Disclaimer: i don't own Fullmetal Alchemist. Only all the volumes. :)

Consciousness gripped him in its painful hold. He did not want to wake up yet but every muscle in his body was aching, calling to his senses. Slowly he opened one eye. Okay, so far so good. Then he opened the other.

Curiosity and anxiety mixed with his pain as he realised he was lying down. He tried to sit up, only to find that someone had removed his right arm and left leg. He swore aloud, struggling again as he pushed himself up with his left arm and tried to maintain his balance.

A door opened close by and Edward looked behind him. A tall blond girl was walking towards him, a relieved glint in her eye. Edward recognised Winry instantly and as she smiled at him, his memories flooded back.

***

Ed and Al were summoned to Central by the military, regarding a new mission Ed was to be undertaking. The brothers weren't intending to stay very long, just go and get the briefing then leave. But it hadn't turned out like that. Al had spotted someone following them and that was when it all hit the fan.

Al had let it slip to Mustang that he'd seen a small skinny man following them. Ed, as always, disapproved of his brother's honesty. But Mustang had taken the sighting very seriously.

"We need to investigate this further. For the moment I want you both to go back to Risembool and wait there until I send Armstrong to get you," Mustang said after a moments thought. "You are only to return with Armstrong, no one else, hear me? And don't announce your presence there, keep to yourselves and preferably stay out of sight."

Ed had laughed openly at Roy's commands but the Colonel had just glared at him and told him that if he didn't do what he was told then his brother's well-being would be questionable. It had been said in a round-a-bout way that left Al looking thoroughly confused and Ed seething. He'd fallen silent immediately, his automail right hand clutching the wooden arm rest on his chair in a death grip.

So later that afternoon, Ed and Al were once again to be found on a train. They were headed for Risembool, their hometown, a place they only visited when they had too.

Hearing his stomach rumble, Ed decided that he would get something to eat at the train's next stop. As the train rumbled to a halt, Ed glanced to his brother.

"You hungry?"

It had been two years since Al had regained his body and Ed was slowly getting used to asking him about his bodily functions.

Al nodded emphatically. "I would really like a chocolate muffin."

Ed smiled at his brother's new obsession and walked silently away, his hands dug deep into his pant pockets.

On the platform, he found a stall and asked for Al's chocolate muffin. Ed, however, wanted something more. Maybe a meat pie. His stomach growled at the thought.

Slowly he wandered over to the canteen built into the side of the train station. He perused the menu then made his selection.

It happened as he was walking back to the train. A shadow fell over him and he turned in curiosity. Before he could react, something long and thin pierced his left shoulder. Edward grunted in pain, his face contorting and his teeth biting into his lip as he struggled to hold in the scream of pain. He looked down at his left shoulder and saw an all too familiar sight. He'd been pierced by Lust's fingers before and the pain now was just as bad as it was last time.

Slowly he raised his head, golden eyes flashing in anger. He brought his right hand up and gripped the pole-like fingers that were still buried in his shoulder.

"It's good to see you too," Ed hissed through clenched teeth. "Gluttony with you?"

Lust just gave him an inviting smile.

"We didn't come to talk small talk shrimp," a new voice said.

Ed growled as fury ran through him at Envy's jibe. With great effort he managed to hold it in, the pain in his shoulder serving distraction enough.

"So no heart-to-heart then? And I was so looking forward to it!" replied Ed.

Envy grinned. Ed was glad to see it short lived, for at that second he heard the familiar crackle of alchemic energy behind him. Lust quickly withdrew her fingers from Ed's shoulder, a scowl marring her pretty face.

"Brother, get back on the train!"

Ed turned at the sound of Alphonse's voice and began moving back to their carriage, the food forgotten. He clutched his wounded shoulder in his right arm, the metal doing nothing to staunch the blood flow. Al was standing at the edge of the platform, an alchemically made gun in his hand. It was pointed unwaveringly at the two homunculi.

Gritting his teeth, Ed stepped onto the train, wondering why Lust and Envy had not advanced. It was only a gun after all and homunculi were not so easily wounded.

The train emitted a loud whistle signaling that it was about to depart. Edward watched from within the doorway of the train as the two homunculi stared at Al. Suddenly the wheels began moving and Ed's good arm shot out, gripping Al's coat in a tight hold. Al was yanked off his feet and pulled onto the train as it slowly left the station.

Ed left his brother there, running into the carriage peering through the windows hoping to catch a glimpse of Envy or Lust before they disappeared out of sight. What had just happened? He had never seen the homunculi shrink from a gun, or give up so easily. Something had to be going on and Edward's genius mind was struggling to connect the dots.

As he began to lose sight of the station, Ed could have sworn he saw Envy raise a hand in farewell and Lust permit herself a knowing smile. Before he could confirm what he'd seen Al flopped down beside him, the gun gone and his eyes bright with concern.

"Are you okay Brother?" he queried.

Ed wasn't really paying attention but he nodded, feeling the uncomfortable sensation of blood in the fibers of his shirt but ignoring it.

Al sighed, recognising the distracted look in Ed's eyes. Silently he pulled out his suitcase and produced a medicinal bag. He got to work on Ed's shoulder, knowing his brother was too deep in his thoughts to be bothered by any feelings of pain or discomfort from his shoulder.

***

As Winry smiled at him, Ed glanced down at his shoulder and saw white bandages wrapped tightly around it. His instinct was to reach up and touch the material but while his nerves were there to send out the signals to his right arm to do so, the actual limb was absent.

"You should lie back down," Winry said, gently pushing him down.

Edward hurt too much to protest so he let his friend push him about.

"Winry?" he muttered, closing his eyes.

Winry glanced to Ed's face, smiling gently at his screwed up expression. She'd seen him in pain countless times and while she wasn't morbid, she did think that his facial expressions were cute.

"Yes Ed?"

"How long have I been out?" he queried.

Winry shrugged, pulling the covers of his bed down. It still pained her to see only half of his left leg there, the automail port wrapped in bandages so that infection didn't get in. She was here now to clean the port so that she could attach the spare leg while they worked on extending the original.

"Two days now. You didn't miss much, only Al eating us out of house and home," she replied with a little laugh.

Ed could hear how happy she was that Al had his body back and he smiled through his pain. At least something good had come of their seemingly endless search for the Philosopher's Stone.

"This might sting a little but I'm just cleaning your port ok?" Winry announced and Ed nodded silently.

He felt the cold liquid on his leg and shivered a little but he wasn't really paying attention to what Winry was doing. He was still trying to figure out why Envy and Lust had let him go so easily on the train station. Nothing made sense.

The whole situation was wrong and Ed's instincts were yelling at him that he shouldn't be lying down, helpless without his automail limbs. But at the moment he knew there was nothing he could do, so he ignored his fears and told his mind to slow down, to relax.

It was possibly the worst decision he could have made.