"Winry, you have to help brother!" Al shrieked as he held his bleeding older brother with his armored hands.

All Granny and I could do was stare.

Memories- Chapter 2

"Get clean bandages! Hot water! Granny, please get some of Ed's clothes from his spare room. Al, can you grab some towels?" I ordered as I immediately took charge of the terrible situation in front of me. What had happened, I didn't know. But what I did know was my best friend would die right in front of me if I didn't hurry. I'd read enough medical texts to know that.

I went to my bookshelf of all the books my parents left and picked out one that was sure to help, Basic Care for Severe Injuries, Vol. 7. I quickly went to the dog-eared page about addressing missing limbs and their wounds. Quickly, I scanned through the text, taking in as much as I could. I ran down the flight of stairs to where granny had set him, on one of the operating beds. I took the tourniquet and wrapped it around his right, well… um… nub. I did the same where his leg used to be. Meanwhile, Granny and Al had left the room, Al beginning to explain the situation.

"Ed, you idiot. What have you done this time?" I whispered, resting my head on his chest as he slept the pain away.

**********

Ed explained the next day. He and Al had attempted to bring their mother back, with no success. It created a monster, and took Ed and Al's bodies away. Granny had left for a half an hour to bury the thing in their backyard. Ed was silent and Al was nowhere to be seen. All day, Ed kept muttering, "All my fault," and, "I'm such an idiot." That day was the longest I could remember.

That night, there was a harsh knock on our door. Granny went to answer it, but before she could even get a "Hello?" out, a tall, black haired man dressed in the military's uniform barged into the room, muttering, "Excuse us ma'm, we'll only be a second," as he walks towards Ed's wheelchair.

A petite blond woman with short hair follows, clipboard in hand and looking at the man with the most curious expression on her face. I swear, Ed looks just like that whenever I get hurt toying with automail, or fall in the creek. So why would she be looking at this man with the same expression?

"WHAT THE HECK DID YOU DO?" Screamed the man, picking Ed up by his shirt collar. I knew it wasn't the time to stick around, so I invited the young blonde into the hallway. I offered tea and soon, I ran to the kitchen, hoping that that man would kick some sense into that idiot.

When I returned with the tea, the woman was sitting on our bench, silent, listening to the calmer chatter in the next room. Silently, I handed her the teacup, sitting beside her.

"Um… Miss?" I asked shakily.

"Riza, you can call me Riza," she said, holding her hand out to me.

I stared at her hand, "Miss Riza, have you ever shot anyone before?"

She withdrew her hand, glancing at them sadly as she answered, "Yes, many people."

"I don't like soldiers. My mom and dad were taken to the battlefield and were killed there," I said as I looked straight ahead, on the verge of tears, "I don't want Ed to be taken away by the military. Please don't take him away."

"The military isn't going to take him away. It will be his choice whether to come or not. To tell the truth, I don't like the military either, because at times, I am forced to take lives."

"Then why did you join?"

She said the most inspiring thing then.

"There's someone I need to protect. It was not because I was forced by anyone, but it was my own free will. It is my own choice to pull the trigger for the person whom I must protect at all costs. Until the day that person accomplishes his goal… I will pull the trigger without a doubt. If those kids have strong wills, they will decide by themselves and go towards that path."

I looked up at her.

"Even if that path becomes a winding, muddy river."

"That will be all for today, here's my number," we could hear from the room behind us.

Miss Riza stood up, grabbing her coat, "Goodbye, little girl."

"Oh, my name is Winry," I said, holding my hand out to her finally. She took it, firmly, I noted, and as soon as she came, she disappeared out the door

**********

"Granny, Winry, I want to become a state alchemist. So give me an arm to do alchemy with and a leg to stand on. I want automail."

Yet again, all we could do was stare.

**********

"You sure you're not going to regret this?" Granny questioned, holding the needle for the fist injection of the week long surgery. I had never seen an automail operation done, so this time, I was definitely going to take some notes.

"How long will the rehabilitation take?" Ed asked from his position on the operating table. He had his eyes closed, as if bracing himself for the pain that will come from the surgery.

"Three years if you're lucky. For most, it's five," Granny said, holding the needle up a bit straighter.

"One year!" Ed declared, eyes burning with determination. It was the second time he had looked like that, the first, when he asked us for automail.

"Kid, you're gonna spit up blood," Granny said, eyes gleaming. No matter how much she commented on his lacking height, I knew Granny always admired Ed's determination and intelligence. Well, what could I say? I admired that too.

Yays! Finally done with chapter 2! This thing was a bitch to write. Thanks to all those who reviewed. I'll accept flames as long as they're appropriate. I want you opinion.

I used a lot of dialogue from the manga, mainly because I love Riza's lines when she's talking to Winry. So Royai!!!!!!

Review, if you know what's good for you ^^,

AlchemyFreak

P.S. DISCLAIMER: No matter how much I wish I did, I don't own Fullmetal Alchemist. All the characters belong to Hiromu Arakawa, and I, indeed, am not her. All hail the manga cow!!!!!