spiky, shocking blond hair, the same bright blue eyes, and the ear splitting grin were some of the many traits father and son shared. There was of course Minato's cheerfulness and his sense of humor. Kushina was kind but firm, she was the only means of disciplining both her energetic son and her prankster husband. She had pale skin, unlike her husband and sons' natural bronze skin, green eyes and long, red hair she usually wore down.

Both were wearing simple clothes, a simple t-shirt and jeans, it was hard to believe they were the parents of an eleven year old bundle of energy currently finding that Al nor Ed were in their rooms.

"Sorry about all the noise this early in the morning," Kushina said with a apologetic smile.

Hoenheim chuckled, "No need to apologize Kushina, its' time those two learn to stop falling asleep in the study anyway."

Sure enough a door was heard slamming open and then Naruto bellowing out Ed and Al's names which was soon followed by startled yell, something hitting the floor and then what sounded like a book being thrown. Al's indignant, though half asleep, yell of "Brother!" told them who had thrown the book. Naruto's laughter meant Ed had missed his target and then there were running footsteps. The adults in the kitchen looked up when two flashes of blond passed down the hallway and out the front door. Then Al came running through the hall, he paused to say, "Hello Kushina-san, Minato-san," then he was following after the two.

After Hoenheim managed to get all three boys inside and after stopping Ed from trying to transmute a tree around Naruto they all sat down to a hot breakfast in the dining room. Al and Hoenheim had to keep reminding Ed not to talk with his mouth full and Kushina had to do the same for Naruto. There was almost a food fight when Naruto accidental mentioned how short summer vacation was that Ed took as a quip about his height. Minato thought it was hilarious up until he ended up with scrambled eggs thrown in his face and then grits were thrown and a few biscuits with gravy before Kushina, Al, and Hoenheim could stop the three blonds from tearing up the dining room. Kushina made all three of them clean up their mess so at the moment she, Al, and Hoenheim were sitting in the living room. Al kept glancing towards the kitchen when something fell over and Hoenheim smiled at him, "Don't worry Al, your brother will fix anything that's broken."

"But-"

"Alphonse, have you been practicing on the piano lately?"

Al looked at Kushina with a soft smile, "Well, not lately."

"That's understandable. I've yet to hear you play the piano and doesn't Edward play an instrument as well?"

Al nodded, "Yes. Brother plays the violin, he doesn't usually like to play for an audience."

Hoenheim chuckled, "Al is also pretty shy, but both of them are very talented and gifted when it comes to music. They have played a few duets together when they practice."

"Really, I'd love to hear you two play sometime."

"Yeah, Ed you and Al should play something for us," Naruto said excitedly as he came into the room. Ed glared at him, "You'd think you would be tired of hearing us play when you spend all your time listening to Sasuke playing."

"Nah, you two play different kinds of music, Sasuke plays really depressing music."

Hoenheim got to his feet, "We just set up a music room in the next room last week, why don't we go in there to hear the boys play."

"I never said I agreed to play," Ed said with a huff.

"Please play something for us Edward," Minato commented from the hallway behind them with a pout. Ed sighed and turned to walk to the music room, "Fine damn it."

"Ed watch your language."

"Yeah, yeah," Ed called as he went into the room next to the living room. Al followed after him first and then everyone else. There was one bookshelf in the room that held most of the music books, Al usually played with a music book while Ed was able to memorize the entire song after a few times of practicing. The room was spacious enough to hold a wall piano and two couches. There was a cabinet where Ed usually kept his violin, Hoenheim had bought him three more just in case he left his violin at school, which he did often, so he would have a way to practice.

Hoenheim took a seat at one of the couches, Naruto plopped down next to him as Ed walked to the cabinet and opened it to take out his violin while Al sat before the piano and tried a few keys before he turned to watch Ed. Kushina and Minato sat on the other couch which was positioned to face the piano, side by side. Ed tuned everyone out as he resigned his bow and tuned his violin before he turned to look at Al.

"Which one?"

Al smiled, usually Ed just played and Al was left to guess what it was and start playing along with him. It was nice of Ed to ask him which song they should play. It had been a long time since they'd played their mothers song and Al really wanted to play it, it was always surreal how much heart and soul Ed played Amazing Grace with. Al looked expectantly at Ed and his brother's face fell and Ed shook his head and turned away.

"Please brother," Al pleaded.

"No Al, I don't want to."

"We can play whatever you want after, but please, its' been almost a year since we played it and we really should play it more often because it was her song."

"Al," Ed drawled.

"Brother, please."

Hoenheim cleared his throat and both of his sons looked over at him. Hoenheim stood up and pointed to the ceiling, they noticed the microphones and both looked at him bewildered as to when their father had installed the microphones. Al turned a triumphant grin to Ed, "Brother, we could play it this once and dad could record it and then I'd never ask you to play it again."

Al continued to look pleadingly at Ed until Ed finally sighed, "Fine, but this is seriously the last time I am ever playing this song, ever again."

"Okay brother," Al looked at Hoenheim, "Dad, this room is sound proof right?"

"Yes, we will have to stay in here and be silent in order to hear you. As soon as I turn the recorder on," Hoenheim motioned to the red switch near the light switch which both Al and Ed glanced at before Ed smirked.

"You sure have a lot of faith in our talents to go through all this trouble old man," Ed said casually. Al gave him a pointed look, "Brother, can't you just give a straight compliment?"

"It wasn't-never mind," Ed turned his attention back to his violin and ducked his head. Al snickered at him which earned him a glare and even Naruto laughed at Ed's expense. Hoenheim smiled and then made his way over to the recorder switch and after a few minutes he received nods from Ed and Al that they were ready. He looked to Naruto and his parents and they gave nods that they understood they had to be completely silent. Al held his fingers hovering over the keys while Ed held his bow over the violin strings.

They watched Hoenheim as he flipped the switch and after a moment of static sounding in the room from the recorder turning on Ed and Al began to play. The soundproof room made the music louder and even though it echoed in the room it was the beauty of it, the way the music enveloped everyone in the room including the musicians. Even though Ed protested playing this song because of the sentimental value of it he truly played with everything he had. His eyes were closed as he played, as if he was in a trance.

Naruto had heard both Al and Ed practice music, but this was different, watching them play together in perfect sync and harmony and the way they seemed worlds away as their hands, minds, hearts, and souls poured music into the room had him silent in awe. Naruto couldn't help but think that if these two or just one of them stood up on a stage and played for a large audience they would be able to capture their attention fully. They were realy musicians, just like Sasuke who played with all he had, it was the only way he could ever catch his best friend as human as himself. Now Naruto could fully understand why Sasuke kept saying that Ed was the better musician though, Ed simply glowed as he played even though there was serious, concentrated expression on his face.

As the last notes played Hoenheim stopped them from applauding and motioned to the brothers as Ed opened his eyes and looked at Al. He held up three fingers and Al nodded and they began the next song with Al starting to play a song no one but Hoenheim recognized. It was an old, German classic that started off slow and melodic and picked up the pace after two measures. Hoenheim smirked when the song turned complex, it seemed both of his sons didn't mind showing off regardless of how much they claimed they didn't like playing in front of an audience.

As this song ended Hoenheim had to stop everyone from applauding and got to his feet to turn off the recorder, once he did Naruto, Kushina, and Minato were on their feet and father and son were whistling and applauding loudly. Ed scoffed and put up his violin as Al blushed in embarrassment and said a bashful thank you. As everyone cleared out of the music room Naruto threw an arm over Ed and Al's shoulders as they headed for the front of the house.

"You two really do have talent, now I see why Sasuke is so insistent that you play better than him."

Ed growled and shoved Naruto's arm off his shoulder then said, "Shouldn't you go help Al get his things together so you can get out of my hair Naruto?"

Naruto grinned, "Yeah. Geeze, you don't take compliments any better than you give them, relax Ed." Naruto laughed as he jumped away and ran up the stairs when Ed took a swing at him. Al followed after Naruto and was relieved when Ed didn't follow them upstairs. Hoenheim and Naruto's parents had made their way into the living room again and just before Ed was going to go upstairs to his study Kushina called out to him, "Edward, come and chat with us for a moment."

Ed grumbled but walked into the living room and sat down on the couch next to his father. Kushina smiled as Minato grinned at him. "Have you ever thought of playing professionally Edward?"

"No, that's like selling out, I play because I like music," Ed answered with a casual shrug, Kushina and Minato exchanged a glance and then smiled approvingly at Ed. Ed ducked his head and Kushina chuckled, "I understand what you mean Edward, there are a lot of people who have talents but don't wish to share them for worrying about becoming shallow and forgetting why they originally loved to do something. Music, writing, art, there are many things out there where the best are not famous. But those that can share in their talents and witness them are truly blessed."

"Yes, thank you for playing for us, it was truly a treat we'll have to repeat," Minato said with a grin as he stood just as Al and Naruto came back downstairs. Hoenheim got to his feet and walked them to the door. Al nearly tackled Ed as he stepped out into the hall and as he hugged him he said, "Thank you brother," Ed returned the hug and patted his back in a silent way of saying 'Your Welcome' then watched everyone leave. Ed shuffled his feet then turned to his father as he closed the door.

Now was a good time to ask his father about those three guys he'd had a run in with in London. Now that Al wasn't around to hear him, because he knew Al wasn't an idiot all that time but he still didn't want his brother to know just how badly he was hurt or how dangerous it was or risky so that's why Ed would disappear for a few days to let his wounds heal so Al wouldn't see just how bad it was.

Ed could feel his father watching him and he blinked and looked directly at him.

"Something on your mind?"

"Yes, I want to talk to you."

"That's different, are you sure you're not just wanting to yell at me," Hoenheim said with a smirk.

Ed scowled, "I could change my mind anytime old man," Ed turned and walked into the living room to sit on the couch that Naruto's parents had previously occupied while his father followed him and sat on the couch across from him. Ed let out a heavy sigh and turned to stare at the wall by the television, which was usually turned off. Ed didn't see why they had a t.v. when none of them really spent anytime watching it.

"There were these guys I ran into in London . . . "

"Guys?"

Ed nodded, "Yeah, guys. Three of them, ex-military, dangerous type, threatened me, roughened me up. Those kind of guys."

Hoenheim tensed and looked at his son fully now, "Did you catch their names, what did they look like? Were you seriously hurt?"

Ed sighed and finally looked at his father then raised his hand and pulled his bangs back to show the faded, jagged scar that ran across the top left side of his forehead and disappeared into his hairline. Before Hoenheim could comment Ed turned in his seat and lifted his braid up to show a scar than ran down the back of his neck, starting from his hairline and running down into his shirt collar. Hoenheim got to his feet and kneelt down in front of Ed, "Let me see the whole thing."

Ed sighed, "I will, but when I tell you who these guys told me they were," Ed kept hold of his hair as he spoke, "I want you to tell me everything."

"That's fair," Hoenheim said and Ed shifted and pulled his shirt off. Hoenheim grimaced and closed his eyes at seeing the scar. Now it made a lot of since why Ed had left his hair down while in the hospital, he didn't want anyone noticing the scar along the back of his neck that ended in between his shoulder blades. It was jagged and made a zig-zag. Hoenheim didn't reach out and trace the scar but his eyes did trace the rest of his sons back. There were faded, barely visible scars that were obviously the result of Ed being struck with a whip, he wondered why it was never brought up before. Ed seemed to feel where his eyes were because Ed shifted and pulled his shirt back on quickly, "I asked the nurse and Mikoto-san not to say anything."

"Why," Honeheim asked as he backed off and resumed his seat in the couch across from Ed.

"Tell me about these guys, Archer, Greed, and Kimblee first and then I'll tell you."

The color drained from Hoenheim's face at the mention of those names. Archer and Kimblee were definitely ex-military, he knew that for a fact, but Greed was another story. Greed's real name was Joespeh Javani, he was Italian and an ex-member of the Italian mafia. All three of them had an agenda with not only him but with their ex-comrades and anyone else that knew their true identities. Greed happened to work for the same alchemist that had caused Hoenheim to leave his family in an attempt to protect them.

"I know them, they are dangerous. Greed is an ex-member of the Italian mafia and the other two are ex-military, all three of them are known associates of a dangerous alchemist who happens to be the only remaining alchemist interested in human transmutation and finding the Philosophers' stone."

"That's great, I had to deal with three psychopaths who nearly killed me because they follow orders of some other psychopath."

"Edward-"

"Wait, that's not it. They didn't say anything about you when I ran into them. I was walking out of the library when I bumped into that Greed guy. I apologized and tried to keep going."

"Why were you at the library?"

"I was getting some books for me and Al to read, just because we weren't in school didn't mean we couldn't read and learn. Teacher got us into the habit of studying whenever we could, just like how Al and I train five days a week."  
Hoenheim nodded, he understood that and he agreed with it, it was a good habit and not one he was going to even think of having his sons' break. "What happened next?"

"How about we do it this way, I tell you something and you give me information. I think it would be a good idea if I was informed in case I run into them again."

"Why do you believe you would?"

"Are you deaf or just senile, I told you that they didn't come after me because of you, they made that pretty clear when that son of a bitch Greed pinned me against an alleyway wall. Didn't think the guy was as strong as he looked, but he was stronger. I've never been a push over and Teacher did teach us how to overwhelm someone bigger than us, but it didn't work. None of them are push overs either."

"They never were, being a part of the mafia or the military is one way to toughen and train someone."

"No shit. They noticed I had an old alchemy book, the same book you happen to own a copy of. That fifty year old book written by the guys' whose namesake I have or whatever, Fullmetal."

Hoenheim nodded, "The Amateur Mistakes of Alchemists."

"Yeah, that one. I figured it would be worth reading so I made sure not to make those kind of mistakes. It's a good book and its' pretty easy to figure out. That guy thought the same way I do. It was that book that caught their attention and made them lash out at me. I don't know if there were any witnesses, not that they would speak up anyway."

Hoenheim nodded again, "Those three are pretty well known, even the police try to keep a distance."

"Yeah, well the police are cowards in Europe anyway, at least the ones I met. Not that any upstanding cops would want to be around those three anyway. I ran into them again, the second time was over an extended period of time and unfortunately I had to leave Al to fend for himself for two weeks . . . "

"What happened?"

"You first."

Hoenheim sighed, "Alright. Archer and Kimblee were officers that I testified and found concrete evidence on that the government used to charge them with assault and battery, human cruelty, and unjustifiable arrest and assassination. Greed was never caught and he is an ex-member of the mafia as well as wanted by them for killing the Mafia bosses son."

"Sounds like they dug their own holes."

"They did," Hoenheim agreed.

"So they are after alchemists because their boss thinks using a powerful alchemist is going to make his dreams come true. There's not any legitimate proof that this stone exists and if it does . . . its going to take more than one life to make the damn thing."

"How much research have you actually done on Fullmetal and his findings?"

"I ran across some of his research but it wasn't until last night that I actually took the time to really look at it."

"Delving into that kind of research is going to be dangerous. Just so you know, but Fullmetal was a genius and a prodigy, I think it is ironic that Trisha chose to name you and your brother after the two brothers who are your ancestors. I was also surprised that your headmaster happens to have the name of a famous alchemist from Fullmetal's era as well, most of his colleagues have the same names as well."

"That sounds like more than coincidence, maybe there's just a lot of people with bad senses of humor."

Hoenheim chuckled, "Yes it seems so. But things are not going to change just because of that."

"Maybe someone wanted to change the events of the past that didn't turn out in their favor," Ed said absently his mind already having moved away from their conversation. Hoenheim got to his feet when the phone started ringing and made his way to the kitchen to answer it. He picked it up after the third ring, "Hello Elric residence."

"Yo, Mr. Elric, its' Tidus, can I talk to Ed?"

"Yes, hold on a moment," Hoenheim cupped his hand over the reciever and called out, "Edward, phone call."

Ed called back, "I'll take it the study," Ed ran up the stairs and Hoenheim held the phone up to his ear until he heard Ed saying hello into the phone on the line then he hung up. Hoenheim headed to the music room to remove the tape Ed and Al's playing was recorded on so that he could put the songs on his computer. When there were enough songs he was going to make a c.d. and give them a copy, they could make copies for their friends if they chose to, but Hoenheim guessed only Al would actually do that, Ed was more likely to give a c.d. only to Winry.

That thought brought a smile to Hoenheim's face as he closed up the music room and made his way to his own office upstairs. He could hear Ed's muffled voice in the study as he walked upstairs but didn't bother to ask him what was going on, if Tidus wanted Ed to go somewhere or do anything Ed would at least tell him that he was leaving and how long he would be gone. Hoenheim trusted Ed to take care of himself, even if his older son was a magnet for trouble. He did plan on asking Ed why he'd lied about the bullying, but he would give him another week before he did. It was time Ed tried to enjoy what was left of his summer vacation.

It was nearly an hour later that Ed knocked on his office door and Hoenheim simply said, "Come in."

Ed walked into the room and leaned against the door frame with his arms crossed over his chest, "Tidus wants me to go with him and a bunch of his friends to this place close to the water."

"How long and how many of his friends?"

Ed shrugged, "Couple of days, his brother, their girlfriends, cousins, parents."

"A family outing and he's inviting you?"

"Like I know how he thinks, he also wants me to convince Sasuke to go, but I doubt he will."

"He might considering it would keep him from having to spend a few days with Naruto."

Ed laughed, "Yeah, I could use that as an excuse."

"When are you leaving?"

"Around four, Tidus' brother is supposed to be picking everyone up."

"That's fine, take your phone with you and your charger. Call me-"

"When I get there and in case anything happens, I know, I know. Thanks old man," Ed turned and walked out closing the door behind him and heading to his room.

* * *

Two hours went by before Hoenheim heard Ed cussing as he walked out of his room on his cell phone obviously talking to Sasuke if the words 'arrogant bastard, ice princess, and anti-social prick' were any indication to who he was speaking to. Ed's voice carried up from the stairs and then he heard the back door opening and closing.

Ed growled into the phone, "Come on Sasuke, I don't want to spend the next couple of days with a bunch of idiot jocks."

"You're the one who became friends with one of those idiot jocks."

"He's your cousin."

"I'm aware."

"You're a prick."

"Hn."

"Damn it Sasuke, it's an excuse for you not to have to spend a few days with Naruto, who happens to have Al and probably a lot more annoying people over at his house."

"Hn."

"Four o-clock, you could always walk over here."

"Fine, but only so my mother stops bothering me to get out of the house."

"Thanks Sasuke, I'll come over to your house and walk back here with you so you're mum doesn't think you're just running away from home."

"Hn."

"You need to work on that sense of humor your lacking."

Sasuke hung up on him, Ed growled and pocketed his phone then ran back inside and slammed the back door behind him on accident. He yelled up to Hoenheim, "Going to get Sasuke, be back," as he ran for the front door and was gone.

Hoenheim sighed, "Usual message delivery coming from Ed," then went back to work on his research on the alchemists he was just telling Ed about. If Ed was correct and he was attacked because of interest in his own ancestors then Hoenheim was going to learn all he could about the Elric ancestry and what the Fullmetal Alchemist had gotten into that eventually killed him. That was something years as a traveling researcher, philosopher, and alchemist had managed to tell him, he'd heard rumors about the once famous alchemist and his death just as much as he'd heard of his accomplishments.

He paused in what he was reading to think about how much things had changed between him and both of his sons, even though just yesterday he'd though he and Ed had made no progress at all, it seemed that he was mistaken. He and Ed were able to have a conversation and Ed had even confided something in him and depended on him to get some information. His son was mature, but Hoenheim planned to try and remember Edward was still a child, despite how much Ed hated the idea, he was only twelve years old.

The only reason he agreed to tell Edward anything was because he shared Ed's idea of equivalency and his son had already encountered those three so he did deserve to know the truth. Hoenheim was still lost in his thoughts when the front door opened and Ed and Sasuke's voice drifted upstairs to him alerting him to their arrival. He found he wasn't bothered too much by the number of guests in his house today, it was good that both of his sons were able to make friends and even better that their friends were such good friends.

"We're back but only for a few hours, going in the music room," Ed called from downstairs before Hoenheim heard a door closing. Hoenheim smiled and decided he would get back to his research wondering as he read through the journal logs he'd acquired thanks to Mustangs' connections with national libraries if his son kept a research journal. Hoenheim got to his feet and walked out of his office to go into his sons' study. He crossed the room and walked over to Ed's desk. He was hesitant to pick up the worn out red journal sitting on the desk with several, small, torn pieces of paper sticking out the top of it.

Ed was going to be mad at him if he was caught, an alchemists journal was personal as much as it was enlightening. But he was curious, Ed had made a comment earlier stating he thought the same way as the Fullmetal alchemist and Hoenheim was interesting in seeing whether or not that was true. Hoenheim sighed and walked out of the study and made his way back into his office, he couldn't just look in his son's research journal if he wanted to see it he could ask Ed and if he didn't want him to see it then he had to be alright with that.

Hours went by quickly, Hoenheim was started to get frustrated, these damn journal logs were complicated to understand and even harder to decipher. How was he supposed to get any alchemy research done when he couldn't figure out the notes he was reading? There was a knock on his office door and all he offered was a grunt. Ed opened the door and looked at him with a raised eyebrow, "Having trouble old man?"

Hoenheim ran a hand through his hair and thought about it for a minute before he closed the journal he'd spent most of the day looking through and waved it at Ed. Ed dropped his black duffel bag in the doorway and stepped up to the desk and took the book, "What's this," he asked as he looked on both covers of the book.

"It's a journal log of the Fullmetal Alchemist."

Ed's eyes brightened curiously and he looked up at Hoenheim with the excitement of the scholar Hoenheim knew his son would always be. "Seriously? Where in the world did you get this, is this the only one you have?"

Hoenheim shook his head and motioned to the other five books he had to his left on the desk, "Those are the other ones. According to the person that got a hold of them for me they are the journal logs from age twelve to nineteen. That one is from twelve to fourteen and each one goes on from there. They are coded and I can't make sense of them. I was about to give them to you to go through since you said earlier that you and Fullmetal think alike, maybe you will have better luck."

"Are you pulling my leg," Ed asked in disbelief, "you're actually handing these to me to decipher? What about what you said earlier?"

"I have a condition of course," Hoenheim said simply.

Ed looked at him expectantly, "Which is?"

"You share your thoughts, at least try and explain what you find to me."

"That's it?"

Hoenheim nodded with a smirk, "Yes, that's it."

They were interrupted by the sound of a car horn outside, Hoenheim waved to the other journals which Ed moved to take and once Ed managed to shove them into his travel bag he hefted the bag on his shoulder and looked at Hoenheim, "See you in a few days dad," Ed said before he closed the door and made his way downstairs. Hoenheim sat back in his chair with a smile as he listened to Ed and Sasuke leaving and the front door closing behind them.


	12. Chapter 12

**Disclaimer: I don't own Fullmetal Alchemist, hell I don't own the title to this fan fic. FMA belongs to Arakawa-sama and the title and song belong to the writers, editors, and whatnot of Martina McBride. I do not condone abuse nor am I a fan of it. I also do not own any characters from Naruto or familiar characters from other series, they belong to Kishimoto-sensei and their respective artists.**

_A/N: Dark themes, child abuse, violence, language. This story is fictional and should it offend anyone please do not read. Flames will be used to make smores and comments and constructive criticism is welcome. This story is un-beta'd and edited by me. Oh, and here's a shocker, Hoenhiem is the good parent in this, OMFG. lol._

**Additional Warning: Alcohol, drugs, and implied sexual abuse content. And scary Uchiha's.**

**Chapter 12**

When they got to the house where Tidus had told them they were staying Ed nor Sasuke had expected a party to be going on. Neither of them were really known to be social but Tidus and Shuyin had dragged them out of the car and into the beach house despite protests. There was loud music playing and Ed thought he recognized the bands playing, so at least they were playing music he could stand to listen to. As soon as they made it inside both of them were introduced to everyone, who cheered at seeing them when they walked inside.

The first ones they were introduced to were two gorgeous girls who were Shuyin and Tidus' ages. Shuyin being three years older than Tidus meant his girlfriend was older than Tidus' naturally. Both were wearing matching blue skirt with knee high, lace up boots that matched their red and pink blouses. Tidus' girlfriend had her long hair tied back in a braid with red ribbons in it to match the rest of what she wore while the other girl wore her hair down. They smiled and greeted them with exclamations of how handsome they were and both of them ended up blushing as the two older girls grabbed their arms and pulled them into the kitchen in front of Tidus and Shuyin were grinning and saying hello to everyone.

"So, you must be the prodigy genius Tidus brags about so much," Yuna, he thought that was her name said with a smile.

Ed shrugged and pried his arm free to sit down at the table in the kitchen ignoring the empty beers and soda cans and Sasuke took the initiative and pulled free from Shuyin's girlfriend and sat down next to him. Sasuke glared at the cans on the table as the girls exchanged glances, shrugged and then walked away. Tidus came over to them and sat down at the table and offered them two sodas which they took silently. After a few minutes Ed glared at Tidus, "Are you out of your mind bringing us to a high school or college party?"

Tidus chuckled, "Yes I am out of my mind, what was I thinking introducing my two mature, genius classmates to a party where kids the age of the kids in your classes are at? Look, you two always act so damn smug and mature, I thought it was time you see what your maturity will lead you."

Ed looked around and noticed a group of guys chugging beer from a keg across the room with a group of other guys and girls cheering them on with beer cans in their hands. Then he looked to the crowded living room where empty cans and chip bags littered the floor, table, and the other furniture was and there were small groups of people laughing, talking, and swaying while drinking even more beer were gathered. Just about everyone was drinking and there were a few smoking cigarettes as well and the music kept getting louder and louder and despite that Ed was a fan of rock music he was finding it hard to hear himself think with how loud it was.

"You call all these idiots mature?"

Sasuke looked at Ed and then at Tidus with a glare that said he clearly agreed with Eds' assessment. Tidus sighed and got to his feet, "This isn't the beach house I meant, the one my parents and Yuna's family are at two miles further down, feel free to follow the shoreline and you'll see it. White, lights, porch all the way around it."

"Your parents don't care that all of you are here, getting drunk, being stupid, and doing whatever the hell else a bunch of high school idiots do?"

"Hey, you're in high school too genius, and no, not really. They know we're here."

"Seriously," Ed asked incredulously with a glance at Sasuke who looked away.

Tidus shrugged, "Yes seriously. Why would my folks care, they did the same thing when they were fifteen."

Ed shook his head and got to his feet, Sasuke did the same. Ed looked at Tidus, "Alright Tidus, well have fun at your party, me and Sasuke are going to go meet your parents. We might be there when you show up, we may not, I'll figure it out later."

Tidus' grin faded and he followed Ed to the front door and watched his younger friend and his cousin shrug off everyone that tried to get them to stay or hand them a beer. "Ed, hey wait a minute kiddo." Ed turned and glared at Tidus who stopped in the doorway with his hand raised.

"I'm going, you stay here. I'm mad at you for being an idiot but give me some time and I won't end up beating the shit out of you for it."

"Whoa, hey, what the hell did I do wrong here? I invited you both to a party with a bunch of older kids, most people would love to come to a cool party."

Ed shook his head in disbelief, "Cool party? You call a bunch of minors getting together and drinking cool? I'd rather keep my brain cells for better use thanks."

Sasuke walked down the stairs and Ed was about to follow him when Tidus reached out and grabbed his arm, Sasuke paused and looked up just in time to see Ed scowl darkly and his eyes turn a dark gold he noticed even in the dusk approaching. Ed turned slowly and narrowed his eyes dangerously at Tidus who immediately let go and backed up a step. Ed turned away and he and Sasuke walked first to Shuyin's car to grab their bags and then walked up the hill leading to the road and Tidus watched them go without saying another word.

* * *

Hoenheim was cleaning up the mess from the take out he'd order for dinner when the phone started ringing. He picked it up after two rings, "Hello?"

"Dad, it's Ed, me and Sasuke need you to come pick us up."

"Is everything alright, where are you?"

"Hold on a minute, hey Sasuke do you know where we are?"

Hoenheim could hear Sasuke's voice but couldn't make out what he was saying. Ed came back on the line, "Do you know where the beach is at, near the uh, state line?"

"State line, you couldn't have been there for more than an hour if you went that far."

"That's besides the point," Ed growled, "do you know where it is? Can you come and get us, we're standing outside a diner, there's a payphone in the parking lot."

"Of course I can come get you. Can you go inside the diner to wait for me to get there?"

"Not really, there's some shady characters in the diner."

"Okay, just stay there, I'm on my way to you both."

"Yeah, like I'm going to go anywhere or going to hitch a ride with some weirdo."

"Edward."

"Okay, we'll be right here when you get here."

Hoenheim hung up and finished up cleaning after himself quickly then grabbed his keys, wallet, and cell phone sitting on the table in the hallway then headed to the front door. He locked it behind himself and walked to his van. He hoped nothing went wrong and that both boys were safe when he got to them.

* * *

Ed hung up the phone and sighed, he stepped out of the phone booth and leaned back against it with his arms crossed over his chest next to Sasuke who stood with his hands in his pockets.

"This sucks you know," Ed said with a huff.

"Hn."

"Can you believe that shit?"

"Yes, it's his usual behavior."

"Is that why you don't like him much?"

"Hn."

"Isn't his mom your aunt or something?"

"Yes."

"Your family doesn't talk about his family much."

"Now you see why."

"That's still fucked up, your family, doesn't anyone try to change that?"

"Not anymore."

"You've tried?"

"Before."

"They didn't take it well huh?"

"Hn."

"Well, it still sucks. Hate to admit it, but twelve and thirteen is pretty young for parties like that shit."

"Hn."

"Oh shut up, smug bastard."

"Hmm."

Ed glanced around and noticed someone walking towards the phone booth. Sasuke tensed beside him and it took Ed a moment to realize why. This guy walking towards them was wearing dark clothes and Ed could tell his eyes were yellow, a brighter color than his own unique eyes and that creeped him out. Especially when he noticed the look the guy was giving both of them and how his eyes narrowed in lust as he got closer. Ed shivered beside Sasuke who was standing there probably trying to figure out if the guy was real or a figment of his imagination. Ed smacked him on the arm and Sasuke turned to glare at him.

"Maybe we should-I don't know, get moving or something," Ed whispered to him. Sasuke stepped away from the phone booth and Ed pocketed his hands and did the same grabbing his own bag after Sasuke. Before they got more than ten steps away the guys slithery voice called out to them, "Well, well, what are two young boys like yourselves doing out here so late, by yourselves?"

Ed decided to follow Sasuke's lead and ignore the guy but he felt his stomach tighten itself in knots when he heard footsteps following them and definitely not heading for the phone booth. Ed glanced at Sasuke who was looking towards the road and they kept walking away.

"I find myself lucky enough to run across two shy boys tonight as well?"

Ed gritted his teeth, he really wanted to turn around and punch this guy in the face and make a run for it. Something about this guy made his skin crawl, so he didn't plan to stick around and beat the hell out of him. They just kept walking and refusing to reply to the guy who was following them all the way out to the road. Ed gripped his phone in a death grip in his pocket and was about to turn and tell the guy to leave or he was calling the cops when Sasuke grabbed his arm and pulled him forward.

"Oh, I see, you assume if you just ignore me I'll go away?"

Sasuke gave Ed a pointed look which Ed returned with a glare and a subtle shrug. Earlier they'd argued over stopping at the payphone by the diner and just continuing to walk down the road until they had a signal. Ed swore he was never going anywhere this far away from the city ever again after this night. The man kept following them and he was silent for a while but the echoing footsteps told them he was still there so they just remained silent and kept moving.

"Its' a nice night out, moonless and dark, hard for anyone to really see two boys and myself walking along a deserted road."

Ed's skin did crawl and his blood ran a little cold, he was having a really, really bad feeling that there fucked up night was about to become a night of fighting to get away from this pedophile following them, or whatever the guy was. Ed felt a jolt run up his spine and not one to ignore his instincts he shoved Sasuke forward and turned around just in time to see the guy suddenly lunge at him. Ed had his fists raised and when he made to swing he found the tall, skinny looking guy was a hell of a lot stronger than he thought because his wrists were caught in a death grip.

Sasuke grunted as he got to his feet and in the blink of an eye Ed found himself turned around with both wrists held securely against his chest in the iron grip of one hand while the cold feel of metal touch his throat. Ed looked at Sasuke and immediately realized why the guy had made the sudden move. Sasuke was holding a pocket knife, blade withdrawn, in his right hand flipped back in his hand to remain concealed by his wrist and his eyes were narrowed dangerously and nearly red with what Ed couldn't decide was fear or anger.

"Well, it seems you two have some talents," the man hissed into Ed's ear making Ed shiver in disgust and try to turn his head away only to have the knife at his throat pressed harder against his neck.

Sasuke's eyes took on a more ominent red hue and Ed tried to convey that Sasuke should run but his raven haired friend either ignored him or didn't catch the look in his eyes. Sasuke instead decided to finally say something and the threat and venom in his voice would have made most people rethink their very existence but the guy just pulled Ed closer against him in response.

"I know who you are so it would be best to release him."

The guy laughed and Ed tensed and tried to pull his hands free only to have nails dig into the skin of his wrists and the blade being pressed hard enough against his skin that he felt the warmth of his own blood roll down his neck. Ed gritted his teeth and kept his hands fisted digging his own nails into his palms. He hated cowards, he really hated it when he was trapped in the hold of a coward, hated it even more that this guy was sporting a fucking erection that was digging into the small of his back and made him feel a very powerful need for a scalding hot shower right fucking now.

"No why would I do that Sasuke-kun," Ed felt a chill run through him with the way the guy had practically purred his friends name.

"My family will put you back in prison Orochimaru," Sasuke snarled challengingly.

Orochimaru? Ed could swear he'd heard the name before but right now he couldn't remember where and damn it this guy better stop grinding his fucking dick into his back before he just bit his tongue and bled to death to escape how gross it was.

"They will try, but I will have my revenge and I believe I should start by having a bit of fun with this golden sun here and then of course I'll have my way with you."

"Oh hell no! Let me go you son of-gah!" Ed's snarled, threatening words were cut off when a long, disgusting tongue suddenly swept up the side of his face and Ed closed his eyes and turned his head away not caring about the blade that was digging into his neck. The blade left his throat and Ed struggled to get free again only to have his hair grabbed and his head pulled back violently making him growl angrily.

"Well, what do we have here, it seems golden boy has already been toyed with," Orochimaru said with interest before he completely released Ed and shoved him forward. Ed hit his hands and knees and then shot up from the ground and turned to face the fucker with his fists raised. The man continued to watch them but made no indication he felt threatened. Ed lunged before Sasuke could stop him, he was going to beat this guys face in and then he was going to cut off his dick and feed it to him.

But when he lunged the guy merely side stepped him but Ed wasn't an amateur, he turned on the ball of his foot and aimed a kick at the guy. Which was soundly grabbed by the ankle and pulled to try and throw Ed off balance. Ed turned into the attempted throw and used the palms of his hands to turn around and aim a kick with his other leg which met with a forearm but gave Ed the time needed pull his leg free and he ended up doing a one handed side flip to regain his balance.

His skin felt like it had been burned where the guy and any part of him had touched him and that just fueled Ed's anger even more so he lunged again and his lunge was side stepped and the guy just dodged every attempt. Ed didn't give the guy a chance to put his hands on him and when he found himself suddenly on the defensive dodging moves he was too concentrated and not letting the guy touch him again that he tripped and landed on his ass.

Before Ed could recover his footing the guy looming over him with a smug look on his face was suddenly on the ground and rolling down the ditch along the side of the road. Sasuke appeared in his vision and held out a hand to help him up. Ed took it and got to his feet and brushed himself off but before Ed could think to do anything else Sasuke grabbed him by the arm and they started running down the road picking up their discarded bags as they went.

"How the hell do you know him," Ed called as he got his arm free and ran up beside Sasuke. Sasuke didn't answer him and with both of them running there wasn't really a chance to discuss it further. They ran for a few miles, at least an hour, and Ed took his phone from his pocket and let out a sigh of relief after he caught his breath and called his fathers' cell phone.

He picked up after two rings and Ed let out another sigh, "Change of plans old man, we're walking down the road so you don't have to go all the way to the diner just watch for us along the interstate."

Sasuke kept looking around them to make sure Orochimaru wasn't following them or had caught up to them when he heard Ed say angrily, "No, I didn't tear the place up and make a run for it! There was this creepy guy that came up to us, I told you there were shady people there. Yeah well we had to run for an hour straight for me to get a signal otherwise I would have called you from somewhere other than a payphone. Look, just keep an eye out for us and I'll tell you when we are safe and on our way home alright old man?"

Ed was silent for a moment and then he glared at the night around them, "Hell no I'm not drunk, thanks dad, I'm so happy you have such faith in me. Just hurry the hell up before that guy shows up again alright? I'll tell you when you get here my mind is kind of preoccupied right now!" Ed hung up and put his phone back in his pocket.

He knew they had at least another hour to kill before his father got anywhere close to them, it took three hours for them to even get out here in the first place. He was indefinitely never coming out here again, never. It really pissed him off the more he thought about, here he was, older now, and fucking scared of some creepy guy in the middle of fucking nowhere when he'd spent two years on his own taking care of his little brother, by himself. _But that was in the city,_ his mind supplied him. _It was easier to run away and lose some creep than it is out here where you can't get away because there's not a bunch of alleyways to run down and get the creep lost in. Besides, landing in some free clinic half dead and bleeding to death a few times was hardly surviving._

"Fuck," Ed hissed angrily and Sasuke looked at him, "What?"

Ed shook his head and winced when his neck stung from that action which of course made him notice his brusied, but wrists from the bastard digging his nails into his wrists and that in turn made a flood of disgust run over him and he shivered hard at the way his skin felt like it was going to burn off and he wanted to peel it off. He adjusted the strap biting into his shoulder from his bag, "Nothing, just thinking about how fucked up this is. I took care of myself just fucking fine in London, for two years, on my own, while caring for my brother and this shitheat shows up and actually makes me worried and fucking scared and I hate that."

Sasuke was silent for a moment and just watched him as they kept walking down the deserted and dark road before he said, "That man went to prison six years ago, he must have broke out because he should still be there."

Ed looked at him, "How do you know that creep anyway?"

Sasuke looked away, "He's Naruto's uncle actually, was a private tutor for families like mine."

Ed was silent a moment and thought about how disgusting the guy was and how plain his lust was for both of them. He looked at Sasuke sharply but Sasuke didn't elaborate or explain. Ed had the feeling that the guy had done something to deserve going to prison and from the way it sounded it wasn't anything pleasant and was done to Sasuke. What he really wondered was what exactly and whether or not the guy had messed with his nephew as well.

Al was always telling him he jumped to conclusions but he wasn't sure whether or not he should ask outright or try and be subtle, which really wasn't a talent of his. "Was it just you or was Naruto-umm . . . "

Sasuke sighed, "Two years and both of us, considering that Naruto is that snakes' nephew, unfortunately. It might have been longer with Naruto since I was seven when he became my tutor."

"But haven't you and Naruto always been friends?"

"Yes, because of our fathers', they grew up together. But my parents didn't like him so they didn't let him in our home before the tutoring."

Ed nodded, "Looks like everyone has their own secrets, must have some magnet that attracts all those with a past," he ended with a shrug.

Sasuke looked at him, "He said something about you . . ."

Ed looked at him with a cool expression then up at the night sky, "Yeah, well getting cornered and tortured by three psychopaths tends to leave scars behind."

"Hmm."

"They didn't do anything like what you and Naruto had to deal with, but not from lack of trying."

"What happened?"

Ed gave a humorless laugh before answering, "They removed the shackles, stupid fucking gits. After all the hell they'd put me through they thought they broke me. I caught them by surprise and turned tail and ran. Got away but not without a price, Al found me passed out in an alleyway covered in my own blood and a lot of wounds."

Sasuke closed his eyes briefly, "Maybe the fucked up ones should stick together."

Ed looked at him in shock and Sasuke scoffed before Ed started laughing, "Damn, didn't know you had a sense of humor Sasuke." Sasuke smirked then smacked Ed upside the head which made Ed stop laughing and then they were running down the road with Ed threatening to beat Sasuke's face in.

* * *

Hoenheim spotted them walking along the road and immediately pulled over, when they came towards the car he noticed the dirty, ripped clothes, grazes, and both of them looked like they had been fighting each other. But then he noticed the marks on Ed's wrists and the cut along his throat as Ed climbed into the front passenger seat after tossing his bag into the back seat next to Sasuke who put his own on the floorboard. Hoenheim unbuckled his seat-belt and seized Ed's arms before his son could put on his seat-belt. Ed tensed and flinched back then scowled at him, "I'm fine let go."

Hoenheim continued to hold him even when Ed pulled back, "What the hell happened?"

Ed twisted his arms free and Hoenheim sat back in his seat and looked at him expectantly, Ed crossed his arms over his chest and leaned back in his seat and turned to glare at the window. "You're going to tell me when we get home."

Ed shrugged, "Fine, can we go now?"

Ed put on his seat-belt and Sasuke silently did the same and Hoenheim let out a sigh before he re-buckled his and turned the car around to head home. He had a feeling it was going to be a really long night and that he'd probably be spending most of it trying to find out what happened from two stubborn boys and then another night speaking with Sasuke's parents explaining why he'd thought it was a good idea to let Ed go somewhere alone with two older boys when he didn't know where they were going or what they were doing.

* * *

_**The Following Morning . . .  
**_

Hoenheim was proved right, naturally, and now found himself on the receiving end of the infamous Uchiha glare from not just Mr. Uchiha but Mikoto Uchiha as well. They were seated in the living room and Hoenheim was exhausted, stressed, and still pretty angry at what he'd managed to pry out of Ed and Sasuke before sending them to bed to get some rest after their especially trying night.

He sat on his favorite couch, across from the Uchiha's and ran his hands through his hair tiredly and then over his face and Mikoto's glare softened a bit before it turned to one of concern.

"Hoenheim-san, have you gotten any sleep since last night?"

"No, both of those boys are stubborn and were very tight lipped about telling me what happened."

"What did happen," Fugaku Uchiha said in his ever present stoic tone of voice with the same constantly present blank expression. Only a slightly red tint to his dark eyes gave away how angry he was and Hoenheim found he rather liked being on the Uchiha's good side.

"Ed informed me that he was highly mistaken and deceived about what was going on at the beach house where Tidus invited him. There was a party going on, not the one Ed was told was going on, so Ed and Sasuke decided to leave."

"Sasuke-kun should have known to go to his aunts and ask them for a ride home," Mikoto said casually but there didn't seem to be a reprimand in her voice. She probably had reasons to believe why Sasuke had not done as she suggested.

"Elric-san should not have allowed them to go without any confirmation from an adult that they were going to be in a safe environment. None of this would have occured if he had done so."

"Now dear, don't place all the blame on Hoenheim-san. There was no way for any of us to know that man was anywhere in the vicinity."

"So you do know who this Orochimaru is," Hoenheim asked with some of his anger slipping into his voice. He hated the marks on his son and hated it even more how Ed flinched away from physical contact. Ed had spent an entire hour in the shower and used up all the hot water, which usually lasted for at least three hours if the three of them and their friends staying over taking showers for that long was anything to go by. That told Hoenheim that his son had taken a scolding hot shower and with how red and blistered Ed's skin was even when he went to bed he'd even spent the entire time trying to rub his skin off.

Mikoto and Fugaku both exchanged glances and then Mikoto gave a slow nod, "Yes. He is Naruto-kun's great uncle, the brother of his grandfather Jaraiya-sama. We still don't know how long Naruto was being abused, but we do know that our son was a victim to that vile man for two years, two years while we thought the man was tutoring our son."

There was such shame and sadness in Mikoto's voice that Hoenheim felt his anger fade only to be renewed as he realized why Fugaku was so angry. How could the police let a sick man like this Orochimaru run around freely?

"We pressed charges and went to court and he was supposed to spend twenty years in prison in a different state and we placed a state wide restraining order on him. Naruto-kun testified against him as well, but he never told anyone how long it had gone on. Not even Sasuke-kun knows."

"Why the hell is this guy out of prison then?"

"We don't know, he obviously broke out of prison and we are going to find out why and report this to the police as soon as the boys wake up."

Hoenheim nodded and Mikoto got to her feet, "And when you get some rest yourself. Go to bed, my husband and I will stay here and mind the house and the boys while you sleep."

Hoenheim made to protest but then Fugaku spoke up, "You will be of little use to us in your state."

Mikoto smiled at her husband and Hoenheim got to his feet only to have Mikoto make a shooing motion at him, "Go on, go get some rest. When you wake up you will feel better." Hoenheim let out a sigh and did as she said, he was too tired to argue that this was his house or anything along those lines.

Mikoto turned to her husband as she took her seat on the couch next to him, "We're going to have to have a talk with our son when he wakes up. I've also been meaning to speak with Edward about something as well."

Fugaku nodded and leaned back on the couch and put his arm on the back of the couch to which Mikoto took the invitation and leaned into him. "Why do you continue to use honorifics around everyone else when you talk freely around me?"

Mikoto looked up at him from where she rested her head against his shoulder and smiled, "I think some of the honorifics can be used to express endearment."

"You enjoy embarrassing all the boys, now I understand."

Mikoto laughed softly, "Yes, that is why as well. Don't change the subject though."

"Of course, I agree with having a talk with our son. I, however, see no need to involve ourselves even more in the life of the Elrics."

"I see reason to involve ourselves, both Edward and Alphonse are in need of a mother figure in their lives and Hoenheim is having much difficulty being a parent after years of running away from such responsibilities."

"A consequence of life. Their mother died and that is extremely unfortunate. As for Mr. Elric, I believe his sons will be sure to teach him of the consequences to his actions. From what you have told me Edward gives his father much grief about his leaving them."

"That is all true, but I still wish to do all I can for both of the Elric boys and I wish to help Hoenheim protect and care for them."

"On your own head be it, I will not stop you, but you will have to do this on your own for I will not help you either. We have our own children to take care of."

"I am fully aware of that, having given birth to both of them. That does not mean that we should not help the friends of our sons all that we can."

"We do not have to raise them."

"The world has done most of the raising, as well as their own parents. Everyone needs assistance now and again and I aim to offer aid when it is the time for the need of it."

"Very well my dear wife, as you wish. I will support you but I can offer you nothing more than that. I do not wish to involve myself in the lives of those other than my own sons. They are enough to handle for me, I am not multi-talented and able to take on many things at once as you are."

Mikoto smiled sweetly at her husband and leaned up and kissed him. He returned her kiss and her smile before he looked up at the sound of footsteps on the stairs. Mikoto sat up and moved a little away from her husband, she was fine with his preferences of not displaying any type of affection or letting his mask slip in front of others. It did bother her when the only emotion either of their sons or their friends had ever seen from the man was anger, but she was often the one to smooth things over.

Sasuke stepped into the doorway of the living room, his hair still sticking up in odd places from sleeping but he was dressed in clean clothes and looked mostly awake as he wordlessly stepped into the living room and sat down on the couch across from his parents. Mikoto and Fugaku both scrutinized their son as they checked for injured. He had a few scrapes on his elbows and his knees, given that he was wearing his usualy baggy, dark shirt with white shorts and socks. There was a bruise forming on his left cheek and before either parent could ask Sasuke looked at them.

"Ed and I were wrestling," he stated simply before raising his hand to cover up a yawn.

Mikoto looked at him sharply, "You two were wrestling? After what I heard happened last night?"

Sasuke sighed, "We were working out adrenaline because of what happened last night."

"Was last night your first recent encounter with him," Fugaku asked his son and gave him a look that clearly said Sasuke better tell him the truth and be quick about it.

Sasuke averted his gaze, "No, but I didn't think it was really him."

"Why didn't you tell us," Mikoto said with a stern look at her son.

"I didn't think it was really him."

"You still should have said something, we would have known he had broken free sooner if you had."

"So last night was my fault," Sasuke asked his mother irritably.

"Don't take that tone with your mother," Fugaku snapped and Sasuke immediately bowed his head in apology and took a deep breath.

"I'm sorry, you're right, I should have told you even if I didn't believe it was really him. Forgive my tone mother."

Mikoto looked at Fugaku and narrowed her eyes before turning back to her son, "Did he do anything to you?"

Sasuke shook his head, "No, he seemed more interested in Ed than me. We also didn't give him the option."

"Did he mention that he would?"

A silent nod but Sasuke refrained from saying anything. The three Uchiha's remained silent for several minutes before Fugaku stood and pulled out his cell phone and left the room. Mikoto got to her feet and walked over to sit on the couch next to Sasuke. She traced the bruise on his face and he turned his head away with a glare but she just smiled, "You're not just telling me you two wrestled to soothe me are you?"

"No mother," Sasuke snapped.

Mikoto smiled and got to her feet, "Go shower, brush your teeth, and your hair and then come downstairs to eat some breakfast. I'm sure as soon as I start cooking Edward-kun will wake up."

Sasuke got up and followed her out of the living room and then went upstairs as she made her way to the kitchen. When Sasuke came back down thirty minutes later Ed was following him, dressed, showered, and his hair tied back in a lose ponytail. He was wearing a light, long sleeved, button up, white shirt with a pair of blue jean pants and barefoot as he sat down at the small kitchen table.

Mikoto gave him a pleasant smile as she sat two plates on the table just as Sasuke took his own seat. She fixed two more plates and then walked into the dining room where Fugaku was still talking on the phone. She said casually as she set their plates on the table and turned to retrieve their glasses of milk from the kitchen, "Eat something dear." When she returned Fugaku closed his phone and sat down to join her for breakfast.

Sasuke and Ed ate in silence and Ed gulped down a glass of orange juice and made to stand but found that Fugaku was watching him intently and Mikoto was standing at the sink holding out her hand expectantly for his dishes. Ed looked at Sasuke but Sasuke got to his feet and handed his dishes over to his mother without a word and Ed reluctantly did the same. Don't get him wrong, Ed liked Sasuke's parents, when Mikoto wasn't hovering over him and Mr. Uchiha wasn't looking at him like that anyway.

Ed turned to leave the kitchen but Fugaku's sharp voice stopped him, "Sit down young man," Ed sat down at the table immediately. Fugaku released him from his gaze to look at Sasuke sternly, "Call Kushina-san, she wishes to speak to you."

Sasuke nodded and gave Ed an apologetic look before he walked out of the kitchen. Ed looked at Mikoto and found that he liked her motherly concern much better than this stern, expectant look she was giving him right now as she finished up the dishes and moved to stand next to her husband. Ed found himself thinking that these two could take over the world or at least make a hell or a lot of money as interrogators. Who the hell could lie to them when they were looking at him like that, he felt like spilling his soul to them just to get them to stop doing that, intimidating staring thing they were currently doing. How the hell did Sasuke, Itachi, or anyone else survive that?

"Start talking, tell us what happened Edward-kun," Mikoto stated, not asked or requested, stated calmly, but it was demanding at the same time.

"Umm . . . " Ed began lamely before he found himself telling them everything that had happened from the moment they arrived at the party they were not told was a high school or college party, he wasn't sure since he hadn't stuck around long enough to find out. He hesitated when he got to the part where that creepy guy had grabbed him but after some prompting from more of their intent and expectant gazes he told them everything he could remember up until his father had finally arrived to take them home. The kitchen fell into a tense silence and then Mikoto's expression softened suddenly and she moved towards the table and kneeled down in front of him as Mr. Uchiha turned and went back into the dining room.

"Thank you Ed-kun, we appreciate you telling us everything," she stood up and held out her hand with a kind smile, "let me look at your wounds, I'll help you take care of them so that they don't get infected."

Ed hesitated but eventually took her hand and let her help him up and then lead him upstairs to his and Al's shared bathroom. He found he was grateful his brother was such a neat freak because he would have been embarrassed to have Mrs. Uchiha walk into the upstairs bathroom and see it a mess of dirty clothes, trash that just missed the trash can, and an old, possibly week old towel thrown over the shower curtain and rod.

She didn't take long to guide him to sit down on the toilet after closing the lid and then set to searching the four drawers for gauze, as he noticed when she pulled it out, cotton balls and scissors. Ed touched his fingertips to his throat, just noticing that the cut was too long for a band-aid to cover up. Then she took out neosporin, band-aids, and peroxide from the medicine cabinet above the sink.

She soaked a cotton ball with peroxide before she lifted Ed's chin with her other hand so she could clean the cut on his neck. Ed let out a hiss as the medicine burned and made him fully aware of how deep and jagged the cut was. He couldn't stand cuts, especially deep ones from knives that were inflicted by sick pedophiles, those royally blew. When she got another cotton ball Ed glanced at the bloody one she tossed in the small trash can between the sink and the toilet, "Bloody hell," he said through a hiss when she pressed the cotton ball to a particularly deep part of the cut on his neck, it was dangerously close to his jugular vein and he shivered slightly at the realization.

"I believe that's the first time you've used such language other than the more rugged American cuss words," Mikoto said with a smile and a light chuckle. Ed grimaced when she threw away that cotton ball to get another one, "Is that cut really that bad?"

"It did start bleeding again when I started to clean it," she replied as she moved to press another cotton ball to his neck. Ed looked up at the ceiling and they fell into a comfortable silence as she doctored his wounds. She even cleaned the grazes from him and Sasuke's rough housing. She disposed of everything and put things back in their places before she stood and looked at him with her hands on her hips, "Now, you be sure to clean those wounds and change the bandages regularly. You haven't been out of the hospital for more than a week and already you're hurt again."

Ed shrugged, "That's just my luck. I will, I swear I'll take care of them and clean them and change the bandages and eat my vegetables," he said when Mikoto looked at him sternly. She laughed, "Alright then."

Ed got to his feet as she turned to leave the bathroom, "But I'm not drinking milk."

Mikoto laughed and left Ed to do as he wished as she returned downstairs. Ed let out a sigh of relief and turned off the bathroom light and then headed to his study where he'd spent most of the night being unable to sleep. He wanted to work on deciphering those journal logs, at least to give him something to do to keep his mind off of everything else. He walked in to see Sasuke lounging on the couch in the middle of the room reading the book Amateur Mistakes of Alchemists and smirked, "Didn't know you were interested in alchemy Sasuke."

"Hn."


	13. Chapter 13

**Disclaimer: I don't own Fullmetal Alchemist, hell I don't own the title to this fan fic. FMA belongs to Arakawa-sama and the title and song belong to the writers, editors, and whatnot of Martina McBride. I do not condone abuse nor am I a fan of it. I also do not own any characters from Naruto or familiar characters from other series, they belong to Kishimoto-sensei and their respective artists.**

_A/N: Dark themes, violence, language, mild sexual content. This chapter contains a Time Jump as well. Flames will be used to make smores and comments and constructive critism is welcome. This story is un-beta'd and edited by me. Oh, and here's a shocker, Hoenhiem is the good parent in this, OMFG. lol.  
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* * *

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Chapter 13

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. . . To stand between the candle And the shining moon . . ._

_**-Backcover of Nightwish Album: Highest Hopes: Best of Nightwish**_

**_  
Three Years Later . . .  
_**

Ed found he actually enjoyed college a lot more than high school, especially considering how much he'd hated going to BB&N and how they never did manage to lower the bullying. That was fine too because it really just made him and Sasuke even better friends and tougher than your average kids their age. Now, however, he had to deal with the would be bullies that were in their twenties. But, most of them figured out Ed was only fifteen and decided it wasn't a good idea to pick a fight with a minor that could lay you out. That was a lesson they'd learned when they picked a fight with him and Sasuke when Ed was having a bad day and only a few months into the school year. Now Ed was enjoying summer vacation and a less stressful sophomore year in college to look forward to in less than two weeks.

There was one thing that bothered him about college though, the parties that were always going on and he had to avoid when he and Sasuke stayed at the library late to study for their classes. It was mostly because they were among the youngest students attending college, they had their core classes and orchestra class together sure, but it was really just so they could watch one anothers' backs. Tidus had decided to go to college in California, which they were grateful for because one night of hell because Tidus wanted to introduce them to the social, partying lifestyle of most high school students was enough. It also gave Ed a bit of hope that Tidus might be able to straighten up if he was away from his usual crowd. Though going to school in California didn't give him much hope for that, seeing as how that state in particular was known for being the state people went to in order to escape and have the freedom many felt was denied to them.

Ed absently tapped his pen on his open alchemy text book in his study as he stared out of his window to look at the night sky. His father had finally put him in martial arts three years ago after that horrible night and Ed hardly thought about that encounter in the past three years. Now and then he'd see those yellow, snake like eyes and wake up drenched in a cold sweat, but they were few and far between. His other nightmares, however, had become more frequent and the bags under his eyes showed how much sleep he was losing recently. Dreams of those two years in London, of the night he stood up to the Wetherton's, which he would never regret doing considering how well Winry was doing now. Those thugs, the ones his father had given him some insight on happened to haunt his dreams which brought the dark memories of his time spent in their company.

He turned his thoughts back to his best friend, thinking of her often brought a smile to his face and chased out his darker thoughts instantly and he was grateful for the reprieve even if he would curse himself for thinking of his very attractive, intelligent, beautiful best friend and how much she'd matured in the last three years. Winry was always beautiful with her saphire blue eyes, her long, soft blond hair, pale skin, the way you knew just looking at her that she was strong and smart and not shallow like other girls Ed found attractive tended to be. No, Winry was a tomboy, she took martial arts as well, at a different dojo of course, but she was definitely able to take care of herself. She also had an active hobby now, working and everything and anything that ticked, chimed, or could be plugged in. She worked on cars, on computers, on televisions, ovens, clocks, wrist watches, anything she possibly could.

She even fixed the pocket watch that rested in Ed's pocket at the moment connected to a chain that he had hooked to the belt loop of the black, jean, shorts he wore. The pocket watch was among the things left of his mothers and for the life of him he couldn't figure out where she'd gotten it and his father was no help. If the bruise and lump on his head was something to go by, she was a lot stronger than she looked. That was muscle in her arms and the rest of her that Ed stopped himself from thinking about. When his way of thinking about his best friend had changed and he noticed how attractive she was Ed found the wonderful joy of hormones and how absolutely crazy hormones drove a teenage boy. He smirked as he thought back on his father trying to give him the sex talk, Ed knew all about that, they taught it in school and the library had all kinds of books about hormones, sex, and other things.

Ed knew it was normal to feel so frustrated most the time but that didn't make it any less aggravating. Plus, dating was never on his agenda and the thought of asking his best friend out was embarrassing, imagine if he actually tried, he'd stutter, blush, get angry and just insult her and end up with her taking a wrench to his head. That was another thing he found irritating, thanks to Winry's new hobby that woman often carried a wrench around with her and she took to using it to 'knock some sense into him,' as she explained. Because of Ed's developed dread of the wrench she kept it handy and with her at all times. _Menacing, abusive woman,_ Ed while fixing a glare on the window that just sat and did nothing back, as usual for an inanimate object.

Ed slammed his hand down on his desk and got to his feet, he was going to take a shower and go to sleep, then maybe he could stop . . . thinking and just stop thinking about things that made him want to jerk off or pull his hair out. Ed hung his head, _I'm an idiot, I work myself up thinking about the past and then do the same thing, but with a different effect thinking about my best friend who's likely to just shoot me down and call me an idiot, which I am, and hit me in the head with her damn wrench. For being the idiot that I definitely am._ Ed nodded to himself, he needed sleep, he was repeating himself and doing a piss poor job insulting himself, he couldn't even think of anything other than 'idiot' to call himself. He ran a hand over his face, then turned off his desk lamp and made his way to the door.

* * *

Winry lay curled up in her bed in her room thinking about how much her life had changed in the last four years. She counted another year because it was four years ago that she'd met Ed and Al and without them she wouldn't be as happy, safe, and loved as she was. Rachel and Jimmy were really kind, strict, but kind. They had rules she had to follow, a curfew, chores like keeping her room clean, helping Rachel with the household chores, and making sure to do her school work and keep her grades up. But those were small in comparison to what she'd lived with before and she truly cherished the life she lived now. Because of the Kudo's she found she could trust and rely on others, she found that she wasn't stupid, ugly, or useless. She had spent the last three years in therapy with Kairi working out the facts of what she'd been through so she could sort out all the lies and wrong that was done to her.

She was grateful to Ed and Al, especially Ed considering that he'd risked his life so that she could have a chance at really living hers. Al was kind and supportive, he was polite and reserved in comparison to his impulsive, outspoken, loud mouth, hot headed, short tempered, short, gorgeous older brother. Winry sighed, she really liked Ed, as more than just a friend, she thought of kissing him, holding hands, going out on dates with him. She saw the other girls her age with their boyfriends and wished she could have that with Ed.

Sure Al was nice, but she loved Al like a brother and she felt the same way about Naruto and most of Ed and Al's friends. She was asked out by guys at school but she always declined, she only had one guy in mind she wanted to date but the idiot never asked her. She was getting fed up with waiting, she knew he liked her, but she also knew he was clueless when it wasn't about books, alchemy, or fighting so she'd tried to send him hints. She would wear skirts or shorts whenever she went over to their house but that only made him seem more embarrassed. She would find his embarrassment and his blushes when she caught him staring endearing if he wasn't so damn frustrating.

She gotten past a lot of hardships and gone through many emotional walls to get to where she was today, confident, loved, and most of all willing to care and love. She didn't know if she was in love with Ed, but she knew she was definitely attracted and very interested in being more than friends. She closed her eyes as she decided to think about how she had two wonderful, kind, generous, foster parents that had adopted her after they'd gone to court to put away the foster parents that had made her feel inferior, unworthy, and made her a prisoner in her own mind for so long.

It had taken months for Winry to be alright with Rachel hugging her or to not flinch when Jimmy spoke to her or tried to tell her she didn't have to do all the house work. It had taken an entire year before Winry would talk at the dinner table and stopped worrying about everything in the house being perfect. Only a year and a half ago she'd stopped trying to do all the chores in the house and they'd worked out her current list of chores. One year ago she finally stopped wearing long sleeve shirts and pants and even asked Rachel to taking her clothes shopping. Six months ago she'd finally let go of the last thing she had a habit of doing, she stopped hiding what little things she had of her birth parents and grandmother from Resembool.

That was another thing that irritated her, how could Ed and Al not have told her that she'd once lived in Resembool? But her irritation was forgotten as logical thought came to her, they were just as young as she was and most likely didn't remember because they were all little kids or because the trauma of their mother dying and the events that followed blocked those memories from their minds. Winry turned over on her other side to face her bedside table where a gold framed photograph of her parents sat next to her alarm clock, she didn't look at the time only at the photo. This time when she closed her eyes she dreamt of what it would have been like to grow up in a small, country town of Resembool and what it would have been like if she'd never had to leave and knew Ed and Al her entire life.

* * *

Al was always up early in the morning and today was no different, lately he was up before both Ed and his dad and because he was older he usually made use of the time by cooking breakfast. He was worried about his brother, for what was stretching on for months now Ed was having trouble sleeping. Even though their rooms were no longer along the same hall but across the hall and at different parts of the upstairs Al knew his brother. He knew something was bothering Ed and it was as though a heavy cloud was over him.

Ed had always had nightmares, especially after their mother had died and they had gotten worse since they had gone to London. Then there was a time in those two years when Al had found his brother on the brink of death and that gave Al his share of nightmares and a fear of losing his brother. In the last four years of living with their father in America the nightmares had all but disappeared for Al, with the exception of that time Ed ended up in the hospital. But soon they had gone away again.

But Al didn't know anything about what Ed had gone through in London, though they were always together unless Ed found shelter where he believed Al would be safe while he went to find food or clothes or money for them. There were too many times to count when Ed had wandered back to wherever they were taking shelter for the night injured, hurt, or just defensive. He refused to tell him what was bothering him or what had happened and that had yet to change.

Al started on breakfast lost in his own thoughts and by the time his father and Ed had wandered downstairs he had turned a smile and a cheerful demeanor to them. He watched his brother closely and because Ed was too exhausted and lost in his own thoughts his older brother hardly noticed. Even though Al was only thirteen it didn't mean he was oblivious or ignorant, there were things he knew and things he didn't. When Al glanced towards their father as they finished their breakfast and their father thanked him as he did every time Al cooked he noticed that he was also concerned about what was going on with Ed.

Ed offered to clean up the kitchen and his father asked Al to accompany him to the living room, Ed didn't find it suspicious as Al and Hoenheim often talked amongst themselves and Ed usually never joined them preferring to do something to entertain himself and that usually meant alchemy or chemistry research.

As Al sat down on the couch across from Hoenheim he asked, "What do you think it is," knowing his father was perceptive enough to know what he was talking about.

Hoenheim let out a heavy sigh, "You would have a better guess, he doesn't tell me anything and is usually good about covering up the truth."

Al nodded, "Yes, brother has always had that talent. He doesn't share anything with me either, other than the obvious."

Hoenheim gave another sigh, "Hmm, perhaps we should inquire Sasuke or Winry, he may be sharing things with them that he isn't with us."

"I doubt it, brother has a tendency to keep things to himself."

"You know," Ed said from the doorway, "you could just ask me outright instead of conspiring behind my back."

Al and Hoenheim turned to regard him and then Al grimace, "That's the problem, when we do you avoid the question or don't actually answer it."

"It's nightmares, that's it."

"Nightmares about what?"

Ed shrugged, "The past."

Al glared at him, "Brother, that's a vague answer."

Ed sighed, "Yeah, well that's the truth. They're my nightmares and I don't feel like telling you two about them."

"But you should, we care brother-"

"I know that Al, but it's not that simple alright. Talking about my nightmares brings more of them back and I don't want to relive any of that shit. So just leave it alone, they will go away with time like they did before."

"Edward," Hoenheim began, "these nightmares have been plaguing you for months and it is effecting your health. You don't sleep enough anymore and though its' subtle, it has effected your appetite. We are worried about you."

"Yeah, well I'm fine, so you two talk amongst yourselves and do whatever you want," Ed turned and walked out of the room and headed up stairs.

"Stubborn, hard headed prat," Al said darkly before getting to his feet and following Ed upstairs. Hoenheim had to give it to Ed, he was about the only person to make Al start uttering insults. But then again, Al was also very persistent so he felt he had the best chance of getting Ed to talk to him and get things off his chest. It was going to be a long next few days if the two started fighting.

* * *

Sure enough, the last three days were indeed long and filled with loud and nearly constant arguing. Ed refused to be more than vague and Al refused to take that as an answer. It went back and forth and Hoenheim knew better than to get in the middle of those two when they were fighting. A few times both boys ended up taking it outside and getting into a fist fight and even then he didn't break it up. If they hurt one another the guilt and the pain would be enough punishment. It was best to let them fight it out anyway, they were no longer little kids and they knew what they were doing.

That being said, today at lunch both of them were stubbornly giving the other the silent treatment filled with heated glares. Ed sported a good number of bruises, a split lip, and a bruised cheek while Al sported a black eye but was otherwise less hurt than Ed was. It was humorous to Hoenheim that despite how strong and tough his eldest son acted and after three years of being in martial arts his younger brother was able to beat him in a fight. He knew the reason was because usually Al remained level headed in a fight whereas Ed lost his temper and let his frustration or anger get the best of him. Ed was volatile and explosive and would be dangerous in a fight with anyone, but with Al Ed didn't stand a chance.

Hoenheim finished his dinner and got up to clean his plate, Ed and Al were soon behind him and he took it upon himself to clean the kitchen since Al had volunteered to make dinner. He thanked Al for dinner and complimented him on his cooking skills causing Al to blush and nod and then watched his sons make their way to their rooms, Ed slammed his door and Hoenheim sighed. _How long was this going to last,_ he wondered idly.

* * *

The next day proved to be more of the silent treatment and it was shortly after lunch that the phone rang to break the silence. Hoenheim answered the phone knowing that his son's were most likely upstairs in their study, just because they were fighting didn't mean they didn't work on whatever it was they did to keep their minds busy.

"Hello?"

"Hello Mr. Hoenheim," it was Winry and Hoenheim smiled and replied cheerfully, "To what do I owe the pleasure of hearing from you Miss Winry?"

"I was wondering if it was okay if I came over. Rachel is taking me shopping and I wanted to see Ed and Al for a bit."

"That's perfectly fine, you can stay for dinner if you wish, it has been a while since you last graced us with your company Miss Winry."

"Ah, thank you," Hoenheim could hear the blush in her voice.

"You're quite welcome, though I believe we are getting the better end of the deal."

"Okay, umm, well I will be there in two hours or so."

"Very well, do you wish me to tell the boys or would you prefer to surprise them?"

"Don't tell them, I'm sure if you do then I won't catch them acting like idiots."

Hoenheim chuckled, "Of course, now I truly look forward to your visiting. The two of them have been fighting for four days now."

"Is that so, I will see you later then Mr. Hoenheim."

Hoenheim couldn't stop from chuckling darkly at that as Winry hung up. His boys were about to have a good talking to and Winry was most likely to knock some sense into Edward, literally. The young woman's hobby and passion resulted in her carrying a few tools with her more often than not and usually said tools were acquainted with his oldest sons' school every time they two were around one another. The rest of the day until Rachel and Winry arrived passed quickly and he found he was less frustrated by his son's stubborn bickering while thinking of the promise of their best friend getting a hold of them. He almost pitied them, almost.

* * *

Ed actually jumped in his chair at his desk when his cell phone broke the silence of the room, he picked his phone up off the desktop where it lay on top of a unorganized stack of notes he'd taken. He looked at the number, Tidus, and answered it, "What do you want Tidus?"

"Wow, that's a cheerful greeting," Tidus replied sarcastically.

"What do you want and why are you calling me? Don't you have a party or girlfriends to entertain?"

"Can't a guy just call a friend he hasn't talked to in months?"

"No, especially not you, what the fuck do you want Tidus?"

"Geeze don't get your panties in a twist kiddo, I was calling to say hello and check up on you. How's college treating you?"

"How's it treating you and don't give me that shit, you never call me just to call me."

"I do-well no I don't. But seriously how is college, like it better than the academy?"

"Yes. What do you want?"

"Stop asking me that Ed, I'll get to it. I wanted to start off the conversation with idle talk about how things are going, that's the polite thing to do after all."

"I don't like people bullshiting me, so get to the point."

"Fine, geeze," Tidus sighed into the phone. "Look, it's not a big favor or anything. I just wanted you to convince my cousin to talk to me."

"Which one?"

"Uh, Itachi or Sasuke naturally."

"No."

"Why not?"

"Because I said so and Sasuke hates you, especially after that shit you pulled three years ago. And I don't talk to Itachi anyway, he's creepy."

"I said I was sorry about that and how the hell was I supposed to know you guys were really going to walk all that way? I didn't know that guy was out of jail anymore than you guys knew he would be there. You gotta forgive me Ed, I was an idiot for bringing you two there, you were too young for that shit and I was irresponsible, as I have been for a long time now. But I swear I learned my lesson and I'm not going to do anything stupid"

"Who are you and where's Tidus," Ed said sarcastically.

"Oh shut up, I mean it Ed. I've turned a new leaf here and I've been busy getting my shit straight. But I need some help and that's why I want you to convince one of my cousins to contact me. I'll do the rest but they block my calls."

"So you want me to be the middle man?"

"No, I want you to convince them to answer my calls. I know they think of me as a dead beat and not worth their time and I don't blame them. But how am I supposed to straighten out if I can't get any help when I need to?"

Ed sighed heavily and by now Al was paying attention to the conversation and had turned to look at him and listen to his end of the conversation to try and know what was going on. "Alright, let's say I believe you and will talk to them, what am I supposed to tell them? What am I supposed to say to convince them?"

Ed heard Tidus drumming his fingers on something in the background and there was a moment of silence before he finally sighed. "Tell them I ran into somebody they know here in California while I was being an idiot. It was because of the shit I was in that I ran into the guy and he's giving me a lot of grief and it made me realize how fucked up I am. I need their help to shake this son of bitch and so I can get out of his scene."

"Are you in trouble or something, this sounds serious."

"I am serious Ed. I'm in real deep and I've been worried and fucking looking over my shoulder for a month straight. I haven't slept very well and I'm too worried of being out of it and not noticing if something happens that I've been sober because I'm stressed. That's why I've been trying to get in touch with them, its' family shit and they are family and my parents aren't good for much of shit so now I'm calling you to try and get some damn help."

Ed could hear the strain in Tidus' voice and the cheerfulness that his wayland friend usually possessed was entirely absent from his tone. Ed didn't doubt his words and it made him concerned for him. The fact that Tidus was cussing as much as he was and with how fast and frantic his words were being said he could tell Tidus had been on edge for a while. Ed understood that, he'd been on edge for a few months now but he didn't have anyone after him, that he knew of anyway.

"I'll talk to them T. just try and stay alive and try not to lose your damn mind. Have you been staying in touch with your brother and Yuna? Maybe they can help you keep your cool or something."

"Shuyin is busy with his family, he got married to Lenne and they have a kid now so I don't want to get him involved. As for Yuna, well she's here in Cali with me but she dumped my sorry arse because I was getting in too deep. I'm not going back to her now, even if I'm sobered up."

Ed could understand that, Tidus was trying to protect them but he grimaced at another thought, "Does anyone know you're talking to me?"

"Well I'm at my apartment, I moved out of the dorms after freshmen year. I don't think they know where I live and I've only got a cell phone so it couldn't be bugged if they did know where I live."

"Is it really that damn serious?"

"The guys that hunt down my family are that serious and this bastard has way too many connections. Look, just watch your back anyway and try to get one of those stubborn Uchiha's to talk to me alright. I gotta give off the phone, I've got to get to work. I really appreciate this Ed, really man and I'm sorry."

"Just don't get yourself killed or anything."

"Yeah, talk to you later," Tidus hung up and Ed closed his phone with a heavy sigh and ran his hand through his hair.

"What's going on brother?"

Ed looked over at Al, it seemed their fighting was on pause for now. Ed closed his eyes and took a deep breath, "I'll tell you later, I've got to talk to Sasuke."

"Brother," Al began but Ed was on his feet and heading out of the room, Al got to his feet and followed him calling out to him. Ed called out to Hoenheim that he was going to Sasuke's house to talk to him about something and before Hoenheim could tell him not to go he was already out the door. Hoenheim sighed from where he was in the kitchen preparing dinner and turned when Al came in and sat down at the small table.

"Do you have any idea what's going on?"

Al shook his head, "No. He was talking to Tidus on the phone and then said he needed to talk to Sasuke."

Hoenheim and Al shared an exasperated sigh and then Hoenheim said, "Winry is going to be here soon, she wanted to surprise you two, but I guess she'll be surprised and possibly upset if your brother isn't back soon."

Al grinned, "Really, it's been so long since we've seen her, that's great," Hoenheim chuckled, it had only been three weeks since they'd last seen her. Hoenheim motioned to the chicken he was seasoning, "Do you mind helping me with dinner?"

Al got to his feet, grin still in place, "Not at all, were you planning on making anything for desert?"

"No," Hoenheim answered with a smile, "But feel free to do so."

"Okay," Al chimed.

* * *

"You seriously believe him?"

Ed nodded as he and Sasuke sat in Sasuke's room, Ed had just told him what Tidus had told him. "He did say that it had something to do with your family. Anybody you know that would have it in for your family members that live in California?"

Sasuke shrugged, "If we do I don't know, could be part of the Japanese mafia or something, there's really no way to know without involving my parents or Itachi."

"Well involve them then, what if he is telling the truth and something happens to him?"

Sasuke ran his hand through his hair. His friend had hit a growth spurt this year, at sixteen he stood at five feet eight inches. He was shorter than Naruto but both of them were taller than Ed so he didn't have any sympathy for how much Sasuke's friends height irritated the Uchiha. Sasuke fit the title of 'pretty boy' perfectly, the Uchiha traits were strong in him and Ed would say he looked a bit like his older brother but Sasuke had softer traits and obviously took after his mother more than his father. He used to envy his friends good looks and all the attention he got but considering how Sasuke was always dealing with fan girls that loved to ogle, fan, and some even tried to molest him all the time he felt more sympathetic than envious.

"Stop staring, I thought you were straight Edward," Sasuke drawled with slight irritation but mostly with a gloating tone. That was another thing, Sasuke had confided a particular secret to his friend that only he knew, Sasuke was gay. It didn't bother Ed at all, he was still the same as always and after he had said he had a crush on his best friend Winry, that had lasted too long to be a crush according to said confidant Sasuke usually just teased him.

"I wasn't staring and I am very much straight. Are you ever going to tell Naruto how you feel Sasuke?"

Ed smirked at the dark glare he received from his friend, he could safely call Sasuke his best friend considering they knew damn near everything about one another and had been friends for years now, but Sasuke was adamant to call Naruto his best friend.

"When he grows up," Sasuke said with a huff that told Ed the two were most likely fighting about something, again.

"What did he do now?"

"Why are we changing the subject?"

"You changed the subject, are you going to find out whether or not T. is actually in danger or not? Better yet, if he is are you going to convince your brother or parents to help him out?"

"I will talk to them about it and see what they wish to do. If they don't wish to help him there's nothing I can do about that."

"Could you live with it if they didn't help and something happened to him?"

"Yes."

"Liar."

"Hn."

"You just love playing the bastard card all the time don't you?"

"Hn."

"Of course you do, you have an image to uphold after all," Ed said with a smug look.

Sasuke glared at him once more and crossed his arms over his chest. It was really Sasuke's fault for telling Ed why his friend was keeping his sexuality a secret, his family were most likely not going to be pleased and the next step after telling them would be telling his best friend and confessing the two year crush Sasuke had on him. Really, Sasuke needed to admit to himself that he was in love with his best friend, but at that thought Ed felt like a hypocrite, he couldn't tell Winry how he felt about her so he shouldn't tell Sasuke to tell Naruto.

"I will do what I can to make sure my cousin doesn't end up in an early grave."

"Thanks Sas'. I've got to get home," just when Ed was about to get up his phone rang in his pocket. He took it out and answered, "Hello?"

"Next time you may wish to ask instead of assuming," Ed scowled at his father's words.

"We're practically neighbors and it's not like I just left and didn't tell you where I was."

"Is that Ed," Ed heard in the background and then the very object of his thought just a moment ago came on the line, "Edward Johnathen Elric," she seethed and Ed flinched and tensed up. He threw a glare at Sasuke when his friend gave a chuckle and smirked at his expense.

"Uh, hi Winry," Ed said meekly.

"Hi Winry? That's all you have to say, I'm at your house and came to see Al and YOU and you're not here. Get your ass over here before I come and get you and drag you over here."

"Ah-"

"NOW! I've a bone to pick with you so you better hurry up."

That really didn't make Ed want to hurry home, it made him want to stay right where he was.

"I think I'd rather-"

"I don't care what you'd rather Edward Elric, get over here before-you know what, never mind, I'm coming to get you," the line went dead. Ed closed and pocketed his phone and jumped to his feet. He waved as he ran out of Sasuke room, "See ya later Sasuke," he called as he made his way out of the house. Haste goodbyes to Fugaku and Mikoto and Ed was gone with Sasuke having to suppress the urge to laugh outright. Ed was very much whipped and he would be sure to point this undeniable fact to him when he spoke with him again.

It was only a few minutes later that he heard a loud cry of pain from outside and possibly only a few houses away and that did make Sasuke give a bark of a laugh at his friends' expense. There was shouting that he couldn't make out what was being said but could still be heard and he could swear shook the very foundation of his home following that loud cry and then it went silent and Sasuke briefly worried about his friends' health before there was a shout of glee that was clearly female and promptly reminded him of why he preferred to steer away from the opposite sex. They were so loud and hard on the ears and their shifts from one mood to another was infuriatingly aggravating to say the least. Nonetheless, he did have a thought; _Hmm, I wonder how Ed managed to turn his torment at the young womans' hands into something to cause her to be that happy? I'll have to ask him what his methods are.  
_

* * *

Hoenheim was surprised when Ed and Winry came back talking back and forth to one another with grins on their faces as they walked into the kitchen. When the young woman had left she looked ready to commit murder, how in the world had his son managed to cheer her up so thoroughly? He glanced to Al who was beaming and then to Rachel and Jimmy seated at the small table as he finished up with cooking dinner. Al was waiting for his cake to finish cooking, he'd made a spice cake, from scratch and it made Hoenheim think that Al might possibly be a chef one day.

It wasn't until he looked down and noticed that their hands were intertwined that he smiled and turned back to cooking because Ed was about to look up and he'd seen enough of his son's glare to want to avoid it when he could. Jimmy and Rachel were smiling to one another and it was Al that exclaimed, "FINALLY!" Then he proceeded to forget he was watching his cake cook while his father stirred the macaroni and cheese and bounded over to them to pull them into a hug. Ed grunted and scowled and Winry laughed lightly before returning Al's hug.

It was a talkative dinner that evening with Al teasing Ed about finally asking Winry out and then pointing out to both teenagers how obvious it was that they liked one another. All three adults then proceeded to both tease and praise the idea of Winry and Ed going out. Jimmy had developed the fatherly protection towards Winry and he informed Ed that after desert they were going to have a talk in the music room so as not to be overheard. Ed had actually looked at Hoenheim who decided to take Jimmy's side which made Ed give him a betrayed look that he only chuckled at.

While Rachel and Winry talked about dating while insisting to clean the kitchen since two other males that had not cooked were otherwise occupied Hoenheim led Al into the living room where everyone agreed to sit down and visit through tea.

Winry rinsed the dishes and dried them with a towel while Rachel cleaned and scraped them clean of any food. "He just blurted it out while you were pummeling him," Rachel asked with a laugh.

Winry nodded and blushed lightly, "Yes. He was pleading for his life and then said that now he was never going to get to ask his best friend out. I threatened to beat him up more when he tried to take those words back and made him admit it outright."

Rachel laughed as she cleaned off the plates and handed them to Winry to rinse and dry and set them on the counter to be put up later, "That is a very effective tactic. I often had to use the same tactic to get anything across to Jimmy."

Winry was silent for a moment before she looked away and said in a soft, timid voice, "Rachel?"

Rachel glanced to Winry and at seeing how she was looking away continued washing plates then began with the glasses, "What is it Winry?"

"Umm," Winry wrung the towel in her hand and let the water rinse the dishes sitting in the sink before looking to Rachel, "I-it's not that I want to like right now or anything-but . . . I have thought about it and I'm not an idiot so I know it will happen eventually and I-when the time comes I was wondering if you . . ."

Winry was blushing profusely and it didn't take long at all for Rachel to understand what the girl was trying to ask. She took pity on her and turned to her with a reassuring smile, "Winry, when the time comes I will tell you whatever you wish to know. We can talk about anything at all and there's no need to be embarrassed when it comes to asking about sex, you're a young woman and though I agree with you being too young, that doesn't mean it is not going to happen."

Winry ducked her head and then nodded, "Thank you. I-I don't want to talk about it now, but soon, since me and Ed are going out now and all and I don't want to not know."

Rachel nodded grateful Jimmy wasn't here because he wouldn't like to hear their adopted daughter talking about sex with her new boyfriend. Jimmy trusted Ed, even liked him and they got along usually pretty well. But, Jimmy had taken to supervising what Winry wore to school and going out with her friends, he checked up on her friends and gave a stern talking to any guy that looked Winry's way. He was very protective and Rachel found it very endearing. She smiled at the thought, "You're welcome and it's very responsible of you to bring it up, it is better to be as informed as you can so that you know how to protect yourself. But I still believe abstinence is the best policy."

Winry nodded and they went back to washing the dishes in silence, it wasn't until they were putting them up that Winry suddenly asked, "Rachel, why didn't you and Jimmy ever have any of your own children?"

Rachel paused and had to take a deep breath to get over the emotions that questioned brought through her. She set the plates in the cabinet before turning to Winry who was putting up the pots and pans and waited for her to close the cabinet and turn to her.

"There was an incident that happened that made it impossible for me to have children. It was a very hard and trying time for me and things between me and Jimmy got very hard. Thankfully I was able to get through it because of him and my friends."

"You were hurt?"

"Very much so," Rachel said with a sullen nod.

A thick silence fell between them before Winry nodded in understanding and reminded Rachel how perceptive the young woman could be at times. Then Winry asked another startling question, "Do you think it would be alright now, since I've lived with you for three years now, to call you and Jimmy mom and dad?"

Winry decided that with everything the Kudo's had done for her, how much they had helped her move past her own harsh upbringing at the hands of her last foster parents and from the forlorn look on Rachel's' face when she had subtly admitted that because of an act of violence she could no longer have children that she felt it was alright to take that last step to the three of them being a family. The silence made Winry look up to see a bright, teary eyed smile on Rachel's' face and her heart swelled that her question had brought the woman that had been there for her and helped her so much was truly happy. It was an obvious smile of acceptance, a definite affirmative.

Rachel nodded and held out her arms for a hug which Winry immediately responded to and walked over to her to give her a hug. Rachel threaded her hands through Winry's hair tied back in a ponytail and said softly, "If you're ready then we would certainly feel honored and extremely happy if you called us mom and dad."

Rachel moved her arms out of the hug and put her hands on Winry's shoulders to look into her face, "You are serious, you're choosing to do this of your own free will and not because of what I just said, right?"

Winry nodded, "Yes . . . mom," Winry finished with a bright smile. Rachel pulled her into another hug and they both looked up when they heard Ed and Jimmy talking about some scientist neither was really familiar with. Winry glanced towards the hallway and Rachel let her go and stepped back, "Go ahead, I can get the rest of this."

Winry nodded, "Thanks mom," she really liked how calling Rachel mom made her heart swell with love and how easy it was for her to address her with that title. She still had a bright, ecstatic smile on her face as she ran down the hall and tackled Jimmy from behind to give him a hug. Jimmy chuckled and looked over his shoulder knowing it was Winry at the blond hair he smiled, "Winry? What has you so cheerful?"

"Love you dad," she said softly and Jimmy tensed and turned out of her hug to look at her not noticing that Ed was standing just a few feet away and that Al, Hoenheim, and Rachel had stepped into the hallway to watch the two.

"What was that," Jimmy asked in shocked bewilderment and Winry beamed at him and said proudly, "I said I love you, dad."

Jimmy glanced to Rachel as though asking for reassurance that this was not a figment of his imagination, when Rachel gave him a smile and a nod Jimmy pulled Winry into a hug, "I love you too Winry."

Today had turned out as a better day than Hoenheim could have imagined and he and Al had both completely forgotten why they were irritated with Ed. They no longer remember at the moment that Ed was keeping things from them and yet another secret because of a phone call earlier this day. The news of Ed and Winry finally admitting that they liked one another and then Winry decided to address the Kudo's as mom and dad was great news and something that filled everyone's heart with content.

* * *

_Real life has been hitting me over the head and dangling me by chains lately so please forgive the lack of updates as of late. I hope you are enjoying the story thus far and will continue to do so as it progresses. Thanks for reading and don't feel shy to drop a word or two of what you think of this story. Have a wonderful week and until next time. ^^_


	14. Chapter 14

**Disclaimer: I don't own Fullmetal Alchemist, hell I don't own the title to this fan fic. FMA belongs to Arakawa-sama and the title and song belong to the writers, editors, and whatnot of Martina McBride. I do not condone abuse nor am I a fan of it. I also do not own any characters from Naruto or familiar characters from other series, they belong to Kishimoto-sensei and their respective artists.**

_A/N: Dark themes, violence, language, mild sexual content. This chapter contains a Time Jump as well. Flames will be used to make smores and comments and constructive criticism is welcome. This story is un-beta'd and edited by me. Oh, and here's a shocker, Hoenhiem is the good parent in this, OMFG. lol._

_**Darkness may be eternal  
Pain may be a constant visitor in life  
But hope, strength, and love  
Are constant and eternal . . .  
Hope for the future  
Strength to stand again  
Love for family, friends, love for another  
Light is also eternal  
In ones heart . . .**_

_**Chapter 14**_

An entire week went by before Ed and Winry finally went out on their first real date and it was her dad that had volunteered to provide transportation. They were told to meet him outside the theatre at promptly eleven twenty that evening. They were dropped off at the diner a block from the theater and Jimmy made both of them promise they would go straight to the theater as soon as they finished eating. They had an hour before the movie started and that was plenty of time to eat and talk and they waved at him with reassuring smiles and went inside the diner before Jimmy finally drove away reminding them to keep their cell phones on even if on silence while watching the movie. He then added to Ed before Ed could reach out and open the door to the diner that they better watch the movie and not do any funny business.

Ed gave him a yes sir as an answer then opened the door and waited for Winry to walk inside. Winry was wearing a simple, blue, short sleeved, knee length dress that brought out the color of her eyes and hair nicely with a pair of white, lace up, boots that came up half way on her calves. Ed wore a pair of clean blue jeans and a red t-shirt that made the golden color of his eyes look molten and his hair like spun gold with his usual pair of black jeans and his hair tied back in a braid while Winry's hair was down tonight.

The two chose a booth by the front window and sat across from one another. It wasn't until their drinks were ordered and they decided on what to eat that they broke the silence. Of course, Winry was the first to speak and it was just Ed's luck that she chose Ed and Al's fight as the topic for discussion.

"What were you two fighting about exactly," Winry asked feigning innocence as she sipped on her soda through a straw and watched him expectantly and intently.

Ed really, really disliked not being able to outright lie to her when she was looking directly at him and sighed heavily, "I've been having nightmares and he and the old man are worried for no reason."

Winry's expression turned thoughtful before she nodded, "Nightmares, alright. Why would you having nightmares make them worry? Is it because you look like you haven't slept in properly in months and at times you hardly eat anything?"

Ed looked down at the table and grumbled, _Why in the hell does she have to be so perceptive?_ "Maybe," he shrugged, "but it will go away."

"There's bound to be some reason why they haven't gone away. Have you always had nightmares?"

Ed gave a nod and decided to sip on his own drink from elaborating, Winry watched him until Ed finally got tired of it and ran a hand through his bangs, "I don't know why they just started up but it's just nightmares, they'll go away eventually."

"How long did they last the first time you were having nightmares for an extended amount of time?"

Another shrug, "Couple months I guess. It's not really anything serious."

"It could be, nightmares drain your energy and that effects your health, that much anyone can tell. You've spent most of the summer with a cloud hanging over your head and everyone has noticed. I'd think you could talk to someone, you do have friends and people that care."

"This seems nostalgic."

Winry smirked, "You not letting anyone help you makes you a hypocrite Edward."

Ed glared and her smirk widened and he slumped in his seat and crossed his arms, "Fine. It's about the shit in the past. I can't change any of that and it doesn't matter anyway. They will go away and until they do I can handle it."

Winry sighed this time, "Fine, I'll drop this since we are in a public place. But I'm not going to let it go forever."

Ed scoffed, "Whatever," his childish and sarcastic reply earned him a sharp kick to the shin under the table and a shout of, "OW," drew some attention to them from the other customers and employees.

Ed glared at her and leaned forward to place his hands on the table, "Damn it, why do you always have to be so violent," he hissed.

"Why do you always have to be so stubborn, hard headed, and stupid," she countered with a glare of her own.

"Crazy mechanic freak."

"Pig headed alchemy freak."

"Hermetic, arrogant asshole."

"Psychotic, frustrating woman."

"Here's your dinner you two," their waitress said as she set down their ordered burger and fries and a bottle of ketchup. The two glared at one another heatedly and the waitress left after Winry turned to her with a smile and a kind word of thanks.

"You're one to call me frustrating you impossible jerk."

"Me, impossible, it's impossible to disagree with you without getting injured you violent jerkess," Ed wanted to call her a bitch, but restrained considering that Winry had too many bad memories of being called that. While he did enjoy the fact that Winry was more lively, social, and usually pretty easy to get along with and talk to most of the time, her recent development of taking it upon herself to beat the hell out of him grated on his nerves.

"Nice save you jackass," Winry shot back with a smirk as she added ketchup on her plate for her fries. "Maybe you ought to pick up a thesaurus one day to come up with better insults. As for my being violent, if you weren't such an idiot and didn't do so many stupid things then I wouldn't have to knock some sense into you or scold you."

"With a fucking wrench you insane mechanic geek," Ed hissed as he snatched the ketchup bottle right after Winry set it down. She glared at him and picked up a fry and threw it at him. Ed snapped at it and caught it between his teeth with a gloating grin.

Winry scoffed, "Pig. The wrench seems to be the only thing that works on you."

"That's bullshit," Ed commented as he poured ketchup over his fries and began eating.

"The hell it is, smacking you upside the head ceased to work, yelling gets me nowhere but pissed at you and wanting to hit you, and trying to talk to you results in you changing the subject or avoiding the questions altogether. For someone that told me to trust other people and talk to others you don't seem to want to follow your own advice. You're just a hypocritical, emo," Ed choked on his food and had to take a drink at that word but Winry continued before he could say anything, "asshole."

"Emo?" Ed asked incredulously, "You've got to be fucking kidding me, if anyone is emo it's Sasuke, not me. And I don't care if I'm a hypocrite, I've every right to keep my secrets to myself. I don't need to share everything with anyone."

Winry ate a few fries and they sat there in silence for a moment eating before she said in a casual tone, "No, you don't need to tell anyone everything. But since everyone is worried couldn't you open up to someone?"

"No."

"Why the hell not?" Winry said irritably and bit into her burger as though it had done her a grievous wrong and glared at him as she chewed and swallowed her food before taking another vicious bite. Ed flinched but recovered quickly and took a few bites of his own burger followed by a drink before replying, "It's none of anyone's' business."

"Fuck that," Winry didn't usually cuss that much, it was something she'd broken the bad habit of doing while living with the Kudo's. But Ed absolutely infuriated her, she was supposed to be his best friend and he hardly ever told her anything. She knew he was just being a guy and thinking it was for everyone elses' good, trying to protect them and not wanting to burden anyone with carrying the weight of his secrets. But it worried everyone all the more to not know because then they were left to their own conclusions and imaginations. It was also a bit depressing that Ed didn't really trust anyone with the darker side of himself, only wanting everyone to see the strong, proud, talented, and accomplished part of himself.

"You are absolutely the most bull headed, impossible, evasive, moronic, ignominious, ass I have ever met."

Ed's face was red with anger at the long winded assault. "Asinine, raving, obstinate, petulant, sordid, incorrigible woman," Ed shot back with a glare. She wanted to throw big words at him, well he could very well throw them back at her.

She huffed, "Jerk," then they fell into another heated silence and finished off their meal. When asked if they wanted desert Winry again turned on her charm and replied with a no and a bright smile but went right back to glaring at Ed while they waited on refills to their drinks. When Ed glanced at his phone they still had twenty minutes before the movie started and asked the waitress for the check. They waited still glaring and stubbornly saying nothing, paid, tipped, and left with Winry stomping out of the diner and down the street to the theater while saying, "I don't know why I was so happy before that you finally grew some balls and asked me out you insentive prick."

"I must have been feeling masochistic when I did, especially considering how you were hitting me over the head with that fucking wrench at the time."

Winry turned on him and raised her hand to point angrily at him and he stopped as she advanced on him but didn't back away meeting her glare evenly with his own. "I wouldn't have done that if I hadn't heard that your brother and father are worried about you! Don't you know that not telling anyone what is wrong makes them worry even more, people come to their own conclusions and they are worse than the truth. They are family and I'm your best friend, since we care and you know we do we were thinking you would trust us enough to share what is going on with you with us so that maybe we can help or at least so you can get it off your chest instead of spending all your time locked away in that study and brooding and depressed all the time. Negative emotions are contagious and it upsets those around you Edward."

They stood there once again in heated silence and slowly the tension eased between them and they both let out sighs then Ed rubbed the back of his neck, "Sorry, this is one hell of a first date huh, how is it we can't-"

"Stop fighting with one another for five minutes?"

"Yeah," Ed conceded with a sheepish smile.

Winry let out a long sigh, "Because you have to be a guy and think your protecting everyone by keeping everything to yourself, I have to be the best friend that wants you to trust me, and you're an obstinate bastard."

Winry had been smirking as she began to speak, but when a dark look passed over Ed's expression at that last word she felt guilty. Ed didn't call her a bitch even when she was because of what that insult reminded her of and she was supposed to refrain from calling him a bastard, even when he acted like a total asshole, because that was the name most of the kids and even some of the adults, and people in London called him and his brother by when they wanted to be hateful, spiteful, and hurtful.

"I'm sorry Ed I didn't-"

Ed waved her off and grinned before reaching out and taking her hand to pull her towards the theater, "Never mind, let's watch the movie so we'll let this go for a while."

Winry smiled and turned her hand so that their fingers were interlaced and let him lead her to the ticket booth at the front of the theater. At least he didn't seem to upset by her slip and he'd even said 'for a while' instead of just 'let it go' and that meant she might have gotten through to him, somewhat. They were seeing Dungeons and Dragons because it was the only movie they could get into that both agreed on. They had enough time to get drinks and snacks for the movie and managed to find good seats seeing as how the movie had come out two weeks ago.

Halfway through the movie Ed pulled a very old school, yawn, stretch, arm around Winry's shoulder move and Winry just rolled her eyes and shifted closer to him with a slight smile. Watching the movie seemed to dissipate their earlier bickering and tension and Ed was a bit too shy, which Winry found highly ironic, to try more than just the arm around her shoulders.

Winry had expected to be the one to make the first room and considering Ed had asked her out she though it was only fair. Then she mentally cursed Ed and his damn equivalent exchange ideal because it had become drilled into her head now due to his influence. Once the movie was over Winry glanced at her cell phone to see that they still had at least five minutes before they were expected to meet her dad, which she loved thinking of Jimmy as, outside the movie complex. Ed made to get to his feet but Winry acted impulsively feeling like it was a moment of now or later, grabbed his wrist, pulled him down to her into a kiss and he ended up kissing her lips awkwardly too far to the left and getting half her cheek. Winry pulled back and Ed blinker before his hand came up to cup her chin and hold her still and tried again.

This time it was better, not perfect because neither knew what they were doing so they just pressed their lips together for a few seconds and then they pulled back. Winry smiled and Ed took her hand and pulled her to her feet with a grin. It wasn't perfect and she didn't have an explosion of emotions running through her, but she did feel happy and the second kiss was nice. She supposed they needed some time to get used to dating and maybe they could get some practice and learn this whole kissing thing so that they didn't end up fighting and arguing with one another.

Winry's smile brightened and she brought the hand not holding his up to grab his upper arm through his shirt and turned her smile to him. One thing she did find that made her heart flutter was the practically beaming smile Ed gave her in return. Maybe his kisses couldn't take her breath away yet, but his smiles and the happiness in his eyes as he looked at her definitely could.

Winry put some distance between them but didn't release their hands when they walked out of the building behind possibly ten other couples or friends and towards her dad waiting there out front. Jimmy gave them both quick once overs before he hit the button to unlock the door and Ed opened the back, passenger side door on the tan Cadillac for Winry. It might have started out with them fighting but Ed was more than happy with how the date had ended regardless of the awkward first kiss, he preferred to count the second one as the first one.

* * *

**_Four Months Later . . ._**

Sasuke let out an irritated sigh as Ed sat on the floor in his room deep into his book for school, Sasuke had finished his assignment three hours ago, it was an hour away from dinner time and Ed wasn't working on the assignment, he'd finished it twenty minutes sooner than Sasuke had. No, Ed was reading through the entire book, it was the only class left where he had yet to read through the assigned books, make his own notes so he no longer had to really pay attention in class and it annoyed the hell out of Sasuke.

Sasuke himself would do the same thing but then he wouldn't bother going to class and then he wouldn't get credit for his classes so he did the assignments as they were assigned. When Ed wasn't at his house doing school work then when Sasuke finished his own work he usually helped Naruto do his school work. He refused to do the dobe's work for him and it took all his self control and patience to try and make Naruto understand the assignment, but it was an excuse to spend time with his best friend.

Sasuke glared darkly at Ed, the infuriating genius was ignoring him, as usual when he was working on something, and damn it Sasuke wanted to talk. It wasn't often and he found it a bit shocking himself, but he had some news about some things and the only person he told everything to happened to be said genius laid out on the floor pouring over a book and taking notes furiously fast.

Sasuke cleared his throat but Ed continued with what he was doing without pause. Sasuke growled in the back of his throat and from his desk he grabbed the textbook for the class Ed was currently taking his own notes for. Sasuke tested the weight in his right hand and then looked at Ed, if he hit the blond in the head then he had nothing to worry about. Winry hit him in the head on a damn near daily basis since the two were a couple now so Ed couldn't really suffer brain damage from further head injury.

"Ed," Sasuke growled out, Ed remained the same, still ignoring him, off in another world and that was it. Sasuke hurled the book at him and it landed right on top of his head. A loud shout rang out through the house and then, "WHAT THE FUCK WAS THAT FOR!"

"EDWARD ELRIC! WATCH YOUR LANGUAGE," came a scolding shout from downstairs via Mikoto Uchiha in response to Ed's shout. Ed cringed at the yelling and glared darkly at Sasuke as he rubbed his head and sat on the floor now cross legged. "You damn prick," Ed snarled at Sasuke who glared angrily at him, the blond shouldn't have ignored him or he wouldn't have had to throw the book at him. It wasn't Sasuke's fault nor was it his fault his mother had scolded Ed for his language, Ed was the one who had cussed.

"What's your problem?"

"Hn," Sasuke muttered irritably and crossed his arms over his chest with a huff.

"You've got my attention so spit it out already, I know you've had something on your mind all day. It's your own damn fault for not saying anything after you finished your damn assignment that I did something else you shithead."

"Hn."

Ed sighed and got up and motioned with his hand to the chair Sasuke was sitting in and then to Sasuke's king sized bed and waited. Eventually, with another of his irritated huff's Sasuke got to his feet and sat on the edge of the bed while Ed took a seat in the desk chair. This was how it always seemed to go when they talked about something serious, Ed would sit in the chair and Sasuke would moved to the edge of his bed because Ed liked to be on close to eye level.

"What's up now, is it Tidus, Naruto, Itachi, or that annoying flirt Sai that's on your mind."

Sasuke's face twisted with distaste at the mention of the last one, he detested Sai with a passion and the man was always following him around trying to 'flirt' with him. One time when Naruto had showed up at the University then Sai took it upon himself to be 'friendly' with the blond. Then of course when Naruto disputed his advances Sai insulted him, riled him up by making 'dickless' comments and a fight broke out that he had to fight and he ended up getting punched in the face and having a black eye. After that incident if Sai wasn't flirting with him, touching him and trying to make it seem accidental or subtle he was asking about Naruto.

"Yo, stop brooding and say what's on your mind," Ed said breaking Sasuke out of his thoughts. This was why he could talk to Ed, though the blond acted pretty oblivious he was actually really perceptive.

"Three of the four."

Ed nodded, "Alright, talk about the most pressing first then."

"Pressing or stressful," Sasuke asked sarcastically.

"Whatever, I don't care, don't make me play twenty questions, it's got to be close to dinner time or something with how little light is coming through your window."

Sasuke had turned the lights on in his room a few hours ago because it usually got darker in his room sooner because of the thick navy blue curtains over his large window at the back of the room. "Hn."

"Damn Uchiha pride. Look, I won't tell a soul you weren't difficult and less of a prick, I swear."

"Fine damn it," Sasuke hissed.

Ed just gave him an expectant look and remained silent and waiting and after a few minutes crossed his arms over his chest and started to drum his fingers on his arm and tap his foot on the floor impatiently. Sasuke sighed, "Tidus wasn't lying and it happens to be someone that isn't on good terms with our family and has a personal vendetta against Tidus' father. My first estimate was correct and my father and brother are sending a family friend to take care of matters and having Tidus transferred here to a college close by."

"What about Yuna?"

"She isn't our concern but when I asked, since I finally called Tidus and spoke with him and he asked, they said she would be protected and if she chose to accompany him then they would offer to pay expenses and set things up. It is truly her decision."

"So you're family can be more than pricks and assholes," Ed said with a smirk.

Sasuke glared at him then continued, "If she decides to stay with Tidus then the two of them will have to pay their own way and take care of themselves. My family doesn't support anyone after they turn eighteen."

Ed nodded, "Yeah, I remember. Just because your family has money and power and can pull strings doesn't mean the kids don't have to work for themselves. You still haven't saved up enough to get a car have you?"

Sasuke glared, "Hn."

"You'll get there eventually. At least you work, I'm not old enough yet."

"Hn," this time Sasuke smirked. Though he worked as a errand boy for a law firm on weekends and worked in the library at the college three days a week it was still little pay. He'd started working this year because freshmen year in college was stressful, the transition from high school to college had his focus completely on academics and he had turned sixteen during the summer anyway.

"Okay, T. is coming back here, what else is going on?"

There was another thing he had gotten used to with Ed, with Ed's sharp mind he could think very quickly and take information in as quickly if not quicker than Sasuke could. Ed didn't mind the thoughtful silences but he was not intimidated by Sasuke's stubborn silences and often got right to the point of the matter. Ed was intimidated by Fugaku and Itachi, but he didn't know them nor could he read them like he could Sasuke.

"Itachi later informed us that my cousin Shuyin and his parents as well as Yuna's have located to New York. Those two surgeons and Dr. Harrison from the hospital," Ed nodded that he remembered the three and Sasuke continued, "are doing the same."

"Okay, why is that important?"

"For one, Shuyin is family, as is Lenne and their daughter Marianne. As for the surgeons and doctor, they are family friends thanks to my brother being close friends with Kudo."

"Yeah, alright I get that. Is this a huge deal or just information?"

"Itachi is going with them."

That was big news, sure Itachi lived a good distance away but moving to New York meant he was going to be too busy to visit and despite Sasuke's denial and how the two often clashed, Sasuke was close to his brother. Itachi was doing well for himself and shortly after he began truly putting his experience and schooling to use he began setting up shelters for the kids he helped in cities that now stretched across five states. It made sense that now the elder Uchiha was going to go to New York to further expand his business.

"In the city?"

"Yes. My father is helping to set things up for everyone and make things run smoothly. They all got their own jobs lined up but he is just spreading their names and business professions around to the influential names. It is a way of ensuring good business and protection."

Ed nodded once more in understanding, made since, there were definitely perks to knowing the Uchiha family.

"You pissed or depressed about that?"

Sasuke shrugged indifferently, "It is a good opportunity."

_Yeah, but you avoided my question which means yes you're pissed and depressed about your brother moving even further away_.

"Who's the third person," Ed asked without really needing to. He knew it was Naruto and that had to be what was mainly on Sasuke's mind. Sasuke's recent reason behind making a move on Naruto was the fact that his best friend was only fifteen, having just had his birthday given Thanksgiving break was close by. It was Thursday and after next week was break.

"Hn."

Ed sighed irritably, "Don't start that arrogant, distant, guarded bullshit with me. I've heard your excuses but I don't know what Naruto has been up to, I've been busy lately."

"Because you're whipped."

"You're just as whipped and he doesn't even know he has you at his beck and call."

Sasuke tossed the closest thing to him right at Ed's head, which happened to be his notebook. Ed laughed and caught it in the air then threw it back and Sasuke ducked causing the notebook to hit the wall behind him.

"Boys!"

Ed and Sasuke said at the same time, "Gomen!"

In the last few years Ed had picked up on some Japanese, he couldn't speak it fluently, read, or write it, but he knew some words. Because of this, of course, Mikoto had chosen a nickname for him, Kin, said keen, which translated to gold. She usually called him Kin-chan when she wanted to embarass him, which was pretty often much to Ed's displeasure. She was the closest person he had to a mom and while he adored her for it he still didn't like endearments much, he was fifteen years old and a sophomore in college, he felt he had proved he was mature enough not to be treated like a child. _She's a mom, that's how mom's are_, he rationalized.

"Idiot," Sasuke said.

"Jackass."

"He's started dating."

"Really? Which way does he swing?"

Sasuke narrowed his eyes at Ed who laughed in response and Sasuke threw a pen at him in respite.

"Straight as far as I know. He's going out with this annoying pink haired girl."

"Uhh, yeah, I don't know who you are talking about."

"That clingy girl from the baka's party recently that was hanging all over him."

"Damn, for someone who says it would be pervert to ask Naruto out you sure sound pretty jeal-hey!"

This time Sasuke had launched a pencil at him that was nicely sharpened and could have been deadly if not for Ed's reflexes from martial arts and spending most of his life training in the mixed martial arts his teacher back home had instructed him in.

"So that's why you are so moody then, because Naruto is dating and you have nothing to go on regarding whether or not he's into guys so you can figure out if stand half a chance with him? Why do you have to be so damn difficult, never mind, you're an Uchiha and couldn't possibly embarass yourself by sticking your neck out there." That earned him a glower and another pen being thrown at him to which the blond barely managed to dodge.

"Hn."

"Smug bastard, can't even admit you're jealous. Why don't you start dating and see what his reaction to that is?"

Sasuke regarded Ed silently and thoughtfully for a moment then gave a curt nod, "Hmm."

Ed nodded and unfolded his arms to slap his hands on his thighs and got to his feet, "Alright then. You do that, stop stressing about Itachi leaving, trust your family to watch over your cousin you claim you don't give a damn about, and grow some balls and tell Naruto-"

Sasuke threw his pillow at him to shut him up and Ed grabbed the pillow right after it hit him and threw it back aiming to hit the Uchiha in the face but missing when the raven caught it with a smug look on his face.

"I try to help you out and let you vent and be a good friend and here you are throwing shit at me and hitting me with textbooks. If I wanted to have things thrown at me I would have gone to see Winry tonight instead of hanging out with you all damn day you bastard."

"Shut up and go home, your annoying."

Ed said nothing and turned around and Sasuke had a sinking feeling suddenly, usually Ed had something to say to everything he said. The mischevious glint in his friends eyes did not make him feel like anything good was about to happen. Sasuke tossed the pillow aside, got to his feet and briskly followed Ed out of his room and downstairs. He heard Ed speaking with his mother and it wasn't until he walked into the kitchen that he could make out what was being said.

" . . . So I think Sasuke should go on a double date with me and Winry since he doesn't get out much and he's never really been on any dates or socialized with anyone."

Sasuke clenched his jaw, _That deceitful, manipulative, back stabbing, shit_! He thought darkly, he was going to get Ed back for this and make his life a living hell, especially if his mother agreed to this, which given her smile and nod and her smiling look to him she was going to. _Fucking damn it_, he hissed to himself as he glared death at Ed and truly wished the Uchiha glare would give him the ability to make someone drop dead but Ed didn't even flinch and had grown immune to a glare from Sasuke.

"That sounds like a splendid idea Kin-chan," Sasuke smirked smugly at the cringe from Ed because of the nickname his mother had given him. Ed glanced at him, took in the smug expression and glared but smirked himself when Fugaku's voice came into the kitchen, "I agree, it seems the boy genius is useful after all."

Sasuke mentally sighed because there was absolutely no way he would do so with his father present. He could be slightly more open and expressive in front of his mother but his father demanded control and indifference, Uchiha's do not wear their emotions on their sleeves for all to know how they feel or what they are thinking. It is dishonorable to display weakness in anyway and letting others see how you feel or think is weakness. Because Ed couldn't hide his emotions from showing in his eyes regardless of the haunting or defensive guard he could put up to keep someone from knowing how strong his emotions were or how things effected him made Fugaku think very little of him. Which was the reason for the backhanded compliment.

Ed closed his eyes briefly, causing Fugaku to give him a disappointed look before Ed bowed his head to Sasuke's parents and said, "Goodnight, I believe I should cut this visit short and head home. Arigato for your hospitality," Ed turned and left the kitchen and made his way back to Sasuke's room to get his things and Sasuke followed him up when Mikoto gave him a slight smile telling him he was free to go.

Mikoto rounded on Fugaku the moment Sasuke was heard making his way back to his room. "Do you always have to be so damn rude to him!"

"He needs to learn better self control."

"He offered a chance to do exactly what were hoping Sasuke would start doing and that is getting a social life and making friends, searching for a young lady to marry. Why must you constantly give that young man grief?"

"He is a friend of our sons' he should learn to have better self control, his weakness is that he can be read so easily when he is upset."

"He is not our son and he's a teenage boy. It's natural at his age to be emotional, perhaps I would actually like to have a kid under this roof that can show me how they really feel."

Fugaku glared warningly at his wife, Mikoto let out a sigh, hung her head and went back to cooking dinner, "Gomenasai, I forgot my place. Forgive me."

Fugaku sighed, those words made him feel immensely guilty about his words towards his wife but instead of apologizing and admitting that he turned and left the kitchen leaving his wife alone. It was only a few minutes later that the two boys could be heard walking downstairs once again. Sasuke came into the kitchen, "Okusan, I'm going to see Edward home."

Mikoto nodded, "Hai, go ahead Sasu-chan," she added a sweet smile in return to the irritated glare she received before Sasuke turned and walked out. That was precisely what she had meant when talking to her husband, both of her sons, after the age of ten years old, grew to hide their true emotions. Neither truly voiced their own opinions only those their father would agree with or prefer to hear. The only displays of emotion she ever received from her son's was annoyance when she displayed motherly affection and embarrassed them, but never scarring embarrassment, and irritation. There were rare times when you could tell one of them was upset or angry but that was only when they were truly, deeply, angry or upset and could not hide all of their anguish. It was frustrating and painful to her that her sons did not come to her or their father with any of their problems or feel they could confide in them.

Mikoto pulled out of her thoughts and turned back to the rice she was cooking before she ended up burning it. They always had Japanese cooking for dinner and she had a reputation as a wonderful cook to keep. If nothing else perhaps her youngest son had found a friend he hid nothing from and sincerely trusted and depended on during rough times in Edward. A smile curved her delicate lips at the thought and she resumed cooking without letting her mind get to entangled in the thoughts of all her boys.

* * *

"Your father happens to be the epitome of asshole and bastard," Ed mumbled as he and Sasuke walked the long way to his house deciding to walk to the end of the street and circle the block.

"Hn."

Ed sighed and pocketed his hands, "Of course you know that already considering you've lived with him your entire life."

"Hn."

"I wonder if maybe Naruto will be able to make you less sociable?"

"Shut up moron," Sasuke growled and glared at Ed as the blond chuckled.

"Is moron supposed to be some kind of pet name for a certain someone Sas'?"

"No," Sasuke said flatly not even taking the bait to mess with Ed's head with what his words could have implied.

"Che, guess you're in a bad mood," Ed said gruffly.

"Hn."

"Yeah alright Mr. Emo-Silent-Mystery type."

"Will you shut up?"

"No, I don't care for awkward silences and have nothing better to do. Besides, I'm old enough to walk home and you were the one that said you'd walk with me and then suggested taking the long way."

"Hn."

"Gah, what's on your mind anyway?"

"You're going to pay for that set up you did, how do you think your girlfriend will feel about you making decisions for both of you?"

Ed paled, "Shit," he breathed then glared at Sasuke, "Shut up asshole, I'll just suggest and make it somehow seem like her idea or something. Besides I didn't give a date of when this double-"

Ed paused and Sasuke looked to him to see why before his breath left his lungs and the blood drained from his already pale face making it ghost pale. Ed's body language was tense and guarded and he was mentally cursing both him and Sasuke for their sudden decision to take the long way to his house tonight. Ed had taken a step back at the same time as Sasuke had taken a defensive step back as they looked at the man that had suddenly stepped onto the sidewalk from behind a tree next to the sidewalk. The sidewalk ran along the main street and ran all the way through the neighborhood. Of course the streetlights were on but there was still shadowed spots in between each street light and that was why neither had spotted the man even if one could usually easily see someone's form behind a tree.

The lecherous grin, the way the man sensually licked his lips with a sickly long tongue that made Ed shiver at the memory that brought to the forefront of his mind and the lustful gaze that could be seen in his eyes as he stepped forward under the light of a street light was enough to make Ed feel sick with dread. He didn't chance a glance to Sasuke, could only ease back a step at a time, he remembered how deadly this man could be, how he may appear just a predator but was skilled and sick as well. He didn't like this one bit and when the man stopped Ed paused as well and tensed ready for an attack but the man simply spoke in his snake like voice.

"It seems we continue to run into one another. Edward-kun and Sasuke-kun, what a pleasant surprise."

"Hardly," Ed snarled before he could get his mouth to listen to his brain and remain silent.

"It appears that the years apart have made you rather bold. It's a shame that I don't plan to let you two escape me this time."

Ed had the nerve to smirk and say smugly, "Go ahead and try it snake."

Sasuke moved so suddenly that Ed was left feeling confused as he found himself roughly grabbed by the wrist and pulled backwards before he was being dragged behind Sasuke. The raven dragging him along darted across the street and headed further down the main road and it took Ed getting his balance and running without being dragged to see why Sasuke had not turned back down their own street to head home. It would have been smart, but did Ed really want to risk chancing the perverted creep finding out where his brother and he lived? Sure the damn guy knew where Sasuke lived and that caused a shudder of disgust and anger to flash through him simultaneously, but there was no reason to endanger Al.

Sasuke glanced back and forth down the road before he ran across the main street and headed into the other part of the neighborhood. Ed chanced a glance behind them as he followed to see that this time that snake of a man was serious, he was following and gaining and Ed pushed himself to run faster. When Sasuke suddenly cut across someone's yard and climbed and easily jumped their fence Ed followed wondering how in the hell Sasuke could do that so smoothly. But when he cleared the fence just as easily he let the thought fade.

Soon they were running deeper and deeper into the neighborhood, running briskly across yards, jumping fences, dodging dogs, jumping over pools, pounds, treading through gardens and just trying to get away from the guy. But every time they would cross yards and try to put obsticals between them and their hunter they really just expended energy. The guy was still chasing them and Ed and Sasuke were breathlessly continuing to do what they could and run. Twice Ed had considered just stopping and trying to take him on in a fight but a look from Sasuke stopped him. It was like some sort of mental way of Sasuke telling Ed that it would just end up with him dead or the guy was too insane or dangerous to even chance fighting him up close.

When Ed's phone rang Ed took it out of his pocket, it was his dad calling from the house phone and if he wasn't so out of breath and worried about letting the bastard catch up to him he would have answered it. Instead he let it ring and when he found himself having to jump over a steep ditch he dropped it. Ed skidded and slid then rolled on the ground when he'd suddenly tried to stop and reach for the phone. Sasuke grabbed him by his collar and pulled him on his feet just in time to stop Ed from ending up with a knife embedded in his once outstretched hand.

"Leave it," Sasuke told him in between breathless pants before he turned and started running again. Ed looked up and noticed the man was still chasing them and was about to reach the edge of the ditch they'd jumped across. Ed turned and headed after Sasuke who was crossing the large yard and scaling a tall wooden fence a good twenty feet away. Ed saw his friend clear it right before a large weight slammed into him and he found himself rolling around on the ground, the air knocked out of his lungs, hands snatching his wrists and then he found himself face first on the ground with his hunter sitting on his lower body and leaning over him.

Those nails felt the same, ran him through with a sickly churn in his stomach, filled him with that same disgust from before and dug painfully into his skin and Ed knew from the slight warmth there that the bastard was cutting into his wrists with his deadly nails. Ed turned his head to the side so that he could breath and his chest was burning and adrenaline was running through him from all the running and the sudden impact and the dread that was now making his blood run cold.

His eyes looked towards the fence when the sound of Sasuke climbing back over it and landing on this side of it came to him. Orochimaru leaned down once more and hissed into Ed's ear, "It seems I've caught you boy."

Ed twisted and struggled, try to buck him off, turn him, do something but the grip tightened and he paused in muted shock and revulsion as strong thighs pressed into the side of his waist to secure the man where he was sitting on him. When the man shifted Ed felt the guys erection rub against his ass and he paled and fought to just get air into his lungs and tried to pull his hands free. His hands were going a bit numb and he absently thought that maybe one of his veins was punctured by those sharp nails holding his wrists in a vice grip.

"Let him go snake, his family has done nothing to you."

Ed tensed even more at the sound of the man laughing and the way the man shook with his glee and how it made Ed's own body shake. Ed tried again to break free and wished Sasuke would just try to attack the guy but the thought made him feel guilty considering what this guy had done to Sasuke. Why would the Uchiha go anywhere near him and put himself at risk of being touched by his tormentor, even for a friend, it was a lot to ask. _He did it before. But there was a ditch and I was already fighting the guy then_.

"That is of no consequence, I cannot simply let such a gorgeous morsel go."

Ed snarled angrily at the words and when the bastards' tongue traced the shell of his ear he fought the urge to shudder with revolt. Sasuke grit his teeth so loudly Ed could hear it and wondered if the Uchiha was going to grind his teeth down to the gums doing that. He struggled once more twisting and pulling with his arms using all the strength he could when Orochimaru shifted and eased up on the grip he had on his wrist. Ed hiss in pain when his left arm was forcibly pulled back and then twisted behind his back and grit his own teeth when the same thing was done with his right arm, it didn't matter how much or how hard he struggled, this fucker was still stronger than him and he felt frustrated beyond belief that he couldn't get out of this situation let alone break free and get the hell away from the guy.

When both of his wrists were held in only one hand the bones of his wrists ground together painfully from the tight grip the mans' long fingers held them in. Ed tried to turn his shoulders, pull his arms away, unclenched and clenched his hands into fists, tried to shift his knees to give him some leverage but the asshole countered his actions with a painful push on his arms forcing them at a agonizing level or would simply dig his knees into Ed's side grinding against the bones of his hips.

_FUCK!_ Ed thought with exasperation. He really wished Sasuke would do something, anything but when Sasuke made to step forward there was a click Ed recognized immediately as the sound of a knife being flipped open and then the cold blade of metal was pressed against Ed's throat. _Damn this guy, using the same tactic as before. He would probably get off actually do this with Sasuke having no choice to watch because of the blade at my throat_.

"I've no intention of allowing you the chance to attack me Sasuke-kun, no this time you two will not escape."

Ed cursed his luck, cursed it into the depths of hell, why had he tried to get his phone, if he had just run and not stopped then he wouldn't be in this situation and the fucking pedophile wouldn't have had the chance to tackle him and get his grimy fucking hands on him. Ed knew that the wooden fence Sasuke had jumped over lead into the neighborhood and that this side of the gate was part of the ditch that ran straight across the back part of a break in the neighborhood. They'd run all the way to the other subdivisions and on the other side of the gate was a main road, a strip center, then behind them the other neighborhood. Damn his luck, damn it, damn it, damn it. Why did he always end up in shitty situations and then somehow be rendered powerless to stop shit from happening to him?

Ed went listless beneath Orochimaru and the smug smile of triumphant made ice run through Sasuke's veins and he glanced at his friend. Ed's eyes were closed, his lips drawn into a thin line, he was obviously biting on his lip and his body was drawn taunt aggressively. The snake let out a low chuckle and when he drew the knife slowly along the curve of Ed's neck to rest at the back of his neck the blond didn't so much as flinch and Sasuke's nails dug into his palms with how tightly his fists were clenched at his side. All he could do while the snake had that blade in his possession was watch, he should have moved the moment he jumped back over the fence when he heard Ed's startled cry.

He wished he could clench his eyes closed, try to deny the scene before him but the snake had always made it obvious that Sasuke was his obsession and would leap at the chance. Sasuke didn't know if the psychotic man would slit Ed's throat or deal a deadly blow to the blond if Sasuke offered himself up just to be rid of him. He knew that bastard got off on what he was doing, knew that this was a way to torment both his current captive and Sasuke. To have to stand there, immobile, and watch the man molest his friend and not be able to do or say anything to stop him was torture.

"Let him go," Sasuke tried again, his voice coming out with a bit of desperate pleading. The snake smirked at him with a predatory expression and gleam in his eyes and pressed the blade into the back of Ed's neck drawing blood then moved the knife down to in between his shoulder blades making a clean cut and causing Ed's shirt to be pushed down by the movement to reveal sickly pale skin that usually had a light, golden tan to it.

Still Ed remained still, he had obviously decided there was no point in struggling further and that worried Sasuke and perplexed him. Ed was such a volatile, prideful, strong person and to see him just lying there, no longer fighting with all that he had to find some way to break free made Sasuke's gut twist with stifling guilt and a chill to run straight through him. He bit the inside of his cheek when Orochimaru moved again, sitting up a bit so that he could place one knee over Ed's arms to keep them in place and a rush of air left Ed's lungs but then he closed his eyes and bit down on his lip once more, this time drawing blood.

The snake noticed and leaned down to run his tongue across Ed's drawn lips and at the action Ed drew back and his struggling returned, only this time more frantic, violent, and fierce and for a moment Orochimaru had trouble keeping Ed in place but a hand grabbed Ed's braid, twisted, pulled Ed's head back making his neck arch and forcing Ed to bare his throat and the knee dug into Ed's arms and the middle of his back where they remained, now held by the mans' other hand so as not to risk Ed getting his arms free.

Sasuke flinched when Orochimaru leaned his face down to the cut along the back of Ed's neck and licked the blood there and Ed went completely still, frozen as if he just noticed the cut and then that sickeningly long tongue swept along the side of Ed's neck and up the side of his face and a strong shudder ran through him and Sasuke made to step forward but then Ed's startled cry of pain froze the Uchiha in his spot as Orochimaru bit down on the spot between Ed's throat and his shoulder and when blood ran down Ed's neck, his collar bone and disappeared into his shirt Sasuke saw red.

He leapt and this time the snake was forced to let go of Ed when Sasuke plowed into him, hands raised and grasping his throat. Sasuke didn't care that now he sat on top of the snake, didn't care that the mans' hands were gripping his arms and his nails were drawing blood, all he cared about was strangling the life out of him. This sick game had to end, the suffering had to end, this guy needed to die.

Ed got to his feet once he was able to shove down the revulsion, the way his skin crawled and his entire body shook, and how badly his arms, wrists, his back hurt and he turned and looked dumbly at Sasuke before he saw the raven choking the man soundly and the way the man bucked and twisted, turned, clawed at Sasuke's arms, reached up and clawed Sasuke across the face to try and dislodge him. Ed shakingly made his way towards him his steps growing more steady when the gleam of a blade caught his eye and Ed ran that ten feet to his friend and it was like time slowed with how far it seemed before Ed finally got to them and yanked Sasuke back so suddenly the Uchiha ended up pulling Orochimaru into a sitting position because of the movement.

Then time did stop as white hot, lancing pain raced through Ed's left side and a flash of this same pain from before told him it was the knife, the bastard had managed to stab him but at least Sasuke wasn't the one who was stabbed and that made him relieved even as his hold on his dark haired friend fell and he staggered back and fell on his ass on the ground and a groan left his throat from the way his fall made that knife dig deeper into his body. Sasuke turned, turned his back to their predator and the sharp cry made Ed forget his pain and look up.

Orochimaru had grabbed a smaller, pale, left arm, twisted it behind his back while the second arm of the man curled beneath Sasuke's right arm and gripped Sasuke's throat with those deadly nails causing thin trails of blood to slide down a pale neck. The blond tried to move but failed as another lance of hot, rancid pain shot through him and he could taste bile and copper rise up in his throat and a violent, raspy cough brought on another and blood and spit and bile landed on his hand he had subconsciously raised to cover his mouth. Ed's stomach did a somersault and he felt like he was going to throw up but fought it because he didn't want to take his eyes off the bastard holding his friend captive.

The look on the mans face, the way Sasuke was digging the nails of his right hand into the guys' hair, the way Sasuke pulled, twisted, tried to kick the man holding him made Ed want to move but his body wouldn't listen to him and every time he did the knife in him shifted, plunged deeper, twisted and considering the discussions he'd had with Winry he knew if he removed the damn thing he would end up bleeding to death and then he really wouldn't be able to do any more than he could right now.

He shuddered himself when a tongue darted out to lick a languid trail along the side of Sasuke's face and a violent shudder ran through the Uchiha. But golden eyes darkened as the previous target smirked and nearly laughed when Sasuke's head snapped forward and then back and the mans' nose made a sound crack and blood oozed from his nose. The guys eyes closed and the momentary lax of his hold had the younger pale skinned teenager in motion. Sasuke twisted free and then he turned grabbed the mans' arm and flipped him over his shoulder and onto his back.

Ed watched as the youngest Uchiha slammed his foot into the mans' stomach and then his hand dug into the mans' pocket and the blond noticed another knife and that made him worried. With all the suffering and torment this man had caused his raven haired friend he couldn't help but worry that his friend would kill him. Sure, it would do society a favor and none of his victims would ever half to live with the fear that the man would return. But, murder was murder and he didn't see any reason why his friend should have to live with the consequences of killing a man that rightly deserved it just because society would fell that way.

The raven haired younger man flipped the knife open and held it to the snakes throat, all the while the man watched him, had let Sasuke make such a move and was looking at him with a hungry expression.

"Do it Sasuke-kun, you know all you wish to do is to slit my throat, make me pay for what I've done."

The now enraged Uchiha tightened the grip on the knife and bent his knee so he could lean all of his weight down on the leg where his foot was now placed in the middle of the mans' chest. The man leered up into obsidian eyes that dripped murderous intent as the Sasuke's eyes narrowed further to glare at him darkly. He silently willed the man to speak, to say something that would push him that bit closer to pull that blade across his throat or stab it into the mans' jugular.

"I'm certain that you were more enraged when you found out I was doing the same thing to my own nephew as I was doing to you. How could I resist such beauty, both boys so innocent and I so fortunate you were best friends. Now you are accompanied by yet another marvel of creation, an Elric no less."

"Shut up," Ed snarled, "shut your sick fucking mouth," but those words alone brought him another coughing fit and it was then that Sasuke glanced his way and then that the blond felt disoriented by the range of quick movement. There was a growl of pain and rage and what sounded like fighting and then a sharp cry of pain muffled half way through and Ed forced his eyes to open and was greeted with Orochimaru looming over him, blood on his shirt and Ed's blood ran cold with fear for his friend but not for long when the man grabbed him by his hair and pulled him to his feet and then Ed's throat felt raw after the scream pulled from him without his say so as the knife was twisted and then pulled out and then another white-hot pain shot through him starting from his right shoulder and he felt himself go limp. As the hand gripping his hair let go and he fell to his hands and knees gasping for air and coughs ripping through his throat. He could taste copper, bile, acidic, blood laced with his own stomach acid ripped through his throat and seared its way into his mouth forcing him to cough only to breath stained the grass beneath him.

Blinding pain shot through him when a foot connected with his injured side and he bit down on his lip hard to muffled the cry and his body left the ground and his body shook with the effort to hold him up and when another kick hit him he was forced onto his back and then a foot pressed down over his wounded shoulder and a muffled groan of pain fell from panting lips, muffled because he clasped his hand over his mouth to silence his own cries.

That foot ground into his shoulder and agony coursed through him, jolts of piercing, blinding pain continuously ran through him and his side and shoulder, his entire body seemed to pulse with agony. He was having trouble breathing and his throat kept getting clogged up with blood and bile and Ed turned away to cough and the way they seemed to claw right through him with every shake his body gave while he coughed Ed wanted it to end, wanted to lose consciousness, wanted it to stop.

He distantly heard an angry cry and felt the ground shake a bit and a rush or air as someone fell to their knees beside him. Then he forced his eyes open when he heard a nearly familiar though rough and scratchy voice say weakly, "Ed, come on, we have to move."

Dazed golden eyes stared at him a moment not seeing him, his vision was spotted and black around the edges even as he forced himself to blink several times in an attempt to clear his sight. There was a deep gash along a way too pale neck and it looked deep the way the blood seemed to ooze out of it and soak his shirt. He noticed the split lip, the way Sasuke's pants looked wet on his left side, the way he had a hand pressed against his left hip instead of his throat but pain coursed through Ed when Sasuke started to pull him up. Gritting his teeth and had no choice to but to go with what his friend was trying to do and then his left arm was lifted to rest around a shoulder and they moved away, heading along the edge of the ditch and he leaned against the wooden gates as they forced their feet to move.

A phone rang and both jumped at the seemingly foreign noise after such a nightmare, gritting their teeth at the way their bodies responded to that as Sasuke struggled to get his hand into his right pocket considering he had to move the hand over his hip and Ed's was supported by his friend on that same side. Pale hands shook and it was hard for him to grip the phone as his hands were slick with blood and it stopped ringing before Sasuke could flip it open.

"Fuck," Sasuke hissed in frustration, he managed to get the phone flipped open and his finger left smears of blood on the phone as he pressed the number two and then the green button that made the phone call. Nearly bronze from the pain but somewhat capable of focusing the blond noticed that as the phone started to call that the number was for Itachi.

"Nii-san, kuso hebi. Injured, ditch close to home," Sasuke's words were shaky and the two paused and Ed was grateful for that. He felt like he couldn't breath and his body didn't want to move anymore and he just slid down with his back against the fence and his legs stretched out in front of him. He could only hear bits and pieces of what Sasuke was saying to his brother, or was he speaking to him, things were fading in and out of focus. He felt like his entire body hurt, the pain he was in and the way his body throbbed didn't shake the disgusted way that snake had made him feel of stop the urge to be sick and peel his skin off. He'd subconsciously become used to Sasuke, he could sense his presence and his mind automatically knew his friend wasn't the snake.

It was going to be a rough time between him and Winry though, he would be jumpy, hesitant, and paranoid for a while. He'd flinch and he'd want to keep a distance and that would make Winry feel like shit and in turn make him feel like shit. He missed her, he wished she were here if only to hear her voice and maybe she could make the feel of that sick fucks' touch go away.

"ED!"

Dull golden eyes snapped open at the desperate cry and the fearful tone of friends voice. He looked at him wearily, barely seeing him his vision made the world spin and he turned his head and leaned over as he threw up resulting in pulsing, sharp, pangs lancing through him like the blade that had caused the injury. His arm buckled and his left arm was grabbed in a grip he thought was way too weak to be that of his friend's.

"You've got to stay awake," Sasuke's hoarse, scared voice said and it took a moment for the words to reach Ed and he gave a brief nod and leaned back against the fence again.

"He coming," Ed rasped.

"Yeah. How bad do you think it is?"

Ed looked at Sasuke for a few moments that felt like hours and said in what he knew was a weak, distressed voice, "'Bout as bad as you."

Sasuke gave up the idea of moving anymore or trying to get Ed to move, his neck, his throat, his hip, his right leg, all of him hurt and he knew he'd lost too much blood and moving around made it worse on both of them but they couldn't stay where that bastard was. Sasuke hoped the guy bled to death or something and his strength was waning so if somehow that bastard managed to move and head their way then there was little either could do.

" . . . where we are," Ed's voice finally came to him. It was garbled and weak and jumbled together incoherently. Maybe that was just Sasuke, "Yeah," he managed and felt the strong urge to cough but didn't want to because of the wound on his neck.

They heard shuffling at the same time as tires squealing close by and when they looked they could see Orochimaru making his way to them, a bloodied knife in his hand, limping, a deadly look in his eyes that promised death but didn't bother either of them since they already felt like they were dying anyway. They were worried, sure, for the other, but not themselves.

By the time the man made it within five feet of them a car door slammed, they heard a gun being loaded and the loud sound of gunfire, a single shot and when Orochimaru crumpled to the ground Ed stared at the reddened, bleeding hole in the center of the mans' forehead. Ed turned his head slowly to regard their savor and was surprised to see Itachi, Kudo, and Harvey standing there. It was Itachi who was lowering his gun and Ed never pictured the man ever needing a gun.

"We need to get these two to the hospital now, call 9-1-1 Harvey," Kudo's clipped voice rang out in the silence. Ed leaned his head back against the fence and towards Sasuke sitting next to him to see if he was still awake. Itachi moved to kneel before them and he reached out and grabbed Sasuke's wrist to check his pulse. Ed flinched back reflexively when Kudo suddenly was there and grabbed his wrist and a hiss and then a few more of the shaking, violent, seering coughs tore through him and he pulled his hand free to cover his mouth and hated the way the blood covered his hand as he stopped coughing and lowered it.

" . . . something to slow or stop the bleeding," Itachi was speaking in that monotone voice of his and Ed kept slipping in and out of consciousness, he felt tired, too tired to stay awake and too much of everything to want to. He was momentarily startled awake again when Sasuke leaned into him but then his eyes feel closed and he didn't think anything could make him wake up again. _Today sucked, royally. I wonder what Winry is doing right now . . ._ even his thoughts didn't last as he finally fell into that abyss and finally the pain, nauseating disgust from the lingering feel of that dead guy touching him, everything just faded to black.

_**To be continued . . .**_


	15. Chapter 15

**Disclaimer: I don't own FMA, the characters used, hell I don't own the title to this story. FMA (c) Arakawa-sama, Naruto (c) Kishimoto-san, FFX and KH (c) Square Soft, Disney and other affiliated companies. Though the story is mine, the characters are borrowed for creative purposes.**

_A/N: I do not condone child abuse of any kind, nature, or pretense. This story is mostly centered around getting through the hardships of lives where some kind of abuse is present. Dark themes, language, violence, abuse, gore, and sexual content are present throughout this story, the chapters following this one with have more mature content as the characters are getting older after all and have more challenges that they must fact. Please read responsively, hope you enjoy._

**Chapter 15**

His heart leapt into his throat the moment the phone rang, he was pacing across the floor of his kitchen with Al sitting at the table and for a moment he just stood there.

_Bring_

_Bring_

_Bring_

His heart pounded in his chest and his hand shook when he finally grabbed the phone and said in a voice he didn't recognize was his own. It was shaky, scared, but it said, "Hello?"

"Mr. Elric, this is Detective Heartwell, we found the boys and they are being taken to the hospital. I want to be truthful, it looked bad. I'm coming by to get you and Alphonse and Rachel is bringing the Uchiha's and Winry."

"Thank you," his voice came out weak and quiet. Al looked at him and when Hoenheim closed his eyes to avoid his sons' questioning gaze Al sank in his chair and broke down into silent tears.

"What happened?"

"I'll tell you what I know as soon as I get there, I should be there in three minutes."

He hung up and Hoenheim just stood there for a moment before putting the phone on the cradle. He couldn't think, again his oldest son was fighting for his life and it seemed worse this time than it had three years ago. When Ed didn't answer his phone and the line suddenly went dead and then he received a call from Mrs. Uchiha that she couldn't get in touch with either of them, Sasuke wasn't answering his phone either, he mind jumped to conclusions. Now to have those thoughts made a reality, how in the world was he supposed to deal with the thought of losing his son repeatedly? Was Sasuke with him, were both hurt, how bad was bad?

There was a knock at the door and Hoenheim drew out of his thoughts and made his way to the front door, he looked through the small glass window in the door first thankful he at least had enough frame of mind to make sure it was Harvey and opened the door. Harvey looked disheveled and shaken but he was keeping his wits about him, "Mr. Elric, get your wallet, the medical files for Edward, and your green cards and yours sons birth certificates. I'll take Al upstairs with me to get some clothes and necessities for you and your son."

Hoenheim nodded and set in motion glad for something to do while Harvey closed the door and headed to the kitchen. Within twenty minutes they managed to get everything they needed and Harvey made sure they had everything, mostly checking for all the paperwork that would be needed. As they left the house and got into Harvey's car a tense and strained atmosphere fell over all of them and by the time they were half way there Harvey managed to find the words to explain what had happened.

"Sasuke was the one who called Itachi. In turn Kudo and I were called and told where to go. We didn't know what to expect when we got there but Itachi insisted that we arrived ready to use aggression to get both Edward and Sasuke out of danger. Once we get everyone to the hospital we have to go back to the scene to wrap up things."

"Who was it, someone had to have attacked them and chased them for them to end up so far away from home when they were supposed to be heading to my house."

"Orochimaru was the one who was after them, his body is at the scene which is why Itachi, Kudo, and I have to go back to the scene and make our statements."

"Is he dead," Al asked quietly from the backseat.

Harvey nodded, "Yes, he was closing in on them and it was Itachi who shot him."

"Good," Al said just as quietly and Hoenheim felt the same way but said nor did anything to show it. A thick silence fell over everyone for the remainder of the ride. When they arrived Harvey dropped them off and they saw Itachi talking to his parents, Hoenheim questioned how Itachi had arrived so fast but those thoughts left his mind when he noticed the blood on both Itachi's and Kudo's clothes. It was a lot of blood and common sense told him the blood belonged to his son and Sasuke which in turn made his blood run cold with dread. Al grasped his hand tightly and Hoenheim squeezed his hand back then made his way towards everyone.

Mikoto turned away from her son and husband and there were tears in her eyes as she came up to them and hugged both of them close before drawing away. "They are both still in the operating room," her voice was shaky and less composed than Hoenheim had heard it in three years since the last incident with Orochimaru. Kudo came over to them and bowed his head in apology before he addressed Hoeneim.

"There were signs to indicate some inappropriate actions in regards to Edward. He was very skiddish and jumpy when we arrived. The marks I could see led me to believe there was a struggle, we'll know more when the doctors finish and when he regains consciousness."

Hoenheim nodded numbly unable to find his voice, he didn't know for certain and Jimmy had not said so outright, but he was watching his words because of Al. But from the way Al's hands tightened around his own and the way the blood drained from his face Al came to the same conclusion. You have to be prepared for the worst and hope for the best, that's all they could do, hope, have faith in Ed and pray that Ed would be alright. Winry came up to them as soon as they walked into the E.R. waiting room, she was crying as she hugged Al and Hoenheim was surprised to see Al keep himself from crying even though he clung to her. Rachel came up to him and hugged him and they found seats and sat down. Mikoto came in after a few minutes and briefly said that her husband was going to go with the other three in case there was any trouble.

Time seemed to go at a crawl and none of them spoke too shocked, worried, and stressed to speak. Every now and then one of the adults would get up and pace and then go and get coffee or water for everyone and then they would sit in silence again. The seconds felt like minutes, the minutes like hours and the hours blended together. The concept of time was nonexistent and this waiting and not knowing was tearing each one of them apart bit by bit. With more time that passed the dread grew stronger until Hoenheim buried his face in his hands and placed his elbows on his knees trying to escape knowing how long it had been.

Mikoto and Rachel sat next to Al and Winry and tried to console them, tried to calm them and after what felt like days Kushina and Minato arrived with a pale, drained, red eyed Naruto in tow and Al and Winry went to him and exchanged hugs and shakes of their heads when Naruto asked if they knew anything. Naruto sat on the small, uncomfortable couch next to his mom with his head resting on her shoulder and Rachel and Winry moved over next to him so that Winry could hold Naruto's hand. Minato was on the other side of his wife and Mikoto sat between Al and Hoenheim with Al leaning against her, his head resting on her shoulder and her hands moving soothingly through his hair.

Al, Naruto, and Winry fell asleep and had been sleeping for a few hours when a tired surgeon came over to their group asking for the Elric family. Hoenheim got to his feet careful not to jostle Al awake but his son woke anyway and got to his feet to stand next to him. Winry woke suddenly but stayed where she was not wanting to leave Rachel's side in case the news was bad.

"If I could speak with you in private Mr. Elric?"

"Everyone here is welcome to hear what you have to say Doctor."

The surgeon nodded and removed his cap to place it in his pockets. He must have shed the rest of his surgical gear before coming over to them and washed his hands. "Very well. I know that you were told that there was reason to suspect sexual abuse, however I can assure you that is not the case. There were obvious signs to indicate violation but not penetration. Your son has suffered a great deal of pain but considering the signs of the pain he has been in before this I believe its safe to say that he will recover. There was some clotting and it caused internal damage to his organs, his kidney in particular. His right shoulder was severely wounded and there is going to be permanent damage to it."

"Permanent damage, meaning what exactly?"

"Well, Mr. Elric I'm sorry to say that given the damage his right arm has already undergone and the previous damage to his nerves that there is little we can do. It is not likely he'll ever be able to use his arm properly, the damage is that extensive. The stab wound to his shoulder was delivered in the exact spot that most of the nerves that control the arm are present. His attacker knew where to hit him and the additional blows to the injured shoulder further damaged and tore at the muscles, tendons, tissue, and nerves of his right arm. His other shoulder is damaged as well but not to the same severe extent of his right one."

"Did you have to replace or extend his nerves in order to repair them," came Winry's voice who was suddenly standing next to Hoenheim looking up at the doctor. She was at least a head shorter but that didn't lessen her expectant gaze. The doctor nodded, "We tried to see if that could be done but unfortunately we could nothing to increase the chances his arm would be usable anymore."

"What about physical therapy, could he work the strength up in his arm to possibly regain some motor skills in it?" Winry's voice sounded hopeful even if her knowledge of medicine told her that nerve damage to the degree the doctor was explaining gave very little if a non-existent chance Ed would have use of his right arm ever again. She let out a tired, grievous sigh when the doctor shook his head sadly then she asked, "Are his previous injuries going to have an effect on him now?"

"Yes, it will make this injury more painful for him. I should also point out that another factor of the amount of blood loss is also due to the wounds on his wrists. One of the cuts managed to catch a vein, not deeply or there would have been nothing we could do, but he is going to need surgery to repair the damage. The bones in his wrists were fractured, whoever held his wrists was immaculately strong to cause that kind of damage by restraining him alone."

"When can we see him?"

"As soon as the blood transfusion is finished I will have someone come here to take you to his room. He is currently on a strong sedative so it is unlikely he will wake up for at least twenty-four hours. One of his lungs was punctured by a fractured rib but he should recover and we were able to patch the damage and reset his ribs so he is able to breath on his own but should keep the oxygen mask on for a few days so that his lungs can build up their strength. After you see him we will wish to know whether or not to go through with the surgery on his left wrist as well as what you wish to be done about the paralyzed right arm."

"What will happen if he doesn't have the surgery? What can be done about his right arm?"

"The fractured bones may not align correctly when they heal and it may cause carpal tunnel in his hand. There is not a way to make his arm work again but we can replace it. The nerves being as extensively damaged as they are cause a lag in the blood flow. We have several I.V.'s running through the viens in his arms to try and keep it from losing any blood flow but his hand is already losing too much blood flow as it is."

"Brother is a violinist, will he still be able to play?"

The doctor looked to Al with an apologetic expression, "I can't say right now son, it will depend on him and what your father wishes to do."

Al and Winry exchanged glances and then looked away and at their feet, the doctor nodded to Hoenheim and turned to leave. Hoenheim thanked him and led Al back to their seats while Winry went back to sit down, a thoughtful look on her face. Another hour crawled by before a nurse came by to lead them to see Ed and Hoenheim was reluctant to leave Mikoto there waiting but Rachel assured him that Kushina and Minato would be there for her.

Hoenheim felt his heart leap to his throat for the second time at the sight of Ed lying there in the bed. His wrists, knuckles, neck, left and right shoulder, and stomach were wrapped in thick gauze. There was a pinkish coloring that told where the wounds were on every piece of gauze and the bulge showed how thickly the wounds were wrapped. The I.V. was steadily dripping with antibiotics, pain medicine, and blood thinner that Winry explained was to keep Ed's blood from clotting since he had just lost a lot of blood and under gone a blood transfusion. The number of I.V.'s running into Ed's right arm at four different points and then the I.V. in his left arm that administered the antibiotics and pain medication made another sick, worried, churn of his stomach cause his breath to hitch in his throat.

The heart monitor and oxygen mask brought back memories and though they ensured Ed was alive it still chilled Hoenheim to see his son frail and helpless and hurt once more. Ed's hair had been washed this time, which he was grateful for, and his clothes were ripped, the nurse had told him that his clothes were too far shredded to be returned and Hoenheim didn't press the matter. He stood there numbly at his son's bedside and watched that sleeping face. Ed was too still, too unmoving and pale and it deeply unsettled him even though he knew his son was in a drug induced slumber.

His left hand was cold and Ed flinched when Hoenheim reached for it making him drop his hand at his side. Even though Ed was in a deep sleep he still subconsciously flinched away from physical contact and his hand flinched away from Al's when his little brother tried to take his hand. Al looked bothered by it but said nothing and stepped aside when Winry came over to Ed's side and she took both of his hands in her own and when Ed subconsciously made to pull back and his blood pressure and heart rate rose she spoke to him.

"Edward, it's just me Winry, it's your girlfriend. Your brother and your dad are here with you and your safe." Ed stopped trying to pull away but his heart still raced and his blood pressure was still high. Winry continued in a soothing tone and shifted so that she could lay her cheek against their hands, "It's alright Ed, he's gone, he can't hurt you anymore and you're safe. Just sleep and let us help you to know we are here. Just let me hold your hand so that you know you're not alone when you wake up."

Slowly Ed's heart rate calmed and his blood pressure followed and he completely relaxed into the bed. Al moved a chair over to Winry and she sat down still pressing her cheek to both of her hands holding Ed's. Hoenheim sat down in the chair across from her as Al pulled up another chair and sat next to Winry. Rachel came into the room a few minutes later with glasses of water for everyone and they just sat there and waited. The respiratory machine was because of the pain medication and that was why Ed wasn't in I.C.U. because despite his right arm he really didn't require to be there. Winry read through Ed's chart hanging off the end of the bed she informed them that it was the psychological damage to Ed that he was not placed in I.C.U. He needed to be around those he could trust and those that were familiar to him in order to recover.

It was looking at Ed's right hand that steeled what the doctor had said about his hand, his fingernails were already blue despite the I.V.'s in his arm and his entire right arm was ghostly pale. He didn't know what there was that he could do, he hoped that there would be enough time to wait until Ed woke up before something permanent had to be done to his arm.

* * *

Kushina stood next to Mikoto as the surgeon explained Sasuke's injuries and his current state. She held her hand and kept her standing as the doctor said that they did all they could but there was going to be permanent damage despite their best efforts. He'd lost so much blood they almost lost him twice, the cut on his throat was going to scar and was one of the two more superficial wounds. It was the wound at Sasuke's left hip that gave them a scare, the blade that was used managed to fracture the bone and even after it healed Sasuke would most likely have a limp for the rest of his life. The wound to his leg, while not fatal, was going to have lasting damage as well. The tissue, muscles, and nerves in his right leg were torn because of the stab wound and though they tried to repair most of the damage only so much could be done.

Sasuke was going to have a limp because of the damage done to the left side of his hip, and his right leg had suffered extensive damage. With physical therapy there may be a chance Sasuke will be able to walk again, to run, to have a normal life but he would forever be handicapped. The scarring on his leg may heal fully but because of the jagged, deep wounds to his neck and his hip those scars would always be present. There was also to be slight scarring where the deep scratches across the right side of Sasuke's face, each of them deep, diagonal cuts. Both of his wrists were sprained, bruised, and cut with fingernails as well as the deep lacerations up and down both of his forearms, luckily the viens were not cut but it was very close.

"But you said the wound to his neck wasn't as fatal as the one at his hip could have been."

The surgeon nodded, "I did Mrs. Uchiha, but I did not say the wound could not have been fatal. The jugular vien is on the side of his neck that was cut, the vein was cut but it wasn't deep. The deepest part of the cut to his neck was just under his ear. Your son is very strong to have moved around after suffering such wounds, it had to be very excruciating, especially to move the body while losing that much blood and with wounds to his hip and his leg on opposite sides."

Mikoto nodded and Minato addressed the surgeon, "When will he be most likely to wake up?

"The body isn't able to sleep to the amount of pain Mr. Uchiha is in, but we have him sedated and on strong pain medication. Rest is the most important at this moment, with all the blood he lost as well as the damage it would be in our best interest to keep him unconscious until the pain has dulled somewhat."

"So you plan to keep him in a drug induced coma, for how long?"

"Possibly only twenty-four hours. Because of the strength of the medication he is on a respirator, we want to prevent any kind of brain damage from occuring so we will not be able to keep him under for an extended period of time. Twenty four hours is the longest we can do and we are doing so to allow the medication to get into his system as well as so his body may recover from the blood loss."

"You're trying to save him pain?"

The surgeon nodded to Mikoto's softly spoken question, "Yes ma'am Mrs. Uchiha. If you wish I can have an escort come to show you to his room. I'm certain you know that only two visitors are allowed to stay overnight."

Mikoto nodded, "Thank you doctor," Mikoto looked to Naruto and then to Kushina and Minato as the surgeon walked away. Naruto was pale and when he stood you could tell how shaky he was on his feet, Kushina reached out and grabbed his hand and pulled him to her side, "He's going to be alright Naru-chan."

Naruto nodded and looked to Mikoto, "Can I stay?"

Kushina looked to her husband who nodded and then Kushina smiled sadly and looked to Mikoto. Mikoto brushed Naruto's bangs from his face, "Of course you can dear. When our escort gets here all of us will go see Sasuke and then I will leave you to watch over him while I find out how Edward-kun is doing."

* * *

Ed woke hearing the familiar beeping sound and the soft murmurs of voices around him. There were two warm hands wrapped around his own and his hand felt clammy and cold even with the familiar warmth of who he knew was holding his hand clasped in her own. Her scent came to him first, oil, grass, and a soft hint of lavender from the shampoo, body wash, and conditioner she used. Those scents calmed the panic that threatened to break through the sleepy haze he was in. Again he found himself in the hospital, again waking up sore, disoriented, sluggish, weak, and beyond tired. His entire body throbbed with pain and exhaustion.

_Why in the hell does this keep happening anyway?_ He knew the familiar feel of the hospital bed, it wasn't the same as his own bed and the smells of disinfectants and clean lines added with the sounds was enough for him to know for certain where he was. He wasn't feeling all too enthusiastic to wake up but the pain was starting to increase and he knew he wasn't going to be going back into that numb bliss with how much the pain steadily increase. The slight throb and itch on his back and between his shoulder blades, the pain that ran up the entire length of his arm, both of his wrist, his left side was too much and he bit his lips as the pain took on a piercing, stabbing sensation along with the throbbing.

He let out a groan and heard shuffling and then a tentative, "Ed?"in someones' voice that he swore he should recognize but couldn't for the life of him identify.

Ed waited for what felt like forever for the pain to ebb but when it didn't all he could do was squeeze the hand holding his own. He couldn't open his eyes, didn't want to because he knew his suffering would show and if nothing else he wanted to save Winry any kind of pain he possibly could so he stubbornly kept them closed. Until, a sharp, shocking jolt of pain shot through his right arm when he tried to move it and his eyes shot open as he let out a breathless gasp. His heart started to race in his chest and he didn't need the blare of that annoying beeping machine to tell him his heart beat was too fast.

_What the hell?_

He heard shouts and felt that hand leave his and for the life of him he couldn't squeeze her hand to make her stay and then all thought left him as the pain continued to increase and all he could do was hope he wasn't screaming but doubted it with how loud the sounds were around him and how his throat felt raw and dry. A prick he only absently registered and then the pain ebbed away slowly and he fell into that dark abyss again and was grateful as his eyes closed and he sank into the mattress.

* * *

"What happened? Why did he have an attack like that?"

The doctor pinched his nose at Hoenheim's question and he looked to the young woman sitting there at his patients bedside, once again holding his hand and watching him with concern and worry etched in her expression. He had no doubt from the last few times he'd spoken with the young lady present that she was listening to his words. He could chose his words carefully but the young woman had a sharp mind and a great deal of medical knowledge that surprised him, she was so young but she could stand toe to toe with a doctor, like himself, and argue his evaluations and his methods as soundly as any other doctor could.

"My guess is that a delayed shock to his body waking up in the pain he is bound to be in sent him into an attack. It takes the mind a while to comprehend the signals the nerves send to the brain when it has been inactive."

"Why didn't you have anything done for such an occasion then," Winry asked now looking to the doctor.

"We did not expect him to wake up so suddenly after being weened off of such a strong medication."

"He has been previously exposed the medicine you prescribed him, haven't you read his previous medical reports?"

The doctor pinched his nose to hide his irritation, this young woman was frustrating and he hated to be questioned by a girl of only fifteen. "I did, but there should not have been such an immunity to the medication after not being exposed to it for three years. Now we know that he will react that way and when he awakens again we will be prepared."

"But that doesn't help with the nerve damage he is likely to have because of the first attack."

"I'm afraid not, however the patient will have to become accustomed to nerve damage."

"He already is considering the nerve damage he already has in his lower back from a previous injury and his name is Edward," she replied irritably.

"Winry," Hoenheim began in a warning tone and the girl looked back to Ed. Al was sitting next to her and had silently watched the entire exchange. He offered the doctor an apologetic smile before turning his gaze back to his slumbering brother. Edward Elric's condition as well as his response when he regained consciousness was perplexing, the only thing he could think of was to run some tests to ensure that no other extensive damage was done. Nerve damage, especially when it came to the pain receptors worried him that there may possibly be some brain or head trauma he had previously not thought to check on concerning the wounds that required his attention upon the young mans' arrival.

"I am going to make my rounds and request that an MRI and a C.T. be run, I have my suspicions about the cause of Mr. Elric's attack and want to make sure I am not correct. Better to be safe than have something be wrong and not detect it."

"Why wasn't that done before?"

Hoenheim was the one to ask this question and the doctor gave an apologetic smile, "I had no reason to believe there may have possibly been any head trauma. Until he regained cognizance it was hard to make a full assessment."

"How could there be head trauma when he didn't suffer a head injury?"

Winry spoke up again before the doctor could answer, "Nerve damage can indicate the possibility of head trauma because the nerves are what send the signal to the brain. There is also a possibility because of the blood loss that something may have clotted that wouldn't have been detectable until Ed regained consciousness and the amount of pain he is in can be determined. Pain is one of the key detectors to indicate most injuries."

"Well said and she is correct, now that we have seen he is in a great deal of pain we have reasons to suspect there may be more wrong than we originally believed. It is an unfortunate risk but not one that can be avoided in his case."

"Thank you doctor."

"I will do all that I can but don't thank me yet Mr. Elric, I still have a lot of work ahead of me." The doctor turned and was about to walk out the room when a thought occured to him. He was middle aged, pale skin, short brown hair, green eyes, glasses and usually he was able to assure and charm most people into remaining calm. More and more the young woman who said she was his patients' girlfriend intrigued him, she would make a wonderful doctor because she didn't take the charm and charisma of others into account or let them talk circles around her or feed her bullshit. His thoughts continued with him as he made his way out of the room.

Al was really too shocked at the state his brother was in to speak coherently, it felt as though he had come so close to losing him and he couldn't cope with that, couldn't imagine going on without his brother. When he, Winry, and his dad had first walked into the room.

* * *

Mikoto had to blink back the tears that glistened in her eyes and made her eyesight blurry as she looked upon her son. Her baby boy was lying in the hospital again and it brought back all the feelings of helplessness that she'd felt the other times she had to come to the hospital and wait at his bedside for him to recover. If her husband were not trying to make sure that Orochimaru was actually dead and would never haunt and torment her son and Edward ever again he would be here with her. She grabbed Naruto's hand as they both walked fully into the room, their escort had left them at the nurses' station to find the room in the corner of the floor. The room was spacious, there was even a full couch that folded out into a bed and plenty of room around the bed.

She brought her hand up to muffle the desperate cry that tore through her as she fully came to see the state her son was in. He was deathly pale and so still that if not for the sounds of the machines she wouldn't know he was breathing or that his heart was beating. Both of his arms were wrapped in gauze and his wrists were wrapped in thicker gauze because of the sprained state they were in. His neck was wrapped in thick gauze and she could see the wound on his right leg was bandaged by the slight bulge beneath the blanket and the same was for his hip. The cuts on his face that would scar were bandaged at the deepest parts so the bandages were placed in different spots.

Naruto tugged on her hand and Mikoto nodded and sniffed as she blinked back her tears and walked over to her son's bedside. Naruto didn't hesitate to reach out and take Sasuke's pale, cold, limp hand in his own as soon as he was within reach and Mikoto walked to the other side of her son's bed to take his other hand in her own. Sasuke flinched as though to pull his hand back from her grasp but his strength was lessened to such a degree that it was only a very slight tug and that made her heart want to break.

She hadn't seen him try to pull his hand away from Naruto's grasp but instead she looked to his face and the violent, purple bruises peeking out through the bandages. If not for the amount of concern and deep seeded worry she had for her son she would be severly angry but her oldest son and her husband were furious enough for her. She pulled a chair over to sit down as Naruto sat down in the chair originally placed at Sasuke's bedside. She stroked her thumb across Sasuke's hand she held while Naruto grasped both hands around Sasuke's and laid his head down on the bed next to his arm.

Mikoto didn't want to leave her son's side but she did wish to check and make sure how Edward was doing, her son was very good friends with Ed and she knew that it would be the first thing her son would ask should he see Naruto there at his side when he awoke. She made to get up after reaching up and running her fingers lightly through his bangs when there was a light knock at the door.

Kudo was the one to walk into the room after she called for him to come in. He bowed his head and motioned for her to step out of the room. Naruto had looked up and glanced at him before he laid his head back down and closed his eyes, his head turned to face Sasuke in case he should wake up even though he would not for another day. Mikoto leaned up to place a chaste kiss to her son's forehead then rose to her feet and followed Kudo out of the room.

She pulled the door close, leaving a small crack in case anything should happen and looked to Kudo, "Is something the matter Shininchi-kun?"

He let out a soft sigh, "There are many things that are very troublesome but I just spoke with Mr. Elric and Winry, I wished to deliver the message of how Edward-kun is doing so that you do not have to leave Sasuke-kun's bedside."

She nodded, a bit relieved and dreading what he had to say. She had caught pieces of what the surgeon had said in the waiting room but there seemed to be something even more pressing that was going on. Kudo continued, "The blood clotting, as a result to the severe blood loss made it vital for a kidney transfusion as well as a blood transfusion. He has a blood thinner to keep him from further blood clotting. The amount of nerve damage is extremely excruciating to him as well as the bruised, cracked ribs, the large bruise in the middle of his back, the cuts along his neck, the back of his neck, and between his shoulder blades."

"His wrists are fractured, bruised, and cut and the skin is raw from the amount of struggling but only his left hand can be repaired. His right arm is paralyzed because of a precise stab wound that severed the tissue, nerves, and muscles in his right shoulder. There isn't anything that can be done other than amputation and replacing the limb. His left should is also wounded through a stab wound and his shoulder was dislocated. It was truly the blows to his right shoulder that made the damage irreparable. They are running a Cat Scan and then an MRI because he had an attack, the nerves are more damaged than they believed and the blood clotting progressed more than they believed. They may not be able to keep him sedated as he is or keep up with the pain medication if it happens to be that any brain or heart damage has occurred."

Mikoto remained shockingly silent before she closed her eyes and felt the tears run down her face, she wiped away her tears, "I'm sorry, thank you for telling me."

"There's nothing to apologize for. Winry is the one to thank, she stole the medical chart and deciphered the doctors' words to tell me what was really going on. Edward is currently having the tests run since they were able to stabilize the attacks he continues to have. Whether they like it or not he's not going to stay unconscious with the level of pain he is in. He tried to curl up during his attack and his heart rate and breathing became erratic but he did recover a bit only to have his blood pressure drop as a result of the pain medication that eased the pain from the attack."

"They will do all they can, won't they?"

"I'm certain that they will, if not then Itachi and Uchiha-san are on their way here. They just finished up at the coroners' office and called me to see how both boys were doing."

Mikoto tiredly ran her hand through her hair, "Is Winry-chan going to be staying here?"

"I don't believe so, she said that she wanted to do some research about something, we will be back tomorrow of course. I have to go back to work shortly but Harvey will be here while I'm gone."

"Isn't he at work, I don't want him to exhaust himself."

"Its' alright, Edward already stated that if he had to talk to the police again he wished to speak with Harvey instead of me. Rachel is going to take Winry home with her in about an hour and Naruto's parents wanted to say that you can call them if anything happens but they need to go ahead and leave and wanted Naruto to go say goodnight to them before they headed out."

"Naruto-kun is asleep I believe-"

"No I'm not Mikoto-san," came Naruto's voice from the room and the sound of the chair moving alerted her to his moving. He opened the door enough to step through it and held it open behind him. Mikoto ran her hand through his hair and gave a weak smile, "Go and say goodnight to your parents, I'll leave the door open for you."

Naruto nodded and without a word headed down the hallway to go back downstairs and to the waiting room. Kudo and Mikoto watched him silently then Kudo looked to her and said, "He's not going to take this well even if that man is dead."

Mikoto shook her head, "No, both boys have been through too much because of that vile bastard. Naruto-kun has gotten rather close to Alphonse-kun so he's likely to feel the weariness of Ed-kun in the state that he is in. I do believe he overheard us talking as well. To have been through as much as all these children have makes me wonder if they will ever be able to simply enjoy their youth."

"Don't think so negatively Mikoto-san."

She nodded, "Thank you again Shininchi-kun, if my son and husband arrive before you leave please tell them to come up to the room."

"Of course," he bowed his head to her and bid her a respectful goodnight before turning and heading back downstairs. Mikoto turned and went back into the room leaving the door cracked open as she took a seat at her second born son's bedside. It was going to be a very long recovery and she truly felt that she was at the end of her rope, she couldn't begin to imagine how her son must feel. So many times in the hospital, so many permanent injuries that would impair him for the rest of his life. He had little to no immune system, had undergone so long as the victim of abuse that ate away at her for having not noticed in time to stop it, been attacked constantly throughout grade school, then the events following his torment at the hands of his primary tormentor.

He had finally begun to make friends even if he only had two friends he trusted very much, there was also the secret she was aware of but knew he wasn't aware she knew that he kept to himself. To harbor such a secret, to worry about the reactions from his family, she wished to try and talk to her husband about it but didn't know how to explain it in a way that he would approve. She did not want to lose her baby boy, she hoped that when the time came that his father would understand. She could already see who it was her son would end up with, had approved it in her heart and mind and when he did come out and tell her she would approve it and encourage it. All she wanted was for her son to be safe and happy and who best to ensure that than his fiercely devoted best friend?

She moved the chair so that she could be close enough to comfortably run her fingers through his soft, dark hair to sooth herself that he was still there and in hopes it would ease his slumber. She hoped that he would wake soon but not in pain or suffering, she prayed with all her heart that he would make it through this and she truly wished that nothing else would befall him.

* * *

**_Three Hours later . . ._**

Fugaku was livid even though his son's tormentor was now dead. Upon arriving at the hospital it was Heartwell that told him of the condition both his son and Edward were in. Both boys meant a lot to him as well as his wife and the fact that upon seeing his wife that she was truly upset over what had happened. He used the influence he had to get all the information that he could about both of the boys currently in the hospital. Itachi was currently busy discussing what could be done as far as Ed's paralyzed right arm and talking with a correctional surgeon about the scars that both boys would have because of their injuries as well as the surgeries.

He was currently waiting to have any word about the scans and tests run on Edward. It was likely to take twenty four hours and thanks to the I.V.'s pumping medication into his veins he should be able to handle that, as long as he remains unconscious and his body is not allowed to feel the shock of the pain he is in due to the damage to his nerves. Fugaku was furious that both of them were in such critical conditions and even more upset that there truly was little he could do for the following twenty hours.

The limit for visitors to stay with the patient was two therefore once he'd spoken to the doctors and attending nurses he went to the waiting room for I.C.U. for his son and gave Itachi the task of keeping him and Harvey updated on the conditions of both Edward and Sasuke while Harvey waited in the waiting room near Edwards room. It was going to be a long night with little sleep and a stiffing amount of concern and helplessness. For him, a powerful and successful business man being able to do near to nothing for his son or his son's friend was nearly impossible to handle. He was exhausted with hospitals, their white walls, the smell of disinfectants, the feeling of death and dread, he hoped everytime he was forced to come to the hospital for any reason to never return but life proved to be cruel and unforgiving.

He looked up not realizing he had raised his hands to cradle his head when Itachi entered the waiting room, his oldest son had his ever present stoic mask but the weariness and shadows in his obsidian gaze were enough to show how trying the night was. It was pure luck that Itachi was in the city at the time and that Sasuke managed to call him with his short, breathless, pained message allowing him and both detectives to find them in the knick of time.

"Both are still sleeping as of currently," Itachi said in an emotionless tone of voice as he crossed the room to sit beside him. Fugaku nodded, "Very well, everyone else has departed to their homes with the exception of Naruto-kun and your mother as well as the father and brother of Ed-kun correct?"

"Yes," Itachi answered simply then in a surprising display of his tiredness he ran his hand through his hair further loosening his hair from its' usual hair tie at the back of his neck. Fugaku let out a sigh, "Did you check on your mother?"

Itachi gave a curt nod as his only answer most likely not wishing to divulge in what Fugaku knew to be how she was doing. So many times he, his wife, or his eldest son had sat at Sasuke's bedside and to have to do so again was beyond bad luck. How would anyone ever learn to cope with current challenges standing in their way, his youngest son had to fight for his life at every turn and too often and he often worried over his son's state of mind. Each time he was hospitalized he would pull further and further away until he was unreachable. He had witnessed the amount of trust his youngest son had for not only Naruto, his best friend, but also for Edward.

While Naruto was his son's best friend Edward appeared to seem as a brother, a confidant, and a trusted accomplice that was the only one to truly keep the humanity within Sasuke. Fugaku had excepted that fact and though he did not plan to stand in his son's way he worried that Edward would make it so that Sasuke would forget some of his responsibilities to the Uchiha name, but the same could be said for Naruto's influence as well. Both blonds were very independent and open minded as well as strong minded. They lived how they saw fit and neither seemed dependent on the approval of others. He knew that had to do with their upbringing, their experiences in life, and the influence of their fathers as much as the distant, guarded, stoic approach towards most was instilled in his own sons.

They sat in silence for nearly an hour before Itachi got to his feet, gave a respectful bow and then said he was going to speak with Harvey before leaving his father alone to do nothing but wait.

* * *

**_Two hours later . . ._**

Winry sat up in her room at her desk going through her many medical books, her most used ones stacked on top of the desk, notes, highlights, and notebooks strewn out along the rest of the desktop. Her desk lamp the only means of light as she poured herself into her books. She had done research on the most recent of medical development and research on replacement limbs and she already had her own notes from her deceased grandmothers' development in regards to an artificial limb that was listed as automail.

This limb was constructed by scratch and with extensive knowledge in medicine as well as mechanics as both skills were required in order to construct such a complex artificial limb. Engineering has a lot to do with the building of the automail and there is also that in order for it to work wires have to be connected directly to the nerves as well as run through the entire metal limb itself. By utilizing the electricity that runs through the body with the movement of muscles it is possible to continue that flow into the wires within the automail itself to cause it to move like a regular limb.

She already wrote down that much and had moved on to explain how much pain, exertion, and control it took to control such limbs as well as the strength demanded from the human body in order to carry the burden of such a complicated and intricate display of artificial limbs and development. Her grandmother had constructed the original pieces and due to connections from Jimmy in his line of work she was able to get the original notes and designs her family had on automail. It was a lot of work and if not for her using her spare time to study and work to improve her mechanics, engineering, and repair skills she wouldn't even be able to have come to make her own designs.

She never planned to have to put her knowledge to such use or test her skills with the person currently on her mind that pushed her to do so, she had hoped to never have to do this for someone she knew and cared for, especially the boy she was in love with. She had to study a great deal about the human anatomy to even begin to work on her designs for automail. So far she had rough sketches and she knew that should she do it right that whoever had automail would be able to move it with their own free will. She had a few arms and legs that she had constructed from scratch and spents hours on in the last few months in the workshop that Harvey and Jimmy had built for her mostly because Jimmy was tired of having tools, car parts, and anything else she took apart to learn how it worked and improve its' performance strung throughout his garage. She kept up writing down notes in her overused notebook, she had to accommodate for Ed's size so as not to make the arm too heavy. She didn't know if Ed or Hoenheim would even accept her offer but if they did she wanted to have things ready so that she could start working right away should they accept her offer. She looked up with her pen in the corner of her mouth when Rachel knocked on the door and called her name.

Rachel came into the room, "Winry? What are you still doing up dear, you should get some sleep."

Winry turned in her chair and had to blink so that her tired eyes could adjust to the change in light as she finally turned away from the bright desk lamp. "I'm working on something."

Rachel crossed her arms over her chest and leaned against the door frame, "I can see that. Jimmy will be home soon and you should at least get a few hours' rest before we go back up to the hospital. Are you working on that 'automail' research again?"

Winry nodded and turned back to her desk, "Yes, I'm trying to figure out what kind of metal would be best for someone smaller than average. I don't know if they will accept it or not but I want to be ready if they do. My family first developed the idea of such limbs and I've spent a lot of time researching and trying to improve and update what little is known and said about automail. Its' a lot of work but I have to do it, I don't want to see Ed have to go through the rest of his life without a limb, its' bad enough he'll probably stop playing the violin and music means so much . . . " Winry had to pause as her voice started to crack with her weariness, exhaustion, and the heart breaking grief she felt for Ed. Music was a part of Ed, it symbolized a way for him to finally open up a bit, to show his true self, music was part of what tied him and his brother to the memory of their mom.

Rachel came over to her and pulled her into a hug and stroked her fingers through her hair, "It's going to be alright Winry, I know it's hard and that things will never be the same, but he's strong and he will get through this. You have to have faith in him, believe in his strength and know in your heart that he's going to be alright in time. I know you're doing all of this for him now as well as for your family name and your interest but that doesn't mean you have to deprive yourself of sleep. You have to take care of yourself or you can't manage to take care of or be there for Edward, alright?"

Winry nodded and sniffed and hated that she'd started crying but returned the embrace then let go and go to her feet as Rachel stood and stepped back. With a hug and a kiss to her forehead Winry managed a smile and watched Rachel walk out of the room. She went to the restroom and washed her face then went back to her desk, closing her bedroom door behind her and turned off her desk lamp. She laid down on her bed and curled under the blankets her mind racing with her thoughts on adjustments that could be made and trying to improve the limbs so that they would be light enough. Her thoughts trailed off as she thought about how tough it would be during rehabilitation if Ed went through with it before she started to see the expression on Ed's face when he looked at her and how it was similar to the look on his face when he played the violin.

* * *

_**After Thought:**__ There's a bunch to take in within this chapter, I'm not a fan of hospitals but I incorporated my own feelings about them because of the amount of time spent in hospitals. It's a recent development if you consider I'm stubborn and would have to be unconscious to go myself. However, the credit for explanations on automail is from Arakawa-sama, there's a bit of information as well as brief explanations within the FMA Profiles book I bought from Barnes and Knobles. I take no credit for the development of automail or most anything concerning it, I just put the explanations into my own words but I'm hardly the expert. Thanks for reading._


	16. Chapter 16

**Disclaimer: I don't own the majority of the characters used, if you recognize them they are not mine. FMA (c) Arakawa-sama, Naruto (c) Kishimoto-san, FFX or KH (c) SquareSoft and Disney. Case Closed (c) Gosho Aoyama. The story may be mine but the characters are being borrowed for creative purposes.**

_A/N: I do not condone any kind of abuse or acts of violence against others. This story has dark themes, violence, gore, sexual content, strong language, and is rated Mature. Please read responsively and remember that this is based on fictional ideas and creativity. Hope you enjoy._

_Pain is more than superficial  
More than just physical  
It eats us alive from the inside  
And all we can do is hope it fades  
Wish someone is able to  
Take the agony away . . ._

_**Chapter 16**_

Even without the drugs Ed and Sasuke both still slept, now four days later the doctors both expressed worries and the tests results still weren't in yet so that brought more to worry about as no one knew why they were both still unconscious. They could only go so long unconscious before their health began to deteriorate so all their friends and family could do was hope that they woke up soon . . .

_  
Two Days Later . . ._

Winry stayed in the same place she had been for the last six days, at Ed's bedside, holding his left hand in her own, his right black and blue and still steadily dying. The doctor did not wish to go through with amputating the arm unless Ed had regained consciousness for fear of anything complicating matters more than they already were. She did not stay over night because she was determined to finish up her designs on the automail and after taking Ed's measurements she had a solid design for the arm. But he had not woken up, he did not know that his arm was gone to him or that he had a painful surgery awaiting him followed by an agonizing one to replace the lost limb once it was removed.

His arm looked as though it were one huge bruise but the severe darkness to the dis-colorization of his arm told that the blood flow was nonexistent in his arm. The I.V.'s could only do so much for his arm with the nerves and the veins in the state they were in. Each day the blackness grew and his arm was solid and hard as a rock and cold as a block of ice. She had slept scarce amount of hours in the last week since Ed was first admitted into the hospital and no one else looked any better. Dark circles, paler skin, hair scarcely tended to, showers and eating were all mechanically done. If he didn't awaken soon the doctors would have no choice but to amputate the arm while he was still unconscious, that they had waited this long was a risk to his life. There could be blood clotting that could and would eventually reach his heart and then possibly his brain and either of those scenarios would kill him.

She hung her head as both of her hands wrapped around his left hand and squeezed as she said in a soft, exhausted, hoarse voice, "Please Ed, you have to wake up, you have to be alright and wake up." She waited with a bit of hope like she always did for a reaction but still nothing. She let out a long sigh, "I really wish you would wake up Ed, please, I need you to wake up. Al and your father and Sasuke and Naruto and Mrs. Mikoto, everyone is waiting for you to wake up. I know there's not much reason to, you're in a lot of pain and you only have even more suffering ahead of you but you have to wake up."

She looked up and at his sleeping face, he was still so pale and though the bruising and the cuts had healed he still had that oxygen mask because his lungs worked more when he was conscious and were so slowly regaining their strength. The I.V.'s had caused small bruises where they were injected in his arm and she'd been present to see the nurses change all his bandages. The scratches and the cuts made with what the nurses stated were a knife made her so angry, she wanted to make that sick man pay for the pain he'd caused Ed and for the state he was in now. The bruising around his wrist was only purple now but the cuts were still there, scabbed now, but still present.

She looked up as Al and Hoenheim came into the room, they smiled but the smiles were forced and strained and the circles under their eyes and paleness to their skin showed their weariness and stress. Al sat down in the chair situated beside her while Hoenheim sat down in the chair across from her. Al handed her a cup of hot chocolate and she gave a quiet thank you. He nodded, "Any change?"

She shook her head and threaded her fingers through Ed's while one hand held the cup of hot chocolate, she took a sip, "What about Sasuke?"

Hoenheim gave a slight smile, "He woke up about an hour ago but then he went back to sleep. They say it could be another few days or hours before he fully regains consciousness but at least he woke up so there's a chance he will be alright."

Winry let out a relieved sigh, "That's good," then took another sip of her drink. She squeezed Ed's hand in a silent plea that he would wake up soon as well. Hoenheim got to his feet, "I'm going to go and get something for the three of us to eat, call me if anything changes."

Al and Winry both nodded their heads and Winry turned to look at Ed once more drinking her hot chocolate absently and never once removing her hand.

Mikoto let out a tired sigh as she sat at her sons' bedside, she had gone to get some lunch when Sasuke had woken up for all of enough time to utter Naruto's name. Naruto was in tears when she returned after a nurse had stopped her to tell her that Sasuke had woken up for just a bit and then fallen back to sleep. That was over two hours ago now and still she sat silent and vigilant waiting for her son to awaken once more.

Itachi had taken a leave of absence from his work and Fugaku had gone back to work because someone had to make certain they could pay the medical bills. Sasuke's wounds had all but healed by now with the exception of his serious wounds but they were healing quickly for which she was grateful. His face was scabbed where the cuts were and she could see that he would have scarring, she didn't mind and neither did Naruto as her sons' childhood friend had three scars across his cheeks that appeared to be whisker marks across the naturally tan cheeks. Minato and Kushina came by everyday to check in and see if any progress was made and they would be by later that evening to take Naruto home for the night since Fugaku wished to stay overnight at his sons' side and to be there for his wife.

Mikoto was grateful for her husbands' support and Naruto was good company for her sleeping son. She truly hoped that Ed would wake up soon as well and that both of them would fully regain consciousness soon. Waiting was the most painful thing and she did not look forward to what Ed had to go through when he was awake enough to be told about his arm. It would devastate him she knew, both of them loved to play the violin and music meant the world to them, to no longer be able to play the violin, to no longer have an arm, she could not imagine how he would feel or how his father felt about what had happened to Edward.

She squeezed her sons' hand so very grateful that her son was whole and alive and though he had scars he could continue living with less struggle than that of his close friend. She had come to think of both Elric boys as sons' and she knew her son saw Ed as a brother more than anything. Sasuke would be utterly heartbroken to hear about the condition of his good friend just as Naruto was deeply hurt by Ed's condition for Al, Sasuke, and Ed's sake. It was so horribly cruel and tragic, so much that these children had been through and when things started to look positive to have this occur. Silent tears fell from her eyes and she bowed her head, Naruto had laid his head on the bed next to Sasuke's arm where he sat on his other side so she felt confident her tears remained unseen.

_

* * *

  
Three Days Later . . ._

Ed felt like he was wrapped in gauze or something else that just made everything feel fuzzy, sluggish, and far away. He always felt someone holding his left hand, always heard a voice talking to him and that offered comfort and kept him from panicking. His entire body felt like one large bruise and he gritted his teeth to stifle the tired groan of pain. But his right arm was numb, like it wasn't there and that worried him and scared him. Why couldn't he feel his right arm? What was wrong with it? Why did his chest hurt? It wasn't a piercing pain just throbbing and his head felt swollen and he had a killer headache that made him want to keep his eyes closed even as a voice kept asking him to please wake up.

He felt that hand in his squeeze and he tried to squeeze back but he felt so completely weak and tired and just wanted to sleep but at the same time felt like he'd been asleep forever. He drew in deep breaths and could feel the damn oxygen mask on his face but he couldn't summon the strength to lift his arm and take it off. His neck still hurt and he felt stinging sensations on his back, his neck, his arms, his wrists, along his collar bone. Shouldn't any injuries he had healed already if he'd been asleep for so long?

"Winry," he rasped but knew it wasn't audible because that damn mask was still there and when the sound came to his ears it just sounded like a gasp. His chest burned at his attempt to speak and his eyes opened when he felt the bed dip beside him only to close because the light seemed to pierce straight through him. He let out a groan and blinked a few times to try and clear his blurry vision and he tried to move his arm but that hand squeezed his hand and kept it in place beside him for a moment before they lifted it and he felt that hand holding his own tighten in a reassuring manner.

"Edward, open your eyes, its alright, you're alright, its' me Winry."

Ed had to struggle to get his eyes to finally open and had to blink a few more times before her face came into focus, she was sitting on the bed holding his hand to her chest with their fingers threaded together. Her eyes were glistening with tears and when those tears fell when she tried to blink them back he wanted to wipe away her tears and grimaced, "Don't cry," he said behind his mask and he jerked his hand weakly trying to remove the mask. She seemed to read his mind because she wiped her tears away and with that same free hand reached up and lifted the mask off his face, "You're going to be alright now."

He couldn't nod but after he started to take in how he felt and having her there holding his hand and smiling in a relieved but still strained smile he wondered about his arm. He tried to move it but then his body seized up in agonizing pain that made him exhale sharply and made his back arch off the bed. Winry squeezed his hand tightly and her free hand came up to brush his bangs back as he panted through gritted teeth, "Shh, its' alright, don't try to move your right arm, stay still."

He was still breathless and now his lungs sung with stunted piercing pain like razors running through them and his entire right side was on fire with prickling, stabbing pain, "What? Why . . . w-what happened . . . my a-arm . . ."

Winry continued to brush her fingers through his hair and her thumb stroked his hand, "Your arm is really bad Ed, really, really bad. Other than that how are you feeling?"

"Tired . . . headache . . . scratches . . ."

Winry nodded, "I bet, the headache is because you've been asleep for eight days and that's also why you're tired. The scratches and other wounds have healed. Can you stay awake while I get a doctor so that I can tell them you're awake?"

He gave a very slight nod and immediately missed the reassuring feeling when she released his hand and pulled away so she could stand and make her way quickly out of the room. He had to fight back feelings of trepidation from being left alone in the room as he watched her through hazy eyes leave his side. With a tired sigh that made his chest burn he laid his head back against the pillow and turned his head towards his right arm to look at it only to stare in shocked disbelief. His arm was black, more than half of it was black, like it was dead. That explained why sharp pain ran through him, why it felt like it wasn't there, it was dead, gone, his right arm.

He felt white hot anger sweep through him, desperate tears stung his eyes and he closed his eyes tightly in frustration at the display of weakness. His arm, his fucking arm was dead, what the hell was he supposed to do now, he was a cripple, he didn't have an arm and he knew enough about medical things because of Winry to know that his arm couldn't be saved. He couldn't go to physical therapy to get the strength back in his arm, not with the condition it was in. Black and blue and numb and unmovable, it was as though the blood flow and nerves had been severed and his forearm and even a part of his shoulder were in the same sorry state that screamed dead. He wanted to scream himself but swallowed around the lump in his throat. What the hell had caused that, was it because of that wound, was this the result of how numb his arm had felt once the pain dulled that night.

He opened his eyes and hated that he couldn't lift either arm to wipe away the tears when Winry came into the room with a nurse in tow. The nurse didn't seem to notice his tears as she smiled sweetly at him, how could she smile, didn't she see the state his arm was in? Why was she looking at him with pity, he didn't want pity, pity wouldn't give him back the use of his arm.

"It's good to see you're awake, we were wondering how long you would be asleep. I sent for your family and your doctor Mr. Elric. I'm going to take your temperature, check your breathing, and take your blood pressure while your doctor is on his way alright?"

Ed just looked at her blankly then turned his head away from her, he didn't care anyway. Now that he'd seen his arm everything else just piled on top of him. He wouldn't be able to play the violin anymore, hell he wouldn't be able to write anymore, he'd have to learn to use his left hand to do everything with, he was going to be seen as some invalid now. He had enough problems with people and interacting with everyone before this now it was going to be impossible. He wouldn't even be able to defend himself like this.

He blinked when Winry was suddenly kneeling down in front of him where he could see her. She reached out and tried to brush his bangs from his face but Ed flinched back, he didn't want to be touched and his action made a pained look cross her face and that reminded him of how it had felt with Orochimaru. He closed his eyes tightly and heard the heart monitor speed up and the nurse said, "Please calm down Mr. Elric, you're alright now so please just calm down."

"I don't want to," Ed muttered and Winry let out a sigh, "Edward, you're okay, he's gone and you're going to be alright now."

"The hell I will," Ed hissed angrily, "without my damn arm how the fuck am I-" his words were cut off when his breath hitched and he started coughing feeling the choking feeling claw up his throat and tear apart his lungs. He couldn't stop coughing and his body jerked with the movement making his right side flare up in shattering pain and a scream caught in his throat being released in a choked groan of pain as he coughed violently. He felt the oxygen mask being put back on his face and tried to twist away, he felt the cold metal of a stethoscope being pressed against his chest and tried to twist away but the coughing and the pain just kept him weak and immobile.

After a few moments of fighting for breath he was finally able to take in deep breaths and felt himself calm down and his blood pressure and temperature were taken along with his pulse when he finally calmed. He didn't care anymore, didn't want to fight or breath but his body ignored him so he just laid there glaring up at the ceiling not saying anything.

When Al and Hoenheim finally arrived they saw Ed awake Winry sitting in the chair stroking her thumb across his hand held in her own. His eyes didn't move to gaze towards them, locked on the ceiling and they looked hollow and distant as he lay there as though he were not even awake. Winry glanced at them and gave them a sad smile that conveyed to them both what must have happened, Ed had seen his arm, he'd been told about having lost all use of his right arm and he wasn't taking the news very well.

Al moved to sit in the chair beside Winry and when he reached out to brush Ed's hand his brother flinched back, his eyes wide and full of trepidation for long enough to make Al pull back and place his hands in his lap before Ed relaxed and stared blankly past Winry now with his head turned to face left and away from being able to see the state of his arm. There was a mumbled apology but Al still felt guilty because he should have remembered that Ed was likely to be jumpy and not willing to have any physical contact for a bit.

Hoenheim remained standing at the foot of Ed's bed for a few moments before he sat down on the edge and they waited for the doctor to arrive. It was little more than two hours when finally Doctor Maelston arrived, the same doctor from before and he gave a nod of greeting and brief smile to the three and then turned his attention to his patient. He cleared his throat as he made his way to Ed's right side but Ed didn't move or blink or make a sound to acknowledge the doctor at all.

"While it is good to see that you're finally awake and even able to stay conscious for a length of time given how long you were asleep it would be better if you could look my way Mr. Elric."

Ed didn't stir and Winry squeezed his hand and said patiently, "Ed, don't be difficult. If you don't co-operate then you'll never get out of here."

"No point anyway," Ed mumbled tonelessly without moving and blinking slowly before returning to looking blankly at the wall past Winry. Winry ran her tongue over her lips and tried again, "You can't give up like that, this isn't the end of the world even if you think it is Edward. You have options, you can still continue living your life."

"As a freak," he muttered with a dark expression. Though it was pessimistic and dark Winry still felt a bit of relief that he was showing any emotion at all. Since he'd been told about his arm he'd just laid there and refused to speak or move or look at anyone. Winry let out a sigh that belayed her frustration, "You're stronger than this, you never give up why are you doing so now?"

"Can't do anything without my arm," he grumbled to her with a bit or aggravation. The doctor nor Al and Hoenheim said or did anything merely watching the exchange with a bit of hope that Winry would be able to stir Ed from his bland attitude.

"The hell you can't, what about that National Alchemist you read about so much? He didn't have and arm or a leg and look at everything he did, you can't sell yourself short like this. How would Sasuke feel about your attitude, he's still deep asleep and he's hurt worse than you."

Ed's expression changed to one of worry and he finally looked at her, "What do you mean by that?"

"He still has all his limbs but he has permanent scarring and both of his legs will have a limp in them. There are others out there that are suffering worse than you so why are you feeling sorry for yourself? This isn't the end of the world, you can still keep living your life, you're still alive, you still have both of your legs. No point in giving up and waisting away like some invalid, especially when you have so many of us that give a damn about you."

Ed closed his eyes and let out a long sigh that caused him to wince as it stretched the scars on his neck and back as well as caused a pang of pain to shoot through his arm and his chest. "Fine, I'll hear you out at least, what the hell are my options then?"

Dr. Maelston nodded and while Winry and Al helped Ed sit up and then adjusted the bed so that he could still lay back and not have to support his weight the doctor took a seat to explain. Ed glanced at Hoenheim but his father was looking attentively at the doctor for which Ed was grateful for at the moment.

"Through a compromise made with your friend Miss Rockbell and the credentials of the Uchiha and Kudo names as well as her own there is an option to have a replacement for your arm that is well ahead of our time but very much possible. Rather than a prosthetic arm to replace the decaying one we will have to remove," the doctor paused at that allowing it to sink in and took in the flinch from Ed at those words; "we can have a team of professionals perform surgery for automail."

"Automail? Are you serious?"

He glanced at his brother, father, girlfriend and then at all of them once more before looking back to the doctor, "You are serious, but how is that-"

"Miss Rockbell provided materials that were handed to me and then sent to some of the best surgeons here as well as overlooked by the medical division at Harvard for the legitimacy. As her parents were known to practice the making and installment of these metal limbs as well as her grandmother. It seems that automail is actually rather well known back in the rural area of your home town. We have spent the time you were unconscious getting together a team and filling them in on what needs to be done as well as everything they need to know for the surgery to be successful. Miss Rockbell, as the one to provide us with the facts and designs is in charge of designing not only the port but the limb itself."

Ed fell silent for a moment and then looked at his girlfriend, she looked purely exhausted and he couldn't fight the warmth that spread through him at finding out how far she had gone for him. She must have pulled endless all nighters to design the arm and port not to mention gather and organize the endless amounts of notes she was likely to have. "I-I really can't- . . . how in the world can you- . . . really amazing . . . "

Winry blushed and squeezed his hand a smile lighting her eyes and face when he squeezed back as best as he could then she looked to the doctor, "I should be finished with the last touches on the arm by tomorrow."

The doctor nodded then turned his attention fully to Ed, "I must inform you that it is through your consent as well as your fathers to whether or not you wish to go through with this."

Ed nodded and looked to his father who watched him thoughtfully but didn't give an answer instead looking to Winry expectantly. Winry nodded and the blush disappeared and she stood up and drew away from Ed. Her expression turned serious and the look in her eyes was distant, he knew that this was a serious matter and that Winry was showing her maturity and was going to explain to him what this meant in a professional matter. She did this when she was telling him about injuries that could kill someone, when she made a break through in figuring something out.

"The surgery itself is going to be very painful, excruciatingly so even for a grown man let alone you. It would have to wait until after the amputation of your arm has had time to heal a bit so as to keep your body from going into shock. You will only be able to take minor pain medications and have to stay on antibiotics for a while after the port has been placed. A waiting period of three days will take place before the arm can be attached to the port to make sure that the wiring and surgery was done correctly."

"When you say excruciating," Ed had gone paler than he already was at the mention of the pain. Winry nodded to him in understanding though he had not finished what he meant to say.

"I mean agonizing. This is your nerves, the nerves are what send signals to our brains to not only move and control our limbs but also how much pain we should feel when we are injured. The nervous system is delicate and that is why you have to know that this is not only risky but painful. You can't be unconscious during the attachment only the surgery itself to place the port where the limb will be connected. That is because we have to know what nerves do what so that a mistake isn't made and you won't be administered any pain medication or sedatives until after the surgery has taken place. There is a limited dosage you can receive so it will most likely do nothing to numb or ease the pain and the attachment will be very painful as well."

She fell silent, waiting for Ed's reply, for anyone to say anything or ask her a question about something. Al was the next one to break the silence after a few moments, "What are the advantages to having automail in comparison to a prosthetic limb."

Winry nodded, "Automail is designed to work just like a regular limb, though the dexterity of the limb is based on the amount of control the patient has automail responds just as quickly as a normal limb. But that is after extensive and brutal rehabilitation. It usually takes up to three years for someone to be able to have that amount of control over the automail. Since the automail is made out of metal and wires that connect to the nerves for the most amount of control automail is much stronger and harder to destroy or tear up or break than a prosthetic limb."

"One year," Ed said with conviction and looked Winry in the eyes and she smirked at his arrogance as well as the sight of the fire back in his eyes again. "You'll be coughing up blood if you push yourself that hard."

"One year, that's all it will take. I'm going to go through with it, its' better than a prosthetic limb and nothing is for free so the pain will be the payment for having a right arm again, even if it is made out of metal."

"You and equivalent exchange Edward Elric."

Ed looked to his father, "What about you old man, since I'm still a minor you're not going to say no are you?"

Hoenheim finally met his sons' eyes and at the determination and the strength that had returned in his sons' golden eyes he found that no, he couldn't stop his son from doing this if he'd wanted to. He didn't want his son to suffer but he'd read everything the doctors had about the automail, was there when Dr. Maelston compared the differences between automail and prosthetic limbs usually used, he knew in the long run it was worth it, that Ed would chose this anyway. The only things was, prosthetics wouldn't have the long term effect that automail would have. The strain automail placed on the body shortened the wearers' life by at the very least ten years and he looked to Winry one more time with a stern look. She nodded and then turned to Edward and explained the last detail to him.

"Before you completely say yes to this Edward, you should know that automail puts a lot of strain on the body and even though it works better and once you adjust and gain control it will be not only stronger but closer to a real limb than any form of prosthetic limbs it does shorter the wearers' life span."

"I don't care, I still want automail instead," he wanted to have as much of an advantage as he could with a missing limb. He had people to protect and his encounters with those three in London, the bullies from his childhood, the bullies at school, and then that snake, his life was full of plenty of danger and thus those around him were in danger as well. Automail might shorten his life and be excruciating but those around him were more important to him.

"I won't say no, but I have a condition," Hoenheim replied finally answering his son's question.

"What?"

"I want you to do as your doctors tell you until you are released from the hospital and then I want you to be sure to take care of your automail and listen when you have to go through physical rehabilitation to get used to the arm. No tricks, no trying to get out of it, and don't push yourself so hard you end up in a hospital bed once again."

Ed nodded with a cheeky grin, he really felt like he'd have a chance at living again with this, "I promise as long as you don't back out."

Hoenheim smirked, "Of course not."

Dr. Maelston nodded, "Alright then, Mr. Elric," he turned to Hoenheim, "I will need you to sign some paperwork of course and then fill out some financial paperwork. We are going to have to do this as soon as possible, we've been fighting to keep any blood clotting from happening but now that your son is conscious and aware once more we need to get on with the surgery for that arm before this gets any worse.. I'll take you to my office now and then I'm sure you wish to continue your daily ritual of checking in with Mrs. Uchiha."

Hoenheim nodded solemnly, "Of course. When will the surgery take place?"

The doctor glanced at Ed making certain he was paying attention, "We will try to start the surgery as soon as possible, it may be within the next few hours but at the longest twelve."

Hoenheim nodded with a glance at Ed who gave a shaky nod before he sighed, "Alright, after you doctor, then I will check in with the Uchiha's and tell them what is going on."

Ed looked more alert at that and made to ask but was cut off when Hoenheim smiled at him, "He was still sleeping the last time I checked in with Mikoto. He did wake up three days ago but it was momentary. He is healing well."

Hoenheim followed the doctor out of the room as Winry sat down on the bed next to Ed. With a bit of shifting the two of them were able to sit comfortably on Ed's bed and Al took over Winry's chair. Winry leaned back and Ed rested his head on her shoulder the weariness and stress evident in all three of them making them look older than their teenage years. Ed gave a momentary flinch when Winry shifted to thread her fingers through Ed's oily hair but he relaxed against her after a few moments.

"Are you hungry brother?"

Ed looked to Al without moving and gave a brief smile, "Yeah. Don't know what I can eat though."

Al nodded, "I'll go and ask the nurses for you to have something to eat," he got to his feet and paused when Winry seized his wrist, "Ask them about him getting a shower too."

Al nodded and left the room leaving the young couple alone for a moment. Ed let out a tired sigh, "Sorry for worrying everyone . . ."

Winry rested her cheek on the top of his head, "I'm just glad that you're alive and awake. I'm sorry about your arm Ed, I really and truly am. I know how much music means to you, you play for your mom and that's-"

"It's alright, I'll just stick with science instead."

"The nurses will probably want to give you a sponge bath you know, unless you prove you can get up but you've been out for a while and even with those leggings keeping the blood flow in your legs you're still going to be a bit weak on your feet."

"Why don't you or Al help me out then," Ed mumbled sleepily.

"How about you stay awake long enough to eat something and then get some more rest and we'll figure something out after you wake up?"

"Mm'kay," Ed said around a yawn. He was feeling really tired after all the energy he'd expended after finding out about his arm and then hearing about Sasuke, the adrenaline rush was fading and leaving him feeling too drained to think about moving. He felt safe and warm and protected leaning against Winry and though she'd picked up her head her fingers threading through his hair was soothing. He focused on her scent and warmth and her soothing fingers and it let him momentarily forget about the pain of his right arm, the aches in his body, the way his muscles felt cramped, and how damn depressed he felt about having to lose his arm.

"I don't have to be conscious when they-I mean when my arm-"

Winry felt tears well in her eyes and shook her head slowly, "No Ed, they can put you to sleep for that."

"Good," he choked out before turning his face into her shoulder and closing his eyes. It was a good ten minutes before Al returned to the room and sat down in the chair, "They said with the surgery finally happening that he can't eat anything because he's going to be put under anesthesia."

Winry smiled, "Thanks Al, what about the shower?"

"They wanted to wait for dad, they said brother most likely would prefer me and dad to help him bathe rather than have the nurses try to help him."

_

* * *

  
Three Hours Later . . ._

After Ed had finally had a proper bath, thanks to Hoenheim returning with news that Sasuke had woken up once more and stayed awake for an hour before he'd fallen back asleep Dr. Maelston returned and said that they were ready for Ed. Ed didn't seem to be looking forward to the surgery and while he'd wanted Winry to come with him the doctor said that only Hoenheim could accompany him to the operating room. Hoenheim had reached down and brushed his bangs back then kissed him on the forehead and said that it would be alright before he offered a smile and Ed was wheeled away.

Ed felt like he was going to be sick, it didn't matter that they were going to be putting him to sleep, the nurse and doctor and anesthesiologist pushing the bed through the double doors of the green operating room were strangers and he would have liked it if someone was there that he knew. He felt more than nervous, he was really and truly scared and ignored the tools around him as a mask was placed over his mouth and the woman who introduced herself as Doctor Michaels and was his anesthesiologist told him to count to twenty. He made it to fifteen before he fell into a deep sleep and knew only his dreams once more.

Hoenheim sat in the waiting room with Al and Winry, there were comfortable couches and chairs about the room and a television set was playing a movie as it sat tucked away in the corner. But none of them were watching the movie, they were sitting next to each other, Al leaned against Hoenheim on one of the small couches and Winry curled up in a chair hugging her knees to her chest and resting her forehead on top of them. They had all been told of all the things that could go wrong, blood loss, shock, infection, the blood clotting might have spread despite their efforts. This operation was dangerous and risky but keeping the arm was riskier.

They were told that the surgery should take up to eight hours and that perhaps they should try and get some rest instead of staying in the waiting room the entire time. They could be given a beeper that would alert them of anything and could reach across the hospital so as long as they didn't leave then they could be contacted. This wasn't any better than when they were in the E.R. waiting room waiting for news on whether or not Ed was alive or . . . it just wasn't any better. The seconds passed like minutes, the minutes like hours, and hours seemed to stretch on into eternity.

A dull, numbness overtook him as the time passed agonizingly slowly and he was starting to understand why the doctor had said they shouldn't wait it out in the waiting room. Restlessness, and thinking about it and all that could go wrong would surely make him lose his mind. He looked to the clock above the door to see that only twenty minutes had passed. It was going to be a very long day, maybe he should try to get Winry and Al to eat something, he could do that. They could go down to the cafeteria and get something to eat even though he hardly ever felt like eating, it was mechanical now, eating meals. He couldn't even taste the food anymore with how worried, stressed, and terrified he'd felt and was still feeling for his son.

"Dad?"

Hoenheim blinked and looked down at Al who had turned his face up to look at him questioningly.

"Yes Alphonse?"

"Maybe we should try to eat something, it should be time for dinner soon."

Hoenheim glanced at the clock, another ten minutes had passed, it was nearly five o'clock, he nodded, "Yes, you're right." He stood up and made his way over to the desk where there was a nice, young, secretary named Alison. She had brown hair, tan skin, brown eyes, and wore a simple blue pair of scrubs. She nodded, "Yes Mr. Elric?"

"Can I have beeper, I'm going to take the kids to get something to eat."

She nodded and pulled open a drawer to her desk then pulled a clipboard from the side of the desk among a stack of them and wrote the serial number down and then the number to the beeper down followed by his name and Ed's next to that. She handed it over, "As long as you stay within the hospital it should reach you. I will notify you if anything happens, come straight here if it goes off."

"Thank you," he said solemnly and turned to see Al urging Winry to her feet having to take her hand and pull her behind him. He turned and headed for the door and made his way out of the room. It took a moment before the panic he'd felt suddenly settled and he made his way down the hallway with Al and Winry following behind them. Time, time had to pass and time would only tell how things went. He wanted this waiting for time to pass and move forward to end and hated that while his son was finally awake and lucid he had so much to still make it through.

He was starting to detest hospitals, starting to understand why his son did, so much waiting, so much to worry about. Death and sickness were everywhere, in those you passed, in the occupied rooms. The family's and friends and their silent suffering or not so silent suffering as what you all to often came across was more than enough to suck the very life from your veins. He had come across a couple when he'd had to pass the E.R. to go out to the car in the garage to gather some clean clothes that had lost their eldest daughter in a car accident. He'd felt his heart still and his blood run cold and was so utterly grateful that his oldest son was not dead regardless of the fact that he had lost an arm.

Too many people dying and suffering and sick and those left behind, there was too much of it all and gathered at a hospital. He did not want to have to come here ever again once they finally could take Ed home with them. Calling the school and informing them of what had happened had been a huge hassle and while Mustang had tried to help Ed from being taken off the roster from college and managed to convince the school to allow Edward to re-enroll once he recovered. He would be a year behind but he was already years ahead, it was the same with Sasuke as well. Until they recovered they were no longer students. The school year had already started but Hoenheim had managed to inform Al's school that he would not be present for some time.

Winry was also taking a leave of absence but both of them would have to return to school soon and then it would be him that had to be here, alone, for hours on end. The two were being made to return to school the following Monday, it was currently a Wednesday. Winry would have a longer time of not going to school and she may be made to repeat the school year if she missed too many days but she had said it wasn't important and she didn't mind. The school was informed that she was to be a participant to a highly advanced operation and her presence was needed at the hospital. The school had argued but Dr. Maelston had argued back and had told them that they could send the school work to her house and she would have it done. Winry and Al both only had to make up the time because Hoenheim had later convinced the school to do the same for Alphonse.

He would need to have them continue with that because he couldn't handle not having his youngest son here while his oldest fought for his life and fought to get his life back following that. They made it to the cafeteria and it took a moment for him to realize his feet had guided him without the help of his brain. They grabbed trays and told the workers what they wanted, spaghetti and meatballs with bread for Al and Hoenheim, a burger and fries for Winry. They got salads and bowls of fruit and Al grabbed a pie. Then they all got some soft drinks and Al had grabbed some orange juice.

Al and Winry led the way to a booth tucked in the back of the cafeteria with Winry committing on Al's very full tray of food.

"How can you possibly eat all of that?"

Al shrugged as he set his tray down and slid across the seat to make room for her. She set her tray down and sat down as Hoenheim did the same across from them.

"I just can, I'm hungry and I know I have to eat. We can't do brother much good if we don't keep up our own strength."

"All of that?"

"How can you eat so little, aren't you hungry?"

"Of course I am, but still," they set about eating and fell into silence. Hoenheim ate his food absently and looked up a bit startled and surprised when someone cleared their throat. He saw that it was Mustang and Hawkeye, both of them in casual clothes. Hawkeye in a pair of khaki slacks with a white button up shirt and a tan vest over that, her khaki trench-coat was over her arm as it was fall already and quite chilly outside.

Mustang was in black slacks with a red button up and a black trench coat folded over his shoulder along with a black hat. Hoenheim nodded, "Hello, how have you been," he managed to ask with a casual tone but still felt like it sounded as numb and dulled as he felt.

"We are visiting a friend, we noticed you here when we decided that we should grab something to eat before heading to our respective homes. We are quite well, how about yourself?"

"As good as can be expected," Hoenheim replied, "have you eaten already?"

Mustang nodded and Hawkeye finally broke her silence, "Do you mind if we speak with you for a bit?"

"Of course not, please sit down," Mustang pulled two chairs from a nearby table over to the end of the booth. He and Hawkeye greeted Al and Winry who returned their greetings politely. Once both of the guests were seated Hawkeye politely asked of Hoenheim, "How is Edward doing, we have only been informed of the basics of his injuries but nothing has been said of his well being."

A moment of silence fell over them to which Hawkeye looked at everyone with a soft bit of sympathy before Hoenheim answered her with a relatively calm voice.

"At this time Edward is in surgery for his arm, it will be a while yet before he is taken to recovery so that we may see him. How much have you been told?"

Mustang was the one to answer the question this time for which his companion seemed grateful, Winry and Al remained silent, Winry was staring at the remains of her food with a distant, worried, and saddened expression while Al watched the adults around him with muted interest in their exchange of words. His eyes gleamed with worry but also with a determined confidence that Hoenheim was grateful to see present.

"Mikoto did tell us some of what had happened, that both Edward and Sasuke were attacked by Orochimaru," he paused at the flinch from the Elrics and Winry and frowned apologetically before continuing; "however I only know the details of Sasuke's condition. I was told to come and speak with you because it was your decision whether you wished to divulge any information on your eldest son's condition."

Hoenheim nodded, "Of course, Mikoto is very considerate and has been remarkably supportive and strong."

"As well as she would be, she cares a great deal for your boys as well as for Miss Winry," Hawkeye added with a soft smile.

Hoenheim nodded once more his own soft smile bringing some light to his eyes before he said, "Edward will be in the hospital for a while yet. He has a great deal of obsticals to overcome."

"I would imagine so. I sincerely offer any help that I possibly can provide for you and your family though there's little that I can do for you."

"I appreciate it and will keep that in mind. My only pressing problem seems to be with the school board in regards to the education of both of my son's. I'm certain that the Kudo's are having much the same difficulty."

"As expected, the school board never were able to put aside thoughts of filling the desks to fill their pockets. I will see what I can do to get them off your back. There are plenty of pressing matters without their constant interference."

Hoenheim nodded, "Yes, they gave me more than enough over having Alphonse enrolled in an alternative program. They surely cannot have expected my son to be able to return to schooling when his elder brother is hospitalized and I have to be present."

"Surely not Mr. Elric, I will speak with Hues and see to it that something is done," Hawkeye said firmly with a promise in her tone and determined glint in her eyes. Hoenheim nodded his thanks and spoke a soft word of gratitude.

"How long will it be before Edward is able to return to school? I'm certain University is giving you a bit more trouble and have already turned the other way in regards to having him as a student."

"They have and dis-enrolled him, he will have to repeat what he has missed and will thus be repeating an entire year considering this is merely the beginning of the school year."

"To have such emotionless and cold regards towards such a brilliant student is entirely uncalled for," Mustang stated with a bit of a frown cracking his usually stoic face.

Winry nodded in affirmation and finally looked to the adults as she answered Mustang's question from before, "It could up to an entire year before Ed can return to school. He has a long road to recovery ahead of him and once he is out of surgery that will be just the beginning. He still has two more and rehabilitation following that."

"My goodness, how severe are his injuries," Hawkeye said, her eyes widening partially with surprise.

"Brother is having his arm amputated and Winry is to be part of the medical staff that will be replacing his arm with automail."

A heavy, tense, and morose silence fell among the group at Al's quiet words. Shock, sympathy, and flashes of anger seemed to pass through Hawkeye and Mustang before anyone broke the silence.

"Automail, I believe that was something a very rare few in Germany and London knew anything about."

Winry nodded, "It is, but my real parents are among those who did know and I've the notes from them and my grandmother. I was never a Wetherton," Al noticed the brief flicker of dark emotion in Winry's eyes and expression at the name before she straightened her shoulders and said with pride, "I am a Rockbell. I know what I'm doing and have been studying for years. I've nearly completed the automail and I'm confident in my abilities as well as Ed's strength to get through it all."

Mustang and Hawkeye shared a knowing look before he smirked and she smiled softly at Winry and said, "I have no doubt that both of you will be just fine in time, especially with everyone that supports and cares for you."

She looked to Mustang and said calmly, "We must get back sir, we have a meeting in one hour."

Mustang sighed and ran his hand through his hair but nodded, "Of course, thank you." He stood and everyone else did as well. He held out his hand to Hoenheim, "Thank you for speaking with us and I will do all I can to lessen the difficulties during this hard time. It has been a pleasure to meet with you once more and I regret that it is not under more positive circumstances."

Hoenheim nodded, "As do I and it has certainly been a pleasure, I will appreciate all that you are able to do."

Hawkeye exchanged handshakes and farewells and then she promptly followed Mustang out of the cafeteria after he bid a pleasant farewell and words of well wishes to everyone. Al and Winry were left feeling a bit curious as to why the two were in the hospital to begin with. They'd said they were visiting a friend and neither looked overly concerned or stressed by that but hospitals didn't often bode well as they both knew with the time they'd spent here on Ed's account. Winry let out a sigh, "I don't think I will ever like being in a place like this for these kinds' of reasons."

Al and Hoenheim gave nods of agreement and made their way out of the cafeteria carrying their trays to dispose of before making their way down the hallway. Just before they thought to head to see how Sasuke was doing the beeper went off. All of them froze as their hearts pounded in their chests and their blood ran cold with trepidation and fear. It was far too early for the surgery to be done with, something must have gone wrong. That sent paralyzing shards of dark thoughts and possibilities racing through their minds before Hoenheim snapped out of it and grabbing Al's hand which made Al snap into action and grab Winry's hand jolting both shocked and deeply worried teenagers into motion.

They couldn't lose Ed now, not when they had nearly lost him more than enough times. With racing minds, pounding, heavy hearts, and adrenaline driven steps they headed to where they would find out the worst or bad news about the loved one enduring more pain than any of them could begin to understand.

* * *

_A/N: By the way I generally try for truly realistic so as far as the arm goes it is very rare any doctor will hold off so long to remove a limb considering the very serious risks but given the amount of stress Ed's body is already under I believe that it is believable and if others do not believe so then I apologize. Gomenasai about the long wait and the cliffhanger, but it was a long chapter and I had to end it somewhere. Thanks for stopping by and reading.  
_


	17. Chapter 17

**Disclaimer: I don't own the majority of the characters used, if you recognize them they are not mine. FMA (c) Arakawa-sama, Naruto (c) Kishimoto-san, FFX or KH (c) SquareSoft and Disney. Case Closed (c) Gosho Aoyama. The story may be mine but the characters are being borrowed for creative purposes**.

_A/N: I do not condone any kind of abuse or acts of violence against others. This story has dark themes, violence, gore, sexual content, strong language, and is rated Mature. Please read responsively and remember that this is based on fictional ideas and creativity. One more thing, I know this story may seem as though it is merely a sequence of events but I assure you there is a plot-line in here somewhere. There are merely some obsticals that must be overcome before we reach that point. I sincerely apologize for the length of time before updates but college keeps me busy and country life provides very little internet service. Hope you enjoy._

_Let us hope _  
_Let us believe _  
_Let not our dreams _  
_Our nightmares _  
_Nor our fears _  
_Give way to surrender _  
_Life is . . ._  
_What we make of it_

**Chapter 17**

She couldn't believe this was happening, why were they being paged, what had gone wrong? She felt a suffocating pressure around her heart making her breath seem impossible to catch as her mind raced with possibilities. Amputating his arm could have sent him into shock, he could be bleeding too much, his arm could have become infected and the infection could have spread to his other wounds or considering the location it could have begun to attack his organs and-

"I'm terribly sorry Mr. Elric, I did not mean to upset you and your family so much. The surgeon called and told me to leave a message with you that your son is doing just fine. Please forgive me for worrying you," the woman sounded shaken but the genuine sympathy and apology in her expression was enough to settle the three of them down.

They all took their seats in the waiting room with deep, relieved sighs. Winry managed to calm her racing thoughts but that terror remained constant in her heart and she realized why that was. She felt as helpless as she had before and with that she felt as though she had become entrapped in her past. She had fought hard to get past what she had to endure at the hands of the Wethertons. Ed had seriously scared her that night, she had thought he was going to die and that it had been for her sake was both humbling and filled her with guilt.

Ed had a lot of scars, most of which she had seen already but he would not tell her about. She knew the ones he had gotten since she'd met him as much as she knew that Ed had dark secrets that would most likely rival the ones she kept locked away. She did feel safer and loved and as though she belonged to a family when it came to the Kudo's. They had done all that they could for her and had been patient with her through all of her mood swings and the effects that living for so long trapped in a hellish life had done to her.

She had been obstinate, distant, rude, and most of all ungrateful at first. With time she had moved past that and worked to better herself and move on. Ed had helped her more than anyone else. He had told her that she was stronger than even he was to have endured it for so long and to have kept it hidden from those who never really looked to begin with. He continuously told her that she was brilliant and beautiful and while he liked everyone to believe he was this tough, know it all, untouchable person he really wasn't.

She had learned a lot more about Ed in the time they had started dating. Yes, he was an idiot, which she often times got him to admit out loud, and he was stubborn and too smart for his own good. He was rude and had no class and no sense of romance, he charged head first into everything and would pick a fight with anyone. He often appeared inconsiderate and uncaring but he wasn't. Ed was a huge contradiction, especially when it concerned who he portrayed himself to be and who he really was.

The first few months when she had to learn to get used to not being in a household where she would be punished, ridiculed, insulted, and beaten she had him to tell her that it was enough. He told her to stop expecting to be punished for speaking her mind, for being lazy, for being a teenage girl. He kept telling her that instead of being scared all the time she should test her limits with the Kudos and learn for herself that they were not the same as the Wethertons. She had followed his instructions after weeks of debating and turning his words over in her mind.

Gradual, the process had been very slow and gradual. She had begun to ask for things, to go to the library, if she could have money to buy a book, if she could go to the Elric's house for the weekend. Then she had begun to express her ideas on what they could have for dinner and suggest cooking dinner for her new foster parents. She had slowly begun to relax, leaving her dirty laundry laying on the floor for a day, for two, for three days. Now she did her own laundry every five days.

Then she had begun to say no to things, when she wanted to stay at home and continue reading and taking notes on the medical books she had asked for and they had suggested going to a movie. When they had wanted to go to the park on the weakened, when they had wanted to have meatloaf for dinner. She would ask to stay home, to go somewhere, to cook her own dinner. She began to make compromises and eventually she learned to say she didn't agree with some of the ideas expressed, she began to have discussions with them and become involved, become a member of the household.

She had to work even harder to get past her attuned reflexes. It had taken her months to get used to the small pats on the shoulder, the half hugs, the gentle smiles, the handshakes that had turned into hugs. She had to learn not to flinch when they moved to stand or when they gestured with their hands, when they would pick something up. She learned and learned and adjusted and slowly set her life back on track and got used to feeling safe and eventually accepted that she was part of the family and loved and that they would not hate her or ridicule or beat her when she didn't agree or didn't do something exactly right and right when told to.

Now, she sat in this waiting room waiting to hear about the one person that had made it possible for her to escape, for her to have the life she had with the Kudo's. Now she waited and felt that same fear and dread from that night tying knots in her stomach and throat. Ed was strong, she knew that, she knew it deep in her heart and believed that he could make it through this and beyond this. But what worried her was how unresponsive he had been, how guarded and vulnerable he had looked back in his room. She had met his eyes, had seen that shadow that was always there threatening to tear him apart from the inside.

It wasn't his physical endurance and strength she worried about, it was his willingness to get through this, the amount of internal strength he had left that concerned her. He had obviously been through more than he would ever tell any of them and she didn't know how much more torment he could handle. She wished that Ed would tell her everything, would let her in, but she had to do the same for him. She wanted that so that she could help him in the same way he had helped her even while she had not given him everything. He had just seemed to know what it was going on in her mind, had seemed to know what it was that she needed to hear and she longed to know how.

She wasn't aware of it when it happened, but somewhere within the hours that had followed Winry had fallen asleep, exhaustion from the emotional, mental, and physical strain this waiting and worrying had put on her. Her thoughts had pulled her down a road she had hoped to avoid and always fought to stray off of before it could ensnare her. This time she was already a prisoner and could not pull away fast enough.

_Flashback_

_She never meant to come back here, never meant to end up on the cold, concrete, filthy floor but she couldn't help but to speak out about what they'd said. She knew in her heart that they were wrong. Her real parents hadn't hated her, they'd died and that was why she wasn't with them, it wasn't because they were dead. They were wrong about the neighbor boys too, they didn't hate her either even though she was rather mean to them . . . but they still kept talking to her and they never looked at her the same way her foster parents' did. She had even been foolish enough to fight back when the man parading as a good father had tried to force her to go down to the basement._

_She hadn't wanted to, she knew what being in the basement entailed and why would she voluntarily come down here knowing the truth? Being down here meant they would be crueler than they already were to her, it always meant she could become subject to the whip, kneeling on rice, being beaten worse than she was already accustomed to, and when they were really angry with her they would even go so far as to put a metal cuff around her ankle that was linked to a chain like they had tonight or today so she couldn't run away or try to hide from them. How could they get away with this time and again, was she really that weak, that detestable? Why did they hate her so much they could hurt her over and over again, what had she done to deserve this?_

_She pulled her knees up to her chest wincing at the bruised ribs she had from being kicked earlier and then again as she wrapped her arms around her knees from the way her wrists' ached from being held to tightly. It felt like an eternity had gone by before she heard the door being opened at the top of the stairs directly in front of where she was. For a moment the light blinded her but what really bothered her was the twist of her stomach as apprehension and fear swamped through her. She wished she could run, she wanted to get far away from here because whatever they had in store for her was never good._

_She heard the footsteps of booted feet and couldn't summon the courage to look up, every foot fall was like a stone in her stomach weighing down her shoulders and her heart with the trepidation. She swallowed around a dry throat and slowly let her arms fall to her side as she leaned heavily against the wall, every muscle in her small body was tense as she tried to burrow herself against the wall in a vain attempt to make herself disappear._

_When the footsteps stopped at the bottom of the stairs all she could do was sit there and shake, never lifting her head, her gaze, or moving an inch. She hoped some miracle would prevent those feet from getting closer to her or stop her being grabbed by her hair and forced to look up into the angry eyes of her foster father. But no miracle came and a hiss escaped her chapped lips from the action. She couldn't escape or stop the cry when she was backhanded hard enough that when her hair was released she fell to the ground catching herself with her hands. She let out a gasp as she was kicked in the stomach harshly and barely heard the words snarled at her around the panting of her own lips or the pain coursing through her._

_"You've done it now you ungrateful brat. You had to go and think you had the right to talk to us that way. How are you worth enough to have an opinion in this house?"_

_She cried out hoarsely when a foot pushed into her back shoving her to the ground hard enough to bust her lip when the weight overwhelmed the strength of her arms as she attempted to hold herself up. She could feel bruising forming and her ribs screamed with pain that sent needles through her chest and into her throat at the pressure as he shifted his weight to the foot on her back. All she could do was whimper pathetically at the pressure and the building pain as a hand gripped her hair and sharply forced her neck to arch back. She knew in the back of her mind that this violence so very soon after he had arrived meant a nightmarish amount of torment for her._

_When her head was shoved forward to slam into the cold, hard floor all she could see was white and red from the pain before she found herself roughly pulled to her feet by a vice grip on her arm. She was too dazed to do more than blink back the stars in her vision and let out a groan of pain from the sudden movement. She heard his snarling, hateful voice say something but her head was pounding too loud to make out what it was. Before she'd even caught her breath from the strain of his weight on her back only moments ago she was shoved to the ground to land in a heap too delirious to catch herself and further aggravating her other injuries._

_Minutes or hours could have passed while she lay there despondently waiting for it to end or for more pain to follow but when nothing happened after she'd regained her breath and her sight once more she let out a sharp, breathless cry when a sudden piercing agony lanced across her back. She barely heard the whistle of the whip cut through the air before another blow landed and felt her entire body jerk and arch away when the next followed that. In short time her back and her legs were on fire and nothing could convince her body to move, to run and hide where the whip couldn't reach her with how much the leather cutting into her back burned through her as hot as any fire._

_By the time she was hauled to her feet again she was already having an out of body experience, none of the pain registered fully to her anymore, it was as though she had burrowed deep within her mind subconsciously to find some sort of reprieve. Even still her mind always circled back to the why's of what was happening to her, why was she the victim of so much pain, why did they always feel the need to torture her so? What had she ever done to deserve this? When she found herself with metal shackles cuffed around her wrists connected to a chain and then that chain forcing her arms above her head she let the tears of anguish fall from her eyes and unmercifully found herself able to feel the full brunt of the lynching she received._

_Within what felt like hours of torment she hung her head, her hands clenching into fists, the blood running down her back and thighs the least of her worries crying out brokenly, "Stop! Please stop!" Her pleas were ignored regardless of how many tears she shed or how many times she repeated her pleas for mercy. When it finally did pause she found her long hair grabbed once again, twisted and pulled so that she had to look up into a hateful face. The shear hatred and disgust showing in those eyes made her shudder fearfully._

_"You beg and plead like such a useless weakling because that is what you are. Your audacity to speak to us in such a manner shows how ungrateful you are for all we have done for you. This is the punishment you deserve for your insolence. Now stop your whining before I make this much worse for you."_

_She was released harshly and the next blow stole her breath from her lungs. Again she hung her head, gritted her teeth to stop her cries, and willed herself to fall unconscious in order to escape this hell she had become far too used to. Without any reason for it to happen she recalled the burning gold of her new found friends' eyes and felt something burn and stir within her. Despite how she was towards him he still wanted to be friends with her and his eyes turned a molten gold as bright as the sun when he swore he wasn't going to stop being her friend just because she was mouthy, well those were his words. Underneath the curtain of her hair she let a small smile curl her lips upwards before another blow landed and she sunk her teeth into her bottom lip to keep the cry from escaping._

_The tears no longer burned their way down her cheeks or blurred her vision as she thought of him. Every-time she looked at him, particularly in the eyes she couldn't seem to place why he held her so captivated that she never seemed able to ignore him. Because of what she was enduring now she found within herself a resolve, no matter what she seemed to do she always ended up the victim of this pain her foster parents seemed to enjoy forcing upon her. Instead of making herself miserable on top of that it was time she took it upon herself to at least be friends with whoever she wished. If she was going to be a victim regardless she might as well make it worth something._

_End of Flashback_

As she awoke from her nightmare with a gasp from desperation to escape she looked around her to see that Al had fallen asleep and Mr. Elric was beginning to nod off so she was saved the embarassment of having a nightmare and reacting as she did because of it. Her hands were shaking and could swear she felt every mark and bruise from that day carving their way into her skin. Perhaps it was only because of the vividness of the dream or the fact that the dream had once been reality. Either way she needed to shake it off and pull herself together so she got to her feet and fixed herself a small glass of water before announcing to Mr. Elric that she was going to go find a restroom. If he noticed that paleness to her face or the way she was unable to stop her hands from trembling he said nothing only giving her a curt nod.

She could not stop her thoughts from returning to Ed as she made her way out of the waiting room and down the hall. She was still very curious as to what had caused him to recognize the dark secrets she had shielded from others so well before he and Al had moved in next door to her. She also worried about how well her boyfriend and close friend would handle the after effects having his arm taken from him. She felt red hot anger swell within her at the thought of what that sick bastard had cost her best friend. How dare anyone cause someone such harm, how dare that man do that to someone like Ed. She also knew that there had to have been something that same pedophile had done to Sasuke and possibly Naruto because of the reactions of the Uchiha's and the Uzumaki's when the now thankfully dead man's name was said around them.

She would like nothing more than to kill such a man herself should he still be alive. Making her way into the womens' restroom she took a deep breath and told herself not to dwell on such matters. It would not do anyone any good to think of what she would have liked to have done in revenge. Now she needed to focus on how she could be of assistance to her boyfriend on his road to recovery. She also needed to watch over how he recovered so that she could further apply what she knew of automail surgery and the building of automail to give him a new arm he could use. She knew it would be painful and that he would be under a great deal of strain with the automail. But could she live with herself if she didn't offer him something that may very well grant him the strength to not only protect himself but those around him? She couldn't very well take it back now, not that she had said something about it, he wouldn't allow it and she couldn't find it within herself to be so cruel to him.

As she washed her face and hands and forced her nightmare to leave her mind she continued along her trail of thoughts regarding doing whatever it was she could to return the life to her best friends' eyes. Never again did she wish to see those unique golden eyes so vacant of life and the desire to live. For as long as she remained at his side she would ensure that he never gave up like that again. She could hardly help but to feel a bit of sympathy for how much pain her best friend would have to endure on his long, hard road, to taking control of his life once more.

* * *

Edward Elric, while deep asleep from anesthetic found himself trapped into the nightmare of the night back in London that had nearly cost him his life. Unaware he was no longer under the knife in the operating room but in the uncomfortable bed in rehabilitation trying to awaken from the medically caused slumber his heart-rate and blood pressure steadily began to climb. With that a cold sweat was breaking out across his skin as the swirling thoughts and emotions ensnared him into an event of the past he wanted nothing more than to forget.

_Ed's Nightmare (1)_

_This didn't even start out how that night had, where he found himself suddenly even though he could swear he should be in the hospital instead of walking down the empty London streets in the dead of night with heavy rain clouds hanging overhead making everything seem more muted and bleached out than usual. That was saying a lot considering the way he saw London as bleached out, muted, and depressingly claustrophobic and cold. Maybe he was bias there, he still missed the countryside of his hometown and stretch of land that only told of freedom. He missed a lot of things, like the single friend he'd had that was cut short, his mom, and even his teacher regardless of how insane she was._

_What he knew to be a deja vu he didn't want to experience he came to a stop in front of the mouth of a dark, foreboding alleyway as three full grown men stepped into his path from the very alleyway he found himself standing in front of. He didn't know them but as the four eyed one another he could tell they seemed to think they knew him. He put on his most intimidating scowl, narrowed his eyes suspiciously at them, and removed his hands from his pockets to clench them into fists at his sides. Adrenaline coursed through him, an instinctual reaction to the threat before him._

_Two out of the three of them looked similar in build and hair color, but one of them had squintier eyes. The guy with the squinty eyes seemed aloof and generally uninterested while the other guy who looked like him, pale skin was the same tone as well, had a condescending gaze aimed his way. As for the third guy, well he just gave him the creeps really, heavy set, huge grin on his face, predatory gleam in his eyes, and bald. Other than the heavier guy who wore a sleeveless, black muscle shirt and had odd, red markings from his hand all the way up his arms, the other two looked relatively normally dressed for this country._

_"If you guys are lookin' for trouble I'm not interested," he snapped to them wanting to break the silence and get to the bottom of why they'd stepped in his way._

_The big guy was still grinning and the aloof guys' expression didn't change, hell he seemed more interested in examining his nails. Ed took notice of something red tattooed on the palm of the guys' hand and a chill ran up and down his spine for some reason at the sight of it. Weird to know its' just a dream and be unable to change it up or make it so this didn't happen. He cracked his knuckles, usually worked and made people get on with the fight, and said angrily, "You three should move out of my way before I force my way through."_

_The condescending prick laughed sharply at the words, "You, force your way through us? I highly doubt Von Hoenheims' son capable of such a feat."_

_"We struck some good luck this night coming across his son," the aloof guy suddenly said. Both of these guys seemed arrogant and cocky and had an educated way of speaking and tone. Huh, well they couldn't be that smart underestimating a kid like him, and why the fuck were they dragging him into this when their beef was with his old man._

_He scoffed, "I doubt that bastard remembers' he has son's."_

_"Interesting development, here we thought he'd run off to be with his son's and you're telling us you don't know where he is," the prick said._

_"Could care less where the fucker is. Sorry 'bout your luck," he wasn't but he did manage to sound indifferent and dismissive. The way the guy with the short black hair, the condescending guy, narrowed his eyes at him he figured the man was either pissed at his tone or didn't believe what he said._

_"Maybe if we use you to let out our frustration he will return."_

_He lowered himself into a fighting position, his feet apart just a bit and leaving his arms at his side as he glared at the guys threateningly, "I doubt it asshole."_

_He remembered the fight all too well, a blur of motion, who knew the bigger guy moved so fast? Before he could blink or react he found himself forced back into the dark alleyway avoiding the crazy guy who tried to take a bite out of him. Even spinning to try and land a round house kick did nothing to the bigger guy. He'd just grinned that evil grin, wrapped both hands around his ankle and then the world turned and the breath wooshed out of his lungs with enough forced to leave him winded as his back and head slammed into the alleyway wall. He could hardly catch his breath or see beyond the stars swimming in his vision before a kick to his stomach made him realize his ankle was released and that he crumpled to his hands and knees._

_First, he'd tasted a bit of blood on his tongue and then another kick further stole his breath and caused his vision to swim as more blood rose in his throat burning its' way onto his tongue. The third kick he managed to block only because his own stubbornness and anger at being bullied and beaten down so easily overwhelmed whatever aches and pains he had. He'd shoved the foot away satisfied at the grunt and sound of someone colliding with the opposite wall as he shoved his way to his feet. He had to lean back against the wall to steady himself and took one hit to the jaw before the stars cleared and he could plainly see he was outnumbered and cornered._

_With a growl he'd lunged at the one in front of him grateful the more silent member of the group had not stepped into the line of fire. He landed a few good punches and a knee to the others' gut before his fists were caught and a head slammed into his own. Foreheads colliding further aggravating his already throbbing head he stepped back dazed and that was when he felt his arm siezed by an all too familiar thick hand. He'd twisted blindly, still seeing spots of darkness with no success and found himself flipped and thrown into what he knew was a wooden fence by the way it had hurt when he collided with it. He managed to react quickly enough to dodge the next few kicks and punches but ended up cornered once again._

_When he slammed his hands together and electricity cackled in the air with alchemical intent he'd not only startled himself but his enemies as well. He'd slammed his hands to the floor and the ground shifted forcing the three adversaries to back away from him. That was when the more silent one of the group stepped forward with a smirk on his face. It was also when Ed himself had decided that guy was the creepiest among the three. A clap of that assholes hands and then he grabbed his larger companions arms, causing the other to give him a betrayed and maybe even a bit frightened look. The next thing he knew the big guy was shoved towards him and with hardly any space to move he couldn't think of an escape route._

_Red, sulfur smelling, light flared and he clapped his hands, slammed them to the ground, and knelt down in a defensive position in a split second not knowing what else he could do or even why he'd know to do such a thing. The big guy collided with the wall he'd created and the shock-wave of an explosion, thankfully mostly blocked from the alchemitized wall through him into the gate behind him with enough force to knock a hole through what remained of the thing not destroyed by the explosion. When he shook off the way his ears rung, his head throbbed, and everything ached it was too late to defend against the kick to his chest that knocked him on his back._

_Now he could definitely feel blood on his tongue and he reacted just fast enough for the next blow to collide with his arms making them ache and throb with the force of the kick. He shoved back so he could jump to his feet and side stepped so that he was leaning against the alleyway wall which was covered in soot. It took him a moment to realize that the attacker was the same guy that he'd just seen used as a human bomb. Without the time to ask why or be too shocked he tensed his arm and tugged back when his wrist was grabbed only to let out an angry cry when that wrist was forced back at an odd angle._

_It was blindingly agonizing having your wrist broken and the pain sent wave after wave of piercing, stifling pain straight through his whole arm to center at his shoulder instead of his wrist. After that everything started to go black and he didn't notice he'd fallen to his knees until a kick to his back knocked him face first to the ground. His lungs burned with the need to breath regardless of the agony he was feeling or how much it burned to just inhale and exhale. The copper taste on his tongue reminded him of the burn of his throat and that steadily built up until he could feel his body's every complaint._

_When the next kick jump started his lungs into working overdrive he'd had enough, he pushed up with one hand and the elbow of the arm with the broken wrist and folded his knees underneath himself to give him more leverage. Using the strength of his left arm he pushed himself up into a front flip kicking his enemy squarely in the face and making the fat lard stagger back a few steps from the blow. As soon as he'd landed properly he felt a sharp pain shoot straight up his back from the lower left side forcing his back to arch away from the torment as his breath caught sharply on a cry. Hitting his knees yet again he tried to claw at the thing in his back only to have the broken wrist grabbed and twisted ripping another breathless cry of agony from his throat._

_He distantly heard an angry tone in someone's voice but everything other than the pain in his back, the cold weight of his own body and the ground, and the throbbing agony of his right wrist that was steadily climbing and clawing through to his shoulder and across his chest registered. Another kick to his stomach forcing blood mixed saliva from his throat with the gasp made everything fade instantly. The only thing he could forget regardless of the unconcious state he was in was how his arm just kept getting worse and worse, despite the stab wound._

_End of Nightmare_

His entire body felt battered and beaten when he was thrown back into full consciousness again. It took him a while to remember where he was, why he was hurting so much, and why he felt more empty than he should have. He could feel every bruise that littered his body, the bruises around his wrist, along his chest and back, the stinging cuts from fingernails along his arm. Everything felt sluggish and like shards of glass were embedded into his skin and grinding against his bones. His neck still ached and his left arm ached fiercely but not as much as his right, that was when he remembered why he felt so exhausted. His arm, it was gone, but he could swear it was still there even though he knew logically it wasn't.

The pain was constant despite whatever drugs they were pumping into his veins. It was almost as though the arm he knew wasn't there was there and bent at the wrong angle, tied down, and on the verge of snapping in half. The part of his brain that knew it wasn't there couldn't get the message through to the part of his brain that still thought the arm was. It was beyond frustrating as much as he found it hard to keep from screaming or crying out because of the intensity of the agony he was in. He was almost glad his throat was too dry for him to be able to speak because it kept him from crying out like a child. This was nothing, it could have been worse, things could always be worse and he wasn't weak he could handle this.

Still he felt warmth running down the sides of his face and into his hair despite his own bullying of himself to suck it up. He couldn't stop the tears, which he knew were there because his vision was a bit blurry anymore than he could stop the stump of his arm from throbbing and pulsing with torturous waves of pain, it was like having a muscle cramp running all the way through his arm even though it wasn't there. He could repeat it over and over again in his mind and still it wouldn't stop, he wanted it to just quit or to just fall back into even a nightmare to escape it because he hated the helplessness, the frustration of knowing one thing and feeling another, and that it burned, twisted, pulled, cramped, pierced its way through him relentlessly.

He flinched at the hoarse, sharp cry that echoed around him and swore to himself in a raspy voice when he realized that it was him that had cried out. His entire body locked up and made to try and curl into a ball but then a shock-wave like having a serrated edged sword swiftly stabbed up through his arm shot through him stealing his breath and forcing his eyes to blur even more as the agonized cry lodged in his throat. He exhaled on a childish whimper as some of the pain released and his body slumped back relaxing more from exhaustion than anything. His breath rushed in and out in rough gasps and pants but he could only focus on not letting that happen again.

"Mr. Elric, we're going to give you something for the pain. You should rest," he heard a voice that sounded distance and female say from somewhere to his left. He would have nodded but everything was drifting away and darkening around him. He felt something burn in a soothing way through his veins and then started to slip into a dreamless slumber. He could still feel some of the pain but it wasn't as intense as before so it was easier to ignore as he welcomed the abyss of sleep once more.

* * *

(1) Using [Flashback] everytime is rather annoying so I gave it a title.

_A/N: Terribly sorry for the wait on this update. College takes up quite a bit of my time, summer vacation for most but not at the school I am attending. Anyways, I will try my best to update this story in a more timely fashion. Sorry about the double flashback thing but Ed's stubborn and the only way anyone will know what happened to him during his encounter with his old man's enemies is through nightmares and such. Thanks for reading._


	18. Chapter 18

**Disclaimer: I don't own Fullmetal Alchemist or most of the characters used that are from other series. I am making no money from writing this.**

_A/N: This chapter took a bit of research to write, I'm no medical student but I tried my best. Again I apologize for the lack of updates and also the amount of time between them. I haven't forgotten about this story by any means. Enough of my ranting, on with the story. Hope you enjoy._

**Chapter 18**

_We have the strength  
To press onwards  
Through the storm  
To step forward  
Past the norm'_

_**Two Weeks Later . . .**_

He was struggling, she could see it. It wasn't so much the physical agony he had to be going through, it was the mental and emotional strain that this new handicap put him through. She'd read a lot about what amputees went through, how hard and painful it was. Knowing Ed the way she did made it harder to keep a professional etiquette with him as she helped him with the physical therapy.

Though he no longer had a right arm he had to work his strength back up in the rest of his body in order to prepare himself for the strain of the automail surgery. When she wasn't there to help she had no choice but to leave it to Al and Mr. Elric. She would like nothing more than to stay by his side but she had details and designs and an arm and port to build. Well, she'd already constructed the port, which was more complicated than even the fingers of the arm.

She had gone over the bone structure and anatomy a thousand times so that she knew intimately where each bone, nerve, muscle, and vein was along his shoulder. The scarring from the cauterization, hemostat, clamps, and the bandaging was slowly being removed. She could see the dark scarring around his shoulder where his arm used to be and how it spread over to his chest, it was only slightly discolored but she knew when the automail was fully installed that the scarring would get worse. She was steadily going through everything she knew until she had it memorized and even though she knew she would have Ed's doctor there with her when the surgery took place it hardly mattered since she was the one that knew what she was doing inside and out. But knowing it and applying it was what made her more than nervous.

She looked up at the sound of Ed breaking into her thoughts, "What's up Win?"

She smiled, it was all she could do, he was the one suffering here and he was concerned about her. Here she was, on one of the rare evenings she could actually come and visit him zoning out worried about how well she would perform when the time came. She should concern herself with that when the time came not now when she should be supportive to her boyfriend and best friend. She stretched her arms over her head to work out the kinks and knots all along her back from sitting in the uncomfortable hospital chair for too long. She smirked when she noticed his golden eyes watching her movement, more precisely her chest but refrained from commenting about it.

"How are you feeling," she asked once she put her arms down.

He shrugged with his left shoulder, two weeks of constant pain diverted him from making the motion with his right. He had gotten better at hiding that he was in pain, but she knew when a shot of pain would come over him because his golden eyes would darken a bit and his brows would furrow. His veins would also stand out at his shoulders and he would go tense. His expression stayed the same but those subtle signs were enough to let her know the truth. She had already gone over the anatomy, looking through photos and explanations of bone structures, blood vessels, and the location of nerves. She could not grasp just how much pain he must have been in right after the surgery.

She let out a tired sigh and ran her hand through her bangs, "Has it gotten any better?"

Another left shoulder shrug then a wince when the muscles across his chest pulled at his still healing right shoulder. Now just a stub, they had removed nearly everything, all the way up to his humeral tubercle. It wasn't until after the surgery, while Ed was recovering, that she cornered that doctor and the surgeon and demanded to know why his arm had to be amputated so far up. They simply told her that even though the human bones are resilient, blood flow can make the bones themselves weaker. They had removed every piece that was rotted, softened, or otherwise decaying.

This time he let out a tired sigh and laid his head back against the pillow she'd propped up behind him earlier. She looked up at him once more just as his eyes slid closed, his expression closed off as well with that action and she scowled. She hated it when he did that, especially when he would close his eyes because it made it impossible to tell what it was he was feeling. She'd avoided his question and now here he was avoiding hers and trying to ignore her gaze at the same time.

"How's Sas' doin," he asked tiredly.

She took a deep breath, the raven haired Uchiha was still in the hospital. That snake of a man had done a real number on both of them. That he was still here was mostly due to that cut along his throat, it was scabbing already but they wanted to make sure it was fully healed and sealed up before they released him because of the fatal repurcussions if it somehow reopened. Sasuke would be released long before Ed would, that was certain, but she knew both of them were just as restless as the other. She knew that Mikoto did not want the boys to see one another until at least her son was fully healed, it was trying for both of them since they happened to be close friends.

"He's healing really well but he's pissed about being here."

A short laugh was the response to her words, "Yeah, I feel his pain there. Is he still restricted to his room or somethin'?"

She bit her lip and looked away, she wondered what his father and Al had told Ed in regards to that question. For some reason she doubted he'd bothered to ask them, between the three of them that spent a good deal of time in her boyfriends' hospital room she was the only one that couldn't directly lie to him. She still hadn't told him the full extent of his friends injuries anymore than anyone was telling the same raven about his friend's condition. She heard the sheets rustling and looked up in time to meet his gaze as he looked at her and said, "Winry."

"He's restricted to his bed actually, his injuries could . . . he needs to rest just as much as you do."

"His injuries could what," he demanded, his voice stronger and sharper. That tone of voice had two effects on her, it usually pissed her off most of the time, but it also meant she couldn't lie to him. Not that she could anyway, not while looking him in the eye. Al could hide behind his disarming innocent smile. Hoenheim his behind the 'father know's best' facade. What did she have? She happens to be his girlfriend and they'd already promised they wouldn't hide things from one another.

With a heavy sigh, she was developing a habit of that, and running her hands through her bangs she met his gaze determined; "You can't say a word and you have to stay calm. Everyone made me swear I wouldn't tell you."

"Tell me what, what the fuck is wrong with Sas'. I know he was hurt pretty bad but between the pain and bleeding to death I couldn't tell how bad. Tell me what the fuck everyone has been denying me," his voice rose in volume.

"I told you, you have to stay calm or I'm not saying a word," she said with conviction, her own voice brooking no argument. She was pleased to see her tone of voice and the look in her own eyes seemed to have an effect on him as well. He straightened, took a deep breath, clenched his left fist then with another set of calming breaths he nodded. She gave a short nod of assent to his actions, "He didn't end up as bad off as you, but he's still going to have some long term injuries. His hip and his leg are going to give him a limp and he's going to have a lot of scars. He lost a lot of blood and the jugular vein . . ." she paused at how pale he went.

"His jugular vein was cut, not too deeply, but deep enough to scare everyone."

"So that's why he's still here then," he asked slowly, his eyes darkening with a mixture of anger and fear.

She nodded slowly, "Yes, everyone is worried that if he strains himself or anything that the cut will reopen, even though its scabbed over already its still deep enough that anything strenuous could rip the scabbing off and deepen or widen the wound."

"Huh, yeah . . . Mikoto-san must be going crazy with worry," his voice had gone softer and real concern showed on his face. She smiled sadly at his words and how his expression softened with his words before he lowered his head letting his bangs shield his face. She reached out skimming her fingertips along the top of his left hand and he turned his hand over and interlaced their fingers together without meeting her gaze. She squeezed his hand and remained silent for a while to let him digest what she'd told him. As well as she knew him she knew he was most likely running everything through his mind and finding some way to pin the blame for all of this on himself.

Right now arguing with him about it would do absolutely no good at all, besides when she argued with him all they managed to do was yell, scream, insult, and she'd beat him with something close at hand. She would have to talk to Sasuke about dealing with the guilt Ed carried around on his shoulders unnecessarily. She doubted she'd have to say anything to the youngest Uchiha considering the way they always seemed able to read one another. She just hoped he didn't get any ideas stuck in his head and end up doing anything stupid. Who was she kidding, this was Ed she was talking about. Regardless of the fact that he is definitely a genius he is an expert at doing something stupid.

She'd have to check on the mechanics of that guilt machine he had too and throw and damn wrench in it so it would stop turning. She was really quite tired of that damn thing, everytime Ed ended up hurt, someone he knew ended up hurt, or just feelings were hurt Ed always linked it back to being his fault in some form or fashion. It was rather redundant and a fault that only Edward Elric had.

"Don't you dare," she snapped at him making him look up suddenly at her startled by the sharp tone to her voice and probably what she was talking about. Glaring at him heatedly she continued as she squeezed his hand, "Don't you dare work it in your mind to somehow being all your fault. Not the worry everyone is feeling, the stress, the injuries you two sustained, or anything else for that matter. You always find some way to pin the blame on yourself and its stupid."

"Winry . . . I wasn't-"

"Don't lie, you suck at it," she snapped cutting him off.

He let out a sigh, "I wasn't going to blame myself for this mess. I . . . yeah we should have figured that bastard might come after us one day and all that . . . but life happens to suck sometimes and is pretty unpredictable so . . . its . . . Sas' isn't anymore helpless than I am most of the time and that asshole used some pretty dirty tactics against us. I thought we were dead for sure until Itachi showed up so . . . "

"As long as you don't blame yourself for this."

"I don't. But I am glad that the fucker is dead or I'd kill him myself for what he did."

She nodded in understanding, she would have killed that despicable man herself if Itachi had not beaten her to it for what he'd done. Letting out a sigh of her own she offered Ed a gentle smile that he weakly returned and then she said, "You're going to be alright you know, maybe even able to keep playing-"

"Don't," he snapped bitterly pulling his hand from hers and looking away to glare at the window. "Don't say that when you know its' a lie, I can't, not without the dexterity only a flesh and blood hand has."

"Ed, I can figure out a way, I swear I will."

He shook his head flinching at how that pulled at his stressed muscles and nerves along his neck and shoulder, "I'm not an idiot, I'm not going to hope for something I can never have."

"But you can, one day, you can have it all back I swear it," she said with conviction making him look back at her sharply. She held his gaze and said, "Maybe not anytime soon, but I will make it possible for you again, I swear I will."

"Winry . . . thanks," he said with a sad smile still not believing her. She could imagine that after so long of letting it sink in that he would never play the violin again, his real passion in memory of his mother, that it would take her actually accomplishing the task for him to believe her. One day she really would figure out a way. There was a knock at the door and Winry watched as a nurse came in with a kind smile and declared, "Blood pressure and temperature check Mr. Edward."

She smirked at the title, Ed must have gotten to the woman for her to not be calling him Mr. Elric. She stared out past the pair as the nurse did her job and then left and knew it was getting close to the time she would have to head home. She still had things that she had to do outside of visiting him and only because they were for her boyfriend could she bring herself to part from his side. Getting to her feet and gathering her things she looked to him with a smile, "I have to get home before it gets to late Edward."

He offered her a grin and said jokingly, "You'd think you'd be as sick of hospitals as I am considering all the time you spend visiting me in one."

"Stop ending up in one then," she joked back.

"I would if I could help it, be careful getting home Win'."

"I will," she closed the small distance between them to place a light kiss on his cheek but before she could pull away entirely his left hand lifted to tuck her hair behind her ears and moved to the back of her neck to bring her closer. With a slight blush she allowed him to guide her into a proper goodnight kiss and they both pulled away around the same time. Their timing was nearly perfect because just as she was straightening and stepping back there was another knock at the door.

She turned around to see Hoenheim and Al coming into the room with grins at seeing the two of them, "Time to head back already Winry?"

"I'm afraid so, don't want to out at night."

"Wise decision, do you need a ride home," Hoenheim asked.

"Uh, that's quite alright, my dad said he could come pick me up after work. He should be here fairly soon."

"Alright, be careful Miss Winry, feel free to visit anytime you like."

"Yeah, brother always seems more manageable after you pay him a visit," Al said with a chuckle.

"Hey, I'm plenty manageable," Ed declared offended.

"Try to behave yourself son," Hoenheim scolded with a slight laugh then turned to Winry once more, "I will walk you out young lady."

"Thank you," she said with a smile before she gave Al a hug and smiled at both Elric's, "Goodnight you two."

"Night Win'," Ed said just before Al said, "goodnight Winry," and she turned and followed Mr. Elric out of the room. He closed the door behind him and they were well down the hallway before she broke the silence.

"I told Ed about Sasuke. He was persistent and I just can't lie to him."

A brief silence followed her words before the other said, "That's alright, he was bound to find out anyway. How are you doing, you seem a bit tired."

"I'm okay and tired, but its' alright. I've been working steadily on the automail, I just want to make sure that everything is right. There's no room for mistakes when it comes to messing with the inner workings of the human body. I already have measurements recorded and the design and logistics are coming along well. The wiring shouldn't take very long and I'm already assembling the arm and-"

"Winry, it's alright. I am more than grateful for your dedication and assistance, as are both of my son's. You have been remarkable and I have no doubts of your abilities. However, I do not want you to wear yourself out and push yourself too hard. My son can and will wait for however long he has to."

"Mr. Elric, I do appreciate your kindness but this is tearing him apart," she declared stopping in the hallway to turn and look the man in the eyes. She could see that he knew what she was saying was true in his eyes, "he's already been through so much and now this. Why, after everything else he's been through and done for those around him does he have to lose the ability to do the one thing he loves more than anything else in the world. Sure his education and science are important to him, but his family means the world to him. The one thing he had that could remind him of all the good times he shared with his mom is given to him through music. It's the one true passion he has-"

"Other than alchemy," Hoenheim declared to which she was a bit startled. She'd thought he didn't approve of his son's studying alchemy but the man looked saddened by her words and his own thoughts. Still he pressed on, "I knew they would never give up on studying alchemy. Trisha often encouraged them to study alchemy because she understood that it was as much a part of them as it is me. Music became the link those two had to their mother and alchemy was the link they presented their mother with to me."

"Which is why I can't stop or slow down, I have to give him something that can enable him to have something to hold on to."

"He has you Miss Winry, truly I believe that really is enough for him. He has you and Alphonse, and his friends, and I like to think I am included in that circle of those he knows he has but I often wonder. My son holds a lot of animosity towards me for leaving and considering what all he went through while I was gone I cannot blame him."

"You never should have left, but Al told me why you did. Ed is angrier with you for believing that by you leaving it made it possible for them to remain safe."

"He does indeed confide in you above everyone else."

"Sasuke is the one he really confides in fully. I know why and Ed's an idiot for believing he can't come to me with the same things, but its' a boy thing and I understand why he does it."

"Do you really?"

"Yes, he has it in his head that I've suffered enough just like I believe he has and doesn't want to burden me like I try not to do to him. But he's a stubborn jackass and makes it impossible at times to keep anything from him even when he closes himself off to me at times."

"If you ask him outright he can't lie," Hoenheim said with a knowing smirk, "my son is a terrible liar, especially when asked directly about something. Even if he won't say the words his expression gives him away. It's something my youngest son taught me shortly after the three of us came to live together again."

She smiled, "I wonder if Ed knows that Al only pretends to be completely on his side," she said with a bit of a joking tone in her voice.

Hoenheim sighed and they continued walking as he said, "Alphonse and Edward are as close as they are because of the trials they have endured together. I learned very quickly, shortly after I arrived back in Resembool, that Al is loyal to his older brother to the very end. He often gives hints to those around him because he trusts they don't wish his brother any harm and only wish to help Ed from destroying or hurting himself. I do feel a bit of pity for anyone foolish enough to purposely hurt either one of them should either get a hold of them."

Winry was a bit stunned to hear the seriousness of the man's words and asked quietly, "What do you mean?"

"I was made aware of a certain gang of boys in London crossing my son's. They thought to bully Alphonse and ended up hospitalized for their troubles. The reason B. N. did not want to accept Edward and that I had to put a good word in for him to attend college was due to the track record my son has. Edward has many assault charges against him back in England and Germany. Yes, he was defending himself or Al, but the authorities nor the school's there saw it that way. Al is more passive, polite, and diplomatic between the two of them, but he has a few serious charges against him as well. That was the true reason I brought them here, a fresh start, and my name is influential enough to give the two of them a fighting chance at turning their lives around. It's the least I can do after what they had to endure because I left."

"Mr. Elric, you shouldn't blame-"

"I'm sorry to say so very much about matters that are my own. We're here and I believe your dad is waiting for you," the man said with a kind smile and a wave to Jimmy as he came over to them.

"Thank you Mr. Elric," Winry said kindly with a smile as she turned around to stand in front of him.

"It's my pleasure, have a safe trip home you two," Mr. Elric said brightly.

"We will, take care of yourself and those two boys," Jimmy said kindly as he placed a hand on Winry's shoulder to lead her to the car before too much traffic showed up. Climbing into the car and buckling up Winry could feel her dad's gaze on her and she said simply, "It's been a long day."

"I can tell, but I believe it's merely been a long couple of weeks for you. Are you sure you want to come home, you can stay the night here if you wish."

"I'm sure dad, I want to finish up my work. The longer I wait, the worse Ed might get," she said soundly and turned her head to look out the window and watch the hospital as they pulled out and onto the road to head home. The car ride continued on in silence for a few minutes before her dad broke the silence, "So, did you manage to cheer him up any?"

"He did talk to me today," she said brightly, "that's something, he even joked a bit. I have to agree with him about hospitals though, he should hate them enough to stay away from them more often."

"Hmm, yes, you would think he'd like to considering the amount of time he's spent in them," Jimmy commented with only a slight bit of humor in his tone.

"He practically lives there, might as well reserve him a room with a name plaque engraved on the door. His sense of humor really rather sucks," she said gloomily.

To this she received a chuckle which did lessen the tension a bit more. She really wished that there was some way to bypass all this struggle, but asking for a time jump where everything was already said and done was like asking for her birth parents to be returned to her. With a tired sigh that turned into a yawn she resigned to herself that as soon as she returned home she would eat dinner, catch a shower and a nap and then set to work on the automail once more. Maybe one day she could reach the level of skill that only required a few days time instead of weeks to design and assemble and automail arm. Right now her biggest worry was whether it would work or not and just how much it was going to inflict pain on her boyfriend and best friend.

* * *

**_Three and a Half Weeks Later . . ._**

8:00 A.M. on a day that would have been in school she was instead at the hospital being told by the doctors what the procedures were when getting prepared for a surgery. She knew what she had to do, had everything memorized from all the books, notes, and research she could get her hands on. Finding official notes from her grandmother proved invaluable to her when it came to this. She knew that she had to work meticulously and precisely, most of the surgeons that would be present would be there to help her and to shut anything down should any complications arise.

She looked up at the sound of the operating room doors opening as Ed was brought into the room, she stood off to the far right where the sink was washing her hands before a nurse helped her put gloves on and the gown she had to wear. She watched Ed look around the room fully alert as per her direction, when it comes to working with nerves he had to be awake, but they were going to put him under for the first part of the surgery. There was no need for him to be awake when it came to the cauterizing and cutting to be done for the insertion of the bolts and rods that would ensure the automail plate and port would remain stationary.

Taking a deep breath to work up the nerve she needed to do this her expression set into one of determination and concentration as she ran through everything she knew in order in her mind. She crossed the room to where he was as the anesthetic was prepared and offered him a confident smile as he looked at her.

"Lay down and try to relax," she began to which he smirked and she continued, "for the first part you don't have to be conscious, be grateful for that at the very least. I am going to have to make a few cuts to make room for the bolts and rods that will hold the plate securely in place. Once that is done I will have to cauterize the wounds and locate your nerves so that the wiring can be done."

"After that?"

"When it comes to the wiring you will have to be awake. This is a long procedure so it's likely to take days to complete. Don't be an impatient brat alright?"

"Yeah, yeah. So, I have to be awake for the nerve thing, but what about the plate and the arm part?"

"That as well, but you should just concentrate on relaxing and taking advantage of the part of the procedure you don't have to be awake for," she finished with a smile. He looked up at the ceiling and let out a long sigh then she moved for the anesthesiologist to do their job. She looked to one of the doctors' as they said to her encouragingly, "You already sound like a doctor, are you sure you're alright young lady?"

"I'm fine, we should get ready," she said confidently as she checked over the items on the trays. While she would feel better if she had a chance to actually practice all of this she knew she had to do this and had to believe in her own ability to perform her tasks correctly. If she had any trouble or needed any assistance she had a few surgeons here with her to direct her. Taking one more deep breath as Ed slowly drifted off into a deep sleep she waited for the nurse to remove the bandaging and set to work.

The following day proved to be more strenuous than the last, although the surgery had taken up most of the day and the doctors recommended that Ed be given some time to recover she knew they couldn't wait long. With an open wound he had to remain in the operating room to prevent infection and as she worked with his nerves she felt sympathy for every time he gritted his teeth or let out a low whine of pain. Finding and connecting the working nerves in his arm was proving to be a difficult and more meticulous task than what she'd had to do yesterday.

Working well past lunch and into the late afternoon however she was able to connect them after having spent the morning cleaning and ensuring no infection had reach his shoulder. Working with the same surgeons as yesterday she had them help her put the port and plates together on his shoulder after she had connected the wires to the port. It was the late evening before she was ready to use the drill to bolt the port in place. The plate was the outer shell that would protect the port and had a bolt on the end that had to be tightened with a wrench. By the time she had finished with all of that she was more than exhausted, having gone through with everything without a break.

Ed was beyond tired from all the stress his body had to endure throughout the procedure and once she finished with what she could today the nurse and the doctors told her that it was enough for today. Ed could at least be taken to his own room for the night. Following the doctors out of the room after the nurse had given Ed a dose of two Tylenol's, the maximum he could have for now, she met up with her parents outside of the room. She gave them both a weak smile to which proud smiles were returned to her.

Moving to sit down, with her parents standing there talking to the other surgeons and doctors she rested her elbows on her knees and her hands in her hair once she'd found one further down the hall. She would only hear muffled versions of what was being said and wasn't concerned about what words were exchanged as she was too exhausted to give it much thought. Jumping awake at the touch of a hand to her hair she looked up to see Rachel sitting next to her.

"We're very proud of you Winry, even the doctors and surgeons are astounded by your professionalism and your medical prowess with this. You're simply an amazing young woman."

She blushed at the compliment, "They do this all the time-"

"Not something as complex as automail surgery," Jimmy commented as he took a seat on her other side, "I believe those surgeons were saying they fully understood why you could not simply explain to them how to do the procedure. Something about knowing where exactly the cuts have to be made, the cauterization, finding and connecting nerves to wires, it's all mind-blowing to them that someone so young can do so very precise and meticulous procedures without any medical training at all."

"It's a lot of hard work, but it's not like I'm a miracle worker. I'm not the only automail surgeon out there-"

"That's just the thing, you're an automail surgeon at only fifteen years old."

"Winry," Rachel said quietly, "you should be very proud of what you've accomplished. Not every young woman at your age is capable of handling such responsibility as gracefully as you are handling this. Now then, how about we go get something to eat and take you home so that you can get a good nights' rest?"

"But I-"

"Oh no young lady, we're going to get you home and in bed after the last two days. You need to rest up and be ready to finish this procedure with a clear head. You said it yourself that Ed isn't at risk for infection now that the port is there, his wounds are not exposed in his shoulder anymore and I'm sure he would appreciate at least a full day to rest as well."

"Alright, but I'm coming back the day after tomorrow."

"That's fine," Jimmy said as he rose to his feet and helped the two of them to theirs. Together they walked out of the hospital and to the car, Winry hardly noticed the looks she received from the medical staff as she made her leave but even if she had she wouldn't have paid much attention. Deciding to grab something and take it home to eat the night proved to be peaceful when they made it home.

It was a full three days before Winry returned and while Ed was happy to see her he wasn't exactly looking forward to what her arrival meant for him. Today he was supposed to have his arm attatched and with everything else he'd had to endure throughout this automail surgery he was more than tired of the excruciating pain bit. Al and his dad had greeted him in his hospital room and though he'd mostly slept the first two days now he was awake and being denied food because his genius girlfriend said he would just throw up anything he ate after the connection was done.

But he couldn't deny that the design of the arm was really well done, the plates to it were sitting on a tray to his right while she sat in a chair on that same side of him. She was checking the arm over saying she had to make sure the wiring was done perfectly and checking all the mechanics of the arm as well. He was sure that she'd checked it over a thousand times already, hell he knew she had checked everything throughout this process a thousand times over and then even more times right before and right after each step in the process. He would have complained but he really wasn't looking forward to this at all.

One thing he had noticed since he'd woken up that he would say something about when he had the chance was the solemn mood that seemed to contagious with everyone. Why was everyone so down and stressed out and better yet he still had not heard anything about Sasuke or anything about what was going on outside of the hospital. He really loathed and detested this disinfected place with every fiber of his being. He was pulled out of his thoughts when Winry gave a short nod to herself, "Okay then," she looked up at him and frowned, he must have had a look on his face or something.

"Are you nervous or something?"

"Uh, well yeah, you've tortured me endlessly for days now. Is it ready?"

"Yes it's ready and I have not been torturing you, I've been doing what you asked."

"I didn't mean it that way, I-"

"I know Ed, once the arm is attatched then the only pain you'll have to go through is the physical therapy. Do you remember what I told you about the automail?"

"Uh, yeah, it will ache and hurt during really hot or cold weather, when it rains, and all this stress my body is going through is going to end up shortening my life. The weight will put a huge strain on me and probably prevent me from growing much more. Uh . . . what was the rest?"

She let out an irritated sigh as she reached for a the wrench she would need once the connection was done and he flinched instinctively. She put it in her back pocket as she got to her feet and looked at him sternly, "You have to oil it regularly, you need to make sure to dry it thoroughly whenever it gets wet to prevent it rusting. Also, if anything doesn't feel like it's working right tell me so I can fix it. I mean that, pinched nerves can be a real problem and so far we haven't had any evidence of that yet. By my attaching this arm we will find out just how well everything went. Don't try to take short cuts and fix anything yourself and if you use alchemy and ruin my design I will knock you in the head with my wrench, got it?"

He swallowed and nodded quickly to which she smile and evil grin and then the expression changed and she asked, "Are you sure you don't want Al or your dad in here with you for this?"

"Yeah, they weren't here for all the other stuff, I'm fine. Let's get on with hit already before I lose my nerve."

"Okay," she leaned forward a bit to line up the arm and he closed his eyes and clenched his left fist as she put it in place. He felt her hand grab the piece that would connect the arm and port together and gritted his teeth in preparation. She asked him, "Ready," to which he gave a short nod and he heard the click and then nothing else but the torrent of agony that shot straight through his entire body and traveled back to his right shoulder was known to him. It lasted for a while, a constant pulse of electric pain before it dulled down to a throb but by the time he could open his eyes he felt like he couldn't find the strength to move even an inch.

She was still on her feet watching his reaction and taking down notes before she asked him, "Try and move something, you should be able to feel the presence of your arm there now." Now that she said that he could sense it there underneath the torment he was in. He could feel an arm all the way down to his fingertips, but it wasn't the same sensation of a real arm like with his left arm, it was muted, like it was shrouded. He relayed that to her and she nodded to him and explained, "It's going to take some time for your body to get used to the automail, especially your nervous system. After going so long without an arm it will be a very slow process. But that's what the physical therapy is for, which you can start on right now."

"How, it's hard to concentrate around the pain you know."

"Edward, you need to at least try and move the arm somewhat or you'll never learn how to control it. I know you don't feel like it, but the nerves need to get used to the presence of that arm and the only way to do that is to try and carve channels throughout the arm and your flesh."

"Okay, so I just have to try and move the fingers then or something?"  
"Yes, it's going to take concentration and effort on your part, but with time it will much easier, like subconscious. I doubt it will ever be instinct and the dexterity will be difficult to master, but I am sure you will be able to."

He was grateful for her faith in him and he was sure that once he wasn't suffering this much he would be able to properly thank her for everything she'd done for him. Closing his eyes and taking a few deep breaths to concentrate properly he opened his eyes again and did as she'd told him. Focusing on getting the fingers to move he had to grit his teeth to the pain of it and the only thing he got for his efforts after several tries was a flinch of his index finger. She kept writing down notes as he tried and it must have taken hours for him to get the finger to do more than twitch but he still wasn't able to lift it fully or get the rest of the fingers to do more than that twitch and flinch bit.

He wasn't very patient so it was extremely frustrating that he couldn't get his hand to move and thinking it would get easier as he went was a mistake. Every time he tried it was just as difficult as the last. When was it going to get easier anyway? By the time his brother and dad walked into the room he'd managed to make three fingers flinch but not fully move. They brought food for all four of them with them and he was told to take a break long enough to eat. The smell of the food reminded him of his nausea to which Al asked what was wrong and Winry clarified that it was normal for Ed to feel nauseated after the arm was attatched. He did eat a little bit of food but not much and then Winry declared once everyone finished that she had to get going.

"I will be back as soon as I can, but I've already instructed the physical therapist that is coming in tomorrow morning what to watch for and what to have you work on. Don't stress yourself out too much tonight and get some rest. If you don't I'll just tell the nurses to give you a sedative to make you sleep."

"Thank you Winry, have a good night and we'll see you soon," Al said before Ed could snap something angry at her. She smiled with a nod and said, "Goodnight Al."

"Thank you very much for everything you've done Miss Winry, none of us can fully give word of how grateful we are for all of your hard work. Be careful and have a good night."

"Thank you Mister Hoenheim and I will, see you guys later."

She turned and walked out and Ed called out to her before she left, "Bye Win'," to which she waved over her shoulder and left. Al and his father turned to him and Al stood up and took what was left of his food to dispose of it while his father turned a look on him, "You should probably get some sleep Edward, as per Miss Winry's instructions."

"Yeah, sleep with my nerves going haywire right now, brilliant."

"Brother, go to sleep or I'll call in a nurse," Al admonished with a tone of voice that told him that was no empty threat. Muttering under his breath Ed relaxed into his pillows and got comfortable, as soon as he was warm and relaxed it hardly took any effort at all to fall asleep. He couldn't help but to think that maybe he really was tired despite his feelings towards wasting time getting used to his automail by sleeping.

* * *

_A/N: Sorry about the lateness of this chapter, it's been well over two months I believe. The next chapter should not take so long to write and add, thanks for reading and sorry again about the long wait. _


	19. Chapter 19

**Disclaimer: I don't own Fullmetal Alchemist or most of the characters used that are from other series. I am making no money from writing this.**

_A/N: This chapter mentions events that many of us remember well and while this story takes place in more current years there was no way I was going to leave such an event out. I do not wish to cause offense to anyone with the mention of what occurred on this day but it is a day that will never be forgotten._

**Chapter 19**

Three months seemed to be long enough according to the doctors for him to be released. He wasn't going to argue about it, he despised hospitals in all their white, blandness, and disinfectant smothered glory. That didn't mean he had complete control over his automail however. He could make a fist and control each of the fingers individually. He could bend his arm and rotate it at the shoulder and bend it at the elbow. He couldn't do anything too strenuous yet, spending months on end in the hospital had worn his body down and he was out of shape. His appetite had improved at least so he was slowly gaining back all the weight he'd lost.

But as he was walking out of the hospital, finally in real clothes, meaning a black pair of cargo pants, a black long sleeved shirt under a red t-shirt and a black jacket, he could feel the full weight of the strain his body was under. It did happen to be January and it was freezing outside. The hardest part was learning how to balance the weight of the automail; his equilibrium had changed dramatically because of how uneven he felt with the prosthetic limb. He had learned to deal with pain constantly throughout the surgeries and the rehabilitation and Winry had not gone easy on him at all. He still had another six months of that same physical therapy to go through before he might be able to gain total control. He still had difficulty controlling the pressure he applied but he spent nearly every moment he had working on that dexterity. When he first gained enough control to move the arm, shoulder, and wrist he ended up hitting himself and coming close to hitting Winry but she expected the reaction and dodged his arm.

That left him feeling apprehensive to keep going with the physical therapy with her around but she wasn't having that and had smacked him upside his head with her hand and called him an idiot before she started to rotate the arm and joints herself and checked the oiling before making him keep going. Regardless of the progress he'd made this weather was proving that the automail could be just as hard to deal with in this cold as the physical therapy proved to be all the time. At least his father was smart enough to grab him some gloves in this weather, Al and Winry were still at school but he knew he'd see them later on this afternoon. He was beyond behind in school and given the number of assignments he usually received daily it would take him the rest of the semester to catch up and then a summer semester to catch up with the work he'd have to hold off on while he was doing the make-up work.

He was pulled out of his thoughts by his father who said to him, "We're at the car Edward," which caused him to look up at the vehicle. Nodding he climbed in after the door was unlocked and tossed his own bag in the backseat of the van. It was mini-van, big enough to give them room when they had their friends but not too large in size that it was a pain to park in this parking garage. His father was tossing his own bag in the back along with the briefcase he had with all the paperwork from the hospital. Once his dad got into the drivers' seat Ed had managed to maneuver enough to put his seatbelt on and close the door.

"Glad to be leaving son?"

"Yeah, but not looking forward to all the make-up work for school."

His father nodded and closed his door, put on his seatbelt and started the van. Once he'd backed out and they made it down the five levels to the exit and paid the parking fee and they headed out of the parking garage. It wasn't until they were well away from the hospital that he felt relief pass through him, he was finally actually out of the hospital. His father waited a while before he turned to him, "I'm had them give you medical leave at school. You will still receive credit for the time you were there for but as you're a college student you can start where you left off in the summer semester."

"So what am I supposed to do for this semester then?"

"Edward, it's nearly a month into this spring semester and you're still recovering."

"So what, I'm going to go crazy doing nothing for the next four months."

"As its college you have more than enough make up work to do and there's no point enrolling you in the spring semester. I will get the work you need for the rest of the fall semester you missed and you can enroll in the summer semester to make up for the spring semester."

"Fine, whatever old man, but what am I going to do between now and then?"

"The work from the fall semester that you missed."

"That won't take up all four months until summer."

"Yes, you're right; with your intellect you should be finished with that amount of school work within a month or two. How about this, you wanted to continue with your martial arts didn't you?"

"Yeah, are you serious?"

"It would give you something to do and I'm sure Miss Winry would agree that it could help you with the rehabilitation and controlling your automail. I know you and Al still practice what you know all the time."

"That's fine with me."

Ed noticed the smirk on his fathers' face but he had his own grin on his face so he could care less about it. By the time they got back to the house Ed was more than ready to go up to his room and relish in the feeling of finally being at home. For the rest of the morning and into the afternoon he enjoyed the peace and privacy his own room offered him. The only thing he came across that dampened his mood was the sight of his violin sitting in its' case again his bookshelf. Not even bothering to open the case he walked out of his room and headed for the study across the hall which is where he was when he heard Al come home from school bringing Winry with him.

He heard the three talking to his father downstairs before the two headed upstairs and called out for him. "I'm in here," he called out to them and when they came into the study he grinned at them. Al and Winry exchanged glances; it was oddly tenuous between them before Winry asked him, "Have you talked to Sasuke yet?"

"Uh, no, maybe I should though . . ."

"Ah, maybe not brother," Al began, "I mean it's been really rough with everyone over there and all," okay now Ed definitely knew something was up. His brother wasn't usually a very great liar, at least not to him. Something was going on and he knew it had to do with that somberness that everyone had expressed in moments when they thought he wasn't paying attention. Now that he was home his temperament wasn't stretched so thin but that did not mean he was going to tolerate the lying and avoidance.

"What the hell is going on?"

"Kids, how's pizza for dinner?" Al and Winry looked a bit relieved for the distraction but Ed beat them to it by calling out, "That's fine old man," and turned a glare to them, "what's going on?"

"Ed, something happened while you were at the hospital," Winry began.

"You don't watch T.V. brother so there's no way you would have found out."

"And a lot of people are really freaked out about it. The doctor and those paramedics we met when I first met the Kudo's were involved and it's just . . . well a lot happened . . ."

"What happened," he asked a bit apprehensive now. He had a feeling that it was really bad from their expressions and he knew for certain whom it pertained to from what they had said. Al sighed and said calmly, "Brother, I really don't know how to explain what happened."

"We could just show you, but we'd need a computer or something," Winry said and turned to head downstairs, "I'll go ask your dad if we can use his."

"What happened Al," he asked his brother once she'd walked out and headed down the stairs. Al took a seat at his own desk, "It wasn't just what happened that effected Sasuke and Naruto's family, it was a lot of families that lost loved ones. Didn't you notice the tighter security everywhere?"

"Well sure, but I just thought it was because some politician was paranoid or something."

"That's putting it lightly," Al said, "it's really huge brother, and it's tragic and horrifying . . ."

"Edward," they both turned to see their father standing in the doorway to the study, "you two follow me. I will show you what none of us can put into words son."

Ed got to his feet right after Al did and they followed their father into his office and took a seat. Winry sat down on the small couch by the door while Hoenheim sat behind his desk and turned on his computer. A few minutes went by before he managed to load what he looking for and he turned the monitor around so that they could all see what was on the screen. With a click the video began to play and Ed found himself watching in muted horror of what was taking place. New York City was nothing but smoke, he could no more turn his eyes away from the carnage and destruction than he could tune out the audio of what was going on. The towers, the lives lost, the fear and confusion and devastation was palpable and he was left in utter shock.

When the next video played showing the Pentagon he was at a loss for words and then the flight where the passengers bravely sacrificed their own lives to prevent the plane from reaching its destination filled him with pride along with sorrow. He couldn't believe that this had happened and he was completely oblivious to it. Even though he was not born in this country to witness such terrorism and death taking place angered him, how could anyone willingly do such a horrendous thing and kill thousands? When his father started a new video that showed the President announcing what would be done and declaring war against terrorism he couldn't help but to think that it was a little late for such a decision to be made, why not do something before this happened to prevent it from ever happening?

"This . . . how the hell did I not even . . ."

"Brother . . ." Al started but Ed shook his head and cut his brother off, "I guess I ought to keep up with what's going on around me more often huh?"

"Edward, there was no way; you were recovering from a very extensive and painful surgical procedure."

"You two probably watched this happen when it occurred," Ed commented.

"Yes, and it took weeks before any deaths were confirmed. More than just those there on the scene were killed; many of the firefighters, police, and paramedics lost their lives trying to save lives."

"Yeah . . . both of you said that it's been really rough for Sasuke and Naruto . . ."

"Yes, the positive thing is that Sasuke's family has reconciled with Tidus and his family at least."

"What, why?"

"Well . . ." Winry glanced to his father and Ed really wished she'd stop doing that, asking for permission from everyone else before she said anything to him. His father nodded to her and glanced his way at the grimace that crossed his face and gave a slight shrug. Winry looked away from him as she said, "I don't know if you remember Shuyin, but he was there in New York City when it happened. Yuna's parents were there too."

"What were all of them doing there?"

"Yuna's parents worked in the Towers and Shuyin was there for business I guess, or maybe to speak to them. Riku and Sora and Kairi were there because they all work in the medical field. Kairi happened to be one of the doctor's that volunteered to go to the scene to treat any of the patients she could so they would be stable enough to be moved to the hospital."

"Riku and Sora were paramedics, so they naturally were there to help move people from the wreckage and were caught in the debris from the second tower collapsing."

Ed took a deep breath, he couldn't imagine any of it, what the families were going through, what it had been like to be there, and none of it was within reach of his imagination. It was too much of a shock to even conceive of how he would have reacted in such a situation and to know those who were directly affected he had no idea what he could say to them, sorry about your loss seemed cold and impersonal to him. On this scale of devastation it seemed like something you would say to someone who lost their childhood toy or a pet turtle or something along those lines.

"Brother?"

"I . . . I'm going to my room," he said before he got to his feet and walked out of the office and did just as he said he would. He distantly heard his father telling Winry and Al to let him be, it was like they were worlds away at the moment anyway so he was grateful for the time to think over what he'd learned. He felt ashamed that he was out of the loop for so long, he should have known something, anything, but he'd been so focused on his own recovery that he didn't have any notion to find out what was going on outside of that hospital. No wonder the staff seemed a bit distant and distracted and that everyone was so depressed when they weren't putting on an act for him.

Closing his bedroom door he moved to his bed and sat down, after a few minutes of deliberation he grabbed his cell phone from his night stand and ran through his contacts until he found Sasuke's number. After a moment of hesitation he sent the raven a text with a simple 'Hey' and left it at that. By the time he got a reply the pizza had arrived downstairs with the sound of a doorbell. As usual, the other seemed to know without words what was going through his head. His reply wasn't a simple text message but his phone actually ringing.

"Hey Sas'."

"Hn, what's with the somber tone of voice?"

"I just-" he had no idea what he could say and he almost wanted to comment on the scratchy sound of his friend's voice. He wondered if that was permanent or just because his friend was tired or emotional or something but he went with the latter considering who his friend was.

"You're naturally in your own world, I'm surprised they bothered to tell you what happened on 9/11 considering the length of time that has to pass before you realize that you're a year older."

"Oh, hell, my birthday did pass already didn't it, " he replied mockingly. He let out a sigh, "Sas' . . . how . . . how'd you know that I found out anyway? I mean . . . hell, I can't even . . ."

"Shut up moron," the raven snapped at him effectively cutting him off. When he was about to say something else his usually stoic, sarcastic friend said, "From my understanding you are not one to dwell in self pity."

He looked to the door at the knock and Al's voice called, "Brother, pizza is here."

"Yeah, thanks Al," he replied before he returned to the conversation, "You're an asshole you know that? How are things on your end?"

"Other than all the scars and depression, given the circumstances, great," the sarcasm could have cut a solid path between them even through the distance.

"Thanks Sas' I appreciate your enthusiasm."

"Instead of blaming yourself for living in your own world you should just show up one day. My mother and your father talk about us behind our backs constantly anyway."

"I figured that was how I avoided being bombarded with questions constantly," he said with a chuckle.

"Lucky you."

"Brother, the pizza is going to get cold," Al called obviously still waiting in the hall for him.

"Yeah, yeah," he sighed and said through the phone, "Later Sas'."

"Hn," was all he got before he was hung up on. No amount of hospital time was ever going to change how much of a bastard his friend was. At least his friend didn't seem that beat up about what happened but Ed had a feeling that had to do with the 'Uchiha' upbringing more than anything else. He could get from the differences between Sasuke and Tidus that the two didn't get along because when it came to the way both displayed emotion, one barely a noticeable twitch of an eyebrow or the darkening of the eyes and the other an open display that there was some hostility and difference of opinion on what it entails to be strong.

Closing his phone and pocketing it he finally got up and opened his door to follow his younger brother downstairs to eat dinner. It was a mostly silent gathering for the majority of the meal but at the very least Ed had decided that he would pay his friend a visit tomorrow with all this free time he had. A start of a conversation was brought up when he asked, "Do you know if Sas' was able to start school for the spring semester?"

"According to Mikoto-san they decided that it was better to delay his education long enough for time to recover from what occurred."

"After that shit with Oro-whatever or after the whole 9/11 disaster?"

"Both, it's likely that the two of you will be spending your new free time together considering your inquiry."

"Yeah, guess so. Thanks for dinner," he said and got ready to get up. Winry stood up right before him and decided what he was going to do next by saying, "I need to look over your automail, during the first year it needs maintence pretty regularly."

"Miss Winry, I mentioned earlier to Edward that perhaps martial arts would be a good way to give him something do to while he is out of school. I was wondering what you thought of that?"

"Ah, alright," Ed muttered and got to his feet as Al and his father declared they would take care of cleaning up the kitchen. Following Winry up to his room he made his way to his desk and sat down she smirked and pointed to the bed, "Sit and strip, I can't work around those layers." Following her directions he watched her walk out of the room to most likely grab her bag from the study from when she and Al had gone to the study to greet him earlier. Tossing her bag on the floor by the bed she knelt down to sift through it until she found a rolled up bit of cloth which she tossed on the bed. He made to reach for it but she smacked his hand and smirked at the grimace he sent her way.

She untied the cloth that kept it closed and unrolled it on the bed and he noticed that it had all kinds of tools in it. It had to be a travel size tool kit because he could have sworn that the other one she had was a hell of a lot bigger when she had it at the hospital. He shifted on the bed when she finally got up to sit cross legged on the bed next to him moving the tool kit to make room and grabbed his automail arm by the wrist.

"How much control were you able to gain?"

"Not that much, I-"

She let go of his arm, "Show me, that would be easier wouldn't it?"

He nodded grateful for that, he really wasn't all that great with words anyway. He opened and closed his fist, rotated his wrist a bit, and made a fist to stretch one finger out at a time. After he did that he flexed the elbow a few times and then rotated his shoulder over and over again. She nodded to him and then said, "That's good, what about your dexterity?"

"Uh, well I don't crush cups or anything anymore at least."

"That's good, hmm," she looked around and got off the bed to try and find something that he couldn't figure out. He saw her glance at the violin and was grateful she turned away from that but then she grabbed a book off of his shelf and came over to him holding the book out. He took it and opened it before setting it on his lap. She watched him and said, "Turn the pages with your right hand, not the left."

He nodded and did as she asked, he could turn the pages just fine, but it was usually five pages at once. She put her left index finger to her cheek and clicked her tongue thoughtfully for a minute, "Alright, so you're still applying too much pressure. You'll get the hang of it with time; you do have a good handle on it already."

He closed the book with a nod, "Thanks I guess."

"You can keep practicing with the book and I would suggest spending some time playing video games and typing to further progress your dexterity in your fingers."

"Alright, that doesn't sound too bad."

She smiled and he returned her smile just because she had graced him with it before she sat down next to him once more and went through the motions of checking the joints, screws, wires, and bolts were in order. Once she finished with that and showed him once again how to apply the oil and made him do it just to prove that he did it right she concluded that it was time for her to head home. While she gathered her tools and put them back in her bag he watched her for a moment before he said, "How are you getting home?"

"From here I usually just catch the bus, don't worry about it."

"The bus, why the bus my old man could give you a ride home."

"Yes, well I sometimes ask your dad to give me a ride too," she replied with a smirk as she zipped up her bag and slipped the strap over her shoulder. He shook his head at her and was forced to lean back a bit where he still sat on his bed when she closed the distance between them to stand over him, one of her hands held onto the strap on her shoulder while her other hand, still a bit greasy from handling her tools grabbed the his braid. He swallowed from the close proximity and looked up into her eyes just before she said, very softly, "Well, I would have you take me home but you don't have a license yet now do you Edward?"

"No, not yet," he managed to whisper back before she kissed him, he would have tried to take control of the kiss but her hand holding his braid kept him still and her in control so he just let her do as she pleased. He had no objections to her tongue running along his lip and parted his lips obligingly allowing her access. Once her tongue traced over his teeth he said the hell with it and lifted his left hand to the back of her neck wanting to pull her closer to him but she tugged on his hair forcing them to part and kept hold of his braid.

Before he could say a word she leaned forward to nip at his neck pulling a short gasp of surprise from him before she let go and stepped back. Too stunned to do much more than stare at her she made it to the door and offered him a parting smile before saying, "Goodnight Edward," and she was heading downstairs. He heard his father's voice call out to him to let him know that he was taking Winry home and then the front door closing. Scowling at the way she had played him and taunted him and teased him he licked his lips and grinned at the taste of her on his lips.

He could still remember the smell of her, that oil and honey scent was like heaven for him, he could bet she didn't even wear perfume, she was more the tomboyish type anyway. Damn she was really good at catching him off guard and taking advantage of those moments. It was twice now she'd done that unexpectantly and twice she'd made sure she was the one in control the entire time. At least she was smart enough to not push him too far that it was painful when she put things to a halt. He jumped when his brother knocked on his door and looked up.

Al smirked and Ed flushed from the look before he turned away with a scowl, "What?"

"She did it again didn't she?"

"Did what?"

"Don't play dumb brother, I walked past on my way to the study, I saw the two of you."

"Yeah, so what," he muttered with a deeper blush.

"It's perfectly natural brother, she is your girlfriend and it's Winry after all."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"Oh come on brother, you two are going out so you already announced it to everyone that you like her."

"I was asking about you saying 'it's Winry after all', what did you mean by that Alphonse."

It was his younger brothers' time to flush and that was when Ed caught it and chuckled, "I didn't know you liked her too Al."

"What's not to like about Winry brother? She's smart and pretty and she's really strong. You're lucky brother."

"Yeah," Ed agreed with a genuine smile, "I am." He looked to his brother with a encouraging grin, "You'll find someone Al, don't rush it you're still young."

Al laughed, "So are you brother," the younger said with a smirk, "You're only sixteen."

"Yeah, yeah, and you're what, fourteen?"

"Don't act like you don't know how old I am. Sometimes I have to wonder why you're the older of the two of us with the way you act."

"Hey, you brat," Al just laughed and walked out of the room calling over his shoulder, "homework," and closing the door behind him just in time to avoid his older brother throwing a book at him. Ed let out a sigh and lay back on his bed to stare up at his ceiling. He at least had the martial arts to look forward to, and he needed to go up to the college tomorrow and talk to his professors about all the make-up work he needed. Despite all the shit he'd gone through over the last few months and what had led to that and then learning about what had happened while he was in the hospital he felt a sense of calm, almost contentment because he was really grateful for what he did have in his life.

The Following Day . . .

Hoenheim was kind enough to offer Ed a ride to the college seeing as how he worked there and was accustomed to taking Al to school over the course of the last few months while Ed was in the hospital. Once they were parked Ed was sure he was going to the Dean's office alone but his father was following after him to which he cocked an eyebrow and asked, "What are you coming with for?"

"Hmm," Hoenheim said a bit distracted before he looked to his older son, "Ah well I fell behind a great deal during this and the Dean had asked that I stop by sometime to discuss whether or not I required anymore time off."

"Okay, two birds with one stone kind of thing then?"

"Ah, yes, you could say that," the elder Elric replied with a smirk, "Although, as I recall, my son is also a minor, so my presence is required of course."

Ed shrugged, which caused him just a bit of pain but not unbearable. His nerves were still not that used to the automail quite yet. The pain of moving the arm in the same way he was accustomed to doing with his real limb was becoming less and less the more he used it so at least that was something. He wasn't all that confident about the dexterity though regardless of what Winry said, he wondered how he was going to work out the whole scholarship thing now that he couldn't play the violin anymore. He looked up at the sound of a cheerful and bright voice greeting them and realized that he'd walked the rest of the way to the Dean's office on autopilot.

Offering her a smile after she had greeted them both he took a seat to wait. His father was called in first for that prementioned discussion and a few minutes passed before he was told by Miss Kaleen that the Dean would see him now. Ed remembered the first day he'd come to this office and seen the secretary, she had caught his attention alright, and hell he could bet she always had that effect on the male species in general. While she did dress relatively professional in pant suit outfits without the jacket while in the office her appearance alone was enough to startle anyone. She was well endowed, kinda like Winry actually only a little more so given that this Miss Kaleen was a grown woman. She had long, wavy, black hair and intelligent eyes that always seemed to have this seductive look to them. It was a bit unsettling when she fixed her gaze on him but he almost always managed to break her gaze and go about his business when he was here.

He could feel her gaze on his back as he made his way into the Dean's office but shook it off after he was told to close the door behind him and have a seat. His father looked at him questionably but he just shook his head and did as he was instructed. The Dean was a older man, graying hair that gave his dark hair a salt and pepper appearance, Ed recognized the man from the academy. It happened to be the principal for the senior level classes at the academy, Bradley was the only name given and Ed had not cared to delve for a first name. While the man was mostly laid back and personable Ed felt like something was off, something the older man was hiding that was dangerous for some reason but other than that he found it easy to get along with him.

The older man made himself comfortable in his chair behind his large desk and always there seemed to be a fatherly smile on his face as he regarded Ed who just offered a small one in return. "So, Edward, it's good to see you are on the road to recovery. How is your new arm treating you?"

Ed was a bit shocked by that, seeing as how his 'new arm' was covered up by his shirt, coat, and gloves but his father said casually, "I had to provide an ample reason you were going to be absent for such a stretch of time Edward."

Ed glanced to his father a bit of relief passing through him and nodded to the Dean, "It's coming along good I guess. Uh, but I can't really play the violin anymore."

"Ah yes, understandable of course. So I take it your concern, other than the great amount of school work you have fallen back on, is in regards to your previous scholarship?"

"Yes sir, I guess I should also speak with my professors about all the work I missed."

"No need for that, I explained the situation to your instructors and had Miss Kaleen gather up the necessary work for you. Of course you understand that you will have to wait until next semester to continue your education?"

"Yes sir, I sort of figured that."

"Good, well then, let's see what we can do about your scholarship. I do believe a discussion with our financial advisors is in order. I would not like to see such a promising student leave us on account of something like money. A good education is of upmost importance, wouldn't you two agree?"

"Yes, of course Dean," Hoenheim answered as his son nodded.

"Hmm," Bradley leaned forward in his chair to grab the folder that lay on his desk and thumbed through it a bit before he reached over to his phone and said into the speaker, "Miss Kaleen, could you have Wolfe come to my office please?"

"Yes sir, right away," was the answering reply. Bradley sat back in his chair and looked to the folder in his hands again for a moment before he lowered it to his desk to regard father and son. Ed could swear that he'd heard the name Wolfe somewhere before and couldn't remember having ever met anyone by that name when he'd first spoken to the financial aid supervisors. Bradley's expression changed to a smile as he regarded his young student, "Wolfe is quite the unusual name isn't it?"

"I was about to inquire about that," Hoenheim stated casually, "it's a striking name I cannot recall having heard before."

"Ah, of course not, he's a recent addition to the staff here. I'm afraid our last head of the financial department could not stay with us, family emergency. He's a friendly and respectful young man. From what I see here," he tapped the open folder on his desk, "there should not be all that much trouble at all in changing the scholarship requirements."

"An academic scholarship perhaps?"

"I was thinking along the same lines given Edward's G.P.A. and his prowess in any and all science classes thus far."

"But, with my missing so much my G.P.A. can't be that great right now," Ed commented.

"Hmm, yes, however, the board understands about your medical emergency. I assure you Edward, as long as you manage to finish up what you missed in a timely fashion there should be no problem."

There was a knock at the door and all three gazes turned to watch the man Wolfe enter the room. Ed froze in place a flash of the face of a man names Kimblee from those encounters in England. He never had caught the guy's full name and there was no guarantee that whatever name he was given was real anyway, or hell that the name the guy used now was his real name. He wanted to think this couldn't possibly be the same person but the likeness was too similar. His father had gone rather still in his seat but he rose to his feet effectively giving Ed time to regain his composure at the shocking presence to greet the man.

The man was tall, pale, and had a definite European appearance to him, sharp angles and high cheekbones but not overly so. His dark hair was tied back in a ponytail at the nape of his neck and he wore a khaki colored suit with a white shirt. His hat matched his suit and he took it off to offer them a polite greeting to which he bowed and said, "Good morning gentlemen, how can I be of service?"

"I would appreciate you providing assistance to the Elric's in regards to the paperwork and requirements of Edward's scholarship."

"Of course Mr. Bradley, it would be my honor," the relaxed stance the man held and the companionable smile on his face didn't make Ed feel any better about being around the bastard again. As his father shook hands with Mr. Wolfe and they politely exchanged names and pleasantries his father looked back at him and made a very slight motion for him to get to his feet. Ed shoved his uneasiness down and put on a brave face as he got to his feet, he nodded in greeting after a prompting from his father who place a hand on his flesh shoulder and squeezed it. Bradley had risen to his feet and came to stand by the three of them, that easygoing smile in place as he addressed Mr. Wolfe, "I'm sure you would rather deal with this matter in your office, if you don't mind?"

"Of course, right this way gentlemen," the man said with a smile in return and turned to the door and held it open in invitation. Hoenheim turned to Bradley, "Thank you for all of your help Dean."

"Not at all, have a pleasant day and ask Miss Kaleen for that work Edward," the older man said with a look at the mentioned teenager. He had caught that Mr. Wolfe, as he was calling himself now, had not given the name Kimblee as his name but went with something of the prementioned country Ed knew the guy was from, Mauro, which was Italian. Whatever, he knew the story and knew the asshole was the guy from before but until he made a move then Ed would just play nice. Taking the lead not wanting the asshole at his back, which his father seemed to agree with seeing as how the other motioned him through the door with a hand at his back.

Ed avoided looking at the 'Financial Advisor' and turned his attention to the woman at the desk outside the office, "Uh, the Dean said to ask you about my work from my professors."

She offered him a sultry smile that would have made him blush if he wasn't used to her and didn't have a girl closer to his age and much more appealing in personality he was dating. Hell he wouldn't wish anyone on this woman, she fit into the role of Black Widow or Vixen or something to him. For some reason he had a thought to go talk to Mustang and his staff or whatever about the developing issues around him, especially with Kimblee around and his suspicions regarding Miss Kaleen. Hell, he should have spoken with that smug git or at least Hues about it, that man was always telling him to follow his gut and his gut told him that both her and Kimblee, or Mauro, were nothing but trouble.

"Of course Edward, just a moment," she turned to get out of her chair and made her way around the desk causing him to turn. Mr. Wolfe inclined his head at her to which she smirked as she made her way to the filing cabinets on the other side of the room. She opened the second drawer of the filing cabinet closest to the window at the end of the room and withdrew a stack of thick folders, Ed made to go over and help her out but his father and the Italian beat him to it for which he was grateful. She chuckled at their assistance and Mauro turned to say politely, "Perhaps a trip to your car Mr. Elric would be ideal."

"Hmm, yes, I would rather not have to carry this lot around with me," Miss Kaleen came over to Ed and held out the stack the two men had left her with. Ed took it from her with a nod, "Thank you Miss Kaleen."

"Edward, I have told you plenty of times before to call me Jasmine."

He offered what he hoped looked like an embarrassed smile and said politely, to the shock of his father, "I'd rather call you Miss Kaleen."

She gave a soft laugh at that and patted his shoulder, her hand cold enough to make him want to shudder before she returned to her seat behind the desk. "Do take care gentlemen," she offered politely as they made their way out of the office and down the hall. Walking downstairs with the thick stacks of paper wasn't quite as difficult as he would believe the strength of the automail was definite and he carried it easily enough in the cradle of his right arm. His left had gotten tired about half way down the stairs and he wasn't feeling quite as energetic as usual considering all the time spent in the hospital resigned to an uncomfortable bed most of the time.

His father unlocked the trunk and opened it after handing off his own stack of papers to his son and together the three of them managed to fit them in the trunk around the tools and forgotten books inside. The trunk was closed and then his father offered gratitude to Mr. Wolfe for his help and the man brushed off the thanks politely and asked them to follow him to his office. The financial aid office was of course on the other side of the campus not that Ed would mind all the walking on a normal day but he really was feeling like shit today, after the sudden appearance of a known enemy and the bullshit of him having to reign in his control to not punch the fucker or rip out his throat upon arrival was draining him. His father kept glancing at him concerned but Ed just kept silent for the walk and let out a grateful sigh when they finally reached their destination and he got to sit down.

"Still recovering, he was only released yesterday after all," Hoenheim explained alerting Ed that 'Mauro' had asked if he was alright.

"My apologies, I should have realized," Mauro commented with what looked to be an embarrassed smile.

Ed wanted to scoff and reach across the desk and hit the guy but he just settled with sitting up straight in his chair, "I'm fine."

His father chuckled at his petulant glare and said calmly, "Edward, please be nice."

"Oh no, it's quite alright Mr. Elric. Now then, I am going to pull up your paperwork and get your transcripts together. I am sure we can figure something out for you when you return next semester."

"How long is this going to take?"

"Hmm, well it depends on the difficulty I will have. Possibly an hour or two."

"Ah, well I have a class to get to," this made Ed sit up fully and turn his gaze to his father who wasn't looking at him, "how long do you usually work until Mr. Wolfe?"

"I will be here until seven this evening if you would prefer to reschedule until after your classes."

"Hmm, yes, that would be ideal. I'm sorry for the inconvenience."

"Not at all, what time would suit your schedule?"

"How about five this evening?"

The man turned to look at his calendar before turning back to them with a polite smile, "That will do, until later this evening then."

All three of them stood up and exchanged handshakes, Ed was mindful not to shake with his left hand in case the guy did anything to warrant the need to be punched in the face. Before he could turn around and head out of the office Mr. Wolfe said casually, "I look forward to seeing what kind of student you are Edward."

Ed waved a hand over his shoulder, his left, "Yeah, have fun with that," was what he managed as his father followed him out of the office. They made it to the car in silence and it wasn't until they were on the road that Hoenheim asked, "I take it you recognize that man?"

"What the hell," Ed turned to his father in shock, "how could you not-after you said you . . . that was, of fuck it. I want to talk to Mustang."

"Edward?"

"Yeah, I know, not something I'd usually volunteer for that, but yeah, so just uh take me home and I'll call the git."

The rest of the car ride went by intense silence and Ed didn't say anything and when the car was parked in the driveway he got out wordlessly and waited for the trunk to be opened where he grabbed all the stacks of his work and headed for the door waiting impatiently for his father to come to the door and unlock it. He wanted to put his fist through a wall right now and he had to go back to the college and see the fucker later today. His father had closed up and locked the car and made his way to the door, unlocked it and pushed the door open for his eldest son. "Edward, what is wrong?"

Ed ignored him and headed up to the study upstairs where he put the paperwork on his desk. He turned just as his father came to the doorway, "Edward, who was that man?"

"Did you never actually meet those three assholes or something," Ed growled.

"Those three, the ones . . ." realization passed over the elder Elric's face and then shock before he cleared his throat, "I can't say that I have. At least not this person in particular."

"Then who did you have a run-in with because that Mauro Wolfe is that jackass Kimblee."

"Are you sure Edward?"

Ed jumped at the sound of his right hand slamming down on the desk as did his father, "Yes, I'm fucking sure. I remember his mother fucking face very fucking well. How is it you didn't see them but you could tell me about them?"

"Edward, I had a hand to play in putting them in prison but I'm afraid the only one that I actually met was the man that calls himself Greed."

"Which is why you didn't react the same fucking way, how could you be so calm when-"

"Son, I was concerned of course, but I felt it better to act with some amount of decorum."

"Yeah, whatever, forget it, maybe Mustang will know something and I can figure out what that son of a bitch is doing here, in America, in fucking Cambridge. So go to work or something," Ed turned his attention to going to his room to grab his cell phone and at the sound of his father's footsteps following he slammed his bedroom door behind him. Browsing through his contact list he found Hawkeye, the only guaranteed way he'd get a hold of the fucker. Knowing it was the middle of a school day he didn't expect her to answer but he hit the call button anyway and waited.

After about three rings her stoic, professional voice came on the line, "Hello Edward, while I am glad that you are well enough to call . . ."

"I need to talk to the smug git, preferably before like five tonight and figured you were the best one to call to get a hold of him."

"I'm afraid he is busy, however I can have him call you back later. Would you like to speak with Hues?"

"Uh," he thought about it for a minute, "uh sure, that would be okay too."

"Alright, I will have him call you right away then. Are you alright?"

"Yeah, I'm fine, just uh . . . yeah I need to speak with Hues or Mustang though."

"We should hang up so that I can contact Hues."

"Okay, thanks Hawkeye."

"Of course Edward, I do hope that you know that you can also talk to me should you need to."

"I know, and thanks again," he waited for her to hang up before he hit the end button. It wasn't but a few minutes later when his phone rang again and by then he had taken a seat on the end of his bed.

"Edward," was the greeting, a serious tone of voice that meant the other man knew better than to think this phone conversation was social. "What is going on?"

"I'm surprised you don't already know, nosey as you are."

"What's going on?"

"Hmm, well there is this new financial advisor at the college and I'm fucking sure I know the fucker by another name. Surely you and that git would realize if someone dangerous happened to be employed at the college I am attending right?"

The other line was silent for a while, "You must be speaking of Mauro Wolfe, correct?"

"No," Ed snapped snidely, "of course fucking not! What the hell, I would have liked to have been told that one of the fuckers that nearly killed me was in the same fucking city as me and my brother you know!"

"I'm sorry Edward, but as we cannot do anything about his presence it was better you didn't know."

"Better I didn't," Ed jumped to his feet, "fuck that. I'm not a little fucking kid and that also tried to kill me along with his damn buddies. I deserve to know when a threat is in the vicinity. Seeing as how the last time I found out late I ended up half dead in the hospital along with my best friend."

"Edward, please calm down," Hues said a bit exasperated.

Ed took in a deep breath and let it out through clenched teeth, "Fine, I'm calm. Why in the hell did you two tell me about this?"

"We are still trying to find out why he is here, unless of course you can enlighten us."

"Yeah, second shot at me, chance to get his hands on whatever the fuck his boss wants him to get, a shot at my family and friends, hell if I know. He's a walking time bomb with a split personality."

"What do you mean Edward?"

"What I mean," Ed let out a sigh and ran his hand not holding the phone to his ear through his hair grateful it wasn't automail which pulled and snagged his hair. "I met each one of them in turn on the street in public a few times. I didn't make the connection 'til it was too late. I was being tailed, of course, and well he seemed friendly enough when I ran into him. The other two not so much, but . . . when those goons finally teamed up on me he was mostly the same as usual . . ."

"However, when things started to get dire he only made it worse for you?"

"Yeah, very much so. The other two are insane too, but Kimblee is beyond that."

"Could you perhaps be more specific?"

"Well, let's see, he likes blowing shit up, especially if I happen to be around it. He has a thing for sharp objects, and he doesn't care much for guns. Oh, and he's an alchemist to add to that."

"Meaning dangerous with a split personality and alchemy to add to the dangerous part then?"

"Yeah. So, again, why the hell didn't you think to inform me he was close by?"

"Well, I will have a word with Mustang about that seeing as how he had to deal with the man in the past."

"But, wait, military never mind. But you were in the military with him. So what, you didn't have run in's with him?"

"Not so much, I was a foot soldier. Roy was an alchemist so he had more interaction with the guy."

"Well hell, guess I owe that fucker a black eye the next time I see him then."

Hues chuckled on the other end even though the other man knew that Ed was serious, he would like nothing more than the punch that arrogant asshole. Ed sat back down on the edge of his bed after a moment of silence fell between them, "Guess I will just talk to you later, after I chew out Mustang when I talk to him."

"Edward, be careful will you?"

"Yeah, guess you too."

"Of course," Hues said cheerfully on the other end before they told one another goodbye and hung up. Sighing irritably because of Mustang pulling his same old bullshit with him, lying to him again really pissed him smooth off the same way it always had. Why wasn't he surprised anyway, the asshole pulled this shit when he went to the academy and still did it now. Running his hand through his hair and he jumped when his phone rang again and looked at who was calling before he sat up and flipped it open to answer, "Hello?"

"I am enormously bored."

"Well, and?"

"Hn."

"Oh no asshole, you called me. By the way, Mustang is a jackass."

"Yes, we have discerned this."

"Have you heard of Kimblee?"

"No," he friend answered shortly. Ed sighed and got to his feet, "well fuck telling you about it over the phone. I'll be there in a few."

"Hn."

"Your cousins still there?"

"No, working."

"Good, later." Ed pocketed his phone and scanned his room for a moment then checked his pockets. He still had his wallet and watch and phone and keys in his pockets so he headed out of his room and down the stairs and out his front door. Fishing his keys from his pocket he turned around to close and lock his door and had to fight a spell of dizziness all of a sudden. Turning so his back was against the door he waited for it to pass before blinking his eyes open and muttering under his breath, "Really out of it right now," before pushing himself off the door and heading down the road. He was glad that Sasuke's parents hadn't decided to move and that since he had moved to this neighborhood they were closer now. Making his way down the sidewalk he would have allowed his thoughts to run away from him but knowing Kimblee was around made him too uneasy and tense to allow for it.

It didn't take long, though longer than it usually would, to reach his best friend's house and before he could even knock on the front door he was greeted by Mikoto opening the door. "Hello there Edward-kun," hell she was probably pissed at him or something to be using his full first name instead of that ridiculous nickname.

With a sheepish smile he said, "Hello Mikoto-san."

"What are you doing wandering the neighborhood unescorted and not but a full day after being released from the hospital?"

"I . . . uh, I was bored."

"Likely excuse, well come in dear, no sense in sending you back to an empty house."

"Thank you Mikoto-san."

She stepped aside holding the door open to allow him entrance and no sooner than he had stepped inside, she closed the door, and he removed his shoes he was pulled into a hug. He wanted to pull back because of the automail and the certainty that she would notice but she let go and held him by his shoulders, "I'm glad to see you are alright. Sasuke-chan is in his room."

"Kasaan," the voice of the mentioned Uchiha reprimanded his mother as he made his presence known, he glared at Ed since he couldn't glare at his mother but Ed just chuckled. He'd also chuckled considering the raven haired teenager's choice of word for addressing Mrs. Uchiha, it wasn't a word he heard his friend use often, mostly he chose the more traditional and formal word for mother.

"Hi Sas', feeling any better?"

"Hn," the raven said before turning and back up the stairs to his room, Ed bowed his head respectively to Mikoto before he turned and headed up the stairs after his friend. Once he'd closed the door behind him and crossed the room to sit in the chair at the desk he turned to Sasuke sitting on the edge of his bed. His best friend definitely looked better than he had that night but still paler than was his usual, which was hard to tell given how pale the raven was already. But another thing he noticed was that when the raven had turned there was some hesitation in his movements like the muscles were stiff. He could also see the scar along his friend's throat and the ones on his face but the rest of them were hidden beneath the black sweater and sweat pants.

"So, how've you been?"

"The same as you asked yesterday," Sasuke replied in monotone. Ed glared at him for his tone, "Yeah, great, how is everyone else then?"

"Hn."

"Such a great conversationalist you are," Ed replied with much sarcasm.

"Who is Kimblee?"

"Straight to the point then, damn, I was hoping in the time it took me to get here you would have forgotten."

A scoff this time to which Ed smirked before he tried to simplify an explanation for the crazed Italian that had recently shown up in Cambridge. Hell the guy had great acting skills seeing as how there was no hint of an Italian accent when he'd spoken. But he already knew that given the split personality bit the jackass slid back and forth through without even blinking.

"He is this psychotic, skitzo, Italian asshole I had a run in with back in London."

"And?"

"And, well he and his comrades or whatever made a new hobby of beating the living hell out of me back in England."

"You're American dialog has grown quite a bit since you've been here."

"Yeah no shit. Anyway, he's working at Harvard or some shit and Mustang, the smug git, didn't think it was a great idea to tell me one of the fuckers that tried to kill me when I was younger had shown up in Cambridge and worked at the college I am currently attending."

"Hmm, well if this person is as crazy as you claim do you not think he would have already killed you if that were his agenda? Didn't your father tell you differently?"

"Well yeah, but . . ." his mind raced with what Sasuke had just reminded him of. Did this mean that's what they were after, was that the real reason that guy was here? Were the others here as well and there was that woman Miss Kaleen, he had the same vibe coming from her that he got around Kimblee so were they in the same league together?

"Didn't your father give you that journal of your ancestor's?"

"Yeah, you think," of course that was what they wanted. They wanted the stone and he was pretty damn sure that the Edward Elric from the past, his ancestor who he happened to be named after, had figured it out at some point. He already knew the truth about it via his father and that being the reason his old man didn't want him and Al to keep studying alchemy but he'd changed his mind. He had to get back to his house and grab that journal in case the asshole got bold enough to break into his house and steal it or something. Getting to his feet abruptly he cursed when he was forced back down by another, stronger wave of dizziness and his hand went to his forehead as his eyes closed to try and will it away.

"Ed?"

The real concern in Sasuke's voice was something Ed wasn't expecting but he was side tracked with the spinning of the room and the exhaustion that was swamping him. He felt a hand on his shoulder, "I'll get Kasaan," before he could protest the raven's footsteps could be heard leaving the room and then Mikoto's lighter footsteps joined them as his friend returned. By then the spinning had stopped and he could open his eyes but moving was another thing altogether. Damn his body not cooperating with him, he needed to make sure that journal was still in his house and make sure it stayed with him from here on out. He made to get up but a firm hand on his shoulder held him in place alerting him to Mikoto's close proximity.

"You shouldn't be overtaxing yourself, you are still recovering Ed-kun," she said just as firmly as her hand on his shoulder. She turned to regard her son, "Go and get a cool washcloth."

"I'm fine Mikoto-san."

"You're exhausted; I could tell that much when you arrived. I know you have spent a great deal of time recovering already but your body is not accustomed to so much strenuous activity quite yet. You need to lie down and get a bit of rest before you do anything else."

"I need to get home and grab something-"

"You need to rest. Whatever it is you need from your house can wait."

"It really can't, it's important, really important."

"You will lie down and rest and I will have someone run by and grab it for you."

"Right now, please Mikoto-san," he hoped she could see his desperation to get to that journal and would believe him.

"Alright, what is it?"

"A journal," Sasuke answered from the doorway as he returned with the cloth his mother had requested. He handed it over to her and she pulled Ed slowly to his feet and guided him to Sasuke's bed where she helped him lie down and get comfortable. Throwing the blanket folded at the end of the bed over him and placing the cool cloth over his forehead she brushed his bangs out of his eyes and leaned down to kiss his forehead affectionately. Ed yawned as she pulled away and cursed his body mentally as the older woman smiled gently at him.

"A journal," she inquired softly.

"Yeah, red, old, in the study in my desk drawer, the one with the lock."

"Well if the drawer is locked surely it can wait."

"Kasaan, this is serious. That journal has some very dangerous information in it."

"Yeah, please Mikoto-san," Edward said with a glance to his best friend for the help. Sasuke's expression remained stoic as ever but Mikoto nodded in understanding due to her son's explanation. She stood fully, "I will run there myself then and grab it. I expect you two to remain here and I mean exactly here in this room."

"Yes mother," with that and a firm glare at both of them she turned and headed back down the stairs. Ed worried about Mikoto going alone in case she ran into any of those three lunatics but Sasuke seemed to read his mind and said, "If you think your three enemies are dangerous, my mother is even more so. Get some rest."

"If you say so," Ed replied before finally surrendering to sleep, not that he had much of a choice about it. He just hoped Sasuke was right and that his friend's mom would be alright and that the journal wasn't gone. He should have remembered about what his father had told him was their true objective. But he didn't have all the much time to contemplate on his own stupidity as he fell into the abyss of exhausted sleep.

_TBC . . ._


	20. Chapter 20

**Disclaimer: I own little to none of the characters in this story and am making no money from writing this. The characters belong to their respective owners.**

_A/N: And I didn't know where this story was going to lead, hah, got it worked out in my head now but that means there is a long road ahead . . . Moving along, happy reading._

**Chapter 20**

_Even should a tragedy befall us there is still strength within to get back up and continue again.-Misa_

It was already close to noon by the time he was woken up by the loud ringing of his phone, groggily he sat up and flipped the phone open, "'Ello?"

"How pleasant of you to request to speak to me Edward."

With a heartfelt groan at the sound of the other's voice Ed rubbed at his eyes with his left hand to try and wipe the sleep away as everything slowly came back to his consciousness. Kimblee, Mustang knew and didn't tell him, bastard was using a different name but advertising his leniency. Rolling his shoulders and neck to work some of the stiffness out he replied, "Fuck off, why the hell didn't you tell me that bastard was in Cambridge?"

"I did not feel it was any of your concern," was the easy reply over the phone.

"Not my-goddamn you and everyone else that has told me that today. You fucking asshole, that fucker was one of the three assholes that made it a hobby to attack me every chance they had back in London. So it damn well is my goddamn concern if they are here."

Looking around him as Mustang went on to say that no sixteen year old had to be included in professional business or some shit he noticed that Sasuke wasn't around, must be downstairs or something he thought to himself still a bit out of it from his nap. He was feeling a bit better, at least he wasn't as exhausted and he hadn't felt dizzy just yet. He let the other man on the phone continue through his bullshit about rules and regulations and all that jazz as he climbed out of the bed and put the phone on speaker so he could lay it down on the bed and stretch. One of the catches other than the shorter life span and the strain on his body from the automail was of course all the endless knots that worked their way throughout his entire back, or well that was part of the 'strain on his body' bit. Stretching his arms up above his head and rolling his shoulders to stretch his spine then stretching his arms in front of him using the other arm to push and pull on his arm he felt better having all the blood flow back through his muscles. After that he cracked his neck again then hands folded together he stretched his arms straight out in front of him.

Turning back to the phone in which Mustang had fallen silent finally he picked it back up, turned off the speaker phone and held it back to his ear to say, "Are you finished then?"

"Yes," the man said with a bit of irritation in his voice.

"Good, did you talk to Hues?"

"No, should I?"

"Yeah, I'm not telling the story again. Maybe once you speak to that lunatic you'll catch on to what my problem is."

"Where are you?"

"At Sasuke's, why?"

"Just making sure you were not wandering the streets getting into trouble."

"Not my dad, nor my babysitter."

"Thankfully not anymore."

"Oh, shut the hell up," he said before he flipped the phone closed and pocketed it again. Deciding he should probably locate Sasuke and Mikoto, who hopefully was alright he headed out of the room and down the hall to the staircase that would lead downstairs. Calling out his friend's name he wondered at the silence but not overly much considering the stoic teen's pledge to silence most of the time. Considering the size of the two story home Ed thought about calling his best friend when he spotted him in the kitchen. The raven had his cell phone held up to his ear and seemed to be listening to it ring, he hoped it wasn't his mother he was trying to get a hold of.

"Damn it," Sasuke cursed after a few more minutes of constant ringing passed by. Looking up to his visitor he had a scowl on his face that made Ed's stomach twist because of the situation that was formulating in his mind. While they were told to stay in the house however long Sasuke had been trying to get a hold of his mother and remained unsuccessful had to be a while considering his own nap and the level of frustration coming off the youngest of the Uchiha household.

"Is she-"

"She won't answer."

"Look I know she told us to stay here, but she's been gone for a while hasn't she?"

"Over an hour and a half now."

"Shit Sas' why didn't you come wake me up then?"

"Why so you could faint or something along the way of figuring out what the hell happened to her?"

"Fuck off asshole, have you tried reaching anyone else?"

"Everyone else is at work or school."

"Well let's get going then, it's not like her to not answer her phone."

Sasuke nodded silently and they both headed to the door putting on their shoes before Sasuke took his house keys out of his pocket and motioned his best friend out the door. Looking around for any signs that could tell them what was going on but finding nothing out of the ordinary Ed waited on the lawn for Sasuke to close and lock the door. Once the raven had caught up to him the two set off at a quick pace, neither really up to running at the moment regardless of the feeling of foreboding settling over them, towards his house. It didn't take them more than fifteen minutes to get there as they'd lost the fight against running halfway there and Ed looked up at his house cautiously. None of the lights were on seeing as it was early afternoon but it didn't look as though anything was wrong. Mikoto's car was still parked outside in the driveway and there wasn't another vehicle anywhere around.

Heading up to the front door Ed took out his keys, Mikoto had her own key to the house courtesy of his father, and unlocked the door. Motioning to Sasuke to keep a look out while his hand grabbed the doorknob Ed eased the front door open. Peering through the shadowed hallway and seeing nothing he opened the door a bit more and checked that there was no one in the living room or further down the hall where the kitchen was at. It looked peaceful, too damn peaceful considering that Mikoto should be here. Sasuke was getting impatient with his caution so Ed let the door open fully and stepped into the house. He checked the living room once over again and made his way down the hall to the kitchen, everything was just as it usually was, clean and neat, his father had actually turned into a housekeeping through Al's influence. Turning back to meet up with Sasuke who undoubtedly had checked the music room on the other side of the stairs and the library in the back they stopped at the bottom of the stairs.

Ed motioned to the front door to signal Sasuke to close it, which the raven did silently and locked it in case someone decided to sneak up on them they would have some kind of noticed Ed made his way cautiously up the stairs. He would have called out for Mikoto but that gut feeling telling him something was wrong prevented it so he just made his way to the study while he motioned Sasuke to check the rest of the rooms. Easing the door open to the study where he'd told Mikoto that journal was at, he cussed mentally when he saw her crumpled form lying in the middle of the floor. Ignoring pretense to be cautious he called for Sasuke as he closed the distance to check on the unconscious woman.

It didn't look like she was bleeding anywhere but when he searched with gently probing fingers he could feel a knot on her head, whoever it was had hit her from behind. Considering the martial art training that was tradition for those in the Uchiha and Uzumaki families Ed knew it had to be one quick and deadly fucker to have snuck up on Mikoto Uchiha. Sasuke was at his side looking at him while making a movement to move his mother and Ed nodded stepping back as Sasuke turned his mom over and laid her head on his lap.

"I'll go get a cool rag and call the police," Sasuke nodded at the same time as pulling out his phone, no doubt to call his father and alert him to what had happened. In the twenty minutes it had taken the paramedics to arrive he had found that the journal was indeed gone and was told in no uncertain terms by Fugaku Uchiha that Ed was going to accompany them to the hospital whether he liked it or not. Ed knew he had an interrogation ahead of him from the look and tone the older man had given him at the declaration. He and Sasuke rode in the back of the car with Fugaku to the hospital.

It didn't take long for a doctor to arrive and say that Mikoto had only suffered a concussion brought about by a blunt object striking her head. They wanted to keep her for the next forty-eight hours for observation to make sure no complications arose and they were told she should wake up soon. Before Ed could go and see her however he was told to remain where he was while Sasuke was told to go and see his mother so the two of them could talk. He still had not managed to get any kind of approval from Fugaku in any way and he really doubted that now would be the time for it.

"Let us take a walk Edward-san."

He nodded and got to his feet to follow the other out of the waiting room, outside the building and across the parking lot to walk along the sidewalk that circled the building. A few minutes of silence went by before Fugaku stated, "Explain."

With a sigh Ed did, he told the other man in short, to the point terms about those three in London and even went on to describe them and say the names he'd come to know them by as well as telling him about Kimblee definitely being here under the name of Mauro Wolfe, financial aid advisor at Harvard. It took him a moment to figure out how to explain about the journal but he did so quickly telling the man about what his father had told him about the three and his reason for leaving his mom when he and Al were little and then about the ancestor bit and that journal being his ancestor's. After that he explained about him pushing himself too hard because of how the day had gone and ending up at the Uchiha house and then how he'd wanted to go and get the journal from his house, after he'd stupidly realized that had to be what Kimblee was here for and how Mikoto refused to let him go and so had gone herself.

Fugaku was silent for a while before he asked, "Did you decipher the journal's contents?"

"Not entirely."

"Do you have a record of what you have deciphered?"

"Yeah, but it's not at my house."

"Where is it?"

"With the Kudo's, I asked Win' to have her dad hide it for me."

"Who else knows the significance of that journal?"

"Uh, my brother and dad, Sasuke, and you."

"No one else, not even Kudo-san?"

"No one else."

"You should remedy that."

Ed stared at the man who simply turned and headed back the way they had come, remedy that, so he should tell the Kudo's about the journal and shit then? Did Mr. Uchiha actually believe that Jimmy Kudo could help him with this, well of course he could, being a detective and all. Winry had told him, once she'd taken the time to get to know her adoptive parents, that Jimmy Kudo happened to be a famous detective, a teenage prodigy who at fifteen years old was already solving murder cases, catching thieves, and everything else that went with being a detective. He was pretty sure that the man's best friend Harvey had the same back story.

Maybe he really should tell them what was going on, if that Kimblee fucker had his ancestor's journal then it would probably end up incriminating him. Ed jumped, startled out of his thoughts when Fugaku called his name and motioned for him to follow, catching up to the man he headed back inside the hospital and to Mikoto's room. He really did detest this damn place, he'd spent more than enough time here already to last him two lifetimes. But he took a seat in the plastic, uncomfortable chair beside the door regardless. His best friend and Mr. Uchiha were in the chairs closest to their family member's bedside.

When his father came to get him to head back to the college to that damnable meeting he was rather angry with him for leaving the house and had spoken softly to Mikoto saying he hoped she felt better soon and then offered apologies to all of the Uchiha's present. On their way out of the building for the second time in less than three days Ed met his father's unhappy gaze and said simply, "Journal's gone."

"The journal, which one?"

"Don't play stupid old man, The Journal, the one you gave me to decipher before all of the shit hit the fan with that snake."

"Ah, is that-"

"Now you're playing stupid again. What the hell is wrong with you, you know how serious this is and you're acting like it's nothing."

"I find myself trying to fulfill the role as the rational adult."

"Well fucking hell, whatever," he got in the car after his father unlocked it and slammed the door shut then put on his seatbelt without waiting on his old man to do the same and start the car. He should just confront the fucker, or he would if he had any damn backup but no one was helping him out here even the fucker that had told him about this group or whatever and what their objective really was. It was utter bullshit really, how could his father, who knew the dangers and ran away from his family because of those dangers, sit there and act like nothing was wrong? Was he on drugs or something, something had to be wrong with his father for him to be acting so 'normal' about this.

"I don't see much use in stressing over this, it was only a matter of time before they came to claim what they were after and considering you nor anyone else was hurt too horribly or killed I am rather grateful."

"Grateful?"

"Yes Edward, grateful that Mrs. Uchiha was not killed and you are still relatively safe. I am certain that they will return as the reason they pursued me was because they could not decipher our ancestor's journals."

"Okay, so that means they had them at one point," he thought about that information a bit and then looked at his father sharply as he parked the car, "wait, that means that you got a hold of it then? Is that what you were doing when you left, stealing that journal from them?"

"Yes, among other things. Now, until later we should focus on the meeting ahead of us."

"Sure, if you say so," Ed muttered as he undid his seatbelt and climbed out of the car shutting the door behind him as his father did the same after putting the car in park and cutting the engine. It still unnerved him how calm his father was acting but he guessed they would see how things went when they met with 'Mauro Wolfe' in a few minutes. Actually, as they made their way to the office and finally to that fucker's office Ed was surprised to see the man there and greeting him with that polite smile and demeanor as though nothing had occurred. It made him wonder if maybe his father had a point in acting calm right now so Ed figured there wasn't any harm in acting the same way.

He was informed that there was no reason why he shouldn't be able to change his scholarship around and that all the necessary phone calls were already made to discuss it with the educational board offering him a strictly academic scholarship instead of the music and academic scholarship he'd had before. His schedule would of course be change to remove any music based classes from his curriculum and he would be expected to return for the fall semester. When he'd asked why they hadn't said the summer semester he was simply told that if he completed all of his work from his professors and then came by the Dean's office then his professors for the spring semester would have his work that needed to be completed for the semester he had to miss. He could attend the summer semester equivalents of his spring semester classes if he wanted to but he could also just call or email his professors if he came across any difficulties.

His father went on to ask if perhaps his spring semester would be following the online curriculum instead of the usual for those who attend the actual classes. He was informed that yes, according the academic advisors, this would be the case for Edward as it was with anyone who had medical problems or emergencies but did not wish to drop out of the college. Considering the college in question Ed was actually grateful they offered that. He wasn't all that worried about having trouble with the work load or figuring out what his class work would entail but his father did bring up a question that had just crossed his mind. The exams, including mid-terms and final examinations, how would that be dealt with?

Ed was informed that he would have to show up on the scheduled dates of those exams for the summer semester and that would satisfy the board. By the time the meeting was over Ed was more than ready to get the hell out of there, go home, eat dinner, catch a shower, and sleep. While he hadn't relaxed around the asshole sitting across the desk from him he did notice that the man was watching him just as closely as he was being watched, though with the discretion that Mustang possessed, that attentive multi-tasking bit the smug bastard at the academy had perfected. Ed could guess it was a side effect of being in the military considering how much all of Mustang's coworkers actually paid attention to more than they appeared to be paying attention to.

He bypassed the handshake for a slight bow, he was doing that more and more now and blamed it on all the time he spent around the Uchiha family and his teacher in Europe, but mostly he didn't want the other touching him. He never was one for physical contact, especially in regards to people he didn't know, but this fucker he remembered too fucking well to want any kind of contact with him. Plus, he was still pissed about the journal and if he drew close enough to shake the bastard's hand then he'd lose the fight to not punch the guy straight in the face.

His father did shake his hand and offered a great deal of thanks to the fucker and then they made their way out of the building, his father's hand on his shoulder as though he could sense Ed's urge to punch the other man. They made it to the car, again in utter silence, and were down the road before his father broke the silence.

"I do not believe it was Mr. Wolfe that took the journal and attacked Mrs. Uchiha. Perhaps it was one of his other colleagues?"

"Yeah, alright, considering how much time all that shit the fucker just said he'd done I'll buy that. Well, and really if he'd of done it then the house would have been up in flames or blown apart anyway. So, who picked up Al?"

"I had him go home with Naruto today considering our meeting and the unfortunate event with Mrs. Uchiha."

"Yeah, makes sense. Who do you think it was out of the one's you know anyway? You have to have some kind of idea to rule out that fucker."

His father cast a sideways glance at him and Ed looked around to realize they were heading to the Uzumaki residence which was located on the other side of the railroad tracks from the neighborhood he and Sasuke lived in. It would take a few minutes to navigate through the lights and the streets so he waited a bit, his patience didn't stretch very far though so it was quickly getting on his nerves waiting for his father to answer his question.

"Edward-"

"If you tell me it isn't my concern I'm going to punch you," Ed snapped.

"Considering what you've told me about those three from London I do not believe that the three of them are the one's involved in today's events. What do you know about the pattern of Greed and Archer's attacks?"

Ed sat back in his seat with his arms crossed over his chest, "Archer is arrogant and cold, he would have just killed her because she wasn't important to their agenda. Greed . . . it wasn't him, he has this code or whatever and doesn't attack women."

"Precisely, and you made your deduction about Kimblee as the culprit already. Therefore, it must be a new addition."

"Okay, a new addition then, how many of their 'members' or whatever do you know about?"

"Miss Kaleen, for instance, is recognizable."

"Yeah, she gives me the creeps so I kind of figured she could be part of their group."

"Especially so when Mr. Wolfe arrived. I'm afraid Mr. Bradley is also part of their group."

"Same thing with him, not unexpected."

"Other than one more of their group that never leaves their 'makers' side I have not met the entirety of the group."

"Who are you talking about?"

"A very dangerous man, despite his lack of intellect he is ruthless and will quite literally 'eat you alive'. They are more than human-"

"You have to be kidding me, what are they humunculi or something?"

When his question was met with silence Ed paled, he had gotten far enough in deciphering the journal to read about the encounter with what his ancestors had a run in with. Artificial human's better known as humunculi who had all kinds of dangerous tricks up their sleeves and were damn near impossible to kill. Looked like he really needed to get back into the whole martial arts thing and probably put some real effort into his alchemy training. Damn, he wished he could get in touch with his teacher from Europe again, it would be great to have an advanced alchemist help him out. Sure, he knew alchemy pretty damn well, especially after going through the journal a bit, the basic symbols and formulas were easy as hell and he and Al weren't exactly amateurs when it came to alchemy but he hadn't used an array in a long time and he sure as hell hadn't transmuted a damn thing in more than a few years.

"I did have a chat with Mr. Uchiha earlier today regarding this situation, we believe it would be best that you undergo your martial arts training at the same dojo that Sasuke and Naruto attend."

"Huh? What-why do you two think that-"

"This way you will be better guarded and will of course be able to find an instructor that can pick up where your previous teacher left off."

"Okay then, are you trying to say that I would have to start at the novice level somewhere else then?"

"I believe so, I had considered this option more than a month ago."

"Whatever," Ed replied shortly as they pulled up in front of the Uzumaki residence. It was a simple house, nice yard, no fence, two story, yellow on the outside with white trim and of course no sooner than the two had climbed out of the car and closed the doors that Mrs. Uzumaki greeted them. He couldn't help but to think it was rather odd that Kushina Uzumaki went by Mrs. Uzumaki when her husband's last name happened to be Namikaze but he'd long since given up trying to make sense of it. Before he could even make it to the front door to greet the older woman he was promptly tackled by a overenthusiastic blond while his mother and father chuckled and his brother watched with a smirk on his face. Once he managed to shove the idiot off him and get to his feet to brush himself off his father had decided to ignore his situation and walked up to the door to greet the other two adults.

"What happened to Mikoto-san?"

"Concussion, she's going to be alright," Ed answered easily, "didn't you call Sasuke?"

"Yeah, but his phone is off. You didn't answer my question," more often than not Naruto proved to be sharper than he led everyone to think with his upbeat personality. He could still be pretty oblivious but Ed had seen that on more than one occasion his persistence and different take on things offered a new perspective. Ed relayed what had happened and his part in it by asking her to grab a journal from his house quickly not unaware that Al was standing there listening to every word.

Both of the younger teenagers exchanged glances and then Al asked, "Was it them?"

"Yeah, pretty damn sure about that, who else would know about that damn thing?"

"Uh, any alchemist that has heard of it," Naruto offered.

"He has a point brother, maybe it wasn't them."

"Al, considering one of those asshole's in is town and he's got a bunch of his buddies with him I doubt it wasn't them."

"Maybe it was in your room then and you forgot."

"I checked there too, at least my notes are safe."

"You hand them over to Kudo-san?"

"Yeah, Winry suggested that, glad she did."

"Speaking of Winry, she said to tell you she said hello," Al supplied with a smirk.

Ed rolled his eyes at his little brother and then brushed past Naruto and into the house, he figured they were probably going to have dinner with the Uzumaki family since his father had driven here. He couldn't help but to feel guilty about Mrs. Uchiha, he should have just stayed home instead of going to Sasuke's, then he would have been the one attacked instead and Mikoto wouldn't have ended up hurt. He jumped then winced when he was promptly smacked upside the head by his kid brother. Turning a scowl at his brother after he'd removed his shoes and headed to the kitchen on autopilot he growled, "What the hell was that for?"

"Ed-kun, watch your mouth," Kushina admonished sharply making him flinch while he rubbed the back of his abused skull.

"Gomen Kushina-san," he managed sheepishly before turning back to Al, "Well?"

"You were taking the blame for what happened today, it couldn't be helped brother."

"Hmm, I agree," said Minato Namikaze from where he was seated at the small kitchen table next to Hoenheim, "if my understanding is correct it was rather fortunate that you were not there and that Mikoto-san suffered only a concussion."

"Dear, perhaps you would care to a bit more specific," Kushina admonished as she turned back to what she was cooking on the stove. It smelled great and Ed's stomach growled rather loudly making him blush and mutter an apology only to have Naruto's stomach growl next. The blond blushed as well, offered a mutter apology while his hand shot up to rub the back of his neck in embarrassment while his father chuckled. Minato motioned for him to sit down in the chair across from him so he did as requested while Naruto and Al made their way into the kitchen proper to offer their help. Kushina chuckled and waved her son off telling him he was about as much help as a ripped bag of flour in the kitchen so the blond took the remaining seat at the small table.

"Well, from what your father has told me regarding this group, they would not have left you to be found should you have been at home."

"Huh," he stated confused, but Kushina said from the kitchen, "which is why I believe that Hoenheim-san should use better judgment in the future regarding your safety. I am aware you can take care of yourself," she continued when he made to protest, "but it is also known to us how dangerous this group is."

"So wait, you both already know about all of this, why-how?"

"Your father felt that since his son's were going to be friends' with our son and the youngest son of the Uchiha family that perhaps it was best that the adults became aware of the dangers that entailed. I do believe that Shinnichi-kun and Ran-chan were made aware as well."

He had to think about those names for a minute as he wasn't used to hearing the Kudo's referred to by their Japanese names, but it only took a moment. So all the adults knew, but then why were they not breathing down his and Al's necks all the time telling them to be safe and . . . well okay they did actually, he ended up being scolded all the time when he was being careless or if he wandered off on his own, as he'd done a few times at the hospital using a wheelchair and getting some practice in controlling the automail in the process. Though that had led to getting yelled at for disappearing and taking off on his own and obviously hadn't done much good in building back his stamina and energy seeing as how he was having an energy depleted day. Maybe it was the stress, he was tired yesterday sure but today he was even more tired and it wasn't supposed to go backwards was it?

"We had decided as a collective group that it was best to let you boys have your freedom now and then and enjoy being boys, but I'm afraid that needs to come to an end given the most recent turn of events over the past few months."

"I agree Kushina," Minato said with a nod, "therefore, it is time that we set the initial plan into action. Instead of you two boys going home after school each day I would prefer that you chose to come here, or in your case Ed-kun, go to the Uchiha household. I don't believe there should be much disagreement there considering that is already a common pattern."

"Uh, okay, but uh, me and Sas' can't go back to school until this fall with-"

"Well of course we know that dear," Kushina said with a smile as she stirred what she was cooking, "which is why we want you to know that you are just as welcome to come here as Alphonse is. For the time being I believe it would be best that you stay here with us until the whole of the Uchiha family returns home."

"But isn't Sasuke's cousins visiting right now, I mean after-"

"Yes, however, while I trust Tidus-kun to be capable of looking after himself and the girls he does have his hands full."

"Yeah, Yuna-san, a pregnant Lenne-san, and Jacqueline-chan."

"Huh, they're here too, and who's Jacqueline-chan?"

"Duh, Lenne-san's daughter."

"Naruto-chan, hush up please," his mother scolded him. He offered her a sheepish smile and said, "Gomenasai Kasaan," to which his father found amusing. Gossip, he'd learned was not something Kushina cared much for, Mikoto didn't seem to care for it much either but neither did her son's or husband. Naruto didn't appear to have the same reservations, though considering his circle of friends, specifically those two girls' who just gave him a headache every time he saw them because they screeched and squealed loudly when they talked about anything were definitely gossips.

"Ne, we should have a huge dinner with everyone together now that Ed-k-san and Sas'ke-kun are out of the hospital," Naruto suggested with a grin. Oh yes, just what Ed wanted right now, gather everybody together so this damn group could know everyone he associated with, or was forced to associate with given his general annoyance towards Naruto's friends with the exception of his own younger brother. It would be great for them, they could play target practice or pick and choose random people from this huge group dinner to take out to get to him.

"That's a splendid idea, but of course I will need to discuss this with the other adults," Kushina said with a grin to match her son's and rival her husband's grin. Minato was actually pretty content to just sit there and watch his son and wife and was relatively calm most of the time. In fact he'd only seen the other man grin in the same way his son did when he was unaware of everyone else around him but his immediate family. It was about as rare as hearing Sasuke really laugh or smile.

"We should also consider that Sasuke-kun and Edward-kun need a bit more time to get their full strength back, it has been a very trying few months for them both as of late," Minato added dampening his son and wife's spirits a bit but not for very long. Ed felt a yawn coming and raised his hand to cover his mouth before he leaned forward to rest his chin in his hand, this was utter crap to him, he hated feeling this tired when he shouldn't. He'd had plenty of time in the hospital recovering and really the only thing he was still getting used to was the automail, maybe the way he'd pushed himself to use his metal limb in the same manner as his flesh and bone arm had worn him out or something.

Without his knowing he'd closed his eyes and opened them again waking up from having dozed off at the cheerful announcement that dinner was done. While Hoenheim assisted Al and Kushina with carrying the dinner dishes into the already prepared dining room Naruto turned an inquisitive look at him and asked as they took their seats at the table, a more modern and American version of a dining room table with enough room to seat eight, "You okay?"

"Just tired," he said around another yawn, he was really tired, had someone slipped a sedative into a drink or food today or something? He sat up straighter when everything was set down on the table. Kushina returned to the kitchen for a moment to return with a pitcher of tea, an acquired taste from all the times that Mikoto had all but shoved the drink down his throat, at least this wasn't green tea, which wasn't all that bad if made correctly, but still tasted like drinking liquefied grass or something. Once everyone was seated and tea was poured into the empty glasses everyone save Hoenheim declared, "Itadakimasu," and ate their meal.

Ed was right, he was feeling horrible today, before he even finished eating he started to feel a dull ache working its way up his spine to travel to his head making it pound incessantly. He fought to finish his meal because he really was hungry but after a few minutes of him just sitting there staring at the plate with a third of his dinner still there Kushina turned a concerned look to him and asked, "Are you feeling alright Ed-kun?"

"Um, sorry. Thanks for the meal Kushina-san, but could I be excused?"

She nodded and got to her feet as he did the same with a bit of difficulty, he was getting more and more fed up with how he was feeling as it continued to get worse. What the hell was wrong with him, he hadn't felt this way since shortly after he'd first woken up in the hospital. Hell if he could think straight he might realize that his tiredness and overall turn to feeling worse than he had in a while had started after meeting Kimblee. Since his head was pounding and he had to fight to put one foot in front of the other as he was led upstairs to a guest room to lie down by Kushina he couldn't figure out what it was. He wasn't feeling feverish at least, just sore, tired, and he had a damn headache that was steadily turning into a migraine.

He couldn't find the energy to open his eyes as his bangs were brushed back from his forehead, the touch soothing and blessedly cold, so maybe he was running a fever. He could only listen as he was asked, "What's bothering you Ed-kun?"

It took a few tries and his hand moved, his left one anyway, to cover his eyes as the headache escalated into a sharp migraine, "Head, tired."

"Well try to sleep, I will get you a cool rag, you're running a bit of a fever. I think I have something that should help you sleep," he felt the bed shift and heard her soft footsteps leave the room and return in the next moment when he could concentrate. She helped him sit up to drink some water and take the pills she offered then to drink more water then helped him lay back down again. She brushed his bangs back again and placed the cool rag on his forehead and he was grateful she'd folded it so that it covered his eyes too, that helped a bit.

"Have you been feeling like this all day?"

"Yeah," he muttered tiredly, "got worse after college."

"College, do you mean that meeting you had to go to?"

"Yeah," he managed, he really just wanted the migraine to stop so he could sleep. Sleep sounded great but with Kushina asking him questions which hurt to listen too as they sent sharp pain through his head he couldn't drift off into sleep. She made a humming noise which wasn't that bad of a noise and continued to run her fingers through his bangs until finally, blessedly he fell into a deep, pain free sleep.

Al looked up from the table when he heard Kushina coming back downstairs, "He's alright," she offered with a gentle, reassuring smile to his gaze, "a bit of a fever, migraine, and very tired, but he's sleeping now. It could be the great amount of stress he's under right now, but if it doesn't get better I will call a doctor."

"Thank you Kushina-san, I hope this doesn't hindrance you terribly."

"Not at all Hoenheim-san, Edward-kun is as welcome here as Al-kun. Will you be staying with us this evening as well?"

"I'm afraid not, I have some matters to attend to at home, are you certain having the boys stay with you isn't any trouble?"

"We're certain," Minato commented. Al didn't like the idea of his father returning home by himself with everything that was going on. He knew his dad could take care of himself, just like Ed could at his best, but he still worried and when he glanced at his father his worry must have shown. His father offered him a smile, much like the reassuring one Kushina had offered him earlier and said calmly, "I will be perfectly fine Alphonse."

Getting up to go to school the next morning was the last thing that Alphonse Elric wanted to do with his brother so high strung and feeling horrible and not knowing if his father was alright after a scare when someone attacked Mikoto Uchiha while she was at their house getting something his older brother had left at the house with the wrong people in their city. He did remember those years in London well, the time they were sleeping wherever they could, eating whatever they could find, and his brother was disappearing on him for days at a time because he was being bullied by grown men that should know better and were dangerous enough to not kill his brother because of some hidden agenda. He had foolishly thought that chapter of their life was closed now that they had moved to American and they were a family again with their father but it was as though fate was mocking him and his family. There were a lot of things that they had been through and a lot of friends they had who also had to face hardships in their lives. Winry for instance, her first adoptive parents and what had happened to her family in Resembool and then his own mom dying and then his brother being bullied and threatened and the way Naruto and Sasuke both had a dangerous man that haunted and tormented them. He could see with those he was friends with and his brothers' best friend that even a supportive, caring, and attentive family wasn't always enough to keep the dangers and demons away.

He wasn't a fool and he wasn't naive like his elder brother liked to think, he did see what was going on around him. He had seen the darker sides of people and the world in general, maybe not to the same intense degree as others around him, but he wasn't so protected and blinded to it all as Ed liked to think. He had heard the insults and muttered words of disgust and distaste from other people, he was once bullied by the other kids even though Ed always came to the rescue until he couldn't when they were in London, and he remembered those three men from that city just as well as his brother did.

He didn't remember them because they cornered him and beat him nearly to death or because they kidnapped and tortured him, no, he remembered them so well because they had done that to his brother. His older brother was someone he admired and looked up to a great deal. He knew how much Ed gave up to protect him and how much he did for him, even now with their father back in their lives his brother sacrificed. He swallowed his anger more now than he ever did before and he held his tongue and tried to be civil to a man he didn't really want to be nice to. His brother also had to deal with having a fake arm now because he and Sasuke couldn't stomach the idea of leaving the other behind.

He saw things in his brother that Ed didn't see in himself and Al could say for certain that the same was said about himself. Ed seemed to believe that his younger brother was pure and innocent and incapable of harboring ill thoughts towards someone else. But his elder brother was wrong, Al knew that deep down he was capable of hate and wanting to hurt someone. He felt that way towards the Wetherton's for what they had done to Winry and he felt that way towards the now dead Orochimaru for what he had done to not only Naruto and Sasuke but to his own brother as well. That was still a fresh hatred even months after the fact, he hadn't seen Sasuke yet but he could see the evidence of that vile man's violence on his brother every day.

Then there was of course the three men from before, he hated them, truly hated them for what they had put his brother through. The scars, the torment, the nightmares they had engraved in his older brother's mind and now one of them had attacked Mikoto Uchiha who never deserved to be harmed by anyone. Why did bad people go after the truly good people in this world, why were good people like Winry, Naruto, Sasuke, Mikoto, and his brother always end up getting hurt? This Al knew the answer to of course, they wouldn't be bad people if they went after other bad people.

But as he got up from the pallet he'd slept on in Naruto's room on the floor and made to head out of the room to take a shower and get ready for school the youngest Elric thought with no amount of remorse that he would like nothing better than to hurt those despicable people that could hurt good people in this world. His thoughts took an even darker turn as he thought that he'd like to beat them nearly to death for the fact that the good people these bastards were hurting happened to be people he loved. He went through the motion of showering on autopilot, took one look at his hair in the foggy mirror as he rinsed out his mouth from brushing his teeth with a towel around his waist and decided he wanted a haircut.

Naruto was of course still sleeping when he went back to his friend's room and grabbed his bag to take out his clean clothes for school and returned to the bathroom to get dressed. Again, motions that were done without much thought got him dressed and he hung up his wet towel and cut off the light to head downstairs. He wanted coffee or at least something to help jump start his mind so he could try and figure out a way to help his brother and father. He should have grabbed his cell phone so he could at least call his father and make sure he was okay but he hadn't thought about it.

He was greeted in the kitchen by a bleary eyed Minato Namikaze who was sitting at the small table drinking coffee and reading the newspaper. The older man look up with a half grin and motioned with a nod of his head to the empty mug sitting next to the coffee machine. Al nodded in muted thanks and made his way to the kitchen counter where he fixed himself a cup with two creams and one sugar and sat down at the table after he took a sip of the hot coffee. Already the fog in his mind that turned his thoughts in circles around one another clarified and he was half way through his drink when the older man closed his paper and looked at him thoughtfully.

"My wife has declared she'd taking your brother to the doctor this morning regardless of how he feels today."

Al nodded and took another drink of his coffee, that was bothering him as well. Why would Ed, who the day he was released from the hospital had looked better than he had in months start looking like he had the day he'd woken up in the hospital? What was bringing about his brother feeling ill all of a sudden, did that guy Kimblee have anything to do with and if so what was it?

"Alphonse-kun, don't look so pensive, I'm sure it's nothing to be that concerned about. Stress has a great deal to do with our physical health."

He gave another nod and finished his coffee then got to his feet, "More coffee Namikaze-san?"

"Hmm, yes, thank you," the man said as he held out his coffee mug to be taken. Once Al had returned to the table with the newly filled cups of coffee they both turned to see Mrs. Uzumaki making her way to the kitchen in a pair of pajama's, a t-shirt, and a house coat. Her hair was all askew and Al would have laughed at her expense if it hadn't of been rude. Her husband didn't see it that way and chuckled as he said, "Good morning Kushina."

"Mornin'," she replied groggily around a yawn as she made her way to the coffee machine, which had only one more cup in it. She made herself a cup and then went through the motions of making another pot of coffee still half asleep. When she sat down across from Al at the table she blinked a few times as if to clear her vision and focused on her husband to say, "Why didn't you wake me up?"

"Hmm," her husband hummed around his coffee as he took a drink before he looked to her and replied, "you were up most of the night checking on Edward-kun so I believed you would appreciate some amount of sleep."

"Was brother feeling that bad," Al asked worried even more than he already was.

"No, no, dear," Kushina said with a gentle smile to him, "just nightmares. Fevers have a way of doing that."

"Brother was running a fever all night?"

"Yes, but it broke earlier this morning. But that's why I am taking him to the doctor later this morning."

"After you get a bit more sleep, I'd rather you not fall asleep at the wheel."

"Nonsense, that nap did me some good," Kushina argued stubbornly, Al smiled slightly at her glare at her husband recognizing that same expression from Naruto. It was obvious where Naruto got some of his traits from, the stubbornness from both of his parents, the optimistic, loud, excitable nature from his mother, the grin and trickster traits came from his father along with the shocking blond hair and the blue eyes. Most of his friends' physical traits came from his father while the characteristics of his personality was a blend from both of his parents.

"Another nap will do you even more good," her husband replied without batting an eyelash at his wife's glare.

"You should take the boys to school this morning," she declared with a smirk.

"I should, but I asked Tidus-kun to do so," the man parried back to her.

"Oh, is that so? Well then, I would appreciate my husband enlightening me to his plans now and then."  
"Hmm, I believe I just did my dear wife," her husband replied and took another drink of his coffee. Before Kushina Uzumaki could reply heatedly to his words or do more than take a drink of her coffee the doorbell rang. Al had a feeling it was Tidus, who he had not seen since the other had made an appearance here at the Namikaze home shortly after he had arrived. Minato was the one who rose from the table to answer the door and when he returned with the other blond to the kitchen Tidus winced from the glare he received from Kushina.

Al turned to him with a smile, "Coffee?"

"Oh, yeah, thanks Al," the other said and helped himself to some coffee before he sat down at the table, "So, what's up kid?"

Al shrugged, "Nothing much, just old enemies showing up and messing things up, the usual."

"Ah, yeah, heard about that. Aunt Mikoto is doing really well, she even woke up this morning and seemed okay."

"That's good," Al was used to the Japanese honorifics of the Uzumaki and Uchiha families so it was almost odd to hear Tidus not using them. But he did remember Mikoto explaining that while her sister very much Japanese the woman preferred the American way of life and so her sons were not taught the proper meanings behind honorifics or the proper way to show respect. Tidus was respectful, but sometimes he could say thoughtless things from time to time. It irritated Fugaku and sometimes even Mikoto, but Minato nor Kushina seemed the least bit bothered by it. Al and Ed slipped up from time to time as well but his brother less often than he did because of all the time he spent around the Uchiha's.

"How are Yuna, Lenne, and Jacqueline doing?"

"Oh, well they are still asleep, it was a long day yesterday."

"You left without letting them know," Kushina asked as she got to her feet to fix her and her husband another cup of coffee. Al shook his head with a polite smile when she motioned to his cup.

"Well not really, I woke Yuna up and told her where I was going but she went back to sleep. I wrote her a note and taped another one to the fridge for either one of them to find."

"Well that's good, I'm happy to see that some men are considerate towards their significant others," Kushina said with a pointed look at her husband who smirked but didn't turn her way. Tidus glanced at Al questionably and when he just shook his head the other shrugged and then asked, "So, how's Ed doin'?"

"Uh, well, he wasn't feeling that great yesterday so Kushina-san said she was going to take him to the doctor today."

"Really? That sucks, hope he feels better. He ain't goin' to like bein' made to go to the doctor though."

Al sighed, yeah, he knew that really well and Kushina chuckled darkly as she came back to the table with the newly filled cups for herself and her husband, "That may be, but he doesn't have a choice in the matter."

"I wouldn't be too hard on him later today Kushina," Minato commented calmly, a smirk still on his face.

"Hmm, I'm sorry did you say something husband of mine?"

"Ah, well yes and I'm certain you heard what it was that I said," the man replied.

"You two having a fight or somethin'," Tidus asked as he glanced at them.

"No, not really. My dear sweet, considerate, thoughtful husband just thinks he can boss me around and make plans without notifying me is all," the wife of the accused said with a sweet smile.

"Okay, not to be prying or anything, but what do you mean by that?"

Al would have said something so Tidus didn't look guilty like it was somehow his fault but he knew better than to pick sides when it came to married couples, or couples period. He'd been in the middle of a fight between Winry and Ed that had to do with Ed's stubbornness and Winry wanting Ed to take better care of himself, which he fully agreed with, and that had turned into Ed not speaking to him for two weeks. It wasn't pleasant and he was staying out of it and if Tidus had to suffer so that Al could be saved then he really was quite alright with that actually.

"Oh, of course dear, I will tell you so that you can know not to make the same mistake in the future as my husband. I was told that I had to stay home for a while and take a nap and then I was notified that my husband had called you to take the boys to school this morning without discussing it with me. It's not your fault dear, I blame the one responsible."

"Ah, of course my dear, kind, generous wife has failed to point out to you the reasons behind my actions," Minato said and took a drink of his coffee before continuing, "she was up until close to four this morning watching over Edward-kun and has only had one hour and a half of sleep. I merely expressed my concern that she may fall asleep behind the wheel of the car should she attempt to take Edward-kun to the doctor without a proper amount of sleep. As for my calling you, I merely wished to ensure that she indeed did get some sleep before leaving and to assist her with getting a most stubborn Elric-kun to the doctor."

"Oh, well alright then, guess that makes sense," the other said and Al finished his coffee and said politely as he got to his feet, "I'm going to go and check on my brother and wake Naruto-kun up."

He all but ran to the kitchen to rinse out his cup and put it in the sink and bee lined for the stairs to do just as he said he would. He had no sooner closed the guest bedroom door than he heard the words of Kushina, Minato, and a stammering Tidus downstairs. He was glad he had escaped that slaughter downstairs and turned his attention to the sleeping form on the bed. His brother had kicked off his blankets and was sleeping on his back with his hand over his bare stomach having pushed up his shirt as he always did in his sleep.

With an affectionate smirk and an exasperated sigh he crossed the room to pick up the blanket and lay it over his brother's form after he reached to tug the shirt back down. Only he gave pause when he noticed a dark smug on his brothers' bared skin, like a bruise of some kind and he switched on the bedside lamp to have a better look. There was a bruise there, but his brothers' injuries had healed while he was in the hospital so why was there bruising there and where did it come from? It was purple and it looked painful and like it kept going along his brothers' side and he wanted to turn him over and check but doing so would definitely wake his brother up.

He had noticed that when it came to his older brother that as long as you didn't physically touch him the other could sleep through about anything. Fog horns, lights, loud noise like blaring stereos or televisions, even storms. But there were other sounds his brother couldn't sleep through, the fall of footsteps he didn't know, which was completely subconscious while he was asleep but he was still aware of, physical touch, and the sound of metal scraping, falling, or clinking. One time, when they had to share a room at a church in London, Al had accidently knocked a single screw off of a table littered with all sorts of handy-man tools and his brother had sat up alert from a dead sleep looking like he was ready to kill someone, it was pretty scary actually.

He had talked to that man Hues from his brothers' school about that when the other man had come to him asking him questions about his older brother. The man had been shocked about such a instinct saying that was typical for soldiers, to be very light sleepers. But when Al went on to explain his brother only reacted like that to certain things the man was perplexed as to why that was. So Al couldn't see if that odd bruise went on to his brothers back because doing so meant touching him which meant waking him and he didn't want to do that.

He did turn around and head out of the room and back downstairs to get Kushina who stopped in the middle of a accusatory sentence to Tidus about something when she saw him. Seeing his expression Minato rose to his feet at the same time his wife did and made to follow but she looked at him and he sat down as she followed Al upstairs to his brother's room. Unlike him she nudge his brother over to lay on his front and unexpectantly his brother didn't wake up. She didn't notice his worry increase from that until she pushed the shirt further up and traced gentle fingers over the bruising along his back. It was just as dark and looked just as painful as the rest of it did.

"Alphonse-kun," the woman said making him turn his attention back to her with a blink, "this wasn't here earlier this morning when I checked on him, I assure you."

"I, I noticed because-"

"Your brother kicks off his blankets and sheets and scratches his stomach in his sleep," she said with a slightly amused smile that was shadowed by the perplexed and worried look in her eyes and in her expression. He nodded to her words and said softly, "He didn't wake when you moved or touch him, he usually does."

She raised looked at him questionably, "He wakes up when someone touches him?"

Another nod, "Yes, brother always has woken up out of a dead sleep when someone touched him. Actually he wakes up right before hand and usually acts almost instinctively and grabs you if you try to touch him when he's asleep. That he didn't only worries me more."

"Al-kun, what would make him react that way even asleep? Has he ever lashed out at someone when he wakes up like that?"

"Yes, but we learned after that, brother can't help how he reacts so we mostly just call his name and that works, or throwing a pillow or something works too," he said a bit embarrassed by the childishness of throwing something at his brother to wake him up.

"So how could he have gotten this bruise and where did it come from? How could it have just manifested in only a handful of hours," she turned back to his sleeping brother and touched the bruise lightly putting a bit of pressure on it to check how tender it was. His brother let out a groan and shifted to try and get away from the touch but still he slept.

But that shifting alerted them to something else, another bruise that caught their attention on his brothers' left arm. Kushina turned the elder Elric over onto his back and sat on the bed to pick up his arm. There was bruising around his wrist that circled around his arm and shoulder and when she lifted the shirt they could both see that it seemed to merge with the bruising along his side and across his back to spread to the side they had first noticed. Something was very wrong here, why so much bruising and what was it from, what did it mean?

"Alphonse," Kushina said to him in a serious tone of voice, she only neglected the honorific when she wanted his full attention to what she was going to say next; "Go downstairs and tell my husband to call an ambulance. I want you to tell Tidus-kun that he is to take Naruto-kun to the Uchiha residence and wait there."

"Yes ma'am," he said with a nod and hurriedly headed out of the room and down the stairs to see Naruto was downstairs in the kitchen. The other boy looked up and stilled in his seat as Al turned to Minato who got to his feet once more at his presence, "Kushina-san said to call an ambulance," the other man nodded and went over to the phone on the wall next to the pantry door while Tidus and Naruto both looked at him alert and concerned.

"What's going on, what's wrong with Ed?"

"I don't know, but she also told me to tell you to take Naruto with you to the Uchiha's and to wait there."

Tidus nodded at his words and Naruto looked between the two then back to his father and then back to Al, "What's going on?"

"I, there's something wrong but I don't know what."

"What is the something wrong," Naruto persisted.

"Brother was feeling horrible yesterday and it's gotten worse, but we don't know why or how and what and . . . "

"Al, calm down kiddo, this is your older brother we're talking about, he's already proven he can pull through anything," Tidus said with confidence even though he had no idea what was going on. But it did help and he nodded in thanks, it was his job to be optimistic and believe in his brother after all. That was what he did, he waited and thought positive and had faith in his brothers' abilities to pull through anything and everything that stood in his way. But this, this was hard because he didn't know what was wrong and that made it worse than all the other times. The other times when his brother was hurt it was plain as day what was wrong, a fight, a broken bone, a black eye, bloody nose, split lip, even the horror of what that man Orochimaru had done had shown obvious evidence to what was wrong. But this didn't, there was just unexplainable bruising that had shown up for no apparent reason in the course of an hour possibly two.

"Alphonse," Kushina called from the room making him turn and run up the stairs Naruto and Tidus close behind him. The two waited in the hallway and the red haired woman motioned him to her side where she still sat on the bed next to Ed brushing his hair back from his face in motherly affection or possibly to sooth her own nerves. There was one good thing about this, at least his brother was spared whatever pain he was in right now since he wouldn't wake up like he normally did.

"Do you know how to remove his automail?"

"Yes, why? Do you think that is causing this," he asked skeptively. Winry would never have allowed the automail if it caused this level of bruising or would hurt his brother after only months. He had listened to her explaining everything and had heard the surgeons and doctors praising her work so he knew she hadn't done anything wrong and that it could be the automail had to mean someone had tampered with it. But how could they, Ed was temperamental and defense and would hit anyone that tried to hurt him or those around him. His brother wasn't anyones' victim . . . except he was and had been a victim on a number of occasions, but no, he knew his brother had grown up a lot since then and he knew his brother would never allow himself to be a victim so how?

"I don't know, but the bruising creates a pattern around the plates which makes me think that along with his left hand the automail could also be a starting point to whatever this is."

Al nodded and waited for her to shift back so he could get to the small nut that disconnected the nerves and turned it then lifted his brother a bit with Kushina's help so he could reach the other nut that would disconnect the arm from the port. Once that was done he grabbed the arm and pulled it away and got to his feet to set it on the end of the bed. He was aware of the heavy gazes from Tidus and Naruto but ignored them when a thought occurred to him and he looked to Kushina, "Do you think this could have anything to do with that Kimblee guy?"

She looked at him quizzically for a moment and then it was as though realization struck her and she paled, "It is possible considering his alchemy," she said quietly. Al didn't know about the man's alchemy, he knew he was an alchemist but never the specifics about the type of alchemy he used. He felt a sinking feeling in his gut as she let out a heavy sigh and said, "Call your father and tell him to come here immediately."

"Kasaan, what's going on, what's wrong with Ed-san?"

"Naruto-kun, I want you and Tidus-kun to get over to the Uchiha's and I will let you know when I know," she said with a stern expression after turning to look directly at her son. He didn't look happy to do it but he did walk down the hallway and go to his room to get dressed. Tidus moved aside as Al got up and walked downstairs and the younger Elric heard the other ask, "What is really going on here, or should I make a guess and think the worst?"

Minato was waiting for him downstairs with the phone held out for him to take and Al looked up at him confused so the man said, "It's your father."

"Thanks," the younger said and took the phone, "Dad? You need to come here, something's really wrong and I think Kushina-san thinks it has to do with-" he was cut off when his father asked him what his brothers condition was. He swallowed the lump in his throat, "There's a lot of bruising, and its' purple, dark purple and its' everywhere but there's a pattern to it that seems to have started from his hands." His father cursed on the other end and said shortly that he was on his way and then hung up the phone. Al handed the receiver back to the man standing there watching him and then turned and went back upstairs. He wanted to know what had everyone so concerned, why did they always keep him in the dark? This was his brother, the most important person to him and no one would tell him what was wrong with him. He didn't care if they weren't certain, possibilities was better than nothing at all, especially when everyone seemed so certain they knew what it was.

"What is wrong with him, why did my mentioning Kimblee cause you to want me to call my dad? What kind of alchemy does Kimblee use, why won't you or my father tell me anything?"

"Alphonse-kun, sit down and I will explain to you what I know about that despicable man," Kushina replied to his questions. Tidus had gone to Naruto's room he could guess since the older blond wasn't in the room when he returned. He took a seat on the other side of his brother to look at the bruising and watch his brother breath. He was deep asleep while whatever was wrong just kept getting worse.

"Kimblee is an alchemist, he specializing in making bombs with alchemy. There are combustible chemicals in the human body that he can multiply and detonate, but I don't know the details about what they are or how he does that. All that I do know is that its horrific and beyond sick. I think that's what this is, only its slow to react and for some reason it drained Ed-kun's energy alarmingly."

Al sat stunned, chemicals in the human body that are combustible. He isn't as knowledgeable about the human anatomy as his brother and Winry are but he knows enough to know that there are plenty of chemicals in the human body that can be turned into deadly weapons if multiplied on a level that overrides the counter balances to those same chemicals. That someone would learn the human body so well they could do that sort of manipulation and that they would create a circle that could do that was cruel in a sick and twisted way that went beyond anything he'd seen.

"Alphonse, please step aside," came another voice, his father. His father must have driven very fast to have gotten here so soon but he did as he was told with a jolt and then watched as his father lifted his brother from the bed and set him on the floor. Kushina put a hand on his shoulder and guided him to stand close to the wall away from where his father was kneeling down next to his brother. He tensed when his father took out a piece of chalk and started drawing a circle that was clearly meant for a sort of human transmutation, some of the symbols were there, but he also noticed that they were not to the degree he had seen another circle somewhere before. He couldn't recall where but he recognized those symbols and made to step forward and say something only to have that hand on his shoulder squeeze and keep him in place.

"I know you recognize this son, but I assure you that what I am doing should not have ill effects on your brother. I have to undo what that bastard has done to Edward and this is the only way to do it."

He hardly ever heard his father cussed and the fact that he did only showed how angry and worried he was. It took him a moment to catch exactly what it was his father had said and he asked, "But what about you? You said it won't have any ill effects on brother, but what about you? No one can do that kind of alchemy without a price-"

"It hardly matters what it will cost me, I will not let my son be killed by another for an even more vile of a man's ambitions. Please just stand back and be still Alphonse."

"Hoenheim-san, did you tell my husband to cancel that call to the ambulance?"

"Your husband spoke with me first Kushina-san and so he did not call the ambulance."

She nodded and said nothing more only standing there to watch as a circle was drawn in chalk on her floor next to where Edward lay on the ground deep asleep with a very large bruise spreading across his body. Al couldn't help but to notice that even if his father undid whatever was done to his brother that they may still have to go to the hospital to make sure none of the damage was permanent and that his brother was going to hate that more than being made to go to the doctor. His father clapped once and touched his hand to the circle to set the etchings into the floor so that the circle nor symbols would be smudged. It was dangerous for even one line, one symbol to be uneven or incorrect, it could create a very violent backlash with a circle such as the one before his eyes now.

He didn't know his father could use alchemy in the same way that his brother could, without a circle, and he couldn't make the connection that allowed for something right now with how much he was concerned and downright afraid of what was going to happen and what it would cost and how many ways it could go wrong. When his father moved his brother to the center of the circle he tensed, his gut tightening and his breath stilling in his throat with suspenseful apprehension and when his father clapped and the circle was activated under his hands he felt every hair stand on end.

The energy of alchemy was always astounding, enthralling, but the energy right now only made him feel nauseous with worry because he didn't know what to expect. The circle flared white then darkened to a neon red and then went back to white and the crackle of the energy in the air and how it smelled like a fire with cedar mixed with the burning of something he couldn't name churned his stomach. He turned his gaze to his brother whose eyes were closed even though that energy was wrapped around him like chains and restraints that snaked around his arm, his throat, his stomach and chest and his legs.

When he saw that horrid bruising begin to recede slowly as the energy swept across the darkened skin he felt some of the tension leave until those golden eyes snapped open and those once lax muscles tightened with instinctive fear. But that was when the alchemy began to simmer down, the energy dimming and the light doing the same. His brother tried to sit up only to have his fathers' hand press into his chest and make him lay back down. Ed snarled, "What," his voice hoarse with anger, fear, maybe pain, Al couldn't tell and so rushed forward to his brother's side.

"Al, stop," his father said sharply making his pause a few steps away, "I have to break the circle first," he said quickly in explanation. His father looked pointedly at his eldest son who glared darkly at him and then he touched one hand to the circle causing a single point in the lines of each circle to crack. Al felt the tense, electric current in the air snap and clear and he let out his breath grateful for the relief and then moved forward to his brothers' side just as Ed shot up and said angrily, "What the hell did you just do?"

"Brother, stop, please and listen," Al asked of him as he knelt down next to his brother to grab his shoulder when the other swayed possibly lightheaded. Given that he had woken up in an activated array and how he had felt going to sleep and what his body was subjected two in the last few hours he could understand his brother not feeling his best. He put an arm around the slightly shaking shoulders and was grateful his brother actually allowed it and relaxed against him.  
"Kimblee seems to have made his move on our family," Hoenheim said, "he used alchemy on you. But I do not understand how he was able to make it so that neither of us were aware of it until just now."

"I don't know, kept saying I didn't feel well," Ed mumbled tiredly.

"No, you only said it once but we could all see it," Al admonished.

"Yeah, well, I did say something was up since the fucker is here," Ed said as his eyes closed and he slumped a bit more.

Hoenheim moved forward and Ed's eyes snapped open and he sat up straighter to glare at the man, "What did that stunt cost you?"

"Hardly anything at all that I haven't already lost," their father replied to which Al looked at his father concerned and confused and asked, "What was it?"

"Time, hardly something I have ever had much of to begin with," he replied and then moved to help Ed to his feet to which Al moved and did the same. "Your time isn't yours to give anymore old man," Ed said with less anger than he had meant to given the scowl on his face. Ed fought their father a bit but then seemed to change his mind as a shudder passed through him. Al tightened his hold on his brother, "Ed?"

"Tired, don't know what that was."

"Side effects of that kind of alchemy being used on you twice," their father explained as the two Elrics got the more obstinate one back into the bed and helped him get comfortable. Kushina was hovering in the room waiting for a way to help and Al sat on the end of the bed and watched as his father stood up and stepped back from the bed to address her.

"He's going to need to get plenty of sleep, fluids, and food to replenish all the energy he has lost. He should rest for the next two days to allow his body to recover. He should be fine, but-"

"If I see anything that tells me differently I am going to have my husband place that emergency call."

"Thank you Kushina-san, I am sorry-"

"Nonsense, I love both of these boys as dear as my own. Speaking of my own, he had better be on his way to the Uchiha's with Tidus-kun before I tan his hide," she said loudly as she made to stand in the doorway. Al heard a muffled amount of words and sounds coming from his friends' room and turned back to his brother when his shirt was tugged. His brother was looking at him with an expression Al knew well and he beat his brother to what he was going to say, "No, I am staying here with you. I'm sure Naruto-kun is being sent to the Uchiha's so he doesn't get too curious."

"Exactly," Kushina said as she came back to them, his father had walked out of the room and he could be heard heading downstairs no doubt to tell Minato what was going on. She sat on the bed and brushed his brothers' bangs back and gave them both a smile, "Don't you worry about Al-kun, my husband and I will be here to keep you both safe. You need to sleep and concentrate on getting all that energy back."

"Feel like all I ever do is lie around in a bed and sleep," Ed mumbled tiredly and still managed to put some irritability in his tone. Al sighed and patted his brothers' hand, "I'm going to call Kudo-san and ask that Winry come by and see you after school," he looked to Kushina as he got to his feet, "if you don't mind Kushina-san?"

"Of course not," she said with that smile of hers that was both encouraging and warm, "that's a good idea, she can look Ed over and see if there is any lasting damage."

"She's not a doc'r yet," Ed mumbled out incoherently as his eyes slid shut again and his head lulled to the side. He was definitely fast asleep after those words and they both smiled down at him amused before Al said quietly, "She pretty much is after all that work she did for you brother," then walked out of the room and downstairs to see Tidus ushering Naruto to the front door. Minato was standing there making certain they left and telling them, "You two call as soon as you get there and if anything-"

"I know, if anything goes wrong or comes up and if a cat gets stuck in a tree don't help it," Naruto ended with a grin.

His father reached forward and ruffled his hair, "Yes son, I see you have inherited your mothers' sarcasm and lack of respect as well."

He received a tongue being stuck out at him for that and that grin that Al knew was a rare sight currently was shown between father and son making Tidus blink as if blinded before the middle tallest and oldest of the blonds' walked out the front door and pulled his keys out of his pocket. Naruto followed after him and the married man and father stood there in the open doorway watching for a while before he closed the door and turned to see Al standing there watching the exchange. Al blushed embarrassed but the man chuckled and said, "Is Edward-kun going to be alright then?"

"He's sleeping, I'm sorry for-"

"Nonsense, its' amusing sometimes how like his mother my son is," the other man said as the two returned to the kitchen table and sat down. Hoenheim looked as though he were deep in thought about something serious and Al wanted to say something, ask what his father was thinking about but Kushina came downstairs and said, "So then, how about some breakfast?"

_TBC_


	21. Chapter 21

**Disclaimer: I don't own Fullmetal Alchemist or Naruto let alone any of the characters from either. I make no profit writing this as it is merely for creative and entertainment purposes only. I don't even own the title to this story as it comes from the song by Martina McBride. **

_A/N: Dark themes, child abuse, violence, language. This story is fictional and should it offend anyone please do not read. Flames will be used to make smores and comments and constructive criticism is welcome. This story is un-beta'd and edited by me. Oh and here's a shocker, Hoenhiem is the good parent in this, OMFG. Lol. P.S.S.-Sorry about the lateness of the chapter and there are two time jumps including the opening one. _

**Title: Concrete Angel**

**Series: Fullmetal Alchemist, Naruto**

**Pairing: Ed/Winry, Naru/Sasu**

**Genre: Drama**

**Summary: Even should the wings of angel's help us rise above the ashes we must find our own strength to continue on past the times we fall?**

_Lie awake in bed at night_

_And think about your life_

_Do you want to be different?_

_Try to let go of the truth_

_The battles of your youth_

_'Cause this is just a game_

-_**A Beautiful Lie (C) 30 Seconds to Mars  
**_

**

* * *

Chapter 21**

_**2 Months Later . . .**_

Ed was not happy with the fact that he had to undergo physical therapy still on top of doing his school work at home, which seemed endlessly and he had already finished more than half of in the last two months, and going to the dojo with Sasuke every morning. The two of them were catching up on their college work through assignments sent via email and since they did not have to go to the actual campus they were told it would be better for them to attend the morning instruction.

It was not that everything was overwhelming it was simply that there was a lot to be done everyday and he was feeling agitated by it all. That group that had stolen the journal and attacked Mrs. Uchiha had not made a move since then but that did nothing to alleviate the stress of knowing that they would make another attempt sometime in the future. Hopefully he would be able to finish another chunk of his assignments once he made it to the Uchiha residence where he spent the majority of his time during the week.

He and Sasuke had the same instructor since both of them were still recovering physically from their injuries and both happened to be the same level concerning their experience in martial arts. The raven haired teenager was at first surprised to see that his friend had any amount of experience with martial arts. The second surprise was that Ed not only knew a bit of martial arts but that his previous teacher had taught him mixed martial arts.

Learning how to fight with his automail and learning how to control the amount of force he used with his prosthetic arm was the most difficult part for him. Everyday they had their instruction they would spend five to six hours at the dojo which was located a thirty minute walk away from the Uchiha residence. Both his father and Sasuke's parents had decided that since both boys were quick to finish their college assignments that on weekends they would take a break from their school work.

It worked out nicely but it drove him crazy having work that needed to be finished and not being able to work on it. The whole take the weekend off idea meant that his school books and papers were at the Uchiha residence instead of at his house on weekends. He and Al spent their weekends training with alchemy through their father's tutelage which always ended up irritating Ed because he didn't so much need instruction as he needed to gain practical knowledge.

What he meant by practical knowledge was learning how to use alchemy in a fight and learning how to apply it to different situations. As the two of them walked up the sidewalk to Sasuke's front door he finally pulled himself out of his thoughts so that he could turn his attention to greeting Mrs. Uchiha and Mr. Uchiha. He closed the door behind him as Sasuke removed his shoes to be left by the front door as his friend had entered the home in front of him and then he followed his friend's action of removing his shoes before stepping up onto the hardwood floor.

They made their way to the kitchen where they would grab a late lunch before they headed upstairs to do their school work where they were greeted by not only Mr. and Mrs. Uchiha but Tidus, Yuna, Lenne, and Jacqueline. The little girl was no more than two years old and she had her mother's dark hair and her father's blue eyes. She was a calm little girl a trait Ed could see from Lenne and stories about Shuyin she had inherited from both of her parents.

The small child always liked to wear dresses, preferably blue in color and also preferred to have her long hair tied back in a braid. He prepared himself for her greeting, always enthusiastic when it came to him since he happened to be one of the two people who was not stoic and controlled at all times. She jumped down from her mother's lap and leapt at him, arms outstretched with a cry of his nickname that Mrs. Uchiha had given him.

"Jin-kun," was the cry of greeting, calm for a two year old his foot he thought as he caught her and returned her hug having to drop his bag of things he took to the dojo with him. Clothes that he trained in and a few bottles of water made it a relatively small bag. She kissed his cheek and smiled up at him and he caught the women in the room smiling warmly at the exchange while Tidus tried to hold in a snicker at his expense.

Glaring at the other he set the little girl down and knelt down in front of her, "How was your day Jacqueline-chan?"

"It was fun, kasaan and Yuna-san showed me how to count and I'm learning how to read and write and it was a lot of fun."

"Oh, well that's good. Maybe you can read me something later then?"

She glowed with happiness at his words and nodded, "Really?"

He chuckled and patted the top of her head, "Really."

When he stood up she returned to her mother but Lenne couldn't pick her up properly with her swollen stomach so the little girl settled with going over to her uncle and latching onto him who picked her up with a laugh before tossing her into the air a few times. The innocent giggles of pure happiness helped to lift his mood a bit as Mikoto informed him and Sasuke that their lunch was waiting for them in the fridge. Thanking her, the two of them grabbed the left over plates and took them to the dining table where they ate in silence.

Mr. Uchiha joined them in the dining room taking a seat at the end of the table and unfolding a newspaper which he decided to read rather than offer any greeting or saying a word to them. They ate quickly and got up to rinse off their plate thanking Mrs. Uchiha for lunch once they were in the kitchen once more and then grabbing their discarded bags and heading upstairs to do their school work.

Hours passed steadily by and before they knew it they were being told to wash up for dinner and put away their school books. After dinner he was expected to visit with everyone, dragging Sasuke with him because he was not doing so alone, and then his father would arrive to pick him up. One of the changes to his usual routine other than the no school work on weekends or after dinner part was that he was not allowed to walk home after dark nor was he allowed to go much of anywhere after dark. Sixteen years old was more than old enough to walk a blocks home or go out with friends after dark but not with the very real dangers that awaited him and everyone else he knew.

It was annoying to say the least but he could deal with it because he knew the loophole to these new rules was that once he got his driver's license and his own vehicle to drive that he would not have to follow such regulations. He did not have the spare time to get a job to go about getting his own vehicle but once he finished all of his work for college and took his exams he would still have a few months during the summer where he could get a job to buy his own vehicle.

He had not mentioned it to anyone but he did not want a car, rather he wanted a motorcycle, not practical nor inexpensive or even safe, but if he paid for it with his own money then that was what he planned to get. The problem of course was getting the right job where he could earn the kind of money it would cost him to purchase a motorcycle. Driving one would require more concentration on his part given the unbalanced weight of his body with the automail increasing the weight of his right side by at least fifty pounds.

Vesting with everyone did not take place during dinner, which was an American dish of hamburger helper with rice and mixed vegetables. Lately Mikoto made western foods because of the additional house quests that were present for dinner and because Jacqueline was used to American food over Japanese. After dinner Mr. and Mrs. Uchiha would have everyone move into the living room to visit with one another.

Standard questions like, 'How was your day, how is your training going,' were directed at Sasuke and Ed. Questions pertaining to how is looking for a place of your own or a job going were always directed at Yuna and Tidus who often times were the one's looking for work and a place to live. Lenne was expected to take care of her daughter and worry about the unborn child she had growing inside of her so she was not expected to look for work or a place to live.

After that Mr. and Mrs. Uchiha would offer comments about their replies and then declare that they were retiring for the night. From there Sasuke would return to his room where he would spend the remainder of the night doing his school work and Ed would be left downstairs with Yuna, Lenne, Tidus, and Jacqueline. Tonight he was sitting on the couch with the two year old right next to him with a children's book in hand which she was reading out loud to him.

Her mother was on her daughter's other side helping Ed assist her with reading the book while Tidus and Yuna sat in the loveseat next to the couch watching the three or talking quietly to each other. By the time Lenne declared it was her daughter's bedtime Ed knew that his father was likely picking Al up from Naruto's house after their training at the dojo had finished.

Tidus moved over to the couch to sit down next to him, "So, everything goin' alright then Ed?"

"Yeah, just fine," he said dryly.

"Has to suck not being able to do what you want huh?"

"Yeah, as much as it has to suck to live off your aunt and uncle," he replied back making the other let out a sigh. He knew he should be a little nicer to Tidus but it was hard when the other was rubbing it in regarding his not being able to go out after dark at sixteen years old. Yuna was still sitting in the loveseat and looked lost in thought when he glanced her way.

The real reason Tidus, Yuna, Lenne, and Jacqueline were living in the Uchiha residence had to do with the threats made against them in California and then in New York. After what had happened this past September they had no choice but to return to Cambridge to stay with their aunt and uncle. Tidus' parents did not want to help their only remaining son unless it was just him and the other was not going to leave his sister-in-law and girlfriend to fend for themselves especially with his niece to take care and another kid on the way.

He couldn't blame the older blond for that at all he would have done the same thing; it's easier to forget about your pride and independence when other people are going to have to pay the price as well. That reason alone, the danger to his friends and family, was more than enough to make him deal with these new rules and the curfew bit. It did not make it any less aggravating or easier to deal with but it kept him from breaking the new rules.

Yuna and Lenne had lost their own parents the same day that Shuyin had died and he knew that only made it even harder. At least their parents were supportive. Hearing about Kairi, Sora, and Riku losing their lives had hit Winry hard and Tidus and his group were hurting because of that as well since they had become close friends with the trio while they were in New York. Winry, he knew, was a fighter; she took in losses and suffering and learned from them then just kept on going. He would like to spend more time with her but their schedules never allowed it, especially during the week.

Now that she had put her automail designs into action, building his arm and being part of the medical team that installed it, all her free time went into improving the automail and keeping up with current medical advances on top of her harassing him about the automail and keeping up with it. He would prefer that when she did show up she gave him a break for a moment and actually talked to him and not at him regarding her creation of the automail limb. Dealing with Tidus five days a week wasn't all that bad as long as the other did not remind him about what he already hated having to deal with.

Yuna and Lenne were not troublesome in the least to deal with and he even enjoyed spending time with Jacqueline, she wasn't the epitome of a terrible two year old like every said regarding her age. She loved to learn and while enthusiastic and excitable at times it wasn't over the top to the point where she drove him up the wall. He didn't mind her calling him by the Japanese nickname Mikoto had given him and when she got to be too much he could always hand her off to her mom, aunt, or her uncle.

"Edward?"

He looked up at the sound of his name, Yuna was addressing him and he offered an apologetic smile, "Yes?"

"Your father is here," looking up and past her he did see his father with his little brother standing just behind him. Getting to his feet he waved over his shoulder as a goodbye to the couple who took to sitting on the couch together and followed his father and brother out of the room and to the front door. He put his shoes back on without much thought and was the first to step outside where he waited for the other two and they went home. This schedule was repetitive and boring because this was how his week went and on weekends he was so absorbed in alchemy he ended up thinking four times as fast in regards to his school work when Monday rolled back around. At least when he was training he was able to burn off a lot of excess energy from spending hours absorbed in books of all kinds and doing nothing but research and reading almost constantly.

* * *

_**One Month Later . . . **_

Still nearly monotone in its continuity and repetitiveness he walked through his front door and headed upstairs where he would shower and change into more comfortable clothes and go into his room where he would fail at attempting to work on his dexterity so that he can relearn how to play the violin. He only kept trying because Winry tested him on it every Saturday when she came over to make sure he had kept up with the maintenance and was still doing his daily exercises. She knew when he wasn't doing everything she had told him to do to perfect his control with the automail, it was sort of like a mother's instinct, mom's always know when you are up to no good whether or not you make it obvious.

It was Friday, which was good because he could go to sleep and wake up tomorrow and go to the study room and work through the alchemy texts his father allowed them to use and by lunch his girlfriend would be there to spend some time with them and lecture him. What he really wanted was to get out of this house and go somewhere, anywhere else, the park, a movie, for a damn walk around the block, anything. He was going insane being stuck inside of two houses and a dojo all the time with nothing else to do and nowhere else to go.

Going through his morning routine, stretch, a few exercises like stretches he was used to doing as warms ups at the dojo followed by light exercise was how he started each day. He did have periods of rest, usually on Sunday he would go through his usual morning routine and not doing any other kind of vigorous activity at all. Today he would do the same thing he always did after Winry visited, he would ask to go to Sasuke's where they would spar with one another for a few hours, and he would eat dinner then return home and shower. Almost the same as what he did during the week only without the hours of doing school work during the second half of the day. No, instead he did alchemy training during the first half of the day and physical training during the second half, complete opposite of how his Monday through Friday schedule went.

A few body twisting exercises, cross arm squats, chest spreading, side bending, forward bending, leg stretching, and knee bending exercises later he continued with the deep breathing and neck twisting. Once that was done he did a few sit-ups and push-ups just for good measure and a few squats before sifting through his closet and drawers to find some clean clothes and headed for the bathroom to take care of that part of his morning routine. By the time he had finished his shower, brushed his teeth and hair, braided his hair and got dressed Al was up and moving and starting his morning routine.

Heading downstairs he fixed himself a quick breakfast and put on a new pot of coffee since his father was always too absorbed in whatever work he was doing to remember his son's drank coffee as well and then he headed upstairs to the study where he was joined by Al only fifteen minutes later. It was maybe a few hours before their father joined them and asked to see their translations and notes to look them over and then gave them another assignment to do which required them to practice alchemy.

Al, being the meticulous, detail oriented, precise thinker between them always created something that had a lot of detail to it. Ed wanting to just get the task over and done with always made something that was practical and could be created quickly. Today they were told to make weapons, which he made a blade out of his automail and the materials within to be a smart ass before he grabbed a few things off the desk and tossed them to the floor and went through the motion of drawing a circle to create a spear.

His father, more than used to his antics, told him that he did a good job and now he had to recreate the items that he had used for material and return them to their original states. Alchemy never allowed for something to be reversed to the degree that it was just as it was before, that defeated the purpose of alchemy being about deconstructing, reconstructing, and recreating but he managed to return them to their original states with the residue of alchemy on them. The metal from the paper weight, whole puncher, stapler, and pencil sharpener were easy enough to reconstruct but the plastic components were a pain in the ass and would have melted had he not remembered the plastic parts.

As for Al, he created a sword out of a handful of paper clips, a stapler, and a globe off the desk and easily recreated them because he was the more detail oriented one between them. When their father complimented Al on paying attention to detail the younger of the Elric's stuck out his tongue at his elder when their father left them to continue their own note taking and research. Ed glared at his little brother and threw the paper weight at him which resulted with Al throwing it back at him and knocking his notes off his desk when the elder ducked.

With a few muttered cuss words Ed went to sorting through all of his notes while his little brother, ever the innocent, sweet talking, angelic one according to everyone else left him to sift through the papers on his own. He scoffed and muttered something about Al being a brat which got him a paper back book thrown at his head. Al was turning out to be one hell of a mischievous little devil really and Ed was going to get the little shit back later.

When Winry arrived he was caught off guard when she didn't start off by harassing him about his automail. Instead she merely walked upstairs and into the study where he found her immersed in a medical book and the two of them sat in comfortable silence reading their preferred books when Al returned with a plate full of sandwiches, bag full of chips, and three sodas' for lunch. After they ate, absent mindedly, Al got up and declared he was going downstairs to get a break from all the alchemy text leaving the two of them alone.

Hours could have passed for all he knew by the time Winry cut through the silence by slamming her book closed with a loud pop startling him and making him drop his own text to the floor. He looked up at her as he reached down to pick up the large text to see her standing only a few feet away with her hands on her hips. He just looked at her confused as to why she was glaring at him which led to her tapping her foot, sighing, and saying, "Let's go out."

"Go out?"

"Yes Edward, out, outside, in the sun, somewhere that is not cooped up within four or more walls. Don't lie and tell me you are perfectly happy to go through the same tired routine that you go through every single day, of every single week, for the last three months."

"Okay, where the hell can we go that won't get shot down?"

"Who said we had to ask for permission, let's just walk right out the front door and go for a walk, maybe the park or something."

"The park or something?"

"Yes," she reached forward grabbing his right hand and pulling him to his feet and then pulled him behind her out of the room, down the stairs, and right out the front door without so much as a word until they had walked about four houses down the street. From there she moved to his left side and fell into step beside him and entwined her fingers with his own. With a slight blush he squeezed her hand and gave her a smile, this alone was more than enough to make up for the months in captivity held prisoner by all those who cared about his well being.

Winry cared, he knew that but she seemed to be the only one that heard him screaming out angrily in his subconscious about being kept indoors all the time. When she started to swing their arms back and forth and whistle he put a stop to that by saying, "What made you decide this was a good idea?"

"I'm not blind Ed; I see how much this is killing you. You look as though you're stuck in a damn fog because this arrangement is suffocating you. I am also aware that while you will not admit it that you miss really spending time with me," she said that last bit with a blush and a cocky grin that could have rivaled his own. He laughed and nodded while he squeezed her hand again, "Yeah, you got that right. You do know that if anything happens it's your fault right?"

She laughed and let go of his hand to shove his shoulder which wasn't forceful enough to force him off his feet but he laughed anyway. They continued on in silence for the rest of the block before she headed in the direction of where he knew the park was and said to him thoughtfully, "Is it really because of your ancestor's that this group is after your family?"

"Yeah I guess, it's the only thing that makes any sense as to why they would be after us otherwise," he replied offhandedly. She looked at him over her shoulder having stepped ahead of him a bit then looked back up at the sky, they still had a few hours of daylight left but it would be close to dark by the time they made it to the park and then walked back. At least it was clear out and it wasn't hot outside despite it being summer now. Wow, knowing that it was already the summer and that he and Sasuke had almost finished all their work and would be expected to take finals and exams within the next week really gave him some perspective on how distant he was about everything lately.

"See, I knew you would notice it if I brought it to your attention."

He smirked at her jibe making her laugh and run ahead of him enticing him to chase her down the street. They arrived at the park shortly thereafter because of their running and she decided to lead him over to the vacant swing set where she took residence on one of the swings and started to swing idly back and forth while watching him expectantly. With an exasperated sigh at her antics he took the empty swing next to her but it was worth it to see her bright smile as a response to his doing so. Swallowing that voice in his head that told him swinging was a bad idea with the added weight of the automail he began to swing higher and higher alongside her until the swing set itself started to sway urging him to let himself fall back to a safer height so as not to strain it too much.

By that point she had decided she'd had enough of the swinging and leapt off the swing soaring through the air for a few seconds before landing on a patch of grass with a roll and more of her laughter. She didn't get up right away just smiled up at the sky and lay there catching her breath. Following her example he jumped off the swing letting the momentum carry him into a roll where he landed a few feet away from her. She looked over at him calling him to her without saying a word and he found himself sitting next to her on the grass completely ignoring everything but her.

When a mischievous look lit her eyes he didn't know what to expect least of all her sitting up quickly to move so that she was sitting right in front of him, their knees brushing and the minty taste of her breath mingling with his own breath they were so close. She reached forward holding him completely captivated by the look in her expressive blue eyes to brush her fingers lightly through his bangs. When she leaned even closer to brush a feather light kiss against his lips he held his breath not knowing what to do with himself with her initiating this exchange.

When she laughed lightly and pulled away he came back to his senses and leaned forward reaching his hand out to cup the back of her neck simultaneously and captured her lips in a full kiss. She always was quick to catch on and warm up to his advances when he reciprocated her actions, always letting her initiate this worked in his favor as he didn't have to worry about doing something when she wasn't 'in the mood'. He groaned appreciatively when she parted her lips immediately to his tongue running along her bottom lip in inquisition.

She relaxed into the kiss and he shifted to allow her to move closer to him having to spread his knees to do so. She all but climbed in his lap making him fall back and they broke their kiss in the midst of their fall to laugh at the arrangement they ended up in. He was on his back with her astride his lap with a grin on her face looking down at him and resting with her elbows on either side of his head. His hands were now on her hips which he had reached for in case he had to catch her and to which she didn't seem to mind.

"Well it seems I'm right where you want me then," he teased to which she leaned down to nip at his ear and whisper in his ear, "Yes I do," he shivered at the husky sound of her voice. When she leaned down further to kiss at his neck he arched his neck to allow her better access and to encourage her actions. She hummed appreciatively for him which he felt in every inch of his body and swallowed a groan when she found a very sensitive spot on his neck. She wasn't having that because the next thing she did was bite down on that spot harshly making him cry out, his hands tightened at her hips to which she relaxed against him to chuckle in his ears.

He opened his eyes when he felt her gaze on him after she shifted again to lock eyes with her. She gave him what he could only label as a seductive smile and leaned down to kiss him nipping at his bottom lip to get him to part his lips for her. He did so and allowed her to take control of the heated kiss and couldn't help but to think that this woman was going to drive him mad the more they ended up in this situation. More often than not she was the one who called the shots once they started this and while he hardly ever had any complaints she always loved to push him to the very edge of his control before she would pull away to let him calm down. She was a very sadistically teasing woman who knew which buttons to push on him and when to back off before he ended up following through with the urges every sixteen year old had.

Breaking their kiss he leaned up to try and re-engage it but she only made a tsking sound at that and shifted so that she could reach his collar bone which she planted with light, open mouthed kisses that were followed by teasing brushes of her teeth. From there she worked her way upwards again to kiss, lick, nip, and occasionally suck at his neck in different spots and then to do the same to his earlobes before she finally returned to kissing him for a while. All this time the fingers of her right hand threaded through his hair, tangled and messy from their antics earlier and lose now that he realized how much of his scalp her finger nails were scraping across. From there she moved to sit up grasping his hair and tugging to get him to sit up.

Still holding her hips he was forced to let go to push himself into a sitting position and when she reached up with both hands to work the tangles gently out of his hair he wrapped his arms around her waist to hold her close and let his thumb idly brush across the small of her back underneath her shirt. The fingertips of his left hand tingled a bit at the feeling of her warm skin beneath them and she shivered against him when his thumb slipped past the waistline of her jeans but she didn't reprimand him other than biting at that sensitive spot on his neck she had worked on earlier.

This time around, after she had made that damnable spot hypersensitive, he did released a short lived moan to her actions. He felt her smile against his neck and then she was kissing him breathless once again while her hands steadily threaded through his now lose hair. Releasing his right arm from around her waist he reciprocated her actions with his hair with hers running his fingers carefully through her hair so as not to tangle her hair with the joints and plates before twirling a lock of her hair around his finger absentmindedly. She deepened the kiss and relaxed against him even more and even went so far as to suck his tongue into her mouth and run her teeth along the organ pulling a drawn out groan from him in the process.

This was getting to be too heated for him so he pulled away and turned his head as he fought to catch his breath and regain some amount of control. She merely started to kiss at his throat once more before she let out a puff of air against his ear and whispered, "Willing to admit you missed me yet?' Hell he had missed her alright, he had missed every curve of her body that was pressed against him and that hot, wicked mouth of hers and the smirks, grins, and her nimble fingers threading through his hair. Concentrating on her fingers still threading through his hair leisurely he managed to calm some of his highly alert nerves but it did not help him take his mind off the fact that she was seated in his lap, pressed against him, licking, nipping, kissing, and sucking at his neck and driving him insane.

She pulled away and stopped messing with his hair to rest her arms on his shoulders and lean back a bit so that they could look at one another. He knew he was blushing but so was she from the rush of what they were previously doing. She was watching him and she found something amusing in his expression because she smirked and said, "I think it's safe to say you've have enough reminding for one night."

He snorted, "You think so, I could keep this up all night if you wanted," he challenged to which she snorted and with one last, short, sweet kiss on the lips she pulled away entirely and climbed to her feet. Following her on instinct and because he couldn't not follow her he climbed to his feet. When she smiled at him he couldn't resist pulling her to him to kiss her breathless before he released her and turned to walk away. It was not until he was walking down the path to lead deeper into the oddly deserted park that she retaliated by turning him by his shoulder and all but tackling him against a tree.

She didn't give him the time to catch his breath before she was kissing him back. She went so far as to plant her knee between his legs making his breath hitch on a deep moan to which she only kissed him deeper all but swallowing his tongue with how earnestly she was sucking his tongue into her mouth. When he tried to pull away because she had definitely broken his control with that action and her knee rubbing him there stirring up a hell of a lot of trouble she bit down on his tongue to keep him in place. His hands came up, hesitant for a minute on what to do before he planted them on her shoulders and gave a little push as a way to tell her to back off.

She wasn't happy to do that or complain about it choosing to instead increase the pressure of her knee and pressing her body against him even more. The rough texture of the tree he was pressed up against did not bother him in the least after that and he relaxed under her ministrations allowing her to do as she pleased. But she was driving him insane to the utmost degree and his pants were now officially too tight and uncomfortable now. Before he completely gave in he tried again to get her to back off which she finally did their kiss ending with a wet popping sound and her stepping back with a dark blush dusting her pale cheeks.

"Sorry," she said embarrassed, he had to take a few deep breaths to recover but he chuckled after that and said, "For what?'

"For not backing off, I'm sorry, I-you just-I don't know what came over me."

He smiled affectionately at her and closed the distance between him but not so much that they touched just enough that he could reach out his hand to caress her cheek with the back of his hand and turn her chin up to look at him. "Win' it's fine, just don't push me so close to beyond control anytime in the next few hours and we're good."

She laughed and blushed harder but seemed to be in a better mood. She really had brightened his day a great deal especially with her indirectly admitting that he had as much of an effect on her as she did on him. Teenage hormones he could wager were the reasoning for that in a realistic light but he was allowed to believe that she was just as crazy about him as he was about her if he wanted to. She backed away from him suddenly that mischievous little smile of hers on her face as she clasped her hands behind her back and watched him for a moment.

"Race you to the courtyard," she commented before she ran off ahead of him.

"Win' wait," he shouted after her looking worriedly up at the sky, it was already dusk and this park was entirely too empty for a summer night. There should be at least a few children and family's here even this late simply because it happened to be the summer. Yet, they had not come across anyone at all the entire they had spent here. Running off after her the darkening light from the sun setting prevented him from seeing her until he entered the clearing. The forestry of the park would make it hard on anyone to find one another after sundown but he really wished he was able to find her before he stepped out into the courtyard.

The courtyard was mainly a steep hill with a few trees here and there on an open piece of land. There were a few picnic tables beneath trees scattered throughout what he could guess was five acres of land. At the top of the hill underneath the large oak tree there was Winry and she was not alone nor was she laughing and smiling any longer. Considering the asshole that had a hold of her, his right hand grasping her wrists in front of her forcing her to be pressed tightly against the son of a bitch who also had a knife pressed to her throat in warning. He knew the warning was for her not to resist too much and for him to sit back and do as he was told which only fueled his anger all the more.

The man wearing the sharp, khaki colored slacks and suit jacket with the white button down shirt and the matching khaki hat was a man he knew all too damn well. Additionally, he was aware that Archer and Greed had to be close at hand given the informal situation before him. Sure enough the pair that was not within the vicinity of his girlfriend turned hostage walked into the clearing on either side of him casually approaching him. Greed as always, had his dark hair spiked up and was wearing a pair of indigo colored leather pants with a matching sleeveless shirt and his trademark pair of steel toe boots. He had a shit eating grin on his face as he waved at him in greeting.

Archer, the more sophisticated between them or so he liked to believe, was wearing a dark brown suit fit with a jacket and slacks and a white button down shirt. He did not even bother to tip his head in greeting merely watched him with a disdainful expression as Greed quickened his stride until he stood right next to him. Ignoring both of the enemies to either side of him his gaze was locked onto Kimblee who had his girlfriend in his grasp. He stepped aside when Greed moved closer to him to feign companionship by trying to put his arm around his shoulder. Narrowing his eyes at the knife that pressed tightly against Winry's throat and hearing her whimper and try to pull away.

Kimblee narrowed his own eyes at him and drew the blade along Winry's throat threateningly to keep him in place. He gritted his teeth but allowed Greed to put his arm around his shoulder. He was so tense his muscles ached from it but he stood still and even stood still when Greed leaned closer to him to whisper in his ear, "Miss us kiddo?"

He growled in warning to which the other shifted his arm from his shoulder to around his waist where he dug his claws into his side. Ed winced but didn't say or do anything else as he continued watching Winry locking eyes with her to try and convey that he was going to somehow get them out of this. Claws dug deeper into his side as Greed said, "It's rude to ignore someone Edowardo."

"Go to hell," he hissed angrily to which those claws finally broke skin and then were drug along his side tearing the skin there as well. He could feel the warmth of his own blood seeping through his shirt and sliding down his side but only held his ground and waited. He couldn't do shit until Kimblee let Winry go or until there was an opening where she was able to get away. Even then he was outmatched by three conniving, twisted, sick fuckers who outnumbered him and were stronger and faster than him.

"Been there, now then, how've you been?'

"Peachy," he bit out sarcastically to hide the short cry that wanted to escape when the bastard made a fist at his side to tear further through his skin and do more damage. Winry bit her lip to keep quiet to which Kimblee smiled serenely and said, "Such an intelligent, beautiful, young woman you've managed to catch the attention of."

"Yeah kiddo, you've done pretty well for yourself," Greed commented finally released his side and removing his arm from around him. His relieved exhale of breath was short lived however as the other simply grabbed a handful of his still lose hair and twisted it in an iron fist making him arch his neck with the strain and nearly making his knees buckle. Greed then invaded his personal space more to say with his face nearly brushing his cheek, "Too bad you're too pathetic to protect her, eh?"

His hand shot back to grasp the wrist holding his hair at that, his right hand squeezing until his hair was released and when he made to run forward to her she cried out stopping him short. Kimblee had swiftly and with almost blinding speed switched their positions enough that he was holding her now broken right wrist in his hand and she was on her knees tears streaming down her cheeks. He did hit his knees then only about ten paces away and gritted his teeth and clenched his fists at his side as he growled out, "Leave her alone."

"Or what brat," Greed said with a chuckle as he came to kneel down on the ground beside him, "you're in no place to make demands," the man said as he brushed his deadly claws along his spine making him release another of his threatening growls. Winry's pained cry made him look back to her and hold still to whatever it was Greed was doing, brushing his hair away from his neck to scrape his claws along the back of his neck, so that he was fully focused on her.

"What do you asshole's want?"

"The same thing as before of course," Archer finally spoke up having made his way to the group of people gathered near the center of the courtyard now. Ed glanced his way but averted his gaze back to Winry not wanting to take his eyes off Kimblee and her. Greed chuckled and finally drew blood along the back of his neck before grabbing it in an iron grip and making him swallow on instinct because of the way the claw hovered over the vein on his neck.

"What-what do you want to let her go?"

"Hmm, let me think about it," Greed said and he scratched his claw along that vein absentmindedly, "I think I know what _I _want from _you_, but the others," he shrugged nonchalantly. Ed closed his eyes for a moment at the reminder of how Greed was, not one to hit a woman but more than willing to do untold things to a pre-teen boy and now teenage young man. He wasn't all that surprised by his answer but it was Archer that gave him an answer that made his blood boil.

"Nothing of value can come from you that would make us spear that woman's life."

"Not entirely true my friend," Kimblee commented finally releasing Winry and stepping away from her. Ed remained right where he was unable to really move with a sharp as hell claw at his jugular. Winry looked at him pleading with him to come with her but he closed his eyes to her unspoken plea which made new found tears run down her cheeks. She pushed herself to her feet as Kimblee came to kneel down in front of him, "Give us what we want and we will not cause her anymore harm. I detest harming a woman but will not keep to such unless you can give us what we came for."

He wasn't going to say a word until Winry left but then Greed cut a thin line along his throat and dug his claws into his skin once more, "You already have the journal."

"We want the translation of that journal you idiotic little punk," Archer snapped irritably.

"I don't have them; they were with the journal-shit!" He cried out when Kimblee stabbed that knife from before right through his still very much flesh and bone thigh. Winry, still within sight but along the boundary of the courtyard stopped and looked his way. He glanced her way and shoved down the pain pleading with her this time to run away. She was clutching her broken wrist to her chest and made to come towards him but he gritted his teeth and glared at Kimblee, "I don't have the damn translation."

"You may not be in possession of them but you know where they are," the man replied calmly while twisted the blade embedded in his leg making him let out a hiss of pain. He really did not want to have to go back to the hospital again he hated that damn place. Why couldn't the fucker stab him in the right arm and break his fucking blade on the metal there instead of aiming for the three flesh limbs he had?

"I don't, I burned them after you fucker's stole the journal," he snarled angrily through the pain in his leg. Looking towards where Winry was he was relieved to see that she was no longer within sight. Now he could fully concentrate on dealing with these sorry pieces of shit. Archer was glaring daggers at him but he could care less with Greed still holding his neck within his clawed grasp and the knife embedded in his thigh.

"How do we know you're not lying," Greed asked with a grin as he made another shallow cut beneath the previous one along his neck too close to his jugular for comfort. There was no way they could tell if he was lying or not considering he had developed a skill for lying even through this torment thanks to their bullshit back in London. He just scoffed and said, "Between the knife in my leg and your damn claws at my throat why the hell would I lie?'

"To waste our time while your girlfriend runs away to get help," Archer replied easily.

"I happen to concur," Kimblee stated simply and pushed himself to his feet pulling the knife free in the same motion. He had a split second to react and so he twisted receiving a deep cut along his collar bone from the way he twisted free of Greed's hold and jumped away only to slam his hands together in a resounding clap. Within the few seconds of shocking them he had created a spear, back flipped to put more distance between them and effectively called their full attention to him. He didn't care about the piercing pain in his leg or the numerous wounds that were staining his dark clothes with blood.

Not giving any of them time to take on a defensive stance he leapt swinging the spear through the air to separate them. He went for Archer first remembering the guy's knack for pulling dirty tricks and plenty of weapons from nowhere and though the man, a seasoned soldier, managed to dodge a few attacks and even force him back he did manage to impale the son of a bitch in the leg with his spear. He lunged hitting him with a right hook to knock him out and turned just in time to raise his arms to block the blow from Greed.

The 'Ultimate Shield' as others had called him had a high calcium count that allowed for him to be practically bullet proof and could even transform and manipulate his outer shell into that shield made of calcium that could break any sword and stop any bullet. As he leapt back and away and dodged and block blows he also ended up taking a few well aimed and precise blows to his wounds all of which the other had caused or witnessed which brought him to his knees quickly. But beaten and bloody did not mean shit when he had someone to protect so he forced himself to keep moving.

Pain is a state of mind after all and he was above letting pain knock him down so he did a one handed back flip to get away landing a solid kick that vibrated painfully throughout his legs and made his hips and even his jaw hurt but forced Greed back a step. He thought quickly through the ingredients of the human body and how he could counteract the high as hell calcium count in the fucker's body. His mind supplied the knowledge he needed so his hands and body had to supply the action to carry out his conclusion. Slamming his hands together he moved in to slam his hands against the other. It looked as though an external electrical current swamped the other making him stumble and in a flash he used alchemy to turn the forearm of his automail into a blade and turned to avoid a kick and ran the other through with his blade right through his sternum.

The other paused and when he pulled the blade free the other fell to his knees as his transformation came undone. His hand clutched at his chest as he hit his knees and he kept watching him with a grin, "Good move kid," the other said before he fell face first to the ground unconscious. Ed knew it was only for a short amount of time so he looked around for the last person only to find Kimblee nowhere within sight. Adrenaline pumping through his veins as steadily as fear for Winry he ran off in the general direction he assumed Winry would have gone.

He made it all the way out of the park before he stumbled across a scene he was not expecting. Winry was sitting on the curb across the street and Al, his father, Sasuke, Fugaku, and Tidus were standing over the unconscious form of Kimblee. How the hell they had managed to knock the other out was not his worry anymore than answering the questions or taking in the heated and worried looks. He ran across the street and slid to his knees, regretting that when his leg made him more than fully aware of the agony it was in so that he was kneeling in front of his very upset girlfriend.

She looked up and sniffed, wiped her tears from her face with the back of her left hand and then promptly slapped him across the face with that same hand. Glaring heatedly at him she shrieked, "Don't you ever give me that look again you asshole," everyone that had come to their rescue looked their way but she ignored their presence as she continued; "If you ever ask me to leave you in a situation like that again I will beat you to death myself!"

"Win-"

"You fucking jackass, you selfish bastard, what would I have done if they had killed you? You said earlier that if anything happened-"

He cut her off there because he was not letting her think that in any way that this was her fault, "Don't you dare think that this was your fault!" His sharp words effectively cut her off and he sighed and took a deep breath, "Don't, it wasn't your fault alright? I knew better and should have said something but I didn't. So it's not your fault. Are you alright, your wrist looks pretty bad."

She sniffed and glared, "Yeah, well it's broken. What about you, you're bleeding everywhere."

"I'm-"

"If you tell me that you're fine I really will beat you to death Edward," she said seriously to which everyone else joined them at this point. His brother glared at him, "Brother, how hurt are you really?"

"Flesh wounds," he replied to which Winry slapped him upside the head as he had turned his head to the side to look at his little brother. Reaching up to rub at his head where she'd hit him he glared at her but she met his glare squarely and returned it with his own. Sasuke was the next one to speak up, "Neck, side, and leg wound," he said simply.

Tidus came into view, looked at him once, nodded and said, "Sas'ke is right, looks pretty bad there Ed."

"Fucking hell, it's not that bad," he growled and made to get up only to have his leg lock up and keep him on the ground. His hand pressed over the still bleeding wound and he swore under his breath from the pain and the fact that he couldn't really move his leg. His body always did like betraying him, who knew a stab wound to the thigh was that disabling? He tried to get up again only to have a huge wave of pain shoot from his leg, along his spine, and right back through to his leg again; it was definitely not going to move.

"A stab wound there is going to make your leg useless for a few days, possibly weeks," Winry said now more composed than before.

"Does he need to go to the hospital," his father asked which made him glare darkly at the man and swear under his breath when his girlfriend nodded once, "Yes. Both of us need to go, me so that my wrist can be reset and I can be given a proper cast and so that the medical staff can make sure that Ed's wounds are not as bad as they appear to be."

Great, so he had to go back to that horrid place, again, in less than four months time. What was worse was that Winry had to go because he had failed to protect her from those assholes. He looked down hating his own weakness and incompetence when Tidus suddenly said, "What are we going to do with-" but when everyone looked Kimblee was no longer there. Typical, he thought, those three were gone now and he was more than sure they would be back and out for revenge when they did show up once again. Hopefully the lie he had fed them about burning the notes would hold for a while and they would have to stay away to find a better way at getting the truth out of his ancestor's journal. Though, he really doubted they would wait very long considering the cause and effect of this encounter and now that they were more than aware of those they could go after in order to ensure his co-operation.

He knew he had fucked up there, more than willing to let them do whatever the hell they wanted to just to convince them to let Winry go. Hell, he had let them have their fun with him in London just so they would promise to never lay a hand on Al. Now there were a lot more people they could use as hostages to get what they wanted from him, if they managed to get their hands on just one person he cared for he would be forced to decrypt and translate that entire journal for their ends because he sure as hell wouldn't do it if only he was at risk.

"Edward," his father called pulling him out of his thoughts, he looked up to see the man watching him with a thoughtful expression. Winry, Al, and even Sasuke were watching him like a hawk. He knew that they were most likely thinking about what was going through his mind and from the looks on their faces the three of them were far from finished with him. Letting out a sigh he said, "Well let's get this shit over with, if they tell me I have to stay more than twenty-four hours every single member of their staff is going to live to regret it," he ended with a obstinate hiss. Tidus and his father had to pick him up via Winry's instruction on how to move him without making his leg worse and they carried him to Fugaku's parked car only a few feet down the street.

It was Tidus and Fugaku who drove his father's car while everyone else piled into the Uchiha's car to ride to the hospital together. Fugaku even followed them there surprisingly but it was most likely because his son was with them in his car and that his wife wanted an update on the situation. He had to wait for a wheelchair to which he was told he was pouting like a toddler about which only made him scowl, cross his arms over his chest, and then cuss when it pulled at the wounds on his side.

He was reprimanded by Mr. Uchiha for his choice of language, his brother and Winry looked at him in that way that told him to stop being an idiot while Sasuke raised an eyebrow at him and actually rolled his eyes at him. He scoffed and glared at everyone in the hospital and even growled at the nurse that came to take him to see doctor after Fugaku and his father explained his wound's and got Winry a doctor. It was his father that went into the room with Winry which Al accompanied him to do while he was stuck with Tidus, Sasuke, and Mr. Uchiha in his own room.

Two hours later his leg was bandaged, he was told to remain in a wheelchair for at least two weeks and then revert to crutches, his wounds were stitched up, and he was told he had to stay overnight for observation. He was vehement about that for about an hour before they gave him an I.V., pumped him full of anti-biotics, noticed his automail and then pumped him full of some really potent pain medication to knock him out. By the time he woke up the next day or whenever he woke up Winry was sitting in a chair at his bedside her new cast around her wrist which was already decorated with multiple signatures and a few doodles.

"Hey," he managed after a glass of water and the pain meds allowed him to stay awake for more than five seconds. She looked up from studying her cast to smile at him, "Hey yourself, how're you feeling?'

"Great, woozy, you?"

She laughed and then offered him a sad smile, "I'm perfectly fine compared to you," she said and even full of drugs he could hear the guilty undertone to her voice.

"Win' it wasn't your fault," he said trying to sit up only to have his stitches pull from his movement. It was easy to ignore how much pain your in when in a fight, all that adrenaline, fear, and anger in the case of the most recent confrontation, but now everything hurt. His side itched, ached, and pulled with every breath, his leg was a whole mess of torment, and his neck felt like it had a cheese grater run across it several times. The bandaging and the pressure and weight from it only made him feel even more like crap.

"It was, I shouldn't have led you out of your house or to the park. We should have left when it started to get dark, I should have fought back harder so they couldn't-"

"Stop," he said sternly making her fall silent, "those guys are really dangerous. That is why I'm glad you didn't fight back too much, they would have just killed you," he said honestly making her pale as she looked up at him finally. He pressed on, "Those guys are really bad news, the only reason I wasn't killed is because they need me alive to get what they want. I know they are not above killing anyone let alone torturing them, kidnapping them, or otherwise causing some serious damage. I walked away alive and in a hell of a lot better shape than the last time I had a run in with all three of them."

"Ed-"

"Winry, listen to me would ya? This is not your fault, if it's anyone's fault it's mine. I know full well how dangerous they are and that they are in town and after me and Al because of that damn journal. But I still let you convince me to leave, I shouldn't have because I was and am fully aware of their audacity and how low they will stoop. So don't blame yourself, be pissed at me for not filling you in." He paused to wait for his response and because all those damn drugs pumping through his veins made him feel light headed. She got up from where she was to move to sit on his bed where she could reach for his hair and declared, "Your hair needs to be washed."

A change in subject meant she heard him but wasn't taking his words to heart to the full extent of what they said, "You've been out for two days and you smell," she chuckled at the grimace on his face and got up to grab a bedpan and walked into the small bathroom. He heard the water running and when she returned she had a wet rage and soapy water with her which she set at the end of his bed. He allowed her to give him a impromptu sponge bath but stopped her when she made to go for anything below his waist saying that he would deal with that when he finally got to go home.

"Why was I out for two days," he asked as she washed his hair and got up to grab a towel to pat him dry and keep his hair from soaking through the hideous hospital gown. She didn't answer him at first finishing up washing his hair first and gently toweling his hair dry before she let out a sigh and put everything aside to look at him, "You have to stop doing this."

"Doing what, asking you why I was-"

"No, damn it. Stop scaring everyone like this, you getting hurt all the time has to stop," she said with a broken voice. He couldn't tell if she was on the verge of tears or an the verge of hitting him.

"Winry-"

"You could have been killed, you had a fist sized hole in your side and the damage to your right leg that is likely to leave you with permanent muscle, tissue, and nerve damage. It went right through to the bone and was too close to a main vein. Those cuts on your throat were bad to and only added to the complications."

"Yeah, well I'm fine now aren't I?"

She glared at him darkly for that and turned so that she fully facing him, "Stretch your right arm above your head," she demanded. He attempted to do as she said but the stitches and soreness of his right side made him put his arm down after only moving it a little. He closed his eyes against the pain and sighed when she continued glaring at him, "You're not fine and they plan to release you this afternoon but with strict rules you have to follow."

"Rules, like what?'

She turned away to look towards the door where a wheelchair was folded up to lay against the wall and he grimace, he hated wheelchairs and how the hell was he going to use the damn thing to get around when he couldn't even stretch out his arm? Sinking back into the bed with a resigned sigh he said, "I'm sorry, I didn't plan for this shit to happen-"

"I'm not saying this is your fault, I'm just saying that you need to really pay attention and take care of yourself."

"I hear you and I'm sorry again," he said and they both looked up as Hoenhiem and Fugaku walked into the room. The elder Uchiha glanced at Winry saying without uttering a word that they wished to speak to him without her present. She got up and nodded in greeting to them and he noticed that she avoided their gazes as she walked out of the room. His father didn't take the vacated seat he merely closed the door behind her and turn to look at him. He averted his gaze to stare at his lap looking up when Fugaku cleared his throat.

"I'm more than disappointed with you," his father began to which he said nothing, "you should never have left the house to begin with let alone left without saying anything to anyone. What is worse is that you put Winry in danger in the process."

"I know that, that fucker broke her wrist for fuck's sake."

"Those three also nearly ripped you quite literally apart son," his father replied. Ed could see the held back temper in his father, he always had this tick along his forehead, a vein that throbbed when he was angry which wasn't often but was very much the case right now. He sighed and sat back on his bed, "I know that, I let them get that fucking close because that son of a bitch had a knife to her damn throat."

"Yes, we are aware," Fugaku stated matter of factly, "in turn such would not have transpired if you had followed the rules set before you."

So that explained Winry's choice of words before his father and Mr. Uchiha had interrupted their conversation. He looked to the elder Uchiha and immediately looked away not wanting to meet the man's gaze. He knew he had fucked up and that he was wrong and damn it he knew it was his fault that Winry was put at risk and his own idiocy had cause his current state. Swearing and slamming his fist against the bed making them jump he said, "I fucking know this is my damn fault so just leave it. I won't do this crap again and everyone can go on their merry fucking way."

He was surprised when his father finally took a seat in the chair next to his bed while Mr. Uchiha walked out of the room silently. When his father placed his hand over his own he flinched but allowed it simply because the look his father was giving him. He looked apologetic more than he looked as though he were pissed off at him, "I'm sorry son, this never would have happened if not for my own mistakes in the past. I cannot apology enough to take any of this back anymore than these burdens can be removed from your shoulders."

"Dad," he started but his father shook his head and pressed on, "You nor Miss Winry should have been placed in such danger merely because you went to a local park well within walking distance. You should not be made a prisoner because I could not take care of the threats to my family prior to coming back into your life. None of this is your fault though carelessness can be a factor such should not be something of your concern at only sixteen years old. Nothing that you and Alphonse have endured and faced should have become a factor in either of your lives at all."

"Look old man, I told you I wasn't going to be able to let that shit go but that doesn't mean that everything that goes wrong is your fault," he argued. His father smiled affectionately at him and said simply, "I will do my best to protect you and Alphonse to at the very least make up for everything that has happened because of my mistakes."

With that his father walked out of the room not giving him the chance to comment or reply or argue only to watch him walk away. For some reason he felt as though that was going to be the last time he would see the old man so when Al came into the room telling him their father was heading out with Mr. Uchiha to grab something edible for them and to take Winry home he almost said something but decided against it. It wasn't until later that afternoon when only Mr. Uchiha returned and not his father that he started to realize his suspicions might in fact be more factual than assumed. He was told that he and Al were going to spend the rest of their summer vacation within their friend's respective homes. Which entailed Al going to stay with the Uzumaki family and Ed staying with the Uchiha family who already had a house full to begin with.

_**TBC . . . **_


	22. Chapter 22

**Disclaimer: I don't own Fullmetal Alchemist or Naruto let alone any of the characters from either. I make no profit writing this as it is merely for creative and entertainment purposes only. I don't even own the title to this story as it comes from the song by Martina McBride. **

_A/N: Dark themes, child abuse, violence, language. This story is fictional and should it offend anyone please do not read. Flames will be used to make smores and comments and constructive criticism is welcome. This story is un-beta'd and edited by me. Oh and here's a shocker, Hoenhiem is the good parent in this._

**Title: Concrete Angel**

**Series: Fullmetal Alchemist, Naruto**

**Pairing: Ed/Winry, Naru/Sasu**

**Genre: Drama**

**Summary: Even should the wings of angel's help us rise above the ashes we must find our own strength to continue on past the times we fall . . .**

_There is no victor in war, only those whose lives have ended in violence and those who must carry the weight of those deaths upon their shoulders. -Marie _

**Chapter 22**

_**One Week Later . . .**_

Phone calls were endless in his line of work just as paperwork seemed to be, had he not left the monotone life of the military with its regulations and repetitiveness so as to escape such menial tasks? However, the down side of not being part of the military was the amount of jurisdiction and resources they offered. For instance, all of the difficulties that came when dealing with one Edward Elric called for the teenager being locked up so as to protect him from stumbling into so much trouble.

Yes, he was not his father nor his guardian but was it not his family, while they loath to admit to it, that turned to him when it came to contacting those who had information that could assist them in dealing with threats to their sons', family members, and any other person's of interest? He really did not have much to complain about other than paperwork, phone calls, and a few pointed looks from his assistant and a former officer of the very same military he had retired early from that clearly said he should finish what he was doing and get back to his actual work.

As for his best friend and the nosy insanity that made up his all too hyperactive personality, the man was no where to be seen and refused to answer his phone. This was the reason he had yet to do any of his actual work regarding the paper work for students and approving whether they attended the school he was employed at. Of course he still had the remainder of the summer vacation to sort through such paperwork but Riza was adamant that things be done when assigned to his list of tasks to do. She was very good at her job and made sure to keep him from being burned by the educational board and the business committee but right now his attention was split into many very serious tasks.

He wouldn't be concerned about his best friend if it were not already three days into the week without a word from the other man. His wife according to the phone calls he had made had no idea where he husband was but had constantly assured him that Maes was safe. While he sat at his desk staring unseeingly at the folders stacked on his desk for the newest addition of students he knew opening even one would be useless with his thoughts focused elsewhere.

He knew without a doubt that the cryptic phone call from Mr. Elric and his best friends disappearance were tied to each other somehow. Edward was soon to be released from the hospital yet again where he would return to the Uchiha residence. Alphonse would be going to the Uzumaki residence and according to the urgent paperwork he was handed by his elusive and missing best friend that was where the two would remain until an unannounced amount of time.

He had of course read said paperwork that mostly pertained to Edward seeing as how he was the supervising overseer of the elder Elric brother's education during his previous educational years. In fact the paperwork had requested that he recommend Edward for advanced placement classes that would allow him to earn his degree within the next school year. That of course required more than his signature for the recommendation so he had spent the last week gathering signatures from the other's previous instructors who were more than happy to refer the elder of the Elric brothers as well as inquire as to why the younger did not attend this prestigious school.

The real footwork required him to go to the university, speak with the headmaster there, turn over the recommendations, wait for the board to make a decision, get approval of the recommendations, then he had to turn around and request in person recommendations from Edward's previous college professors. Why he was doing all of this work himself was still not within reach for his common sense except for the urgency from both Maes and Hoenhiem and the warning from his glasses wearing comrade hinted that he needed to be the one to do these tasks rather than send someone else.

There were many things that his carrying out the tasks himself could say to those who witnessed him doing so but the one that stood out to him given what he was told from his brother-in-law Fugaku Uchiha was all about image. The more allies that Edward appeared to have on his side and watching over him the better, though having the entirety of the Uchiha family along with the Uzumaki/Namikaze family and countless teachers and professors with a great deal of political influence because of the success of their students it was meant to convince the enemies of the Elric family from making a move against the family for a time. He doubted it was the permanent solution but now that he was fully informed of the situation he could do more to prevent another incident from occurring.

From his end he had informed those he knew within law enforcement and called old military comrades as well as informed his co-workers and any trusted members of the University staff of the situation. The last thing was that he needed to talk over a plan of action with his sister's family and Mrs. Uzumaki and Mr. Namikaze as well as the sensei at the dojo. Following that was the dreaded conversation with Edward about what was being done without his knowledge. As the Kudo's were directly involved in the added protection and the situation at hand considering their adopted daughters' relationship with the elder Elric son it was more than common knowledge that they were among the first to be informed.

However, no one was telling him where Maes was or what Mr. Elric was up to currently only that both were safe for now and that he did not need to know. But on the contrary, he did need to know, not just for the simple fact that he could not assist them should they run into trouble if he did not know his whereabouts but also because he did not like being kept in the dark about things and his so called childhood friend very well knew that damn it!

With an agitated sight he ran his hands through his hair for what felt like the thousandth time that day and let his head fall from his hands to bang on his desk where he groaned from the pain of it. There was a knock at his door and he sat up straight and removed the paper that had stuck to his forehead to say, "Enter," to which a surprise quest was escorted into the room.

"Hello kiddo," said the boisterous woman who entered his office with Hawkeye following behind the older woman and closing the door behind them. Without another word the big boned woman took it upon herself to take a seat in one of the comfy chairs in front of his desk. He was still staring at her in muted shock before she glared at him and snapped, "Don't gawk at me as though you've never seen me before boy."

Clearing his throat and quickly regaining his composure from the snappish quality of her voice and the reminders that cascaded through his mind from that tone of voice he glanced at his assistant to glare her way but her face was an impassive mask of professionalism. He turned his attention back to the woman who had raised him after his parents had died when he was too young to remember much about them, "To what do I owe the pleasure of your company?"

"Well I heard from your dear sister that you were throwing your weight around to get information."

"Which sister," he asked with genuine curiosity. While he and Mikoto were indeed brother and sister and this woman so happened to be his biological aunt through his father he and his biological sister were not raised together. In fact they had met purely by chance, well she was looking for her missing family members having finally turned of age to search for them without her aristocratic adoptive family watching over her shoulder and he just so happened to be within the vicinity she was searching. It was a long story to be completely honest but as a result of his own upbringing through who was seated in his office he had a good number of sisters.

Madame Christmas, as her patrons called her, owned a bar that was also a brothel of sorts and she often took girls in off the streets to give them a chance of getting on their feet. But of course this woman was purely about business and so in exchange she expected her 'girls' to work in either the bar or the brothel, which she allowed them to choose and didn't offer to those who were far too young or naïve to know what a brothel was exactly.

Those 'sisters' of his had families and lives of their own now but as they all stayed in contact with 'Chris' and kept up with the going ons' on the streets they were still reliable sources of information. He was of course kept in the loop and in return offered what he could through his own influences and allies within different professions to anyone that his 'sisters' or mom requested along with those his family requested assistance for.

"Hmm, hell I forget all their names, Teresa," the way she said the name it came out sounding like 'Tehrehsah' instead of simply 'Theresa' like someone else would say it. Her accent always did give her away and he was loath to admit he had the same accent to his words and had to fight very hard not to. Maes found it funny and exploited his upbringing for his entertainment but he found it annoying because it made him seem less professional when he slipped up and pronounced words incorrectly, especially so when dealing with his brother-in-law and those within his place of work.

"Get that look off your face brat," she snapped at him, the only woman he knew other than Riza that was capable of knowing what he was thinking despite his masks and defenses. This woman had taught him those masks and defenses and how to use words, spoken by him or others, to his advantage, she happened to be a master of the craft after all.

"Why did you stop by, unless this is purely a pleasurable trip to visit your very grateful son."

She laughed, her laughter smoky, husky, and full much as she ensured her life was at every turn. She smirked at him making him sit up straighter in his seat not out of anticipation but so that he had a good vantage point if she decided to reach across the desk and hit him. From the look on her face she had something going through her head and she let out a sigh, "You want to protect that student of yours-"

"He's no longer my student-"

She glowered at him for interrupting her and did reach across the desk to smack him upside the head then sat back in the chair as though nothing happened and snapped, "Don't interrupt me when I am speaking." After clearing her throat she continued with what she was saying, "You know full well that I am very good at protecting younglings, why haven't you thought of that approach?"

"There are other options available."

She snorted then clicked her tongue disapprovingly before saying, "You know better than that. Relying on that family for everything is not full proof."

"I am aware of this but I have more than one life to be concerned with."

"Then send them my way," she said simply relaxing into the chair as though the discussion were over with. He knew better as did his wife as they both exchanged glances before he leaned forward to rest his elbows on the desk and rest his chin on his interlinked hands, "It is not so simple."

"The hell it isn't," she commented conversationally as though they were not discussing the way three teenage lives would change if he went along with what she was saying.

"They have lives here, friends, school, family, I will not take such away from them unless there is no other option available."

"You would rely on a family that cast us out because of where I chose to spend my life? You depend too much on the power behind that name your sister holds due to marriage."

"I would say I do not as I have as much to offer in return to the advantages of having such a name on my side."

"Enemies in low places and allies in high ones," she said approvingly but then scowled, "the family, the ones you wish to help, are interlinked with enemies in very high and very low places."

Ah, so she had information he could use that was the reason she was here. Her offer to grant safety to the Elric's and Winry was a warning that what she had found out was very dangerous. This also called for a change in place of discussion. He knew that here was where they drew the line of discussion due to the sensitivity her information could have. Rising from his seat causing his mom to do the same he said, "How about an early night, it has been a long time since I've seen you and I should offer you dinner for the trouble."

"That sounds appropriate, you should think back on your past with current rivals while we travel," were her words telling him that his past experience with those who were after the Elric family and their secrets were a key point to what information she had uncovered. Without a word from his wife the three of them declared an early night and made it down to the car and back to the house he and his wife shared. It was a humble house despite the retirement they had from the military and their salary.

They has a small yard, a one story home with three bedrooms and two baths, a reasonably sized kitchen which his mother went straight to as soon as he unlocked the door and held it open for her and his wife. Riza went through her usual routine upon returning home, she removed her shoes at the door, unhooked her gun holster, a habitual occurrence whenever she stepped out of the office but that was kept under lock and key at the office, and then crossed the entry way to head towards their bedroom on the far right part of the home.

He removed his own shoes and closed the door so that he could lock it and made his way into the kitchen to offer assistance to his mom should she need anything. Naturally Riza ensured that the house was always neat, clean, and organized so the desk tucked in the back of the living room exactly ten feet away from the patio doors was not littered with stacks of paper like his own desk at work. The bookshelf that was opposite the desk was organized and arranged alphabetically.

Furthermore was the way the couch was positioned in the direct center of the allotted area in front of the fireplace, a must have with his living in this humble abode. When he was ushered out of his own kitchen as his mother went through his fridge, freezer, and pantry searching for whatever it was she was looking for he simply sat at the dining room table opposite the kitchen. The home was rather spacious enough that even though the dining area was at the end of the kitchen and its own room it was not claustrophobic.

The kitchen had an island which the counter of had a single center piece that was a bowl of fresh fruit, a fact that Riza ensured was always fresh and stocked to which she often made him eat when he lost himself in research or work related materials. As he made himself comfortable in his chair at the head of the dining room table which could seat up to six people comfortably his mother finally broke the silence.

"Where do you keep your liquor boy? I could use a drink before we engage in this conversation," she said finally stepping into the same room as her son. He raised an eyebrow at her in question wondering at why she assumed he had liquor considering his track record with the beverage. He had his current wife and their friends to thank for his currently sober state after his sorry state of alcoholic addiction.

He was going to tell her that he did not have access to the liquor cabinet when Riza entered the room with a bottle of whiskey in her hand. He looked her figure up and down hungrily thoroughly enjoying the sight of his wife with her hair down wearing a form fitting white t-shirt and a pair of her comfortable jeans. She felt his gaze and her eyes met his before a teasing smile curled her lips upwards and then the expression was gone but was definitely present for him to know that she appreciated the hungry look from her husband.

"Will whiskey do Madame Christmas?"

"It's Chris, you are officially a daughter of mine and thank you dear."

Riza nodded in acknowledgement and made her way to the kitchen to procure a few glasses for everyone then motioned to the living room which was beyond the open doorway on the opposite end of the room from where Mustang was seated and his mother stood near the doorway leading to the kitchen. The three relocated to the living room to seat themselves upon the couch in front of the fireplace, which he lit after slipping on one of his gloves from his pants pocket and the loveseat just to the left of the couch.

He and Riza seated themselves on the couch comfortably once the fairer haired woman had poured them each a generous drink. He made himself tastefully sip at the drink in the glass even though the familiar scent and feel of alcohol was daunting and calling for him to drink more vigorously, especially with the amount of stress and tension he constantly seemed unable to escape as time passed.

Madame Christmas was not so willing to merely sip her drink and had poured herself another generous glass after quickly downing the first as soon as it was set before her. She took a healthy drink of her second glass and set it upon the coffee table that was placed in the space between the couch and fireplace and turned to regard the married couple before her.

A whimsical smile crossed her features at the sight for a mere second before her expression turned more serious and hardened as a result. Her dark eyes locked with her son's for a moment before transferring to impress on his younger wife the seriousness of what was about to be discussed then she turned her gaze to the fire and let out a tired sigh.

"There is much going on both in the underground and above ground. Much of which interlinks with many influential families such as your distant one and the Elric's. The Rockbell family plays a key role in this development as well."

"The Rockbell family," Riza asked as she took a sip of her whiskey, "how so?"

"There has been word of some sightings of a member of the Rockbell family that is well known to be deceased. I have yet to receive a positive I.D. on the individual as since the sighting they have yet to be seen, but it could very well be only one of three candidates considering the only other survivor is very much in this country."

"So the sighting was across international waters," Mustang assessed as he set his drink on the table and gazed into the fire thoughtfully. Whatever was going on was directly connected to the Uchiha, Elric, and Rockbell family as well as connected to his past with certain individuals that also posed a threat to the families involved. He knew that he should have further researched the reasons behind the arrival of Kimblee and his goons so that he would have been better prepared for the attacks on Edward.

"I can tell you about those I have positive identification on at the very least. The girls have helped me to assess that someone else, more intelligent and influential than even your old rivals and enemies are, is the one behind everything which is still yet to be unknown."

"You do not know the core objective behind what is going on?"

"No, but I am certain it has much to do with that journal that landed your half-sister in the hospital and nearly got Edward killed. Both of the Wetherton's, or whatever their real names are, are directly involved and are no longer imprisoned as you well know," she turned back towards them even though her son continued gazing into the fire.

"Yes, I am aware and we have yet to procure them."

"You're not going to from the amount of authority you have here, they are across international borders. Though a look a like to Jasmine Wetherton is presently in this country, even this very jurisdiction."

"Who are you referring to," Riza asked to which her husband finally looked away from the fire to regard both of the women before him.

"Jasmine Kalean, she is the secretary to the headmaster and good friends by observation to Kimblee and Greed."

"That is even more troubling, how is it that such things are taking place, Kimblee has been here for some time and is a wanted criminal in many countries."

"My dear woman, Kimblee, Kalean, Bradley, Archer, Juvani or Greed as he addresses himself now, and the Wetherton's have friends in very high places that grant them immunity from authorities. Should Edward ever file reports or complaints against them he is more susceptible to be interrogated, harassed, and have charges brought up against him as his reaction would be volatile at best."

"That is the honest truth," Mustang replied with a knowing smirk.

"Listen boy, this manhunt will turn very dangerous very quickly, hell I'm surprised that Tidus and those around him did not end up returning to Cambridge in a coffin after that brat got involved in a world he knew nothing about and that went deeper than he could imagine."

"You knew about the disturbances with Tidus," Riza asked a bit surprised of the woman's network of knowledge. She had met the older woman on several occasions but never for business that allowed her to fully see just how far Madame Christmas Mustang's reach actually was. The older woman had a very smug look on her face as she nodded in the affirmative, "Of course I did, how else do you think my boy here was able to emphasize on Mikoto and Fugaku, that arrogant, bull headed, narrow minded idiot, just how serious the situation was with his nephew?"

"I was under the impression that Edward's influence in changing young Sasuke's mind was the reasoning behind Fugaku Uchiha finally consenting."

"Oh that had a great deal of influence as well but Fugaku is so thick skulled he needed another shove in the right direction," Roy said with a smug smirk that matched his mom's expression almost exactly. Riza rolled her eyes at their childish similarity and took a healthy drink of her whiskey and smacked his hand away when he made the gesture to do the same. He pouted at her for that even as Christmas chuckled at the display, finished off her still half full glass and then poured herself another generous glass to which she drank nearly a third of.

Mustang's seemed to have a high tolerance for alcohol that was inherited as Riza knew she would be unable to drink whiskey in quite the absent way that the older woman and she knew her husband was able to. When he took only a small sip and set the glass back on the table she leaned back into the couch making herself comfortable once more and asked, "So what is it that you can tell us about this supposed underground organization?"

"I can only tell you who I know for certain are involved, which I already have with the exception of a snot nosed brat named Avnas, heard of 'im?"

"Yes," the raven haired man replied a bit vehemently, "that snot nosed brat was a self proclaimed gift to the world who chose to bully and often get Edward and my nephew's into too much trouble. I often had to deal with petty fights that were started by that young man and suspended him on several occasions."

"Why not expel the little shit if he caused all those problems?"

"The educational board was unmovable when it came to that young man," Riza explained, "they wished to have Edward, Sasuke, and Tidus removed in the same turn should we have pressed to have Avnas removed from the academy so we stopped our pursuit of having him removed."

"Sounds like underhanded politics and money trampling over students best interests," the elder woman commented airily.

"That's exactly what it was, apparently the young man's father was a key investment in the stock market that helps to pay for the 401K of many of those on the educational board so they resisted even participating in any disciplinary actions regarding Avnas or his associates," Christmas' son went on to explain continuing where his wife had left off.

"Sounds about right, this country is capitalist now after all."

"Now, hell," he commented to which both woman rolled their eyes and the blond haired woman decided to direct the conversation back to the more serious matters before they got off track.

"So we know that the three from our past are involved along with an old classmate of Edward's. However I have another concern that perhaps the two of you could address."

"What is it?"

"It has to do with whatever it was that detestable man Orochimaru was involved in, what exactly was his objective and could his followers, there is no doubt he had followers, be involved with the same people who are involved with the pursuit that has to do explicitly with the journal that nearly caused serious injury to Mikoto?"

"That is a good question but the answer is no," the other woman answered before her son could maul over what his wife had asked.

"But there is no doubt that he has influence in the underworld," the raven haired man added.

"That is also true, and his followers may be lying low at the moment but that does not mean they are not dangerous. Especially the most loyal of that mans followers, the young man that is known as the most loyal of that snake's followers goes by the name Kabuto and is just as dangerous if not more so considering his unstable mentality as the man himself was."

"I've heard of that one before," to which his wife looked at him startled and waited for him to explain, "he isn't all that much older than Itachi Uchiha in fact but was always a psychopathic child. I only heard about him in passing and was told to beware of him because of his affiliation with medicine and the fact that he happened to be a prodigy in the field, much like miss Rockbell has proven herself to be."

"Winifred Rockbell is indeed in as much danger as that of anyone else that this group heading these individuals from our past happen to be after. Perhaps it is because of her family name and perhaps it has to do with the fact that she is a medical prodigy," Riza commented as she polished off her drink and watched her husband do the same. She poured them both another glass as Madame Christmas poured herself what was her fifth drink.

The older woman did not seem the least bit affected by the amount of alcohol she had consumed other than the slightly rosy coloration of her cheeks which was highlighted further by the firelight. She took a hearty drink and then pointed her glass at her son with a stern expression on her face, "I don't want you making yourself a target, those three have just as much reason to go after you personally as they do to target Hoenhiem Elric. You had as much to do with their incarceration as that man did and I'm certain they are not very forgetful nor forgiving."

"I am well aware and I have yet to make myself-"

"I know you boy, and I know you well. If you think me foolish enough to believe that if you somehow manage to find out about a threat to any of those kids coming to you prior to it occurring that you will not act on it and put yourself in the direct line of fire to protect them then you are more disabled by that alcohol than I thought."

"Mom, I know not to put my life in danger like that, besides I am certain my wife would not allow such brash actions from me to even become an issue."

"Good," the woman nodded and finished off her drink before letting out a yawn, "well now, it's time we ate a good dinner and called it a night. I plan to be out of here by noon tomorrow and you have work to be getting on with don't you?"

"Always," he replied with a fond smile before he rose to his feet and took the glasses with him after finishing off his drink and waiting for his spouse to do the same before she followed him to the kitchen. His mother really had only offered them information that they already knew with the exception of the intelligence concerning Avnas, which he wasn't overly concerned about, and the possible involvement of a Rockbell that was thought to be deceased. He had already known that whatever was going on had a great deal to do with that journal of one Fullmetal, a legendary but often thought fictitious alchemist from a fictitious country that existed over a century ago.

His welcome guest interrupted his thoughts as he set the glasses in the sink when she called out to him, "That journal is factual and I am the mother of a goat if young Edward Elric hasn't already translated it fully and kept several copies of at least half of his notes. Whatever is in that journal is dangerous enough to involve embezzlement by politicians and cover ups by those high up in the food chain," she came into the kitchen to explain further.

"I've never been much of a historian but listening ears hear more than passerby's so I know that the journal is the key to all of this mess."

"What could be in that journal that they are so desperate to get a hold of?'

"The key to whatever their goal is," his wife replied.

"Exactly," his mother agreed immediately, "there are a great many things that anyone would be willing to do a great deal of harm to achieve. What you need to do is get the truth of that journal from the heir himself and then find the other journals scattered around the world so that every piece can be put together."

"Wait, what, other journals? Why would there be more than one?"

"Why wouldn't there be," his mother asked him with a look that said he was an idiot for thinking otherwise, "would you lay out all of your secrets in only one piece of literature if that was how your were going to leave your legacy? There is too much risk in that, its better to scatter the pieces so that only those who would never use the information for personal gain can decipher the messages left behind."

"How do you know the information could be used for personal gain?"

"Money may walk but charm makes people talk, I know because I heard a few rumors about those journals holding the key to power and immortality. There are many rumors circulating about why it is that Alphonse and Edward Elric have their ancestors names, intelligence, and talent with alchemy. Alchemy is something that is thought of as a falsified practice similar to magic even though my boy proved those rumors wrong."

"So this Fullmetal was an alchemist, that I gathered considering the stories I've heard about him. But how could he, who I also heard died at a relatively young age, know the key to power or immortality?"

"It's power _and _immortality not or and because the time in which he lived was different from our own and very much otherworldly by comparison. Kid did live over a century ago when physics was not the primary focus of many nations."

"Okay, so I need to try to get Edward to tell me what was in that journal even though the brat hates my guts and hardly wants to talk to after the Kimblee incident that happened a very short time ago?"

"That's a personal matter I don't give a rat's ass about," his mother replied crudely, "if you would lose some of that arrogance when dealing with the kid, like I told you before when you called me about him at the academy you waste your time teaching at, then you wouldn't have that issue."

He scowled at his mother but she walked away and said before he could reply, "How about you cook some of that eastern food you used to like so much for dinner, Chinese sounds good right now."

"Chinese would take hours to make and I'm not in the mood to slave in the kitchen for so long after your commentary," he countered.

"Get over it and make your mother the dinner she requested you ungrateful brat," she countered to which his wife chuckled at his side. He glared at her but she walked out of the kitchen and said, "I believe I will keep our guest company as I am unhelpful in the kitchen."

He watched her go feeling a bit betrayed by her abandoning him to slave in the kitchen over dinner. Her statement was very truthful, she had trouble boiling water for tea when left to her own devices in the kitchen but that was beside the point. As his wife she was supposed to support him but she had simply silently agreed with his mother and had even sauntered out of the kitchen only making him feel more frustrated than before. The two most important women in his life were likely going to send him to an early grave at this rate. Why in the hell he took his best friend's advice to get married was beyond him at the current moment.

* * *

_**The Following Day**_

He could have said that the past week, while on strict house arrest and stuck in a wheel chair, was a pleasant experience considering his girlfriend came over to see him every day but that would have been a lie. He was stuck in a wheelchair, confined to a crowded house that had a terrorizing two year old in it along with a stuffy, stoic, male populace, and did he say he was stuck in a wheelchair and on strict house arrest? It sucked to say the least and if he thought he was going stir crazy before then he was mistaken because he was definitely going insane now.

He still had not heard a word from his father which made him even more worried, Mustang was being a prick and kept ignoring his attempts to get in touch with the fucker to see if maybe he or Hues knew anything, and Winry was a mother hen that drove him nuts. She made sure he kept up with his physical therapy, took his medications, did not stress himself out much, and made him stay in his borrowed bed across the hall from Sasuke's room damn near the whole day. He must have been yelled at more in the past week for his language than he had in the entire time he had known the Uchiha family and Sasuke, his supposed friend, kept being a jackass and rubbing in the fact that he could leave the house by always stopping by his room to silently let him know he was home from having left the house.

Winry went a step further to drive him crazy with her insistence in regards to changing his bandages which put her hands too damn close to private areas of his body for him to be able to handle without any sort of reaction. Mikoto had of course had a smile on her face when the teenager had insisted to be allowed to change his bandages and he knew the older woman knew exactly why it might be a bit of a problem on his end. Something that was really getting on his nerves, and he thought he wouldn't have to say this, was that Al came over everyday to be an even bigger mother hen than Winry who even ended snapping at the younger Elric in response.

Of course with Al coming over everyday and simply checking in on him periodically while Winry checked him over much like a doctor would which was why he was actually released from the hospital Naruto had to accompany the other. So when he heard the loud, boisterous, annoying blond announce his arrival he hung his head already feeling exhausted by the others' presence.

At least when the other blond arrived it meant Sasuke was also home for the day and could distract the other. Looking up from where he was confined to the bed with his injured right leg elevated on a pillow per Winry's doing who was currently downstairs helping Mikoto prepare dinner and a late afternoon snack which would be brought up to him since he was not allowed to even try getting down the stairs at the moment he caught the tail end of Naruto running through the hall to barge into Sasuke's room. Said raven haired teenager walked past his room, paused to nod at him in acknowledgement and then made his way into his room where he promptly told his guest to calm down and shut up.

Snickering at the other being yelled at he grinned at seeing his brother stick his head in the door with a warm smile. He motioned the other to come in to which Al all but bounced on his feet as he did so and sat down in the chair to left side of his bed and set down his gym bag from his training at the dojo.

"How are you doing brother?"

"I'm going stir crazy is what, how was your day?"

"The same as usual and productive. Did you get the results from your finals yet?"

"No, but by the end of the week I guess," he answered with a sigh as he shifted on the bed to try and get more comfortable which was not likely to happen. He waved off his brother's offer to help him and settled against his pillows that were propped up behind his back and let out another sigh before he asked, "You think I could convince someone to let me at least go outside?"

"I don't know brother, it might do more harm than good-"

"Ah hell, this room is annoying and I'm fucking tired of being stuck in here-"

"Edward-kun, watch your language," Mikoto shouted from the kitchen downstairs.

"Gomen Mikoto-san," he shouted back and then let out an irritated growl. Before either of them could say anything more to one another two additional arrivals were announced downstairs letting him know Tidus and Yuna had made it back from their day of job hunting and apartment hunting. Well Yuna was the one doing the job and apartment hunting since Tidus had managed to get a job as a janitor at some school somewhere on the other side of town. They had to catch the bus which neither complained about but was the reason behind their late arrival. It was nearly seven at night after all and both were out the door by four in the morning every day. He knew that Lenne was somewhere in the house but was surprised that he had yet to hear Jacqueline's laughter or voice throughout most of the day. He heard Tidus saying something to Mikoto that was clear enough to let him know the other was making his way upstairs to no doubt check in on him.

Sure enough the other stepped into the doorway of the room and looked around to pointedly smirk at the display of discarded books, papers, and clothes from his temper tantrum earlier in the day. He made his way to the bed where he sat down on the edge and grinned at him, "What's up Edo?"

"Don't call me that and get off my bed," Ed snarled at the other letting him know full well how sour his mood was.

"Ah, and here I was going to suggest we get your pale, scrawny ass outside-"

"Watch your language Tidus," Mikoto reprimanded her nephew to which he scratched the back of his neck and called out, "Sorry Mikoto-san."

"You were saying," Ed prompted feeling his mood pick up a little at the suggestion of him actually getting to go outside.

"Well there is a perfectly safe backyard on this piece of land my aunt and uncle own and fresh air has a good healing quality."

"But wouldn't it just jar brothers injuries," Al admonished earning him a glare from his older brother.

"Nah, s'long as we're careful," Tidus said confidently.

"Finally, I'm tired of being stuck in this room and this part of the house," Ed said as he heard Winry's footsteps coming towards the room. She had a tray in her hand as she entered the room and shooed Tidus off the end of the bed so she could take up residence where he was previously seated. Tidus grinned at her in greeting and said casually, "Say Miss Winry, would you mind if Sasuke and I helped Ed get some fresh air?"

"Who said I was going to volunteer to do such a thing," Sasuke said from the doorway announcing his presence and startling most of those in the room save the blond being discussed. Ed glared at the other and reached for the pillow on his right hand side so he could throw it at the raven only to have Winry grab it and set it out of his reach before she shoveled a fork full of food in his mouth making him shut up. He let her feed him because if he didn't she was going to just embarrass him by sitting in his lap and force feeding him. Sasuke had left the room and headed downstairs for dinner to which Tidus and Al did the same and Naruto soon followed.

Winry was silent as he drank his glass of juice to wash down the dinner he had eaten which he hardly remembered the identity of. After he handed the glass back to her and she set the tray on the bedside table to be dealt with later she stood up and said, "I'm sorry."

Stunned he sputtered for a minute in shock at the two words before he said, "For what?"

"I was trying to get you out of the house because being cooped up was tearing you apart and now you're too injured to even go outside under your own ability."

"Winry, I already told you-"

"I shouldn't have been so impulsive," she said sternly.

He glared at her, "And I shouldn't have gone along with it. Damn it woman, this was not solely either one of our faults. People get hurt all the time, shit happens, and trust me I've had worse and am quite capable of getting into even bigger shit without anyone's help at all."

"Which is why you didn't need me to prompt you to go looking for trouble."

"That is bullshit and you know it. Your intentions were innocent and kind and who the hell knew this shit was going to happen anyway. We've been over this, I should have told you how serious the danger was and voiced my apprehension instead of going along with it. I should have made us go home, I shouldn't have been an idiot. But what happened, happened and now we have to just deal with it and move on."

"But it never would-"

"Yes it would have and if you were not there it would have turned out worse, trust me on that."

"What," she said finally looking at him and seating herself on the edge of the bed once more, "what do you mean it would have been worse if I had not been there?"

"I-I mean that if I wouldn't have had you to think of I would have just unleashed on those three and ended up half dead in the end."

"Wait a minute, my impulsiveness got us into that scenario and my presence prevented your impulsiveness from getting you killed?"

"Not killed and no, our impulsiveness and my idiocy damn it, and only really badly fucked up."

"Edward-kun!"

"Gomen," he called out to the reprimand, that woman had ears like a bat.

"Ed, what do you mean and how do you know that? I get that your impulsive but I also know you can think on your feet and in the heat of a fight so that is not the only reason you feel certain that they would have done worse to you had they had the chance."

"They had the chance, they had you and that was more than enough to prevent my retaliating too much. I'm not saying you're a liability because you are definitely not, you can protect yourself and you would have but they used each other against the other. My point is, I know them and how low they can go and what desperate measures they will take. Greed is a prime example, he can overpower me nine out of ten times in a fight, I got lucky that time. Archer is a dirty fighter and capable of anything. Kimblee is a maniac beneath that calm exterior and loves explosives."

"So you're saying that there was more danger present than-"

"You should have run away and it was great that you did. At first Kimblee was nowhere to be seen after I took out Archer and Greed so I thought he'd gone after you. I panicked and raced after you because I know full well that they are not above killing someone important to me just as an act of terror against me. They've always enjoyed tormenting me way too much anyway."

"Edward," Mikoto called from the hall making him want to automatically apologize but realizing after a split second that he had not said a cuss word he turned his attention to the older woman as she stepped into the room holding a phone in her hand.

"You have a phone call from Mustang-san."

"What, now he wants to return my phone calls, that rat bast-ow" he said when Winry pinched his hand before he could complete his insult. Mikoto shook her head at him and handed him the phone to which he answered once he held it to his ear with, "What do you want?"

"Hello to you as well Edward," the other replied with a smirk in his voice, Ed could just see the damn smirk on the bastard's face and glared at the wall since he couldn't glare at the man.

"Like I said, what do you want? I've been calling you for over a week and you now decided I was worth talking to?"

"I was simply going to ask if your father has contacted you in the past week."

"No, the old man hasn't so much as written a letter to ask how Al and I are doing. Is that it?"

"I'm afraid not but there are matters I do not wish to discuss over the phone. When you are recovered enough to venture out of my sisters' home perhaps we could arrange a meeting at my house."

"And why in the hell would I-"

"Jin-kun, please watch your language," Mikoto admonished cutting him off mid-sentence. He sighed, said, "Gomen Mikoto-san," and then growled into the phone at the other and continued with what he was saying, "Why would I want to talk to you within your home turf?"

"You've become far too Americanized in the time you have spent in this country. My house is neutral ground with my wife present and is also the least likely to be watched as closely as the current residence in which your are temporarily residing."

"Whatever, what makes you think anything you have to say interests me enough?"

"Because my mother knows a great deal about those who are current threats to both of our families."

"Uh-huh, and your mother is supposed to be enough to convince me because?"

"Hold on a moment, I believe she wishes to speak with you," the other said before the line went static with the movement on the other end. He froze at the sound of the other voice coming on the line to say, "You are still just as obstinate as you ever were. Look here brat, you and my son need to have a chat and I plan to have a nice talking to you afterwards. So before I come there and break both your legs I suggest you agree to a meeting and behave yourself at that house."

"Yes ma'am, you're really that ass-jerk's," he amended at the last second under the stern look from Mrs. Uchiha, "mother," he finished."

"Yes, and while it is regrettable at his times of idiocy I won't tell you again. Additionally, watch your damn mouth around my son's sister."

"That's hypocritical of you," he said before the younger Mustang came back on the line and said, "So is it agreed?"

"Fine, but it's not because of you. I own Miss Chris a lot and I'm doing this for her."

"Understandable, until next we meet then."

"Shut up," Ed said before he pulled the phone away from his ear and pushed the off button hanging up on the other before he had to hear his voice any longer. Now he really wanted to hit something after talking to that smug git. Winry took the phone from him and asked, "Now what was that about?"

"Mustang wanted me to meet up with him, says he has some information about those goons and that his mother wants a few words with me or something."

"He plans to further inform you and thus further endanger your life and his mother is condoning such actions," Mikoto said disapprovingly.

"Well, I guess, you could always call 'im and ask him."

"I shall, and I'll have a few words with Madame Christmas as well," Mikoto said sternly before she took the phone back from Winry and made her way out of the room returning a few seconds later to grab the tray and say, "I informed my son that he and Tidus-kun will be assisting you with going into the backyard. Fresh air could do you a great deal of good," she finished with a warm smile before leaving the room again.

Winry turned to him with a smile on her face that was verging on the path to laughter to which they both ended up falling into a few light hearted laughs before Winry got up and made her way to the closet of his borrowed room and took out his most hated item, the wheelchair. She had him seated in the chair after a only a handful of minutes and as the sound of dishes being washed downstairs drafter up to them Sasuke and Tidus were heard making their way upstairs.

Winry hovered behind Tidus who was carrying the heavier part of the chair at the top of the stairs and right behind him while Sasuke maneuvered the bottom half of the chair down the stairs. Naruto and Alphonse were standing by which made him realize that Yuna was the most likely candidate to be doing the dishes in the kitchen considering Mikoto's mood when she left his room.

When they passed through the kitchen so that they could go outside onto the outer deck that led to the courtyard of the house that was in the back vicinity of the large property he had the thought of where Lenne and Jacqueline could be again. The question must have been written on his face because Tidus said as he pushed the chair past the threshold and he was finally outside of the way too familiar house, "Lenne took Jacqueline with her to her father's house to visit with her grandparents."

"Oh, why didn't you and Yuna go with her?"

"Domere came and picked them up really early this morning and Yuna said she wanted to stay and continue looking for work and an apartment."

He would have commented further but he couldn't stop himself from taking in the feel and smell of fresh air and then taking in a deep breath. He didn't think he would have been so grateful to just be outdoors even in his life quite like he was right now after an entire week being cooped up on the second floor of the Uchiha residence. Sasuke, Naruto, and Al had already taken the opportunity to wander the courtyard which was spacious healthy in this summer weather.

The grass looked thick and soft and as he let his left foot drag as Tidus slowly pushed him to the center of the courtyard he found that he was correct in his assumption as his foot was bare of sock of shoe since he was confined to the damnable chair anyway. There was a small fountain in the center with what looked to be a marble finish reminding him of just how financially sound the Uchiha family really was. The water was clear and cool to the touch as he leaned forward to run his flesh fingers along the surface.

When he looked around further he noticed the trees along the perimeter of the back fence that not only offered privacy to the residents but also added a more serene feel to the place itself. He knew the courtyard well considering the sparing sessions he and Sasuke often had in its vicinity but he was seeing it differently now since he was merely out here to get some much needed expansion of his surroundings.

"You look at peace for once," Winry commented softly from where she had taken to sitting on the grass beside where his chair was positioned. He smiled at the commentary and said, "It's nice to finally be outside. I thought I was going to have to chew through the walls to get out of that room."

Laughter from the two around him and then Tidus said, "It's nice you know, being here, even if uncle is always uptight and stuffy."

"He comes by that naturally," Ed said with a grimace.

"I know, kinda why my parents don't like him much. Shuyin always wanted to impress him so he wouldn't look down and the two of us you know?"

"I don't see why," Ed commented off handedly.

"Just guess he thought if he could prove himself worthy to Fugaku-san then maybe the man would be willing to help me out in a jam. Guess he shouldn't have tried so hard."

"I'm sure Uchiha-san was proud of your brother Tidus," Winry commented with an encouraging smile. It was more along the lines of a hopeful smile from his perspective because considering the man's attitude and demeanor towards his own sons Ed was doubtful that anyone would ever know whether or not the head of the Uchiha household was ever 'proud' of anyone. Hell, Sasuke, a genius in his own right who had worked hard to get ahead and into a prestigious university hardly received praise from his father for his accomplishments and he happened to be the man's son. If he couldn't even come up with the gumption to compliment his own son then he doubted the man would ever get up the nerve to say a kind word to his nephews whom he hardly knew and did not seem to care much one way or the other for.

"Whatever, I don't need his approval. I'm very grateful for his generosity but I know it had more to do with Mikoto-san's compassion and kindness that Yuna and I are not out on the street right now. If Lenne wasn't pregnant and already the mother of a little girl then I doubt the man would even consider helping us at all."

"Father is a bit difficult to read but he does care," Sasuke commented letting them know he had overheard what they were discussing. The raven sat down on the edge of the fountain while Al and Naruto's laughter continued on in the background. He looked down at the clear water glinting from the moonlight and the paper lanterns that he guessed were lit by Mikoto without their knowing.

"While my brother and I have never received direct compliments or praise from our father for our accomplishments we know that he is proud of us because our kasaan assures us that he is. As far as his helping the three of you he made that decision as soon I suggested it."

"And was then convinced by your mom, right," Tidus asked.

"No. He simply decided that he would take the four of you in."

"Huh, go figure," Tidus said feeling a bit guilty about making a hasty assumption.

"Not to mention he also took Ed in and he actually doesn't like him much," Sasuke added with a smirk.

"Hey! What the hell Sasuke?" Snicker from his supposed friends followed that as the raven haired youth got up and walked away to join the two on the other end of the courtyard. Ed glared at his back as he did so then directed his glare to the other two as they burst out into full out laughter at his expense. Ed snarled and snapped at them both, "Oh you can go to hell you two," which only made them laugh even more. With a smirk he just listened to their laughter and turned his gaze back to the water in the fountain, at least this time he had walked away from an encounter with those three with his dignity intact and no one had lost their life this time around.


End file.
