A/N: This was originally a contest entry for the Livejournal group, fma_fic_contest. I had so much fun writing it, but had had to cut it short due to the deadline. Finally, I've been able to go back and edit and expand on this super nerdy crossover. I hope you enjoy!

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"Remind me again why we're in the sewers instead of in the streets, enjoying the festival." The young blonde girl stared incredulously at her equally blonde companion as they trudged through the shallow waters of Rabanastre's old flood gates.

Not bothering to slow down or turn around, he answered her, his voice echoing off the long stone corridor. "I've already told you. I've heard rumors of The Goddess' Tear at the palace, and the festival is the perfect cover for when I take it."

"Right, and you don't think there'll be any extra security or anything with the new Consul being present?" Her voice was heavily laced with sarcasm, which perfectly matched the disbelieving look that she gave him. Ed figured there wasn't anything he could say that would sway her thoughts at this point, so he didn't even bother replying.

He had known Winry for as long as he could remember, and if the stories Pinako told him were true, then even before that. They were orphans of the war with Archades, having lost their parents when they were both quite young. Winry's grandmother had taken them all in, Winry, Edward, and his brother, and had raised them as best she could with what little she had. Money wasn't easy for old-time mechanics in the desert city where few ships could travel freely, so they had to make due with what little money they could earn. The war had taken more than that though. Alphonse, Ed's younger brother and only living relative, had been stolen from them as well, another casualty of the Empire.

"Ed, are you even listening to me?" She grabbed his shoulders and swung him around to face her. "I think the chances of you being caught are pretty high, and for what? Some stone that's said to contain heavy traces of Mist? Isn't your alchemy powerful enough already?"

"Winry, don't pretend to know how alchemy works. Just stick to your airships and leave Quickenings to me."

"In case you've forgotten - and knowing the way you retain information on things that don't interest you I'd say that you have - I work with magicite everyday. What do you think gets those big ships up in the air anyway? You are so frustrating sometimes, do you know that?"

"If I bother you so much then why are you always following me?" His eyebrow arched teasingly as he removed her hands from his shoulders.

"To keep you out of trouble, of course! If it weren't for me you'd be rotting in Nalbina by now."

"If you say so." The young alchemist turned and continued trekking through the empty conduit, chuckling under his breath.

Resolutely she followed after, sloshing through deep puddles of stagnant rainwater. They were fortunate that it was currently Dry Season, for when the rains came these underground pipe-ways would be filled to the brim, making their little adventure impossible.

Rabanastre was a very old city, surrounded on all sides by desert land. Centuries ago, when the Royal City had first been constructed, the early architects had designed the Garamsythe Waterway to control the raging waters of Wet Season. The waterway had been rebuilt countless times over the years, and was now a terrible labyrinth of grand sluices and conduits so complex that it had no map to mark its innumerable channels. Some believed the underground tunnels traveled for miles beneath the desolate sands surrounding the city. There were also rumors that the tunnels led right into the Royal Palace itself, and it was on these rumors that Edward had begun exploring the abandoned sluice gates.

He had spent the last few weeks sneaking off to one of the old storerooms where he had found an old entrance to the grand sewers. Through trial and calculation, the determined alchemist had discovered what he believed to be the route to the Palace Vault. It was pure luck that the new Consul had been appointed that very same week, planning the festival to mark his appointment.

They walked together in silence; the only sounds audible were the splashing of their boots and the crinkling of Ed's homemade map. It had been a while since they last heard the festivities on the streets above. The pathways seemed to travel gradually deeper, though there was no honest way to gauge the slope from inside the waterway itself. It just seemed cooler, danker, quieter...they were almost there if Ed was right about this.

Time passed achingly slow, their anxiety making the minutes feel like hours, until finally they reached a dead end. Winry huffed and began to walk back, muttering about stupid adventures, while Ed ran his hands over the damp rock. There was a warmth within the stone that wasn't natural in this environment. This had to be it.

"Ed, what are you doing?"

"Watch." Clapping his hands together, Ed summoned the Mist about him. Blue light shimmered around him, much in the same way the heat rose from the afternoon sands. He focused the Mist as he placed his hands upon the wall, channeling it through the stone and reshaping it. The pathway was bathed in blinding blue light so bright that he could see it with his eyes closed. He could feel the slabs shift as the power of the Mist coursed through him. Soon the light faded and he opened his eyes to find that a doorway had emerged, revealing a set of hidden steps.

"Oh," Winry gasped from behind him. Ed turned, smirking proudly as she dumbly staggered over to examine the newly made door. That girl would never cease to be amazed by alchemy it seemed.

To be fair, alchemy was a rather uncommon ability. Not everyone was able to tune into the Mist, and even out of those who could, he had yet to meet someone that could manipulate the energy the same way that he could. Most often it was used in a destructive way, but Ed had managed to channel that energy in order to reconstruct the world around him. The Mist ebbed and flowed all throughout the land. Sometimes it was so thick that is was visible to the naked eye, masking the use of all other magic, and other times it as so scarce that no alchemist could call upon it.

He grabbed her shoulder with his left hand, using the other to tuck a loose strand of hair behind her ear. Her hand rose to cover his own, squeezing his as he made to pull away. "Listen, Winry. Things could get ugly here. I don't want you to get involved in this." He leaned forward and touched his forehead to hers, lowering his voice to little more than a whisper. "You should go back to Lowtown and hang tight. Maybe go to Hughes' place. He'll be able to give you an alibi should you need it." Ed grabbed the stunned girl's hands and placed the map into them, closing her fingers around the crinkled parchment.

At the mention of that name, Winry snapped out of her reverie. "You know I don't like that man. He's always planting these crazy ideas in your head, and giving you the means to accomplish them. He's insane, Ed!"

"Yeah, but that's why I like him."

"Of course it is," she replied as she rolled her eyes.

"Please, Winry? If I'm not back by midnight, go home and pretend like we've never met. I don't want to drag you into this."

She glared at him for a few tense moments, before she sighed and gave in to his request. She hardly ever fought with him over things like this anymore, and while it certainly made things easier, he had to admit he almost missed her indignation. "Fine, but please be careful."

"I always am."

"Yeah right."

He squeezed her hands gently before releasing them from his grasp. Her eyes were painted with worry, and he didn't have it in him to face her any longer. Quickly, he turned from his childhood friend and bound up the stone stairway, not knowing where it might lead.