Chapter 1

Sheska stared out the window as the mid afternoon sunlight shone into the cozy risembool home. A book lay open in front of her, yet her gaze rested somewhere else. Her palm cradled her head as she leaned on her elbow which rested on the table in front of her. Her jade eyes seemed a lot further than the grassy fields outside. The ceiling fan clicked as it turned, the faint indoor breeze rustling the edges of her book pages, longing for the girl to flip them herself. However Sheska had lost interest in the book and was completely submerged in her own thoughts.

Winry stepped into the living room. She stopped when she saw Sheska gazing out the window and leaned against the doorway. A small smirk formed on her face as she observed the girl. Winry has only recently befriended Sheska, but after their adventure in Central, she felt like they had really bonded. Winry had friends in Risembool, but she wasn't very close to anyone except for Pinako and the Elric brothers so she was content to make a new friend, especially one she bonded with so well.

Sheska heard a knock that jolted her back to reality. She looked across the room to see Winry leaning against the doorframe of the living room, her knuckle resting on the wall. Sheska's chest tightened and a grin spread across her face almost immediatly as she saw her friend. "Hey Winry," she greeted as she shut the book in front of her. Winry smiled and walked over and sat down across from her. Sheska watched her as she moved across the room. She had never admired anyone as highly as she did Winry. She was talented, independent and beautiful; Winry was everything Sheska was not but wished she could be. "How long did I zone out for?" Sheska asked, adjusting her glasses in attempt to distract Winry from her slight embarrasment.

Winry leaned back in her chair. "I just walked in so I'm not sure. You're so spacy that I wouldn't be surprised if it had been awhile though." Winry chuckled a bit after she said it, and Sheska adjusted her glasses again, looking down with a smile.

It was true. Sheska had barely read any of the book and knew she had been staring out the window for a long while. A lot had been plaguing her mind lately with Hughes' death and their investigation of Juliet Douglas in central, but something else was bothering her as well. Sheska looked back up at her new friend. Winry's bright blue eyes seemed to sparkle in the afternoon light and Sheska's chest felt tight again. "I've just had a lot on my mind I suppose." Her voice trailed off a little as she spoke.

Winry's smile faded. Of course a lot had been on Sheska's mind. The death of Brigadere General Hughes had really affected her. Winry hoped that asking Sheska to accompany her to Risembool would help her take her mind off of the things bothering her, but now she worried that maybe it was making it worse. Winry dismissed the thought and chalked it up to paranoia. Sheska probably wouldn't be doing any better at Central than somewhere she could get her mind off things.

The front door swung open and with odd sounding footsteps, Ed and Al walked into the house. "We're back with the groceries, Winry!" Al chimed as Ed walked straight to the kitchen to put the food away.

Winry and Sheska both got up from the table and walked with Al to the kitchen. "Thanks guys," Winry said as she took some of the groceries from him. She glanced over at Ed who was muttering something under his breath as he put the milk away and Winry smiled.

Sheska noticed the blonde girl's reaction. Winry was obviously very fond of Ed. She hadn't thought about that before. Obviously she knew how close the three of them were because they grew up together, but never before had she seen Winry smile like that. The gleam of her eyes almost seemed to light up the room just then, and again Sheksa felt an odd tightness in her chest.

"You're reading that book really slowly."

Sheska looked up at Winry who was working on automail at her worktable across the room. She was surprised that the girl had been paying enough attention to her to notice that Sheska hadn't flipped a page in quite some time.

It had been almost a week since the Elric brothers had left, after Roy Mustang and his squad had come to Risembool looking for them. Sheska smiled, embarrased. She had been having a horrible time focusing for the past couple of weeks and she was sure Winry had noticed. She scanned the girl up and down as she stood across the room. Winry wiped a wrench down with a rag she held in her gloved hands. Sheska found it funny how such a dirty, rugged, thick glove could hide Winry's soft slender fingers. Her eyes followed the contour of Winry's body, tracing the curve of her hips. She wondered why Winry wore such revealing clothes while working on automail, but she wasn't complaining. Sheska thought Winry looked...cool. That's the word she wanted to go with. Winry looked cool. Sheska wished she could like Winry, but she felt so bland compared to the mechanic.

Winry waved her hand which broke Sheska's daze. "Geez. You really are spacy."

Sheska's cheeks streaked red. "N-No I just have a lot on my mind." She finished her sentence in a nervous laugh which made her entire defense less believable. Winry placed her hands on her hips and her eyebrows burrowed and her mouth formed the start of a frown. Sheska sunk down in her seat and prepared for some remark from the girl but Winry just sighed and her frown dissipated.

"You know that you can always talk to me if somethings bothering you." Winry's voice had changed from her initial accusing tone and now seemed sweet and thoughtful.

Sheska smiled and gazed back at her friend. "Thanks Winry." Winry's offer had been so sincere and Sheska really did appreciate it, but she couldn't talk to Winry about what was on her mind. It wasn't Hughes or the Elric brothers or anything to do with the military that was plaguing her.

It was Winry.

There was something about the girl that made Sheska feel really drawn to her. Her smile seemed so warm and bright, and she was so independent and talented that Sheska couldn't help but admire her. Sheska found it odd though. It felt so different than just admiration. When Winry was around Sheska was happy, but when they were apart Sheska wished that they weren't. Winry just made her happy when she as around her, and Sheska liked that feeling. Sheska just couldn't help but feel that her admiration was somewhat...different.